My parents went to a party for my school.   My brother got a gym membership and I got lessons. My parents got Friday night at a fancy hotel without me and my brother. But we had fun anyway with our cousin.  I got to stay up until 9:30.  I asked my parents if they had any more papers to be able to go out again.   They only laughed.  said next year.

From Papa:

Break the silence of the “Silent Auction”.   Do not leave money behind.  The quieter you are on the auction, the smaller the return.  Promote the auction to find that special unique gift for the holidays or summer get away.

Want to make sure your nonprofit in its silent auction maximizes bids and participation.   Use an online process in the auctions of items.  Increase the number of people who would bid if you allowed them to participate on line.  Increase the number of people who would have bid 150 % of the items worth if they could buy it now on line.  Increase the number of items that can clearly be shown and pushed at the auction if there was room.

Effective communication to an individual will ultimately provide the means of successfully raising support for the nonprofit.

Face to face while labor intensive is the best approach for increasing current individual supporters to become major donors.  Remember that ten percent of the individual donors give up to 80 percent of the money.  This is the area that Management and the Board should being spending their time when dealing with fund raising directly.

There are four basic means for the individuals to make a donation and make a difference for the nonprofit.

1. Give Cash
2. Donate items for an auction or donate items on nonprofit need list
3. Provide in-kind support such as pro bono work or cover costs of an event or initiative.
4. Be a volunteer or provide employees to volunteer

Remember when an individual says NO it may really mean maybe or later.   You at least got to talk to the person.  That is a good beginning.

Invite the individual to tour the programs and see the impact of the nonprofit.  In a face to face do not overwhelm the Individual with people.  It is best to consider only bringing one other person.

Building relationships is not about treating everyone the same.  It is about sustaining nurtured friends and creating a sense of community.

To make sure I can get what I want I give my parents hints.  For my birthday I would like a computer.  For school I need to be able to do research.  I will not  crash your computer if I have my own.  The computer screen will not get messed up.  This drawing of the car is from a Play Station game I want.  It has lots of cool cars.

From Papa:

Just like knowing the interests of our children, nonprofits need to know the interests of their current and potential donors.  There is nothing worst than showing a lack of interest in whom the donor is.  Did you do your homework about the donor?  Do you have talking points of interest to establish a personnel connections. Have you gathered information to create a profile on the donor and feel there is sufficient information to interact with the potential donor.  Play to the donors strengths and interest.  Remember you need to be in contact seven times to maximize the communication and increase results.   You do not ask for money every time.   Try an Internet search on the person and see what comes up.

Because Individuals give 84% of the donation to nonprofits.

Keeping your current donors should be your highest priority.  Why, because studies show that up to 50% of your new or increased giving is offset by discontinued donors or a donor giving less.

Knowledge about donors is golden, but it is worthless if the nonprofit does not record it.    Stop depending on a specific individual to have the information and make sure it is recorded in a data base kept by the nonprofit and the organization leadership can access it.

 The approach comes down to five simple options.

1. Direct Face to Face contact
2. Telephone contact
3. Special Event
4. Direct Mail
5. On line fund raising

The higher the donation being solicited the more personnel that the approach is going to have to be.

There are five factors to calculate when planning the personnel approach. Is it realistic for the Chief Executive of the nonprofit organization and/or Board President to spend up to 25 % of their time contacting potential big donors?  Is it realistic that the amount of time is available for contacting 8-12 individuals a week over a 40 week period?  Is it realistic to target 320-480 individuals? What does the organization know about the potential donor to make a connection to the potential donor?  What is the organization going to do to recognize the donors?

In fundraising the best standard to follow to nurture supporters is to contact the individual seven times a year without asking for money.  The most important aspect to keep supporters, expand the supporter base, grow donors and volunteers and have a successful fundraising campaign is being consistent; gather as much information about the potential supporter and recording it. Listed below are many suggestions for opportunities to communicate. Pick seven or come up with your own.

·    January 1 New Year’s Day
·    Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (3rd Monday of January)
·    February 14 Valentine’s Day
·    February 18 Presidents Day (3rd Monday of February)
·    April 21 Patriot’s Day (3rd Monday of April)
·    May 11 Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday of May)
·    May 26 Memorial Day (last Monday of May)
·    June 14 Flag Day
·    June 15 Father’s Day (3rd Sunday of June)
·    July 4 Independence Day
·    September 1 Labor Day (first Monday of September)
·    September 2 First day of Ramadan (Islamic, movable based on Lunar calendar)
·    September 11 Patriots Day
·    September 30 - October 1 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish; movable, based on Jewish calendar)
·    October 9 Yom Kippur (Jewish, movable, 9 days after first day of Rosh Hashanah)
·    October 13 Columbus Day (2nd Monday of October)
·    October 14 First day of Sukkot (Jewish; movable, 14 days after Rosh Hashanah)
·    October 20 Last Day of Sukkoth (Jewish)
·    October 31 Halloween
·    November 11 Veterans Day
·    November 27 Thanksgiving (4th Thursday of November)
·    December 22 First day of Hanukkah (Jewish; movable, based on Jewish calendar)
·    December 25 Christmas (Christian)
·    December 26 First day of Kwanzaa
·    December 31 New Year’s Eve
·    Newsletter
·    Donors/Volunteers/Friends Birthday

8th Contact used to ask for financial support:
·    Annual fundraising event
·    Annual campaign

Lord Jeffery Amherst who is reputed to have given blankets contaminated with smallpox to the Native Americans in hopes of wiping him out, thus making him one of history’s first Bio-Terrorists. Regardless of whether that actually happened, Lord Amherst is known to have endorsed the concept and called for the “extirpation” of Native Americans in his own writing. Despite that history, he is admired by many Americans even to this day. His name adorns some great institutions and several towns and counties in the United States and Canada. I highlight his legacy because of his connection to both government and a nonprofit education institution. The second reason I highlight his legacy is that the past can come back to haunt an organization. There are many businesses that have been identified even presently of links to war time actions of their past former leaders and their actions required the companies to make financial arrangements in response in present day value. While today it may be difficult to prove that the wealth of a nonprofit was built upon the funds earned by inappropriate actions of a former leader, just the accusation can cause sufficient financial harm if the assets of a nonprofit are not large enough to weather the furor. It is better to be up front and take action once information is known.

For more history on the evolution of Lord Jeffrey Amherst’s reputation check out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Amherst

Recently the Boston Foundation released a study on the state of nonprofits in Massachusetts.  While the report  focused on Massachusetts I recommend it as a resource for every nonprofit.  I would suggest that while reading the report you consider four questions.

1. How can outsourcing maximize the organizations assets and resources and lower its costs?
2. How could being part of a cooperative maximize the organizations assets and resources and lower its costs?
3. What is the status of the organizations strategic plan?
4. What succession planning has been completed by the organization?

You may click on link to the report to go to the Boston Foundation web site and download the report.  Please note the report is PDF and is over 100 pages.

There is a tremendous need for affordable housing not only for the community at large but for many of the employees whom wish to work in the nonprofit field.  Nonprofit organizations are constantly looking for affordable space to deliver their programs.  There are several means to utilize both needs to accomplish both.  An organization may choose to use its scale to develop its own  plan.  Some nonprofits will find it beneficial to partner with other nonprofits and/or for-profit entities.

Nonprofits have access to funding sources that for-profits do not.  Therefore, with sufficient planning, design and the right partners nonprofits can make a huge impact in the affordable housing area.   These affordable housing ventures done right can  within five years generate revenues for nonprofits to pay for a level of program costs.

Does a company’s type of incorporation define whether it should do no harm?

Should the goals of a company be for the greater good of the public?

Should the goals of a company be for the greater good of the community?

Should the goals of a company be for the greater good of the world?

The success of any organization requires that it be responsible to its financial well being as well as is mission. The merging of non-profit and for-profit ideas and best practices can bring social responsibility and social media to the forefront.