Fundraising Advice from Ruthellen Rubin at New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership Annual Conference

“If you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice.” So said Ruthellen Rubin, fundraising consultant, at the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership Conference this past weekend in Princeton, NJ. Ruthellen was speaking to staff, board members and volunteers of New Jersey education foundations about how to raise money. Of course the GiftWorks team was there demonstrating how GiftWorks is part of the fundraising solution. Let me share fundraising challenges that I heard and solutions that Ruthellen offered.

Leading fundraising challenges that education foundations face:

• "How do we cultivate new donors?"
• "How do we get corporate donors?"
• "How do we find larger donors?"
• "How do we generate support from local business donors year after year?"
• "How do we state our need for support in a way that motivates donors?"

Fundraising advice from Ruthellen Rubin

• Don’t stop asking for money despite the poor economy. Many who gave to you before will give to you again, and based on the growing need for your services, they may even give more.
• Focus on donors who have a personal connection with you- they know what you do and stating your case with them is easier than with strangers.
• “The best prospect for fundraising is the person who just wrote you a check.” - Focus on those that have been giving small contributions; you may be able to move them up the ladder to larger ones.
• Don’t ask others for money until 100% of your board members have made contributions to your organization. This is an essential selling point for prospective donors.
• “People give to you because you meet needs, not because you have needs.”

Ruthellen also recommended GiftWorks Fundraising Software. Thanks Ruthellen! And thanks to all of those at the New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership who presented a great first annual conference!

South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations Partners with GiftWorks!

The GiftWorks team is happy to welcome a new state partner: South Carolina! The South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO) has joined 11 other state nonprofit associations in selecting GiftWorks as a preferred software supplier for their member organizations. The mission of SCANPO, an organization with over 700 members, is to "serve, support, and strengthen nonprofit organizations for a better South Carolina."

 

Beyond the fact that we're excited to develop new relationships with the nice people, and vibrant nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, we consider these state partnerships an important way of supporting different regions of the country with GiftWorks products and services. These partnerships enable us to understand the specific issues that nonprofits face state by state, and they enable us to meet and get to know customers in these areas.

Here are all of the state nonprofit associations that partner with GiftWorks: New York Council of Nonprofits, Utah Nonprofits Association, Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations, Idaho Nonprofit Center, Florida Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Associations, Colorado Nonprofit Association, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Associations, New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, and South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

 

For those of you in South Carolina, please join the GiftWorks team at SCANPO’s 12^th annual conference  in Spartanburg, SC on April 29- May 1. See you there!

GiftWorks Communities Bloom

Although it's hardly felt like spring this year (at least in PA), I am delighted to report that several GiftWorks Communities are in full bloom!  In the last month, we have launched several communities with a terrific response from our clients and consultant partners.

First, we have a GiftWorks User Group on Linked In for GiftWorks Customers and Consultant Partners only.  This gives our users a chance to connect with fellow users or consultant experts in their region or sector very easily.  They can share best practices, questions, and fundraising strategies.  We've seen a great response to this community in just a short time.  It is refreshing and fun for our team to see the insightful questions and answers posted by fellow members. 

We also have Linked In groups exclusively for our consultants partners where they can share ideas and strategies with their fellow nonprofit consultant colleagues.

Finally, we have created a Facebook page that is open to everybody!  Please become a fan and stay up-to-date on all the latest and greatest from the GiftWorks Team. 

We look forward to meeting you on Linked In and Facebook!

What Happens When Donors Give Time Instead of Money?

There’s a new trend that you may be experiencing first hand- donors give time instead of money. And this is happening at a time when demand for your services is at an all time high and your resources are stretched thinner than ever. Dan Kadlec discusses this trend in “The Nonprofit Squeeze” from the March 30 edition of Time Magazine.

 

Kadlec cites this statistic showing increased demand for nonprofit services: recent aid requests to the United Way rose +68% vs. 2007. And he adds that 52% of nonprofits have had their funding cut. Truly there is a strong squeeze on nonprofit resources. Kadlec says, “The good news is that volunteers are stepping forward as never before.” AmeriCorps reports that its applications for volunteer service rose +208% in February vs. the same period last year. But this creates its own challenges.

 

Kadlec's article says, "The time-money swap, which is washing over the charity world like a tidal wave during this recession, poses stiff challenges for nonprofits. They can't pay the rent with volunteer hours." Also, when staff is reduced, training and management of volunteers gets harder."

 

“Nonprofits unprepared for what appears to be a historic influx of volunteers risk sending those folks home underappreciated and losing them forever--not just as volunteers but also as cash donors when the economy revives,” says John Power, executive director of the Volunteer Center in San Francisco.

 

If your organization is experiencing this trend, you may be asking how you can manage volunteers to get the most benefit from them today. Here are some suggestions.

First, acknowledge this new reality (even if it’s not permanent). The work of volunteers is going to have to make up some of your lost financial resources. Second, develop a plan to manage these volunteers. This may mean diverting staff from other functions to train and manage volunteers. While this could be a short term loss of productivity, it should help you in the longer term as you benefit from the multiplication of effort. Lastly, consider a tool like GiftWorks Volunteers. This add-in to GiftWorks Fundraising Software gives you simple tools to maintain contact with volunteers, manage their assignments, and track their hours. Take a look at GiftWorks Volunteers.

 

Click here to read the Time Magazine article: “The Nonprofit Squeeze.”

Phone-a-thon Idea

Last night I made calls for the YWCA of Lancaster's Annual Campaign phone-a-thon.  I am on the board, and as such, volunteer there in many capacities, but I have to admit, I truly enjoy the opportunity to "smile and dial" in support of a great organization.

The YWCA actually had a great angle on the phone-a-thon that made it very successful and that you may want to consider.  They had an anonymous donor who matched every increase from 2008 Annual Gifts, and fully matched the gift of any lapsed donor who returned in 2009.  So a donor who gave $50 in 2008 and $75 in 2009 would have the $25 increase matched dollar for dollar.  A donor who gave $100 in 2007 and returned to the YWCA in 2009 would have their entire gift matched.

As a caller, this gave me a great way to maximize every call.  Instead of feeling awkward asking for an increased donation in a tough economy, I could say "Last year you generously gave $100.  This year we have a benefactor who will match any increase in that amount this year.  Is it possible for you to give a little more?"  Nearly every caller who was planning on giving again increased their gift - even if only by $5 - although some by much more.  It was easy for me to ask, and very satisfying to know my time calling on behalf of the YWCA produced so much more than it might have otherwise.

Of course, there were a couple of past donors I called who could not give in 2009 due to economy-related circumstances.  They all expressed gratitude for my call, however, and remain extremely supportive of the YWCA's mission of empowering women and girls and eliminating racism.  They were not awkward conversations in the least.   

If you have a strong supporter who is looking to help your organization in a creative way, do consider asking them to provide matching gifts for increased gifts as the YWCA of Lancaster did.  I bet you will find it to work very well!