Following is a list of most recent tips.
Clear Expectations. It is very important for non-profit leaders to have clear expectations when hiring development directors. Read these blog post by Sandy Rees at the Get Fully Funded blog - What should non-profit leaders expect from a development officer?
Clarity. Are you a non-profit leader? Make sure you are clearly
communicating with staff, volunteers and donors. Your organizational
impact depends on your ability to clarify goals, roles and
responsibility, accountability and direction. It is worth taking a day
to truly think about this and define for your team if there doesn't
seem to be clarity. It can make a huge difference in your
organizational success.
Tell your story with impact. Animoto is quite possibly the
easiest way to turn your photographs and music into a dynamic,
DVD-quality video presentation without the need for special skills or
expensive technology. They are currently giving free pro accounts to non-profits through Animoto for Causes. To launch this new service they partnered with 20 large non-profits. Inspire yourself by reading the case studies.
Not on Facebook yet? It's easy to get started. Wild Apricot’s non-profit technology blog has a great beginner’s guide for non-profits using Facebook and a description of Facebook applications you can use on your cause page.
ChangingthePresent.org This site
allows donors to replace traditional gifts with donations to
a cause. Free packages are available that allow organizations to create
a simple home page where supporters can create fundraising page to
raise money for the organization. They also offer a premium package for
$100 per year, which lets organizations create pre-packaged gifts that
show what they can provide for a given price – for example, a $100
donation feeds a child in Somalia for one month, and donors purchase
that $100 donation as a gift for someone, and allows for more
customization of the organization's profile. Fees are 3 percent, plus
$.30, per donation. (From TechSoup).
Just ask. Tom
Suddes of the Suddes Group reminds us in his blog today that Nike had
it right with the slogan, "Just do it." He recomends posting these 7
words - on your bulletin board, the bathroom mirror, in your car:
"JUST VISIT. JUST ASK. JUST DO IT." No amount of planning takes the
places of that. Tom's For Impact website is an incredible resource for staying on target with major gifts and helping you share your organization's vision.
Diversify your fundraising. Diversify
your fundraising. In these economic times it is more important than
ever to make sure you have a well-rounded fund development program
Spend some time focusing on your individual donors. My experience is
that this area often gets less attention because many organizations
prefer to focus instead on corporate and foundation giving. In 2007
$306 billion was donated to non-profits. According to Giving USA, of
that amount roughly 75 percent was given by individuals. Corporations
accounted for 5 percent and foundations for 12.6 percent.
Saying Thank You Keeps Donors Connected. Every
gift is important and needs to be acknowledged in a timely manner.
Develop a process for handling gifts at every level. What your levels
are depends on the size of your organization and the number of gifts
you receive each day, but in general I would suggest: In addition to
the standard organization thank you letter, gifts of $250 should
receive a personal note from the appropriate development staff member,
gifts of $500 or more receive a personal call from the development
team, and gifts of $1,000 or more receive a phone call from the
Executive Director.
Keep an Impact File. Keep a real file folder in your
desk and a virtual file folder in your e-mail. Fill them up with notes
about program successes, donor or client notes, clippings that show the
difference your organization is making. These can come in handy when
you are writing grants, direct mail pieces, newsletters and when you
are trying to come up with that perfect donor thank you letter.
