Elizabeth P. Fitzgerald's Blog, page 2

Frequently Asked Questions Unify your Team and Invite Interest

As a step in planning your next campaign, daft a set of frequently asked questions.  The process of developing this list prepares your team to give the same answers to the questions donors are likely to ask. 

Ask each other every hard question you anticipate from donors.  Address objections and concerns.  You might even have fun with some role playing.  As a group, own the best answers that align with your mission. 

The FAQ sheet you develop is for the use of your board, volunteers, and staff only.  It will contain too much information to hand out.

Here are a few questions donors might ask:
Do you have a strategic plan?
How can I be assured of the quality of your program?
How will you measure success?
Isn’t this a duplication of services available at XYZ nonprofit?
Why should I support your organization over others?
How much will your services cost?
Where is the money to fund your program coming from?
How will my donation be spent? 
Will I be recognized for my donation? Or, I’d like to keep my donation confidential.
What is your mission?
What is the buy-in of the board?

When your document is ready, post the questions and answers that are appropriate for inquirers on your website.

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

The post Frequently Asked Questions Unify your Team and Invite Interest appeared first on Kronstadt Consulting.

Board Members, Lead in Giving!

When your nonprofit/charity begin a new campaign, before board members make their pledges, review your gift range and budget together.  This way, your leaders have time to consider how they want to donate.  (Your legal counsel will not be expected to give.) 

At a designated “board giving” moment, transparency is healthy and inspiring.  Ask any willing board members to announce their gifts to the group.  Each member turns in their pledge or check to the president and secretary, who tally and announce the total.

Now you own the most compelling donor invitation, “Join me in giving.” Before soliciting others, add the board donation totals (without names) to your Gift Sought document. 

While your organization is young, the board leads your annual campaign.  At some point you may decide you’re ready to hire a development director to work with the board, but not to replace it. 

I’ve heard board members say, “We need to find some wealthy people to join our board!”  That wealthy individual may have a passion for your cause.  You, however, love the mission and may even give sacrificially.  As you serve and give, you may inadvertently increase your professional network and good reputation. 

You are likely to become, unintentionally, that wealthy person your board hopes to find.

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

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When and why – Scheduling a Strategic Planning Session

If you are forming a new organization, you can schedule your first planning session as soon as your mission statement is adopted.

In an established organization, a planning session reminds participants of the spark that inspired them to join, and unifies your team around current mission-based goals and priorities. 

These special meetings can be held annually, every three to five years, or as needed.

To get all the best ideas and individual visions for the future out where everyone can see them, plan for full participation.  Throughout your session, you will likely see people getting excited about each other’s ideas and watch solidarity building.  By the end of the meeting, you will have voted to pursue the best plan.  The work of turning these visionary goals into action steps will be done at board and staff meeting over time.

The planning process is visionary, simple to do, and galvanizing for your team. 

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

The post When and why – Scheduling a Strategic Planning Session appeared first on Kronstadt Consulting.

Need Help building your Nonprofit Budget?

•             SCORE.org has a budgeting template on their website and volunteer mentors in many communities. 

•             Ask your local Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Chapter if they have a member who might donate an hour to review your draft budget.

•             Hire a nonprofit consultant or accountant

•             Check with your local Chamber of Commerce for business classes 

When your budget is ready, your board will vote to approve it. 

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

The post Need Help building your Nonprofit Budget? appeared first on Kronstadt Consulting.

Does your Local Community Know You’re in Town? Here are 7 ways to Spread the Word.

  Choose one person to be the public voice for your nonprofit.  Then, if a newspaper or local magazine requests an interview everyone on your team knows to refer them to the person who best represents your cause.  Join your local Chamber of Commerce.  Attend meetings.  People will ask where you work and about your organization.  Look for potential business partnerships and collaborations with other Chamber members.  Celebrate your opening or building expansion with a Chamber ribbon cutting.   Have board members and senior staff join various local service clubs.  Ask to make presentations about your cause.  Service clubs are full of “doers”, “helpers”, and “givers” serving your community and beyond.  Radio stations often broadcast free public service announcements for nonprofits.  For example, they will announce your upcoming events.   You can also ask for air time on your local talk radio to talk about your nonprofit.    In all things, be ethical.  Be adverse to risk.  Not quite sure?  Ask yourself, “If the public knew about this, would they approve?”  Share successes, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, etc. via social media outlets.  Including photos increases engagement.  Keep your posts and media attention positive.

Did you notice that recommendations 1 – 6 above are all things we do in person? Face to face meetings, even by video chat or conferencing, can quickly build your organization’s credibility.

Let your community know you have something great to offer.

Did you notice that recommendations 1 – 6 above are all things we do in person? Face to face meetings, even by video chat or conferencing, can quickly build your organization’s credibility.

Let your community know you have something great to offer.

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

The post Does your Local Community Know You’re in Town? Here are 7 ways to Spread the Word. appeared first on Kronstadt Consulting.

Make a Profit!

“Nonprofit” is a tax classification, not a business strategy.  This is not a new saying, but it expresses a really important mindset.  

Raise the money you need to meet your goals, and don’t limit your impact for fear of coming up short.  Use a gift-range calculator and donor ranking to measure campaign feasibility.

There is no limit to the number of sponsorships you can arrange for your events.  Start a year in advance so businesses have time to plan your support into their budgets.

Build a rainy-day fund, a reserve to help meet emergency needs and facilitate future growth.

Be brave. Do the work. Your nonprofit is a business people depend upon. 

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

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Define your Nonprofit Mission and Vision

Your mission tells what you do and how you serve. 

Your vision describes the impact you plan and desire to make over time. 

Your mission and vision statements should be unique, brief, and easy to memorize. 

Before your leadership team meets to draft these statements, compare the mission and vision statements of similar organizations.  What are you offering that they aren’t?  Allow ample meeting time for discussion.

Once adopted, these statements become the compass for strategic planning and your “light-house” in difficult times.  At future meetings, when an idea is proposed that seems “off”, you simply ask, “How is this in line with our mission?”

Post their statements on the wall at your entrance, your boardroom, the bottom of your meeting agendas, and everywhere! 

As always, I am hoping for your every success.

The post Define your Nonprofit Mission and Vision appeared first on Kronstadt Consulting.

AmeriCorps Can Help Your Nonprofit

As a nonprofit leader, you’ll be happy to know that nonprofits can apply for AmeriCorps Vista and NCCC teams to come help you with a wide variety of projects like building, renovation, staffing special events, administrative support, establishing community gardens, etc.

AmeriCorps NCCC is built on the belief that civic responsibility is an inherent duty of all citizens and that national service programs work effectively with local communities to address pressing needs. 

In partnership with nonprofits, secular and faith based, local municipalities, state governments, federal government, national or state parks, Indian Tribes and schools members complete service projects throughout the region they are assigned. 

Visit www.americorps.gov

Thanks, AmeriCorps!

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Easiest way To Increase Online Giving

The easiest way to increase online giving is to tell donors what you need by posting your gift range within or near your donate now button.?

In case you’ve never used a gift range calculation, here’s a quick tutorial:

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1. Plug in your fundraising goal at GiftRangeCalculator.com?

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2. Post the gift levels provided by your calculation on your website, in your donor solicitations, and use them to encourage your board.?

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3. Combine your gift range levels with donor ranking to know how much to ask each donor without leaving money on the table.?

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

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10 Ways to Find Donors

In general, people prefer doing business and engaging in transactions with other people with whom they already have a relationship… – Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Thou Shall Prosper

Your new donors are nearby, waiting to be asked.

Here are 10 ways to find new donors and earn their loyalty.

Your board members and founders should be your organization’s first donors.  Respecting that your leaders have a variety of income levels, ask them to give “their largest personally appropriate gift”.  Tip: When you can tell donors you have 100% board participation, this is a compelling case for support.

2. By using your gift range calculation and donor ranking, you will be equipped to ask each person within the range of their largest personally appropriate gift. At your next meeting, ask your current leaders for referrals.  A helpful way to brainstorm is with a Bubble Exercise: Each person, on your own paper, head columns or draws big bubbles.  Each bubble or column represents someplace you spend time:  work, home/family, clubs, church, neighborhood, associations, sports teams, etc.

Under these headings, without considering anybody’s ability to give or interest in your organization, list everyone you know.

Rank each person 0 – 3, 3 being the high score, on each of these three factors:

Interest in your cause

Linkage, or connection, to your organization

Ability to give

When each team member has added up their prospects, add the totals. Compare this total to the prospects needed from your gift range calculation.

3. Are all past donors on your prospect list?   At a 135 year old Chamber of Commerce, I found a donor list from the 1960’s.  When I contacted some of those past donors, they were honored to be remembered.  Some made new donations.

4. Based on “linkage” alone, add your staff and vendors.  When you meet with them for solicitations, ask for their referrals, too.

5. According to The Millionaire Next Door: Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas Stanley and William Danko, the people with the greatest ability to give to your organization today are older adults.  Communicate differently with your different age demographics.  Your next major donor may not be online, but waiting for paper correspondence.  Tip:  Many older donors can be found on Facebook.

6. Do you have a list of past event attendees?  At all future events capture contact information for attendees.

7. Ask for grants from your local Rotary Clubs, other service clubs, and local community foundations.  They might make a matching gift to help you motivate other donors.

8. Online giving portals:  Claim and keep your Guidestar profile current.  Donors looking for nonprofits to support online can find your cause and donate through Guidestar. Some Fortune 500 companies use Benevity.com for their employee giving programs.  You can easily register your organization there, too.

9. Ask your social media followers to donate, and ask them to refer their friends and family.  As your organization gains positive name recognition within and beyond your local community, you can focus more resources on cultivating online donors.  For most nonprofits, your larger donations will come through your annual campaign.

10. Run a “silent” referral campaign annually:  board members ask current donors to recommend like-minded connections that may like to support your cause.

If you still come up short, you can scale back your goals for this year to fit a calculation with a smaller number of prospects required.  If the numbers don’t project that the support will truly be there, regroup.

As always, I am hoping for your every success!

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