Considering the recent news headlines and the fact that I live and work in Charlotte, North Carolina it should probably come as no surprise that I have been getting more and more calls from people in the banking industry. They are calling to ask for advice on how to make the transition to the nonprofit sector.

Sadly, they have limited knowledge about nonprofits. “I’m sorry, but your 7 years in marketing does not equal 7 years in nonprofit fundraising.” That isn’t what I’m telling them, but it is what I’m thinking. Unfortunately sales and marketing experience do not translate directly to fundraising, but that isn’t to say there is no correlation. That is the topic of this recent post from onPhilanthropy.

I am always open to newcomers to the profession of philanthropic facilitation, but I don’t know if the nonprofit sector would benifit by aquiring “leadership” from the banking industry. Am I alone in that opinion?

Hat tip to Arrested Development for the post title inspiration.

I learned at an early age the power of the written note. My parents taught me that a well written note must be sent promptly but show thoughtfulness. It also must be personal but brief. My work in the nonprofit sector has proven to be no exception to this rule. I try to write a personal note for every gift regardless of the amount or designation.

Over the past six months I have increased the thank you effort and strive to spend as much time thanking donors as I do researching prospects and asking for support. I have learned that left piled up for more than a couple weeks, the task of thanking can become overwhelming. If done as gifts arrive it can be rewarding personal reminder of why the mission is so important and valuable exercise to increase donor retention.

Over the past three months I have noted that gifts have increased, both in amount and frequency. Considering the economic context, this as quite remarkable. Thanks to Tom from The Agitatior for helping reienforce the value of the thank you.

The Agitator cites two research studies regarding consumer brand loyalty and positive experience. The studies emphasize the need for an opportunity to directly interact with products.

Tom Belford asks the question “How can you provide a some kind of “touching” and “experiencing” of your organization?”

This goes back to my mantra “people give to the mission.” All elements of your integrated philanthropic plan (e.g. identification to stewardship) should link the donor back to the mission in a personally meaningful way. Are you sending thank you notes? Why not print note cards (blank on the inside) that proudly display the artwork of a staff member/program beneficiary/donor on the front and tell their story on the back?

Nonprofits should always be looking for a way to reengage constituents with the mission.

The Obama Administration has once again thumbed its nose at the nonprofit sector with the latest proposal to limit deductions on charity. Unfortunately the debate over the revised deduction rates has focused primarily on the affect on the wealthy.

The real irony here is that under Obama’s proposal the funds being captured via the reduced detectability would go to benefit programs that are in direct competition with the nonprofit sector.

This raises the question, does Obama really know what the nonprofit sector does or how it benefits the greater good? The three sectors provide one another with a series of checks and balances. Increasing the responsibility of government to provide services currently under the purview of the nonprofit sector would be detrimental to the balance of power between private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Philanthropy blog Give and Take asks the question, “Is Facebook’s Fund Raising a Bust?” Having tried giving via Causes shortly after it first launched the answer to this question is not difficult.

Even with the 4.75% processing fee, the Causes application would probably have broader support from non-profits if gifts were given directly to the non-profit instead of passing through an intermediary.

Since all gifts processed through the Causes application are actually gifts to “Network for Good” designated to support the selected non-profit, the non-profit never has the opportunity to interact with the donor.

There is no benefit for non-profits to invest any resources into encouraging annual fund donors to give to a donor advised fund.