The GROW Report 4-5-12

I subscribe to Pamela Grow's e-newsletter and discovered some posts to read for future reference:

How nonprofits can use Facebook ads | A step by step guide

Setting up a database protocol Series

 

LinkedIn Today: 4-2-12

The One Skill All Leaders Should Work On

Assertiveness - which is something I definitely need to work on. But here's what else the author had to say.

Here are some specific ways in which assertiveness complements a wide range of the critical leadership skills you may already have:

• Creating a culture of innovation:

• Being customer focused: 

• Fostering teamwork and collaboration: 

• Leading change: 

• Acting with integrity:

• Creating a safe environment:

• Communicating effectively:

View the whole article here.  

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The 9 Faces of Leadership

FedEx uses these criteria to identify potential leaders. 

 

Charisma


Individual consideration


Intellectual stimulation


Courage


Dependability


Flexibility

Integrity


Judgment


Respect for others

View the whole article here.
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Five Steps for Winning Conversations With Donors

Know exactly what you want.


Prepare the conversation. 

Deliver with confidence. 

Clarify your results. 

Plan the next move. 

View the whole article here.

After the Yes: 12 Questions You Can Ask Donors Once They Say Yes

1. "How would you like to pay? Do you want to write a check now? Would you like us to send you a pledge statement in the mail? Are you interested in signing up for our monthly sustainer program?"
   Many solicitors bring pledge forms to the meeting and fill them out with the donor. The question above, along with several below, could easily be included on this form.
2. "How do you want us to use this gift?" Check your notes from this meeting and all previous conversations with the donor. If you sense any indications that she wants to restrict her gift to a specific program or campaign, this is the time to clarify and honor that intent.
3. "How would you like to be recognized? We publish donor names in our newsletter, our annual report, and our Web site. We'd love to include your name so we can publicly express our thanks … your commitment will inspire other people to give. May we list your name, or would you prefer to be anonymous?"
4. "Do you want your gift to honor someone you care about? We can list their name, your name, or both." When preparing your pledge form, include space to collect this information.
5. "Tell me a little more about why you support our work. We're always interested in what motivates our donors to give; this helps us reach out to other potential donors."
6. "Would you be willing to give a testimonial we can use in our newsletter and other promotional materials? Our most generous supporters – people like you – are our most credible advocates. May we have a sentence or two to share with others?"
7. "Would you be willing to join us at a board meeting and talk about why you support our work? It's really helpful for the board to hear directly from donors – it reminds them why we do the work we do and why it's important to ask people to contribute."
8. "How would you like to be kept informed about our work – and how often? Do you want a printed newsletter or do you prefer brief e-mails? Shall I phone you from time to time? Do you participate in social media like Facebook? Would you prefer to receive updates in person – and if so, how many times per year?"
9. "When I come back to give you an update, would you be willing to include family members so they can learn about your support of our work?" If you're cultivating donors for future gifts, especially planned gifts, this is an essential step.
10. "Can you recommend other people we can talk to about a gift? Do you have friends or colleagues who might want to join you in supporting our work? Would you be willing to make an introduction – by phone, by e-mail, or in person – or join me for the initial visit?"
11. "Given your strong commitment to our work, would you consider volunteering to help us raise money? For example, would you be willing to come along when I meet with prospects and talk about why you give?"
12. "What's your personal giving calendar? Are you typically a once-a-year donor? Twice a year? If we have an urgent need, can we approach you again? What schedule works best for you?"

Read the post HERE.

Nine Clever Ways to Thank Your Donors

I subscribe to marketing expert Kivi Leroux Miller's newsletter and she sends out a weekly email filled with marketing tips.These newsletters are chock-full of great words of wisdom from the marketing field and I've decided to create a little "moment" just for her.

Kivi Leroux Miller Marketing Moment


Nine Clever Ways to Thank Your Donors

1. Write a Greeting Card, Not a Business Letter

2. Share Recent Progress, However Small
3. Add an Invitation, But Not to Something that Requires Another Donation!
4. Use a More Creative, Personal Opening
5. Include Results-Oriented Photography
6. Record a Video Message
7. Send a Postcard from Behind-the-Scenes
8. Be Specific about How the Gift is Being Used
9. Change Who's Saying Thank You 

Click here to read the full article.

19th Annual Nonprofit Conference on Sustainability Strategies - Part 2

The agenda for the day:

9:00 a.m.	Opening & Keynote Address: Colin Groth, Strive Partnership
9:45 a.m.	Networking Break and Exhibitor Fair
10:00 a.m.	Workshop Session #2 "The Board's Role in Planning Impact" Patricia Lewis, ACFRE, ASU Lodestar Center "Lessons from a Toddler: The Importance of Asking 'Why?' Prospect Research and Development for Long-term Strategic Fundraising" Christopher Sar, CFRE, Director of Prospect Development, Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation "Dreams Deferred No More: Meeting the Challenge of Capital and Endowment Fundraising" Penelope Cagney, MA, CFRE, President, The Cagney Company "Increasing Collective Impact Using Social Media: Best Practices" Amy Neumann, Vice President of Social Media Initiatives, Social | Impact Consulting, LLC "Collective Impact Through Outstanding Leadership" Karen Ramsey, ACC, President & CEO, Lead for Good "Project SAM: A Case Study in Collective Impact" Tony Banegas, MPA, Philanthropic Advisor, Arizona Community Foundation Sally Clifford, Executive Vice-President, Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits Hallie Preskill, Ph.D, Executive Director, FSG – Strategic Learning & Evaluation Center Tamela Casey-Devore, Senior Development Manager, Junior Achievement of Arizona
11:15 a.m.	Networking Break and Exhibitor Fair
11:30 a.m.	Buffet Lunch and Networking
12:00 p.m.	Cases, Models and Collective Progress Discussion Tony Banegas, Arizona Community Foundation (Moderator) Laura Libman, CEO and President, Tia Foundation Allen Gjersvig, Executive Director, Keogh Health Connection Matt Lehrman, Executive Director, Alliance for Audience (ShowUp.com) Duane T. Miller, Board Chair, Social Venture Partners Arizona Debra Raeder-Gay, Executive Director, Governor's P-20 Council
1:00 p.m.	Exclusive screening of Saving Philanthropy: Resources to Results documentary
2:00 p.m.	Discussion and take-aways, facilitated by the producer, Kate Robinson
2:45 p.m.	Closing and Evaluations

My Takeaways:

So today was definitely better. In the morning, a Senior Philanthropic Advisor from ACF ended up sitting at my table and you can damn well bet I got his card! I need all the friends I can get on the inside. LOL.  So that was a very nice start to the day.

I attended the purple highlighted workshop and really enjoyed it. Here's the blurb:

Young children ask "why?" about everything imaginable. And they ask it again and again. It's not that they didn't hear the first answer. They've learned as early as toddlers that the response is always an explanation. And usually, the more times you ask it, the simpler and more direct the response ultimately becomes. The same process can be applied to developing your fundraising strategy. You will identify the core community needs. You will develop more focused organizational priorities. You will identify your best and most logical partners. And you will cultivate better relationships with your best current and potential supporters.

• Development starts with our case support. Build a case for support wit an eye toward how this will be viewed by potential supporters. What questions will they ask and will they feel this is worthwhile and important to them.
• Why is it important? Why are we doing this? Why would someone else support this work? Why now? Why this methodology? Why these partners? Why does it cost this much?
• Development Constructs: Pyramid Giving, Five "I's" of Donor Development, and Rosso's Concentric Circles.
• Pyramid of Giving: Bequests - 80%, Major Gifts, Annual Giving, First Time or One-off Gifts
• The Five I's: Identify (find potential supporters names), Interest (discover goals and objectives), Inform (let prospective supporters know about us), Involve (prospective supporters in our mission), and Invest (give them opportunities to put their passion into action).
• Rosso's Concentric Circles: the organization's universe, people with similar interests, former participants; former donors; former board members; clients; general donors; members; employees; volunteers; others, major donors, board, management.

Prospect Development and the Role of Research

Development Cycle: Identify--Research--Cultivate--Solicit--Steward

Process for Qualification/Research involves:

• Prospect research (history, public records, etc)
• Peer review
• Ongoing direct interaction
• Pitfalls and warnings

Recording and Maintaining a Donor Database:

• Giving history
• Contact management
• Research indicators

When meeting with donor prospects, ask them why to better understand their motivations. Why did they support the cause to which they gave their biggest gift? Why might our project interest them? Why are they involved in our organization? Why are they moved by/passionate about our cause?

Overall:

I enjoyed this conference and plan to attend again next year depending on the topic.

Raising More Money from Your Business Community

Web/Audio Conference - AFP Greater Arizona Chapter
Date/Time: Wednesday, August 24. 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Location: Rio Salado College Conference Center. 2323 W. 14th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281

Although corporations and businesses contribute just over 4% of all philanthropic dollars (over $14 billion in 2009) in the United States, much more is given through gifts in kind, corporate sponsorships, and personal donations of individual corporate leaders. And, in a typical capital campaign, businesses often provide a much more significant percentage of the overall goal. However many nonprofits fail to touch their local business community for a variety of reasons. In this webinar, they will discuss how to approach corporate leaders, how to motivate them to become involved in your organization, and how to develop a corporate appeal. 

Presenter Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE, is one of fewer than 100 professionals worldwide to hold the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive designation and has trained more than 18,000 professionals in all aspects of development in Canada, Mexico, Egypt, and most of the fifty United States. Linda is the author of Recruiting and Training Fundraising Volunteers, The Development Plan, Fundraising as a Career: What, Are You Crazy? Everything You Wanted to Know about Capital Campaigns, The Genius' Guide to Fundraising, a contributing author to The Fundraising Feasibility Study - It's Not About the Money, co-editor of You and Your Nonprofit, and co-author of The Essential Nonprofit Fundraising Handbook.

My Takeaways:

First of all, I've never been privvy to the concept of web/audio conference. But basically, you're in a room with other people listening in on the call and watching the webinar online, something you would normally do by yourself. 

Second, this experience was my second experience with this web/audio conference concept and it was marred by the fact that the sound went out on page 7 of the presentation and came back in bits and spurts, so I didn't get the full effect of the workshop. Especially since I was really looking forward to attending.

Other things I learned:

• Corporate giving is often the route to individual gifts from corporate leaders
• Corporate volunteer programs can add significantly to the bottom line of nonprofits
• Who are the real potential donors? Not the typical "Big Money" places
• Ask for money, and you'll get advice; ask for advice and you'll get money
• Do the "rubber chicken circuit" (mixers, business breakfasts, networking events)
• Know your case and be able to present it to the business community - Show how your business can benefit their bottom line 
• Work with the business community - How does your business community work? How does your business relate to theirs?
• Businesses look at their bottom line, efficiency/transparency, impact on community, partnership opportunities and recognition
• Conduct "cultivation activities" such as tours, individual meetings/advice meetings, involvement in your organization
• The board's role is hosting cultivation events/activities, opening doors, and the development committee
• Volunteers, structure, the case, choosing the right prospects, training and reporting make it successful 

Minority Report

Now this is interesting...

An article in Philanthropy News Digest indicated that minorities are more likely to engage causes online. Based on a 2010 survey of two thousand Americans age 18 and over, a new study conducted in 2010 from Georgetown University's Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy Public Relations indicated the following:

~ 30% of African Americans and 39% of Hispanics feel they are more likely to support a cause or social issue online than off, compared to 24 percent of Caucasians.

~ When it comes to spreading information about a cause or social issue, 58% of African Americans and 51% of Hispanics are more likely to do so through online social networks, compared to 34% of Caucasians.

~ African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than Caucasians to use social media as an additional source of information as well as to engage with causes by joining a group on Facebook or posting a cause's logo to their online profile.

~ When it comes to social media-induced "cause fatigue," 76% Caucasians are more likely to feel that cause-related e-mails sometimes feel like spam, compared to 66% and 69% of African Americans and Hispanics.

~ Hispanics are more likely to believe that everybody "likes" causes on Facebook and it doesn't really mean anything.

~ 48% of Caucasians and 51% of Hispanics agree they get too many e-mails from the causes or charities they support, 33% of African Americans feel that way.

~ 54% of African Americans and 55% of Hispanics feel more strongly that it's important for their family to be involved in a cause, compared to 46% of Caucasians, and are more likely to be involved in key issues such as diabetes, domestic violence, bullying, childhood obesity, Haiti earthquake relief and recovery efforts, and HIV/AIDS.