Withisms from Lori

Accountability - Who is Responsible for Fund Development Outcomes?

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:49:00 GMT

In the fundraising action planning sessions I conduct with organizations across the country one of my main goals is to shift the lens of awareness and responsibility for fund development to the entire board and staff.

Development, as defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): The total process by which an organization increases public understanding of its mission and acquires financial support for its programs.

While not everyone in an organization needs to ASK for money, I believe it’s everyone’s job to increase awareness about the impact of the work while also sharing information about costs and annual fundraising goals.

This doesn't have to be a big dramatic announcement, but more a part of any conversation with others. Taking responsibility for allowing supporters to know how they can make a difference is truly a main role of any board, staff person, or committee member.

Even if listeners agree that development and raising awareness is part of their job, it is usually a new concept for a board to hold themselves accountable for specific tasks using metrics & charts. And staff can be leery of providing measures for board actions. I believe it is an important part of the development staff role to measure all sorts of things including some of the board activity.

"Accountability is being held responsible for one's actions.

Responsibility implies there is a consequence, that is, a reward for meeting obligations and absence of reward for failing to meet them.

Accountability works because people care about the outcome, and they want others to know they are reliable.”

Four necessary ingredients for holding people accountable:

Establishing clear expectations;
Preparing people to meet those expectations with needed training and support;
Monitoring performance, and
Attaching consequences to the results

~ Source: London, M., & London, M. (2007). First-time Leaders of Small Groups: How to Create High-performing Committees, Task Forces, Clubs, and Boards. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons

When activities are measured such as: how many thank you calls were made this month? Or how many asks v. cultivation meetings were conducted this month? And those measures include both board and staff in the mix, something amazing happens.

Once the actual numbers tell us that no one on the board is making thank you calls and our two fundraising staff have been going on all the visits alone. . . and I remind them that fundraising is a TEAM sport. . . with consequences if not everyone plays . . . the ah ha moments start to happen.

Tom, a board member at one of the sessions I led a few weeks ago said, “Wow. I don’t know the names of any of our top supporters and that is going to change. I now realize it’s my responsibility if I care about this organization to learn who else cares and to involve them in ways that are more meaningful. If I don’t some of those supporters will likely leave for an organization that pays more attention to them.”

Tom GOT IT! It’s about accountability and tracking that accountability. He helped cook up a great system for assigning board members to donors when they show up at a performance. With details like knowing what seat number they have that evening so they can be thanked and more can be learned about each supporter.

Thank you, Tom, for listening and creating a process for accountability! He and the board are being supported with charts and measures and help from the staff. I look forward to seeing how their individual donor fundraising increases by measuring their activity.

Asking Wisdom

Wed, 09 May 2012 19:35:00 GMT

I’ve gathered some thoughts, quotes, and comments about asking for you today.

I’m passionate about making sure our work has ease and joy infused into it. One way to do that is to come from a perspective of giving others the OPPORTUNITY to be of support and be a part of your community. The goal is to allow donors to be a part of something greater, in whatever way they choose; and they feel great about whatever it is they choose.

If they feel like a superhero and want to experience that feeling again and again, you’ve done great work.

Words of wisdom from my recent Art of Asking workshop in St. Cloud, MN with the AFP of Central and SW Minnesota:

View on YouTube

More words of wisdom:
Quote heard at a workshop on major gifts fundraising: Major gifts is a team sport, but it’s not speed dating. ~ Tracy Ketchem, Minnesota Medical Foundation

“When you ask someone for a gift, you are not trying to convince the donor or your need, but rather of the value of this gift to the donor. When you fully understand what the donor gets from giving, fundraising will be much more rewarding.” ~ Asking Matters, Monday, March 5, 2012

“You mean I just have to tell why I’m passionate? Not ask for money? I can do that!” ~ Ah ha moment by Judy, a board member, at a recent board training I delivered.

My advice to you: In meetings with donors: Make sure at least 50% of the time is spent listening, not talking at them.

Lessons from The Art & Science of Fund Development

Tue, 01 May 2012 14:54:00 GMT

I recently had the honor and fun of co-presenting a day-long session with Richard Tollefson of The Phoenix Philanthropy Group and Brian Saber of Asking Matters.

We delivered a session for Social Venture Partners International (SVPI) staff and board members called The Art and Science of Fund Development.

It’s not a simple task to combine three strong personalities into a seamless experience for the participants. With a bit of pre-planning, the assistance of technology, and graciousness to really work together we were able to share some of the best of what each of us has to offer to a packed room.

Here are some of the lessons we touched on:

It’s easier and more impactful to focus on development (i.e. increasing public understanding and combining that with acquiring financial support), rather than asking everyone on your team to go out and raise money.
Keeping messages clear and bold causes the listener or reader to feel something and want to take action.
A personally significant gift doesn’t have to be a million dollars. It is a gift one thinks long and hard about.
Listening is 50% or more of the conversation when asking for money.
Know and share how much you must raise, all year-long, with interesting updates via mail, email, or in-person.
Play to your strengths. Allow board members to do things like make thank you calls and accompany you on an ask to tell why they love your work. Don’t put them in an uncomfortable position.
Make sure to share real-life examples that paint a picture of the impact of your work.
Start with the “insiders” who are already in your community when you want to do more.

You CAN Raise Money Without Asking

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:31:00 GMT

In the world of fundraising it’s not the norm to receive financial gifts without asking but I believe it IS possible. And don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is a time and place to make those all important one-on-one asks. I do.

The truth is I see a bit of laziness in our profession.

There is an expectation that because we send you our newsletter and invite you to attend the golf tournament or you attend the annual meeting you SHOULD give your money. Even if we haven’t made it clear what the impact of your gift will be.

Join me for a chance to change how you communicate about the impact money has at your organization. I’m delivering a 90-minute webinar with Charity How To on Monday, April 30 and Tuesday, May 15 that will forever change how you talk about the “money” you need.

I’ll share some real life examples of what I’ve seen that works so you can talk about your programs and clients and receive gifts without asking.

For more information or to register click on the links below:
Changing Your Fundraising Message So You Raise More Money
April 30, 2012 – 2 PM Central

Outrageously Successful Fundraising: Raise More Money Without Asking
May 15, 2012 – 2 PM Central

Visual Displays Get Your Board to Take Action

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:27:00 GMT

One of the easiest ways to cause others to take action is to provide graphical displays of what you want them to know or what you want them to focus on with their own behavior.

I coach organizations to create dashboards for their board meetings and committee meetings rather than providing reams of paper reports that most board members don’t read.

I’ve watched organizations that monitor activity and provide easy to understand visual displays of the activity get more accomplished, raise more money, and they find everyone is clear about what is expected of them. Authentic conversations can unfold at board and committee meetings using the displays. These are peer to peer discussions about what is working and where more attention is needed. These are not staff to board discussions.

Staff may collect the data and prepare the dashboards, but then the responsibility is on the board members and key volunteer leadership to use the data and dashboards to cause deeper engagement and reward behavior that is exactly what the organization has agreed to focus on.

Just as the impact of programs is key to monitor, so it the impact individual board members are making.

What do you include on a dashboard? The list is endless but here are a few of my recommendations and one real-life example:

# of donor thank you calls made in the past month by board each member
# of gifts received
# of donors retained vs. # of donors acquired both monthly and annually, comparing this to previous years
Dollars in from individuals giving $100 or more
# of donors who give at $100 or more
Attendance at special events by board member
# of individual donor asks
# of donor cultivation contacts. i.e. Coffees, thank you meetings or calls, personal notes, conversations with supporters at events, etc.

Announcing Best of Withism's, Now in Paperback

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:48:00 GMT

In November of 2008, I published my first post on “Withism’s from Lori." In that post I shared how psyched I was about the possibilities of this blog and why I created it. My goal has been to provide as much helpful content as possible and be a meaningful resource for fundraising professionals.

Every week since then I’ve spent time to share with you the experiences I’ve had, the lessons I’ve learned, and the wisdom I’ve culled from my work. My blog has become a spot for me to share the good, the bad, and the ugly from the fundraising and philanthropy world.

I’ve been amazed and humbled by the comments and conversations these posts have generated here in the comments section as well as out in the social media sphere. Thank you for taking the time to read, comment, re-tweet and allow my questions and views to be a part of your work. I’m honored!

One of the things that has surprised me was the amount of interest people have had in previous posts. I can’t count how many times I’ve received emails asking for a link to something someone read months or even years ago. And since there is so much coaching information I share on my blog, many of you have requested that I put all the best posts together in one easy-to-read spot.

And so today, drum roll, please! You can now find a book of the most popular, most helpful content offered on Amazon. And for those of you who love to read without holding the book, you can find the e-book on Kindle and soon on Nook.

Thank you for encouraging me to publish: Withism’s from Lori: Boldness, Clarity & Wisdom for Fundraising Professionals Making a Difference.

When you read the pages I hope you come away inspired and encouraged to tackle your biggest goals. Even more than that, I hope the book represents the passion and joy I feel for my work and the work you, as fundraisers, do for the organizations we love.

Why Fundraisers are Failing at Storytelling-- and What They Need to Change

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:37:00 GMT

At NTEN’s Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC) I attended a terrific session about my favorite topic: storytelling. The session was called "It’s Not You, It’s Your Stories: Why Fundraisers are Failing at Storytelling – and What They Need to Change."

It’s old news that stories are important in fundraising. Telling the emotionally compelling story of someone whose life is better because your organization is there to help will cause people to give more, right?

Wrong.

According to Steve Daigneault, VP eCampaigns for M+R Strategic Services we’ve all bought into the personal story trap. Most nonprofits will go to any lengths to share examples of people we help. But we don’t always use stories that cause people to want to take action.

There are two kinds of stories according to Steve & his team at M+R
Stories that explain – but don’t necessarily contain the crucial elements that make a story compelling
OR
Stories that compel.

Stories that compel have something different. They have some unresolved tension and a place for the listener to see they can change the ending. (See a recap of the live Tweets sent out during this session.)

Here are two story examples I heard recently in my storytelling workshop. Which is more compelling for you?

Version #1:
I want to tell you about a young woman named Leticia. She has been beaten down in life. She grew up in New York to a crack addicted mother, and subject to awful situation after awful situation. Her mother even allowed her drug dealer to abuse Leticia in exchange for drugs. It was impossible for her to envision any sort of life for herself that didn’t include pain and obstacles. When I met her last summer she was a junior in high school and came in for our summer training. On that very first day I met her, Leticia was inspired by the positivity of being around our team and our organization. By the second day she had decided to make a change in her life and take on a positive outlook. She aced our assignments and showed up every single day for more. . .

Version #2:
Leticia is one of the students I can’t quite forget from our program last summer. She started her life in New York living in a rough community. Every adult in her life made choices for themselves that affected her. Even to the point where her Mom’s drug dealer abused her so her Mom could have more drugs. Leticia had no options for a different life until she and her mother moved to Minnesota for a better, clean life. That single change brought her into contact with us, a community making different choices. Leticia's high school referred her to our program where she was surrounded by positive people who held her accountable for the choices she made each day. Throughout our summer program a tiny seed of hope for a different future began to grow in Leticia. The prize she was aiming for was a paid internship at a Fortune 500 company.

Without our energetic team surrounding her, helping her hone her public speaking skills, and modeling what good decisions are, Leticia would likely be just another statistic. I’m proud to tell you Leticia is one of 125 fortunate students we accept into our program. She’s now working at a Fortune 500 company as a paid intern. With the support from our team, something she’s never had before, she’s changed the trajectory of her life forever.

I invite you to take a look at your stories. Are you reporting on the facts about your client or are you making it possible for the reader or listener to see that they can help change the end of the story? Be sure to let me know if you make changes what happens.

Ignite Your Fundraising - Say Thank You & Ask for Advice

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:20:00 GMT

Sarah Mollet, Individual Giving Manager from Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation, reminds us about honoring current donors. Over the past few years Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation has grown by merging with another organization and greatly increasing their individual donor giving. Sarah knows first hand how much there is to do in a small development shop, but she reminds us to find time to do some simple things to stay connected to supporters.

Thank you, Sarah, for being a member of my Ignited Online Fundraising Community!

View on YouTube

Updates with Heart

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:21:00 GMT

A wonderful example of communication that causes the reader to feel something

I’ve been honored to be working with the Lowell Community Health Center for the past 18 months on their extraordinary capital campaign. They have an amazing project to renovate a 100 year-old mill and turn it into a state-of-the-art community health clinic. The project is one of the largest in their community and a first for the Health Center.

While they started with less than 100 donors and the daunting task of raising $5 million or more from the community for this $42 million project, they have continued to look for the ways to be innovative, identify partners, and generate gifts larger than they could imagine. In 18 months they now have more than 700 donors and are just shy of reaching the $3 million mark on this campaign.

What has often struck me about the team at LCHC is they have really taken seriously the task of creating engaging ways to connect with the community to keep them in the loop. Last year, we cooked up something called "Ringing the Bell" messages. These were messages that are shared via email to update donors and those interested in the campaign. While it's a virtual bell ringing, these messages have struck a chord and allowed supporters near and far to keep updated on the progress of the campaign.

With their permission, I'm sharing with you the bell ringing message I received yesterday. This warm, inviting message from the Vice President of Development does two important things: connects supporters to a special announcement AND it reminds readers about the current goals for the capital campaign:

Click the excerpt to read the entire email message

This fun, intimate message does a nice job of explaining that this substantial gift is exciting but that it will not actually affect their capital campaign goal. The way it’s done is likely to put a smile on the reader's face. It did mine.

I found this to be a wonderful example of communication that causes the reader to really feel connected and be updated at the same time. Hats off to Maura and her team at Lowell Community Health Center, who will most certainly meet their goals this month and this year!

It IS all about communication

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:46:00 GMT

Sharing your message in fun, interesting ways causes funds to flow

“This all sounds like it’s about communication?” This comment was made last Saturday by a board member at a coaching session where I was helping the group of passionate community members figure out how to raise funds for a capital campaign with a short, 2-year time frame.

I smiled and said, “You are correct! It’s ALL about communication.”

That comment changed everything for the group.

Before I arrived they were looking for the magic “event” or donation page. When I explained that the “message” they share is the key, you could see light bulbs going off inside of people’s heads.

We then made a laundry list of places they plan to be clear and bold and communicate their goal and their timeline:

Website
Donation page
Signage outside the building
When they are speaking in the community
When they meet as a group
Print newsletter and enewsletter
Case brochure
In press releases
On the radio
On their Facebook page
On Twitter
At any inspirational event or “friend-raising” gathering they hold
At tours of the building
When speaking to business owners
On the phone or in person in conversation with friends

The light bulb moment for this group was that it IS the message and sharing it over and over in fun, interesting ways that will cause the funds to start to flow. The “ah ha” was that it was not just the marketing committee’s job to ensure the message about the campaign is being shared. It is everyone’s job to share their message anywhere they are communicating with others.

The four things I recommend must be included in the communication are:

What’s new and working well with the project?
What is missing? What is it that they need the funds for: Telling us the actual dollar amount raised to date and what’s left to raise by the deadline. And what else can I do besides give my money?
Share at least one real life example/story about the project and the people who have been touched by their project.
Ask the listener or reader a question causing them to comment back and then LISTEN to what interests them about your project.

How to tell a great story: Use real-life examples

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:40:00 GMT

I often work with the staff and boards of social profit organizations to help them fine-tune their skills in what is often referred to as “storytelling.”

Much has been written about the impact of sharing examples of client stories, volunteer stories and even donor stories with the community. Here are a couple of good reads on the topic:
• The 4 Parts of a great story by Katya Andresen
• Mission Moments: Creating an army of ambassadors

The magic of storytelling is in the content of the story. I find that often staff and board members are not quite sure what I mean by “sharing a story” or if they do they are pretty certain they don’t have a good story to share.

I believe everyone has at least one story to share. . . their own. And we usually have lots of other “real life examples” of the amazing work being done at our organizations.

So, here’s what I did recently at a coaching session with a group of staff that ranged from the CFO to the grant writer to program staff managers to get them thinking about what stories/real life examples they had to share:

My question: Share with me an example of a real way YOUR work makes a difference in the life of someone else.

Answers ranged from: I work with people who are desperately in need of mental health support to I crunch numbers to make sure we are on track financially all year long.

So, next I asked the group to think about someone real. A person whose life is different because of the numbers they crunched or the red tape that was cut through to get the mental health support that was needed.

The CFO, we’ll call her Dorothy, shared how she saw the value of a pre-school program that had lost its government funding. She was able to help with language that allowed the organization to raise enough private dollars to keep a portion of the program that is still serving a little girl named Hannah. She’s 4 years old and had some learning difficulties and was not walking or talking at the same level as other 4 year-olds. Her curly brown hair matches the color of her dark chocolate eyes. Hannah had nowhere to go if the program closed and would not do well in kindergarten without some extra support.

Because Dorothy was able to identify the cost per child and the impact of the program on each child’s readiness for kindergarten, other people were inspired to make contributions to help support the program that had been in jeopardy of closing. Little Hannah now knows her colors and numbers and barley stops talking. She’s even walking and nearly ready for kindergarten in the fall thanks to the “administrative” work done by the CFO.

Now I have a face and a real example to paint a picture for me about this organization in a way that was missing before.

My suggestion: Rather than asking for “stories” here are some other questions to ask staff, especially program staff:

Who did you turn away last week? Tell me about one of them.
What family, child, senior, or fill-in-the-blank has stayed on your mind this week? What happened to cause them to come in to ask for our services? What are we doing to help them?
Is there anyone you’ve met who has caused you to be incredibly proud that we exist? Tell me about them and how YOUR work might have inadvertently or directly helped them.

Rather than asking staff, especially program staff for stories. Ask these questions. Start a staff meeting with one of these questions. Help your team help you collect and share real-life examples of the people’s lives you are saving and changing. And then go share them with others.

Irresistible Donor Cultivation Strategies

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:45:00 GMT

You are busy. I know you are. Me too. And so when people talk to you about staying in touch with your key supporters you roll your eyes or breathe that heavy sigh of the overwhelmed and think, “Who has time to do that? Not me!”

The key is to look at donor communication as part of the foundation of how your organization is supported. You have to ask for the gift. You have to tell what it’s for. And, for sure, you have to create emotionally engaging relevance with your community.

Start with your major donors. But first you have to be clear HOW you define major donor. Is it $500+ gifts? $1000+ gifts or even higher?

Then with your fund development team (usually this consists of your board chair, your executive director, your development director, and a couple others – either board members or community volunteers) ask your team: Do we know the names and faces of all of our top 25-50 major donors?

If you know them all and could pick them out in a line-up at the next gala or golf event. Great! If not, then start making plans to learn who they are.

Then you’ll need a plan.

I believe that plan has to focus on what you say, how you listen, and who is helping you stay connected to your top donors. Keep that communication crisp and clear, and cause me to feel something about what you are sharing.

Six areas of focus for causing irresistible connections with your supporters:

Know your top donors. Really know them and why they give to you. Be authentic with them. Talk to them AND listen to them. When is the last time you listened for longer than a few seconds to a long-time donor?
Utilize your team. You don’t think you have a team? Sure you do. It’s your board. The other staff, even the program staff, current donors, former board members, and other key volunteers. Give them something specific to do like learn one thing about a specific guest or two at the gala or the fundraising luncheon.
Be clear about the message. What is the impact of a financial gift to your organization? Share real life stories about how someone’s life is better because of your program AND their gift. Ask your donors for THEIR stories about why they give or how it feels to make a contribution to your organization.
Use business as usual events to engage.  How many donors do you talk to in a week? How many visit your pre-school program graduation ceremony? Or how many donors have seen the hubbub of packing up to deliver meals to the elderly? Or the patience it takes to train that new guide dog? Designate just a few minutes a week as the engagement time when the 3 – 5 donors you phoned can stop by and see their gifts in action at some event that you always do. Nothing special or costly here. Just business as usual events.
Use multi-channel fundraising to engage.  There has been lots written about this but the important thing is to not assume I’m reading everything you send me, so share with me the same message multiple ways at different times. And when you do use social media tools always provide something of value and say something that causes people to feel something.
Use your database.  I can’t say enough about keeping track of communication in your donor tracking system. Keep track of phone calls, messages left, mailings sent, emails opened. And not just by you, by anyone in your organization. That way you can really see if you are “over-communicating” or if someone else has already been in touch with that special donor this week.

The key is to create an environment that causes a supporter to choose to stay connected to you even when they are busy and don’t feel like they have the time to come to the next event or read the next newsletter.

This post is a recap of the webinar session I recently delivered for Gail Perry’s Fired up Fundraisers. Thanks, Gail for allowing me to talk with your group!

Is your organization READY to change course?

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:02:00 GMT

I receive invitations regularly from people who are hunting for "the thing" or "the person" who will help their nonprofit catapult their fundraising to a whole new stratosphere. The two real-life* examples I have to share are, unfortunately, more of the norm than the exception. These are examples of when the "desire doesn’t match the readiness."

Organization A: Working hard to keep rivers and lakes protected, and wants to enhance their fundraising quickly and get the board more involved with reaching out to others. One .5 staff person. Annual budget of nearly $250,000.

When I asked if 100% of the board makes a financial contribution to the organization they said NO.
When I asked how much they needed to raise from the community each year. They weren’t sure.
When I asked if I could attend a board meeting to learn more about their fundraising goals they explained that they don’t discuss fundraising issues at board meetings so, NO.

Readiness factor on my 9 point scale: 0

Organization B: An organization with a revolutionary approach to educating & getting people with disabilities assimilated into the community. They have some start-up grant funds from one funder to get things rolling. Because they have enough funding to open their doors, they have decided to "wait" to talk about their fundraising goals and set a plan for how to invite the community to support their work until they have filled the classroom with students.

When I asked if we could create an action plan to incorporate the areas of interest of board members into raising awareness about their program and include some training on how to talk about “the money” they said, NO not yet. We are not ready for that.

Readiness factor on my 9 point scale: 0

My ebook was written in 2009 to help an organization flesh out their readiness to raise more fundraising dollars. It’s a list of what I look for when I’m invited to "help" or work with an organization and I still use it to this day. You can download the eBook from the Free Resources page, but let me recap it for you with a different slant on the steps and turn them into questions for your team to ponder:

Does your organization have at least one key volunteer and/or staff member who will make sure fundraising happens all year long? (Board Chair, CEO, Executive Director, Pastor, Rabbi)
After you raise some additional funds, will you add staff (e.g. a development director, development associate) to support and manage the fundraising tasks?
Does your board make a financial contribution to the organization? And do they understand that their role is to help raise awareness and invite support of the organization?
About the money: Does your team, including your staff and board, understand how much money you have to raise from the community this year? Do you have a specific timeline that creates a sense of urgency?
Do you share stories of the people you serve to create an emotional connection – making it personal for people to participate?
Does your organization communicate regularly, via multi-channel methods of communication to deep donors and interested parties informed and engaged?
Does your organization keep your vision for growth and your annual fundraising goal visible in print, in person at meetings, on your website, in your newsletter & emails to encourage widespread participation?
Throughout the year does your organization invite supporters to do very specific things with a deadline for doing them?
Do you have a donor data management system (preferably web-based) to allow others to assist with tracking donor contacts and gifts? Something more sophisticated than and Excel spreadsheet?

*Real-life examples: details have been changed to the keep these organizations anonymous.

The 6th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards accepting submissions

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:25:00 GMT

Did your nonprofit make a video in 2011? If so, you'll want to enter it in the 6th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit video awards presented by See3 Communications and YouTube in association with Cisco and the Case Foundation.

Each prize winner will get their video on YouTube’s homepage on April 5th and receive $3,500 in prizes and up to $3,500 worth of great products donated by Cisco to help their organizations harness the power of human and technology networks to multiply their impact on the people and communities they serve. There are four categories:

Best Small Organization Video: Awarded to best video made my an organization with an annual budget of $1,000,000 or less.
Best Medium Organization Video: Awarded to best video made by an organization with an annual budget between $1,000,000 to $5, 000,000.
Best Large Organization Video: Awarded to best video made by an organization with an annual budget of $5,000,000 or more.
Best Storytelling Video: Awarded for the best use of video to tell compelling, moving stories.

The awards are free to enter and open to any eligible nonprofit organization in the U.S., U.K, Canada, and Australia that created video in 2011. You can take a look at the submissions so far and last year's winners at YouTube. This is a great opportunity for organizations to shine a light on their video work and educate the community on how to use video to better communicate their issues, their stories and their work.

This year there's also a special award being given out in each of the categories by The Case Foundation for "fearless videos, videos in which the organization takes risks, shows what they have learned from their mistakes, etc." You can read more about fearless award here.

Good luck to all entrants! Please leave a comment if you enter so we can all watch your video.

Taking Care of Ourselves

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:25:00 GMT

THIS is a topic I am not an expert at. . . yet.

After last year, a year with lots of opportunity to pause, reflect, and heal from the many ways cancer kept on giving, I’m now healthier and making certain that I make conscious choices to take time and support myself. This is something I believe is important for everyone but especially those of us providing service to others. So whether you are dealing with health issues, strong & healthy, or somewhere in between here’s my list of ways to stay focused on caring for myself. What’s on your list?

Use my calendar (I use Outlook) to plan my day/week/month so that there is ample time to work on projects, deal with the unexpected, make follow-up calls, meet with clients, and not feel rushed all day long.
Schedule in lunch time and real breaks throughout the day to get up and move around. Otherwise I feel glued to my desk chair and/or the phone. I used to work right through lunch – a practice I found was making me cranky and tired by mid-afternoon and not much fun to be around.
Identify a small group of like-minded, positive-thinking colleagues to stay connected to virtually and in person. I have two specific groups I connect with, one online and one via phone or in person. Both groups provide support, advice and authentic conversation which keeps me grounded.
Use a personal coach of my own. I am a coach and love it. But sometimes I am in need of an outlet for support or thinking through a project or a work dilemma. This has been a big breakthrough for me to ask for help outside of my family and circle of friends and it has provided huge benefits. Vonda Vaden Bates is the coach I’ve tapped into recently and she’s awesome in person or via Skype.
Get outside. I love my work and have been known to stay at my desk and on the phone or computer for 6, 8, 10 hours on end. But I am best when I’ve had a break and gotten moving. . . especially if it’s outdoors. Sticky issues dissolve much quicker when I’m walking outside breathing fresh air even if it’s for 10 or 15 minutes in the middle of the day.
Read. I love to read and learning new things helps me provide more thorough coaching for my clients and my Ignited Online Fundraising Community so I read lots. I actually schedule time in to do this and I make sure I’m reading for both fun and professional development.
End the day acknowledging what I’ve accomplished that day. This is really key for me. In the past I’ve felt like I didn’t do enough most days. Keeping my “to do” list on Evernote allows me access to my list via my smartphone or any computer. I can go in and cross things off. . . but NOT remove the item until I’m ready. At the end of the day I can see all that I got accomplished and it feels much better than just deleting the item right away.
Ask myself “What do I WANT to do right now that provides service to others or to me?” Being self-employed, this is a bit easier to do than if I worked in an office with others. But I highly recommend it! I found that consciously asking this question has brought me joy just about every day. It’s also allowed me to do a much better job of identifying which projects, clients, and people are a good fit for my skills rather than saying yes to everyone and feeling scattered and ineffective.
Laugh out loud. This was a rule I established last year. . . I laugh out loud every day. It’s amazing what a few minutes of laughter can do to shift a stalled idea or just make me feel better. I’ve enlisted others in helping me with this and that’s even more fun. Here’s a great 1 minute laugh break you can take any time with my friend Robin Getman.

Allowing others to be generous

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:18:00 GMT

The day after Generosity Day (formerly known as Valentine’s Day) seemed a great day to highlight the work of a tiny but mighty group in northern Minnesota that is allowing their community to be generous.

At the Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library in Crosby, Minnesota the board and staff have taken on the task of educating their community about the changes in the funding that supports their community library. They get little to no funds from the government, the trust of the Jessie F. Hallett family has been supporting the library for many years.

That is about to change.

So, the library team, after a high-energy fundraising action planning session with yours truly last fall jumped into action. They are encouraging the community to share their stories about WHY the library is important to them, and inviting library patrons to share used books and reselling them in their bookstore.

AND they are educating the community about the annual funding gap they are experiencing due to the reduced support from the Hallett Family Trust. I love is the fun they are having with it! As you walk into the library these days there is a fun visual display of the “Funding Gap.”

As dollars are raised to reduce the funding gap the spine of more books are filled in. Here’s the information they are sharing:

As the Jessie F. Hallett Memorial Library deals with a $35,000 funding gap due to a decrease in funding from the Hallett Trust, patrons and community members are asked to help “shelve the gap.”

Each time $1,000 is raised by the Library and Friends, a book will be shelved on the large display at the front charging desk. As depicted in the photo, FIVE books have already been shelved by the end of January! With an Anything is Possible attitude, the JFHML hopes to continue to provide up-to-date technology, great programming and top notch materials, including the addition of e-books in Fall of 2012.

What is important to know about this great group of community members and their wonderful library is that they have not asked the community for support like this before. They have a small but growing pool of supporters they are reaching out to with this invitation to be generous. People are responding positively because, as Sasha Dichter, from Acumen Fund says: "People are hungering for something more in their lives – more connection and more meaning."

And the response has been great! Just a month into the year they had already raised over $6000. Their total funding gap was $35,000 and they’ve already reduced it to $29,000.

They are spreading the word with email updates, the display at the front door of the library, at community meetings, and other methods of social media.

Here’s the reality: Their hardworking library staff are already working full-tilt on keeping the library going each day. But they and the board have agreed that the maintaining the quality of the library is critical. So the biggest shift they’ve undertaken is to not be shy about allowing anyone and everyone in the community know the library welcomes the generosity of others.

I am confident they’ll end the year with the funding they need. . . because they invited support.

Good luck, Peggi and the Hallett Library team!

A Check List for Sizzling Onsite Visits

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:20:00 GMT

I work with many organizations that regularly hold informational tours at their offices or program sites. These sometimes have fun names like, "Art Rocks" or "More than Meets the Eye." They are sometimes called a Point of Entry™ event or an information session or they may be a hard hat tour for a capital campaign or a site visit for a pending grant proposal.

Whatever they are called their intention is to knock the socks off of the guests and cause them to connect deeply with the mission and the organization. In my experience that happens so rarely that I decided to create this checklist to help guide well-intentioned planners through the process of conducting these tours or what I call an "experience our mission" session.

Personally invite people via phone or face to face.
Make sure to share with them that space is limited and their "spot" has been held but if plans change to let you know.
Share some startling, eye-opening statistic in your email reminder sent a day or so before.
Example: 1 in 9 students in our school district are homeless and will sleep in a car or a shelter tonight. Your visit with us tomorrow will move and inspire you about what YOU and our community can do to shrink that number.
From the moment the person comes through your doors, captivate them with interesting visual displays, photos, eye-opening information and poignant, real-life stories.
Example: At the Students Today Leaders Forever Under the Hood monthly events they transform their conference room into the inside of a bus with sets of pairs of chairs and an aisle down the middle. The program begins with video footage on the wall behind the greeter showing us the route we would see if we really were in a bus. . . the view from the windshield as the bus heads out of town on a Pay it Forward tour.
Guests are taken through a couple of the very same exercises the youth are asked to participate in. We experience feeling nervous, excited, proud, and finally finish the tour after 45 minutes of fun interspersed with questions that cause us to ponder combined with a few short "get to know you chats" with our seatmate.

While we never leave the room we have experienced through the stories shared by student leaders, staff, and other volunteers all that a young person or their parent might feel by participating in this powerful program for students to conduct service projects over a weekend or a weeklong trip.
Within the first four minutes of the tour/experience cause your guests to feel something powerful about your clients, your waiting list, or the need for your services.
Make sure at least three real-life stories are shared about people you serve. The best way to share stories is to have a client tell their own story.
Share the "funding gap" at least twice throughout the visit.
NOTE: I define funding gap as the total expenses for running the agency minus any funds received to date (grants received, United Way, fees for service, individual donor contributions, etc.).
Blend the sharing of the funding gap with a real life story of one person whose life is different because of your work. Make the hearing of financial information interesting by connecting it to a real-live person.
If we actually move around the agency or building share in multiple ways what you could do more of if you had more resources by talking about what is missing.
Do NOT ask for money.
Do share how much it costs to help or save one person and share if you have a waiting list in specific programs.
Make sure your guests are talking at least 40% of the time. Ask them questions, cause them to engage with each other. If you or your staff are doing all the talking there is not a deep, meaningful connection being created.
At least three times during the visit cause me to hear things and learn things that surprise me and/or make me feel uncomfortable.
Example: Andrea, the headmaster at a school for children with learning disabilities hands out a small sheet of paper and asks guests to fill in their contact information. Unfortunately the words are all scrambled and no one can read the paper. She pushes us to hurry, to finish filling in the sheet, and we start to feel uncomfortable. Just when we are really wondering if we want to be here, Andrea stops and pauses and lets us know that is how their students feel at other schools. But not at this one. The relief we all feel is palpable and we are deeply engaged in listening to the rest of the information and readily share how uncomfortable we felt when asked.

After this is all completed and we are sent on our way, be sure to make a follow-up thank you call to the single visitor or to everyone in the whole group to find out what they thought and get their feedback about what they experienced.

I promise you, if you remember to create "an experience" rather than a tour, you will cause your visitors to feel more and become more deeply involved with your organization.

Ask and Acknowledge Fridays

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:50:00 GMT

I had the pleasure of talking with an energetic young man named Jeff Hnilicka a week or so ago. He is the Executive Director of Kulture Klub Collaborative a partner organization housed in the lower level of YouthLink in Minneapolis.

Jeff attended one of my December workshops and over a month later was still "lit up" about how much he'd learned and how he was already putting the tools to use.

He made my day with his enthusiasm but what I really want to share with you is the cool program he created and is implementing. He’s a tiny staff of one but has the enthusiasm and passion of ten. Kudo’s to Jeff for taking the ball and running with it!

Here’s Jeff’s fun donor recognition and engagement program:

My experience at the Art of Asking had a BIG impact on my organization. I was hesitant in attending the training because of my nervousness around individual solicitation and limited capacity as the Director of a small organization ($225K annual budget). However, I walked away energized and active - with a list of clear to-do's that I am still putting into action.

One of the easiest and most fun is my Friday Ask and Acknowledge. My goal is to send out ten Asks or Acknowledgements every week. This is usually a quick summary of my favorite activity of the week, a quote from a youth or artist, or an alert about an upcoming program.

I love combining the Asks with the Acknowledgements because it doesn't make me feel like every Friday I have to hound ten people for cash. Instead, it's a kind note to a partner organization, a phone call with an old friend, or taking time to make a thoughtful journal entry so I can email it around. Although I just began this initiative, we've already seen results. The community knows what we're up to, and we've even gotten some checks (that I didn't directly ask for!).

Thanks again for the great training - as you can see, it totally helped!

Best,

Jeff

You are most welcome Jeff and good luck to you!

Awesome example of using technology to keep supporters engaged

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:36:00 GMT

I’m pretty busy and I’m certain you are too. The tidal wave of information coming at me all day long can be overwhelming and paralyzing. So it has to be something pretty darn engaging and interesting to get me to pause and spend more than the cursory 4 seconds on it.

This past week I received a virtual "annual report" from charity: water, my favorite environmental charity. It arrived at the end of my workday on Friday, January 20 and so I didn’t actually do anything with it until Saturday morning when I usually spend a little time going through my email inbox.

The subject line was compelling, which is the first hurdle to getting me to notice them: Thanks for an incredible 2011

It is important to note that the people at charity: water have already trained me over the last two years since I learned about them that their messages are usually compelling and I can learn something new pretty quickly. So I clicked and opened the email message.

What I love most about this message is how much information is available to update me on their IMPACT from 2011 and how it makes me feel like I was a part of helping them to have that incredible impact.

There are ten bits of information in the email message that are truly an engaging annual report. There were no trees used to send it and in the span of a few minutes I realized why I love this organization all over again. They used previously shared video clips, links to past articles, and short, fact-sharing updates to educate and inspire me.

You can view the entire virtual annual report and pick up some great ideas for your own version of this awesome communication. As you view it, ask yourself, what are we doing to engage & educate our supporters quickly and in a compelling way?

Kudo’s to charity: water for an amazing year. Thank you for letting me know all that was accomplished AND more importantly that there is more to do!

What is the first thing you do when you sit down at the computer?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:33:00 GMT

Wisdom and advice from Seth Godin

Over the years I’ve worked with literally thousands of organizations and their staff. One of the most often heard comments from development staff is usually, "I don’t have time to get to the relationship building part of this work."

I believe it is actually a choice that the important, deeper connecting calls and meetings are not being scheduled into the day. As their coach I ask development staff to commit to make one donor phone call or set one donor meeting each day BEFORE they get pulled into that deep dark black hole of admin tasks never to return from until the end of the day.

Last week Seth Godin wrote this short, simple, powerful post on his blog that I believe can be a powerful guide for all development professionals.

The first thing you do when you sit down at the computer

Let me guess: check the incoming. Check email or traffic stats or messages from your boss. Check the tweets you follow or the FB status of friends.

You've just surrendered not only a block of time but your freshest, best chance to start something new.

If you're a tech company or a marketer, your goal is to be the first thing people do when they start their day. If you're an artist, a leader or someone seeking to make a difference, the first thing you do should be to lay tracks to accomplish your goals, not to hear how others have reacted/responded/insisted to what happened yesterday. ~ Seth Godin, January 12, 2012.

Other posts in my blog with great Seth Godin wisdom:

What to do with a donor who doesn't make good on their pledge?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:28:00 GMT

Q: I attended your "The Art of Asking" Workshop, December 1st through the MN Council of NonProfits and I'm wondering what you would suggest for a donor who made a three-year pledge of $5000/year and the second year decided to honor that pledge at $4000 and we haven't heard from her yet for 2011 which would be the third year. The fact that 2011's pledge is late is not unusual in that she has always contributed very last minute.

We have sent her nice annual updates on the progress of the organization and how we have used her generous donations. We have taken her out to dinner and sent her a nice customized reminder for 2011 and we continually send her special invitations to events.

Here's the second part to my question. . . Our organization has just been given a nice grant. However, I hesitate to communicate this to the donor for fear she will use this as an excuse to either further reduce her contribution or to cancel it all together.

What would you suggest? ~ Michele

Lori says: It’s a great question, Michele and I’m certain you are not alone in wondering how to get the donor to "pay up" so to speak.

Pledges are "a solemn binding promise to do, give, or refrain from doing something." And in our world of contributions, that pledge promise may have an addendum such as: "if I’m able, if nothing changes with my finances, only because I’m excited about you right now," and so on.

So, while you have done the very right things in taking this woman out to dinner and kept her loosely engaged by inviting her to events, I have a few questions for you to think about as you determine your next steps with her.

Has your communication been two-way? Do you know for sure nothing has changed with her finances and she can still comfortably honor her pledge?
Has she been sick, have elder family members she’s caring for, or children who need her financial support right now?
What do you know about WHY she gave in the first place? What inspired her to make the gift?
When you received the lower gift, did you call and thank her and talk with her about the lower amount she gave last year and why she needed to make the change in her pledge payment?

That conversation could have gone something like this: "Donna, I’m calling to thank you for your recent pledge payment. How great that I get to speak with you voice to voice for a minute!

How are you and your family doing? Pause for input. Listen carefully.

I’m so glad to hear things are going well. I noticed that your pledge payment was smaller than the original annual pledge amount and I was worried that you or someone in your family may be having health issues or you may have had a rough year in this economy. Your gift has such an impact, Donna. I hope we’ve let you know how important you are to us. Pause for input

Would you like to set up a payment plan for the remaining balance on your pledge for this year? Or shall we extend out your payment for a bit longer? What would work for you? Pause for input.

It’s a talking AND a listening conversation.

Have you been clear with her about the impact of her gift? With stories and examples of real people whose lives are different because of her gift?
Have you made clear via email, newsletters, on your website and in conversation what your "funding gap" is throughout the year? Here’s a post I wrote about the funding gap: Talking about money so people want to give
Have you offered her the option of making payments this year to ease any strain the pledge may be causing her?

The reality is she made a promise to your organization. And she has a right to change her mind about fulfilling on that promise. It can be harder for her to change her mind if she is kept in the loop about funding issues, good news and not so good new, waiting lists for specific programs. . . you get the point.

For me, I have pledges I’ve made with a few organizations and some of them do a much better job than others of keeping me connected. Those where I am communicated with in the very way I like to be communicated with (via phone or in person) I’m more likely to honor my pledge or increase it.

For the organizations where I receive their enews along with everyone else and never hear from anyone about what is going on in a way that I can tell takes someone a bit of time and thought, well, I’m more likely to think about reasons to stop paying on my pledge.

Final Thoughts

Rather than focusing on her actions or lack thereof, you may want to visit with your team and decide is there something YOU can be doing to honor this donor where ever she is in her life AND keep her engaged, informed, and wanting to do all she can to fulfill her pledge payment.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Ignite Your Fundraising - Get out of your office

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:25:00 GMT

As a long-time development professional in the Twin Cities Debbie Maysack from the Arthritis Foundation Upper Midwest Region has seen what works and what doesn’t to successfully raise fundraising dollars from individuals.

Debbie has the perfect advice for those of us who feel like glue has stuck us to our chairs and our computers. As the New Year begins, I recommend you make a plan to implement Debbie’s wisdom and great advice:

Ask for gifts THIS week

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:46:00 GMT

Data about online year-end giving

This week is a time for relaxing and enjoying family. . . AND inviting year-end online contributions!

Here’s an excerpt from a quick snapshot of WHY from Katya Andresen at Network For Giving and her Nonprofit Marketing blog:

Late December is the season of philanthropic procrastinators who want to get in their donations by the end of the tax year. A third of giving online happens in December, and 10-20% of all the giving in the year happens the last two days of the month.

Ask for donations 2-3 times in the coming days. It works. Repetition drives top-of-mind awareness, and you want that visibility when people are making their year-end gifts online.

And on December 31, send that email first thing in the morning. Giving peaks midday and early afternoon!

Holiday Wishes 2011

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:46:00 GMT

Here’s my year-end holiday wishes for each of you.

Where to start?

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:39:00 GMT

Resources for new development officers

Recently I've been asked this question a number of times while I’ve been out speaking so . . . it’s time to answer it here:
“I’m new to development and the nonprofit sector. What resources do you recommend to help me get off to a good start?”

There are literally tons of great resources to read, listen to, and people to follow on Twitter. Here’s a short list of some of my favorites but since there are so many resources, readers please be sure to add your favorites in the comments below.

The Fundraising Thought Leaders blog roll to the right here on my blog page is a good place to begin reading. I also suggest you follow each of the authors on Twitter. You may want to get an RSS feed of any or all of the blogs. A special shout out to Katya Andresen and her Nonprofit Marketing Blog. I’ve been humbled and awed by her ability to provide thoughtful, useful content every single day this year.

Other great reads:
How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar by Rosetta Thurman & Trista Harris is a fast read with lots of great tips and strategies.

50 Asks in 50 Weeks by Amy Eisenstein. A basic “how to” for a new development officer. You may want to join us: Amy will be the webinar guest for my Ignited Online Fundraising Community on January 19!

Yours for the Asking by Reynold Levy, President of Lincoln Center for the Arts. The book is not just about the arts, but also a great overview of all aspects of development. I’ve read this book a few times and had much to say about it. For more information check out my posts: Yours for the Asking; The Nine Stages of Giving; and Purposeful Planning: Four questions to assess annual fundraising success.

There a bunch more great books listed on the Recommended Reading page here on my site.

Read the Chronicle of Philanthropy on a regular basis.

A few websites chock full of useful information for new fund development staff:
SOFFI – Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration
AFPnet.org - Association of Fundraising Professionals

A great list with lots more links: 50 Resources for Students Attending Nonprofit Management Schools.

Ignite Your Fundraising: How to have donor loyalty forever

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:18:00 GMT

Member message from Michelle Silverman

Gilda’s Club is moving into the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Their $3 million capital campaign is being led by Executive Director Michelle Silverman. She’s got an infectious passion for her work and for being with people. I am honored to have her as a friend as well as a member of my Ignited Online Fundraising Community, especially this year as I dealt with my own cancer diagnosis. Michelle’s got a few great pearls of wisdom for you about building donor loyalty. Take a listen:

View on YouTube.

This is Philanthropy

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:21:00 GMT

A couple days ago I had a colleague share a story of how she secured a $100,000 gift for her organization earlier this month. At the end of the story about “the ask,” where she shared a few of the nuggets of how the prospect was engaged, how easy it was to talk with him, and how the time passed quickly, my friend Beverly paused and said those words with a gleam in her eye, “THIS is philanthropy.”

She was talking about the ease and joy in the hour plus meeting that resulted in the donor feeling totally listened to, inspired by the project he was going to provide a first gift for, and for the way he felt about making the gift in memory of his recently deceased wife. The meeting was filled with laughter, tears, photos, stories and NOT charts, graphs, and donor giving pyramids.

The interesting thing about this exciting gift solicitation, and I hesitate to even call it a solicitation but really a “nudging of the inevitable,” was that Beverly, the major gifts officer, had never met this donor before. She had her colleague, someone who knew the donor prospect well, set up the meeting and they did their prep work ahead of time to determine who would take what role in the meeting and fully fleshed out the important topics to cover.

There were no sweaty palms or fears that this was difficult. There WAS authentic talking and listening – which I believe is the true definition of communication.

Inviting financial support, when you’ve done your homework can, and should, feel like Beverly described. It should leave you and the donor with a glow of warmth about the good things that can happen because of the gift that was just promised.

The Art of Asking is no big secret. It is practice & planning, a bit of good research, with a dash of good timing and a whole bushel of good communication before, during, and after the “ask”; including the listening part of communication.

Kudos to Beverly for a job well done!

Thanking to the MAX!

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:29:00 GMT

An awesome thank you example from Students Today Leaders Forever

If you live in Minnesota it’s likely you knew about or participated in the Great Minnesota “Give” Together that is Give to the Max day (GTMD) on Wednesday, November 16. Two years ago, in the first year, more than $14 million was given in a 24-hour period to over 3000 charities. This year the numbers were equally impressive, especially considering we are still in the throes of a recession.

Nearly $13.5 million was given to 3,978 charities in Minnesota by over 47,500 people. Impressive beyond words and a lot of fun to participate in both from the donor perspective and the nonprofit receiving side.

I worked with a number of organizations late this summer and early fall to help them increase their dollars on November 16 - GTMD. We planned and plotted to make people aware that the date was coming and to make the online giving effort fun and easy to implement. We also discussed ways to thank donors quickly.

One group I worked with, Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF), made an incredible effort to thank their online donors by making a follow up phone call within four minutes or less! At around 7:30 pm on November 16 I received my thank you call BEFORE the email receipt came through for my online donation. Something like 45 seconds after I’d hit the donate button. It was a fun, short call with Josh, one of the three co-executive directions at STLF.

What happened after that was just plain amazing and an example of thanking to the max! At around 1 am I received an email with a link to a short video from the STLF team thanking me for what they had learned and for helping them reach an amazing fundraising goal. You have to realize that these people had been up for over 24 hours thanking donors, sending emails, and working hard. They took the time to create a quick thank you message that was personal and fun and reminded me how easy it can be to be extraordinary.

Here’s the recap of what they learned that allowed them to increase their online giving from around $10,000 last year to over $70,000:

Include everyone in your fund development effort
Make it fun and keep your personality in the fund development
Communication is key: share the funding gap, tell stories, keep the goal visible and keep people updated on progress toward reaching the goal, and give them clear action steps

But I can’t say it as well as Josh, Irene, and Brian can. You can watch their message below.

(View on YouTube)

My thank you right back to the team at STLF for inspiring and teaching me! I’m proud beyond words of all you do…all year long. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the team.

Demystifying the asking barriers that hold us back

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:02:00 GMT

Tomorrow I’m quite honored to have Andrea Kihlstedt from Asking Matters share some of her wisdom about asking styles on the November 17 webinar for my Ignited Online Fundraising Community.

Andrea KNOWS some things about asking: She is fun, smart, and inspiring and has worked in the nonprofit field for more than 28 years with clients ranging from tiny start-up organizations to large national institutions. In campaign after campaign, Andrea’s clients have succeeded in raising more money than they thought possible.

In the Unleashing Your Inner Asker webinar Andrea will demystify some of the asking barriers that hold us all back. You can join us for just Andrea’s session if you’d like or continue to enjoy the monthly webinars until you’ve received your fill of coaching advice.

In December, I’m very excited to offer my Art of Asking workshop in the Twin Cities at an event hosted by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. This is a totally working session that really allows participants to work through their asking fears and even have some fun receiving a “no” when you ask for money.

You can't thank them too much

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:49:00 GMT

Musings on donor acknowledgement

As a follow up to my enewsletter from last week I want to step a bit deeper into the donor thank you theme. It’s a busy time of year for nonprofits in generating gifts and I am often underwhelmed at the sorry state of affairs when it comes to acknowledging gifts.

Here are some personal examples of good, bad and ugly acknowledgment from both the non and for-profit world:

The Good

Thursday, Nov. 3, I received a warm thank you call due to an online gift made on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The CEO and I chatted for a few minutes. I was reminded why I admire their work and felt great about my contribution. Total time invested by the organization: 5 minutes.

Click to view full size

My spouse received this warm thank you letter after having some email interaction with Pandora about the security of their website. Actually signed with a pen… not sure it was by Tim, the CEO, but the letter made Mark feel great about his experience. The letter was sent within a day or two of the email exchange. Timely, warm, and created good feelings.
I received a follow-up call last week from Sara at Minnesota Public Radio for the online fall contribution I had just made. She was phoning to make sure they had recorded the gift correctly since they were having website processing issues the day I made the gift. Timely and thorough follow-up.

The Bad

My spouse and I are still waiting for the "official" thank you call or letter from an organization that normally does immediate follow-up after they receive contributions. We love the thank you calls as much as attending their event because we get a chance to connect with people we admire to tell them we appreciate their work. It’s been nearly three weeks and they have already processed the credit card transaction. We’ve been wondering how we were forgotten and how many others were as well? What steps could they take to ensure great follow-up next time?

The Ugly

I have received a third "Dear Friends" letter from an organization I gave a gift to in 2009. You can read more about that gift interaction here. I had not heard from them for 18 months until December of 2010 when they sent the first Dear Friends letter asking me to increase my gift. There has since been no other communication in that void of time between my first gift and the requests for subsequent gifts that causes me to have a good feeling about WHY I had a connection with them in the first place. I’m sad to say, their letters feel demanding and like I owe them something.

Suggestions from my enewsletter for thanking donors that will cause your organization to stand out:

First time donor thank you letters -say it right in the letter: Thank you for your first gift!
Donors who are making a 2nd or 3rd gift THIS YEAR: Be sure you let them know you notice their multiple gifts this year and are grateful.
Personal notes at the bottom of the thank you letter that are personalized to that donor are powerful.
And the most powerful way to thank: Short, warm thank you calls from a board member, client, or volunteer made within a few days of receiving the gift.

Some other good reads:

I’d love to hear your suggestions to creatively stay connected to your donors through acknowledgement practices?

Ignite Your Fundraising: Peer to peer conversations

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:23:00 GMT

Member message from Jodi Williams

Jodi Williams, Advancement Director at Headwaters Foundation has been a member of my Ignited Online Fundraising Community for nearly two years. She’s a savvy development professional and has some great examples of how peers talking to each other can make a difference and make our jobs easier. View on YouTube

With a Wave of My Magic Fundraising Wand

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:32:00 GMT

Asking resources to keep you on track

I’m spending quite a lot of time these days, during this fall fundraising season, helping organizations with their individual donor fundraising efforts. I find many organizations quickly divert to getting ready to talk to people about their financial support rather than doing the actual doing of having meaningful conversations. e.g. more time is spent on the brochure, handouts, letter of invitation, or the font on the letter rather than getting on the phone and visiting with long-time or new supporters about why they gave in the first place.

If there was one thing I could make happen with a wave of my magic fundraising wand it would be to remove the fear or hesitancy about having an authentic conversation with someone who truly supports and loves the work of your organization.

So, here are a few posts/rants of mine from over the years to remind you to stay on track and maybe cause some course correcting at your agency to ensure you are holding as many real, authentic conversations as possible.

Additional asking resources:

Donors ask the wrong question

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:36:00 GMT

Notes from Dan Pallotta’s keynote speech

Last week I attended the Social Venture Partners International conference here in Minneapolis. I’ve been an associate partner at SVP since 2006 and this was my first international conference. On Friday morning our keynote speaker was the amazing Dan Pallotta, a leading expert on innovation in the nonprofit sector. His book Uncharitable: How Restraints on Nonprofits Undermine Their Potential is a must read.

So as a follow-up to last week’s post: "Ending the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle" which talked about administrative overhead and the question most often asked of a charity: What is your administrative overhead? The myth and assumption is that lower is better. I made a mild attempt to dispel this myth but Dan takes the topic full-on. Here’s some of what he had to say:

Dan’s observation is that we have two rule books: One for charity and one for the rest of the economic world. We blame capitalism for creating huge inequities in our society. . . and we refuse to allow the nonprofit sector to actually use the tools of capitalism to rectify those inequities.

He took us through 5 areas where the rule book of discrimination plays out:

Compensation: In the for-profit sector we allow the payment of a competitive wage based on the value people produce, but we don’t like to see people make a lot of money in the nonprofit sector. We have a very visceral reaction to the notion that anyone would make a lot of money helping other people. But we have no similar visceral reaction when people make a lot of money NOT helping others or even hurting others.
Advertising & Marketing: We give the for-profit sector huge latitude to spend spend spend and find new customers until the last dollar no longer produces a penny of value. We don’t like to see donations spent on advertising in charity. Our attitude is, if you can get the advertising for free or donated, I’m fine with that. But I don’t want you spending my donation on advertising because I want my money to go to the needy. As if the money spent on advertising couldn’t potentially and dramatically enlarge the amount of money going to the needy.
John Kenneth Galbraith, the Canadian American economist said, "The for-profit sector creates desires. It creates wants that you didn’t know you had. First it creates the product and then through the massive engines of marketing and advertising it creates the market for that product. But we are supposed to create a market for philanthropy to end hunger and disease and everything else without actually spending any money."
Risk taking for new donors: Specifically in pursuit of new donors. Specifically in the area of fundraising. We are not talking about taking programmatic risks to figure out a new way to mentor teen gang members or build wells in Africa. Here again the for-profit sector gets every advantage. Paramount Pictures can make a $150 million movie that flops and no one calls the attorney general. It’s all considered part of their business model to make a lot of movies. Some of them succeed and some of them fail. More succeed than fail. And on that basis they build huge empires.
So nonprofit organizations are petrified of trying any bold, risky, really high profile community fundraising endeavors for fear that if the thing fails that will be the end of them. Meanwhile Hollywood, every week is placing $150 million bets on ridiculous movie ideas.
Time horizon – the time it takes to get a return on investment to our donors: Amazon is a great example. They went for six years without any return to investors because everyone understood there was a long-term objective called building market dominance at the end of the line. If some charity ever had an incredible vision of building scale that required that for six years no money was going to go to the needy we’d expect a crucifixion.
Profit: The for-profit sector can pay people a financial return in order to attract their capital. The nonprofit sector by definition cannot. So the for-profit sector monopolizes the multi-trillion dollar capital markets; the nonprofit sector is starved for growth capital and risk capital.

You put these five things together: You can’t use money to lure talent; you can’t advertise on the scale the for-profit sector can; you cannot take the kinds of risks in pursuit of new customers; you don’t have the same amount of time to find those customers; and you don’t have the stock market. So we put the nonprofit sector at the most unbelievably extreme disadvantage on every level. . . and we call the whole system charity.

There are 3 main problems with the overhead question:

Makes us think overhead is not part of the cause -- the important work being done.

Forces charities to go without the things they really need to solve the problem.

Gives donors bad information.

The most memorable line for me from Dan was: Fundraising builds capacity to build capacity. What I took away from Dan’s remarks: Our job is to change the status quo. Ask different questions. If, indeed, we want to end hunger or homelessness are we willing to level or change the playing field and give nonprofits the resources to get the job done? Are we?

Ending the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:47:00 GMT

With excerpt from Stanford Social Innovation Review

It's the time of year where I’m helping lots of organizations draft their annual fall appeal letters and I’ve been bumping into conversations with some of them about how to tell donors about administrative costs v. program costs.

My first recommendation is: Don’t go there.

My second recommendation is: Before you mention anything about those costs have you:

Shared real life examples of the human impact of your programs? Like a name, age, and real example of a real person.
Made sure to explain to your supporters that there are people on waiting lists or programs are filled to the seams?
Shared your annual funding gap so supporters understand there is more to do with the unrestricted fundraising dollars you are raising?
Shared real examples about the quality of staff and systems necessary to deliver your life-changing and life-saving programs?

My third recommendation AFTER you’ve done all of the above is: Read this article from Stanford Social Innovation: The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle. Here’s an excerpt:

The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle
“A vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations – let alone serve their beneficiaries. The cycle starts with funders’ unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs, and results in nonprofits misrepresenting their costs while skimping on vital systems – acts that feed funders’ skewed beliefs. To break the nonprofit starvation cycle, funders must take the lead.”

I believe it’s our duty as nonprofit leadership to educate our funders, including our individual donors about the real costs of running our organizations. Paying attention to quality IT systems, staff salaries and benefits, as well as rent, utilities, and so on, are all part of the necessary ingredients to delivering quality programs. Somehow we’ve been trained to think we should deliver world-class services with less than world-class infrastructure, staff, and essential overhead expenditures.

So, I strongly suggest that rather than talking about how lean your organization is and the low overhead/expense ratio, talk about the impact of your work on one life, one family and keep us focused on the reason you need unrestricted overhead in the first place.

I find that donors writing checks want to know their dollars will be well spent and real people will be helped. When it’s explained to them that there are costs associated with doing quality work they understand the ratio of expenses might be higher than they’ve been trained to pay attention to.

Be sure to read the comments at the end of the Nonprofit Starvation Cycle post, especially the one by Rick Cowles from the Charities Review Council. Rick talks about the fact that the new set of standards being developed at the Charities Review Council “…is an opportunity to inform donors and funders about the perils of underfunding organizational infrastructure.”

It’s an opportunity we ALL have as we invite financial support this fall.

Ignite Your Fundraising: Increased Communication = More Gifts

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:48:00 GMT

Member message from Sacha Casillas

Unfortunately fires are still affecting the Boundary Waters, one of the most precious land areas in Minnesota. This month Ignited Online Fundraising community member Sacha Casillas, membership director at Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness shares her thoughts on how increased communication and well-tracked donor information really can inspire more gifts. And here’s hoping that the fires end soon.

Watch on YouTube.

Three simple steps to tap into the power of your voice

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:26:00 GMT

Guest post by Barbara McAfee

This week I'm pleased to present a post by Barbara McAfee. She's wonderfully gifted and caring, and I'm honored to have her on my blog this week. Barbara's first book Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence will be released on next week. You can support Barbara and purchase her book the day it's released, October 4, at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon.

I'm Barbara McAfee and I’m a midwife for voices. Lori invited me as a guest blogger here because she sees how crucial the voice is in fundraising, nonprofit management, and leadership.

My work as a voice coach over the past twenty years has convinced me that our voices are rich with untapped potential. For as essential as voices are in our day-to-day life, we spend very little time or attention on how to use them well.

Your voice is the vehicle for creating any idea, campaign, or relationship in your life. Think about it. How else do you get an idea from inside your head out into the world unless you speak or write about it? It can only grow, develop, and come to fruition through ongoing conversations with others.

Your voice is also a critical component in virtually all of your relationships – at work, at home, and in your community. You convey a world of information to the people around you just by the way you sound. Long before your listener decodes the words you are speaking, they have decided whether or not to trust you based on your voice and body language. And if your tone of voice is inconsistent with the words you are speaking, your listeners will get confused and may tune out altogether.

So how can we tap the power, wisdom, and intelligence that reside in our voices? Here are three simple and surprising steps to getting started:

Play with your voice. Pretending to be someone else – Darth Vader, Luciano Pavarotti, Julia Child, the Wicked Witch of the West, or a cooing baby – will help you break out of your unconscious vocal habits. Once your voice gets a chance to stretch out in this exaggerated way, it will be easier to expand the range and expression of your everyday voice.
Sing. Singing uses more physical energy, breath, and facial expression than regular speech. Make a play list of songs you can’t resist singing. Use your commute or your workout to sing yourself alive.
Pay close attention to how other people’s voices sound. If you took away their words, what would the sound of their voices alone convey? How would you describe the quality of their voices: loud, soft, husky, breathy, soothing, harsh, rushed, grounded? What is your instinctual response to their voices? What are they saying underneath their words? Cultivating this awareness of other people’s voices will make you a more accurate listener and a more eloquent speaker as well.

Here’s the best news: expanding the range, color, and expression of your voice helps you access other gifts in your life. Using your full voice makes you feel more alive, embodied, resilient, and energized.

Barbara McAfee is a voice coach, singer/songwriter, keynote speaker, and the author of Full Voice: The Art and Practice of Vocal Presence (Berrett-Koehler Publishers) which will be released next week on October 4. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Annual Appeals That Deliver

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Last week I spent an hour sharing tips and suggestions on a webinar about how to draft a powerful annual appeal for my Ignited Online Fundraising Community. Members can view all webinars from the past couple of years in the Webinar Archives but today I’m sharing the link with YOU for last week’s session: Annual Appeals That Deliver.

Please note: You will need to login with a name and email to watch the webinar playback.

And for a reminder about how powerful messages can make a difference, here is a recent video from Chris Davenport at Movie Mondays. Of the over one hundred videos Chris has created, this one is probably my favorite. It features Tom Ahren talking about how Gillette Children’s Hospital made a small subtle change in their donor communication and how that increased donations 1000%!

Here are some more links to information I shared on the webinar:

Put Persuasive Storytelling to Work for Your Nonprofit by Nancy Schwartz
3 Tips for Effective Fundraising Letters by Fundraising Coach: Marc A. Pitman, September 13, 2011
How to write a fundraising letter by Linda Elizabeth Alexander

Good luck drafting your appeals and please let me know how well you do this year!

Before you begin drafting your year-end appeal

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:27:00 GMT

The importance of the right database

It's that time of year again. Kids have returned to school, the pace has quickened for getting things done, and it's time to start thinking about your year-end fundraising appeals. But before you get too far, I encourage you to make sure your database is in tiptop shape and ready to go.

I believe your donor data is like money in the bank. A well-maintained, up-to-date data tracking system can mean the difference between meeting your financial goals and missing them.

We often talk about databases in terms of what sort of information is stored, how often it's updated, and how it's maintained, but your database is also more than that, it's also the software used to store the institutional memory of your organization. It’s the collective wisdom gathered and hopefully easily accessed when you need to learn more about what to do next.

With something so vital to accomplishing your mission and your fundraising goals it’s critical that you have the exact right fit and your system does all that you want it to.

Do you love the donor management system you're using? Does it have all the functionality you need? Can you and others on your team easily enter and retrieve information?

If you answered NO to any of my questions you may want to take a look at what else is out there. The Consumer's Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems is a great resource. If you follow that link you can download a helpful, in-depth report by IdealWare and NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network). The report has an exhaustive list of different systems they reviewed based on 147 different criteria that matter to most nonprofits.

I'm very proud to say that the contact management system I use and recommend, Trail Blazer, was included as one of the Top 10 systems that "offer the best combination of functionality, price, and attractiveness in a variety of situations."

I actually had a tiny role in helping to create the nonprofit version of Trail Blazer's software. What I like is that your team is not limited to purchasing “modules” – you get the “whole enchilada” for one annual fee. And, there is no limit or different price for more than one user or for any of the awesome training & support the team provides.

Once you've evaluated your database, both the information it contains and the software used to run it, and you're ready to plan your year-end fundraising appeal – NOW you have to draft it.

To get some great tips and suggestions on drafting appeal letters and campaigns that deliver results join me for tomorrow's (that's Thursday, September 15th) webinar, "Year-end fundraising appeals that deliver!" This will be a master coaching session that starts at 11 a.m. central time. You can participate in the hour-long webinar for only $27! I hope to "see" you there!

Ignite Your Fundraising: Raise awareness on community involvement

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:29:00 GMT

Member message from Jana Shogren

At Bridges of Hope, Executive Director, Jana Shogren, has worked hard with the board and staff to raise awareness about how individuals in their northern Minnesota community can be involved. Today she’s got a great example of how client stories just "show up." She also shares the power of letting the community know about their funding gap so folks know there is a place for them to do more.

View on YouTube

Talking about money so people want to give

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:16:00 GMT

Sharing the funding gap

Quickly, can you share with me where your organization is right now in meeting your annual fundraising goals? Does your board chair, CEO, and do YOU know what the current funding gap is for your organization? How often do you share those money details with your community?

I define the funding gap as the amount of money you have to raise from the community each year: OR the difference between the annual budget and the sources of funding you can absolutely count on, like grants, that you’ve already been approved for, United Way support, government funding, fees for service, etc.

Why share this information regularly?

If your community is not certain you need more of their time, dollars, advice, contacts, whatever it is that is missing – they may in fact, go elsewhere.

As marketing guru and author Seth Godin says, "nonprofits sell feeling good."

Your supporter community wants to feel like they are helping you do something you could not do without them. But the key here is: They have to KNOW what it is you want them to do. In September 2010 my post: Powerful Message from Your CEO outlined 5 key suggestions for sharing your funding gap.

CEOs who shy away from talking about the money, the funding gap, and that there is much more to do, are often stuck on the feeling that talking about what you need more of will cause people to think the organization is not run well. I believe the exact opposite. When you are transparent about costs, goals, and the impact of a gift, you build a stronger and more committed supporter community. Sharing this information though, can’t be boring and full of charts and graphs. It has to be shared with examples of compelling stories about real people.

In my free ebook Nine Steps to Successful Fundraising Campaigns, step # 7 is to keep the money conversation visible: in print, on your website, via multiple forms of communication to allow transparency and encourage widespread participation.

When you keep all eyes on the goal, OTHERS will help you reach it.

I recommend organizations and especially the CEO of an organization, share the progress on their annual fundraising goals, i.e. the funding gap, often, in fun, interesting ways throughout the year. Don’t wait until the final days of the year to scurry and beg for support.

Breaking your annual goal into smaller, bite-size "mini-campaigns" can also make it easier for supporters to want to take action and possibly make more than one contribution a year. What does it cost per seat for your organization to put on a wonderful theater or music performance? Share that. Or what does it cost per child to ensure they are going to graduate from high school and venture out into the world prepared for college or their first job? Share that.

Humanize the funding gap with stories of real people who will be impacted by meeting or not meeting your goal.

Compel your supporters with the impact of what you CAN do more of to help real people AND share where you are at in the race to reach your goals. I promise this sort of clear communication will generate surprising results.

A Light Bulb Moment for Engaging with Your Audience

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:44:00 GMT

Guest post by Blase Ciabaton

Do you know anyone with a smartphone? Have you gotten one yet? Have you noticed a lot more people using them in the last few months? According to Nielsen, smartphones accounted for 28% of all mobile phones and predicted to outnumber standard mobile phones by the end of 2011.

Like it or not, the proliferation of smartphones is changing the way we interact. If you're a nonprofit, this means the way that you interact with donors, volunteers, and other interested parties must change to account for this.

"Change" is a scary word, but don't worry because you don't have to abandon what you're doing now and start from scratch. Believe it or not, there's a free, simple tool you can plug into your existing marketing that will make it much easier for you to interact with smartphone users.

It's called a QR Code and these square 2-dimensional barcodes can be read by smartphones with the appropriate free software. The smartphone converts the QR Code into a URL and brings the owner of the phone to a corresponding website. In June, 14 million people scanned a QR code.

Certain smart nonprofits have already started incorporating QR Codes in their marketing. This post from Blackbaud shares some inspiring examples of how several nonprofits with diverse backgrounds have included QR Codes in their marketing campaigns.

This video shows how NYC Parks & Recreation used QR Codes to engage a younger, more wired audience.

Are you ready to get started using QR Codes? You can start experimenting today! You can use one of the many Do’s and Don’t’s of using QR Codes in Marketing.

How have you seen examples of QR Codes incorporated in nonprofit marketing? Please share your comments below.

About the Blase Ciabaton: Blase has helped nonprofits launch successful direct mail fundraising campaigns every day for the last 7 years. In 2009, he launched the blog, www.TheDirectMailMan.com. It caters to the nonprofit community and tackles issues related to postage permits, mailing lists, returned mail, and donor conversion. If you found this post valuable you may want to follow @TheDMailMan on Twitter, sign up for his weekly e-newsletter or subscribe to his blog's RSS feed.

Listen: My Perspective on Board Recruitment and Retention

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:55:00 GMT

 Audio recording from Lori’s guest appearance on Michael Chatman’s Giving Show

Back in May I was honored to be a guest of the Michael Chatman Giving Show. You can listen to the recording here

[The show airs live in South Florida on Thursday’s at 11:30 am (est) but you can listen every Thursday live streaming on the web as well.]

Michael is an amazingly caring philanthropist who created this radio show to provide compelling information to the business community. I loved being invited to participate in the conversation with Michael about questions to be asking of your board to recruit great board members and actions to take to keep them engaged and effective over the long-term (for more information, read Six Steps to Exceptional Nonprofit Boards). And I got a chance to share a few juicy stories about what I’ve seen work.

My colleague and Twitter buddy @dan_blakemore posted on his blog an awesome recap of the show.

Thanks again, Dan for doing the recap!

Here are a few of the points Dan captured from my interview with Michael:

Before joining a board, the prospect should ask for a job description and discuss the expectations of board members with the organization’s leadership.
Only 6% of non-profit organizations provide any training to their board members (whether on governance, fundraising, or any other skills that they are expected to use in their board roles).
Non-profit organizations need to stop treating board members like ATMs and get back to engaging them in the work as key partners.

I’d love to hear from you about your best practices for recruiting and retaining board members.

Ask Less. Raise More.

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:25:00 GMT

Permission Based Fund Development

Prospect cultivation is 90% of fundraising. A proper cultivation plan dramatically reduces the need for “asking for money.” ~ Boots Hoffman

I've watched hundreds of nonprofits become frustrated with the level of giving and other support from the board, staff, and the community. Many rush to “the ask” with little regard for the “why” a person says yes. And, for many, the ongoing cultivation/communication plan is a distant thought.

The key is to know, really know your supporters; both the internal supporters and the external supporters, right?

If we know that communication and building authentic relationships is the key, why do so many development professionals get stuck when talking with supporters? What if there was a system to help you know exactly WHAT to say and what authentic questions to ask that allow for building a deeper relationship?

I believe there is just such a simple, powerful process.

But let’s back up for a moment. In 2009 I created the Ignited Online Fundraising Community to support the development profession, from the CEO and admin support to the board and the communications and development director. Each month I offer an opportunity for hundreds of members to “recharge” by learning a new tool or gaining a new perspective about our work. I do this with a guest speaker or some coaching from me.

Our webinar guest on August 18 is a very special development professional and provides us with a rare opportunity to learn from a master. Boots Hoffman is now semi-retired, but has worked for and with many nonprofits throughout his career. Boots has developed a simple, powerful engagement tool that he will share with my webinar community on August 18 at 11 am Central.

In the Ask Less. Raise More. session, Boots will share the four questions you can have your board members, staff, and other donors ask each other so that self-cultivation is happening and gifts are made, often without even asking.

Whether you feel you need ongoing support through the Ignited Online Fundraising Community or a one-time fix, join us. I’ve now made it possible to participate session by session. The fee is $27 per month. You can join us for one webinar and then opt out or continue on as a member until you are “ignited” enough and want to move on.

I hope you’ll join us next week!

Ignite Your Fundraising – Message from a Board Member

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:31:00 GMT

Member message from Brandy Stroud

How does YOUR organization engage your board to support your development efforts? Here are some words of wisdom from Brandy Stroud, a former board member at Volunteers for Youth Justice, in Shreveport, LA. Brandy truly found her niche in being a “connector” when she was a board member.

View on YouTube.

Get an Hour of Coaching

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:09:00 GMT

Refer a friend to get a free hour with Lori Jacobwith

How can you or your organization receive one full hour of coaching from me for free? I’ve got a fun, simple way for you!

Three times a year, (March, August, and December), I deliver my Sustainable Fundraising Strategies workshop here in the Twin Cities. The August session this year is Sustainable Fundraising II on Tuesday, August 16 at 9 a.m. at the RBC Wealth Management offices in Edina, Minnesota.

I'm inviting YOU, readers of this post, and all previous attendees to help get the word out about the session and the “what’s in it for you?” hook, anyone who refers two or more attendees who attend the workshop will receive one free hour of coaching for yourself or your organization! Yup. Easy and you’d be helping others to learn great tools about how to raise more dollars from individuals.

Many of you send me questions via email regularly that I just can’t get to. This is your time to get as many questions answered as possible, for NO CHARGE!

The Scoop and your action steps:

Spread the word about the Sustainable Fundraising Strategies II workshop. You can download and print this handy PDF that explains all about the NEW workshop! It has been updated with new tools for creating strategic fundraising goals. You can also tweet about it or share this information and the links on your Facebook page.
Have two or more of the people you refer actually attend and pay for the workshop. They can easily register and pay online.
Let your contacts know to be sure to mention that YOU referred them when we ask for that information at the workshop.
If you have two or more attendees on August 16 we’ll follow up with you a week or so after the workshop to schedule your coaching session. The session will be held via phone but you can have as many people on the call as you’d like. If necessary, we’ll provide a dial in conference number to accommodate people from different locations.
Know that I appreciate your help in getting the word out about this upcoming workshop! We have limited space (seating for about 50). So, I’ll let you know when the session is full so you can stop inviting guests.

Not in the Twin Cities? I’d be thrilled if you referred your colleagues in the area OR invite me to bring my workshop to your city! There are minimal costs – the main thing to do is to help with getting the word out to fill the workshop.

If you have any questions, contact me or leave a comment here.

I look forward to meeting your guests on August 16. Or feel free to join us yourself!

Fund Development Committees – What do they do anyway?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:17:00 GMT

Key responsibilities for successful fund development committees

Here’s a question I often get asked: “What makes an effective fund development committee? What are ways people can contribute effectively even if they don't have big money connections, etc.?”

Carter McNamara answered this really well earlier this year in his blog, but I’d like to add to his post. From Carter:

"One of the biggest misconceptions about the Fundraising Committee is that its members are to do the fundraising for the nonprofit. No, the job of the Fundraising Committee is to ensure that the fundraising is done very well. The actual fundraising should be done by all Board members, with various staff members supporting those Board members."

I agree with Carter that the full board should be involved with the fund development process at an organization. Just a reminder though: Fund Development is, as defined by the Association of Fundraising Professionals: "The total process by which an organization increases public understanding of its mission and acquires financial support for its programs."

In my fundraising action planning sessions we work to identify three or four strategic fundraising goals for the organization that include ways for the entire staff and board to participate in development. This is a key to success for any organization. Simple ways for all staff and board to be involved can mean:

Telling powerful compelling client stories
Sharing the funding gap message with the community so people know what is needed (this is different from asking for money)
Inviting guests e.g. donors or prospects to upcoming events
Thanking recent donors via phone call and/or personal notes
Or simply inviting guests (donors) to “business as usual” events like graduations or the school play or a volunteer training

In addition to my short list of development activities here are Carter’s six primary responsibilities for the fundraising or development committee:

1. Ensure there’s a specific fundraising target How much money needs to be raised? Usually the amount is the difference between expected revenues and expenses. Usually those revenues and expenses are identified during strategic or program planning.

2. Ensure prospect research occurs to identify how much money might be raised from different types of resources Good prospect research will look at the nature of the nonprofit’s services and its locale, and identify similar nonprofits and the sources of funding used by them. Good prospect research will go beyond searching a database of foundations to submit proposals to.

3. Identify specific, potential sources of funds from a diverse mix of sources Now the nonprofit is ready to start selecting specific sources of funds from individuals, foundations, government and/or fees. These activities should result in the names of specific sources, for example, names of people, foundations and government agencies, and/or the specific amounts of fees to charge for certain services.

4. Develop an action plan about who is going to approach what source, how and by when* This responsibility includes identifying which Board members will approach what source, along with what staff members will support those Board members. All Board members should have assignments, not just the members of the Fundraising Committee. (*Note from Lori: This does not mean all board members must ask for money. It does mean board members can accompany staff on asks and share why they serve on the board and examples of client stories that may inspire the prospect.)

5. Compile the results of items 1- 4 into a Fundraising Plan that is approved by the Board The Plan should include more than merely a listing of what foundations to approach. The Plan becomes the roadmap for generating sufficient revenue. It should include realistic expectations from a diversity of sources, and justify how those sources were identified. It should include an action plan (from step 4) that the Fundraising Committee ensures is implemented on a timely basis.

6. Ensure effective administrative systems to track grants and donations As funding comes into the nonprofit, its various sources and amounts must be closely and accurately documented. Acknowledgements and receipts must be provided back to donors. Grant requirements must be monitored to ensure they are met. In the United States, fundraising information must be included on the IRS Form 990.

Summary — Job of the Fundraising Committee is to Ensure Planful, Strategic Fundraising.

When is it time to ask someone for money?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:55:00 GMT

7 Critical questions to answer before asking for the gift

Knowing WHEN to ask someone to make a gift is often the very thing that stops people in their tracks. The big secret that those who make direct asks often know is that the ask should simply be a part of a longer conversation.

Really.

It sounds trite, but it’s true: Only ask the people who you know want to say yes.

If you practice this, you will spend your time focused on getting to know people well enough that you will be absolutely clear about why they have a passion for your organization, and then it’s absolutely clear when to invite the gift.

Often during role play exercises in my Art of Asking workshop (see slides from a previous workshop ) participants will say something like, “I don’t know how much to ask for.” Or, “I get so scared to ask someone for money.”

My reaction to both of those statements is: You are making the ask about YOU and not about the donor. When you focus on THEM, how they feel about your organization and why they are interested in your work AND you really invite engaged conversation about what moves & inspires THEM, you forget about the “big ask” and you’ll find yourself inviting participation or support of something you are now very clear they’ve expressed interest in.

It is important to ask for specific size gifts but you can much more easily do that when you know your audience.

Here’s a list of questions I share with people getting ready to invite a gift. It’s a short list that should be added to in order to really be effective in getting the donor ready to say yes. What would you add?

7 Critical questions to answer before asking for the gift:

Do you know they are ready?
Specifically what will be asked for?
Does the donor have a clear understanding of the human impact of the gift you are inviting them to make?
What concerns might the donor have about saying “yes” to your request?
Why would the donor say “yes”?
Who will be asking?
Where will the ask take place?

Ignite Your Fundraising – Be clear how people can be of help

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:20:00 GMT

Member Message from Carol Arthur

The Domestic Abuse Project (DAP) is an organization I’ve had a long association with in Minneapolis. They do amazing work to end family violence and provide support to those experiencing it. Carol Arthur has been a leader and advocate on behalf of domestic abuse victims for decades and is the Executive Director of DAP.

Carol and her team have worked hard over the years to be clear with their supporters about ways to help DAP that aren’t always about the money. While raising funds is necessary and they certainly invite financial support by sharing updates about their “funding gap,” Carol shares an example of inviting participation and support that capitalizes on the skills volunteers bring to the table.

View on YouTube.

Quick tips & power-packed reads

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:47:00 GMT

Summer, winter, spring & fall I know that development professionals continue to do work to engage, cultivate, inspire and invite action.

Here are a few great recent reads from colleagues to ignite and inspire your work:

And. . . it’s the final moments before we take down the Nonprofit Goodies page. If you haven’t visited yet to collect your free coaching & tips from five top nonprofit trainers and coaches don’t wait any longer! The page will be removed on June 30, 2011.

The giving numbers and the reality

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:08:00 GMT

Thoughts on Giving USA's 2011 report

Many of us in the social profit sector await with interest, excitement, or even a bit of nerves for the annual giving report from Giving USA. Released this week, there is, as usual, much food for thought in the 2010 giving statistics being discussed. You can dowload the excutive summary here.

While helpful, thoughtful, and great research, it is important to remember that the Giving USA figures are based on estimates derived from an economic formula, not actual donations. This is mainly because the IRS does not release contribution information from taxes filed until two years later. Read more here.

The GOOD news, and there is some, is that giving was up 2% (adjusted for inflation) and bequests were way up. Check out this article from the Chronicle of Philanthropy for more on how different cuses fared

Here's what I know for sure from working with social profit clients across the country for the past eleven years. People give their time, talent, stuff, and money in good times and in bad. They give when they are inspired, feel there is an impact their gift can make and they give to feel good. Most of the organizations I worked with over the past year experienced higher percentages of gifts from individuals and larger-sized gifts. These organizations took the time to invite feedback from their donors, engage them in seeing up close and personal their programs, and put a face to the dollars they were given.

Most of the organizations I work with also experienced lower or flat support from corporations and foundations and many experienced exponentially large funding cuts from government sources. If you are living these same national trends I encourage you, your board, and staff to keep your supporters close and connected. And for goodness sake, talk with your supporters about planned gifts.

While it might take years to return giving levels to those of the pre-recession giving, gifts are still being made, thoughtfully and in big numbers.

3 Tips for Engaging Donors by Generation

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:53:00 GMT

As a follow up to last week's thoughtful post from Melissa S. Brown, X and Y: Beyond the Gift , I have three quick tips for you for engaging your donors, all of them, of all ages. If you’d like to read more about the data for generational giving that Melissa will touch on in my members only webinar on June 16, 2011, download the 2010 report from Convio: The Next Generation of American Giving.

Email is not dead. Despite what you hear, even for those younger supporters. Just make sure your message is compelling and causes immediate action. Here is a quick read from Jeff Brooks to remind you what’s important about your messages: Five assumptions to make about your readers.
Multi-channel is here to stay. Meaning, whatever my age, engage me via mail, online, via phone, Facebook, Twitter…and keep the message clear. Here’s a great short read on this topic from nonprofit marketing guru Katya Andresen: Welcome to the silo: The sad dearth of multi-channel marketing.
Don’t neglect your website. It’s likely the portal for learning about you and for giving for the majority of your supporters. One more resource for you: Your Nonprofit’s Website as a Fundraising Tool.

By making sure you hit all channels with your fundraising appeal and ensuring that you have a compelling story to tell, you'll be able to make a lasting impression on donors regardless of their age.

X and Y: Beyond the Gift

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:35:00 GMT

Guest post by Melissa S. Brown

Next week I’m honored that my monthly webinar will be a conversation with Melissa S. Brown, former editor of Giving USA and well known national speaker. Today’s post is some of Melissa’s point of view on generational giving. To join us for the webinar simply become a member of my online fundraising community.

In 20 years, today’s top donors – the Baby Boomers – will be outnumbered by Generation X (1964-1981). The so-called “slacker” generation has too often been wrongly accused of a lackadaisical attitude toward social norms. In fact, Gen X is full of entrepreneurs who often care passionately about investing in the future of their communities. Following Gen X is Gen Y (also called Gen Next or the Millennial generation), which is gaining attention as a cohort particularly motivated by a sense of mission and purpose.

What does this mean for your nonprofit? How can you reach these two very different cohorts, one motivated by individualism and a pragmatic desire for impact and the other motivated by teamwork and a willingness to go to extreme lengths to achieve a goal?

To answer these and other questions, researchers have examined how generation and age effect giving. These two separate effects occur at the same time. People of all generations give more as they make more friends and hear more stories about needs and opportunities around them. People also give more as they earn more, so that those in their peak earning years (roughly age 45 to 65) give the most.

Yet there is also a purely generational effect, separate from age. People of different generations give to charity differently. For example, scholars Mark Wilhelm, Patrick Rooney, and Gene Tempel found in a 1973 study that today’s Boomers give less to religion than the two preceding generations.

Because religious giving is associated with giving to secular causes, lower Boomer religious giving suggests lower secular giving. However, researchers Jim Ferris and Eleanor Brown found that belonging to social groups ‘counteracts’ lower religious participation and seems to help people form connections in ways that that inspire charitable giving.

So what is happening with Gen X and the Millennials?

People in these generations do give and volunteer. However, unlike measures of “donor loyalty” that track giving to a specific organization, for many people in these generations, loyalty is to a project’s impact on people’s lives. They will shift their allegiance based on whether or not the desired change occurs. This focus on results instead of on organizational structure means that Gen X and Gen Y prioritize activities by businesses or even governmental units, rather than looking only to charities.

Before giving or volunteering, a member of Gen X particularly, but also Gen Y, is going to research (usually online and through peer networks) to find groups that will help bring about a specific result. People in these generations typically want to support entities that cut the red tape, work with other groups that can help solve a problem, and disclose clearly how resources are used.

In their insistence on results, Gen X and Gen Y are demanding that organizations remake themselves to incorporate new leadership, model best practices, and demonstrate achievements. For nonprofits, building a stronger future with people in these generations means more than using technology to fundraise; it means adopting a systemic view of how people’s lives can be improved and changed through the good work of nonprofits, companies, and governments. And of how individuals can partner to be part of that change.

About Melissa S. Brown: Melissa began working in the nonprofit sector in 1989 at the Folger Shakespeare Library. She has worked for the Homeless Initiative Program, Indiana University, and the national office of the Arthritis Foundation. She teaches successful proposal writing for The Fund Raising School. Her volunteer roles have included Big Sisters of Central Indiana and the International School of Indiana. She holds a B.A. in political science from Reed College and a Master's degree in governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania. You can learn more about Melissa and her work on her website and follow her on Twitter @NPOWriter

Ignite Your Fundraising – Does Your Donor Data Tell a Story?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:30:00 GMT

Member message from Melissa Musliner

In her first full year at House of Charity, Director of Marketing and Development, Melissa Musliner jumped in to engaging and re-engaging donors. Print and eNewsletters have been created and the website has been updated to convey more compelling stories and information about the impact of their work. Listen to what Melissa has to say about closely examining their donor data to help her know where to focus.

Two things that stand out for me about how Melissa gets “it all done”: She makes sure to include non-development staff in accomplishing her work and she makes it fun. Be sure to listen for the ringing of the bell in her message to us this month.

View on YouTube

The Soul of Money

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:29:00 GMT

A book that has changed my life

I’ve read the amazing book The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources by colleague and friend, Lynne Twist, countless times and I’ve purchased more than 100 copies to give as a gift to nonprofit staffs, boards, and philanthropists.

Through its beautiful stories and poignant personal examples The Soul of Money takes us through a thorough and critical look at how we’ve given our power over to money. Lynne asks us to take a deep look at our relationship with money as development professionals, parents, business owners, employees, and engaged community members, to identify the true purpose of money for each of us and how it connects with our own core values.

Lynne believes, as I do, that our work in the social profit sector is sacred work.

In chapter five: Money is like Water we learn the story of Gertrude, a woman most people would call poor. This chapter provides a true example of the power of money when it is infused with purpose, integrity, and aligned with our soul.

On her way from San Francisco to Harlem, New York, Lynne stopped in Chicago to visit with the CEO of a major corporation to pick up a large check for The Hunger Project, the organization where she was working as a fundraiser.

Lynne had been told that the major food corporation based in the tall, glass high-rise was guilty of some business practices that were a bit nasty and had an image problem. The corporation believed that by making a significant contribution to The Hunger Project they could start to clean up their image.

The stop to pick up the check was scheduled for the morning of the visit to Harlem. Lynne made her way to the CEO’s large office where he sat with his head down, back-lit by the sun shining through the large picture window. She could barely see his face during the meeting as he pushed the check across the desk. He clearly wanted her gone quickly. As Lynne describes it, “I felt the guilt of the company coming right across that desk with the money.” (p. 99)

After the awkward meeting, Lynne hurried to the airport and made her way to New York City where she had been invited to visit. The feeling of the company’s shame stayed with Lynne through the plane ride and car ride to Harlem.

Lynne arrived in the midst of a rainstorm for the meeting located in the basement of an old church building in Harlem. She was late due to the weather, and entered the room packed with people who had heard about the work of The Hunger Project. They had waited patiently for Lynne’s arrival while buckets collected the rain dripping into the basement; a world apart from the gleaming bright CEO office from earlier in the day.

Lynne made her presentation with warmth and engaging stories and then came to the part where it was time to “ask for the money.” Though the room was full of the “working poor” Lynne made her request and then waited quietly. After a few seconds of silence, a woman near the back stood up. She was in her late 60s or early 70s with graying hair and wrinkled hands and face. She stood tall, erect, and proud and said:

“Girl, my name is Gertrude and I like what you’ve said and I like you. Now I ain’t got no checkbook or credit cards. To me, money is a lot like water. For some folks it rushes through their lives like a raging river. Money comes through my life like a little trickle. But I want to pass it on in a way that does the most good for the most folks. I see it as my right and my responsibility. It’s also my joy. I have fifty dollars in my purse that I earned from doing a white woman’s wash and I want to give it to you.”

Gertrude walked up the aisle and handed Lynne her $50 cash and then many others followed. On the plane ride back to San Francisco Lynne realized that below the ones and fives in her briefcase from the folks in Harlem was the $50,000 check from the food company.

The difference was the money from Gertrude and her friends carried the energy of commitment to make a difference. And right then, even knowing that The Hunger Project desperately needed the funding, Lynne decided to return the check to the CEO.

Fast-forward five or six years after the $50,000 contribution was returned. Lynne received a letter from the CEO. He had since retired and had received a very lucrative exit package for his work. In his letter he shared how the return of the $50,000 was one of the most significant memories of his career. He had enclosed a check for many times the original amount and made it clear that he wanted the money to make a difference. He wanted to make a meaningful contribution to end world hunger.

I believe it is our job as development professionals to “invite the money to stop by” to make its impact before it moves on to the next place. And when we invite financial support that is a true expression of who a person truly is, it is a gift to the giver and to the organization.

The book is an awesome read. I hope you’ll give the gift to yourself to enjoy the wisdom from The Soul of Money. Looking for more books? Check out my recommended reading list. You can learn more about Lynne on Facebook, and her website: The Soul of Money Institute.

Little things add up to something big

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:24:00 GMT

Ensure engagement by paying attention to details

Often I’m asked to work with the staff and board of a social profit organization to help them create an annual fundraising plan or better define their funding gap message or help them better define the board & staff relationship.

When I begin work with these organizations I often find that what I’m REALLY being brought in for is to help ease frustration. The staff has grown frustrated with the board or key volunteers who are not taking action in the way the staff wants. The board or key volunteers, while passionate about the work of the organization, don’t quite know what action to take, which sometimes results in them being “checked out.”

In my careful observation of their work and communication I often see the same issues over and over. I believe most of these frustrations can be eliminated with more specific communication that focuses on the details of each goal and measures for success as they relate to real people.

Here are a few actions that focus on those details that can make a huge difference:

PASSION RE-TREAD

Staff:

Create the ability for all board members to see your mission in action and to learn a story of a client by actually meeting someone your organization serves

Volunteer Leadership:

Hunger for the connection to clients & the mission. Routinely have one board member tell a story of a real person (client) at each board meeting. Hold board meetings in different locations where you can be connected to the special people served by your organization.

GOALS & ACTION ITEMS

Staff:

Take GREAT meeting notes. Highlight goals and actions. Always list the person accountable and a “by when” date of accomplishing the action. Spend less time on notes that are a "he said, she said" recap. Provide your powerful, action-focused notes quickly following all committee and board meetings (within 2 days).

Volunteer Leadership:

READ the notes. Do what you said you’d do, by when you said you’d do it. If the timing doesn’t work…contact the appropriate staff person and “re-promise” with a date that works for you. These are your goals. Take action on them.

MEASURES & ACCOUNTABILITY

Staff:

Provide reports that clearly show goals and team activity. These can be charts, bar graphs, or whatever visual display best shows the progress (or lack thereof) being made on the agreed on goals. These should be provided to the volunteer leadership so that a "peer to peer" discussion on progress can take place.

Volunteer Leadership:

Request the charts and details about agreed on actions (e.g. making thank you calls to all donors $200+). Read the reports at board or committee meetings and discuss YOUR own activity regularly. Use the data to discuss what is working with the goals and actions and what needs more attention or discussion.

GOVERNANCE

Staff:

Work with board leadership to clearly define accountabilities with an annual board agreement. Also identify and provide structure for very clear goals for new board member identification, recruitment and orientation.

Volunteer Leadership:

Within the board or your committee pay attention to who is doing what. Are all board members or committee members providing value? Showing up at meetings? Does everyone know what is expected with regard to board involvement, especially with regard to fundraising? (Six Steps to Exceptional Nonprofit Boards) If not, invite help, guidance, and input from the staff and others outsider your group to put together a framework of participation (Get a sample board agreement here). Seek to ensure every board member and community volunteer feels like a helping hero and has a clear picture of what is expected.

Each of these areas deserves much more time than I’m devoting here. Suffice it to say, attention to the communication between staff, board, and community volunteers is critical.

The fundraising action planning sessions and other workshops I deliver allow you an opportunity to delve more deeply into each of these topics. And, you can certainly tackle these areas yourselves.

Recipe for success: Awareness and clear, authentic, honoring communication about the small, but powerful details.

Engage Donors by Keeping Fundraising Events Special

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:01:00 GMT

Spring fundraising event season is in full swing. I’ve received invitations to wine tastings, silent auctions, dinners, breakfast events, fashion shows, you name it, I’m certain there is a fundraising event like it somewhere!

If donor engagement is the most important thing to focus on these days, how do you use your special events to do just that? I believe that in addition to raising lots of money, keeping donors connected, informed, focused on your mission and the impact you make should be all part of the “benefits” of holding a special event.

This week’s I’ve got two short, resource-filled videos from my fundraising colleague, Sherry Truhlar, from Red Apple Auctions. What I love about Sherry is she’s always looking for ways to keep your special events fresh and engaging and most importantly FUN.

Here’s Sherry with advice for some great suggestions to make your fundraising events and especially your auction events as successful as possible:

The One Thing to NEVER Say On Stage at a Benefit Auction

Watch on YouTube

12 Ways to Use Social Media to Market your Charity Auction Fundraiser

Watch on YouTube.

Charity auctioneer Sherry Truhlar teaches volunteers how to simultaneously laugh *and* hit new fundraising records in their nonprofit and school auctions. Her expertise has been tapped by national publications (e.g. Town & Country, The Washington Post Magazine, AUCTIONEER, The Eleusis) and heard on television (e.g. E! Style, TLC). You can enjoy her FREE Auction Item Guide(listing the 100 best-selling items to sell in your benefit auction) at Red Apple Auctions. You can follow Sherry on Twitter at @AuctionExpert and check out her blog.

Ignite Your Fundraising: Making contact with supporters meaningful

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:34:00 GMT

Member Message from Ellen Timmerman-Borer & Julane Rose

At Hammer Residences, Inc. the development team works year-round to stay in contact with their supporters. They take time to make the contact they have with their supporters personal and warm, especially with their “insiders,” the families of their clients. And to do that they make sure to maintain a clean, useful donor tracking system. They’ve got some good advice for any size organization.

View on YouTube.

3 Critical Mistakes Made by Nonprofit Executive Directors

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:47:00 GMT

Guest Post by Sandy Rees

Having a strong leader at the helm of a nonprofit organization is critical for its long-term success. Every Executive Director juggles many things including staff, Board, fundraising, and program oversight. He or she must be focused and totally committed to the organization to successfully manage these multiple priorities.

Here are three critical mistakes that are often made by nonprofit Executive Directors that can totally derail their success as a leader.

Lone Ranger Syndrome. When an Executive Director has the need to control everything, they can quickly find themselves alone. Often, their thinking is “I can do this faster (or better) myself” and so they attempt to accomplish everything without help.
Better idea: A good leader needs to engage others in the work of the organization. A huge piece of this is to trust others will get the job done, realizing that it may not be done they way he or she would do it. Sometimes an Executive Director must give up control in order to get much-needed help. It’s usually better to get things done and done good enough, rather than done and done perfectly.
Poor Expectations. This mistake can cripple a relationship with a Board member, staff person, or volunteer. In small organizations it’s common for the Executive Director to expect that Board members will jump in to help with fundraising or will know what their responsibilities are. The truth is that many well-meaning Board members don’t have a clue what they can do to help or what their responsibilities are.
Better idea: A good leader is clear with others about what their job is and comes to agreement with others about desired outcomes. Written job descriptions can be key here! When everyone is clear about what they are supposed to do there will be much less frustration and more positive outcomes.
Majoring in the Minors. Too often, leaders focus on things that are unimportant in the grand scheme of things. With time being an Executive Director’s most precious resource, they cannot afford to spend it on things that don’t move the organization forward.
Better idea: A good leader focuses on the things only he or she can do and delegates the rest. Executive Directors need to be thinking about the future, watching the bottom line, and making sure all operational activities fulfill the mission, not picking out office supplies or choosing napkin colors.

By recognizing these three dangerous mistakes and working to avoid them, an Executive Director will be on their way to job satisfaction and organizational success.

About Sandy Rees: Sandy is a fundraising coach and consultant, whose passion is showing small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, strengthen their Boards, and build relationships with donors. You can learn more about her on her website, Get Fully Funded or by following her on Twitter: @SandyRees

Reflections on Receiving

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:42:00 GMT

Lessons from my bout with cancer

I’ve taken the last few weeks off to deal with health issues. It’s not often I am removed from the day to day goings on of my business. I’m a work junkie. I love, love, love what I do. I get to hear the good news about how incredible people are doing incredible work across the country. And sometimes I get to help them do their work a little better.

Over the years I’ve taken for granted that the people being served by nonprofits would gladly welcome and accept the support, advice, food, clothes, or whatever the nonprofit organization was giving them. Why wouldn’t they? People were just wanting to help them, right?

Then I was diagnosed with cancer. And found I had to accept support, advice, food, and love from my community. It was uncomfortable, scary and something I realized I wasn’t very good at.

Here’s the quick recap:
In January I found a lump in my breast. In February I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the treatment was a unilateral mastectomy. I chose April 1 on purpose to keep my sense of humor about it all and to make sure to get all my clients "taken care of" before I took any time off.

While doing the mastectomy my surgeon also removed a small mole from my stomach. . . that turned out to be melanoma. A week later I had additional surgery to remove all the “margins” around it so it wouldn’t spread. Two types of cancer in two weeks. . . yikes.

Throughout the past few months I’ve shared my news as necessary with family, friends, colleagues, and clients. I didn’t make a big huge announcement as I was certain this was a minor thing I would and could handle easily. Fortunately, much of that is true. Though I’ve had some complications and had yet a third and fourth surgery in April to put all of this behind me, the fantastic news is no chemo and no radiation. Whew!

What happened to me as I shared my news was a deeper respect for clients of the many organizations I work with. I instantly had an “insiders” view about what it's like to feel helpless, needy, and way too much of a burden to my inner circle than I’ve ever wanted to be. And I think of myself as a pretty strong, self-sufficient woman.

What must it be like for the Dad of two daughters who loses his job then can’t pay rent and becomes homeless? How does he accept help and still feel good about himself? Or the Mom who works two jobs but doesn’t have health insurance with either job so when her six-year-old son cuts his leg and needs stitches she has to find somewhere to provide free or low-cost medical care?

How must they feel? For me, although I’ve been grateful for the support, care, and prayers, I’ve felt like a burden at times, ashamed that I got sick, and often incredibly uncomfortable with the support lovingly given to me.

So I vowed to use this experience to remind myself and the caregivers and volunteers at the organizations doing good work why their clients might show up with anger, frustration, fear, embarrassment, or shame. Maybe you already know and understand, but just in case you don’t, please know not everyone finds it easy to “accept” and “receive.” We, many of us who were taught to take care of ourselves, feel it’s a sign of weakness to accept help from others. We get angry and embarrassed that we can’t drive ourselves to a doctor appointment or pick up our own prescription or make dinner because we are too tired. We want to hide but can’t because we need our community to get through the crisis.

That said, I humbly thank my fundraising community colleagues who have been generously submitting guest posts for me during this time of healing and recovery.

I’m still healing. Four surgeries in two weeks takes a toll on a person AND her family, I might add. But I believe I’ll come out the other side of this adventure a calmer, more compassionate, and more peaceful person. Once I’m back up to full-strength the buildings I’ll leap may be a few stories shorter but I’ll still wear my cape and expect fundraising miracles. And now I’ll be watching to make sure those being served also receive warm hugs and hand squeezes when I see fear or uncertainty in their eyes.

I hope you will too.

5 Simple Ways to Thank Donors and Raise More Money

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:35:00 GMT

Guest post by Amy Eisenstein

I’m delighted to share this week’s guest post by Amy Eisenstein, MPA, CFRE who specializes in fundraising consulting for local and national nonprofits. Her "no-nonsense" approach to fundraising yields big results for her clients and readers.

Did you know donors are significantly more likely to make another gift to an organization when they are thanked properly?

Did you know it costs significantly more money to acquire new donors than to keep your old ones? In addition, the people who have been donating longer are more likely give bigger amounts. For both reasons, it is critical to keep the donors you have in order to raise more money.

The best way to keep your donors donating year after year is to thank them and let them know how their money is being used.

Do you thank your donors properly?

Have a plan for thanking different donors
While every organization acknowledges donors slightly differently, you should have a plan for how you will thank each donor. Does a $10 donor get treated the same as a $10,000 donor? I hope (and assume) the answer is “no.” How is each one acknowledged? Do they get a phone call, an email, a letter, an acknowledgment in your newsletter, all of the above?
Thank your donors in a timely fashion
How long does it take you to get your thank you letters out after receiving a gift? One week, two, more? Your goal should be within a week (direct mail studies say within 48 hours, but I think that is unrealistic for most offices). Do your higher level donor letters take longer to get mailed because they sit on the director’s desk for a week waiting for a personal note?

Does a board or staff member call to thank the donor after receiving a gift? Studies show that a thank you call from a board member within a week of receiving a gift has a significant impact on increased levels of giving for future gifts. Making thank you calls is a great way to get board members involved in the fundraising process.

Personalize and customize letters
Are your thank you letters generic form letters or do you acknowledge different donors in different ways? The more personalized the better your future fundraising results will be. Do you have a specific letter for first time donors and another one for repeat donors? Do you acknowledge a $25 gift differently than a $5,000 gift?
Inform donors how their money was used
Keeping a donor informed about how their money was used is one of the most important ways to ensure future gifts, and yet so many nonprofits neglect this important step. How do you communicate to your donors that their investment in your organization was put to good use?

Show them with individual client success stories. Tell them how many clients you served and what the impact was. Share with them the difference your work made in the community. Make sure to let them know that it would not have happened without their gift, no matter how small. To your donors who designate their donations, be sure you are telling them about that specific component of your organization or program.
Invite donors to get involved in a specific way
In your letter, on the phone, or in person, be sure to thank your donors, but to also invite them to take action and become more involved. Can they volunteer in a direct service capacity, on a committee, or doing office work? Can they participate in a letter writing campaign?

Check out this “Thank You Letter Checklist” by Joanne Fritz for more good ideas.

© Amy Eisenstein 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Ignite Your Fundraising – Honoring confidentiality

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:04:00 GMT

Member message from Emily Nelson

The Red Wing, MN community has a very vibrant group of social profit organizations working to provide support in many ways. I’ve had the great pleasure of visiting Red Wing many times over the past year to deliver a number of workshop, allowing me to see, first-hand, how the community is learning new techniques and strategies to increase their individual fundraising dollars.

Emily Nelson, the development & special events coordinator at HOPE Coalition, has been working hard to find more ways to share stories and encourage community support. This month she is the member chosen to share some advice. She’s covers a few topics including how she manages to share stories in an organization that has to keep client names confidential.

View on YouTube.

Sawubona – I see you

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:31:00 GMT

How well do you see your donors and volunteers?

Over a year ago, at a Minnesota Business Reputations event I was very excited to hear Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan) speak about building trust. The focus of Chris’ interesting, edgy talk was about building trust online through the use of social media. I learned some new things about the importance of providing value, humanizing communication, and building loyal followers; all good things in both social media and in fundraising.

Chris used a greeting that cold February day that struck me deeply. I’ve used it over and over again in my fundraising trainings about building meaningful donor relationships.

Chris greeted the crowd with the word: Sawubona. The Zulu greeting for "I see you."

Think about it for just a moment. How meaningful to greet someone by telling them you see them? Wow. Don’t we all just want to be seen for who we are, for just a moment?

As you wander through your fundraising year this year, I challenge you and your organization to really “see” your supporters. Your investors. Those who have given bits of themselves in support of furthering your mission and to helping others.

Unfortunately, this example I have of being seen is likely the norm and it didn’t feel very good:

In the summer of 2009 I made a contribution of $400 to fund the garden for a childcare program at a large social profit organization. That’s a pretty generous contribution for me and this was a new gift to a client I’d done some work with. They “heard” me when I shared that kids are the thing that can cause me to give. So their “ask” for a gift of $400 to fund the garden for kids under the age of five resonated with me and I said yes.

The summer passed. I may have received the perfunctory thank you letter for the gift, I don’t recall. The fall came and went. And then I forgot about the contribution.

Fast-forward to December 2010. Over a year and a half later I received a Dear Friends letter from the organization asking me to consider increasing my gift from the previous year. As I read the letter my jaw dropped open.

I teach "fundraising is deep, profound relatedness" and I wasn’t feeling very connected or related to them at that point. In fact, I was feeling a little like an ATM. They assumed that since I’d given once, I was likely to give again. I kept the letter to remind me to tell this story and to remind others how simple it would have been to “see” me and ensure another gift.

They could have sent a photo of the garden in full bloom.
They could have sent a photo of the garden with the KIDS in it.
They could have invited me to visit the garden.
The kids could have sent me an invitation to see the garden.
They could have sent a thank you from the kids – A messy, crayon-drawn thank you that let me know the garden was something that made a difference for those kids that summer.

Here are a few other ways to personalize your connection to your supporters. (These options are made quite simple with a good database that you’ve kept current noting donor interests and recent contacts.)

When sending emails or letters make sure they are personalized. “Dear Lori” is a much more personal way to “see” someone than Dear Friends.
Send updates throughout the year to segments of supporters with similar interests. e.g. Updates about how and what the kids are doing with the vegetables or flowers from the garden; or updates about the meals-on-wheels program to those who have a connection to seniors.
Once or twice a year engage board members or other donors to make personal know-thy-donor calls to people who have given gifts of a certain size and above. Make sure the callers really listen to why the donor gave and learn something new about them.
Only ask for money again after you’ve shared at least once how the previous gift was used and the impact it had.

There are many, many more ways to personalize the connection a supporter has to your organization that doesn’t take much time. What does your organization do to “see” your supporters?

Sawubona.

Do it yourself fundraising: Get R.E.A.L.

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:23:00 GMT

Guest post by Marc A. Pitman

Start-up nonprofits often ask me how to raise money. The panic of making budget seems to make raising money impossible without knowing someone rich and famous like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.

But fundraising isn’t impossible. It can be an incredibly exciting adventure. Here is a simple plan I recommend to my clients. It can get you off to a good start and keep being used for years to come. To keep it easy, I implore them to “Get R.E.A.L.”

The basic model I use for asking is the acronym R.E.A.L.: Research, Engage, Ask, and Love.

RESEARCH: The first step of research is to find out how much money you need to raise. This may seem obvious but my experience shows that most groups never put a specific dollar amount on their need.

Once the need is determined, it’s important to research how many gifts you’ll need. If you’re attempting to raise $100,000, the knee-jerk reaction is often “We just need to find 100 people who will give us $1,000.” As nice as that seems, decades of fundraising experience show that simply isn’t how it works.

One of the most helpful tools is a gift grid. A free online version can be found at GiftRangeCalculator.com. Long-standing common wisdom shows you’ll need at least one gift equaling 10% of the total. The next two should equal 5% of the total, etc.

To reach your goal of $100,000, you’ll need at least one donor to give a minimum of $10,000. Experience shows you’ll need to have four or five prospects to achieve that gift. Work through the grid until you have names of prospects for each level.

As you’re building your prospect list, you’ll want to continue your research. Google can be an incredibly helpful tool, so can your board members and a development committee in the form of a peer review committee. You could invite these people, remind them of your cause and fundraising goals, and ask them to go over the names of prospects.

One simple method of doing this is conducting a CPI screening: rating each prospect on capacity, philanthropy, and interest.

Does the prospect have CAPACITY-- are they financially able to make a gift?
Are they PHILANTHROPIC -- are they generous with their money? You need to be a good steward of your resources, if the prospect can’t make a worthwhile gift or doesn’t have a track record of giving you would be better served seeking donations elsewhere.
Are they INTERESTED in your cause? You can find this out by looking at other causes they’ve supported and by asking people close to your organization.

Have the people on the committee assign a score of 1-5 for each category with one being lowest and five being highest. This tool is useful because it removes individual personalities from the prospect rating process and makes it objective.

You should promptly visit anyone scoring 12 or more. But watch for those with high scores in the first two categories and some inclination to your cause. While you can’t make someone more wealthy or generous, you can have a chance at making someone more interested in your organization.

ENGAGE: I like to think of this as the dating part of the relationship. It’s important to get to know your prospects before you “pop the question.” While you’ll certainly want to share the story of your cause, take time to get to know them, listen to their story, discover their interests, hear their goals. If the prospect has C and P here’s where you work on I.

ASK: The number one reason people don’t give money to your cause is that they are not asked. Even if you skip the prior two steps, you’ll still reach some level of success by consistently executing this one.

If you’ve done the first two steps, this step will be quite fun. You’ll already have the odds in your favor. You know they are predisposed to saying yes and you’ve had time to shape the ask around their passions.

I recommend asking people for gifts spread out over a period of time: e.g. “$1000 a year for three years.” This shows you consider your cause important enough for a substantial investment and it saves you from having to ask again and again.

LOVE: I originally called this step Live/Like/Love. This is easy if the prospect says “yes” when you’ve asked. You simply need to be sure to thank them about seven times before you ask them again.

But fundraising is all about relationships. The work really starts if they’ve said “no.” The big thing is to not burn any bridges. If you made it all the way to the ask, you had good reason to believe they’d say yes. The timing simply might not have been right. If you keep in touch with them, they just may give in the future. People will remember you if you’re exceptional at handling a “no.” And refusing a

This may sound simple, and it should. But it takes a lot of work to get it done. I hope you see how this simple process can be morphed to fit approaching individuals and foundations. If you’re asking foundations, be sure to follow their specific format for asking. Those guidelines are usually available on their websites.

Remember, every year more than $200 billion is given to nonprofits in the USA alone. Your nonprofit could definitely get a piece of those philanthropic dollars. But you need a realistic goal, a compelling story, and a disciplined approach to fundraising.

Congratulations you’re embarking on a wonderful adventure! I’m convinced asking people for money is one of the best vocations in the world!

About Marc A. Pitman Marc is a the founder of FundraisingCoach.com and the best-selling author of Ask Without Fear! An energetic presenter and trainer, Marc's commitment to providing down-to-earth information for nonprofits has attracted the attention of CBS, Fox News, and the Associated Press. He's also a regular commentator at 501 Mission Place. If you pass him while he's driving, he'll probably be singing 80s tunes loud enough to embarrass his family.

The Art of Asking -- Or Not Asking

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:17:00 GMT

Last weekend I was honored to deliver multiple breakout sessions at the Habitat for Humanity Minnesota statewide conference. Amazing, hardworking volunteers and staff gathered for a couple of days to learn how to be better at all they do.

One of the sessions I delivered was The Art of Asking.

My session was geared to transform the fears and skepticism around asking. You can see the slides from the session at the bottom of this post.

A main theme of my work with social profit organizations comes from colleague and friend Lynne Twist. Lynne says: “Money moves toward boldness and clarity of communication.”

I believe good fundraisers get a “yes” often. Exceptional fundraisers don’t have to ask. Their communication is so compelling, engaging, and inviting that others want to take action. It’s bold and clear communication that causes people to take action.

While our session last weekend was about asking, we also talked about generating support without having to ask. Read on for an example of generating support without asking. Has this ever happened at your organization? It can.

George, the CEO of an organization that must raise nearly $1.6 million in unrestricted funds each year from individuals in his community was attending a community event at the end of last year. The fiscal year for his organization was nearly at its end. It was December 22. George spoke at an event with 50 or so people from the community and told them the main things I coach organizations to touch on in ALL their face to face communication:

What’s working? Share some good news or a story that is an example of great outcomes from a program.
What’s missing? Share what the current funding gap is in a specific program and/or for the agency overall. Share information about how many are on the waiting list for your services and what it would cost to provide support to them.
Tell a story that causes people to feel something and want to take action.

George shared a story of a youngster, a school age child, Tony. He described how twelve-year-old Tony’s life is immensely better because of their afterschool program rather than being on the streets making choices that he may regret and that would change the trajectory of his life forever.

The story was warm, had some humor, and it was enough for people to feel a bit of worry when George shared that the afterschool program would end the year in the red the following week on December 31 with a $32,000 funding shortfall. George explained: “We still have a funding gap for Tony’s program despite our best efforts.”

George ended his 15 minute talk and moved on through the Christmas holiday. The following week, on December 30 he opened his mail to find a small note card from a woman who had attended the event the previous week. The note said: “I hope this helps Tony and the funding gap in the afterschool program.” Included with the note card was a check for $32,000. The funding gap for the afterschool program had just been eliminated! This gift was from someone who had never made a gift at that level before. A complete year-end surprise.

There had been no ask at the event where George spoke. He simply shared some facts. Shared from his heart and thanked the people in the room for all they’ve done throughout the year to support his agency. The art of not asking.

Now I know there are times when it’s important to make the “ask” and invite a financial gift to support your organization. But I also remind you that there are lots of times throughout the year when asking is not yet appropriate; times when keeping your stakeholder community informed has as much or more value. The information you share in between the “asks” can and will often cause people to do more.

Here is a simple framework for communication that generates $ or support. Print, web, and in-person communication should answer these questions:

What’s your current funding gap?
What would your organization do with more money or members? Humanize this.
What is one simple action you want people to take? (Read the story? Attend an event? Tell others about you? Give something?)

And finally communication that generates support with ease should:

Cause people to feel something.
Unfold all year long. Communicate regularly.

Oh and by the way, George has shared with me numerous stories of how he shares the funding gap and compelling stories and often walks away with a check. He’s really mastered the art of asking, er, not asking.

Lori Jacobwith Art of Asking HFH March2011

View more presentations from LoriJacobwith.com

Asking for Gifts: Walls of Words or Collaborative Conversations?

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:15:00 GMT

Guest Post by Andrea Kihlstedt and Brian Saber

This week I’m featuring a post by guest bloggers Andrea Kihlstedt and Brian Saber from Asking Matters where it’s major gifts month and where I’ll be a guest speaker for their membership community.

~~~~~~ Oftentimes when people visit donors to ask for major gifts they make the mistake of talking too much. They unintentionally build a wall between themselves and their prospective donor, a wall of words.

When a team of two or three people solicit a gift together, the tendency to talk too much can be even worse. Usually each person is assigned a specific role in the ask and when one person stops talking, the next begins. After listening to three speeches, without a break, even the most willing and interested donor’s eyes can glaze over.

This approach to asking for gifts is common--even the norm--for most askers. Recently one of our philanthropist friends, Carol, told us what happened when a team of three big guns from the local university asked her for a large gift.

One after the other they made the case for their institution. During the presentations Carol found herself glancing at her watch. When they finally stopped talking, having asked for a large gift, she said she felt like a deer in the headlights. The deafening silence was unpleasant. She felt pressured and unheard; not a frame of mind that increased her desire to be generous.

Not once during the thirty-minute solicitation did anyone ask her what she thought of the university or about her current interests or giving priorities. None of the big guns took the time to find out what might have changed for her in the year since they last met. The meeting was solely about the university’s needs and opportunities. Carol felt they were only interested in talking with her because of her money. Not such a great feeling.

To be more successful, make sure you give equal footing to both the donor and the institution. Use your solicitations to create collaborative discussions rather than building walls of words.

As solicitor you are not the pitch-person for your organization. Rather, think of yourself as a facilitator working to find the points of shared interest between prospective donors and your organization. The difference in approach is profound.

Your task is to manage a respectful conversation with the donor that provides ample opportunity to find the places where a donor’s interests and means might (or might not) align with your organization’s plans and needs.

To be sure your solicitations are collaborative conversations and not walls of words, keep these five points in mind the next time you prepare to solicit a gift.

Get curious about the donor.
Prepare questions rather than answers.
Use a stopwatch to practice a “pitch” that’s less than two minutes long.
Follow the standard flow of an adult conversation: greeting, discussion, request, response, and follow up.
Be sure to remember that giving and not giving are both prerogatives of the donor.

You’ll find that respectful conversations where you have a healthy dose of curiosity about the donor’s interests are not only more successful in the short run, but lead to the kind of mutual understanding and respect essential for building satisfying long-term relationships.

About Brian Saber and Andrea Kihlstedt Brian Saber and Andrea Kihlstedt are cofounders of Asking Matters, providing a variety of on-line tools to help people become more comfortable asking for gifts. To learn more about Asking Matters, go to www.askingmatters.com. You can also follow Asking Matters on Twitter @askingmatters.

Ignite Your Fundraising – Use technology to keep it personal

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:35:00 GMT

Member message from Vicky Couillard

Just last week I had the honor of spending four hours with the Vail Place board, staff, and key volunteers in a special fundraising action planning session. The team worked hard and left with clear, measurable actions to raise the funds needed for their 2011 $440,000 funding gap. Bravo team! I know you’ll reach your goals.

This month’s member message is from Vicky Couillard, co-executive director at Vail Place. She has some great reminders for us all about the importance of using technology in fundraising, and the importance of using that technology to keep things personal and heart-centered with volunteers and donors.

View on YouTube.

Staying Sane with Social Media

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:04:00 GMT

Excerpts from Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Technology Conference

Today Nicole Harrison (@SocialNicole) and I are delivering a fun breakout session at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Technology Conference: eSTRATEGY in an iWorld.

Our goal today is to calm some of the fears for nonprofit organizations wanting to use social media but really aren’t sure where to begin.

Some key points from our session:

It’s SOCIAL. Meaning you have interactions with others. You listen. They listen. You share. They share. There is a “talking” sure. But more important there is a listening. The place to start in social media is to listen. Listen to where your community is connecting. What are they saying? Who is doing the talking? What can you learn from how, when and how often they are communicating?
It’s about community, find it build it, add value to it. Once you know where your community is hanging out. Hang with them and start communicating with them. But I can’t say enough how important it is to provide value with whatever avenue of social media you choose to use.
- Share startling statistics about the population you serve.
- Share stories that are compelling but dispel myths.
- Share links to other websites and information.
- Add value for your listener’s every time you send a Tweet or post on LinkedIn, YouTube or Facebook. Add value.
It involves time and trust. You take time each day to eat, spend some quality moments with your family. . . why wouldn't you also spend time connecting with your community in ways that more deeply engage them? You don’t have to do it all yourself either. Staff, volunteers, and donors are all a part of the community to engage and assist you with adding value to others.
It’s not if you’re going to play, but when. If you think social media is a fad or it’s only for a younger generation, think again. Watch this short video to learn some amazing statistics about the growth of social media. It’s here to stay. When my 70+ year-old mother got a Facebook page I knew there was no turning back. It’s everywhere, this social media phenomenon. It’s a powerful energy your organization can harness to get your community excited, enlightened, and even more deeply engaged.

As Seth Godin, bestselling author & marketing guru says:

How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?

Yes, you want to have a social media policy and strategy. There are resources out there to help with both. The Mayo Clinic has their policy online so you can review it, print it, and use it as a template for your own policy.

Don’t let the creation of the policy or the strategy bog you down. It’s a great place to start engaging your community to help you create those for you.

Main message of today’s session: Get started. Listen for a bit. And then start providing value to your community. Have fun while you are doing it and above all, involve others in your community so it doesn’t take all of YOUR time.

Slides from our session can be viewed or downloaded here.

A must read for all organizations jumping into the social media revolution: The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change.

50 Best Blogs for Nonprofit Leaders – via the Business School Directory

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:19:00 GMT

Raising money and managing a nonprofit organization often means juggling more balls than the most experienced, world-class jugglers. This week I came across a list of resources that may just give you exactly what you need, when you need it. Subscribing to as many of these blogs as possible via RSS feed will likely give you more guidance and wisdom than you could ever collect by digging around on your own. The list includes lots of resources for organizing volunteers, employees, and my favorite: fundraising.

Thank you to the Business School Directory for compiling such an awesome list, here's a little teaser of what you can find on the list! Advice

Nonprofit Conversation: Bunnie Riedel's blog shares discussions on nonprofit success.
Nonprofit CMS: Nonprofit CMS educates nonprofit leaders on the details of web design, technology, and content management.
The Nonprofit Blog: Ruthellen Rubin & Associates writes this blog that offers resources and expertise for nonprofit leaders.

News & Resources

Foundation Group: Find news and issues for nonprofit organizations on the Foundation Group blog.
Nonprofit Trends: Steve MacLaughlin keeps you up to date on nonprofit trends.
CharityFocus: CharityFocus discusses compassionate action.

Grants & Fundraising

Big Thinking on Small Grants: Think big about your grants with this blog.
Future Fundraising Now: Future Fundraising Now discusses how to do fundraising right.
Friends Asking Amy: Amy Braiterman discusses fundraising tips on this blog.

Social Media & Marketing

Beth's Blog: Beth's Blog discusses how networked nonprofits are using social media to power change.
Netwits Think Tank: This blog offers an online resource for nonprofits using social media, Internet marketing, and online fundraising.
Socialize Your Cause: Socialize Your Cause will help you bring social media to your cause.

Law

Nonprofit Law Blog: The Nonprofit Law Blog has articles and resources from nonprofit attorneys.
Charity Lawyer: Charity Lawyer offers a daily dose of nonprofit law.
Nonprofit Law Prof Blog: These law professors offer advice and insight for nonprofit law.

Take a look at the entire list and let me know if you have other blogs to add. You can share them in the comments section.

Coaching helps you deliver a message that sizzles

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:01:00 GMT

Stay energized with help from experts & peers

Once a month, via webinars for my online fundraising community I provide coaching & support to as many staff and volunteers from the social sector as possible. These webinars feature amazing guest speakers or I conduct a master class to dig in and provide some really meaningful, useful coaching that you can put to work immediately.

All webinars are recorded so you can go back and listen/watch the session multiple times. Access is provided via the Member’s Only area of my website.

My January member’s only webinar topic was: Newsletters that Sizzle, Not Fizzle.

We spent an hour dissecting real-life examples of enewsletters and print newsletters to identify key tactics & guidelines that will ensure these methods of communication are doing their job: educating & engaging your supporters. I believe these two forms of communication MUST cause action and not just report on what happened in the past.

During the session I shared: Lori’s Laws for effective email & print newsletters:

Share what you need additional funding for – humanize this. (e.g. How many people are on your waiting list for a specific program?)
Create a compelling “call to action.”

Before you draft your newsletter or enewsletter, ask the question: What do I want readers to FEEL, LEARN, and DO? Now your content has a chance of turning into something much more engaging than a report about how much money the annual fundraising event raised.

KEY: Make sure those reading know the information is for them by using the word YOU throughout the copy.

The habit I observe in organizations is that they share lots of tidbits of information about what already happened. While it’s important to report on the annual fundraising event or thank sponsors, I believe it’s more engaging and frankly, more interesting, to read articles that also share:

How many people were impacted by the dollars raised?
How many more are waiting?
What does it cost per person to provide some of your services?
How do clients feel about your services?
Why has a donor given for multiple years?

You have an opportunity each time you draft an article or send an email update: Cause your readers to DO and FEEL something. Go. Do it.

Here are some terrific resources I used throughout my newsletter webinar:

10 Tips for Amazing Email Newsletters, from Nourish, August 28, 2010

E-news that helps keep donors connected (and giving) to your cause by Lisa Sargent, December 2010

One of the best enewsletters I’ve seen in awhile by Lori Jacobwith, “With”ism’s Blog: April 22, 2010

Raising More Money with Newsletters Than You Ever Thought Possible by Tom Ahern

Nonprofit Newsletters: Are You Making These Mistakes? Pamela Grow , March 25, 2009

Newsletter Score Sheet by Linda Benedict

With a little coaching and a chance to talk about how to approach newsletter communication with their peers, members left the webinar reenergized and ready to create engaging messages that will move donors to take action.

Ignite Your Fundraising – Be fun and unique

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:24:00 GMT

Member message from Beth Warner

This week’s quick member message is a great follow-up video for last week’s Freshen Up post.

An organization that has been around for more than 100 years is not necessarily the place where being creative or thinking “outside the box” is even possible. At the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Beth Warner, Resource Development Manger makes every effort to keep donor experiences fun and unique, and to create an environment for donors to want to do more.

Freshen Up

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:33:00 GMT

7 questions to ask to keep things fresh & exciting

I was watching an interview with U2’s Bono recently about his success. He and his band have been touring and creating music for 30 years. It’s not easy to sustain rock-stardom for such a very long-time.

What Bono said had me thinking about our sector and how we really don’t focus on a simple tenet of success very well. He said “keeping things fresh” is a core reason for U2’s success.

U2 doesn’t just do the same thing over and over again because it’s safe and has worked in the past. They don’t simply repeat the same formula for writing songs or giving concerts. They take risks and keep things interesting, exciting and fresh. Here are some ways U2 keeps things fresh:

They find new and exciting venues for their performances.
They communicate using multiple forms of social media as it has become an effective way to build community.
They continue to look for ways to keep their work [their music & performances] fresh by digging down deep into themselves to tell stories that will touch others.
They listen to what their fans are saying and provide what fans want at a level that is even better than last time.
They take risks that excite themselves and their fans.

If you take a look at this list, which of these can you take on this year to keep the volunteer and donor experience at your organization fresh, rewarding, and creating more action/participation?

What I know for sure is that it takes time, thoughtful planning, and a focus on the volunteer or donor to keep things fresh. If you only focus on meeting your numbers and staying safe things get stale and people move on.

Seven questions to ask to keep things fresh:

Do we thank donors in ways that are meaningful to THEM?
Do we change the wording on the thank you letters regularly?
Do we have the board and long-time donors make thank you calls in the acknowledgment process?
Do we tell new, poignant and interesting stories everywhere? Online. In print. At in-person meetings?
Do we listen to our supporters to find out what excites them and to learn what MORE they’d like to know or experience about our work?
Are we sharing information monthly about the current financial status or what I call the “funding gap” so supporters are aware that there is more work to do?
Are our meetings & events edgy, engaging, informative, and cause people to WANT to support us more deeply?

Asking these seven questions can do a lot to move your organization and yourself out of the comfort zone.

Quick example: An organization I work with that builds affordable housing held the first 15 minutes of a meeting with key donors & volunteers under a bridge on a hot day last summer. Those attending got to see, up close and personal, where the people who eventually live in their affordable housing units come from.

People were moved & inspired to really tackle the volunteer tasks they were being asked to perform. Those volunteers went on to help the organization raise hundreds of thousands of dollars a few months later.

Comfortable and “same old, same old” can create an environment where your supporters go elsewhere because they don’t really feel excitement and pride for supporting your work. If your organization looks “just fine” and you portray an image that you’ve got everything handled, it may look like you really don’t need any more from them. The message is: we don’t need you to take any additional action.

As marketing guru and New York Times best-selling author, Seth Godin, reminds us: “Nonprofits sell feeling good.”

Find ways to keep your message fresh. Make it clear that taking action, i.e. giving additional support of time and dollars, will cause your supporters AND those you serve to feel great.

Practicing the Ask

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:58:00 GMT

This week I had the honor of co-delivering a mini-workshop about how to deliver a powerful and successful 2, 5, or 10 minute presentation to a prospective funder with colleague and friend, Barbara Haley, from SteppsUp.

Our task was to help the nonprofit organizations in the Red Wing, Minnesota area get ready for their annual United Way presentations next month.

We provided some reminders and some Do’s and Don’ts about asking for money in person. Slides from the session can be found here. Then, using Flip cameras, we videotaped as many of the speakers as possible while they practiced their presentations. Videotaping is a really great way to see what habits you have that you may want to change.

And as we all know, practice makes perfect.

Here is some feedback we gave to those practicing their presentations:

State the dollar amount for the funding request multiple times. Don’t just say it once, all in a rush at the end of the presentation. Be comfortable conveying what your organization will do with the gift. In fact, starting off with a sentence like: “I’m here today to provide you with a compelling reason to fund our $10,000 grant proposal” is a great idea.

Talk about the impact of your work more than the features of your programs. Funders are not as interested in the fact that you have 12 volunteers working in the crisis phone center each day. What they DO want to know is how many lives are changed or saved because of the training those 12 volunteers have. Talking about the impact and the return on investment for your work is key to providing a powerful presentation.

Share the human impact by telling a story or two about your work. Humanizing the work you do can turn a passive listener into an excited, willing funder. Telling how little Sonia, age 4, received medical care quickly for her broken arm so her mom only had to take a half day off work is much more powerful than saying “our clinic helps families deal with medical emergencies.”

The real message in all of this is: Be comfortable with what you have to say and the best way to be comfortable is to practice. Ask a colleague or family member to listen to your “pitch” and give you honest feedback. Have them tell you the truth about whether or not their minds wandered or if you were compelling.

An easy checklist to follow when sitting in front of funding panel:

Be authentic.
Listen to their questions.
Speak clearly about the impact of your work.
Remember to ask for the gift!

Mission Moments

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:55:00 GMT

Creating an army of ambassadors

What if you could have a team or an army of people who talk about your organization every day? People who were proud to share stories about the impact of the life-changing work being done at your organization? Telling stories so compelling people who hear them want to take action and give their time or financial support?

It’s a simple but powerful tool I often recommend to organizations I work with, begin a practice of holding a “mission moment” at meetings and gatherings with staff and board.

I define a “mission moment” as any example of how your organization is making an impact. It’s an example about a real person, family, or human situation.

It can be a board member telling how they felt to participate at your recent fundraising event.
It can be a staff person talking about the family that got turned away that day.
It can be a volunteer saying thank you for allowing them to “work” with your organization.

Mission moments are short, inspirational examples of your work that put a face on what you do. They are stories and examples that can be repeated by others because they are not too long. They are inspiring and often give visibility to something you’d like to do more of but due to limited resources you simply can’t do all that you’d like.

I recently heard a mission moment about Neal, a young man with Down Syndrome who, after a great deal of support in a residential housing environment, made a toast at his brother’s wedding -- to a room of 200 people! Making a toast in front of lots of people can scare many of us, but the work done at this organization made it possible for Neal to feel great, be prepared, and able to share in a special family event. The telling of the story of his toast was a memorable moment for Neal and for the organization that provides him ongoing care and support.

The story was shared in such a way that listeners wanted to learn more about how to help. That’s what I call a powerful mission moment.

So, how to begin?
1. Make time at each staff, board, and committee meeting. Ask for someone to share an example of a “mission moment." (You may have to be the first example to show people how to do it.)
2. Just one “mission moment” shared at each meeting is plenty.
3. Rotate who shares.
4. Keep the sharing to literally a minute or two at the most.
5. No rules about what the mission moment is about.
6. Get people talking and connecting about real people and real feelings.

This is also a great activity to kick off a one-on-one donor visit. Ask THEM if they have an example of a mission moment for why they support your organization. OR you share a short example of your work as a mission moment to connect the donor to something fresh and new about your organization.

The moments shared do not always have to have a happy ending. But they DO always have to cause people to feel something.

Start today. It will change things. I promise. And you WILL build an army of people who share powerful stories about your organization.

Ignite Your Fundraising – Advice for small struggling nonprofits

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:32:00 GMT

Member message from Kim Crawford

At Life House in Duluth, MN, the team, led by Executive Director Kim Crawford, has worked hard to raise awareness and dollars in support of their work helping homeless teens. They’ve emerged from financial struggles to a place of strength.

Kim has done a great job of inviting participation from the entire staff and made sure the community knows what the impact is when a gift is made to support Life House.

Your one minute laughter break

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:53:00 GMT

If you’re like me, you are distracted by the holidays and it’s likely you don’t have any more desire to “learn something new” for the year.

So, in honor of my friend Robin Getman, (who is celebrating her birthday today) I invite you to take a short break to just laugh, smile, or giggle.

Robin is an extraordinary public speaker with a positive outlook on life that always inspires me. Enjoy this one minute vacation!

click the screenshot to watch the video on Robin's site

Holiday Greetings

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:45:00 GMT

It’s been an honor to have you read my musings and fundraising suggestions this past year. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year!

Awesome Holiday Giving Campaigns

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:48:00 GMT

Like you, I’ve seen and received many, many requests for contributions to charity these past few weeks. Today I’m sharing a couple powerful examples because you still have two weeks before year-end to spur on some holiday giving. AND it’s not too early to begin planning your powerful and effective fundraising campaigns for 2011.

Things that make these campaigns stand out:

Personal.
Clear impact of a gift.
Compelling.
Simple to take action.

Two examples of campaigns from this year that are especially well-done:

The subject line was: Lori, Meet Claudia.
Take note it was a subject line that makes you WANT to open the message.

When you click to Read More you are taken to a page with Claudia’s story that shares the impact of the work being done for her by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and makes it easy to make a contribution immediately.

Simple. Effective. Compelling.

I saw a sample of the American Red Cross Holiday Giving Guide on TV over the weekend. I went to their website to view the full guide and was impressed with how well they integrated their print, TV, and online giving.

I love the very specific examples of the impact of a gift, with photos of real people. The catalogue is clearly displayed on the website making it easy to make a gift with impact right away.

Be sure to click Shop All Gifts link on the page to the left to view the many different ways to make a difference with a gift from $18 to $2000.

Nicely done!

9 Magical Tips for Creating Awesome Volunteers

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:45:00 GMT

This fall I attended many, many board meetings, development committee meetings, and event planning committee meetings. I’ve watched how a stellar development professional handles their role at these meetings and I’ve also watched chaos and floundering ensue.

I’ve listened when both staff and volunteers say things about each other behind their backs in ways that are less then complimentary. To create an awesome, successful environment with volunteers it’s no surprise that the main thing is: COMMUNICATION.

Here are some of the simple things I’ve observed that cause deeper volunteer engagement AND create great results. While these may seem simple, you’d be surprised how many organizations I observe don’t follow any or many of these:

1. A staff person takes notes at committee meetings: Clearly noting ACTION items with the name of who is responsible and the “by when” the action must be completed.

2. Notes for meetings are distributed within about 24 hours of the meeting so those in attendance AND those not in attendance are clear about what is going on and what is still left to accomplish.

3. Staff preps committee chairs and subcommittee chairs with details, background, and data. The staff may share past/historical information on the event or the project, they may indicate current fundraising revenues in support of the event, or show activity by the board and staff to support measureable results.

4. In addition to email, staff preps committee chairs and subcommittee chairs BY PHONE with a short call to discuss how the committee meeting or donor solicitation meeting should unfold. I’ve watched well-meaning volunteers or board members simply read a report the staff provided but when asked questions about why, they were unable to answer and had to defer to staff.

If we truly want volunteers to take leadership positions, provide them with meaningful, helpful information or data, discuss with them the intended outcomes for the meeting and let them take it away. Many of the volunteers I’ve observed doing less than a stellar job were highly capable and with better communication COULD have led the group to the intended outcome.

5. Be in touch with key leadership in person or by phone between meetings. Make sure you don’t do all the doing without keeping your team “in the loop.” If you are “handling” all the issues or making all the phone calls yourself, you are leaving little room for your leadership to shine.

6. Provide leadership with meaningful activities, more than chairing the meeting. This means allowing discussion and input from key volunteers and board members. If we allow fresh eyes on a challenging situation creativity and efficiency may cause success in ways you’ve never before experienced.

One organization I’ve worked with this past year created a contest around a key measurable action. The board AND staff got engaged with renewed energy and created success in their measureable results.

7. Choose the right volunteers for the right projects. Here’s what I mean: Recently Anna asked a few board members to make phone calls to invite donors and other volunteers to a key event. The calls were being made on short notice. Some of the callers were very busy with their jobs and didn’t get to their calls, while others made their calls in a timely fashion.

Anna noticed there was low attendance for the upcoming event and began making phone calls herself. She did not phone her volunteer callers to find out who had completed their calls – she just took it on herself to call the people too. Unfortunately, some donors and volunteers received two calls and the organization looked disorganized. AND the volunteer callers who had done their work felt they weren’t trusted to do their job.

Choosing the right people to take on a task, being clear about the deadlines and about what will happen if the deadline is not met will honor volunteers AND cause successful outcomes. Not everyone should make phone calls or chair a meeting or go on a solicitation for a major gift. It’s our job to make sure the fit is right.

8. Recognize when volunteers do a great job. Do this at a meeting or an event, somewhere. Remember: volunteers are giving their time, talent, advice, or something and they are looking to feel good about it and feel a part of something greater than themselves. Help them to feel this when they have provided a job well done.

9. Accept that you are the “mentor” or coach for your volunteers. You are not a “babysitter” as someone recently said to me. You are the glue and passion and support behind people in leadership positions who don’t work for you, but want to help out and make a difference. Help them to make a difference with your support, trust, and helpful information and by doing all that is listed above.

Additional resources about managing volunteers:
Do your Volunteers Suffer from Burnout?
Managing Volunteers and Avoiding Burnout

Ignite Your Fundraising: It’s the Little Things

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:35:00 GMT

Member message from Kit Briem

“Focus on the little things, and the big things fall into place,” is how Kit Briem describes the role of development. As the Director of National Major Gifts at Scholarship America, Kit’s development work supports local chapters across the U.S. as well as the national office fundraising goals. Check out this month’s member message for her perspective of what to focus on in your office. Kit’s advice is key for any size development office:

Giving

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:57:00 GMT

Here is an easy, engaging way to create deeper connections between your organization and your donors: When you phone them to thank them for their gifts, (which I hope you and your board members do on a regular basis!) ask them WHY they give to your organization.

Collect what I hope is a very long list of the reasons. And then, make sure to live up to their expectations and descriptions of how giving to your organization makes them feel.

_____________________

In the spirit of the season, I want to thank the very special people who make sure MY work gets done behind the scenes: Mark my accounting & IT guru, all the guys at Trail Blazer, Lisa an amazing graphic designer and support, Jodi an awesome editor and WordPress guru, and the team at The Nerdery.

Without all of these hardworking, amazing people who give their time and talent to me and my company, I would not be able to spend as much time helping clients, speaking at conferences, and providing trainings & webinars.

Thank you all for giving to me this year!

They made a gift. Now what?

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:54:00 GMT

What is donor-focused fundraising – Really?

You sent your fall appeal. You held a fundraising event and got lots of new donors. You live in Minnesota and had donors give on-line for The Great Minnesota Give Together during Give to the Max day yesterday. So now what?

The buzz is: be donor-centered. Focus on the person making the gift by being more personal and authentic. Don’t send impersonal emails or make intrusive telephone calls. (I actually just received a call asking for money while writing this post. They wouldn't take no for my answer!)

In a busy development office what does that really mean? And are we capable of taking on this challenge of maintaining meaningful relationships with these new supporters?

I believe we can. It takes imagination, thinking outside the box, AND focusing on the person as much or more than their gift.

Here’s how. I just read a great article from the November/December issue of Advancing Philanthropy magazine from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The article: “Needed: Action-Not Talk!*” by the very wise author and speaker Ken Burnett has some great suggestions for us all.

Here’s an excerpt. As Ken says, “these are seven practical, achievable things I would do differently if I were head of fundraising now:”

1. Become master of your data, for to be otherwise would be to demonstrate foolishness.

2. Make sure that it is always a pleasure to be a donor. This would be the primary focus of everyone at our place, from the CEO and board to the mail room and the switchboard. We would make being a donor a secretly selfish act.

3. Our donor-care team would be the best there is at thanking and welcoming donors. We would also invest passion, energy, and time into comprehensively answering our donors most pressing question: “Did my gift make a difference?”

4. Make a strong, clear case to all donors – and to the board – for the need to invest properly in fundraising. Fundraisers make too many false economies because they have failed to adequately present the commercial case for investment in donor development. Investing $100 wisely makes much more sense to donors than wasting $50. Tell everyone this – and show them, too.

5. Set aside a substantial percentage of my department’s resources as a budget for testing – say, 10 percent. Use this money only for testing new ideas. Rigorously record and monitor these tests.

6. With colleagues, take time out from daily chores to learn how to think differently. Our donors would be in for surprises. Read a lot, meet surprising new people and become as learned about our craft as its art and science as we possibly could be.

7. Communications would focus on making the donor experience unforgettable.

I love this list.

Especially #7.

As you get excited for the new supporters you acquire this fall and you receive gifts from previous donors again, it’s time to create a donor-centered action plan for retaining their financial, emotional, and mental support for the coming year.

Just do it. Take action – not just talk.

*The full article is available to members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals online or in print. Members of www.lorijacobwith.com check the members only area for a PDF copy of the article.

Great resources

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:48:00 GMT

Twitter resources for fund development

For me, one of the best connecting and learning tools is Twitter. It’s become a key way I learn of new tools for fundraising and trends in our sector; connect with and meet some amazing people around the world; AND drive traffic to my website. It’s fast and with the right tools (HootSuite, Tweet Deck, etc.) for managing all the people I follow, it’s easy to check in for a few minutes each day.

You may have seen some of these links if you already follow me on Twitter. For those of you who are not following me, it’s easy to follow my updates via RSS Feed OR you can have updates sent to you via text to your phone. Whether you are a follower or not these are some recent bits of helpful information I’ve come across lately:

Terrific read: @GuideStar article - How To Keep Your Board Engaged: Easier Said Than Done. http://fb.me/Ie91NKme
4 Nov

It really is this simple: Four Questions to Answer in Every Appeal. http://ow.ly/34adC @GailPerrync via Network for Good.
4 Nov

Cool tool from this post: How to Enlist Your Dream Team Board via #nonprofits #fundraising 20 Oct There’s more…visit my http://ow.ly/33uKX
3 Nov

Wow!: 5 Troubling #Nonprofit Statistics: http://ow.ly/36iZd via @blackbaud
1 Nov

Nonprofit CEO's take note: 4 Capacities Every Great Leader Needs (and Very Few Have) http://ow.ly/32loL via FastCompany#leadership 1 Nov

Raise Money Online This Year. Good read for us all. http://ow.ly/2WsqP Via @SandyRees #nonprofits #fundraising

There’s more…visit my Twitter page and scroll through. Enjoy!
20 Oct

Ignite Your Fundraising: Meaningful Donor Acknowledgement

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:36:00 GMT

Member Message from Penny Casavant

As you gear up for all the direct mail and online contributions your organization will generate in the next few weeks take two minute to view this month’s member message with some great suggestions about making donor acknowledgment meaningful.

Penny Casavant is the Director of Organizational Advancement at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minnesota. She and her team are superstars at staying in touch with their supporters.

Direct Mail Drives Online Giving

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:46:00 GMT

7 tips to make your direct appeal more effective

"One in three donors (37 percent) who give online say that when they receive a direct mail appeal from a charity they use the charity's website to give their donation,” according to a national Dunham+Company study recently conducted by research firm Campbell Rinker.

And no surprise, the study found the younger the donor, the more likely they are to use a charity's website to respond to a direct mail appeal.

So what is your organization doing to engage, educate, inspire, and cause your supporters to head to your website and make a contribution this fall?

Seven tips to make sure your direct appeal drives online giving. Make sure:
1. Your online giving page is easy to find.
2. Your online contribution page requires the minimum data entry by the donor.
3. Your appeal letter makes a compelling case to make a gift TODAY and put the contribution to work immediately by making the contribution on-line.
4. Supporters know why a contribution is needed.
5. You have created a sense of urgency to give TODAY.
6. You share a story about someone whose life will be different because of a contribution.
7. You share examples of a specific gift amount will do and make sure that gift level is easy to find on your website. i.e .$20 a day will provide supportive services for a homeless youth to find a job and a permanent place to live.

One final tip to increase overall giving all year-long: Allow prospective donors to make a monthly gift. Click here to read the full post on direct mail driving on-line giving on the Association of Fundraising Professionals website.

Click here for additional information on the study (PDF) from Campbell Rinker.

Two Powerful Words

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:44:00 GMT

Increase your fundraising by eliminating these words

I believe it is one thing, and one thing only, that causes success in life. Communication.

In addition to the actions we take each day to raise funds, recruit board members, make thank you calls to donors, and so on, the words we choose when we speak have a significant effect on the outcome.

Most of us have heard this definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

When I really, truly heard that statement it was like a thunderbolt. It dawned on me: I actually have to think and speak differently in order to get different results.

Here’s a tip: Old patterns are powerful. They have strong grip on you. In order to shift outcomes, identify bite-sized opportunities for shifting behavior. You make communication choices all day long. And I find most people’s choices are less than inspiring. Here’s an example:

Utilitarian:We need your help. Please give us money.

Inspiring: It took just $80 to help Tony, age 19, get his GED this year because of supporters like you. Our goal is to serve 100 more Tonys this year from our waiting list of 500. Will you invest in a few more Tonys this year?

To change your story and your outcomes you have to change the words you use. That’s how better results show up. There are two words, I believe that can be destructive and stop progress.

“Can't” is a destructive little word

How many times a day do you say or hear the word “can't”? Pay attention for a day and see what you find - in yourself and in those around you. You may be surprised at the power this little word is wielding over your life.

When I'm giving training strategy sessions or meeting with a client, I often count how many times I hear the word “can't” coming from the team. They don't know why I'm putting those marks on the whiteboard, but when I tell them I’ve captured the number of times they used the word “can’t” they’re usually shocked at the reality right in front of them. Sometimes I hear “can't” so often I’m unable to keep up with the tally.

I invite you to take a look at how many times you can use words OTHER than “can’t”. Looking at the day or the situation without negatives – allows it to be a pure, unfettered opportunity.

"Try" avoids commitment to success

Quote from Jedi Master Yoda, from StarWars: Do, or do not. There is no try.

“Try” is a cop out. If you want to limit your responsibility & waffle on a commitment use “try". Here are some examples:

I'll “try” to get that done (But if I don't finish at least I tried).
I'll “try” to make the deadline (When I miss it you can't be mad, I tried).
I'll “try” to change my behavior (I may not, but I'll tell you I'm trying in order to buy time and make myself feel better).

“Try” avoids a commitment to success.

I’ve noticed for some, commitments have become something we keep if they are convenient for us. We'll try - but do we feel anything close to failure if we don't deliver on that commitment?

NEWS FLASH: People will pay good money for the secret to getting things done. I'll give you the secret for free. Want to get things done? Do them! Don’t just try.

I share the Yoda quote often when I speak and recently I shared it at a conference in Wisconsin. The conference host sat in on my session. She runs a statewide organization and is very accomplished and successful.
Deborah sent me a thank you email after the conference and said:

“The most powerful changes are taking place here in our office since we adopted the Do or Do not strategy.” She said, “TRY is outlawed here and we are having so much more fun and accomplishing so much more! It’s an invaluable lesson. Thank you!”

My recommendation? Take these changes on in bite-sized pieces that work for you. You’re not going to feel happy or at peace by trying to adhere to a strict new set of goals or ideals – mine or anyone else’s.

Fun fact: At 211 degrees water is hot. Very hot. But at 212 degrees it boils! And with boiling water comes steam and steam can power a locomotive…big things can happen with a tiny difference. Make a tiny difference today and create big results.

Purposeful Planning

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:53:00 GMT

Fundraising with meaning and likely outcomes

Veteran fundraiser Gary Delgado says there are four steps to successful fundraising: Plan. Plan. Plan. Work.

Without an annual fundraising plan we too often fall into the habit of reacting instead of knowing where to focus that will build for the long-term.

I define planning as: The process of setting goals, developing strategies & outlining tasks and timelines to accomplish the goals.

What concerns me is that 75% of the organizations I come into contact with throughout the year do NOT have an annual fundraising plan. Someone comes up with a great idea to raise more money, so they do it with no real rhyme or reason for why.

This is the time of year when I encourage taking the time to talk with key staff and board members to review what your fundraising has accomplished this year and then thoughtfully putting together goals and a structure to meet those goals for next year.

The planning process doesn’t have to take weeks. It can be accomplished in a few hours. And it shouldn’t be done alone by one staff person. Creating an annual fundraising plan will: more deeply engage your board, give you a focus on what to be doing each day; AND can be the difference between ending your fundraising year in the black or not. Between NOW and year-end is the time to design your plan for 2011.

Create an annual plan that causes you to:

Really know key donors
Share clear messages
Set goals and then hold yourself & others accountable
Continually invite participation

The planning tool (link will download the Sample Annual Plan) I share with groups I coach is an Excel worksheet that will guide your staff and board through the discussions needed to design a plan that stretches you but is also focused to generate the results you need.

This fall I’m delivering more Fundraising Action Planning sessions than ever before. And at the 3-hour Purposeful Planning mini-workshop I delivered in Duluth last week board and staff of ten organizations put some thoughtful time into filling in the planning tool.

What the groups found as they worked to fill in the pages of the planning framework was that they needed more people in the discussion. And having a clear case for support, reviewing income sources carefully with three years side by side, and then setting forth very specific measurable goals are the keys to creating a strong plan.

There are many good resources available to help you with your annual fundraising planning. Here are just a few:

How to Develop a Fundraising Plan – from Stonehill Consulting
How to Develop a Fundraising Plan – from Kim Klein & WORC
Keep Track of Donor Communications with this Awesome Tool
Five Great Ways to Develop a Grassroots Fundraising Plan
Elements of a Fundraising Plan

Ignite Your Fundraising

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:33:00 GMT

Member message from Julie Hoff

My work brings me into contact with social profit organizations of all shapes, sizes, and missions. A few years ago I was talking with a fundraising and event planning colleague, Julie Hoff, about what her next job would be at the same time I was working with The Whole Learning School, a tiny but mighty school for children who are challenged learners.

As it turned out, the school needed a part-time development staff and Julie was ready to take on a new challenge. The two have now been connected for the last three years and I’ve had great fun watching what they are building. Dollars raised from individual donor fundraising has increased exponentially and the 2009/10 school year was their best fundraising year ever… so far.

Julie uses as many aspects of membership with my online fundraising community as she can since the school budget is small (Q & A forum, webinars, monthly member’s messages). She’s got some great advice for any size development office in this week’s member’s message:

Three philanthropists tell the truth

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:41:00 GMT

Advice for fundraisers from donors

Do you know what the people who give you money want from you in return for their financial gift? For some it’s a simple thank you note. For others it’s to know their gift has lasting impact. For others, well, we don’t know unless we ask them.

So I did.

During one of my webinars for members I asked three philanthropists who have collectively given more than $100 million to social profit organizations some questions about why they give, why they stop giving, and what advice they have for development staff. We had two men and one woman. Ages ranged from 40s to 70s. Here is what they had to say:

What causes you to make a financial gift?

Emotion
Personal Connection

Why stop supporting an organization?

Concerns about executive or board leadership
Feel taken for granted and under appreciated
Don’t feel ongoing personal connection
Individual giving priorities have changed
Wasn’t really connected to the mission in the first place, but rather gave initially because a friend was involved

How do you decide what size gift to make?

The level of passion I have causes me to stretch
Personal involvement
The need has been articulated clearly ($_________ will do _________)
The need and cost associated with that need are clear

Pitfalls of fundraisers

They don’t listen, they only go on about their organization. They need to listen and ask questions to learn about my priorities, passion and interests

Overall advice

Make sure NEED has been explained fully
Do homework, personalize and customize approach
Create passion & find out what I’m passionate about
Provide tangible opportunities for a donor to fill a need
Try different approaches
Keep good donor records
Know that not everyone is a fit or cares about your mission, even after you explain it to them. Be okay with letting them go but don’t forget to ask if they know someone who would be interested
Match the ASKER to the DONOR (especially in regards to larger gifts over $1k). The ASKER should have some sort of relationship with the DONOR and always have them accompanied by staff or board member who can speak to the mission and organization details.

Their answers may not surprise you. But will they cause YOU to take action and find out what YOUR supporters are thinking? I hope so.

Powerful Messages from Your CEO

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:01:00 GMT

Language that causes people to take action

Early Tuesday morning last week, I gathered seven CEOs from local nonprofit organizations to join me for a special messaging coaching session. My intention was to provide an environment for them to receive coaching & feedback from me and each other about how they share the message of what their financial “gap” is. Or “why do they need individual donors to give them money each year?”

The goal was to have everyone become more clear and compelling so more dollars can be raised from the community.

I had a couple of rules:

Each CEO was allowed to bring one guest from their staff so the lessons and coaching messages could be captured for future use.
They each had two minutes to deliver their message and inspire us and even compel us to take some action.

We kicked off the morning with a special guest via teleconference, Chuck, a CEO from a nonprofit in another state who really does a great job being compelling when talking about the funding gap for his organization. He shared some examples of times he’s been very clear about the funding gap and the outcome. Some of the time he's been handed a check to cover the entire funding gap amount. In one story the check was for $125,000!

What Chuck and his team have learned is that their long-time supporters want to know what is needed so they can do more to help. When Chuck is asked how things are going at his organization he no longer says, “fine, or we’re really struggling.” Instead he says, “We are working hard to eliminate the $2 million funding gap we have for our programs this year.” He doesn’t ask for a gift, he simply shares the fact that funds are needed and often will share a short story about a consumer whose life is different because of a specific program.

As each CEO took their turn to inspire us at the special breakfast session last week there were some nerves and some good deliveries. Everyone experienced that two minutes goes by very quickly. Their varied deliveries reminded me that the CEO is the SOURCE of the message for an organization. If the man or woman leading the organization can be succinct and compelling, it’s more likely that the board and staff will be compelling too.

Here are some suggestions for CEO messages about the funding gap that will cause people to take action:

You must KNOW what your funding gap is overall and by program. Don’t guess.
Know your audience. In addition to the overall agency funding gap, different people will want to know about the funding for different areas of your work.
Talk more boldly about the numbers. Don’t shy away from mentioning a program has a $32,000 shortfall – but DO give a quick example or share a short compelling story about a real person whose life is affected by the shortfall.
Explain costs for programming to have listeners understand the value of their contribution and the impact a small amount can have.
Stay away from agency jargon: transitional housing, advocacy, etc.

A great suggestion: One of the attendees suggested that next time we hold a coaching session like this we should include at least one donor from each organization and welcome THEIR feedback about what they want to hear.

My recommendation: Do this yourself at your own organization. Invite a small group of donors in to provide feedback about your messages about what you need the money for. Ask them to help you get more clear and to help you shorten the length of your message so you can share it in two minutes or less!

Pictured in the photo (left to right): Carol Arthur, Domestic Abuse Project; Eric Nesheim, Minnesota Literacy Council; me; Doug Johnson, Center for Victims of Torture; MayKao Hang, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation; Ann Rooney, The Whole Learning School; Lee Blons, Plymouth Church Neighborhood Foundation; and Alan Arthur, Aeon

Six tips to make your supporters great fundraisers

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:50:00 GMT

Over the years I’ve watched online fundraising campaigns unfold. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. In the past few weeks I’ve been the recipient of awesome support from Charity: Water for the campaign I launched to support their September fundraising effort. Today I'm using six examples from their campaign to highlight ways to compel YOUR supporters to help you raise money. The main thing: Make it easy for your supporters to raise money for you.

1. Give a compelling reason to help. Include both startling facts and compelling video. I was moved enough by what I learned on the Charity: Water home page to participate. After you watch their short, compelling video, be sure to scroll down on the page to see the startling stats that help make the case for why they need help.

2. Use a simple portal for online fundraising. Allow your supporters to create their own fundraising campaign. And make it easy & fun to use it.

If you are a nonprofit in Minnesota you can use the GiveMN online tool to allow your supporters to create an event or fundraiser to support you.

3. Educate supporters so they know how their fundraising dollar will make a difference. Check out this helpful email (click the text in new window to make it larger) I received shortly after setting up my birthday campaign. The information included was clear and let me know how gifts from my community would be of help.

4. Keep supporters engaged and informed about your goal. Charity: Water sends me weekly updates about the campaign. One of them included a short, interesting, warm message from their CEO and founder: Scott Harrison. Take a look.

After viewing this short video I was even more proud to be a part of the September birthday campaign and Scott’s message made me feel like I was part of a community that is truly making a difference.

5. Share the news. Good and not so good. All of the September fundraising is in support of the Bayaka people in the Central Republic of Africa. In case I wasn't sure who they are or why they need clean drinking water the “back story” was shared on one of the email updates that can be read here.

But on the actual day the drilling was to happen, live on the internet, supporters received a message to let us know the drilling didn’t work. Very disappointing but truthful information was shared. How the situation will be resolved was also shared. Real-time updates have kept me feeling connected and wanting to continue to support this effort.

6. Continue to follow up. I eagerly wait for the Charity: Water weekly updates to learn the status of the goal and what new news is going to be shared. I especially liked this one (opens an image of the email in a new window) that specifically called out their favorite campaigns of the month. I like it not just because I'm the list, but because it really is a great way to acknowledge supporters.

Do YOUR supporters get excited to hear from you about fundraising?

Your online fundraising effort doesn’t need to be this extensive to be successful. I do recommend you use some or all of these suggestions to more deeply engage your community so your fundraising can exponentially grow. There are plenty of free and low cost tools to support your online fundraising presence and to keep your financial investors engaged. Email and short videos are some of the easiest and most economical ways to stay connected to your community and to keep them doing good work on your behalf.

My special fundraising campaign will end on September 30. I’m very grateful to all who have supported it so far. We’ve helped over 100 people receive clean drinking water for the next 20 years. Wow. Feel free to join us.

YOU can make a difference too.

Good luck with your own fall fundraising campaigns!

Feeling Good is What Nonprofits Sell

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:13:00 GMT

I had the great honor to spend a day with Seth Godin last week. At the event I asked a question about how to get board members and entrenched staff to really dive into fundraising. I was looking for advice on how to move some of my clients and members to swing outside their comfort zone to engage others in giving money.

My paraphrasing of Seth’s answer:

Many CEOs of social profit organizations don’t really know how to give and therefore struggle with the ask. The reality is some CEOs don’t understand what it means to have their work be art and truly give. Transactions pull people apart. Gifts pull people together. What may hold a staff back is the inability to relate authentically to the person who gets asked for money every day. The act of giving adds meaning to our work. And many social profit CEOs don’t often GIVE the investor or potential investor a way to feel good.

It’s our job to allow those we are inviting to support our work to “feel” something. And what social profit organizations really sell is the ability for their supporters, their investors, to feel good about giving and about the work being done.

The way we can give that experience is through authentic conversations that tell true stories about the good work being done and the real people being served. Communicating in a way that causes people to feel something is, I believe, the most important part of the asking process.

What worries me, and what Seth Godin mentioned in a story he shared, is that often people in the social sector are too worried about the pain of others knowing their finances, or their daily struggle or they don’t want to deal with the pain of telling the truth in some way. This prevents them from sharing their compelling story. It gets glossed over with a “we are doing fine” comment that causes the listener to feel absolutely nothing. Or, worst case scenario, it causes them to feel they are not needed.

I encourage you to embrace Seth’s list of ways to embrace the new American Dream (from page 33 of his newest bestselling book Linchpin) and allow your organization and the people you serve to be rewarded. I invite you to:

Be remarkable
Be generous
Create art – (the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people)
Make judgment calls
Connect people and ideas
Be accessible

…then see what kind of support shows up for your organization.

A Special Birthday Wish

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:33:00 GMT

This year I'm giving my birthday to Charity: water

This week I’ll turn 50. When I was much younger -- in my early 40s -- it seemed 50 was a long, long way off. Now that it’s here, I’ve decided to do something significant to me and invite as many of you along for the ride as possible.

This year I’m giving my birthday to charity: water.

My goal is to raise $5000 to support one water project for 250 Bayaka living in the Central African Republic. They are an African Pygmy tribe, one of the last hunter-gatherer societies in the world desperately in need of clean drinking water.

In answer to your question: Why? I have a few reasons.

First: The Charity: water message has stuck with me since last year when I learned about their birthday campaign. As I’ve brushed my teeth or rinsed the dishes each day while clean water easily pours into my sink I’m haunted by these startling statistics:

Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water.
Unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all disease and kill more people than all forms of violence, including war.

Second: This campaign, the website support, and the overall online fundraising effort all year long by Charity: water is the best I’ve ever seen. Whether you make a contribution or not, visit their website. Look around. Touch it. Feel the emotion. See the colors and the smiles and dirty water. And then think about whether or not your website can be as compelling.

Third: I work with literally hundreds of social profit organizations each year and financially support many of them. Deciding who to give my birthday to was causing me sleepless nights. So, I’ve chosen an organization that is not a client. Whew! That feels better. Now there is no worry about anyone feeling left out.

Background story: When Charity: water founder Scott Harrison turned 31, he asked everyone he knew to come to a party and bring money for clean water instead of gifts. He raised more than $15,000 and they used the money to give water to people living in a refugee camp in Uganda. In 2007 they held the campaign again, but asked others born in September to join in as well. They gave up birthday gifts and together raised $150,000 to bring clean water to hospitals and schools in Kenya. A year later, 900 people joined the movement, and almost $1 million was raised through birthdays.

This year, they’re doing it again -- but bigger. And I’m joining in. Please celebrate my 50th birthday by making a $50 contribution to Charity: water on my special birthday page.

What’s Working in Donor Fundraising?

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:03:00 GMT

Wisdom from Lisa Sargent

Those of you who know me well are aware that I focus my word choices, blog posts, Twitter posts, training language and any communication I deliver from a positive lens. I choose to take a look from the perspective of “What is working here?” and “What will it take to get from here to where we want to go?” rather than “what’s wrong here?”

Last week I read a report from Lisa Sargent based on interviews with top U.S. nonprofit executives. The report outlines a number of things in answer to the question: “what’s working?” The full report has lots of great information in it. Be sure to download and read it.

Here is the Observations and Recommendations portion of Lisa Sargent’s report. These are a great guide as we head into the final and most busy quarter of the fundraising year:
1. The quality and consistency of your post-acquisition donor communications matters more than ever; and until this fact isn’t simply acknowledged – but acted upon – retention rates will likely suffer.

The major impediment here, noted an executive at one of the largest organizations, is simply that even today, quality communications are seen as “desirable, not a necessity". . . and that most still “don’t value the importance of good communication.”

Of course, based on many of the findings in this report, it’s clear that follow-up donor communications – online and especially offline – hold the key to loyalty and retention. For example:

Online donors, e-mail subscribers and social media followers are fragile, so your follow-up communications are critical for converting a SM audience to e mail subscribers and online donors, and for improved retention, to direct mail donor care communications.
Donors now expect more (and thanks to channel proliferation they are marketed to ever-more frequently), so your message must be concise, clear, accessible and with a uniform voice across channels
Steep nonprofit competition means that regular, relevant communications that resonate emotionally are key to staying top-of-mind with donors

2. Consider making story-based and relationship fundraising a bigger part of the donor communications mix.

At one organization, an executive noted that they have seen a 25% boost in gifts from existing donors, by shifting to a more story-oriented communications style. Overall, the number of communications that donors receive from this charity each year has actually increased; however, the mix now includes more newsletters and fewer direct mail appeals.

This leader remarked that there is far less transactional fundraising going on in these messages, saying it’s “all about personal impact” – an insight offered by a number of others in this survey – and “very little hard numbers.”

The strategy may be effective because it appears to capitalize on the changing donor mindset noted earlier in this report.

3. Find a way to eliminate creative silos when integrating campaigns and when using multi-channel communications.

As noted, the biggest challenge here is consistency: of voice, tone, image, etc.

At least one organization represented in this report is planning to bring its direct mail function in-house, two to three years down the road, in an effort to gain more control over uniformity of messaging.

Control and consistency are particularly important as more and more donors now view your work and your communications across multiple channels, and especially if these communications carry the signature of a single, high-level leader: a harmonious tone and style is vital.

Stretching Your Direct Mail Dollars

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:12:00 GMT

Wisdom from Blase Ciabaton

Just in time to prepare your organization for year-end appeals, this month’s membership webinar will share some fun statistics and bust myths about direct mail fundraising.

Our special guest is direct mail professional: Blase Ciabaton. During the August 19 webinar Blase will take us through his seven proven tips for reducing expenses on printing and direct mail campaigns.

Here are a few of the myth busting stats Blase will share with us:

Direct response fundraising makes up close to 60 percent of giving.
While online donors are a very good acquisition source, they are also less loyal donors.
On a typical prospect mailing (sent to someone who’s never made a donation to your organization before), a nonprofit should expect to lose money.

One of the best things about Twitter has been all the great colleagues and new friends I’ve met around the world. While I’ve never met Blase in person, we are frequent Tweet buddies. He lives in Naples, FL where he started his direct mail business six years ago. His blog focuses on information for PR & Marketing professionals and the social profit community. Some of Blase’s specialties include tackling issues related to postage permits, mailing lists, returned mail, and donor conversion.

I’m honored to have Blase as our special webinar guest on Thursday, August 19. By becoming a member you can participate for FREE in this webinar as well as 10 more webinars throughout the next year.

Follow Blase on Twitter: @TheDMailMan
Follow me on Twitter: @LJacobwith

Ignite Your Fundraising

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:37:00 GMT

Fundraising Wisdom from Member Barb Haley

Today a fun, new monthly feature launches on my blog! Once a month you’ll get a chance to meet a member of my fast-growing online fundraising community. Each month a development professional will share their fundraising tips with you via video.

Today’s video message is from the very first member of my online fundraising community: Barb Haley from Red Wing, MN. Thanks, Barb for being the first! It was an exciting day when you joined last year.

I met Barb Haley in the fall of 2008 at one of my Sustainable Fundraising Strategies workshops. She drove in early from Red Wing to attend the three-hour 9 a.m. session. What I didn’t know was that she was just starting SteppsUp, her own consulting business, to help social profit organizations in the southern Minnesota community of Red Wing.

What I learned quickly was that Barb and I share a passion for providing social profit organizations with quality tools to be the best they can be. Check out Barb’s fundraising tips:

Barb and SteppsUp administer the Compassion Capital Fund from the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC). They award grants to grass-roots groups working to help low-income families in their neighborhoods. Barb and her team help make sure capacity is being built using the grants the local organizations are awarded.

It’s been an honor to have Barb as a member of my online fundraising community. I’ve now had the pleasure of working alongside Barb and her thirteen amazing organizations in Red Wing who are a part of the Compassion Capital Fund.

It's Logical: More Askers = More Money

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:05:00 GMT

Suggestions from Andy Robinson about fundraising

A few weeks ago I listened to a terrific webinar sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits with guest speaker Andy Robinson. If you’ve not heard of him, he’s a great guy who provides consulting and coaching for grassroots organizations.

Why I loved the session from Andy is that he shared a step-by-step common sense approach to increasing the numbers of “askers” on your development team. No they aren’t board members, though they could be. They are your staff. In fact ALL of your staff.

Andy says in many organizations “what is usually lacking is enough people to do the asking.” He then went on to share a case study about Toxics Action that shuts down for two weeks a year and has ALL staff engage in their major gifts solicitations. Face to face asks are made by everyone from the admin staff to the program manager. When people are hired they are told: everyone is a fundraiser here. No one is exempt. We’ll teach you how to do it. And they do.

While your organization may or may not be able to devote the kind of focus Toxics Action does, this model is adaptable to different size staffs and different kinds of organizations.

The reality is donors will give five to ten times more in person than they will give via mail. So at Toxics Action they train their staff to go out and meet with donors. This kind of fundraising is like conducting your own market research. You get to ask donors questions face-to-face and really learn more about why they give.

Andy referred to this model as the Ambassador model. What I believe, as does Andy, is that “more money exists out there…it’s just hidden from your view.”

What I learned from Andy:
To be successful raising money from individual you need four things:

A strong case.
A list of prospective donors.
People to do the asking.
A system in place to track data, money, and donor recognition.

What can make a difference in increasing your fundraising dollars?

Set up time to train everyone in what the current objections might be to making a larger gift right now.
Allow people time to get comfortable answering those objections with thoughtful answers and comments.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Everyone participates.

Here’s part of the compelling story Andy shared:

After five years of building their major gifts program, Toxics Action now raises $110,000 per year — one-quarter of its annual budget — from individual major gifts of at least $250. Using the time and talents of eight staff members, only one of whom is a full-time fundraiser, the organization conducts 250 to 300 donor visits each year in homes spread across six states.

In an article you can download, Andy shares in detail about the Toxic Actions story and shares a powerful example of how a married couple increased their gift from $45 to $1500 using this model.

The full article is available from Grassroots Fundraising Journal In the “Author’s last name” box, enter Robinson.

Note: The Journal charges $3 to download each article. They deserve your support and it’s worth it.

To view or download the free slide show from the webinar with Andy visit the MCN website.

Sustainable Fundraising Strategies – Is There Such a Thing?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:17:00 GMT

It was February 2007 when I delivered my first Sustainable Fundraising Strategies workshop. I created the workshop after watching organizations struggle with bringing money in from individual donors. My goal was to create a space for staff and board members to dig in deeper and discuss how they could increase their fundraising from individual donors and to provide tactics & strategies that could be implemented immediately.

My hope has been that the work we do in 8, 6, or 3 hours together will impact organizations for a long time into the future. The goal is to change paradigms in those workshops. We focus on taking any “lack” conversations out of existence and focus on possibility and impact.

Do the strategies last? Do people get something from the time together? Recently I received this message:

Just after our one session with you years ago, we had done everything you suggested.

In 2006 our revenue was 16,000+ (that was our first year)
In 2007 our revenue was 106,000
in 2008 our revenue was 108,000
in 2009 our revenue will end up slightly above $255,000 . . . we were just short of making our $265,000 goal and haven't done our annual ask yet and have traditionally done about $10,000 with it . . .

Our donors now repeatedly tell us that we do more for them than they do for us . . . In fact our biggest donors are now into selectively bringing their potential big donor friends into the circle. ~Marnita

Although the workshop is constantly updated, there are some core topics that get covered no matter what the length:

Storytelling: Learning to tell stories that powerfully convey your mission.
Money: Talk about money so the community understands why more money is needed.
Asking: Identifying what is holding your organization back from asking for large gifts.
Using social media to support our communication.

I’m grateful to learn when the workshop makes a difference because I believe that focusing on measures, donor-centered actions, and clear communication will bring in more dollars. I’ve seen it work immediately. One participant phoned me the next morning after a full day workshop to report she’d just asked for and gotten a yes to a $5000 gift. A gift she’d been struggling to ask for previously.

And just last week I received this message:

I was in an event planning meeting today and my volunteers were talking about lowering the dollar amounts of our live auction. They were uncomfortable stating large dollar amounts in front of an audience even though each of them has contributed over $10,000. In fact the one that was the most uncomfortable has made a $50,000 cash gift.

The reason I am emailing you is because it was your training years ago with my board of directors about money that helped me move this group forward and be unafraid to ask for large donations! I was able to explain to them that it is okay to ask for money and that is the ONLY reason we are holding this golf tournament. People expect it and we never have to apologize for asking for money at a fundraising event.

I wanted you to know how much your work makes a difference even years later... I simply understood that their discomfort had to do with how their family handled money when they were growing up. And from that place I could move them forward without being hooked myself. ~Michelle

Since that first workshop I’ve now delivered three different length versions of it: Full-day, day and- a-half and the ever popular 3-hour session to more than 500 people. About 1/3 of those who have attended have been board members who leave with an excitement for helping with fundraising that is contagious.

I’m delighted to learn from Marnita and Michelle that they created sustainable strategies from our time together that continue to serve their organizations.

Join us in August for the three-hour workshop in St. Paul. Bring board members or new staff. I promise you’ll take away helpful strategies that last.

Can You Teach People How to Fundraise?

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:29:00 GMT

This topic of this month’s Personal Branding magazine is philanthropy. I was honored to be invited to submit an article and have found myself in an issue alongside a number of my sheros and heros of the nonprofit community: Beth Kanter, Rosetta Thurman, Marc A. Pitman, Roger Carr, Paul Young of Charity: Water and more.

My article "Can You Teach People How to Fundraise" is a true story from a training session I led with the board and staff of a local nonprofit a few years ago. The dread that was pervasive at the beginning of the session changed to excitement and a desire to take immediate action by the end of the session.

Since that session thousands of dollars have now been raised from individual donors by the board members; dollars that may have gone to other organizations if they hadn’t invited participation.

Here are the guidelines I shared in my article about teaching people to fundraise: (excerpt from Personal Branding, August 2010 issue)

Acknowledge current donors via phone with a warm, personal thank you.
Deepen supporters’ relationship by learning why they give.
Each time you share what is going well, share an example of how more money will impact one person.
Don’t take “no” personally. It’s not about you.
Break down the support needed into bite-size amounts. For example, support a child per day, per week or month.
Share short stories of real people impacted by your work. You allow others to feel great when you invite them to help save or change a life.

To read my full article and great information from others check out the August issue of Personal Branding.

Gratitude

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:18:00 GMT

Experiencing social services on a whole new level inspires thankfulness

For more than 20 years I’ve been a part of the social profit sector as a staff person, volunteer, and as a coach and trainer. I’ve worked alongside thousands of organizations that strive to serve their community. I’ve been humbled by client stories and admired the kindness, skills, and selfless way so many people in our sector go about their work.

This past weekend, my partner Mark and I were personally touched by this drive to help others. Suddenly, we found ourselves as the recipients of these services, experiencing the social profit sector on a whole new level. Today’s message is purely one of gratitude.

Thank you to each of you who advocate for others; feed, house & clothe others; save or clean the environment; teach; care for the sick, frail or elderly; counsel; plant; read; provide emergency support; and in some way make your community a better place.

And a very special thank you to the fire and police departments across our country who do their jobs to handle emergencies like the fire that struck Mark’s house and garage this week.

It was with shock and awe that we watched the precision of the fire men and women from five cities put the fire out and keep our neighborhood safe. The temperatures were in the 90s as they rotated in to fight the fire in shifts for 10 – 15 minutes each. Fire Chief Specken managed the organized, efficient process as they all did their jobs. Not for a thank you, but because that’s what they do.

Hours later, the looks on their sweaty hot faces as they left were of fatigue and a bit of pride that they’d saved much of the house and there was no loss of life.

We were unable to put our gratitude into words. A few tears maybe, but words weren’t enough.

So, for just a moment I thank you all in our very special social profit sector.

Thank you for the work being done behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, everywhere. Those you serve may not always remember or have the words to thank you, but today, on their behalf, Mark and I thank you.

Measuring Your Success With Major Gifts

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:15:00 GMT

It’s not all about the fundraising dollars

I’m often asked how to rate the effectiveness of a major gifts officer…other than the obvious measure: dollars in. While bringing in gifts is important, especially for a new major gifts officer, I don’t feel it is the only measure of effectiveness.

At www.majorgivingnow.org I found a helpful article by Richard K. Dupree: “Measuring Performance – A Station Manger’s Guide to Evaluating Major Gifts Officers.” Although this article is based on staff in public broadcasting I believe the tool shared is very helpful in measuring the effectiveness of any major gifts officer.

This is also a great tool to use to measure the first 90 days of employment as well as annually.

The thing I like the best about this tool is that it weights all four areas equally. Creating an environment for both long and short-term effectiveness.

Here’s a recap of the article and the four areas to measure:
1. Dollar goal – while important, Dupree believes this is the least important of the four measures. I agree that even first-year major gifts officers should be presented with a defined dollar goal of cash/cash pledges and deferred gifts. And by equally weighting this area with the other four the system builds in long-term success as well as rewards for short term wins.
2. Proposals/Asks – Set a goal for the minimum number of proposals or actual asks to be generated each year. To guard against a staffer sending out a large number of unfunded proposals or asking too early, the “hit rate” is measured in section four.
3. Contacts – This is a key area to measure. A pre-determined number of annual contacts should be established with the highest percentage of these being face-to-face.
4. Overall Quality of Work – There are five aspects to measure. Each is given the same weight and they build on the three previous measures.

Hit rate: Simply measure the ratio of yeses to no’s in the proposals submitted or asks made.
Prospecting: Pre-determine the number of prospecting visits at the beginning of the fiscal year. This is critical in keeping the pipeline filled and the acquisition rate growing.
Cultivations: These are meetings with individuals who are not new to the organization and may be much closer to making or accepting a proposal for a major gift. These visits are also important in maintaining an appropriate retention rate with existing donors.
Use of management/leadership: This is a great way to encourage and remind major gifts officers that management and board leadership can and should be involved in key solicitations.
Budget management: Being responsible for their own costs associated with bringing in a major gift can be a great safeguard against incurring expenses that may not be necessary.

The system is based on 100 points and Dupree says a score of 80 or higher would illustrate above-standard performance. The full article is listed on the Resources page. It’s a very thorough discussion of these measures and has a link to download the Word document tool.