The State Policy Networks’s latest project, New Media Mania offers live video chats offering insight into everything from Fundraising to online marketing. Watching these live allows you to join in to a conversation with other viewers and have your questions answered in real time. Be sure to check out the below schedule about upcoming episodes.

Sept 15

• Ask the Expert, “Making the Ask with Daniel Erspamer”
  12pm Eastern Time
  Location: www.NewMediaTV.org

Sept 22

• New Media Mania, “Organize Your New Media Toolkit with Nicole Williams”
  12pm Eastern Time
  Location: www.NewMediaTV.org

Sept 24

• Special Highlight, “TweetIllinois.org Introduction and Q&A Session with Kristina Rasmussen”
  12pm Eastern Time
  Location: www.NewMediaTV.org

Sept 29

• TrentTV
  Time To Be Announced
  Location: www.NewMediaTV.org

Want to double check that the show will play on your computer? Go to http://www.newmediamania.org and view the trailers. If you can see it, then the show will likely work for you.

Organizations who have more than one employee who wants to view the show should have them share a computer for the broadcast because too many people streaming video on one Internet connection will keep the live video from working on any machine

Putting aside the constant struggle to find new donors for a moment, how do you keep the ones you already have?

Guidestar recently posted the article, “Are there easy ways to reduce donor attrition?” Most of the points boil down to one thing – are you communicating with your donors enough?  Or really – are you building relationships with them?

Click here to read the article and keep in mind your own approach to mailing, thanking, and renewing donors.

At Atlas’s  ”nuts and bolts” training programs, we often are asked to include real donors in the presentations so we can better understand “the donor’s perspective.”  Excellent request!  Consequently,  when I came across an article by Tom Ahern which essentially offers a donor’s basic “do’s” and “don’ts” list, I thought it would be useful to share it with our readers.  The article, called “Is your nonprofit un-deserving? ” offers nice insights on some basic points.

As you read through them, think back to my standard mantra — fundraising is essentially relationship building.  The “do’s” below reflect a positive relationship betwee the donor and the nonprofit.  The “don’ts” reflects a total lack of relationship.  Where does your organization fall in this regard?

Seven reasons why I love giving money to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)

1. They send out a well-written, full-color newsletter giving me real stories about animals that have been rescued/saved by them.
2. I can go to the Nevins Farm facility a few towns over from where I live and see their rescue efforts in action. I also can see where the money is going because Nevins is a new state-of-the-art facility. I was also the benefactor of the MSPCA’s “Pet Care Fund” when Sparky [my dog] needed his operation.
3. They send me thank-you notes each time I give money. They sent my son a personalized note when he cleaned out his piggy bank and gave them $10 in rolled quarters.
4. They send me well-written letters that tell me why they need my money.
5. In their letters, they include little notes that read, “Your generosity already in 2009 is greatly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to help animals in need.” This shows me that (1) I’m not an anonymous donor; (2) they know I’ve given before; and (3) they appreciate my previous gifts.
6. In one of their letters I received a “Certificate of Kindness” and was told to “post it with pride.” Cheesy? Yes. Effective? Yes. Made me give more? Yes.
7. I feel valued for my contributions. And it shows, every time I receive a piece of information from them.

Seven reasons why I refuse to give money to my son’s school

1. They send out Friday notices to the parents (donors and potential donors) that say things like: “We are very disappointed in the parents who did not participate in the Yankee Candle Fundraiser. The parent handbook states, ‘All parents must fundraise.’” This ticked me off. As a donor, it is my prerogative to give when and how I want. The $300 I had earmarked for them is now going elsewhere.
2. They don’t tell me where the money is going.
3. I can’t see where the money is going. The facility is run down and families are leaving the school in droves.
4. As a business person, I can’t in good conscience give money to a nonprofit that appears to be ill managed.
5. They don’t use real stories about the children at the school in any of their materials.
6. They don’t address the real reason why people aren’t coming to the school. They cast blame on “parents who make the wrong choice,” but the problem is really the school and the people who run it.

For this and more, visit Mal Warwick’s 2009 Newsletter.

I don’t feel valued for my contributions.

Grant proposal writing is a time consuming and often frustrating process.  A lot of time and energy goes into researching new foundations and their grant guidelines for good tie-ins to your organization’s mission and programs, but the success rate is frustratingly low.  Maybe about 10% of proposals sent to new prospective funders will ellicit a favorable response.   Like all fundraising, building a relationship before the proposal hits a foundation’s doorstep can help a great deal.

An experienced fundraising consultant at the Grant Plant blog has some tips for getting your foot in the door even at foundations that don’t take unsolicited grant proposals:

[T]he following are ways that any nonprofit can still get its name, goals, successes, and great potential in front of even the most stalwart grant donors who pre-select which nonprofits can apply for their grants…

• Find out (through networking with colleagues or researching the regional newspaper archives) where the grant donor’s board members present, what professional affiliation conferences they attend, or what associations they are active members in and make sure that one of your organization’s leadership attends one or two of these opportunities and makes professional, friendly, clear, and concise contact with their organization’s leader(s)…
• Conduct a marketing campaign…
• Speak to professional colleagues working at other nonprofits, or ask your own board members, or ask your donor base or volunteer base and find someone who has a relationship with a leader working for the grant donor and ask if they would provide an introduction for you (or a key leader in your agency). Keep asking around – you’d be surprised at the connections that exist in your own organization that could become very fruitful leads. You will eventually find one, I bet.
• Call the foundation’s office and respectfully ask if you may submit a one page letter of introduction to your nonprofit for their programs staff to review for consideration. Some foundations that do not accept unsolicited grant proposals accept letters of introduction in order to be sure that they know what nonprofits exist that they could potentially work with in the community. Remember, they are looking for successful nonprofits partners to give to and if they don’t know of your organization but would appreciate knowing about it and its work – this furthers their foundation’s mission, too. It’s a win win for both agencies but also for the community.

Click here to read more.

Speaking from experience; that first phone call can be daunting, but respectful persistence can pay off when you’re trying to introduce your organization to a new donor.

How many of you remember seeing the surprising Susan Boyle video from Britain’s Got Talent or perhaps you’ve seen the more recent Jill and Kevin Wedding Entrance?  These videos were fun, positive, and inspirational videos that struck a cord with viewers which made them go viral.  The first video helped promote the TV show the clip is from.  The second raised over $15,000 for charity.

Once Jill and Kevin saw their wedding video going viral, they decided to harness all of the positive energy by setting up a landing page that encourages a donation to a charity that combats domestic violence and added a link in the video itself.  Jill and Kevin picked the charity because the song is by convicted domestic abuser Chris Brown.  However, they don’t specify why they picked that particular charity. I wonder if the Sheila Wellstone Institute contacted Jill and Kevin or if they just got lucky.

The next time you see a video that is starting to go viral, ask yourself is there a hook for liberty?  Maybe it’s worth contacting the person who posted the video to see if 1) they are sympathetic to the cause and 2) if they would post a link.  After all, what does it cost them?

What’s the goal of your next fundraising event?  Is it to raise funds?

This sounds obvious, but these were the questions raised by Annette Meeks of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota at last week’s Koch Development Exchange Meeting.

Annette presented several challenges to the audience.  If you’re serious about the event raising money, then follow these guidelines:

• Be cheap.  Cut corners whenever you can. EX: half the usual amount of food you order – yes half!
• Be as personal as possible.  Hand address as many invites as you can.
• Ask for donations BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER the event.

The last point raised the most eyebrows.  Not only was Annette advocating an aggressive strategy for sponsorship and ticketing before the event, but she suggested enlisting at least one donor to publicly sign a check at the event and then make an ask for others to follow right then and there.  After the event, Annette recommends including a Business Reply Envelope (BRE) as a soft ask along with a thank you letter to all event participants.  This may seem aggressive, but Annette maintains it is an effective strategy to achieve your fundraising goals.

Many thanks to Kevin Gentry at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation for hosting yet another great speaker.

With the recent redesign of YouTube Channels, Mashable released a nifty guide with some great tips on customizing your page. Don’t worry, they keep it super easy.

I had to laugh when I read these words. When you think about it, it is unlikely that anyone has ever died from fundraising!

Carol Weisman, president of  Board Builders indeed confirms that “Members will survive asking someone for money and being turned down.”

Perhaps, if we point that out to our trustees, we all have better luck involving our board in fundraising.

As I pointed out in my posting last month about the importance of nonprofit boards, every member of your board should be a financial supporter. But, I realize that’s often easier said than done.

I’ve experimented with several different ways to involved Atlas’s board members in our efforts — from writing letters for board members to send out to their friends, following up on their contacts,  or  hosting receptions at their homes. Some work better than others, depending on the interests of the particular board member.

How successful are you at matching up your board with different opportunities that draw upon their individual interests, talents and connections?

Take a look at the following laundry list from Weisman. See if you can find ways to leverage one or two items off this “Menu of Opportunities” to strengthen your relationship with trustees, as well as leverage their potential contributions.

Sending a news clipping to friends, donors and supporters

Researching a potential donor

Looking for funding sources

Creating an e-zine or blog

Putting photos on your Web site

Writing informational articles for your Web site

Writing e-books that can be sold

Inviting a friend, relative or business associate to the agency

Having a meeting of a group that you are involved in at the charity, and organize a tour

Having a home reception where a representative from the organization tells the story of its mission

Initiating a lunch, dinner or other visit with a “closer” and a potential donor

Inviting a potential donor to a special event

Writing an article for publication. Connect your organization with breaking news, or go on the speaking circuit, speaking at rotary clubs, churches, temples, etc. Getting contact information, and ask for more than money.

I’m about to embark on an effort to ask board members to send postcards to 10 of their friends, inviting them to participate in Atlas’s newest fundraising campaign. Hopefully, the postcard will be emotionally moving – enough to make trustees proud and willing to share our cause. I’ll let you know how it turns out. In fact, hopefully, you’ll join the cause too. It starts September 1, 2009 so stay tuned.

For more on board fundraising, read Abny Santicola’s article, “Positioning Your Board for Effective Fundraising.”

“The Way We Write Is All Wrong” summarizes the results of a recent computer analysis of fundraising language.  And it’s not pretty.  The author, Frank Dickerson, of Claremont University points to two primary problems.  He says fundraising copy:

• Lacks linguistic features that create an interpersonal, emotional connection with readers (e.g. personal verbs like I feel and I think and contractions.
• Lacks linguistic features that produce narrative (e.g. past tense verbs and quoted speech). In fact, their texts contain less narrative than academic prose, and even less than official documents!

Here is the executive summary.  Here is the full length paper on the research results.  His conclusion:

[T]he challenge of imbuing the written word with the same emotional range and impact of the spoken voice transcends the ages. While we all write, it is clear that effective writing in the genre of fund raising is far more difficult than it looks. It requires writing that speaks as the voice of those a nonprofit helps. And that requires marshaling linguistic resources to create speech-like interpersonal involvement and to cut narrative windows in texts. Through connecting narrative moments, readers will not only understand, but also feel how gifts change lives…

Apart from such deliberate attention to language, those who produce in-print and online fund-raising texts will continue to write discourse de facto—discourse written as if they are living in another place, at another time, writing for professor who is no longer there. Until leaders in philanthropy value language, the way we ALL write will remain all wrong.

Jeff Brooks of the Donor Power Blog comments on why contemporary fundraising letters are so deficient:

Here’s my theory why fundraising copy is the way it is: Committees. The best writing in the world is not going to survive the consensus-driven, CYA-focused, everyone-has-a-say process of most nonprofits. If it wasn’t dead yet, it will be by the time the committee is done with it.

There’s one very bright silver lining to this dark cloud: If you can beat the system and write good fundraising copy, you will stand out from the pack. You’ll be miles ahead of everyone else, a breath of fresh air to donors used to the anesthetic quality of most of the fundraising they read.

Something to keep in mind when you tackle writing your next solicitation!

I often talk to Atlas’s international partners about fundraising and development, and the predictable refrain is “Yeah, but there is no culture of philanthropy in my country.” While that may be historically true, let’s shed this old way of thinking!

Instead of taking a static perspective on a dynamic situation, maybe it’s time to apply our understanding about “spontaneous order” to fundraising. (For those who are not familiar with “spontaneous order,” go to the Online Library of Liberty and search the term…and while you’re there, check out the amazing features of this wonderful site including the opportunity to request a complimentary copy of the 2009 Edition of the Portable Library of Liberty DVD which contains over 900 titles from the OLL.)

Let’s embrace the reality that the world is changing. We are no longer tied to the geographic community that physically defines us. Thanks to the internet, it’s a global world, not only for traditional goods and services, but for fundraising too.

I recently read about a nonprofit organization that was cited as having “The best online fundraising campaign.”

According to Philip King, Athletes for Africa has been around for only a few years, only has a few full-time staff, yet it’s raised literally millions of dollars online.

The organization touts an interesting advantage – it was born after the internet and has been built completely online. Consequently, its entire presentation, and attitude, is geared towards the internet visitor. Rather than trying to figure out how to translate its physical existence into a web presence, its entire existence is a web presence.

Keep Reading →