Posts Tagged ‘fundraising’

2011 AFP NC Philanthropy Conference

Aug 8, 2011 Weblog

AFP NC Philanthropy ConferenceIt’s my pleasure to have been invited to present at the 7th Annual AFP NC Philanthropy Conference in Durham, NC on August 11, 2011.

My session, International Perspectives to Inform Our Best Practices, explores the context for philanthropy and charity for international cultures such as those in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

By understanding these unique cultural perspectives, fundraisers are able to incorporate a diverse approach to their fund development efforts stateside. This should result in improved donor interaction, regardless of target donor demographics.

For your reference I am happy to provide a copy of the presentation handouts (PDF) referenced during my session at 3:15 p.m. on August 11, 2011. The session is located in the Crown Room of the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham, NC.

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Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing – Breathing New Life into Planned Giving [Book Review]

Aug 1, 2011 Weblog

If you’re like me, the term “planned gift” immediately conjures up visions of accountants, lawyers, and financial planners gathered around a large table stacked to the ceiling with superfluous paperwork situated in a musty building not far from a nursing home.

Morbid? Yes. Accurate? No.

Enter Michael Rosen’s book… a resource I wish existed several years ago when I was studying for the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) exam. At the time, Planned Giving Simplified: The Gift, The Giver, and the Gift Planner (AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series) was among the best book on the market (it’s still a great survey on the topic). Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing: (AFP Fund Development Series) picks up where Robert Sharpe’s book leaves off, but brushes off the perceived complexity of planned giving and challenged my stereotype of the topic. I’ve found it to be a welcomed resource on my bookshelf and I’m sure you will as well.

If you’re a donor considering Rosen’s book to help inform your own philanthropy I would also like to recommend an essay on endowments located in volume five of ESSAYS ON ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY 2 VOL SET (4 & 5) (Collected Works of John Stuart Mill). I believe you’ll find this will challenge your perspective on perpetual gifts. Conversely, I would also like to recommend the chapter titled “The Best Fields for Philanthropy” found in Andrew Carnegie’s The Gospel of Wealth Essays and Other Writings (Penguin Classics).

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Breakthrough Nonprofit Branding – Valueable, but Not for Obvious Reasons [Book Review]

Jul 11, 2011 Weblog

I’ll preface my review by disclosing I personally believe that the public, private and non-profit sectors serve as a system of checks and balances between one another. As a result I am not in favor of cause marketing because of how it blurs the boundaries between the private and non-profit sector. Cause marketing is attractive to non-profits because it appears to be a mutually beneficial arrangement–non-profits create another revenue stream and for-profits sell more products and make consumers feel good about their purchase. However, since the motivations of the private and non-profit sectors are so disparate (shareholder profits versus and the greater good), the non-profit sector loses more than it gains because it discounts (in my view) its most valuable asset, philanthropy.

Despite my bias, I approached this book with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised to find tremendous value in Breakthrough Nonprofit Branding: Seven Principles to Power Extraordinary Results (The AFP/Wiley Fund Development Series). It is clear that Daw and Cone are highly experienced in the area of cause marketing. However, the elements I most appreciate about this book had nothing to do with cause marketing. The way the authors addressed the topic is what brought me the most benefit. I appreciate that this book uses a Jim Collins-esque approach of selecting top performing organizations to case study–this brought great credibility to the methods these organizations utilized. The authors don’t just explain key concepts, but apply them in a way that makes the principles of engagement, loyalty, and community real and actionable. These elements help seasoned fundraisers understand how to better communicate a non-profit organization’s case for support by adopting strengths from the private sector–this helps us view communication strategies through the “branding” lens of the private sector.

If you are a business looking to partner with a charitable organization, a non-profit looking to give your organizational mission more richness through a strategic partnership in the private sector, or like myself looking to better articulate the non-profit organizational brand by borrowing from the private sector, I believe this book is a must read.

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Reconsidering the Titles We Give Professional Fundraisers

Jul 6, 2011 Weblog

Yet another member of the front-line fundraising team at my organization is departing for a position at another institution. So, as we’ve done in the past, the team gathered last night to bid farewell to Sharon — a valued colleague, trusted confidant, loyal friend, and in my case… my fundraiser?

About two years ago I decided that if I was going to be supporting my institution with philanthropic support, I should have a contact that could help set up my gift and would steward my support. Even though the research I wanted to support was literally thirty feet from my office door, I felt I should still have a chance to have a full donor experience and get to work with a fundraiser in that journey. I asked Sharon if she would be that person.

In Sharon’s departure I’ve had to consider who I’d want to represent my philanthropic interests with the organization. I believe I know who I’ll ask, but the hard part is figuring out the right way to pose the question.

Within the profession we use awkward terminology to refer to the relationship donors share with the person that represents their connection with the organization (e.g. development director and major gifts officer). Neither of these titles reflect the balance professional fundraisers negotiate between donor intent and organizational need… a highly difficult task in light of donor advised funds, restricted gifts, and performance-driven grant making. These titles also fail to address the other aspects of the fundraising profession, the trust relationship.

Look at any other professional field. Let’s say you were talking with a close friend and wanted to make reference to your doctor or accountant. You would be inclined to use a possessive pronoun. “I have to schedule an appointment to see MY doctor.”

Professional titles (doctor, accountant, lawyer) brings with it connotations of trust, confidentiality, expertise, and ethics. I proudly wear the banner of “fundraiser,” but know that this title is not fully descriptive of my profession and of my responsibilities. This became clearer last night as I considered who among my colleagues I would want to represent my interests as I continue giving to my institution.

Those that know me also know how I’ve described my job when asked by those that don’t understand the concept of a major gift officer (no, I don’t have a badge to prove it). I have settled on using the term “philanthropic adviser.” This is in large part why my current working title is now “director of philanthropy and development” not just “director of development.” I’m quite pleased with the prospect of referring to Sharon in the past tense as my philanthropic adviser. I am also confident that when I ask one of my colleagues to represent my support to the institution as my philanthropic adviser, they will be quite clear with what I am asking of them. However, I still wonder if a better term exists for professional fundraisers.

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Questioning Diversity in Fundraising

Jun 21, 2011 Weblog

I’m currently on vacation so, the past couple days, I’ve been working my way through Cultivating Diversity in Fundraising by Janice Gow Pettey. As I read her book, several questions keep coming to mind. Anybody that really knows me will appreciate that I tend to ask a lot of questions to challenge my own assumptions. This isn’t to say I disagree with my assumptions, rather I think it’s important to be on a continual quest for knowledge and questioning is one of the ways I learn best. With that said…

One of the underlying themes of Janice’s book is that, by bring diversity to fundraising we will improve donor experience, fundraiser performance, and organizational sustainability.

If this is true, then:

  • Why don’t I see more AFP or CASE conferences, seminars, or webinars discussing best practices of incorporating diversity into a nonprofit’s organizational culture?
  • Why don’t leading charity evaluation tools (e.g. GiveWell or GuideStar) have measures for diversity as it applies to organizational performance, donor experience, or sustainability?
  • Are we demonstrating an ethical dilemma by not seriously considering diversity in our organizational strategic plans?

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