5 Fundraising Focus Sharpeners: Continuing the Conversation—A Guest Post by Roxie Jerde

What a pleasure it was to see representatives from so many local nonprofit agencies at the May AFP meeting. I enjoyed the opportunity to share some of what I’ve learned about donors in my time at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and now at my new home here at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Thank you for welcoming me with such warmth and enthusiasm.


As a follow up to our conversation, I wanted to pose a few thoughts that may help guide you in building and sustaining funding for your nonprofit’s mission. Consider using these questions as a reference in your evolving development plan, or feel free to post your thoughts and comments right here on the AFP blog:

1. Do our development efforts align with the breakdown of the $303.75 billion in charitable giving? More than 80% of all charitable giving comes from individual donors and bequests, and this is where the lion’s share of your time should be focused.
2. Is our organization addressing what high net worth households—representing 2/3 of all individual giving—want in charitable giving? They need to believe their gift will make a difference and that your organization is efficient in its use of donations. Being over-solicited is a leading reason high net worth households stop giving. 
3. If/ when special events are part of our development plan, are we capitalizing on this time to cultivate major gift prospects and truly convey the purpose and impact of our mission? Following up with your guests, using board members as ambassadors at your event and driving your mission home with a mix of compelling stories and facts are integral.
4. Do we know each of our donor’s motivations for giving and are we using this to build our relationship with them? Hope Neighbor, Money for Good researcher, classifies the motivations for giving into six categories—repayer, seeking to “give back” to a cause close to the heart; casual giver, giving to well-known nonprofits because it’s simple; high impact, supporting nonprofits the donor believes are doing the most good; faith based, giving to support religious institutions and/or beliefs; see the difference, giving to small and/or local organizations where the donor feels they are making a difference; and personal ties, giving when the donor has connections to the organization’s leaders.
5. Are you a “Double E”—effective and efficient—nonprofit? Answer this question by taking a look at your program effectiveness, operating budget, financial transparency and board engagement. Consider your administrative and fundraising expenses—ideally less than 25% of your budget—and the retention rate of senior leadership, which is considered favorable if it’s more than 75%.

I’m impressed with the caliber of professionals in the Southwest Florida chapter of AFP and know that you have strong resources right in front of you. You’ll also find continuing support for professional development and knowledge through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s Nonprofit Resource Center and online in national studies, blogs and philanthropic publications.

Here are a few of my favorites we talked about at the meeting:

• Bank of America 2010 Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy 
• Hope Consulting’s Money for Good Report, May 2010 
• Sean Stannard-Stockton’s Tactical Philanthropy Blog

I’ll look forward to seeing you out in the community and onsite at your nonprofit over the coming months and year.

 

 

 

Roxie Jerde became the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County on March 1, 2011. Learn more online at www.CFSarasota.org. 

Good Times at the Fundraisers Forum

The annual Fundraisers Forum, a partnership of our local AFP chapter and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County's Nonprofit Resource Center, embraced over 220 development professionals and nonprofit leaders on July 9, 2010.

Headliner Penelope Burk shared the latest from her donor research to an enthusiastic crowd, and a panel discussion moderated by Cliff Roles on the future of philanthropy provided insights into the good and the bad of today's still struggling economy. Cecy Glenn, CEO of the United Way of Charlotte County, Jerry Koontz, President of the United Way of Manatee County and Stewart W. Stearns, President Emeritus of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County made sure the trends were reflective of our tri-county area.

Special thanks to breakout session leaders Mark Brewer, CEO of the Community Foundation of Central Florida; Carol Butera, CFRE of Children First; Bart Tryon, CFRE of Philanthropy Management; Karin Gustafson, CFRE, President of the YMCA Foundation of Sarasota; and Richard Gans, Shareholder of Fergeson, Skipper, Shaw, Keyser, Baron & Tirabassi, P.A.

Shout outs to Manatee Educational Television for taking such great care in filming the event. What a crew! The staff at Anna Maria Island Community Center made the day especially nice for us. We thank Pierrette Kelly and committee members Donna Dunnio and Laura Breeze, CFRE for working with the NRC team to plan such a great day.

Carol Butera, CFRE and Bart Tryon, CFRE talk about major gifts.

Melissa Burtless, Chief Development Officer of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida and Jeanne Dubi, President of Sarasota Audubon Society

Jane Lautner, Director of Annual Gifts of the Pines of Sarasota Foundation

Sharna Finkelstein, Program Assistant at the Nonprofit Resource Center, with Laura Breeze, CFRE, Advancement Director of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County

 

Charles Clapsaddle & crew of METV stayed with us all day for filming and interviews with attendees.

Liz Shirley of the Animal Rescue Coalition with father Jim Shirley, Executive Director of the Sarasota County Arts Council

To all those who joined us and to those who did not, happy fundraising and we'll see you at the Forum next year!  Until then, stay plugged in with all of the interesting and essential topics covered in our regular professional development luncheons.

AFP Peers Coming Together: New Mentorship Program!

There's good news for AFP members who want to boost their professional development: a new FREE mentoring program is available to you.  This is your chance to receive personalized feedback, direction and nurturing to build your career and become a more effective fundraiser.

If you have 1+ years of experience in fundraising, let's talk.

Here's how it works:

• You will identify a project or 1-3 specific goals you hope to accomplish during the year. Where do you want to be in your career in 2 years? What specifically do you need to master to serve your institution more effectively?
• AFP will match mentees with mentors by considering appropriate relative levels between mentor and mentee, geography, subject matter to be worked on and matching people from organizations that are mutually illuminating while not being competitive.
• Mentor/mentees meet at least monthly and probably connect more often via phone and/or email.  Communication is confidential and structured enough to ensure progress but open enough to foster communication and evolve as needed.

Are you a senior development professional? We need you as a mentor!  Mentors should have 5+ years in development, a desire to help the next generation of fundraisers, and a willingness to focus on the mentees goals and needs and help him/her achieve them. This is an opportunity to share ones knowledge and nurture the next generation of nonprofit leaders.

For more information and to get involved as a mentor or as a mentee, contact Mary Saionz at Mary-Saionz@smh.com or (941) 917-1286.

How to Justify Your AFP Membership Fee

Here are ten ways that AFP provides value to nonprofit organizations. As an AFP member, the value of any one of them far exceeds the cost of an individual’s membership dues. Together they make a smashing investment.

1. What is Philanthropy? Many people wonder if it has something to do with stamp collecting. AFP activities help to deepen the community’s understanding of the philanthropic process. Why do people give? How do nonprofit organizations receive the resources they need to accomplish their missions? Why do they give to specific organizations? The more they know, the more they give.

2. Professional and True. AFP conveys fundraising as professional process that helps nonprofits to obtain income to achieve their missions. A surprising percent of the population believe that nonprofits raise all the money they need by selling candy bars in front of grocery stores on Saturday mornings. The more the community understands nonprofit income sources and how they can participate, the better for the whole nonprofit community. AFP leads in the growth of this understanding and in professionalizing fundraising.

3. Trust Me: Fundraising is built on public trust. AFP provides a Code of Ethics that enhances trust. In addition to candy sales, people also believe that fundraising is the telephone call that interrupts their dinner. The caller implies he is with law enforcement. However, the people holding their forks suspect he’s a hired gun for a for-profit that will receive most of the money raised. The code of ethics supports the elimination of unethical fundraising.

4. Pondering Challenging Questions. Through meetings, telephone seminars, conferences and literature, AFP members ask and confront ethical questions –in advance. These questions explore how money is raised and the appropriate behavior of donors and nonprofits. The right ethical answers in your organization come from living with these questions and answers frequently. AFP helps nonprofit professionals to examine these important issues.

5. In-depth Knowledge. AFP provides you access to information when you need it. For example, when you have a crisis (and if your nonprofit eventually will) AFP provides access to multiple resources, including a library, about how to respond, how to strengthen your organization and how to help your donors to understand the situation.

6. Ideas. Participating actively in AFP events will give you new fundraising ideas to adapt and try at your organization. If you regularly attend meetings and read publications all year long, this is guaranteed.

7. Rights. The AFP Donor’s Bill of Right provides guidelines to fundraisers on how to build deeper and better relationships with donors. The Donor’s Bill of Rights helps nonprofit professionals. It also helps your donors to understand their relationship to your organization and deepens the respect they hold for each other.

8. On-task. Regular AFP activities help the fundraising professional to stay focused on relationships. For almost all of us, it is easier to stay in the office and organize files and databases than take the risk and effort to establish new and deepen existing friendships. The monthly meetings remind us, inspire us and fortify us to return to the field to meet with the community and potential donors.

9. Networking. One of the best benefits of membership, cited by members, are the networking opportunities. You meet people and have a chance to interact with others who have experienced or are going through similar fundraising challenges.


10. Return On Investment. In a recent newsletter for the Southwest Florida AFP chapter, Julia Steele wrote, “This year marks AFP's 50th Anniversary, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, an international organization with 207 chapters and 30,000 members worldwide, continues to be the standard-bearer of professionalism in fundraising. Established in 1988, the Southwest Florida chapter represents more than 130 diverse professionals in a four county area who share a commitment to promote philanthropy through ethical and effective fundraising.”

How can you justify your membership to AFP? Consider the reasons above and add you own. Then, for the final justification do the math. AFP membership dues cost less than $300 –and you plan to raise how many thousands or millions this year? Yes, it cost money to make money. The returns for APF membership, if you participate fully, will be returned to your organization many times over.


Many thanks to Karen Eber Davis for her thoughtful expression of the great value and professionalism provided with AFP. We hope you'll renew your membership, join for the first time or help spread the word about what we do to others in our field.

It's Boca, Baby!

Mark your calendar and earmark your budget for the seventh statewide conference organized by the Florida Caucus of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2010, Planet Philanthropy will be held at the Boca Raton Resort and Club!

A committee of your colleagues from across the state is hard at work planning an information-packed and inspirational program featuring distinguished speakers from Florida and beyond. Whether you're a newcomer to the profession or a seasoned veteran, you'll find something just for you at Planet Philanthropy 2010.

The tracks for the conference include: Annual Campaigns, Major Gifts, Government Relations and Corporate Giving, Private, Family and Community Foundation Giving, Technology, Capital Campaigns, Planned Giving, Senior Leadership and Management, Board Development and Volunteerism.

Early Bird Registration on or before May 11, 2010: $275 for AFP Members/ $325 for non members

For more information, click here.