The Classics Work

Guest Blogger: Kathryn Hall. The classics never go out of style: More from Chicago’s P2P Roundtable Somethings never go out of style like the LBD “little black dress,” pearls, and a fab pair of sunglasses.  For the gents a suit is the ultimate classic look. No matter the decade or the current wacky trend; one things for sure  you can’t go wrong with the LBD or a suit. Like fashion, fundraising has a few classics of it’s own that never go out of style.  Guest Blogger Kathryn Hall has a few thoughts on this subject.  Take it away Kathryn! A few weeks ago Guest blogger Nancy Palo shared her take away from the Run Walk Ride Event Fundraising Roundtable in Chicago. The consensus of the group was that “the next big thing” is independent fundraising events. I’d like to share a quirky subplot that David Hessekiel, President of the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council, introduced to the roundtable discussion:  What if “the next big thing” is really not new at all? What if it’s “what has always worked” and remembering the basics? In the last few years much of our focus in the peer to peer fundraising space has been on securing effective means of electronic mass communications, providing the best high volume online fundraising systems to participants and pioneering the latest social media capabilities. This new fundraising landscape has given rise to challenges: Low retention rates, increasing competition from a growing number of P2P fundraising events and the need to differentiate / stand out. What if in our excitement to take things online and do more with electronic communications, we’re getting away from “old fashioned” fundraising fundamentals? Talking to people and making personal connections has always worked. There’s a good chance revisiting the value of the human element can help your program. A few suggestions from the group: Send hand written notes. Highly “personalized” communication via segmented email can only go so far. A hand written thank you note has big impact in this day when most personal communication happens by email and text message. Encourage your fundraisers and team captains to use snail mail creatively as well. Ask for support in person. As the volume of electronic asks from kids, relatives, friends and coworkers goes up, they get easier to ignore. When you or your fundraiser make a personal (in person/on the phone) ask, it stands out. Encourage participants to ask for gifts in person, not rely completely on technological gimmicks. Church World Service shared their homespun series of Crop Hunger Walk “Crop Vids” that, among other things, address people’s fear of asking for money with a light, humorous tone.    Talk to your team captains; cultivate the relationship. If your research shows that returning teams raise 50% more than new ones, go after the team captains personally. Ask them to come back in person rather than relying on electronic communications about the new season’s event. Have staffers go to the events and meet people. This lets supporters know there’s a human person behind the email address and name. Laurel Rosenthal, Manager of Online Fundraising at theALS Association shared that while this approach is expensive, the investment paid valuable dividends in terms of increased retention rates. Shake things up a bit. The reliable kick-off meeting is indispensable, but is the format getting a bit stale? Lindsay Avner, Founder and CEO of Bright Pink likes to keep meetings interesting. Her groups hold sampler events, trying out new locations and themes: wine and cheese, martinis, cupcakes, and similar. Collect feedback through participant surveys. Jeff Shuck of Event 360 spoke of the importance of surveying not just those who attend, but those who do not return to the event, “Find out who didn’t come back. Many, many will say they had a conflict in their calendar. This means you didn’t communicate your mission powerfully enough to get them to prioritize your event over something else.” – Amy’s guest blogger Jennifer Ashbaugh offered more suggestions for post event surveys in a recent post.

What are you afraid of?

Show Donors Results!

Donors would give more if you showed them…

... Results.

This, according to a study written up in the Chronicle of Philanthropy yesterday.  The Cygnus Donor Survey found in a survey of 15,000 donors that just crying need won’t do it in 2012.  Fundraisers need to “do something wonderful” that will carry a message to donors that the charity is fulfilling its mission, says the study’s author, Penelope Burk.

I always look at surveys of donors with a dose of skepticism.  What people say they feel and do with respect to giving doesn’t necessarily reflect their true actions.  But these results ring true to me.  It’s not enough to say times are tough and you need money:

Middle-age donors are demanding results from nonprofits in exchange for their gifts, the study found. They want to be offered a clear idea of where the money is going, and they want to know that the charity is the best of all organizations working on that mission. Donors under age 35, while also concerned about results, are interested in building a community of like-minded givers: They want to get their friends and family to support a cause they believe in. They are also more apt to give to new causes.

The bottom line: The same thing I always say on this blog.  Saying you need money is not fundraising.  Fundraising recognizes that giving is a person, emotion and social act.  Tell people about the exact change they can effect—and how they can rally support for it.  That’s fundraising.

Among the other findings:

-Donors hate being asked for money over and over.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop asking.  But be sure you’re thanking - and reporting on impact - at least twice as much.

-Young donors say they plan to give more this year. But you need to reach them digitally.  “They often don’t read fundraising mailings—because they’re the least likely of all adults to get mail. They also don’t get many telemarketing calls, because they use their cellphones rather than landline phones.”

-The number one source for checking out a charity?  The charity’s website.  This backs up the Money for Good research.  Make sure your website is fantastic.  It’s the single most important thing you do online.

-People plan their giving - but still give impulsively when something moves them.  That could mean you!

-Recurring giving gets dissed in the study, but I disagree.  The study said recurring givers are less likely to become major donors.  But is that because of the nature of recurring giving or because charities don’t do a good job heaping praise and reports on impact to those donors?  I’m a recurring giver to a great charity - but I don’t get thanked every month.

The full study is here.

Blog post by Katya Andresen

More Effective Messengers

10 messengers who are more effective than you By: Katya Andresen I gave a speech last week when I talked about the unprecedented level of skepticism about traditional sources of information.  People don’t put much stock in the words of marketers, politicians, government representatives, companies, or charities.  We tend instead to trust people we perceive as like us—or at least those who seem not to have selfish motives for their opinions.  That’s why you trust that random hotel reviewer from San Francisco more than the Westin website. All this means that you can have the best message in the world, but if you’re the only one saying it, that may not be enough. So who are messengers that wield more influence than you when it comes to your organization?  Whom should you tap to talk about you? Here are ten ideas. 1. People who have been helped by your organization. 2. Donors. 3. Volunteers. 4. Fans. 5. Front lines staff (as opposed to official spokespeople). 6. People with first-hand experience living with your issue. 7. Third-party rating agencies or charity watchdogs. 8. Partners. 9. Kids who care about your issue. 10. Local leaders. Make sure you’re not the only one saying your work is great!

Dog Days

The Dog Days of Summer
By: Friends Asking Amy

 The summer can be a tough time of year to stay motivated and full of inspiration. As fundraisers, our organizations count on us to deliver creative, successful campaigns year round. But the heat and visions of clear blue water in your head may leave you day dreaming at your desk.

 I understand.

 I work in Charleston, SC. While we do have a nice coastal breeze, temperatures still hover around 100 degrees in the summer and they are usually coupled with a high humidity. This high heat index cocktail can make you feel sluggish all around.

 Even the best fundraisers can experience this dragging mid-summer feeling of being short on patience, energy and inspiration. The good news is, with a little TLC during the dog days of summer, you can recharge your batteries and brain to reclaim your motivation from the sun. (SPF recommended).

 Staff Trip Day: Plan a staff outing that revolves around your mission. If your organization is environmental, take a day to kayak or hike. Appreciate what you work so hard to preserve. If your group raises money to feed the homeless, volunteer at a shelter for the morning, make lunches and connect with those who need your help. Their stories will fuel your tank with passion and drive.

Take a vacation day: Seen all the commercials telling you to reclaim your vacation days? Well, that’s a good idea. Taking some personal time off is a no-brainer and the break will recharge the batteries. Take a notebook with you in case an idea pops into your head while you are on the beach.

When in doubt, ask: Research shows that organizations that ask for ideas, ways to improve, and evaluations outperform groups that skip this step. You never know- your next great campaign idea, could be just a suggestion box away.

Get social: Not just online, get out into your community and interact with other organizations and people. Attend a networking happy hour. Great strategic partnerships can be made with a “hello!” and a cool beverage of choice.

What other tricks have you tried in the summer to re-energize or find inspiration? Share your ideas below!

How to Improve Internal Stakeholdering in Your Organization

By: Meghan Dankovich, Event 360

I've attended dozens of trainings and conferences on fundraising. Almost without fail, I've been disappointed by the lack of attention paid to events.

A common misconception about event fundraising is that it's simply about managing logistics or throwing a nice party. However, it's much more than that. In fact, it should be a critical part of your fundraising strategy. When you can inspire hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of participants to come together for a shared experience in your honor, that's a powerful thing.

So how do you motivate your nonprofit's key people — from employees and volunteers to sponsors and board members — to get behind your event(s)? It all comes down to stakeholdering.

A Problem in Organizations Large & Small
I've been thinking about internal stakeholdering a lot recently, as clients both large and small have been struggling with this challenge.

Large organizations are typically siloed. Fundraising or special events manages event fundraising, while the other departments just focus on their own responsibilities.

In small organizations, one staff person (perhaps with assistance from volunteers or outside contractors) often handles event fundraising along with their other responsibilities. Again, everyone else has their own things to worry about, and an event-related task ends up as one more item on their already long to-do list.

With either of these extremes, events are a priority for only a few people in the organization. Very few others feel vested in the event's success. That's a no-win situation. Fortunately, internal stakeholdering can help.

Three Tips for Better Internal Stakeholdering
Effective internal stakeholdering begins with educating a wide swath of your organization. 

First of all, you must communicate the role and importance of event fundraising. If you look at your revenue streams in the form of a pyramid, the upper levels are occupied by planned giving, capital campaigns and major gifts. At the bottom, along with annual giving? Events.

Some nonprofits underestimate this bottom level because it consists of lower-level givers. But don't forget: There are a lot of people in this group, and they often feel a close connection to your mission.

How are you nurturing this audience? You're probably sending them direct mail, emails, maybe the annual report. But what are you offering in terms of the experiential? By holding events that allow them to participate and contribute to your cause, you're strengthening your connection. And that produces long-term dividends for the organization.

Second, you must provide perspective in the form of benchmarking. Events are rarely an instant success; it takes time to build momentum. Unfortunately, many of your stakeholders might be impatient for results.

So do a little research on similar events. See how much they raised at the same point in their existence (e.g. Year 1, 2 or 15), and then show where your event falls in the mix. Your stakeholders might be pleasantly surprised to see how you stack up.

Third, you must explain how stakeholders can get involved. If you convince stakeholders of your event's potential, they'll be more likely to show their support. But they might need some guidance in this regard.

Let them know how they can help out. Fellow staff: Form a fundraising team! Board members: Shake hands with participants at the event! Corporate relations: Spread the word to your corporate contacts! Participants: Use these helpful tips to reach out to family and friends!

Sometimes stakeholders just need to know how they can help. Don't miss the opportunity to engage them.

Make Sure You Get Everyone on Board
Annual giving, major giving, planned giving, direct mail, galas — they all have a place in your fundraising strategy. So, too, do events. 

Nothing else can engage and activate a large group of people like a general community event. That's what makes walks, runs and similar events so powerful.

The success of the event, however, depends on contributions from all your stakeholder groups. Communicate how much potential the event has if they help, and remind them that events can be a highly effective means to an end — your mission.