STRENGTHENING OUR ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE LONG HAUL

Transcription

1 STRENGTHENING OUR ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE LONG HAUL FACT Fundraising Assistance Project Webinar French American Charitable Trust July 2010

2 Outline Session 1 Creating A Culture of Fundraising Organizational Roles and Responsibilities Constituencies, Organizational Connections & Fundraising Building Membership, Building Grassroots Support Your Database: The Technological Nerve Center of Successful Fundraising Putting it all together: The Fundraising Plan and Fundraising Calendar Case Study: MUA Builds a Grassroots Fundraising Program Organizational Capacity for FR: Leadership and Fundraising Acknowledgements & Attend Money for Our Movements Conference! Fundraising Assistance Project 2

3 Outline Session 2 Why Major Gifts? Identifying Your Best Prospects and their Giving Capacity Telling Your Story: Articulating Need in Words and Money The Major Donor Campaign The Major Gift Top Ten Fundraising Assistance Project 3

4 Presenters Session 1: Alfreda Barringer is a member of the Management Assistance Team of FACT. Holly Fincke is a long-time fundraiser & fundraising consultant. She is also Director of the Windcall Institute. Rebecca Johnson is a member of the Management Assistance Team of the FACT. Fundraising Assistance Project 4

5 Presenters Rona Fernandez is a member of the consulting team of Klein & Roth Consulting. Kim Gilliam is a member of the Management Assistance Team of FACT. Andrea Lee is Co-Director for Administration and Development for Mujeres Unidas y Activas. Fundraising Assistance Project 5

6 Creating a Culture of Fundraising Fundraising Assistance Project 6

7 What Is Grassroots Fundraising? Non-grant writing based fundraising activities controlled by your organization that enables you to raise the money to keep your doors open. The amount of money needed to maintain vital services and presence is determined by your members, leadership, staff and board. Fundraising Assistance Project 7

8 But I Can Get A Grant With Less Work! How Do I Justify The Time? Small donors add up AND a donor base generates the major and mid-level donors. Must invest to get. Foundation fundraising may be taking more time than we realize. Results increase when an organization has a fundraising culture. Fundraising Assistance Project

9 Four + 1 Signs of a Healthy Fundraising Culture Everybody does some fundraising People feel that they are part of a team Fundraising is talked about regularly Fundraising aligns with the culture of the organization s constituency The groups own their fundraising goals, successes AND failures Fundraising Assistance Project

10 5 Steps to Developing a Fundraising Culture Identify fundraising champions. Get everyone involved. Train, practice, debrief Recognize and reward accomplishments Have fun! Fundraising Assistance Project

11 More Reasons to Build A Grassroots Fundraising Program It is important to have many strategies for raising money. It gives you the capacity to determine what is most important to your members/constituents regardless of foundation interests and trends. Grassroots Fundraising builds /increases Self determination Leadership Development Community/constituency commitment Fundraising Assistance Project 11

12 Organizational Roles & Responsibilities Board of Directors set policy, approve a budget and guarantee the organization has the funding it needs to carry out its mission, including making a commitment of time and money. Development or Fundraising Committee can help guide your Grassroots Fundraising Program Staff, all staff participate in some aspect of fundraising efforts. Volunteers can serve on the Development Committee as well as on event committees, help with canvasses, mailings, phone banking, member recruitment and individual donor visits. Fundraising Assistance Project 12

13 Constituencies, Organizational Connections & Fundraising All organizations have constituencies. Who are your constituents and how close are they to the center/heart of your organization? Fundraising Assistance Project 13

14 Constituency Circles Fundraising Assistance Project 14

15 Fundraising Assistance Project 15

16 Building Membership, Building Sustaining Support Sustainer Programs are an important component of a Grassroots & Small Donor Program. Where to Begin? Board members New members: 2x as responsive to a monthly giving request than renewers* Members who regularly give several gifts a year, or who send in unsolicited gifts Members who are already using a credit card to charge gifts * Grassroots Fundraising Journal, May/June 2006, p 5 Fundraising Assistance Project 16

17 Which Constituency Next? After members, your most likely pool of potential sustaining donors are: Current donors Online Activists Donors who make contributions using credit cards Fundraising Assistance Project 17

18 Database: The Nerve Center Constituents, donors, members, social media, , online activists A successful Grassroots Fundraising Program requires sophisticated means of keeping track & staying in touch. Your database is key. There are 3 main types: Donor Management (DRM): Targeted support to track donors, prospects, pledges, premiums and giving levels, matching gifts, and sometimes grants and corporate sponsorships. Constituent Relationship Management (CRM): Track comprehensive data about each constituent their donations & membership dues, also, event attendance, volunteer record, and more. Integrated Online Systems: Combine different online functions in a single package. Track donors & other constituents, send broadcast s, take donations & event registrations online, & even manage a website, all in one system. Fundraising Assistance Project 18

19 How To Decide? Don t over prioritize price Make a plan for all your constituents and interactions Understand your own donor processes Identify your communication priorities Weigh flexibility vs. complexity Be aware of your internal technical capacity Consider the priority of accounting control Fundraising Assistance Project 19

20 Idealware Top 10 Fundraising Assistance Project 20

21 6 Key Steps: Fundraising Planning Planning next year s expenses Creating the Development Fundraising Plan Work the plan Mid-year evaluation and recalibration for balance of year Work the revised plan Critical analyze lessons learned and apply to next year Fundraising Assistance Project 21

22 CYCLE of PLANNING Analyze lessons learned Develop expense budget Develop statement of development objectives BEGIN FY Approved expense budget Approved stmt. of development objectives Create detailed FR implementation plan CYCLE of PLANNING Mid-year, evaluate YTD results And re-calibrate goals Fundraising Assistance Project 22

23 Planning Process Road Map LAYS OUT EXACTLY WHERE YOUR YEAR MUST END UP KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER ARE REVENUES GENERATED FROM EACH FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY HOW MUCH TIME WILL BE NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH EACH OBJECTIVE. Fundraising Assistance Project 23

24 Fundraising Objectives with Time Allocation Objective 1 Raise a total of $110,000 from foundations; $100,000 from four existing funders and $10,000 from one new foundation. Executive Director (ED) 15%; Director of Development (D of D) 20%; Staff Members (SM) 5% Objective 2 Raise $12,600 in membership/small donor gifts (under $100). Renew 80% of current members (200 x 80% = 160) by a renewal program ($3200); secure 50 new members through direct mail and acquisition ($1000); and mail spring and fall special appeal ($8400). End year with 210 active members/small donors. ED - 2%; D of D- 25%; SM 15% Objective 3 Raise $6000 from special events. Host two house parties ($2000); and Fall fest Gala and Silent Auction ($4000). ED - 10%; D of D- 20%; SM - 5% Objective 4 Raise $27,000 from twelve major donors; $25,000 from ten existing major donors and $2,000 from four new major donors. Make a total of twenty five face-to-face calls for the year. ED -18 visits & 10%; D of D- 7 visits & 25%; SM 2% Fundraising Assistance Project 24

25 Fundraising Objectives with Time Allocation Objective 5 Produce two newsletters this year (spring and winter) ED - 5%; D of D 5%; SM 2% Objective 6 Commit time necessary for administrative functions (staff meetings, etc.) and for planning, including developing annual fundraising plan, and six month review and recalculation of the plan. ED - 5%; D of D - 5%; SM 1% Total Fundraising Time: Executive Director 47%; Director of Development 100%; Staff Members 30% Total Revenues Raised $155,600 Annual Budget $151,500 Projected year end surplus $ 4,100 Fundraising Assistance Project 25

26 Case Study MUA: BUILDING A CULTURE OF FUNDRAISING Fundraising Assistance Project 26

27 Mujeres Unidas y Activas: Building A Culture of Fundraising 20 year old Latina immigrant organization Over 450 active members - low-income immigrant women primarily from Mexico and Central America. Based in Bay Area with offices in SF & Oakland. Double Mission: building personal power & organizing for social justice focusing on workers & immigrant rights. Organizational model has woven in belief in & commitment to developing the capacity of Latina immigrant women to be leaders of their own lives, in their community, & of their own organization this includes leading fundraising work. Fundraising Assistance Project 27

28 Mujeres Unidas y Activas: Building A Culture of Fundraising KEY MOMENTS IN MUA S HISTORY 1990 MUA born as Project of Northern California Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NCCIR) MUA develops innovative service model and leads campaigns for immigrant and women s rights NCCIR closes and MUA loses funding, institutional and individual contacts, and paid staff Fundraising Assistance Project 28

29 Key Moments In MUA History MUA utilizes 15th anniversary to launch an individual donor campaign based on Latin American Quinceañera & forms first Board of Directors MUA creates structures to support grassroots fundraising programs (i.e. fundraising trainings, donor database, member-led fundraising work, donor contact calendar) MUA formalizes grassroots fundraising program Organizational Goal = 35% Grassroots fundraiser hired and staff takes on increased fundraising responsibilities New training and mentoring program for members launched Fundraising Assistance Project 29

30 MUA S GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING PROGRAM: HOW IT WORKS FULL-TIME GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISER STAFF POSITION INTENSIVE TRAINING FOR STAFF AND MEMBERS 45 hour popular education training 17 graduates Fundraising Assistance Project 30

31 MUA S GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING PROGRAM: HOW IT WORKS GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE 16 month commitment with stipend 2-hour monthly meetings focus on-going training, project planning and check-in, and project evaluation. Rotation through 3 teams -- Direct Contact with Donors, Special Events, & Mailings/ -- meet monthly FUNDRAISING INTERNSHIP (to be launched Winter 2010) Fundraising Assistance Project 31

32 MUA TRAINING IMPACT & RESULTS TRAINING IMPACT 71 % of participants felt the training helped them feel more comfortable asking for a donation 71% felt they both could better evaluate what strategies were more effective and the different goals in developing donor relations 82% of the participants felt that the training helped them increase their ability to talk about MUA s work and significance to donors FUNDRAISING RESULTS Annual community fundraiser raised an additional $1500 in 2009 New fundraising event Sabor de MUA launched Summer phone banks reaching 500 donors each time held between October 2009 and June 2010 Collection of over 300 new s for alert list Member designed and written spring donor appeal Fundraising Assistance Project 32

33 NEW GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISER = INCREASED FUNDRAISING CAPACITY New member-led fundraisers Local business initiated fundraisers Improved communications New blast system synched with database YouTube presence Facebook page New donor categorization Better follow-up More targeted asks Fundraising Assistance Project 33

34 Mujeres Unidas y Activas: Building A Culture of Fundraising KEY LESSONS 1) Build Organizational Commitment Create a culture of transparency about money in your organization. If your members and staff doesn t understand what you need money for or where it currently comes from they won t feel the need to fundraise. Explore the impact of over-reliance on foundations and government on your organization and our movements 2) Set Goals Involve key stakeholders in deciding how much of your budget should come from the community. Create long-term plan for reaching that goal. Be realistic about what you are trying to do and what it will take to do it. Be patient and implement slowly step by step. Fundraising Assistance Project 34

35 Mujeres Unidas y Activas: Building A Culture of Fundraising KEY LESSONS 3) Create Infrastructure Good donor lists and effective databases help! Develop a basic donor contact calendar and add to it. Clarify staff roles and responsibilities on an on-going basis. 4) Develop Grassroots Capacity and Support Member Leadership Treat grassroots fundraising as a leadership development tool with the same trainings and support you give to other projects. Find a role for each member of your community to play in fundraising. Don t dismiss fears about fundraising confront them constantly! Give people concrete skills and opportunities to practice them. Build fundraising structures and formalize roles (committees, internships, etc.) Follow the lead of your members they will know what fundraising strategies will work. Fundraising Assistance Project 35

36 MUA: Building A Culture of Fundraising -- Important Reminders Do not fall into the trap of thinking that low-income folks of color cannot be fundraisers or donors. They are both. Identify seed funding, training, and outside support (i.e. consultants) to support you in building your fundraising program. Take advantage of concepts that resonate with the culture of your organization and constituents. Remember the network that surrounds your organization and call on your friends when you need them. Remember that Grassroots Fundraising is an investment. You won t see monetary results right away. Celebrate gifts and Fundraising every Assistance success. Project

37 Assessing Organizational Capacity What does it take for your organization to begin the process of creating a grassroots and donor fundraising program? Patience this is an incremental process. It will build at the pace your organization can manage, no faster or slower. Openness to new ideas because we are social change agents this should be easy. New ideas are our life force. Hard work goes without saying? Planning, planning and more planning this will most support the incremental growth of your fundraising program. Fundraising Assistance Project 37

38 ASSESSING YOUR READINESS Fundraising Assistance Project 38

39 Evaluating Your Capacity How are we financially? Have you discussed a new approach to fundraising with your volunteer leadership? How do they feel about it? How does the Executive Director feel about this new approach? If volunteer leadership and the ED are doubtful, are they willing to set doubts aside and give it a try? How does the staff feel? Is there a core group of leaders 3 to 5 -- excited, interested, willing to give it a go? If there is too much resistance, what are the three things that would bring about more willingness to try? Fundraising Assistance Project 39

40 Follow-Up for FACT Grantees Receive 8 hours of follow-up technical assistance from the FAP Webinar Team if your organization is a FACT grantee Has not received a FAP grant (Your organization has not received the OSI/New World Donor Development and Diversification ("3D") Initiative grant) Fundraising Assistance Project 40

41 Request 8 Hours of TA by December 1, 2010 Contact Alfreda Barringer alfredab2@yahoo.com or Emily Goldfarb Egoldnrio@aol.com Join Us For Webinar Part 2 on July 13, Focus on Major Donors Fundraising Assistance Project 41

42 Acknowledgements The content of this webinar draws heavily on two sources: The Grassroots Fundraising Journal from GIFT and Untapped, a publication by Linchpin Project at the Center for Community Change. Both publications and their sponsoring organizations have helped many of us develop the essential mindset and skills necessary for becoming successful grassroots fundraisers. We are grateful for their commitment and resources. Fundraising Assistance Project 42

43 Attend The GIFT Conference Fundraising Assistance Project 43

44 Finance and Fundraising Resources To learn more about financial management and fundraising tools Good advice on non-profit issues (see FAQ s) National Society of Hispanic MBA s Has good on-line training resources on finance. Alliance for Non-profit Management: covers board development, strategic planning, fundraising, financial management, risk management, and credit card acceptance. Wiley and Jossey Bass are good publishers on nonprofit management and fundraising. Grassroots Fundraising Journal and GIFT training are great programs for community groups. Articles and resources on fundraising during recessions pdf Fundraising Assistance Project 44