A little care and feeding

No one wants or needs me to describe how the economy has beaten the stuffing out of some charities’ revenue streams. Not being a novel topic of conversation any more, its just not that interesting.

But what is interesting is watching how grassroots fundraising is once again on the rise, thanks to technology and the “new connectedness.” In vast numbers, regular, ordinary everyday folk like you and I can make (modest) donations instantly, and reach out to our networks of friends to follow our lead.

Charities are scrambling to find a way to access these legions of friends and potential supporters in the wired world. The question is not, “can we?” but rather “how can we?”

There are lots of ways to attract financial support, and boost public awareness of a charity’s work, through social networking. The key? It all boils down to care and feeding (which is probably not what you want to hear if you are looking for a quick fix).

Regardless of whether you are looking for a quick fix or long term solutions, build some common sense principles into your stakeholder communications and you will inevitably yield increased financial returns in fundraising. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Including people in a genuine two-way conversation about your organization’s worthwhile work is the most effective way to engage their long term (and financial) involvement;
• Donors want to hear from you more frequently than when its time to ask for another gift;
• Donors really never get tired of hearing you say “thank you” for their support (and advocacy);
• People want to know, specifically, how they can help. Large monetary contributions may not be what they have in mind;
• People expect to be able to tell you how, and through what channels, and with what information, you should communicate with them;
• You need to make that act of helping (giving, volunteering, advocating) a swift and simple process that provides them with instant gratification.
  

Keep those principles in mind as you move ahead in stakeholder engagement and you can’t lose.

Friday Freebies

Unless you're one of those people who always has a pen and paper on hand, chances are there have been many occasions when you've wanted/needed to capture a piece of information and found yourself scribbling on a napkin, only to lose it or (forget) and use it.

Here's a great no-cost tool you can use almost anywhere, anytime. Evernote is the free equivalent of Microsoft's One Note. Check it out www.evernote.com

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Create your own social network...for free!

Ning, www.ning.com, provides a no-fee technology platform that allows individuals and groups to create their own social networks.

Used by the American SPCA, Ning is an economical, customizable and easy-to-use solution for organizations wishing to implement a social networking platform for donors, members and staff.

Happy Friday!

Careful...Your Age is Showing!

I recently attended an AFP educational session presented by Anne Melanson, CFRE, and Lori Barker, Director of Development for Phoenix Youth. The topic of discussion was Making your Financial Case for Support. One of the most valuable tips I walked away with was the need to carefully think through your written collateral materials before committing them to paper.

When developing thier current Case for Support, Phoenix Youth carefully considered how to present the necessary information in a way that would not see the publication become "dated" in a month or two. They did not include names of Board members and staff - rather, they decided the best way to present this information was as an add-in. Very smart, very cost-effective.

Because they took the time to plan the Case, Phoenix will have a document that has a shelf-life of 2+ years, rather than 2 months. Staff and Board members move on to other opportunities - it's a fact of life. Although it's important to celebrate your organization's team, it's wise to think through how to do this in a way that can easily be updated when changes occur.

And what about your website? The same principles hold true. The wonderful thing about your online "storefront" is that it can usually be updated with little cost - and doesn't result in 5,000 outdated brochures being tossed in the trash.

Are you showing your age? Are your print materials current? How about your website - does it contain outdated information? With online giving on the rise, a fresh and current website gives donors the confidence that your organization is on top of things.

Where Does the Day Go?

Recently, I was privvy to a discussion where an organization was debating the merits of continuing on with a particular fundraising event. When weighing the pros and cons, the amout of time required to effectively pull off this event was brought forth as a strong negative. 2,000 staff hours was the amount they had roughly calculated.

The problem with rough calculations and guesstimates is that you never really know what your true investment and returns are. At 37.5 hours/week (people do need time to eat), 2,000 hours translates into 1 staff person working full-time, all day, every day (no vacation, no sick days, no statutory holidays) for 53.3 weeks. And that's okay - if your event returns proportionate financial and public awareness benefits.

As is the case with most of us, I tend to have several projects on the go at once. I track my time using an application called Time Tracker. It's not pretty, but it's functional. Wikipedia (another great FREE resource) has posted a comparison of time tracking software . Some are free, others are fee.

The most difficult thing about using time tracking software is remembering to start and stop it. However, it's a great way to track and analyze where you are expending your most valuable resource - your time.

Friday Freebies

Shame on me - I didn't post a freebie last Friday, so this week I owe you two.

The first one I'm passing along is a Canadian website designed to serve employees and employers of the non-profit/charitable sector. At www.workinnonprofits.ca employers can post recruitment ads for up to 180 days, free of charge.

And second on the list is a US-based website that provides webinars, teleconferences and other resources to the non-profit sector - free of charge. Check out www.networkforgood.org

Happy Friday!

Friday Freebies

Earlier this week I attended a webinar hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and presented by Allan Pressel of CharityFinders.

Allan passed along a great tip to webinar participants - so I'd like to thank him for contributing to this week's Friday Freebies.

Websitegrader.com is a free website SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tool that grades the effectiveness of your website in a number of areas - and makes suggestions as to how you can improve your site. This free tool also allows you to rate your website in comparison to others (competitors, peers, etc).

Check it out - it's a great free resource (thank you Allan).