August 2008 Entries
Many nonprofit websites lack one essential thing – information on staff and organizational employees. Employees are very diverse and vital part of the organization, but they are often neglected or relegated to a community that is separate from the donors, volunteers, and board members. However, employees must be engaged in order to build a strong nonprofit. Employees must become a part of the organization’s community.
Below are several ideas on how to make employees a part of the organization’s community”
Let the staff tell their stories. On the “Contact Us” page, do not let the staff members just be names, numbers, and...
posted @ Friday, August 29, 2008 2:48 PM |
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, have created a Senate Philanthropy Caucus to find ways to aid foundations and charities.
Late in July, these two men sent a letter to Congress members asking them to join the caucus to “support the long tradition of good works by the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors.” The letter goes on to applaud philanthropy for bettering American society through education, clean water, public health, public libraries, and by allowing towns to research and experiment with new ideas. The letter said, “The work done by...
posted @ Thursday, August 28, 2008 9:04 AM |
Worried about fundraising with all the economic predictions? Worried about losing donors? It is a crucial time to consider how to truly connect with your donors. However, you can set your worries aside. By simply taking a step back and evaluating the needs of your donors and working on acting on those things, you can successfully continue in your fundraising.
First, you need to understand why your donors contribute. As statistics and hundreds of interviews emphasize, donors contribute because of a relationship first and foremost. That relationship can grow deeper by continuing to pursue after the donors as people. Make your...
posted @ Friday, August 22, 2008 9:24 PM |
Looking for more information on developing impactful giving? Inspired Philanthropy would be a great resource for you to pick up. It provides information on a wide range of topics from partnering with nonprofit leaders, questions to ask organizations, to building values that impact your giving.
Statistics are updated. Current happenings in the nonprofit world are discussed. More resources on youth and different areas are available. Worksheets and other resources are available on the CD that comes with the book.
This book is available on Amazon or local retailers.
--Jessica High is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is subscription...
posted @ Wednesday, August 20, 2008 4:27 PM |
A lapsed donor can be defined as a donor who has not made a contribution to your organization with in the last 1-3 years, while those who haven’t contributed in 3 years can be classified as former donors. There is value in pursuing lapsed donors because they are not unfamiliar with your organization’s mission – they cared enough about it to donate at one time, after all. Kent Dove, author of Conducting a Successful Fundraising Program, says that the typical rate of response from mailing to lapsed donors is 11%. As you are creating your appeal letter to...
posted @ Tuesday, August 12, 2008 10:22 AM |
Although fundraisers tend to attribute their success to their techniques and methods, there are deeper motivations that also cause donors to give. In order to understand why people give and why Americans are so generous, one must look at the religious, psychological, marketing, historical, and cultural factors.
First, all of the world’s largest religions teach the importance of all living things on the earth and about the necessity of good deeds. The love of mankind, which all major religions promote, encourages philanthropy.
There are also other factors such as fear, elitism, guilt, anger, and greed. Below are twenty-four reasons that fundraiser...
posted @ Monday, August 11, 2008 11:03 AM |
There has been a lot of debate surrounding the new 990 changes and charities are anxious to understand these new forms. Many groups have released information and tips on how to comply with the new regulations. Now, the IRS will offer a preview of the new 990. By August 15th, the complete revised instructions will be posted on their website. One of the major changes is a redefinition of “key employees”. This was one of the items that received the most criticism from various groups. To correct an overly broad definition of this term, the IRS has...
posted @ Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:17 AM |
Steve Meyerson, a Washington fundraising consultant, asked a recent audience of fundraising professionals to think about how their non-profit would handle hard economic times “if [they] knew for a fact that there’d be no recovery until 2010.” That answer, he said, should dictate their non-profit’s planning now. At this fundraising conference in Washington, Mr. Meyerson offered several fundraising tips for raising money during a recession: Tell donors how the non-profit changes its client’s lives. “Donors are not that interested in numbers,” he said. Donors want to know...
posted @ Wednesday, August 06, 2008 9:22 AM |
Having you been needing more information on the technology and networking items available to non-profits? We’ve taken time to compile several different websites, articles, and blogs for your use. Social Media is not Community – from The Social Organization, they provide perspective on the differences between “social media” and “community”, helping nonprofits in their understanding and usage of these two terms. Make Your Website About Visitors, Not About You – from Nonprofit Communications. For great advice on developing your website, read through this article. Why Facebook Connect Matters & Why It Will Win – by GigaOm. Facebook continues to grow in its strength, not just for social reasons,...
posted @ Tuesday, August 05, 2008 9:45 AM |
Mobile giving – donating via a cell phone text message - is one of the latest trends in philanthropy. The way the system works is this: the donor texts a keyword to a special number belonging to the charity (known as a “short code”). Then, the donor receives a message asking them to confirm their donation. Once the donation is confirmed, their cell phone service provider (a carrier) places these small donations (usually $5 or $10) on the person’s cell phone bill. Five percent of each donation goes to the Mobile Giving Foundation, but the rest of the money goes...
posted @ Monday, August 04, 2008 10:45 AM |