It’s All About Your Donors

Ann Green donor relations, fundraising


Image by worldlywonderworks via Flickr 


Most nonprofit organizations rely on fundraising for a good portion of their revenue. They spend a lot of time strategizing and working on sending out appeals,and then it kind of stops. 


Of course,these aspects of fundraising are important, but you need to spend just as much time on donor relations, because it’s all about your donors

Thank your donors right away
Every single donor, no matter how much they have given or whether they donated online, gets a thank you letter mailed to them. Thank you letters should be sent out no later than 48 hours after you have received a donation. This shouldn’t be hard to do. Carve out some time each day you get a donation and send out your thank you letters.

Send out a great thank you letter
Spend as much time creating your thank you letters as you do your annual appeal. Make sure your thank you letters are addressed to a person and not Dear Friend. Instead of the usual,Thank you for your donation of $50….., get creative.  Try something like –
                
—You are amazing. Your generous donation of $50 will provide Sarah and her brother Michael with brand new coats this winter. Thank you so much.—

This lets your donors know how much you appreciate them and highlights what your organization is doing with their donation. 

You can also invite donors to sign up for your newsletter, visit your website, or call if they have any questions. Whatever you do, don’t ask for another donation in your thank you letter.

Add a personal handwritten note to the letter, preferably something that pertains to that particular donor. For example, if the donor has given before or attended one of your recent events, you could mention that. 

In addition, make sure all the letters are hand signed. Again, this shouldn’t take your Executive Director too long if you are generating thank you letters on a regular basis, as opposed to letting a huge pile of them accumulate.

If possible, consider sending out handwritten notes, but if you can’t do that, send a great printed letter. Here are some examples.

Donation Thank You Letter Examples
Does Your Organization’s Thank You Letter Suck?
Tips for Better Nonprofit Thank You Letters

Take an extra step and make thank you calls
Making thank you calls to your donors is a great extra step. This is something your board can do.  Here is more information on getting your board to make thank you calls.
How Your Board Can Increase Donations by 39%
Donors really appreciate thank you calls and it’s a good way to engage your board.

Show appreciation all year round
You don’t want your communication with your donors to end after you send out the thank you letter. Communicate often, between once a week and once a month, sending out messages in which you are not asking for money. A newsletter is a great way to do this. Make sure your newsletter is donor-centered and focus on success stories that demonstrate how you are making a difference with your donors’ contributions. For example, I used to work for a mentoring organization and we would feature a different mentor/mentee match each month in our newsletter. 

Another good way to show appreciation to your donors is to hold an open house at your organization. Offer tours so your donors can see the inner workings of your organization. Make your open house informal and fun,and provide food. Have a brief program that might include a video/power point presentation or a few words from a client. If cost is an issue, you could have food donated.

If you can’t have a gathering at your organization, consider asking a restaurant donate space and some food. Either way, highlight your accomplishments and be sure to thank your donors for have all they have done. Even if your donors don’t come to your open house, they will appreciate the invitation.

Remember, it’s all about your donors. If you treat them well, they’ll treat you well the next time you send out your annual appeal.




The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content

Ann Green marketing, writing
The 4 Cs 


You have just finished writing something, maybe it’s a fundraising letter or newsletter article. Before you go any further, ask yourself if you have covered these 4 Cs of writing good content.


Is it Clear?

What your intention? What message are you sending to your readers? Are you asking for a donation, thanking them, or informing them? 

Whatever it is, make sure your message is clear. If you have a call to action, that needs to be clear as well. You want your message to produce results. For example your fundraising letter should generate a donation.

Make sure you use language your readers will understand (no jargon). Just because something is clear to you, doesn’t mean it will be clear to others. Terms such as capacity building are used a lot in the nonprofit world, but may not mean anything to your supporters. 


Is it Concise?
Can you say more with less?  Eliminate any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, and filler. Get to the point right away. Concise writing doesn’t mean you need to be terse, or that all of your materials have to be one page. Sometimes they will need to be longer, but the same rules apply. Make all your words count.

Is it Conversational?
Write as if you are having a conversation with your readers, and be personable. Most of your communication and fundraising material can be written in the second person – where you refer to your readers as you and your organization as we.  

Avoid using jargon, cliches, multi-syllable words, and the dreaded passive voice. Would you ever use any of these in a conversation? 

You may think you are impressing your readers by using jargon and big words, but you are most likely confusing them or even worse, alienating them. 

Is it Compelling?
Is whatever you are writing going to capture someone’s attention and keep them interested throughout?  Start with a good opening sentence. Leading with a question is often good. Stories are also great. 

Put a human face on your stories and keep statistics to a minimum. You could start a fundraising letter with a story that leads to a call to action.

Of course, your content should always be free of typos and grammatical errors, and keeping these 4 Cs in mind will help ensure good content that will give you the results you want.

The Board’s Role in Fundraising

Ann Green board, fundraising
Photo by 401K via Flickr

I recently wrote a series of posts detailing ways nonprofit organizations can ensure effective and engaged board members. How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards I would like to expand on this a little and discuss the board’s role in fundraising.  


Board members should know their fundraising requirements before they join the board. These requirements can include giving a contribution, getting others to donate, and attending fundraising and cultivation events. Whatever requirements you have should be included in your organization’s board agreement, which the member will sign before joining. Board Expectations and Requirements The amount of money you expect the board to raise should also be included in your annual fundraising plan.

Board members should make a donation
Even if you don’t have specific fundraising requirements, board members should give a significant donation, depending on their financial means, to your organization. Board members have chosen to serve on your board because they are passionate about what you do. They should want to donate. As ambassadors of your organization, they need to support you in any way possible, and that includes a financial contribution. Another motivator, grant funders like to see 100% giving by the board.

How much should board members give?
As I mentioned above, it should be a significant contribution. If they have the means, board members should give at the major donor level. Depending on the organization, that could start at $250, $500, or more. One way to make larger donations easier is to have board members give a monthly gift. A $500 donation may be more feasible if it is spread out over a year. Of course, if a board member is unable to contribute at a higher level, they shouldn’t be expected to, but they still need to give something.

Development Committee
If your organization relies on fundraising revenue, you must have a Development (aka Fundraising) Committee. The role of the Development Committee is strategic. They design and implement your fundraising plan, which will be carried out by the whole board and staff.  Here is more information on the role of this important committee. Role of the Nonprofit Board Fundraising Committee

Major donors
Board members who have connections to major donors should be involved in soliciting them. Securing major gifts is not something that can be done overnight and involves research and cultivation. If board members are meeting with prospective funders, they need to be well prepared. That includes being trained in fundraising and knowing how to talk about your organization. Here are some  ways your board members can help identify major donors. How to Get Your Board Members To Help Identify Major Gift Prospects

Annual appeals and events
Not all board members will know potential major donors, but they can solicit annual appeal donations. Encourage them to send a personalized annual appeal to friends and family. They should also encourage friends and family to attend or donate to your fundraising events.

Thanking donors
Donor relations is an important part of the development process. A great way to involve the board is for them to make thank you calls to donors. Donors are impressed by these calls, but nonprofit staff rarely have time to make them. The link below highlights examples of how making donor thank you calls can be successful and how to prime your board to do it. How Your Board Can Increase Donations by 39%

Other ways to get the board involved in fundraising
There are plenty of ways for the board to be involved that don’t include asking for money. They can identify prospective donors. They can also accompany the Executive Director, Development Director, or other board member when meeting with a prospective funder. I mentioned earlier that grant funders like to see 100% giving by the board. They also like to see board involvement. These links include additional ways your board can be involved in fundraising.

Getting the Board involved in fundraising
9 Ways Board Members Can Raise Money Without Fundraising

Your board needs to be involved in raising money for your organization. In whatever ways they are involved, they should know what is expected of them and be well prepared to carry that out.

Here is even more information about boards and fundraising.

Leadership: The Board’s Mythunderstood Role in Fundraising
How Board Members Can Become Effective Fund-Raisers

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part Three – Board Member Orientation and Training

Ann Green board
Photo by Michigan Municipal League via Flickr

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part One – Finding Good Board Members

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards Part Two – Board Member Expectations and Requirements

ORIENTATION
Your next step to ensuring effective and engaged board members is to give your new members an orientation.  If you are bringing on more than one board member,do the orientation for all new members at same time. This can help them feel more engaged right away. Make it congenial and include food. You want your new board members to feel welcome.

The board orientation is conducted by the Board Chair,and a few other select board members,including the Board Treasurer to go over financials. The Executive Director should also be there. If appropriate,involve some senior staff,perhaps the Development Director and Marketing Director. This meeting should take place before the next full board meeting.

Give each new board member a board manual before the orientation and have them look it over before attending. This link contains a list of items to include in your board manual. What goes in the board of directors manual?  Don’t overwhelm people with too much information.  

During the orientation,go over some of the key parts of the manual. New members should be encouraged to ask questions.


Here are some items to cover in the orientation. Of course, you should tailor it as needed.

ByLaws and Other Organizational Documents
You don’t need to go over every bylaw, but make sure members are familiar with them,as well other documents such as the 990 and audit forms.

History and Mission
Briefly go over the history and mission of your organization. Give an overview of what your organization does and talk about key programs and accomplishments.  

Strategic Plan
Summarize the main parts of your strategic plan. Be prepared to answer questions the new members may have.

Expectations and Requirements
Revisit some of the expectations and requirements you discussed with your members prior to joining the board. See Board Member Expectations and Requirements  Now is a good time for them to sign their board agreement, if they haven’t already done so.

Committees

Discuss which committee the board member should join. This is often a requirement. The board manual should include committee job descriptions that will help members decide which committee is right for them.  

Key Messaging

Make sure your orientation material includes key organizational messaging – tag lines, talking points,and elevator pitches. Here is some information in case you don’t have organizational messaging  The 4 Cornerstones of an Engaging Message Platform Board members serve as ambassadors of the organization and often meet with funders and other members of the community. They must use your official organizational messaging.

Consider assigning new board members a mentor (someone who has served on the board for more than a year). The mentor can be available to answer questions the new board member may have. After the new member has served for a year, he or she can mentor an incoming board member. This is another way to help board members feel engaged.

TRAINING
New board members may need training in certain areas.Training is not limited to new board members and should be used on an ongoing basis.

Financial
If your new board members don’t have a financial background,give them a finance training. Board members are responsible for the financial well-being of the organization and need to approve the annual budget. Go over all financial forms and budgets to make sure they understand them. 


Fundraising
Board members are often required to fundraise. If your members are not familiar with fundraising, you will need to give them a training. Make sure the training is done by someone experienced in fundraising. Here are some things to include. How Board Members Can Become Effective Fund-Raisers

Messaging
Consistency in messaging is crucial.You could conduct a training where board members practice their elevator pitches.Create role play situations, such as having them talk to potential donors. Here is a more detailed explanation of an exercise. Powerful Elevator Speech Exercise for Your Board Members This can also be an ongoing training.


Ongoing Training
Periodically use your regular board meetings for training. If your meetings are two hours,conduct business during the first hour and do a training during the second hour. Using a consent agenda can help keep your meeting on time. Here is more information What is a consent agenda or consent calendar? Seek input from your members to see what types of training they would like. Some possibilities include leadership,team building,or perhaps a quick fundraising training before your next annual appeal.

In addition to trainings, keep your board members updated on your organization’s accomplishments. Include a brief report with each board meeting agenda. 

Making sure your board members know their role and what your organization does will make them more effective and engaged.

Here is some additional information about Board Orientation and Training.
Orienting and Training Board Members

Board Orientation

In my next post,I will write about the role of boards in fundraising.

For everything you wanted to know about boards, go to Board Source

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards Part Two – Board Member Expectations and Requirements

Ann Green board
How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part One – Finding Good Board Members

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part Three – Board Member Orientation and Training


Now that you have found potential board members, you will need to go over expectations and requirements with them.

First, you need to understand the role of a  board member. A board member provides governance and financial oversight.They do not run the day to day operations of the organization. They are also responsible for hiring and evaluating the Executive Director,approving the budget,and strategic planning. 

Knowing what is expected of board members will help you find effective and engaged individuals, and help candidates determine whether serving on your board is right for them.

If you don’t have a set of expectations and requirements for your board members,you should put one together right away. Here are a few of the standard ones to include.

Time Commitment
Approximately how much time is a board member supposed to commit to your organization?  It’s usually several hours a month. Be reasonable in determining this. Remember that board members are busy professionals who are volunteering their time.

Attendance
Board members should be required to attend a majority of full board meetings and committee meetings. This could mean being available for meetings at least once a month. Board members are also expected to attend organizational events. If you have a gala, they need to attend that. Let them know how many other events they should attend.

Fundraising
Most boards have some sort of fundraising requirement,and I will write a separate post about the role of the board in fundraising. At the very least, board members should make a substantial contribution, based on their income level, to the organization.

Serving on a Committee
Many boards require their members to serve on a committee. Different committees can include governance, finance, development, program, and communications.

Serving on a committee is a great way for a board member to feel more engaged, while providing their expertise and skills to the organization.

You may want to consider having potential board members serve on a committee for a period of time, maybe three to six months, before inviting them to join the board. This way you can determine if the person would make a good board member and the individual can decide whether serving on your board will work for them. You don’t want to bring on a great board member who serves for a few months and then realizes they don’t have the time to commit to your organization.

Term Limits
Many boards elect members to three year terms. Some include an option for an additional three years, and then the person is expected to step off the board. This ensures a fresh board. This is something you will need to determine. Will the person be expected to serve for three years?  At the very least, they should make a commitment of one year.

Once you have determined your expectations and requirements, prepare a board member agreement for both the board member and board chair to sign. Here are some samples you can  use.

Board Member Expectations

Nonprofit Center Board Member Expectation Statement

The following link includes a sample agreement you can download.

Roles and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards 

After a board member serves for a year, the board chair should look over the agreement to make sure the member is fulfilling his or her requirements. At the same time, the board member can fill out a self evaluation.  Here is a sample.  Individual Board Member Self-Evaluation

If the board member is not fulfilling his or her requirements,the board chair will need to take action, perhaps starting off by talking to the person about steps for improvement. If nothing changes, the board chair can ask the board member to step down. 

This should be done every year for each board member. Of course, in order for this to work, you need a board chair or other board leadership that is willing to make these annual evaluations.  It will take more time, but will help keep your board effective and engaged.

In part three, I will discuss Board Orientation and Training

For more information about boards, go to Board Source


How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part One – Finding Good Board Members

Ann Green board

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards Part Two – Board Member Expectations and Requirements

How to Ensure Effective and Engaged Nonprofit Boards – Part Three – Board Member Orientation and Training

The ideal board member is someone who is both effective and engaged. When recruiting people for your board, look for individuals who are passionate about your mission and have skills and expertise that will help your organization succeed. You want someone who chooses to be on your board because they are committed to serving the community and not because it looks good on their resume.


There is a popular phrase in the nonprofit world that says board members should offer time, treasure, and talent to an organization. That’s sounds good, but don’t just recruit a potential board member whose only contribution to your organization will be a financial one.

One of the best ways to find new board members is for your current board to hand select them. You may have a nominating or membership committee to do this, but all board members can weigh in. Your board should have a pretty extensive professional network where they can find potential new members.  

You could also consider some of your current donors. After all, they have already made a commitment to your organization. If you do try to recruit donors, again make sure they are able to provide time and talent, and not just treasure.

The Executive Director (ED) sometimes recommends people for the board. This can be tricky, because the ED is accountable to the board.

I have seen some organizations post announcements on listserves trying to recruit board members. I’ve never thought this was a great recruitment method. You would have to spend more time vetting someone to ensure they will be a good match for your organization.

Your board should include people with a diverse set of skills. If your current board is lacking someone with a particular background, say law or finance, then that’s where you should focus your recruitment efforts. For the record, your board does need at least one member with law background and another with financial expertise (who may be your board treasurer).   

Of course, the ideal board consists of people who are reflective of the community you serve, and everyone wants a diverse board, but the top priority should be finding someone who is effective and engaged.

You can use this sample recruitment form to help you identify certain demographic groups and skill sets. Sample Board of Directors Recruitment Grid

After you identify potential candidates,conduct an interview process. This can consist of the applicant filling out a questionnaire and meeting with the nominating committee. At this time, you should go over any expectations and requirements.

In Part Two, I will discuss Board Expectations and Requirements. In the meantime, what are some ways that your organization recruits board members?

Here are some additional resources on recruiting board members.


Guidelines for Recruiting New Board Members

Nonprofit Board Recruitment Strategies

Questions to Ask Prospective Board Members

For everything you wanted to know about nonprofit boards, go to BoardSource  




Fresh Fundraising Ideas

Ann Green Uncategorized

Do you need some fresh fundraising ideas for the new year? Or, maybe it’s time to revisit some that have proven to work.

In her post, Seven quintessential nonprofit resolutions for 2012…and beyond, Pamela Grow gives us tips from creating a solid plan (it’s not enough to have a plan, you need to execute it) to starting a monthly giving program (something you may not have thought of before).

Direct mail is still one of the most common ways to raise money, but you need to do it well. Jeff Brooks shows us How fundraisers are getting it right in the mail These are simple techniques that show results. 

Focus your efforts on your current donors. It should require less effort than trying to find new ones. This post by Sumac talks about Creating the “Perfect Donor Experience”. It’s not just about the ask. Spend time thanking your donors and keeping them updated and engaged. Let them know how they are making a difference.

Speaking of saying thank you, Kivi Leroux Miller highlights Nine Clever Ways to Thank Your Donors. Be creative – don’t just send out the same boring thank you letter. Of course, also let your donors know how their gift is being used to make a difference for the people you serve.


I encourage you to give some of these ideas a try to keep your fundraising fresh.

Create a Style Guide for Your Organization

Ann Green Communications, writing ,

Photo by imelda via Flickr

One way to ensure consistency in your communication materials is to create a style guide.  A style guide can cover both elements of your written material (editorial) and the look of your materials (design). Don’t be intimidated by putting one together. You can create one that’s just a few pages long.

 
Getting Started
You may want to use a published style guide such as the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook (probably best for nonprofit organizations) or the Chicago Manual of Style as your base, and then make additions or changes as needed.  These style guides cover items such as when to use commas (red, white, and blue as opposed to red, white and blue), and when to spell out numbers (one) as opposed to writing them as numerals (1).
 
Fonts
Choose a font that you will use in all of your materials. Serif fonts such as Garamond or Times Roman are best for print, and sans serif fonts such as Ariel or Verdana  work better for online materials. Whatever you decide, choose something that’s easy to read.  Here is some more detailed information on choosing fonts. The Best Fonts to Use in Print, Online, and Email
 
Your Organization
What is the official name of your organization, and what are the acceptable ways to abbreviate it? You could also include your mission statement and a brief history of your organization in your style guide.
 
Language
Figure out language that is specific to your organization. Are you a nonprofit, non profit, or non-profit organization?  Do you serve youth or children?  Are you active in the African-American or African American Community. Is there any language you should never use in your materials?
 
Tag Lines and Key Messages
Include your tag lines and key messages.  If you don’t have these, now is a good time to come up with some.  Be sure whatever you come up with is clear, concise, and conversational. Write in the active voice and don’t use jargon. Include these in all your materials and revisit them (maybe once or twice a year) to make sure they are still relevant.
 
Design
You can also use your style guide to indicate design preferences. Make sure you use the exact same colors in all your materials. Colors have PATONE numbers, which are used by designers and printers. Figure out which ones you will use – here is a guide to help you. Find a PANTONE color You’ll be amazed to see how many shades there are of one color. Having PANTONE numbers will be especially useful if you use more than one print company.
 
Logo
Decide how you want your logo to be sized and where it should be on the page. I recommend you keep your logo in the same place in all your materials to ensure a consistent, recognizable look. You may need to adjust sizing depending on the materials. 
 
Finishing Up
Once you have your style guide in place, go over it with staff, board members, volunteers, and consultants (anyone who might be communicating your message).  Make sure everyone has a copy or that it’s easily accessible on your shared server. When you hire new staff, go over the style guide with them at their orientation.  
 
Creating a style guide will take a little work up front, but it will be worthwhile in the end because your materials will have a consistent message and look. 
 
Here is an example of a style guide that uses AP as a base. VOICEOFSANDIEGO.ORG STYLE GUIDE

Take Time to Plan

Ann Green Uncategorized
Hopefully, your organization has its 2012 plans (operational, fundraising, marketing, program,etc.) in place.  If you don’t, it’s not too late to start.

You might have heard the expression, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Okay, maybe you won’t actually fail, but you will have a better chance at success if you put together a yearly plan, regularly monitor your progress (I recommend every quarter), evaluate what is working and what isn’t, and make any necessary changes.

Putting together a yearly plan with your goals and objectives doesn’t need to be a daunting process.  A planning tool you can use for your operational  plan is the organizational dashboard. Library of Sample Dashboard Indicators  Of course, you can modify this to meet your needs.

Here is some additional information about operational plans, and how they differ from strategic plans, as well as information about putting together fundraising and marketing plans.

Operational Plans
Frequently Asked Questions about Nonprofit Strategic Planning
Planning – Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence

Fundraising plans
The 7 Questions Your Nonprofit Fundraising Plan Must Answer
6 Steps to a Fundraising Plan for a New Nonprofit

Marketing plans
Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template — Ready-to-Use
Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template

Taking time to plan is time well spent. Good luck with your planning!

Does your Organization Need an Annual Report?

Ann Green Uncategorized
Photo by Eric (aka Herve) via Flickr

Nonprofit organizations are not required to produce an annual report, but I believe your organization will benefit by having one.

The main purpose of an annual report is to highlight your organization’s accomplishments. You don’t need a glossy 20 page document. In fact, if you are a small organization, that would not be a good use of your resources. Instead you can produce, a short (four to six pages), simple piece to send to your supporters. Here are a few things to include in your annual report.

  • Your accomplishments. Don’t overwhelm your readers with a lot of text and statistics. Use pictures, short stories, and quotes. If you run an afterschool program, a couple of pictures showing kids engaged in activities can emphasize the work you are doing. Be sure to show results, too.
  •  Your financials. Include your revenue and expenses, and break them down by department (program, administration, etc.). Keep it simple and use a pie chart or bar graph. 
  •  A donor list. You may want to just list your major donors in the printed piece and include all donors on your website. Generally, organizations will group donors by giving level. 
  • Say thank you. In the brief introduction by the Executive Director and Board Chair and in the donor section, be sure to thank all your supporters. 

You don’t need to mail your annual report to all your supporters. You may want to mail it just to your major donors. Put your annual report on your website, and then let everyone know it’s available. You could send out a special e-mail announcement or include something about your annual report in your newsletter. Of course, you should make a hard copy available to anyone who wants one. You should also have hard copies available for potential funders and other supporters.

If you choose not to produce an annual report, you should still have a list of accomplishments readily available. You often need these for grant proposals, anyway. I recommend keeping a running list, so you are not scrambling to put something together when it’s time to do your annual report or a grant proposal. This can also help you get your annual report out earlier in the new year.