Here are our top 5 suggestions:

1. Build clear steps for advancement in your organization. Newer generations recognize that they need to create pathways within the sector for moving up in their organizations or to positions of leadership elsewhere. Make skills-building trainings available to staff as they both prepare for and begin new positions within an organization. For smaller organizations without room for growth, consider ways that younger staff can be a part of decision-making or use their skills in other organizations in the sector.

2. Remember it’s more than technology. We often hear Boomer leaders talk about the benefit of younger staff members’ technological savvy. Then we hear from newer leaders that they are valued for skills but not their ideas. Remember that Generations X and millennials may (or may not) have great skills for developing web sties to social networking, but they also want to contribute their ideas.

3. Provide mentoring opportunities. Mentors and networks provide Generation Xers and millennials with information about jobs, the connections they need to get their foot in the door, and the legitimacy they need with others. Offer connections to trusted colleagues in the field who can provide staff with a sense of perspective and history, advice, contacts and influence.

And mentoring is rarely one way; older leaders gain insight and information by listening to their younger colleagues.

4. Create room for more voices. Newer generations looking for more voice in organizations has led to a revival of interest in more inclusive decision-making models. Examine how decisions are currently made and consider ways to institute places where decision-making can be open to more voices. Consider reducing the amount of time spent discussing decisions and instead distribute leadership throughout the organization, giving staff members more authority and responsibility for running their own programs.

5. Lead together. Younger leaders are often more interested in sharing leadership, building more on the experiences of some of the movement organizations of the 1960s and 1970s than on current business operations. Whereas boomer leadership-sharing often resulted in power struggles, Generation Xers and Millennials are frequently recognized for their comfort with working in teams. Boards should consider phasing in co-directors, leadership teams, or other variations of sharing the top responsibility in your organization.

When I look at the websites of a lot of small nonprofits, I’m struck by how often organizations violate this rule, at least on the donations side. Most of the sites are fairly welcoming to clients, but donors and prospective donors have to hunt all over to figure out how to provide financial support or to connect with the staff members who can help them with donations.

While overhauling websites is a significant project for smaller nonprofits, a few simple changes can make all the difference for you.

1. Put a “donate now” button on the home page. And also on the “Ways you can help” page. And on many other pages, too. If people are flipping through your site and are suitably impressed, make it easy for them to do business with you. Click! Donate!
2. Work to have your credit card donations page (where people go after pushing the “donate now” button) align with the look and feel of your overall website. Some people drop away because suddenly they find themselves in a generic PayPal site and they feel lost or disoriented. They’re afraid to give their credit card number. They log off before they make the gift.
3. Show the name and face and contact information of the staff member they can call or write with questions. Don’t direct them to an “info@” email address and a central switchboard number. Keep it personal. If Gina Capelletti is the Director of Development, have Gina’s photo, her direct line phone number, and her email address right there on every page having to do with donations. Again, make it easy for people to connect with you.
4. Suggest gift amounts, indicate which gifts put donors into the Leadership Circle, let them know what a gift of a particular size will provide, and allow them to choose among programs to support. In other words, turn the very act of donating into an activity that is educational and makes donors feel more attached to your mission.
5. Don’t dwell on how much of the gift is being siphoned off by the company processing the credit card gift. It’s common to see sites that encourage donors to add 3% to their gift to pay for the processing fee.  Personally, I think that’s a turn-off. Stores don’t ask you to pay extra to cover their fees on a credit card transaction. Neither should nonprofits. People already assume there’s a processing fee, and making that explicit turns away more money than the extra payments would bring in. I’m all for transparency – but in this case, silence is golden. Keep the focus on the mission and the donors’ generosity, not how much their gifts are costing you.
6. In the email thank-you sent immediately to the donor for an on-line gift, be sure, again, to provide a contact name and information. And then follow it with a traditional letter. (See my post “Keeping the Glass Filled” for suggestions on thanking people properly.)

A store on Main Street displays its items clearly, turns on its lights, unlocks the door, greets the customers (ideally by name), speeds them through the cash register efficiently, and thanks them for their business. They make it easy. The best on-line retailers do it as well – only 24/7. Nonprofits need to be even better than the retailers. After all, if people need winter boots, they’ll buy winter boots… somewhere. People don’t really need to donate to charity – it’s purely optional. Make doing business with you easy. Don’t create speed-bumps in that process. Don’t play hard to get.

http://alancantorconsulting.wordpress.com

That fat part of the Boomer generation — those born in the mid to late 1950s — are now in their fifties. In the youth of their old age. This is exciting news for fundraisers, but it changes a lot of things, as Seth Godin notes at Fifty is the new thirty:

This changes … the marketing of every service and product aimed at consumers–and yet most traditional advertisers are stuck in the mindset that thirty is the end of your chance to find a new customer or build a new brand. Advertisers who keep on worshipping the shrinking youth market and ignoring the growing 50+ market will suffer. As will fundraisers who don’t take notice of the groundswell that’s right under their feet. If you’re serious about growing in the coming years, you’ll be all over the soon-to-be-old market.

Here are some ways these new young-old donors behave that we need to pay attention to:

• They want control over      what their giving does. That means raising only unrestricted funds is      going to be harder.
• They seem to give      larger amounts less frequently than older donors, and to support fewer      organizations. That’s one reason it’s getting harder to find new donors.
• They are slightly less      responsive to direct mail, which means we need to get our act together      online.
• They cross channel      lines. This is the biggest deal of all. The most common behavior is to      respond to direct mail on the web. If your website appears to be unrelated      to your direct mail, you are losing donors.

April 9, 2012

1. Be an organization where people want to volunteer
2. Support the volunteers who support you
3. Specify ends to be achieved
4. Create written volunteer job descriptions
5. Define and brand the volunteer experience
6. Recruit early and often
7. Identify your volunteers’ motivations
8. Demonstrate value
9. Busy people, multiple priorities
10. Plan for both long-term committed volunteers and intermediate

volunteers:  sometimes involved, sometimes not

11. Make purpose paramount

12. Plan effectively and efficiently

13. Empower volunteers

14. Build an atmosphere that encourages new ideas

15. Make volunteers feel like part of a team.

16. Use people’s talents, not just their time.

17. Check in with volunteers – make personal contact

18. Share volunteer successes with the entire organization

19. Team a new volunteer with an experienced volunteer

20. Regular orientation and training

21. Put your money where your mouth is: follow through on promises

22. Develop future leaders through mentorship

23. Support the volunteers who support you

24. Make expectations clear

25. Give volunteers the tools to do their job

26. Provide positive feedback

27. Keep volunteers informed

28. Recognize and reward

29. Do not allow volunteers to fail

30. Many volunteers consider this work as their job: treat them with

appropriate respect and make sure they know their contributions are

important to the organization

Greetings, The next meeting of the NH Raiser’s Edge User Group will be:

Thursday, May 10

8:30-10:00 am

University of New Hampshire School of Law

(Formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center)

Washington St.Concord

This will be an open forum so start jotting down your “Does anyone know how to . . .?” questions.

We always find that each of us leaves with something that makes our job easier, even if we didn’t expect it. 

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples,

then you and I will still each have one apple.

But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas,

then each of us will have two ideas.” - George Bernard Shaw 

Please RSVP to me at jbourne@breathenh.org

Please forward to other RE users to build our group

We look forward to seeing you all!

undertake and a time-line for doing them.

2. Board members can take on 10 -20 donors or prospects each year with the responsibility of

stewardship, and write to each one quarterly.

3. Board members can ask each one of their 10 – 20 donors or prospects for advice once a year,

regarding some issue facing the organization, keeping in mind the old saying: “If you ask for

money, you’ll get advice. If you ask for advice, you’ll get money.”

4. Board members can help solicit new members, sell raffle tickets, or ask members to renew as

part of a telephone campaign. Board members can do this together as a “phonathon” at a board

member’s work place.

5. Board members should make a personal, “stretch” gift to the Annual Fund each year.

The gift should be one of the top three largest charitable contributions they make each year.

6. Board members can use their company matching gift program to enhance the size of their gift.

7. Board members can commit 15-30 minutes to each meeting to sign solicitation, thank you, or

membership letters and write personal notes.

8. Board members can add something on their email signature to promote the organization: “I

am a fan of Organization X”; I am a proud board member of Organization X”; I am a proud donor

to Organization X” – all with a link to the organization’s website.

9. Board members should attend (as paying participants) ALL the organization’s fundraising

events, AND invite their colleagues, neighbors and friends to do likewise. If they can’t attend an

event, they should buy tickets anyway, and give to friends, family, or volunteers who can’t afford

them.

10. Board members should attend the Annual Meeting, Donor or Volunteer Recognition events,

stewardship or cultivation events.

11. Board members should add ten (10) new contact names to the organization’s database each

year.

12. All Board members should know the organization’s mission verbatim, understand the

fundraising initiatives and clearly articulate the organization’s funding needs. Staff should supply

the board with a 30-second “elevator speech” that each Board Member can share with their

network.

13. Board members should contribute at least two names each year of possible board members;

Be a mentor and role model to new board members.

14. Board members who own or know owners of retail establishments, restaurants, sports

outfitters can arrange a “cause-related marketing” contribution for your group. A dollar amount

from each sale goes to the organization. This raises visibility as well as money.

15. Board members who own a restaurant, a catering service, or a pub can put on a dinner or

wine-tasting at their establishment and donate all, or a large percentage, of the proceeds. Such

events can be repeated year after year, and usually do better each time they are held.

16. Board members can improve organizational membership by setting a goal and recruiting two

(or more) new members a month from among their friends, family, neighbors, business

associates, etc.

17. Board members who belong to a church or service club, or have friends who do, can solicit

the church or club for a donation for your organization. Many churches and clubs have small pools

of money available which often are overlooked by fundraisers.

18. Board members who work for banks, law firms, or other large companies can ask their firms

to buy a table or at least several tickets to an event and make these available as a fringe benefit

for their employees.

19. Board members with good corporate contacts can convince corporations to make donations to

the organization. Board members can set up meetings or set up a luncheon with the CEO of the

corporation and the executive director of your organization to “make the pitch”.

20. Board members who are good organizers can chair fundraising events, such as galas, golf

tournaments, concerts, festivals, or film benefits. Or, use their connections to get an interesting

venue donated for an event.

21. Board members who have special skills such as cooking, kayaking, publishing, etc. can do

“How To” workshops and charge admission. For instance, a local author of some renown might

put on a “How to Write” workshop and raise significant money for the organization.

22. Board members who are very good writers can prepare and send out proposals to foundations

or agree to edit the work of a staff member. This works best when the board member is very

involved with the program and knows it intimately.

23. Board members who are comfortable with social media can build a social media plan and

policy and make Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter available on the website.

24. Board members who are celebrities can lend their name or presence to market the

organization, to appear at events, etc., guaranteeing a good turnout and sometimes justifying a

higher admission fee.

25. Artist board members can donate a piece of their work to an auction or raffle. If the item is a

photograph or drawing, perhaps it can be reproduced and used as a gift to recognize major gifts,

or turned into note cards to sell for additional revenue.

26. Board members with expertise in media relations or marketing can get involved in promoting

events, membership campaigns, and other fundraising activities. Good marketing is often the key

to doing well on a fundraising effort.

27. Board members who are particularly generous can challenge the rest of the board with a

matching gift.

28. Board members who own manufacturing companies or stores can donate items to your

organization to be used in fundraising. For example, a canoe manufacturer can donate a canoe for

a raffle or auction, a clothing manufacturer can donate hats for use as membership premiums,

etc.

29. Board members can open their homes to host “house parties.” This works best if the board

member takes on most of the work involved, including preparing the food (or hiring a caterer),

securing entertainment, if any, and addressing and mailing the invitations.

30. Board members can put the organization in their will, make it the beneficiary of their

insurance policy, or consider other planned giving options.

Here are the facts:

• 85% of nonprofits experienced an increase in the demand for services in 2011.
• This is on top of years of increased demand: previous NFF surveys found that 77% of nonprofits experienced an increase in demand in 2010; 71% experienced an increase in 2009; and 73% experienced an increase in 2008.
• 88% expect an increase in demand for services in 2012.
• 57% have 3 months or less cash-on-hand.
• 87% said their financial outlook won’t get any better in 2012.

But this is just a fraction of what the data show. This year, for the first time we’re enabling you to explore the data yourself. Our NFF Survey Analyzer at survey.nonprofitfinancefund.org allows you to investigate questions that cut across sub-sectors, budget size, and geography. We invite you to share what you discover via e-mail and social media. If you’d like to find out what additional slices of the survey data are available, please email us at research@nffusa.org.

• NFF Survey Analyzer: Explore the survey data yourself with this easy-to-use site that allows you to filter by sector, geography, and budget size.
• Survey Brochure: (download as a pdf) See a clear snapshot of the results, with charts, key points, and data visualizations.
• Press Release
• Full Results: National (excel)
• National Summary powerpoint (pdf)
• In their Words: A collection of some striking responses to questions from the survey
• Media Coverage 
• Sincerest thanks to our 100+ distribution partners!
• Survey Methodology (pdf)

2012 survey generously supported by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation

From banking and bill payment to shopping and personal money transfers, the online world is fast replacing the traditional check and cash payment options. If your organization is unable to offer a donor the ability to donate online that donor may choose not to give at all. Moreover, if your organization does not have a flexible way that allows donors to choose their own method of online giving, you could be passing up on valuable fundraising opportunities.

The Internet Generations

An even more pressing issue is just now beginning to affect organizations all over the world. The internet generations are graduating from college, settling into communities and looking for ways to get involved in their local organizations. This generation grew up during the birth of PayPal, the establishment of eBay and Amazon as a standard method of shopping, and online payment as their preferred method of doing business. The average age of the first true internet generation is 26 and the first internet generation is likely to be the last that will ever carry a checkbook.

About Checks

Ask an average 21 year old where their checkbook is and you might be surprised at the inquisitive look you get in return. Ask that same 21 year old if they’ve ever paid a bill online using their checking account and you’ll probably find that nearly all of them have. The check isn’t dead, it has simply moved online in the form of eChecks and ACH Transfers.

Credit and Debit Cards

The lasting popularity and increasing use of credit cards make it the most important payment option you must be able to accept. The rise of credit card rewards programs make it even more likely a donor will give online by credit card rather than take the time to fill out a check and mail it to you. You don’t have to accept every credit card; you’re free to pick and choose which ones you accept. Debit Cards will be accepted by default if you accept credit cards. Nearly every debit card carries a Visa or MasterCard logo, allowing you to accept them just like any credit card option.

Recurring and Automated Options

As the popularity of the online donation grows, so does the convenience factor of automating those online donations. Given the choice, donors will likely elect to automate their transactions so they don’t have to remember to come back on a regular basis. Letting your donation software do this for you automatically is an easy way to increase the overall fundraising base your organization relies on for operational expenses. It requires no extra administrative effort and is easier for the donor. To put it another way, it’s a win-win. Philanthropy is going online, let Qgiv show you how to make the adoption of accepting online donations easy, safe and painless.

Quickly, Safely, Generously.

Quickly

The ultimate goal is for a donor to quickly identify how to give money to an organization and then just as quickly, to complete that transaction. Quickly also implies ease of use. A complex form or a confusing series of options will not allow a donor to give quickly or easily. Quickly is important to everyone, no matter what age or technical ability level. Donors who can quickly donate are the most likely to complete a transaction. Donation University will show you how best to let your donors give quickly online.

Safely

This is one concept that involves all three parties in an online donation. The donor must feel safe when providing personal and banking information to a website. Most people look for unique identifying information that tells them their information is secure. Some look for a lock icon, some even read the security certificate, some look for the “https://” at the beginning of a website URL. Donors who have even the slightest sense of unease or find any of these options missing will not complete the donation transaction. It is up to the organization to provide that sense of security by choosing a provider that offers the highest level of security to their donors. Your organization must select a provider amidst a dizzying array of industry terms and confusing security standards. Donation University will help you sort through terms and provide the tools you need to quickly identify providers that offer the right kind of secure online donations.

Generously

Providing a quick, easy and safe method of donating online will encourage your donors to give generously to your organization. Tools provided by your donation provider such as recurring donations allow your donor to select a more generous option by having their gift recur automatically. Giving online is an opportunity for your donors to be as generous as they can when giving. Donation University will show you tools that will increase the size and frequency of online donations.

letters are best. Or insert a handwritten note on informal cards with your formal

thank you letters.

2. Thank you call from staff and/or a board member – There’s nothing like an

enthusiastic thank-you call the same day the check arrives at your nonprofit. How

thrilled are you? Let the donor hear it in your voice.

3. Nominate your Donor to CONFR’s Make A Difference Donor Award. This is a

special way to let your nominee know how special you think he/she is, AND will bring

visibility to your organization.

4. Ask for Advice - Call on donors with expertise to help with issues that your

organization is facing.

5. Send a short half page “bulletin” to inform donors of your latest news and

accomplishments on a regular basis separate from new appeals or thank you letters.

6. Ask donors to be your Advocate - Provide donors with information about your

organization through bulletins and newsletters so they can talk about your good

work.

7. Involve young students by having them hand deliver a scroll of paper with their

handprints and thank-you messages.

8. Give an Update – If the gift is for a specific campaign, project, or program, give an

update of it in the thank you note so there is a real connection with the gift and the

program’s success.

9. Clip newspaper articles - When a wonderful article about your group appears in a

local newspaper, send a copy to contributors. Coverage in major news media

heightens the feel-good experience of people who have invested in your programs.

Let them see the attention others are paying. In a brief cover note, be sure to say,

“Your generosity helped make this possible. Thank you!”

10. Personal letter from a staff member or volunteer with a signed photo of the

grateful recipients of your organization’s services.

11. Invite More Engagement – Encourage your donor to follow your organization on

Facebook and Twitter or any other social networks that you participate in.

12. Invite donors to a focus group. What better way to get your donors engaged

than by asking their opinion?

13. Tell a short story – Tell a story about someone whose life was changed by the

organization.

14. Invite donors to a special event. Always have a camera at events so you can

take photos of major donors (or potential donors). Send the picture to them…with a

thank-you…within 24 hours.

15. Invite donors to lunch with CEO and Board President; individually is best, but

small groups can also provide an opportunity to learn more about your donors.

16. Spotlight donors in a newsletter or on your web site.

17. Invite donors for a tour of your organization and let them meet some of the

people you serve. The people you serve are your best “salespersons.”

18. Host a “Thank You or Donor Recognition” reception: Developing this informal

community will build a sense of commitment and partnership between the donor

and your organization and among other donors.

19. Develop naming opportunities – bricks, windows, trees, seats, “family Tree of

Donors” are just some of the possibilities.

20. Arrange for special discounts with local businesses for your donors.

21. Send holiday cards at times other than December - Thanksgiving, New Years,

Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc.

22. Send anniversary cards to note number of years of giving – five, ten, fifteen, etc.

23. Make a personal visit to the donor’s home or place of business with a small gift

with your organization’s logo or a plant, candy, etc.

24. Invite them to a Q & A session about your agency. Every few months, invite six

to eight donors to your offices after work (after 5 p.m.) and have a general question

and answer session about what you’re doing and the impact you’re making. Serve

light refreshments. Follow up with a phone call a few days later to thank them for

their time and input.

25. Invite the major donors to attend a board meeting periodically to meet the

organizational leadership and to get a flavor of how your organization operates. Just

make sure the particular meeting is the “correct” one for this purpose. If you’re

planning on ousting one of your board members at the next meeting, that’s

probably not the ideal meeting in which to invite a donor.

26. Invite special speakers to donor events - When you read in the paper that a

local bookstore is bringing in an author that has written a new book relating to one

of your issues, see if you can “piggy-back onto” this event and have the author

speak at a special event that you host for your donors.

27. Arrange for special tickets and other perks for your major donors. See if you

can get a good deal with the symphony or a local theatre company and invite some

of your donors to go with you to a show or performance.

28. Encourage donors to participate in organizational activities – However you invite

them, you will please most donors by encouraging them to become engaged in your

work. By visiting workshops, joining nature hikes, or otherwise getting a hands-on

feel for your work, donors take ownership and feel a part of things.

29. Publish donor names in your Annual Report or other publication.

30. Promote your organization’s brand – Enclose with your letter a bookmark, rack

card with upcoming events or stories, refrigerator magnet, so they continue to see

your organization’s name and logo every day

Staff transitions can be difficult, especially if it is a senior position and particularly when that position is the Director of Fundraising. It wasn’t any different in my organization when I started eighteen months ago. The development department had just come through a challenging time and I think it is okay to say there was a lot of blame, fatique and apathy. Going further into details would be disrespectful to the people who were there, the people who left and the organization, suffice it to say that we needed a Superhero.

One night while I was whining to my husband about how it felt like everyone was expecting me to be the saviour, the Superhero, Craig just flipped it around and said “Make them the Superheros.”

Allright I’ll admit it, there was an empty bottle of Pinot Noir between us so we were feeling… shall we say…extra creative. But the next morning over coffee we revisited the idea and I thought it was still a good one. I looked up the definition of Superhero and found:
“A fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest.”

First I wondered exactly what ‘derring-do’ was and how I might use that word more in everyday life, then I wondered why do these characters need to be fictional? This definition sounds a lot like fundraisers to me.

On Monday I prepared this agenda:
What: Superhero Brain Dump
When: Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Where: Mission Control (aka The boardroom)
Mission Objective: To learn more about what we do, who we are and how we work together
Come prepared to answer the following questions:
1. If you were a Superhero what powers would you use to do your job?

For example: An environmental scientist might say they have the Superhero ability to clean water and air by talking to plants
2. What does your Superhero look like? (be prepared to draw it)

3. How does your Superhero contribute to the protection of wild animals and wild spaces in Ontario?

Then I pressed send and nobody said a word for the rest of the week.

Tuesday, September 29th came around and everyone dutifully arrived at “Mission Control”. I started the meeting with what I think is a very important question that should be asked at the beginning of every meeting:
What do you want to get out of this meeting?
Silence. Then finally one brave soul put the elephant on the table:“I want to know what the heck you are talking about.” Great – we now had a tone of candour and honesty. I could start.

I explained my objectives for the meeting which were:

- To try something new and refreshing
- To throw everyone out of their comfort zone
- To shift thinking to a more creative place
- To stop fundraising and to start inspiring action

Then I asked for trust.

Over the next two hours I was introduced to the most incredible Superheros I had ever heard of.
Funder Woman
Super powers: limitless memory about donor details, whenever someone wants to make a donation she would instantly appear before them, expert Raiser’s Edge skills and exceptional donor care.

Herspecia (Funder Woman’s sidekick)
Super powers: Ability to master any heavy piece of equipment like photocopiers or postage machines, psychic ability to learn more about what people need instead of running in circles, able to zap information into Raiser’s Edge.

Elestech Girl
Super powers: Can change into any shape to fit their surroundings, all her powers help other people do their work, the ability to read minds.

Moustical Minor
Super powers: Ability to sniff out donors and prospects, sneaky researcher, able to sniff out knowledge from people brains and enter into database.

Finally me The Integrator

Super powers: Ability to shift 90 degress to see everything we do internally and externally from the donor’s perspective, to quickly see the big picture, to integrate fundraising functions with programming to ensure mission delivery.

We all drew pictures of our alter egos on flip chart and posted them up on the wall. As we sat there we marvelled together at how all of these amazing abilities, when combined, did incredible things. We were able to keep people in jobs, help advocate for better environmental legislation and good policy frameworks, we saved lives by providing habitat and protection for some of the most vulnerable species on the planet and we connected people with nature thereby providing tranquility, peace of mind and better health.

I’m not going to claim the transformation of the team was instant but it was pretty darn close. From then on it felt, to me anyway, like the air in the office wasn’t s thick and that everyone was walking a little taller.

It is possible that this kind of meeting wouldn’t work again, we have tried different things since but it was incredibly fun and extremely worthwhile. As their director I quickly learned a lot about how my staff felt about their jobs and where they needed extra support. I think my staff would tell you they learned how their jobs are critical to the mission of the organization.

The players have changed a little over time and I’m not sure how long the posters stayed up on the walls of our meeting room but that day was transformational for us and I am incredibly humbled to be working with such a fabulous group of people. It is a privilege.

April 22, 2012