Posts in category Nonprofit Consulting

On joining the NPO Connect Team

October 30, 2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin

I was invited to join the NPO Connect Team. Another opportunity to empower nonprofits to do good!

NPO Connect is a brand new online platform designed to build the skills of nonprofit professionals and volunteers. NPO Connect offers a comprehensive approach to professional development and networking for the sector.

How exciting to join such an incredible team. Now I can continue to learn and explore while participating in this new venture.

NPO Connect Content Experts:

So, please join us!  Take advantage of NPO Connect’s no-cost, 30-day trial membership!

While you’re on the site take a look at the Forums. We’re building community and sharing insights in fundraising, marketing & communications, and program planning & development.

Please let me hear from you. I’d love to know what you think!

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Are you aware of donor-advised funds?

May 16, 2012 Leave a Comment Written by admin

Last week I was invited to an interesting presentation by Schwab Charitable .

I was intrigued that the event occurred during Women’s Empowerment Month, an important focus for me.

In full transparency I want my readers to know that I am a Charles Schwab client. But, I had never heard of Schwab Charitable.

Kim Laughton, president, Schwab Charitable, provided some interesting information on giving trends in the US.

Do you know where most giving comes from?

  • Corporations/corporate foundations
  • Trusts and estates
  • Private Foundations
  • Living Individuals

According to USA Giving, 2011, living individuals contribute 73% of the approximately $300 Billion in gifts a year.

The evening’s discussion focused on Donor Advised Funds. According to Forbes, Donor-advised funds–funds held within, and managed by, a public charity–are fast becoming the most popular vehicle for charitable giving in the U.S.

The National Philanthropic Trust’s 2011 report showed that, overall, donor advised funds saw an increase of more than 10% in charitable assets in 2011, and a 20% increase in contributions to donor-advised fund programs. There was a modest increase (1.3%) in the total amount of dollars granted.

Don’t forget, donor advised funds are another vehicle through which individuals give to your organization. This means that you need to continue to ‘blow your horn’ and ensure that people are aware of how you touch the lives of your clients and enrich your community.

BTW, during the evening presentation I learned of three local nonprofits that support and empower women. So, I learned a lot about an intriguing donor vehicle and some meaningful nonprofits in Atlanta.

I know this post is a departure from my usual focus on events and corporate sponsorships. But, I feel it is important to bring other donation vehicles to the forefront, especially one that has such benefits to the owners of the funds as well as the organizations they choose to support.

The information from Schwab Charitable was used with permission. Schwab CharitableTMis the name used for the combined programs and services of Schwab Charitable Fund, an independent nonprofit organization, and Schwab Charitable Trust Services, a limited liability company owned by Schwab Charitable Fund. The Fund has entered into service agreements with certain affiliates of The Charles Schwab Corporation.

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Giving Thanks

November 24, 2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

 

 
 
 

 

Giving Thanks

 

 

My life would not be as rich and meaningful without each and every one of you.

My wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday filled with friends and family.

Deborah

Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs!

February 9, 2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

“In the complicated world of nonprofit organizations, it can seem like everything goes wrong at once.”

Barbara Kibbe and Fred Setterberg, Succeeding with Consultants

I know when I take on a new assignment I am going to step on some toes. After all, I am usually hired to work with nonprofits facing challenges – a struggling board, a scheduled special event without implementation plans, an organization without a strategic plan or a rainmaker founding board member who decides to leave, but won’t let go.

Many times, the stressors are external – loss of funding, harsh political climate or a lack of buy-in from donors on signature projects.

Be sure and conduct a thorough situation analysis to begin. Identify challenges to focus your work. Here are 10 key questions to guide the process:

1)      Does the organization have a fundraising plan that identifies different sources and funding activities?

2)      Do all the board members contribute money?

3)      Is there a donor management program in place?

4)      Is there consensus about the organization’s vision and mission?

5)      When is the last time the bylaws were updated?

6)      Are marketing and development programs based on services and programs instead of the mission?

7)      Does the community know the nonprofit?

8)      Is the IT infrastructure adequate?

9)      Is there an updated strategic plan and is it followed?

10)   Does the organization have published ethical guidelines for governance and fundraising? Are they followed?

So, be prepared to ruffle some feathers. And, be prepared to read the warning signs when it is time to go.

But, before you leave, be sure and share the nonprofit’s successes that were accomplished while you were there.

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The Power of Thank You

August 5, 2010 Leave a Comment Written by admin

It All Starts With Thank You!

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” GB Stern

Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Well, it is unfortunate how many nonprofits do not fully thank their donors.

Of course we thank them, you say.

But, are you sure?

I don’t believe for a second that the lapse is intentional. Now that I’m back on the other side of the fence responsible for implementation, I know how easy it is to inadvertently mess up.

The DeKalb Police Alliance like many organizations does not have a contact management database. All work to this point is done off of spreadsheets. So tracking is all but impossible.

This is not an unusual problem Most CRM databases are expensive. With donations down it is hard to justify the cost, especially when licenses and training on the system are not transferable from one staff person to another.

Then a colleague  suggested I check out Salesforce.com for the Alliance. I knew I didn’t have the budget and could not justify even a seemingly inexpensive CRM program.

Imagine my surprise and delight to learn that Salesforce.com has a Foundation.

“Salesforce.com set out to change the way companies think about philanthropy ten years ago, and today more than ever it continues to define us as a company.” Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Director Salesforce.com Foundation.

The Salesforce.com Foundation is based on a simple idea: Donate 1% of salesforce.com’s resources to support organizations that are working to make our world a better place.

I strongly suggest you check it out –www.salesforce.com/foundation.

Thank you for all you do for your community. And, thank you for following my blog.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to thanking our donors.

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In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 2010 Leave a Comment Written by admin
Calvin Alexander Ramsey - Photo credit AJC

Calvin Alexander Ramsey – Photo credit AJC

     Calvin Alexander Ramsey had a dream. Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr., he decided to follow his muse and become a voice in the struggle for social justice.
     Ramsey became a playwright. His first work, The Green Book, is a play about the difficulties African-Americans faced while traveling during the Jim Crow era and presents a dramatic intersection in the lives of a Holocaust survivor and an African-American salesman. It is based on his research on The Negro Motorist Green Book, a manual directing Blacks to “safe” restaurants, hotels and gas stations.
The Negro Motorist Green-Book, 1940. The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

The Negro Motorist Green-Book, 1940. The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

     Published from 1936 to 1963, this now obscure guide was once widely used to shield Black from segregated facilities in the South and throughout the country. Interviews with scores of elderly African-Americans recalled emotions of peril and fear while traveling. Ramsey captured these emotions in his play.
     I recently learned that the first reading of The Green Book took place at the Old Decatur Courtroom in Decatur, Georgia. This is where Martin Luther King, Jr. was sentenced in 1960 to four months in a state work camp after being arrested for a sit-in at Rich’s department store. National outrage coupled with help from then presidential candidate John F. Kennedy led to his release.
     How fitting that the next reading of the play is happening as part of an MLK, Jr. celebration at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale. The presentation is co-sponsored by the Slifka Center, the Fortunoff Video Archives for Holocaust Testimonies, Yale Theater Studies Department and the Afro-American Cultural Center.
The Green Book Flier for Yale Concert Reading

The Green Book Flier for Yale Concert Reading

“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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