At first glance, the web site of the Nonprofits Assistance Fund (www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org) seems to simply explain the services they offer.  The site begins by talking about what they do in these words: We provide loans that help nonprofits realize their visions, financial management training and resources that promote healthy financial practices, and [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

At first glance, the web site of the Nonprofits Assistance Fund (www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org) seems to simply explain the services they offer.  The site begins by talking about what they do in these words: We provide loans that help nonprofits realize their visions, financial management training and resources that promote healthy financial practices, and guidance to nonprofit staff on strategic financial planning and management. If you are looking for these services, this is a good place to be.

But how useful is the site for those of you in week four of the “15 Minutes a Day Research Challenge”? I believe it is extraordinarily useful for two reasons. First, click on “Healthy Financial Practices”, and then click “Financial Management Resources”.  This section is filled with practical information every nonprofit needs such as good examples of nonprofit business models and information on decoding the new 990.  Make sure you bookmark this section so it will be available when you need to figure out financial information that you don’t deal with every day. Second, the site offers two blogs that focus on healthy financial practices and strategic financial planning and management.

Although reading about finances and strategic management may not be your favorite thing to do, there are times when it is necessary. The Nonprofits Assistance Fund website makes what could be an onerous task easier by having the material available at the click of your mouse.

(For those of you who have completed the “Fifteen Minutes a Day Research Challenge”, and even those who managed to do some research this month, I would love to hear how your research has helped your nonprofit – and if you plan to continue this venture in lifelong learning. Email me at www.TheJoyPath.com.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event September 30th in Plymouth!

During a 15 minute research session this week, I learned the following information:

Even if you have only been in the development field for a few months, it is likely you know that AFP stands for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the international professional organization that serves people who work in all aspects of development.  Although it was more than a decade ago that I [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

Even if you have only been in the development field for a few months, it is likely you know that AFP stands for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the international professional organization that serves people who work in all aspects of development.  Although it was more than a decade ago that I attended their worldwide conference, I can remember how impressed I was with the training and the opportunity to network with colleague from around the world.

Today, I am equally amazed at what the AFP web site (www.afpnet.org) offers both members and nonmembers. This site should be a bookmark for anyone in the development field – or who may be interested in learning more about it. There are four areas open to nonmembers that I find particularly useful. This site offers blogs on a variety of topics that are frequently updated. It has an event page that details trainings, both live and online, that are open to anyone. The ethics section offers clear and succinct explanations on ethics issues that we all need to know. And, if you are interested in finding a job or a consulting opportunity, go to the extensive Job Center.

If you are doing the “15 Minutes a Day Research Challenge”, make sure that you check out the AFP site early this week. Not only will it provide useful information you may need right now; it will also lead you to many other useful resources to pursue later in the week.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!

This week I suggest you look at these two web sites: www.guidestar.org and www.charitynavigator. Both of these web sites focus on providing information to potential donors but in very different ways. GuideStar basically uses input from the nonprofits themselves. You can (and should) sign up for the free membership (if you haven’t [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

This week I suggest you look at these two web sites: www.guidestar.org and www.charitynavigator. Both of these web sites focus on providing information to potential donors but in very different ways. GuideStar basically uses input from the nonprofits themselves. You can (and should) sign up for the free membership (if you haven’t already) and then take the time to completely fill in the profile for your organization. If you don’t, all that will appear when someone types in your name are your most recent Federal 990’s. Commit to input and updating all the info on your nonprofit on a regular basis. When you do this, GuideStar provides you the opportunity to market your nonprofit to a wide audience, many of whom check this site before they write a check to anyone. For those of you who do large direct mail programs, this is particularly important.

Charity Navigator is “America’s premier independent charity evaluator”. Its purpose is to “advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America’s largest charities.” In addition to giving you the opportunity to look at detailed information about these charities, this site offers much more. It has a very interesting blog which is updated regularly and has much information useful to development professionals. There is a “Tips and Resources” section that gives practical advice on a wide variety of topics. The “2010 Metro Market Study” provides useful figures that you can use to compare your financial ratios with those of similar nonprofits in your market. And its “Top Ten Lists” provide information, sometimes amazing, sometimes shocking, that provide fascinating reading.

In conclusion, make sure you become familiar with both of these sites because many donors check one or the other (or both) as part of their “due diligence” in deciding where to give their charitable dollars.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!

When coaching development staff, I always encourage them to look beyond the day to day busyness of their jobs to learn from others in the development field. A common response I hear goes something like this: “I’d love to know how someone has started an endowment fund or increased annual giving or [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

When coaching development staff, I always encourage them to look beyond the day to day busyness of their jobs to learn from others in the development field. A common response I hear goes something like this: “I’d love to know how someone has started an endowment fund or increased annual giving or expanded their major gift program, but I am so tired at the end of the day that I don’t have the energy to do any research.” First I empathize with their feeling drained after a long day’s work and then I suggest that they do the research at the beginning of the day.

If you commit to research for fifteen minutes a day every work day, you will have a total of 60 hours dedicated to research over the course of the year. This gives you a significant amount of time to expand your development education. (FYI, this figure is based on 15 minutes a day, five days a week for 48 weeks.) Make sure to put a timer next to your computer and set it for 15 minutes. Research can be so engaging that an hour may go by and then you will be scrambling to get your day’s work done.

I am going to use this blog during the month of August to suggest one web site each week to help you begin your research. These are all sites that I have found useful and I think that you will too. (You will find that many of them have links to other sites. Bookmark the links that seem interesting so you can get back to them during your next research periods.)

One of my current favorite fundraising web sites is www.Blackbaud.com. Yes, Blackbaud is that creator of fundraising software and there is a lot of sales info here. Skip all this and click on “Nonprofit Resources” which will lead you to many interesting articles and to their “Index for Online Giving”. Did you know that online giving increased by 23% for the three months ending in May 2010 (as compared to the same time period in 2009)? This figure is updated quarterly and is also broken down by the size of the organizations that Blackbaud tracks.

Take this “15 Minutes a Day for Research” challenge for one month. I guarantee that you will be amazed at how much you have learned about development…and how much more effectively you can do your job because of what you have learned.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!

With so much buzz about online fundraising and using social media to market your nonprofit, do you think that the cost of doing direct mail may not be worth the return on investment? If so, think again. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, “direct mail consistently remains one of the most [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

With so much buzz about online fundraising and using social media to market your nonprofit, do you think that the cost of doing direct mail may not be worth the return on investment? If so, think again. According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, “direct mail consistently remains one of the most important and successful types of fundraising”. Although donations from online and email campaigns are gradually increasing, income from direct mail remains a solid source of support for many nonprofits.

When working with clients who are either just thinking about getting into the direct mail field or want to expand their reach, I suggest that they interview experienced companies that have a track record of helping nonprofits raise money through direct mail. I often hear that it costs too much to outsource this work. When this occurs, I have the nonprofit track the actual time it took to produce a recent fundraising letter in-house (including the time to back up any supporting research, the creating of important stories to include, the actual writing, the clean-up of the mailing lists, the graphic design and production of the letter and envelope, and the time it takes to put together the mailing and separate it to utilize the nonprofit mailing rate). Then I have them multiply the total time it took
by the hourly salaries of all individuals involved in the project to determine the cost of producing this one request letter.

Even when using a direct mail company, staff will still have to put time into preparing the ideas for the letter, making sure the mailing lists are accurate, and tracking the results. In most cases, however, the nonprofit will discover that it is cost-effective to use a direct mail company – and that the results exceed those they have seen from in-house letters.  Of course, like any ongoing fundraising, the results may be slow at first but direct mail shouldn’t be a one-time effort. It is a fundraising tool that can be an integral, ongoing part of your overall fundraising plan.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!

How much thought do you put into thank you letters for annual fund donors? Do you use a standard form for all gifts? If so, you may want to look at three ways you can make your thank you letters more effective.

First, tell the donor how you will use the money they [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

How much thought do you put into thank you letters for annual fund donors? Do you use a standard form for all gifts? If so, you may want to look at three ways you can make your thank you letters more effective.

First, tell the donor how you will use the money they donated. Of course, you can’t be as specific as you may be with a major donor who gave you $25,000 to pay for a new vehicle. Most annual fund donations are much smaller but all can be related to something in the appeal letter. For example, if part of your appeal for funds was to expand your homeownership program, you could talk about how the funds will help provide education to potential homeowners. If your request focused on music education for teenagers, talk about how the donation will help provide music lessons. Relating the donation to the request lets the donors know that you will use the money as they intended.

Second, have someone who knows the donor handwrite a brief note on the thank you letter specifically thanking the donor for the gift. This could be the Executive Director, the Board President, or another board member. Although this can be a time-consuming process, such personal notes will impress the donor and may encourage them to give more in the future.

Third, if the donation is tax deductible, make sure to let the donors know that the letter will serve as a receipt for their donation (as required by the IRS). A simple way to do this is to draw a line below the signature on the letter. Then put a statement that this is a “Gift Receipt”, and include the name of your nonprofit, the amount and date. The donors can then take this receipt and put it in their tax files for future reference.

Taking the time to implement these three suggestions can make the task of writing thank you letters more than a mundane task. Well written thank you letters are another way to communicate with your donors that may bring them closer to your organization – and increase future donations.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!