Category: Finance

#1
Sometimes Even The Best Special Events Caterer Screws Up
by Natalie Lewis

We had an elegant reception event in a beautiful facility with a glass wall facing the river; with up-lights illuminating and framing that scene, and we used a lot of interior blue lighting to warm up the room.

We had selected 10 different items for the buffets to ensure that there would be a broad variety of foods from which the guests could choose.

It turned out, however, that two of the items had similar coloring/appearance: one was a salad (no greens) with squash as the main ingredient, and the other was a ravioli with pumpkin liberally sprinkled on it.

The catering staff placed the two items side by side on several of the buffet tables, so people assumed it was the same dish and ignored the ravioli. Unfortunately, the ravioli was twice as good as the squash salad but too few people actually discovered that.

When we pointed it out to the caterer, we got a sheepish “OMG, you are so right.”

Moral of the story: When planning a buffet for a reception, be sure the various food items do not look alike; or, if they do, be sure to separate them and/or place them on different buffet tables – sometimes labeling the individual offerings would make sense.

And, sometimes, variety does not wind up being all it is cooked up to be!

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Have a comment or a question about creating/expanding a special event?
Ask Natalie.
With over 30 years in conference and event planning,
she can help you turn your vision into reality.
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Look for Natalie’s ebook on Special Events.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
Order Natalie’s Book on Special Events before February 14,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code NL96F
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#2
Are You Thinking About Enrolling in the CFC for the 2014 Campaign?
by Bill Huddleston

Before enrolling, you should consider why workplace giving really works. That question, or some variation of it is one that I am often asked, and I always give two answers:

The first, short/easy answer is: “Because it does!!”

The second, more definitive answer is that workplace giving is the only type of nonprofit fundraising that is subsidized, low-risk and high leverage, and also provides staff leadership development opportunities that can be extremely valuable.

A recent report commissioned by America’s Charities, “Trends and Strategies to Engage Employees in Greater Giving,” notes that one area in which the CFC has definitely been a leader is in “employee choice.”

From that report: “Charitable choice is offered by more than 90% of the employers … representing a 43% increase since 2006, and 210% increase since 2000.” The CFC has offered charitable choice since the mid-1980s, with more than 20,000 local charities in the 150 geographic regions.

You can download this report by clicking on this link.

OK. Now, how does a non-profit apply to enroll in the CFC?
There are a few basic criteria, and some of the requirements are based on the size of the nonprofit.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
The OPM is the Federal agency authorized to write the regulations to facilitate fundraising on behalf of charitable organizations through the solicitation of Federal employees and military personnel. And, those regulations state that “The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the Federal workplace on behalf of charitable organizations…”

The practical effect of that regulation is to provide nonprofits with only one way to solicit Federal employees for charitable donations — the CFC.

Think of it this way: this is a potential donor pool of more than three million potential donors who work for the same employer and have a fundraising program in place … the purpose of which is to help non-profits fund their missions.

And, in terms of actual giving, if the CFC were a foundation it would be the 13th largest in the US.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If would like to comment/expand on either of the above pieces, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subjects of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

#1
In the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), There Are Three Types of “Charities” – Where Do You Fit In?
by Bill Huddleston

There are three categories (National, International, and Local), with federations for all three types.

National and International charities apply directly through the OPM, local charities apply in each region to a local board, called the “Local Federal Coordinating Committee” or LFCC.

National and international applications are due in January of each year, local applications in late winter/early spring. (In the National Capital Area CFC, the local applications are due by January 24, 2014.)

To find the deadline for your geographic region, go to opm.gov/cfc and choose the Campaign Locator to get your “local” information.

The CFC Application Process and Eligibility – General Requirements:
1. You must be designated as a tax-exempt non-profit organization under section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
2. An application to participate in the CFC requires specific data about your
auditing, governance and program functions.
3. You must also provide a completed and signed copy of your IRS Form 990 for
your most recent fiscal year.

In addition, there are various requirements for the level of financial statements that are based on the size of the nonprofit. More information about the specific application requirements can be found on the www.opm.gov/cfc website.

The OPM website is a valuable resource for nonprofits participating in the CFC, and those considering enrolling. In addition, Federations are an important component of the CFC, and there are many national, international and local federations.

The local United Ways are examples of local Federations, and EarthShare is an example of a federation that has both regional and national environmentally-related nonprofits as it members.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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#2
Can The Department of Defense Help Make You a Better Grant Writer?
by Jayme Sokolow

There is a writing technique used in the U.S. military that can help you improve your proposal prose. The technique is called Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) that contains a simple and easy-to-use assessment tool for promoting prose-clarity based on sentence and word length.

It has been described very clearly by Timothy P. Hooper in his article in the most recent Journal of the Grant Professionals Association (Fall 2013).

Here is how it works:
• Take a sample of at least 200 words from your proposal.
• Count the number of sentences.
• Count the number of words.
• Divide the number of words by the number of sentences to get the average
sentence length. Your target is on average 15 words per sentence.
• Count the number of long words – those with three or more syllables.
Exclude calendar years and other numbers.
• Divide the number of long words by the total word count to determine the
percentage of long words. Your target is 15 percent.
• Add the numerical values of the average sentence length to the percentage
of long words.

This sum represents your Prose Clarity Index. Your target is 30.

A clarity index that is very low, say 20, indicates that your writing is too choppy and abrupt.

An index of 40 likely indicates that your writing is too hard to understand.

The BLUF Clarity Index test is short and easy to use, and you may be surprised at the results!

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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc.,
helps nonprofit organizations develop
successful proposals to government agencies.
Contact Jayme Sokolow.
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Look for Jayme’s ebook on
Finding & Getting Federal Government Grants.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
Order Jayme’s Book on Federal Grantsmanship before February 14,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code JA55U
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If you would like to comment/expand on either/both of the above pieces, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subjects of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

(…and, to start off the New Year, we’re offering $1-off coupons on the already-inexpensive Fundraising Series of Ebooks)

January 15:

In the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), There Are Three Types of “Charities” – Where Do You Fit In?
by Bill Huddleston

National and International applications are due in January of each year, Local applications in late winter/early spring [and] there are various requirements for financial statements based on the size of the nonprofit.

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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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January 15:

Can The Department of Defense Help Make You a Better Grant Writer?
by Jayme Sokolow

There is a writing technique used in the U.S. military that can help you improve your proposal prose. The technique is called Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF….

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Want to learn more about Finding/Getting Federal Government Grants?
Order Jayme’s Book on Federal Grantsmanship before February 14,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code JA55U
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January 22:

Sometimes Even The Best Special Events Caterer Screws Up
by Natalie Lewis

We had an elegant reception event in a beautiful facility … with a glass wall facing the river; with up-lights illuminating and framing that scene … but the caterer, whose offerings were really tasty, didn’t put enough thought into their appearance.

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Want to learn more about Creating a Successful Special Event?
Order Natalie’s Book on Special Events before February 21,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code NL96F
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January 22:

Are You Thinking About Enrolling in the CFC for the 2014 Campaign?
by Bill Huddleston

… you should consider why (federal) workplace giving really works – with a potential donor pool of more than three million potential donors who work for the same employer!!

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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

January 29:

The Ethics of Percentage-Based Compensation for Grant Writers – Part I
by Lynn deLearie

I was asked if I would accept a percentage of grant income that I raised … [and] My short answer is an unqualified, “No” … and there are good solid reasons for that decision.

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Want to learn more about Creating an Effective Grants Program?
Order Lynn’s Book on Grants and Grantsmanship before February 28,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code NZ95K
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January 29:

Tracking The Progress Of A Fundraising Program – Part I
by Tony Poderis

The Director of Development for a social services agency wrote: “We are being asked to justify the ‘slowness of the process’ in having started a new fundraising process for the organization. Are there any stats or information … on how long it takes to get ‘up and running’?”

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Want to learn more about Fundraising for a New Nonprofit?
Order Hank’s Book on Guidance For The New Nonprofit before February 28,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code KF49P
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February 5:

Tracking The Progress Of A Fundraising Program – Part II
by Tony Poderis

The only way to assess the progress of any fundraising process is when that process (the plan) has every step and component listed on a timeline. What follows is a sample Calendar/Action Plan for the Implementations of one segment of an annual Major Gifts Fundraising effort….

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Want to learn more about Major Gifts Fundraising?
Order Hank’s Book on Major Gifts Planning & Implementation
before March 7, and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code US84B
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February 5:

Cost-per-dollar Raised:
Evaluating The Performance of a New Development Officer
by Hank Lewis

A question was raised about evaluating the performance of a recently hired development officer, and the easily-tossed-around phrase/concept, “Cost-per-Dollar Raised,” was suggested as a way of determining the answer.

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Want to learn more about The Basic Concepts of Fundraising?
Order Hank’s Book on Fundraising Basics before March 7,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code PG33M
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February 12:

We’re All in This (Proposal) Together!
by Jayme Sokolow.

Find ways to connect everybody in your proposal team and you are more likely to produce competitive proposals. It may not be easy, but it is simple.

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Want to learn more about Finding/Getting Federal Government Grants?
Order Jayme’s Book on Federal Grantsmanship before February 14,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code JA55U
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February 12:

The Ethics of Percentage-Based Compensation for Grant Writers – Part II
by Lynn deLearie

It is very clear that fundraising professional ethics do not allow percentage-based compensation, but WHY not? Why is this so strongly discouraged? You should know the answer to that question.

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Want to learn more about Creating an Effective Grants Program?
Order Lynn’s Book on Grants and Grantsmanship before February 28,
and get $1.00 off the sales price – use coupon code NZ95K
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…in frequency, not in substance.

Up to now (and except for Summertime) we’ve been publishing twice each week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Starting in January, we’ll be publishing only on Wednesdays; but, each posting will contain two shorter pieces on different subjects (sometimes half of a longer piece).

For over three-and-one-half years, we’ve been writing/posting about Fundraising/Development — The Basics and the more Advanced….

We’ve written on (in alphabetical order) Board & Staff Relations, Capital Campaigns, Certification, Corporate Fundraising, Development Staff, Donor Categories, Donor Recognition, Donor Relations, Effective Grantsmanship – Foundation and Government, Fundraising Accounting Practices, Fundraising Constituencies, Fundraising Consultants, Fundraising Ethics, Fundraising Leadership, Fundraising Planning, Hiring Consultants, Major Gifts, The Mature Non-Profit, The New Nonprofit, Nonprofit Leadership, Planned Giving (including Bequest Programs), Planning Studies, Special Events, Social Media, Workplace Fundraising … and even a couple of book reviews.

We’ve been writing in our areas of expertise, about subjects/issues we deem important, that we think would be of value to our readers.

We’ll keep ’em coming, but we’d like to be sure we’re writing about what you’d like to read about.

Let us know. We look forward to your continuing feedback.

We’re taking a break … be back on Wednesday, January 8 with an Announcement of and Descriptions of the following ten postings.

Happy Holidays
From Hank, Natalie, Lynn, Jayme, Bill and Tony

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Have a comment or a question about starting,
evaluating or expanding your fundraising program?
AskHank
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Have you heard about
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99-$4.99)
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Due to the government shutdown in October, which occurred just as many of the CFC kickoffs and charity fairs were beginning, the Office of Personnel Management has extended the campaign one month to January 15, 2014. Here’s the link to the official letter from OPM with that decision: CFC Extension

What this means for your CFC charity is that you should continue your messaging about your participation in the CFC during the holiday season and into the New Year. What methods should you use? All of them!!

Whatever methods you regularly use, you should include the fact that your non-profit participates in the CFC. And, of course, you should be using the modern methods … that include information on your website, taglines in e-mail signatures, and information on Facebook and other social media sites where you have a presence.

In addition to that, don’t forget that simple methods can also be extremely effective, and here’s an example of that:

The Calvert County Library Foundation enrolled in the CFC for the first time in 2012, and they received more than $14,000 of unrestricted funds from their CFC donors. They used multiple methods of communication, but the one that probably had the highest ROI is this 4×8 plywood sign.

Why did this work so well? Because the Pax River Naval Air Station is located 75 miles south of Washington DC, and there is one main road to the east coast’s “Top Gun” school – Maryland Route 2/4. And, because there are 17,000 uniformed and civilian employees that work at Pax River, and most of them drive to the base via Route 2/4 … most of them pass this sign on their way.

Here’s another banner sign, this one from the Chesapeake Cares Food Pantry.

That sign has both CFC and United Way codes, plus the Maryland Charities Workplace Giving Campaign code; and, it can be seen by people driving in either direction. It’s just up the road from the Support Calvert Library sign so obviously these two CFC charities have found this technique to be effective.

By the way, neither sign is located at their respective facility; they are on residential lawns of supporters.
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New Head of OPM Confirmed
In the last CFC post I promised an update on the new CFC regulations. There has been no change there yet, but one important thing that had to happen was the confirmation of the new permanent director of the Office of Personnel Management.

In May, President Obama announced the nomination of Katherine Archuleta as the first Latina to head the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and on October 30, 2013, the Senate confirmed her to lead the Federal agency responsible for managing the Federal workforce, including responsibility for oversight of the CFC.

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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

When I was living in New York City from 1968 to 1976, the New York Knicks were one of the most feared teams in the NBA. With players like Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Bill Bradley, the Knicks were a joy to watch, especially during their 1969-1970 season when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers to claim their first NBA championship.

Although the Knicks had great basketball players, they also had a great coach and a future member of the Basketball Hall of Fame – Red Holzman. Holzman’s simple but difficult goal – “see the ball on defense and hit the open man on offense” – worked wonders for his players. Overlooked, however, was Holzman’s subtle managerial style, which has much to teach grant Proposal Managers.

I was reminded of Holzman’s coaching talents recently, when I read a stimulating article in the Huffington Post by Mike Berman, on the eve of the NBA playoffs, on Red Holzman’s leadership. I would like to use Berman’s article to distill the essence of Holzman’s approach to leadership because I think his managerial style equally applies to successful grant Proposal Managers.

Holzman’s Management Approach
• Be modest
Holzman said that “I don’t think there is such a thing as a coaching genius, just hard workers.” For Holzman, action, deeds, and credibility mattered more than words. He embodied the values he preached. Proposal managers should understand that their success depends on the quality of their proposal teams and the support of their nonprofit organizations. Because grant proposal development depends on teamwork, cooperation, and the skills of others, Proposal Managers should be modest about their successes.

• Know what you intend to accomplish when you assume a leadership role
Clearly state your goal and performance standards and reinforce them regularly from the beginning. Too many proposals begin without a clear plan and schedule, and too many grant Proposal Managers do not seem to understand that the quality of the proposal development process will determine the quality of the proposal. Establishing clear goals and performance standards will help improve your proposals.

• Maintain a focus on the fundamentals and what matters most
Avoid over-complication. There is a big different between attending to details and micro-managing.

• Monitor
Once the team has embraced your system, let go … and empower people to succeed. Good proposal development should include periodic reviews, milestones, and deliverables. This framework will enable a proposal team to succeed by creating a clear context for their activities.

• Achieve results by training, coaching, and mentoring
Help your fellow proposal team members to perform well. An important part of any grant Proposal Manager’s work should be to help improve the performance of team members and help advance their professional careers.

Sports analogies with the business world are often trite and strained or just plain silly and they seem to be a virtual monopoly of out-of-shape men. However, a great coach and person like Red Holzman has much to teach us about the essence of leadership. Apply his approach to proposal management, and you should improve your grant proposals.

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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc.,
helps nonprofit organizations develop
successful proposals to government agencies.
Contact Jayme Sokolow.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Look for Jayme’s ebook on
Finding & Getting Federal Government Grants.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

…a guest posting by Andrea Kihlstedt

What personality traits make up an ideal nonprofit fundraiser? In my last post, I discussed the common misconception that you’ve got to be an extrovert to connect with donors. In that post – and in my most recent book – I’ve shown that many of the introverts among us can bring unique strengths to the fundraising table.

Today it’s time to talk about another common misconception about fundraising: the idea that, to get the gift, you have to be able to speak from the heart. You know the kind of person I’m talking about – whether a famous orator like Martin Luther King, Jr. or your organization’s executive director when she gives a talk that brings people to their feet, some individuals have the gift of moving hearts to action.

Few of us doubt that a person like this can become a great fundraiser. As you know, fundraising is about building relationships – and who doesn’t want to have a relationship with someone who knows how to make them feel wonderful and inspired?

But what about the people in your organization who lead from their heads rather than their hearts? I’m sure you know many individuals like this – those folks who want “the facts,” and who prefer thinking logically to thinking emotionally. They care about details and want to know how things work … and why.

You might think that someone like that would bore donors to tears – and if allowed to take the analytic side of their personality to extremes, they might do just that. However, it is also true that, with the right training and encouragement, the analytical thinkers in your organization can be very effective at motivating some donors to give major gifts.

When I was first coming up with the Asking Styles system, one of the first people I thought about in this regard was my husband, Tyko. On the surface you might not think Tyko would be a good fundraiser; he’s a retired academic who prefers the logical approach, rather than the emotional.

On the other hand, Tyko would be the perfect person to send to meet with donors who, like him, are interested in the facts about your organization and exactly what their gift will accomplish.

By their nature, analytic thinkers would never consider meeting with a donor unless they have a firm grasp of the facts about the organization they’re about to represent. If the donor wants to know the rate of return on your endowment investments last year while considering an endowment gift, your analytic thinker won’t just have the simple answer. He or she will probably also be able to explain your investment strategy and your fund’s projected earnings for the next five years.

So yes, an analytic thinker has the potential to bore donors who prefer to lead from their hearts. On the other hand, donors who are more interested in the facts aren’t likely to connect anywhere near as well with intuitive, emotion-based presenters.

As a heart-based, intuitive thinker myself, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I had an analytic thinker with me while being peppered with detail-oriented questions by donors!

While I am generally well-prepared with stories and basic information, talking about facts takes me out of my flow and actually makes it harder for me to connect with a donor. But combine an intuitive person like me and an analytical thinker like Tyko, and you’ve got a team that can both inspire and inform a donor no matter what their style.

With more than thirty years’ experience in this field, I’ve discovered that virtually anyone can become a successful fundraiser – introverts as well as extroverts, and analytical and intuitive thinkers alike.

The real key is to encourage every person who helps with your organization’s fundraising to be their authentic self, to create teams with complementary personality traits (or as I call them, Asking Styles), and to pay attention to your donors well enough to understand which approach(es) will work best for them.
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Want to find your asking style, use Andrea’s Asking Style Assessment; and, if you want to read more about Asking Styles, take a look at Andrea’s book, Asking Styles: Harness Your Personal Fundraising Power. You can contact Andrea at Andrea Kihlstedt.

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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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‘Grants management’ encompasses a breadth of activities within a wide range of organizations and agencies, from small NPOs to federal agencies such as the NIH.

In the context of this post, I am defining grants management to encompass those activities conducted by NPO staff for the purpose of ensuring grant compliance, from the time the grant is accepted until it has been closed out. An important distinction is that the above definition excludes grants from government agencies, as the management of which is very complex.

However, management of grants from private and corporate foundations is still important, since it ensures compliance with the programmatic and financial elements of grants. It is important to remember that grants are NOT a no-strings-attached gift – they are a contract between the grantor, who provides the funds, and the grantee, who performs the tasks and delivers the outcomes described in the proposal.

As I’ve written previously in this blog, grantsmanship is a team effort, and your team is essential for effective grants management. Hopefully, you have worked with your organization’s program and financial staff people when preparing grant proposals, so they will be aware of the program goals, outcomes and metrics, evaluation methodology, and program budgets (see the chapters: “If You Evaluate It (Well) – They Will Come,” and “Developing Financials for Grants” in my ebook on Grants and Grantsmanship ).

Upon acceptance of a grant, a good practice is to meet with the program and financial staff people who will be involved in implementing the funded program. At that meeting, the grant management activities (listed below) should be discussed and assigned to the appropriate staff member(s), along with a schedule for when the tasks should be completed.

Depending on the size and culture of your NPO, you (as grant manager) may be involved in many of those activities, or you may function more as a project manager.

I strongly recommend against a hands off project management approach, as you are ultimately responsible for completing and submitting grant reports, and this is impossible to do well when trying to gather all the program and financial data from others at the eleventh hour! You may choose to meet (or communicate via e-mail) periodically, throughout the grant period, with those staff members … to ensure things are running smoothly.

Grant Management Activities:
•  Conduct program activities as outlined in the grant proposal
•  Evaluate program effectiveness as outlined in the grant proposal
•  Communicate with grantor (if needed) to request change(s) to
program design and/or grant expenditures
•  Maintain financial records for program expenses and revenues
•  Complete and submit grant reports throughout the grant period
as requested by the grantor, including financial reports
•  Complete and submit final grant report by grantor’s deadline,
including financial reports

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Lynn deLearie Consulting, LLC, helps nonprofit organizations develop,
enhance and expand grants programs, and helps them
secure funding from foundations and corporations.
Contact Lynn deLearie.
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Look for Lynn’s ebook on Grants & Grantsmanship.
It’s part of
The Fundraising Series of ebooks
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $4.99) ☺
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

A fundraising campaign brochure can be an important tool for communicating the worth of a campaign to a targeted audience, as well as for making an organization’s “family” more knowledgeable about their organization and the purpose and structure of the campaign.

Often, when the subject of a campaign brochure publication comes up, it is greeted with an exclamation that goes something like this: “A brochure won’t raise a nickel !!” That response is far too dismissive and, if left unaddressed, could result in a disregard for what is actually a key fundraising tool … particularly for capital and endowment campaigns.

True, “People raise money, publications don’t,” but people can be more effective in raising money if they are given the resources that can help establish the best possible climate for a solicitation.

Having an official brochure in hand is essential in establishing the perception in the minds of some potential donors that the campaign is structured and is being conducted in a professional manner. It is also a necessity for some volunteer leaders and solicitors as a bolster to their levels of comfort/confidence.

Hand some people a brand new, “off the press” publication and watch their faces brighten and eyes spark with interest. Just the feel of the publication in-hand often works wonders.

Too Many Cooks (Writers/Designers/Editors) Can Doom A Campaign Brochure
On this subject, I have seen campaigns languish and die because the organization could not agree on the text, design, length, graphics, etc. of the brochure.

Typically, this impasse occurs more often in capital and endowment campaigns than in annual fundraising efforts because campaigns, which are (by definition) of limited duration, are viewed as special events.

Because they are not repeated every year, a previous brochure is not there to serve as a comfortable model. Faced with the prospect of creating a document from scratch, everyone on the campaign committee seems to be magically transformed into a writer or creative artist.

In their need to feel adequately prepared for success, volunteer leaders often have the tendency to become inordinately involved with the actual nuts and bolts of developing the campaign brochure.

Therefore, the campaign management professionals, guided by the expertise of communications specialists, should make decisions about the brochure and other related materials … and stick to those decisions.

Accept the fact that it will be impossible to obtain the complete agreement of everyone involved on each and every point, so don’t set up a situation where you have to ultimately disregard some campaign leader’s stated preference about a favorite color or treasured phrase.

While consensus is important in fundraising, it does not mean that you must arm every member of your campaign committee with veto power….

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $4.99) ☺
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

In marketing and media awareness terms, the “Rule of 7” states that before a customer or donor actually makes a purchase or a gift, they need to be “touched” in some way before they will act.

“Touched,” means contact by: a piece of mail, an email, a radio discussion, an advertisement (print or electronic), a conversation, and any other conceivable method of communication.

Since the numbers of communications are increasing, marketers are now saying that you must include opportunities in your plans to reach people 21 times … before they will do what you want them to do, because they (mentally) tend to screen out two of every three of your efforts.

So what does this mean in terms of the CFC solicitation period that we are in now?

It means that you need to expand your efforts to generate CFC awareness. If you’ve been following my CFC posts you know how strongly I emphasize the need to use all 12 months to generate awareness of your participation in the CFC.

That’s what you should have been doing; but, if you haven’t, generations of college students have proven that cramming is better than doing nothing at all.

So, what follows are some techniques that can help you expand your visibility and, thereby, increase your contributions in the latter part of the CFC campaign.

CFC Donors: You thanked those donors … who released their names and contact information to you in the last CFC. So, for those you can contact, contact them again. Thank them again for their continued support, and share with them how their payroll deduction gifts really make a difference to the people that you serve.

General E-mail list: Use your in-house email list to communicate with all those folks about all of your year-end giving opportunities … including the CFC, and any other workplace giving campaigns in which your non-profit participates. That way, your donors get to choose what method(s) they want to use to support your organization.

Media Releases: NPOs that have opportunities to get media coverage during the holiday season should make sure to include mention that you’re in the CFC … and include your CFC ID number.

Signage: If your nonprofit has street exposure, put a sign in your window with the CFC logo and your 5 digit ID.

Vehicles: If you have vehicles with your nonprofit’s name on them, get magnetic signs printed that have just the CFC logo and your CFC 5-digit code. CFC donors who see your vehicles will easily recognize what that logo and number represent.

In All Of Your Communications make it clear that your organization is in the CFC, what your 5 digit code is, and that you very much appreciate the support of all of your Federal donors and volunteers.

Face Time Counts: This is the oldest adage in leadership and sales, because it’s the most important. Have you trained your staff that, when talking with their friends, they should ask them if they have any “Federal connections” … people to whom they are close and who are in the Federal government – spouses, siblings, parents, neighbors, friends, etc. As Stephen Covey outlined in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” you achieve higher levels of success by focusing your efforts on your “Circle of Influence” … start where you already connections.

Relationships Are Key. That simple three-word sentence is the mantra of all fundraising. It takes a great deal of effort, thought, capability, energy, resources, and committed people to actually develop a sustainable, growing, and effective development program, but that mantra is the key, the basis of all successful development efforts … including workplace giving and the Combined Federal Campaign.

Don’t think of all of those awareness-generating techniques as just one-shot deals, and certainly don’t think of the CFC as an ATM machine.

If you take the time and do the work to develop relationships with your CFC donors, they will support you for many years. Don’t, and they won’t !!

Next month’s post: Update on the proposed CFC regulations and the Congressional Hearing.

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We’re taking a short break … for some turkey.
See you next Tuesday.
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and cheap ($1.99 – $4.99) ☺
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.