There is a squirrel that has started hanging out outside my window. I’ve tried to take a picture of it to share, but it seems to get scared off by too much movement (that includes my reaching out to grab my phone to take a picture). My office window looks out on the roof of the kitchen, so it’s not especially close, just close enough to peer in the window. Sometimes it just runs by – other times it stops, lays down, puts its head down, and hangs out (for lack of a better description).

So I’m pretty sure that squirrels don’t have too much cognitive thought, but I do know that they can be clever – especially when it comes to getting birdseed out of the birdfeeder. Even with that, I’m pretty sure the squirrel has no idea what I’m up to – clicking away on this keyboard and drinking my coffee. Perhaps it’s admiring the flowers in my window – or perhaps it knows that there’s food somewhere in the house and is just searching for a way in.

But what does this have to do with nonprofits? And with fundraising?

In order to understand a situation, we need to understand the context. We need to be able to process and see the full picture to fully assess the right next steps.

Too often, I’ve seen executive directors not fully deliver on the role of providing context and enough information to our volunteer board members that they are able to make good strategic decisions on behalf of the organizations they are providing leadership for. They overestimate the knowledge that board members already have – and underestimate the value of the information they have to share.

There is no way I could educate a squirrel about what I’m doing when I’m sitting at my desk and it’s sitting outside looking at me. Sure, I could try to talk to it, but my neighbors might start getting a little worried about me . Our board members are smart – we can explain the context of our work. But first we need to stop assuming that they already know everything they need to know. And board members too need to acknowledge that they might need more information.

On the other hand, I believe that board members also need to realize that nonprofits do operate in a completely different world than they are used to. Things generally move a little slower (there are many more stakeholders to be taken into account when considering changes – donors, clients, community members, etc.). Our board members need to be willing to see their Executive Director as a partner in the process – someone who can come and help bring context to the cause and to the positive changes we are all trying to make in the communities we serve – and who can help provide information that is needed to make the best decision for the community.

Board members also bring a lot to the relationship – knowledge about the community (both about donors and the community at-large) and often about solid business practices. Just like the executive director needs to be willing to speak up about the context the organization is operating in, board members need to stop checking their business sense at the door. If something wouldn’t fly at your day job or in your business, why would you let it fly at the organization you’re supposed to be leading? This shouldn’t include day-to-day operating situations, but does include personnel issues, ensuring that proper financial controls are in place, and development of a long-term vision / strategy (among others).

I could probably go on, but will let this conversation continue in the comments. What do you think about the partnership between board and staff? What’s working? What isn’t?

Is there a situation in your organization you’d like to talk through with someone? Send me an email and we can set up a time to talk. I look forward to hearing from you.

I’m sure you’ve never felt like this before. Waist deep in muck with no idea how to get out. Feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, and grief all at the same time. You might be asking yourself ‘how did I get here – again?’ I’d be lying if I said I’d never been there.

Earlier this week, I taught on this topic on a webinar geared towards nonprofit professionals. We have so much in our field that talks about techniques and how to do things, but too often we overlook the obvious – high burnout rates among people who work at nonprofits, high turnover rates, frustrations on both the side of board members and agency staff, and fewer people trying to get the same amount of work done. For many people moving into the nonprofit world, this is not what they signed up for!

If you’re still reading, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you find yourself in this spot now, I’d like to offer a little help – and a little hope.

First, know that you’re not alone. It doesn’t change anything, but sometimes it just helps to know that other people are going through the same thing. For me, while working for an understaffed organization with too high expectations, I felt completely alone. I felt that there was no one I could talk to who would be ‘safe.’ Just know, there are other people who have gone (and are going) through this situation. Find someone to talk to. It might be a clergy member, a life or business coach, a trusted friend. As a non-CEO staff member, just don’t try to confide in a board member – there are too many dynamics that can get thrown out of whack when you do that (yes, I’m speaking from experience).

Next, take the time to make a (realistic) plan. So often, we’re so busy trying to get things done that we don’t realize that there is no feasible way to get everything done that we’re trying to get done. That’s when things start to fall through the cracks and we end up just creating more work for ourselves. And we end up falling short of expectations other people have of us. Yes, it takes time, but it is well worth the investment. Once you have everything written down, it’s easier to assess – and easier to be objective. We’re no longer talking about how we feel, but rather about the current situation and realistic time expectation. Then you’re better able to go to a boss (or your board) and talk through what needs to change. Perhaps there are some things that wouldn’t be missed if they weren’t getting done. Perhaps there are some things that could be done by a volunteer, a board member or another staff member.

Finally, take a step back and look at the big picture. Remember what it was that first got you passionate about the organization you’re working for. In our day-to-day work (especially for non-program staff and management) it can be difficult to see the difference we’re making. We can feel disconnected from the ‘real’ work getting done (it’s all real work, sometimes it just doesn’t feel that way). Make a point each week to walk through a program area, read a story about a client, or talk to program staff. It could mean calling a few donors to say thank you – and ask them what it is that first inspired them to contribute to your organization. Do whatever you can to reconnect with that amazing feeling of knowing that your work does make a difference.

Thank you for what you are doing to make the world a better place. Thank you for taking a stand for what you believe in. I really appreciate what you do and know that others do as well.

If you want to talk more, please let me know. Just email me at kirsten@growingyourdonors.com and we can schedule a time to visit. I look forward to it.

It turns out that our flying experiences have been very different.  Continue reading

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Here’s a summary of recent articles and blogs related to fundraising and nonprofit organizations. As always, please forward this to others who might benefit from the information. Thanks again for reading!

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Fundraising

• 6 Things you get with friendraising | Vera Peerdeman | http://ow.ly/awdrV 101fundraising
• How to make your nonprofit as green ($) as Earth Day…ASK! http://ow.ly/axwBo The Fundraising Coach
• Won’t Make A Difference (key concern for non-donors) http://ow.ly/1LJ2Ao The Agitator
• 10 Ways To Reveal Your Organization’s Best Stories http://ow.ly/azXLA frogloop
• The REAL Value of Direct Mail http://ow.ly/1LArBK Copley Raff’s Giving Take

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Leadership

• Great motivator: Has your board set a goal for the good you’ll do? http://ow.ly/axvbb « The Butterfly Effect Blog
• How do you keep good people at a nonprofit organization? http://ow.ly/azXUa Mike Johnston | 101fundraising
• Sea Change Requires New Skills | http://ow.ly/1LAr3c JGA Counsel
• Finger-pointing doesn’t raise a dime (everyone has a role in fundraising) http://ow.ly/1LaUeu Generous Matters
• How to stop nonprofit donors asking about your administration costs | http://ow.ly/aD29E Guardian Professional

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Involving People

• Inspiring others and building a culture of philanthropy at your nonprofit http://ow.ly/axvGG Pamela Grow
• Using Pinterest to Raise Money: One Charity’s Experiment – http://ow.ly/1LEV3v The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Nonprofit messaging: March of Dimes Claims Mother’s and Father’s Day http://ow.ly/1LJ4j9 Joanne Fritz, About.com
• Why donors don’t want to hear from you http://ow.ly/azXNZ queer ideas

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Other

• Free Nonprofit Webinars for May 2012 http://ow.ly/1LaUXk Wild Apricot Blog
• Giving Continues Steady Year-Over-Year Recovery – http://ow.ly/1LJ3OE The Nonprofit Times
• Don’t Let Congress Keep Stomping on Advocacy Rights http://ow.ly/azXSG The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• What to include in your nonprofit elevator speech – http://ow.ly/1LaVUC Katya’s Blog

After the hustle and bustle of Florence, the quiet of Monte San Savino was a little unnerving. It is a beautiful small town with a courtyard in the middle with a few small shops and a few locals milling around. The church, with its open door, was calling out to us. I noticed a few people at the front who appeared to be praying – not unusual in the churches we had visited. I walked to an aisle and proceeded to sit down – until my husband noticed something we hadn’t seen yet. The people were surrounding a large basket (the size and shape of a casket) and a picture of an older woman. We had walked into the middle of an Italian wake! We tried to leave as discretely as possible, but I’m afraid we did manage to interrupt the proceedings a little bit.

There’s something about traveling in a foreign country that always leaves me a little off-balance – and very much aware of how different cultures see things very differently. Personal space in lines is very different in Italy than in the USA. For instance, in the USA it is very typical to leave some space in line between you and the person in front of you. In Italy, if you leave any room at all it’s an invitation for someone else to fill that space (the assumption being that you’ve decided to not go that way).

There are less obvious differences within the USA. I’ve heard that there are women in the boomer generation who are offended that Gen X women have never thanked them for paving the way. As a Gen Xer myself, showing that gratitude is not something that had ever crossed my mind – my assumption being that tearing down the glass ceiling was something that they had chosen to do for themselves. Now I’m trying to ask more questions and find out more, rather than assuming I know how and why people think the way they do.

In your work in your organization, what assumptions are you making about people? About your donors? Your volunteers? Your board members? Even your staff?

As you develop materials to share with others, rather than writing based on assumptions, perhaps you can start thinking about questions you can ask to find out if those assumptions are true – or not. Making adjustments to your written materials – and how you interact with others – will be of benefit your organization.

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Here’s a summary of recent articles and blogs related to fundraising and nonprofit organizations. As always, please forward this to others who might benefit from the information. Thanks again for reading!

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Fundraising

• Social Media Stats and Trends for Nonprofits http://ow.ly/aqOaF Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog
• Marketing does not equal resource development, usually | http://ow.ly/1KjTuf Donor Dreams Blog
• Getting digital really working to support your fundraising| http://ow.ly/1KjTUv Jonathon Grapsas | 101fundraising
• Young old people and the future of fundraising – http://ow.ly/1KjYwm Future Fundraising Now

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Leadership

• Does your board make policy or one-time decisions? « http://ow.ly/1KjXYi The Butterfly Effect Blog
• Seven steps to a well-crafted board agenda | http://ow.ly/adz8w Generous Matters
• What’s the Right Size for the Board? | http://ow.ly/akkQJ Blue Avocado

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Involving People

• What millennials and boomers really think – and what that means to your nonprofit http://ow.ly/adyGK Katya’s Blog
• Groom Your Facebook Page Updates for Better Engagement http://ow.ly/adyYA @joannefritz
• Ideas for your nonprofit? DoGooder Awards Highlight Effective Nonprofit Videos http://ow.ly/adzl7 The Chronicle of Philanthropy

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Other

• Has your nonprofit tried Facebook ads? Here are some suggestions http://ow.ly/adzuw @PamelaGrow
• Business Fails At Customer Retention Too | http://ow.ly/1KjW0y The Agitator
• Build Donor Loyalty with Email List Segmentation | http://ow.ly/adzdZ Inspiring Generosity
• Is Your Research Department Using LinkedIn at all? To Its Full Potential? | http://ow.ly/1KjSJz Blackbaud

We were headed out on a trip and both heard the same information – we would have multiple legs on our flight. My first thought was, we should try to pack light and not check any bags. Bags get lost and the chances of it getting lost increase each time you change airplanes. Almost the first words out of my new husband’s mouth were: “we should definitely check our bags then.” I hope I was more gracious than my memory tells me I was. My reply was something to the effect of “why in the world would we want to do that?”

It turns out that our flying experiences have been very different. Until he met me, Rob had never had a bag lost while he traveled. On the other hand, I’ve had my luggage misdirected more times than I can remember. And the trend hasn’t reversed since I met my husband. If only our luck could have changed in the other direction!

So Rob’s train of thought was simple: why would we want to lug our luggage around multiple airports if the airline could do it for us.

Think about that for a moment. We both heard the same information, but came to very different conclusions.

But, you might ask, what in the world does that have to do with nonprofits?

Often, we think that other people fully understand and comprehend the importance of the work that we do, so we jump to telling people what we do – rather than why we do it. What this can result in is feelings of frustration that people aren’t jumping in to help. And it doesn’t help our cause any.

The assumptions that you make based on a set of information might be very different than assumptions other people come to.

With that in mind, I encourage you to share information about your organization with a few people who are NOT already knowledgeable about the work that you do. Ask lots of questions. Some that come to mind are: What does this information make you think about the people we serve? How do you feel about the work that we do? How do you feel about our organization?

I look forward to hearing about the responses you get – and if you end up making changes in how you share your story as a result of what you learn!

Here is a multiple choice question for you:

The era of direct mail fundraising is about to _________?

A.)   end

B.)    begin

C.)    I don’t know.  It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.

The correct answer of course, is C! But if that was not a choice, the right answer is probably B. Here’s why:

Direct mail has traditionally been the lifeblood for many non-profits. But let’s face it; people just communicate differently now – “no one sends letters.” And the next generation might not even talk on the phone! Your program’s social media stats and online giving trends are probably on the rise and your direct mail results are likely decreasing year over year. It’s really starting to look like social media will soon be the key direct fundraising channel in the future.

Not so fast.

We’ve heard for years about the giant cultural shift that will occur as the Baby Boom Generation ages.  And it’s an important shift in fundraising as well. That’s because, with retirement, Baby Boomers are entering their prime charitable giving years. And how do they want to be communicated with? Well, the Baby Boomers have demonstrated there is no one-size-fits-all approach. But we do know they’re very accustomed to responding to direct mail offers.

So it’s best that we be prepared to include ALL of the channels THEY like in our fundraising programs.

Think about it. If you are currently in your 50’s, 40’s or even 30’s and you want to continue in the fundraising profession, then the Baby Boom demographic will soon be your most important audience segment and will remain so for the rest of your career. The oldest Baby Boomers turned 65 last year. And 10,000 of them will turn 65 every day for the next 18 years.

They’re the largest and wealthiest generation our country has ever seen. And they grew up writing and reading letters sent through the mail.

So the next time you see a fundraising meeting agenda that spends more time strategizing around social media outreach than all other channels combined, politely remind your fellow fundraisers not to forget that the era of direct mail fundraising is about to begin.

What are your thoughts?

Rob Koenig has worked in direct response fundraising for over 10 years and enjoys connecting generous people to great causes.  Rob lives in Louisville, KY with his wife Leslie and faithful dog Norman. 

This one did it for me. Here’s what happened:

1. The picture grabbed my attention

2. The headline pulled me in

3. The description made we think about making a donation

Is there anything your organization can learn from this ad?

Let’s change the scenario a little bit.  Continue reading.

100 Donor in 90 Days

How many new donors have you gotten so far this year?

We’re now just over 90 days into the new year.  If you haven’t gotten at least 100 new donors, then maybe you should check out “100 Donors in 90 Days”. Imagine, you could have 100 new donors by the middle of July.  What would you do with a 100 new donors? …Start a new program? Hire another staff person?

The experts featured in this program are some of the best in the industry (and you might recognize some of the names from my recent telesummit). They include Tom Ahern, Gail Perry, John Haydon, Pamela Grow, Marc A. Pitman and 7 others.

Check out this link for more information about “100 Donors in 90 Days:”

http://www.501videos.com/

Here’s a summary of recent articles and blogs related to fundraising and nonprofit organizations. As always, please forward this to others who might benefit from the information. Thanks again for reading!

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Fundraising

• Listen first – before you ask. http://ow.ly/9ZZCN Growing Your Donors
• Convio Online Marketing Benchmark Study – 2011 | http://ow.ly/1JVsqE The Agitator
• Stop. Start. Finish. Brian Reich on Fundraising in a connected age. http://ow.ly/1JXmim The Network for Good
• The Dangers of an Inactive E-Mail List for nonprofit fundraising – http://ow.ly/a7myT The Chronicle of Philanthropy

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Leadership

• Tips for Effective Nonprofit Board and Committee Meetings | http://ow.ly/1JXpyg Foundation Group
• 3 keys to nonprofits’ social media success: Strategy, prioritization, dedicated staff http://ow.ly/a62iw socialbrite
• For Nonprofits, Demand Up While Cash Low (57% have cash on hand for <4 months) http://ow.ly/a5smN The Nonprofit Times
• Average stay = 16 months: High Cost of Turnover in Fundraising Jobs http://ow.ly/a4wNK The Chronicle of Philanthropy

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Involving People

• Clear expectations make volunteer recruitment easier. http://ow.ly/a5dU4 Growing Your Donors
• Street Fundraisers Get Smarter on Technology – http://ow.ly/1JVsky The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• Three reasons for focusing on givers’ hearts in ministries | http://ow.ly/a5szX Generous Matters
• Young Entrepreneurs Choose to Do Good as Well as Make a Profit – http://ow.ly/1JXqDa The Chronicle of Philanthropy

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Other

• 53% of U.S. Charitable Organizations Surveyed Say Contributions Rose in 2011 | http://ow.ly/a5rKh eJewish Philanthropy
• It Costs To Build Social Networks ($3.50 for a “like” on Facebook) http://ow.ly/a5sax The Nonprofit Times
• I agree: Nonprofits can do without the Pepsi-Starbucks-Chase-Kohls voting thing | http://ow.ly/1JYlX8 Donor Dreams Blog
• Advocacy Email Open Rates Jump 28% http://ow.ly/a7mNO The Nonprofit Times

As part of our ‘Leadership Orlando’ experience, we were to put together a service project of some sort. As is often the case, there were several people who signed up immediately. Everyone was excited and waited for the next step to happen. And nothing happened. We had a great group of people, all leaders in the community, all eager to do something, but no one knew what to do.

As the organizer that I tend to be, I started asking questions to better define what we wanted to accomplish. Then I broke that into roles and put together very brief job descriptions about what we needed accomplished. And then, I called people and asked them to commit to one of those areas.

In the end, it was a very successful project that benefited an urban elementary school in Orlando. We collected school supplies and some of us volunteered to read in a class or two. Perhaps it would have been just as successful had I not laid the groundwork, but I was pleased to be a small part of getting things off the ground.

Based on that experience (and several years of developing fundraising programs that engage volunteers), here are some of the steps I now recommend that organizations take as they are preparing to involve people in their fundraising programs:

• Clear expectations. People generally want to help, but we can’t assume that they have enough knowledge to intuitively know the next thing that needs to be done.
• Materials available. Make it as easy as possible. For fundraising volunteers, have a packet of information available.
• Identify specific people to approach. Rather than a general request to ‘talk to people they know,’ ask them to think of 3-5 people who might have an interest in the project. This helps your volunteers visualize themselves have a conversation with those specific people.
• Ask for involvement. Just as we need to ask for a gift, we need to ask people to commit their time. A general request in a newsletter won’t cut it. If we’re asking for a significant commitment, we need to make a specific request.
• Develop goals together. It may be tempting to develop your own goals in a vacuum. Ownership of goals is one of the greatest indicators of success with any project. If we engage our volunteers in the goal-setting process, their feeling of ownership will be much higher.
• Provide feedback and encouragement. Sometimes in organizations I’ve seen board members taken for granted (although I’m sure that doesn’t happen in your organization). Saying thank you goes a long way. Our board members and other fundraising volunteers take time away from other activities and our gratitude will help reinforce how important – and appreciated their work is.
• Lead by example. We can’t ask others to do what we won’t do. By actively being involved in asking – and communicating that back to the volunteer fund development team – we’ll again be showing how important that work is

Hopefully this will provide a little information to help you begin to develop your fundraising program. If you’d like some more help with the process, including forms and sample plans, please look into my online bootcamp that starts on April 9.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. What are yours? Are their approaches that you’ve found helpful (or unhelpful)? Please share them below!