Engaging Community January 31, 2008 By RussBurke

I have long been a believer in events which gather donors and prospects and mix them together. From my early fundraising involvement with a longstanding annual donor recognition dinner event to experience with annual fundraising auction events and even a more focused 100th anniversary celebratory Gala, the intent I saw as always the same. First, to affirm the committed, honor the "doers", build affiliation, educate and, secondarily, raise money.

It didn't always work well. All too often, the raising money agenda squeezed attention away from the cultivation and stewardship functions that needed to be served. In small shops, especially with a paucity of volunteer help, a fundraiser will likely have problems juggling all the competing goals. Luckily, there is help available.

For the fundraiser with the need to grow fundraising but, perhaps, without current buy-in from board and leadership, consider Terry Axelrod's "Raising More Money" strategy now offered by Benevon. It provides clear, defined strategies and proven processes along with great opportunities to engage your board and leadership in non-threatening involvement. With appropriate leadership and support, this professionally developed program can help you build a new pervasive fundraising culture for your organization.   

For the fundraiser with some current buy-in from board and leadership but no processes in place, Nancy E. Schwartz's "Put House Parties to Work for You Nonprofit - Here's Our Pre-Primary Party Concept" article is a great idea-generator to help you invent your own processes. On her Getting Attention marketing blog for nonprofits, she describes in detail how this event works. I found it very insightful in terms of all the ways her event engages people to interact, speak their minds, affirm their views, and all in a venue that left no bruises. Just the thing we hope for all our friend-raising events. Consider how this can be adapted to give leadership and board members hosting roles and engaging them in the critical business of cultivating donor relationships.

Of course, neither of these approaches can do you much good if you are not recording, tracking and communicating. Whichever path you pick, without doubt, GiftWorks can help get you there.

Van Jones, Force of Nature January 28, 2008 By Steve Fafel

Van Jones and I served as advisors to Witness.org for a few years starting around 2000. Since then we keep running into each other at human rights events, Social Venture Network, and, well, just randomly. He's an inspiring person, just hitting his stride, and is now the focus of a lot of national press.

He spoke just after I did at the Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp 18 months ago. I just listened to his speech again, and I remember how inspired I was to hear him. Blew me off the stage, no doubt.

Click here to listen.

Public Policy Failure Begins At Home January 23, 2008 By RussBurke

Thanks to The Nonprofiteer calling my attention to the Jan. 22, 2008 New York Times editorial titled Charity Begins In Washington. The editorial cites the incredible disparity of charitable giving going to arts and cultural institutions, universities and medical entities vs. social service institutions. It cites our ferderal government's relative non-involvement in the welfare of its constituents.

Back on October 25, 2007, I commented on Robert Reich's take on this lopsidedness and the consequences we're likely to see. He had some ideas for remedy. But, let's face it, the failure of public policy starts at home.

For the past decade, local, and state governments have followed the "leadership" of our federal funders literally walking away from many of the social welfare institutions they'd previously directly funded. Not satisfied, they also moved to strangle or otherwise eviscerate many of the community-based block grant programs that supported social services at local levels.

Public Policy Failure begins at home. If we are truly dissatisfied that our tax dollars are going places where accountability is shoddy (like illegal government wiretaps, etc,), let's demand those we elect put resources on our streets where we can all be helped to live the American Dream by the support of social service...and adequate health care for all. The survival of the American middle class, in part, depends on this. 

In fact, the welfare of our poorest must be met if our "spoken" commitment to democracy, fairness, and concern for others is to mean anything. 

Stop Bashing Your NPO Board January 16, 2008 By RussBurke

Alright, guilty as charged. For the past year or so I've blogged about the role Board members need to play in helping your nonprofit gather the resources it needs to meet its mission. Their role stems, in large part, from their larger fiduciary reponsibility. I've even broached that subject matter in Session IV the Effective Fundraising with GiftWork course we do. I cite the fact that consistently their non-involvement in fundraising is cited as the number one board concern of NPO CEO's and development professionals.

But I've offered little in the way of addressing this issue beyond inviting your board members to participate and describing a few "painless" ways to get them involved. We are lucky, however, because while I'm busy showing folks how GiftWorks is a great tool for supporting and cultivating board relationships, our friend at The Nonprofiteer blogsite has begun to really get into this issue. Her statement really conveyed to me the core of the issue: "But you're not really authorized to critique the fundraising incompetence of your doctor and lawyer Board members until you can remove an appendix or argue a Supreme Court case without their assistance.  It's their volunteer gig, but it's your job, so the responsibility rests with you." Check out the full article here.

The Nonprofiteer, herself, promises to continue this series. Consider dropping in to encourage her. In the meantime, get busy and start planning how you can provide easy to grasp, fun to learn fundraising training that builds board understanding, capability and confidence.

For my part, I promise to add more strategies to engage board members in fundraising in our GiftWorks trainings and tours I give. Our Mission is to Support Your Mission...remember? 

The Pressure to be Prudent January 3, 2008 By RussBurke

There's been so much focus recently with nonprofit "efficiency" and the cost of fundraising. Not surprising with the all-to-frequent screaming stories of fiscal mismangement, fraud and self-dealing by some of our most recognized and revered nonprofit icons. And that doesn't even begin to touch the scores of fundraising scam artists ready to take advantage of any positive public emotion.

Of course, now we have legislators and pundits ranting about controls and regulations...and more online services that rate and report on the percent of revenues held or directed for fundraising. Poeple can now feel good about consulting some third party for a basis of trust.

None of this..no third party ratings and measures...can or should take the place of a donor's due diligence to know something about the organizations and people they choose to support. Yes, look at their Annual Report closely and check if you can review their most recent tax filing. Further, you might even want to see their Annual Plan or Strategic Plan.

My point is this: Reliance on third party reports and simple percentages to guage worthiness is misleading. It encourages donors...and foundations are guilty of this as well...to look to the "lowest cost provider". My experience suggests the lowest cost producer is not alway most effective in addressing the problems they are charged with resolving. Further, that "summarization" doesn't reflect the significant and necessary investment a board and leadership might be committing to sustaining the organization.

And in the face of our government's continuing abdication of responsibility for the public welfare, we can ill-afford to take shortcuts. Know your nonprofit!