Tag Archives: fundraising

Kick-Start Your Organization’s Story

Posted on June 24, 2009 | Leave a comment

Kick Start CardI am heading off to the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Fundraising Professionals Annual Conference today. On Friday, I will be giving a workshop on Framing the Ask: A Storytelling Approach to Individual Donor Fundraising. Instead of handing out pens with the Creation In Common logo on it, we are handing out small 4″X6″ packets called Kick-Start Your Story. Inside are full-color index cards with famous quotes on storytelling along with six questions to help you tell your nonprofit organization’s story. Here are the questions:

    Hero: What participant or supporter of your organization best illustrates the value of your work?

    Exposition: What was life like for your hero just prior to connecting with your organization?

    Inciting Incident: What was the moment your hero’s life began to change and what was the role your organization played in that transformation?

    Rising Action: What barriers did your hero face on his or her journey and how — with your organization’s help — did they overcome them?

    Moment of Truth: How did your hero’s situation change dramatically since engaging with your organization?

    Resolution: How can your audience join the effort?

If you are interested in receiving a packet (supplies are limited), please let us know at info@creationincommon.com and in the subject line write: “Kick-Start Cards”.

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How Many Nonprofit Executives Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?

Posted on June 5, 2009 | 4 Comments
Warhols Light Bulbs by Zetson

Warhol's Light Bulbs by Zetson

Yesterday, I asked friends on Twitter and Facebook (many who are or were nonprofit executives) to send me punch lines. It was a whole lot of fun to read them. Thanks to everyone who contributed. If you have a punch line to share, please comment (ignore “No Comments”– I am trying to change that with our blog provider.) Thanks, Carlo

How many nonprofit executives does it take to screw in a light bulb?

- One to form a committee, one to form a workgroup, and a third to write a fundraising plan for the lightbulb.

- Lightbulb? I downsized my lamp during the last budget cycle.

- We won’t be able to change the light bulb until our five year strategic plan is done. But we can’t seem to get the plan done because we do everything by consensus, in committee, and we can’t agree. So I’m afraid we will just have to sit here in the dark, talking. Forever.

- The CORRECT form has to be filled out by the person who notices that the light bulb needs to be screwed in = 1. Then that form has to go thru a commitee of 3 and be approved and posted online = 4. Online, it goes to another committe of 3 for scheduling = 7. Once scheduled, it is assigned to the lightbulb screwing in crew = 10. If the CORRECT form was not filled out OR there is not money in the budget for this request, then the person who noticed the lightbulb needed screwing in is an idiot and has wasted everyone’s time. What’s your problem? Its only a LIGHTBULB! Then the request is re-routed to overall SAFETY budget, where it must be sent through 4 levels of administration and presented at the next board meeting = 15 + 10 = 25 ummm…25.

- The staff emanates so much bright light from fast, brilliant work that we hadn’t noticed the burned out bulb.

- One, but only if the grant comes through.

- One, to delegate it to the Operations Manager.

- (Part I) First, the administrative assistant will be asked to research light bulbs for wattage, cost, and illumination. The admistrative assistant will provide the executive director with a list of three different light bulbs to be considered. The executive director forms a task force to consider the recommendation of light bulbs. After a few weeks of contemplation the task force will render its decision and direct the organization as to which light bulb to purchase. The action is tabled the next day when a prominent donor and board member calls, offended that he was not asked to participate in the task force as he has several years of light bulb experience. Another task force is formed to soothe the ruffled feathers with the upset board member as chair. After two weeks, the new task force reaches the same decision as the old one. The development office is then asked to raise the funds necessary to purchase the new light bulb….

- If we form a collaborative, map our assets, identify objectives and funding sources, it should take about…wait a minute, what were we trying to do again?

- (Part II) ….Another committee is created with board members who like to plan parties. The first order of business is set a date and a theme for the light bulb fundraiser. After deciding the fundraiser should be an authentic Hawaiian luau the committee goes about planning the menu including a tofu pig for those who don’t eat meat. The committee designs the invitations, creates guest lists, decides on the venue and picks out the decorations. The organization’s staff does all the work however printing the invitations, creating the mailing labels and putting up all the decorations. At least one board member tells them everything they did was wrong. After the fundraiser, the total money raised is announced and everybody feels great. They came together to solve a problem and all hurt feelings and animosity is forgotten. With both money in hand and a mandate from the organization the administrative assistant orders the light bulb from Office Depot….

- Five, but we’ll spur economic development, engage citizens, provide job training, and beautify the neighborhood at the same time.

- (Part III)…After it arrives the administrative assistant climbs the ladder to replace the bulb only to find it is no longer needed. An intern who was hired a week earlier brought a bulb from home and replaced it herself.

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Revitalize Your Nonprofit’s Identity on a Shoe String

Posted on May 31, 2009 | Leave a comment



red strings
Originally uploaded by fuzzonce

I am always looking for inexpensive ways to help organizations strengthen their power to engage the public. One of the best ways to do this is by reaffirming your organization’s brand identity rather than trying to create a new one from scratch. This type of overhaul relies more on creating internal clarity rather than spending a lot of money on a new logo, printed materials, and in rare cases a new name. Sometimes we think that we need a bigger billboard (and some organizations do need one), but most organizations who consider themselves a “best kept secret” can get very effective results by taking small yet very important actions that are cost effective.

Here are a few strategies to consider before investing large amounts of resources:

Identify Specific Goals – First off, wanting greater awareness about your work is not a viable goal for a nonprofit organization with limited resources. Your goals need to be very specific. For example: “My organization wants to …

Increase city government leaders’ understanding about our programming offerings;
-or-
Deepen major donors’ understanding about our long range goals;
-or-
Broaden our service reach among families in the Phillips Neighborhood.”

Unspecific goals like “wanting greater awareness” lead to unfocused choices regarding how to use your dollars and create results that are hard to track. On the other hand with specific goals, like those listed above, you are able to locate who your target audience is and track the progress you are making with that audience. More importantly, because your audience is more defined you are able to be creative with how you are going to reach them. A billboard will probably not be very effective with city government leaders, but one-on-one conversations with specific leaders in that group will be.

Get Specific about Your Message – If you have read some of my past articles, you know that I harp on this time and time again. If you want to reach your audience, you need to provide them with a message that is meaningful to them not just meaningful to you. A good message positions the unique value you deliver in terms of the beliefs that you and your audience hold in common.

Tag for Value – Your tag-line, second only to the organization’s name, is the widest key message that will be conveyed to your public. Most organizations choose a tag-line to further explain what the organization does. I think it’s more important to convey a message about the value you create for the community, so that people know what you deliver when you deliver it.

Identify New Colors – A new color palette for your identity system can go a long way to sharpening an identity system that has dulled over time. Often, colors become excessively used or begin to mean something that isn’t what you want to convey. Consider changing them if you feel that the look of your type face and any graphic element still conveys what your organization stands for.

Educate. Educate. Educate – Finally, we often find organizations wanting a new identity system because they want to shake up the organization as much internally as they want to have a big splash externally. The real issue here is to educate your board and staff about the organization’s current identity. Help them understand the unique value the organization is delivering to the community and the unique way you deliver that value. Also, help them develop their story about the organization, not just an elevator speech they can memorize, but a personal story about the impact the organization is having on the community.

The financial difference between needing a new identity system and refreshing an already existing one is huge. By considering these strategies, you can begin to think through what you really need and strategize how to use your resources more effectively.

If you are interested in Creation In Common helping you identify what you need to address with your organization’s identity, go here for more information on our free Nonprofit Branding Needs Assessment.

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Summer: A Time to Strategize

Posted on May 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

starthrower I often think about a special moment with my collaborators, Dana and Padraic. We had given ourselves two days to develop a plan. Two whole days to do nothing but imagine what we wanted to accomplish and envision how to make it happen. It was time well spent. What emerged in that short period of time has guided us for the last eight years.

This is why we have assembled a Strategy Intensive this summer for nonprofit organizations. An intense and focused time, without distraction, to build an individual donor fundraising plan. We see this as an opportunity to bring together groups of organizations to work together to share and refine strategies as well as to further deepen our understanding of how each individual organization add so much to whole.

Go here to learn more abou the workshop. It will be based in Saint Paul, MN but we are encouraging folks from all over to come and join us for what will be a very productive and fruitful two days. I don’t think we should underestimate what can emerge from having time to plan.

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Fundraising Roles — Cast Board and Staff in the Right Parts!

Posted on May 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

Fundraising RolesYou can’t get anyone to do anything, if they don’t want to. Especially when it comes to fundraising. But you can help people play to their strengths.

Fundraising isn’t a solitary act, its a process that requires a group of individuals to play multiple roles and work together toward the same goal. The above chart identifies these roles. The secret is to spend time figuring out the right casting. This requires us to observe our board and staff in action, to talk to them about what they enjoy doing, to observe how they listen to others and well they communicate. Most importantly, we want to engage our board and staff in a way that they feel most comfortable, allowing them to naturally connect to the role.

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Three Steps for Successful Individual Donor Cultivation

Posted on May 26, 2009 | Leave a comment
Lead Educate Close

We often hear how hard it is to ask for money, but rarely does anyone tell us how hard it is to generate donor prospect leads or to educate those prospects. In fact, if you are successful at generating leads and educating them– closing becomes the easiest part. We have been using the above model as a simple way of explaining successful individual donor cultivation. Here is how it works:

Lead Generate — Your fundraising strategy needs to include ways to introduce your cause to different target audiences. Here, volume counts. You want to find opportunities that allow you to give a brief overview of your cause as well as give your audience the opportunity to opt-in and learn more about your organization’s work. Most importantly, these are opportunities to make a connection and that is done by meeting your audience where their in terms of their values and beliefs  as opposed to trying to push lots of information at them. The goal here is to make a connection, listen, and give them an opportunity to continue the relationship by opting in for an experience to educate them about the organization.

Educate — Once your prospect has opted-in you can begin to educate them about your organization. We have a few rules here. Again, don’t overwhelm. Use a story to illustrates the specific value your organization creates, rather than giving them a laundry list of programs and services. Also, make the case. Do this by telling your audience what you intend to accomplish in the future in terms of the community impact you wish to have. The goal here is to educate them, but also to learn about how your audience relates to your cause.

Close – By this point, you should know enough about your donor prospect(s), that you are ready to position the ask in terms of their interests and the impact that your organization expects to achieve. Here you are making the connection between the two. No matter what the reaction is (yes, no, maybe), it’s important to make sure that you have a follow-up plan. This allows the relationship to continue, and as long as the donor prospect or donor is willing to continue the relationship, you should always be creating opportunities to educate them.

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