Foundation Center's Advisory Posts Giving Trends in 2011...Good read, folks.

As a savvy nonprofit -- you will want forward this article from the Foundation Center on to key staff and board members -- it is an interesting read.

Best wishes,
DCR

http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/researchadvisory_economy_201011.pdfpdf

Do the ideas of Planned Giving or Managing Bequests Scare You?

Nonprofits --Re-Think, Re-Invent, Re-Engage in 2011.



Putting your money into a sock won't grow it in 2011.

Consider investing in consultants and experienced

 professionals to take your nonprofit to a new level.

 Small and mid-sized nonprofits rarely go after Bequests or develop a Planned Giving Campaign.  In today's edgy donor investment market, it might be time for these organizations to take the scary mask off of the whole process. Here is a link to BIPS, a company that will explain the art of gift solicitation and manage the financial/compliance process for you.   http://www.bipster.com/nonprofits-income.

Best Wishes in the New Year,

DCR

Strategies for the New Year



2011 is here...connect the pieces



Nonprofit Friends -- 2011 is already here.

Have you planned for this New Year in terms of strategies, identifying trends, furthering your mission, developing new programs, re-evaluating old programs, staff evaluations, management evals, Ex. Director eval, volunteer program evals, board development?

Competition for the fundraising dollar, grant monies and donor investment is getting tighter.  What does this mean to you?  Your organization needs to plan, plan and plan again.  Gone are the days when a small or mid-sized nonprofit can just "hope" things will work out next year.

Donors, corporations and foundations not only want specific information on how their investments are being used, they want to know you are a savvy organization with strategic planning in place.  They want to know you have good business principles and a plan.  Have you brought in community members and/or other organizations to help you look at the future of your organization?  Have you thought about collaboration with other nonprofits and what that might mean for your agency?  Do you have a contingency plan, or media emergency plan or disaster plan...in place and communicated agency/community wide?

There is danger in not evaluating your entire organization at least once a year -- from your message to your effectiveness.  Are you using the same, tired, old message to an audience (your community) who has heard it over and over for years?  Do you talk about your results in a way that communicates your effectiveness to everyone?  I know you say your programs are working, but do they really accomplish what your board, management, staff and investors want? How do your clients (customers) feel about what you do?  Have you asked them in an anonymous survey? Can you do more -- in a new way?

I spent ten years in the non-profit sector in staff, management and board positions.  One thing I learned is that if you allow your organization to become stagnant, stick with the status quo and continually go back to the same donors with the same message -- your organization is already in trouble.

I have added an opportunity for growth and change to my website.  I went to amazon.com and compiled a list of non-profit books that can help you dust off old thinking, inspire the entire organization and reconnect with your community.  Located about mid-way down the page on the right side is a direct link to the books (Slideshow) I have chosen on amazon.com.  You can peruse the list, find a book/books that might interest you or be pertinent for your board, volunteers or staff members.  Click on the link and purchase directly from this site.

Ask questions, inspire staff, encourage volunteers, reconnect to your community...shake off the dust...the New Year is here.

Respectfully,
DCR 

Best Blogs for Philanthropy Students and Cool College Info

Philanthropy Blogs

Rose King, a writer for the informative and cool The Gazette College Crunch blog, contacted me several weeks ago, and ask me to share this info.  The blog list is helpful and the site offers lots o' info.  http://www.collegecrunch.org/feature/25-blogs-for-philanthropic-students/

You may want to cruise around the site to pick up bits and pieces of useful info about college degrees, school finance, career planning, etc.

Thanks for the shout out from College Crunch!

Best wishes,
DCR

Is Your fundraising campaign stumbling?



Move your campaign into
 the light and examine it



Is your fundraising campaign faltering, stumbling, slowing down?  Here is a very good, brief, article on the Top 10 Fundraising Mistakes. It is a super little checklist and reminder -- particularly handy for this time of year.  Although all of these tips are viable, #7 and #8 resonate with me.

http://www.afpnet.org/ResourceCenter/ArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=4610

The article is an excerpt from independent fundraising consultant Julie Ingraham Walker's book titled Jump-Starting the Stalled Fundraising Campaign.

The link was provided by the Association of Fundraising Professionals/Resource Center.

Good luck!

DCR

Nonprofits -- A Brilliant Resource -- Inside Philanthropy Blog

 Nonprofit Sector Knowledge = Survival

Nonprofits + Economy = A long harsh winter.  Or does it?

So many nonprofits have been hit by this seemingly unending harsh economy.  Reduced funding from state sources, foundations and donors comes at a time when the demand for service has risen substantially.  Now is the time for nonprofits to build capacity through knowledge of their own industry.  As a member of the nonprofit sector, ask yourself, how well do I understand the industry -- where it has been, what is happening now and where is it going?

How can management, board and staff be more informed? What are the emerging issues in the sector or best practices by your colleagues?  Is it time to merge or return to the basics?

I have an outstanding resource for you -- Inside Philanthropy -- a blog flown under the banner of the Philanthropy Journal.  Extremely well-written and timely, this blog offers both insightful articles and informative reports.  It is a must-read for today's savvy nonprofits.      http://philanthropyjournal.blogspot.com/

Happy and informative reading,
DCR

Nonprofits...What is in your Online Press Room?

Yes, you can devote an area on your website specifically as a press room. The content should be on the organizational level, rather than specific program, services, locations or events.

 

Make it easy for the media
to interact with your organization

It is fairly easy to include documents used in your hard-copy press kit, and more:

• The latest news. Journalists who’ve come to expect your site to offer current information, will access your virtual press kit...if it makes its latest news accessible by topic and by date.
• Down loadable photos and graphics to accompany their stories. Authorized photos of leaders, staff, clients and several sizes of your logo in high quality resolution.  Include specific terms for use for your logo. 
• Do you have experts on your staff: Include a directory of experts, credentials, topics, availability for presentations and contact information.
• List community issues and how your organization responds to them.
• An event calendar and response timeline. Update daily or weekly.
• Guidelines on writing and reporting on your agency’s key populations. If your clients have vulnerability issues , discuss useful tips and even proper language, including photo etiquette.
• Savvy nonprofits now offer audio and/or video clips, including ads – as professionally produced as possible.
• Successes, Awards and Recognition—let others proclaim your agency’s success.
• News Feed for Automatic Receipt of Press Room Updates… Make it easy to get press releases via an RSS reader.
• Consider adding: History, Milestones, Statistics and Bios on organizational leaders with specific quotes.
• You can offer client testimonials and or photos (with the properly signed media release forms, including timelines for use)
• Consider outside support testimonials -- companies, corporations, businesses, community leaders.  Permission to use required.
• Brief Case for Support

 Critical:  Always offer contact information for your organization’s primary media contact or spokesperson.

Best wishes,
DCR
DCRdesign

Nonprofits: Develop your case for support (CFS)...

It is simple, right...everyone in your community is willing to support your nonprofit (NP) mission?  The answer, is, most likely, "Yes, it is a great cause."   Are you feeling the disconnect between mission awareness and the donations yet?

Put your best image forward

Community support for your mission is cultivated through relationship-building, visibility, credibility and community involvement -- and that is the external part!  Work takes place internally as well, i.e., mission awareness, media strategy awareness and compliance, social media program...just to name a few.

Here is a great test. Pretend you aren't in the NP sector. Decide to make a cash donation to a local non-profit.  What is it you want to know about that organization -- where does the money go; are they mission faithful; are they top-heavy with administration; how are they successful; do they have community support; how many volunteers; who is on the board; how are they funded?

Now answer these questions for your own organization and you are well on your way to building your own case for support CFS).  You want each and every staff member, board member and volunteer to have a good understanding of your mission and CFS -- and be able to communicate it.  Developing it doesn't have to be tedious, long and boring -- as a matter of fact, your CFS shouldn't be take all that long to explain -- the verbal portion -- 5 mins. A print version is another story.  Your CFS is what positions your NP for grants, fundraising, donations and planned giving and most importantly, community support.

Developing a Case For Support...some thoughts

•  Begin with your mission statement. You may want to reevaluate it. Many donors decide to give based on how your mission matches his/her values. Demonstrate how your NP addresses specific needs in the community – make it real for the donor.
• Provide statistics on the success of your programs and show long-term benefits.
• Impress a sense of urgency or “call to action” and tell them why keeping your doors open is good for the community.
• Generate excitement. Use short sentences and paragraphs. Highlight important information with bullets and in boxes. Refine, refine, refine…until the passion and commitment that everyone in your organization brings to the table, shines in every sentence.

Best wishes,
Nonprofits add strength to the community.
Diana

Year-End Appeal Letter...now or never!

It's October, folks -- time to put your strategy for year-end and or holiday appeal letters in place and get them in the mail by mid-November.  A well-thought out, brief and meaningful appeal letter can help make the difference for you this year.    

You will want to put your organization's fingerprint on the letter.  What does that mean?  I like to think of it as the "fingerprints of success".  Tell donors about your achievements and success in terms of the successes of those you have helped.  A well-crafted letter will help your potential donors see (and feel) the results of your organization's commitment within your community.  You want them to understand the strength you bring to the community and make an investment decision to help your organization continue its successes. 

And remember, donor investment is all about relationships -- take care of yours!  Phone calls, tours of your organization, meetings with other "investors", all help build the relationship between you and your current or potential donors. 

Fired-Up Fundraising features a great article on how to create a request letter to get the maximum results. 
Here is a link to the article...     http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/fired-up-fundraising/top-10-ways-to-screw-up-your-year-end-fundraising-campaign/165486260134695 

I wish you great success! 
DCR

New DCR art website launched

Hello, it has been awhile.  I am happy to say my new art website, http://www.dcrdesign.us/, has launched.  The site features my greeting cards and art -- a dream and goal accomplished!  Many thanks to Rice Agency for their beautiful and thoughtful web design.  Please take a look at my new site and feel free to comment on this site -- I would love to hear from you.  Thank you for your patience -- I will return posting at this site with tips on nonprofit fundraising and marketing ideas.  Here's to you!  Diana

New posts coming....

Break
My apologies, I have taken a brief break from this blog to put time into the development of my new website and blog, both featuring DCRdesign artwork and greeting cards.  I plan to revisit this site in the near future and post ideas for nonprofit growth.  Please visit my personal expression blog, The Many Avenues of Truth at http://www.dcrtruth.blogspot.com/ if you would like to leave a comment or have questions.

Regards,
DCR

How are nonprofits funded?

The green, green grass of funding...

Nonprofits, just like their for-profit partners, require funds to continue operations.  

How do nonprofits raise money to fund their operations?  If they are competitive and progressive in the nonprofit sector, they have a variety of funding resources that are evaluated and prioritized annually.

Resources

Individuals
According to the June, 2009 news release from the Giving USA Foundation, charitable giving in the United States exceeded $300 billion for the second year in a row in 2008. Donations to charitable causes in the United States reached an estimated $307.65 billion in 2008, a 2 percent drop in current dollars over 2007.  The 2008 number is the first decline in giving in current dollars since 1987.

Federal, State and Local Governments - typically through grant applications in the areas of social services and healthcare

Public and Private Foundations - grant applications

Community/Family Foundations - relationships and grant applications
 
Corporations - relationships and grant applications

Federated Funds - i.e. United Way - grant applications

Special Events - donor support through dinners, walks, auctions, etc.

Annual Fund - annual (or more frequent) appeal to community members

Membership Campaign - annual appeal to community members

Capital Campaign - usually a multi-year campaign to raise funds for capital projects or a specific project/event

Faith Community - individual or group donor support through funds or in-kind investment

Product/Services Revenue - sales of services, items, products

Planned Giving - often a large donation at the time of death or an immediate large gift

Endowment Income - funds that produce interest that is used to support the organization

Each resource has its advantages and disadvantages to the organization in terms of cost effectiveness, record keeping, accessability, risk, process, guidelines, requirements for board involvement , mission focus and requirements for donor investment. 

To be successful, a nonprofit must be positioned accurately, particularly for the fundraising effort.  The organization will benefit by knowing its own strengths and weaknesses.   

Five Moneymakers in Nonprofit Fundraising

With this blog, DCRinsights, I am able to share my knowledge about fundraising, marketing, grant writing, strategic planning, organizational development and merger, leadership and governance in the nonprofit sector.  My background includes 10 years as senior executive management for two human services organizations, providing services to over 25,000 homeless and domestic violence victims annually. 

I am in the process of developing this site as a vehicle to help nonprofit organizations increase their sustainability, donations, community position and media visibility.  My company, DCR Design, a division of Rice Agency, features a department with a profit and non-profit business consulting focus.  I am looking forward to sharing my insights with members of nonprofit organizations.

Diana Campbell Rice

Upcoming Topics

• How are nonprofits funded?
• Develop a Direct Mail Campaign
• Develop Your Case for Support
• Develop a Membership Campaign
• Choose Your Board Members Wisely
• Create Special Events

Recommended Reading

• Please scoll to the bottom of the blog for reading suggestions