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I Have A Favor To Ask

I’m the aptly named host of this weekly internet radio show, Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. It’s doing pretty well after 21 months. Over a thousand iTunes downloads per show. Over 600 likes on Facebook. And a spiffy two minute promo reel with a bunch of famous people, which I wouldn’t mind a few more people watching.

But iTunes is where I’d really be grateful for your help. I’d like to get more ratings. Today there are six, and that’s not representative of the number of listeners.

If you listen to my show, would you please rate it? It’s merely a few clicks (and one scroll), you needn’t write anything.

  • Go to the show’s iTunes preview page.
  • Click “View In iTunes” under the graphic.*
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page (not the list of shows) and rate the show with 1 through 5 stars.

I thank you very much.

I feel a responsibility to give real value on my blog, so I’m not completely comfortable only asking for a favor, even for just one week.

Here is this week’s value: philanthropy is a growth industry.

LinkedIn and the Council of Economic Advisors (opposite ends of the stodginess spectrum) teamed up to measure the winning and losing industries during our recession. They identified philanthropy as a strong growth industry between 2007 and 2011. Here is the article and infographic.

*You’ll have to have iTunes installed. If you don’t you’ll be directed to the iTunes download page.

Nonprofit Radio, April 6, 2012: Campaign Feasibility Agility & Creating A Culture of Philanthropy

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Sponsored by GE Grace corporate real estate services.

Listen live or archive:

My Guests:

Eugenia Colon
Eugenia Colon: Campaign Feasibility Agility

Why is a feasibility study important before you embark on a fundraising campaign? What do you learn from a well-crafted study? Who should be interviewed and who should interview? Eugenia Colon of Colon & Associates sorts it out for you.

 

Laura Goodwin
Laura Goodwin: Creating A Culture of Philanthropy

Laura Goodwin, vice president of The Osborne Group, has ideas about focusing on your donors; collaborating; programming; board expectations and responsibilities; and leadership, all to help you increase your fundraising revenue. (Pre-recorded at Philanthropy Day 2011 hosted by AFP Westchester County chapter.)

 


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No. Hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio april sixth, two thousand twelve big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent i’m your aptly named host now that you’ve heard all that, you know you’re in the right place, your mind is settled for the next hour. I hope you were with me last week. It would cause me pain if i learned that you missed gift prospects planned gift prospects by phone. I mean the ottoman from kent state university took the role of professor to teach you how to identify planned e-giving prospects from your phone based fund-raising she’s been doing that for years with great success, and that was pre recorded at the national conference on philanthropic planning last year. Also, tanya said farewell to p p pee tanya how johnson sat with me at last year’s partnership for philanthropic planning conference to say goodbye to the organization she has lead for twenty years. She retires this month and it was cockney complexities are legal contributors jean takagi and emily chan from the non-profit and exempt organizations law group looked at legal issues around the viral twenty twelve cockney twenty twelve video, eighty six million views and we looked at it in ways that you haven’t covered. That makes us one in eighty six million. You’re in the right place this week. Campaign feasibility, agility. Why is a feasibility study important before you embark on a fundraising campaign? What do you learn from a well crafted study who should be interviewed and who should do the interviewing? Eugenia cologne of cologne and associates will sort that out for us and creating a culture of philanthropy. Laura goodwin, vice president of the osborne group, has ideas about focusing on your donor’s, collaborating programming, board expectations and responsibilities and leadership, all to help you increase you’re fund-raising revenue around a culture of philanthropy and that’s pre recorded at philanthropy day two thousand eleven, hosted by the ft west westchester county chapter. Right now, we take a break. When i return, i’ll be joined by eugenia cologne for campaign feasibility, agility. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call us ed to one, two, nine, six, four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom, too. One, two, nine, six, four, three, five zero two. We make people kapin. Hyre schnoll. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. Offgrid welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio, i guess now is eugenia cologne. She is the founder and president of cologne and associates development consultants based in vienna, virginia. She has more than twenty two years as a professional fundraiser. She was instrumental in the design, development and implementation of the one billion dollar gates millennium scholars program, which she named i’m very glad that her expertise around campaign feasibility studies brings her to the show your junior welcome. Thank you. It’s. A pleasure to have you. Thanks for joining us from vienna. I want to remind listeners that you can join the conversation with eugenia by following us on twitter using our hashtag non-profit radio. And some people are already doing that now. Eugenia, why is a feasibility study important before a campaign? That’s actually an excellent question. My first ones. Excellent. Out of the box. It’s all downhill from here. Okay, uh, i think that you know, many people, uh, tend sometimes to think that they can proceed with the campaign without doing a feasibility study. But when you’re talking a major fund-raising effort like a capital campaign on endowment campaign, the feasibility study is important in determining if the proposed campaign has a good chance of success because the study will identify how much money your organization can reasonably raise, how long it should take to do that and what the costs are likely to be, uh, involved in managing the campaign. I think even more critically, what the study will also do is identify potential campaign leaders, donors, the strengths and weaknesses of the organization for the existing campaign plan of the organization they have developed. And it’ll include recommendations as to how the campaign should be conducted. But i think what’s really important for folks to know is that increasingly well done, well constructed feasibility studies are being conducted more in the framework of campaign planning studies because study will ultimately fundamentally provides the foundation proposed campaign. Okay on, you said that he’s applied teo large campaigns that would depend upon the size of the organization, right? I mean, half a million dollars could be a tiny, a meaningless campaign to some charities. But half a million dollars could be an enormous undertaking for others. Yes, and and this applies to whether the campaign is for capital or building expenses, or programmatic and dallman. Type wouldn’t it wouldn’t matter? It wouldn’t matter what would really i think be the determining factor and you raised a good point in the relativity of, of defining the terms big campaign on major campaign. What is, i think critical foreign organizations to recognize is whether what it is proposing to raise in a particular dollar goal is major fund-raising for them is this a departure from the routine annual fund-raising that they normally do that would then tell them it’s a golden setting is so significant then that tells them, or should i tell them that they should invest in having a feasibility planning studies done? They’re prepared to embark on that kind of a large fund-raising campaign. Eugene, i’m going to ask you to speak a little bit louder into the phone, ok? We’re talking, please, and your advice is that this study, which is really a series of questions, is that is that not right? It’s? Too good extent a series of questions it’s largely interviews that are conducted with internal leadership with key staff all fund-raising staff should be interviewed, it will involve select boardmember it should involve a number of key donors. Hand it. Should involve of perspective, thunderzord zoho people, you’re looking at an organization’s you’re looking at as funding prospects. And while the theories of questions that they will be asked in confidential interviews will be critical, if the process will also involves, uh for example, having a case statement okay, we’re going, we’re going to get into the details of it. I don’t want to get too far right now because in fact, we have to take a break in about two minutes. This is best done by who this this series of interviews it’s best done by an outside consultant because the outside consultants is goingto have a level of objectivity that a staff member it’s impossible for a member of staff, a leadership have. What do you mean objectivity around what objectivity on a number of levels, objectivity in that they don’t have any horse in the race that they’re not a member of the organization and they’re not on the board, they are not going to have an agenda that there consciously or for subconsciously, maybe advancing were seeking to advance in the process. They also will be because they are not staff because, for example, they don’t report to the boardmember as the president ceo would thie consultant who you have a much higher comfort levels in asking certain, maybe sensitive questions for in reaching out to donors with particular questions to invite input on certain delivery, herbal that’s been non-profit maybe using that a staff member or a member of the executive team is not likely to be able to do as comfortably, and so the so the strong relationship and we just have about thirty seconds before a break so we may be we’ll approach more this more after the break, but just that strong relationship that we always like to see in in in donorsearch charity relations and solicitations that is detrimental to this process. Yes, it could be yes, it could be most definitely okay, we’re going to pursue that a little more. We’re going to take a break right now on dh when we return. Of course, eugenia cologne stays with me for campaign feasibility, agility, and i hope you do too e-giving thing e-giving ding, ding, ding, ding you’re listening to the talking alternate network duitz getting anything. Cubine are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam lebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative that come mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free psychic reading learned how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen. Every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. If you have big ideas and an average budget, tune into the way above average. Tony martin. Any non-profit radio ideo. I’m jonah helper from next-gen charity. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent, eugenia let’s pursue this idea that the that the close relationship can actually be detrimental. What what is it that the interview is is going to say or not say to the object of consultant that he or she would wouldn’t or would say, too, the person they have a close relationship within the charity? Well, because of the fact that the consultant makes clear and it’s made clear throughout the process that interviews are completely confidential and the consultant is this outside of individual, uh, the best example i would offer? Is it your ass? King? Ah, boardmember what he is does she sees as frank and weaknesses in the non-profits fund-raising then it with the president and ceo asking me boardmember that question and the boardmember felt that the president ceo puts the problem right? You know, you can see right there, how’s, that dahna is detrimental to the process to a successful, objective process, and i think that’s probably the best example, but i think i screwed, i think also on individual working within an organization because they are largely subject does not have the same, uh oh, as clear, um and hard, perhaps a perspective for view of the organization has an outside consultant might have in taking a look at wait thes questions then, and some something you said earlier suggests this also go much beyond who’s going to fund the campaign. Whether you, my my current interviewee, will fund this campaign or not. There is a much broader purpose to these feasibility studies serious, and i think that the most important at sex to keep in mind is that what one is really at the root of the entire process. What one is really looking for is to be able to determine how strongly the case for support resonates with each interviewing, meaning that while, for example, you may not necessarily knew probably, i definitely would not want to interviewing for a pledge what you can learn in properly questioning them as to how viable they think the organization is, how important they think this campaign is. Umm you could start to assess what this individual might be willing to give or what that foundation might consider giving and where your campaign would fall among their e-giving priorities. So you really are ultimately, underneath all of this, testing the case for support and testing some basic assumptions that, uh, underlying the non-profits rationale. Wei have jargon jail on the show. And i hate tio. Have you have to put you into the women’s block in jargon jail? So the case let’s, let’s define what? What you mean by case for support. Okay, uh, i think what the case is support for alternative we called case statement is not done. Is make, uh, is justified for presents the rationale as to why your non-profit isn’t important. Why your mission is critical, performing necessary work and therefore, bottom line. Why people, foundations and corporations should fund it should support it. So you’re making the case almost like a legal case for, uh, justifying support for your organization on dure finding out whether people agree with you. Exactly. Yes. And you’re finding out how strongly they agree. Agree with you and our how much they feel motivated, compelled war, tie tied to our inspired by your organization. And in all the process of these interviews and the questioning, you should be able at the end of the line to determine not only that individual that you interviewed not only their level of interest in support, but questions should be asked that also tease out if they would be willing to reach out among their network. Do they have a friend, family, anybody that they think they could bring to the table? And would they be willing themselves to serve on the maybe campaign steering committee or in some voluntary way to help raise? I see and these air all ways of getting at how strongly they belong? They believe in your your case statement your case for support? Are they willing to share it with their friends? Are they willing to participate in this campaign as as a volunteer leader? Um, what should we hope to get from the from the from the campaign feasibility study? Other than do the campaign or don’t do the campaign like, go or no go. Okay, um, first let me before i answer your specific questions, let me say that i would caution non-profit too make sure of two things in working for in vetting consultants to handle a feasibility planning study poker. The first is that they make certain that the people they’re looking at and considering have experience with organizations like they’re non-profit the second is that they raised the question with that consultant potential consultant as to how many clients have been told by that consultant that their campaign is a no go. Yeah, we’re going to get to that, but okay, you’ve raised it on and let’s talk about why that’s so important? Well, because quite bluntly, there is the potential for unwittingly or intentionally a consultant to be self serving in conducting a campaign coming back and saying you’re ready to go here are the things you need to do, but i think you know, your viable your campaign is viable, the bottom line being the consultant is hoping that since they did the study, they would be considered brought in to do the campaign launch. And that said it’s, a good question to raise with every consultant you’re interviewing, how many clients have you advised based on the demonstrated information and evidence that they should not proceed with? Yeah, yeah. Okay. Because there is the potential for conflict. Yeah. Okay. Back. Teo original. Yeah. What are you hoping to learn about your what your constituents think ofyou? Besides, whether they’ll support a campaign. Or won’t? Well, uh, the fact that you’ve asked the right questions that will allow you to determine whether or not you should you have the support they to launch the campaign is going to be the result of your having in your study process in your having done a number of things, including, ah, review of the movie in what we call environmental factors the current economy identifying your competition, so put some non-profits especially small to midsize, they are so understandably focused on just getting the job done, they don’t really always have a good sense of who the competition is. This helps to ease some of that out. You’ll also come away with a strong sense of your current financial strength of yours capacity to raise more whether you go forward with the campaign at that time or not, you will have also identified and actually engaged potential funders who have been interviewed in the process. So you’ve already started a cultivation process that can open the door to a new stream of fundez you will have strengthen relationships with donors who interviewed because you’ve engaged them on another level, and you’re going to be having brought back two with a study some point, some recommendations, some roasted skip ropes to jump that will have come from your current donors, and you should come out of this process with a tighter, cleaner, more compelling case statement, a case to support then you had going into it, and one that is now at the end of the process, bought into by not on ly external constituents, but by the staff and bored leadership who really needs to be on the same page about why you should be supported and they aren’t always yeah, we’re going to look into some of that internal consistency and in a moment i want to remind listeners that i’m with eugenia cologne and she’s, the founder and president of cologne and associates development consultants. Their site is cologne c o l o n associates dot com, so you’re you’re alluding to internal consistency here, across staff and senior leadership and bored in terms of what that case is about. What are there cases where those three constituencies and maybe even donors being a fourth constituency are not in parallel tracks? That’s very often the case, i think, especially with emerging or new non-profits and also small and mid sized non-profits who don’t often have the opportunity to say invest in marketing and branding analysis or, ah, strategic planning process with an outside of consultant to help you to thought that a defined mission and case to give an example of weather, sometimes our discrepancies, ah, boardmember may have come on board because they had a particular of tied to what they perceive to be the mission and purpose of the non-profit the president and ceo of the non-profit may be somebody who’s coming to the non profit sector from a corporate background, and went to a particular non-profit because they saw the opportunity to in fact, strengthens the non-profits delivery and its mission by bringing some corporate operation is spreading, and so that person looking at what you can do instead of more at what you brought into existence to do, and then the staff, especially in small and midsize non-profits in my experience, the staff bless them, are so strained and so stretched that they are typically jumping from one assignment one passed to the next and not always able to step back and say, is this from my front line in? The trenches perspective is this consistent with our mission? And so you don’t have always a clear sense for even an internal dialogue about what’s the mission and purpose case for supporting then there’s ah, strategic planning purpose around the campaign feasibility study? Very much so, yes, that’s that’s well put because really, i’m just rephrasing what you said. It really is a study that, you know, study is almost an academic term that makes it sound like it’s uh, pedagogic exercise, when in fact, the feasibility planning study is much more dynamic. And at the end of that three to six months, typically three to six months process should give you what amounts to atleast for the major fund-raising campaign, a strategic plan, but many aspects of the study will actually play into the overarching organizational strategic plan. There is some science to this i mean, you would, for instance, i’m i presume you would test the questions that you’re going to ask, how is that done? Well, i think the best way to test question is, first of all, to take it to the leadership, to the members of the development team and the executive leadership and i would say three to five critical boardmember to have them take a look at the questions before that i would say chip, haven’t take a look primarily at the external questions before the consultant goes out to do the testing, interfering with the external constituencies because you don’t ever want a misstep with the outside constituents. So i think that the testing of external questions by internal staff on board members is critical. Thes interviews this is not just ah, this is not a five or ten minutes. Sit down over a cup of coffee, is it? Oh, no, no. This typically should take around forty five minutes on could take i always ask interviewees to block out an hour. Uh, if it’s less than that fine to them because usually very busy people. But the questions should be comprehensive on at the same time as specific enough that you end up with responses that are really going to be useful in getting a baseline sense of where you are in a number of key issues. How do we determine who is going to be interviewed among the categories of people that you mentioned earlier? Who specifically? Well going in. The consultant can upfront tells the non-profit we need tohave a number of board members, we need tohave all the development team, we need to have the president ceo so there’s, a standard group that the consultant goes in knowing that they need to interview, but when it comes down to identifying key boardmember you want teo, build a relationship with your client with wealth would be with a non-profit and buy into the process by allowing the president ceo, for example, to recommend to the consultant who on the board would be interviewed. And i always, uh, suggests that you definitely have the chairman and careful coaches up the board part of the process. You also been asked the development department had a development in the president ceo to recommend a number of existing donorsearch number let me interrupt you there in in terms of the volunteers, prospects and donors, this study could be used as part of the cultivation strategy you’re including the person has an insider in in the potential campaign, absolutely most definitely, and that really is a critical takeaway of the study process, the fact that you are engaging these people and engaging them in a whole new way that actually is reaching out and asking for help in shaping. Uh, no uncertain terms. Where you’re going with this campaign, it opened doors to prospective thunders. It brings donors in on a new level, and it also engages re engages your board and your staff and volunteers in ways that might not have been possible before. But an interesting group to keep in mind that you wanted involved would be what you might normally see. His competitive organisations, similar organizations that are fighting in the same trenches as you are scrambling self-funding but you have partnerships with them, you’ve done work with them and you have a good relationship organizational leadership toe leadership that would allow the subject of study organization to say these two or three competitive quote unquote would be great to interview part of it. Eugenia, we have to stop there. Okay? Eugenia vic alone is the founder and president of cologne and associates. Their site is cologne, colo. And associates, dot com and eugenia is happy to take questions by email if you have them follow-up her email addresses eugenia u g e n a dot colon at cologne associates dot com eugenia, thank you so much for being a guest. Thank you for having me, it’s been my pleasure. We take a break and when we return tony’s take to my block. This week is two thousand twelve memorial e-giving ideas. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Geever are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics politically expressed. I am montgomery taylor, and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Dahna hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com dafs welcome back, it’s, time for tony’s, take two at roughly thirty two minutes after the hour that’s quite a little voice crack roughly my block this week is twenty twelve memorial giving ideas because this is the season coming very soon for wedding anniversaries and graduation anniversaries mother’s day, father’s day and that makes the time when people are willing to make gift in memory of their family or dear friends and for planned gift. Some of my advice is that you could look at facebook your active there, looking for direct mail. Look at your email look at your spring events as marketing opportunities for memorial planned gif ts for instance, in direct mail, you could add a ps to a letter that you’re already planning a p s about remembering loved ones or dear friends in some type of a plan to gift, and you could do that at no additional cost. You’re already planning the mailing. If you have a newsletter that’s going out this season at a sidebar about remembering a loved one’s in your plant e-giving again, no additional cost and those and other ideas are at tony martignetti dot com, which is where you’ll find my blogged my block was named number eight this week in the well it’s, not a weekly survey, but this past week was named number eight in the top fifty non-profit marketing blog’s in a survey that’s powered by tracker, which is a pretty well respected, um, analysis, a company that analyzes blog’s. So i appreciate being number eight that’s cool that’s that tony martignetti dot com and much of that result is because regina walton does social media for my blogged, and i’m grateful for her help in that achievement. That is tony’s take two for friday, april sixth, two thousand twelve it’s the fourteenth show of the year, we have already finished the first quarter of the year. Next i have a pre record interview with laura goodwin. We’re talking about creating a culture of philanthropy. Here’s that interview welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of national philanthropy day, hosted by the association of fund-raising professionals, westchester county chapter worth e edith macy conference centre in briarcliff manor, new york, and joining me now is laura goodwin. Laura is vice president for the osborn group and has twenty years of fund-raising experience. Laura welcome. Thank you. Tony, appreciate it. Well, now i have to live up to twenty years worth of wisdom here. I don’t think you gonna have any trouble at the conference. Knows your bona fide. I know your bona fide. The audience will know very, very shortly. Your conference topic is creating a culture of philanthropy. What? What do you mean by a cultural philanthropy? Well, that’s funny, tony that’s exactly where we started this morning. What does that mean for all of the various constituencies that we’re working with? Certainly we know the no brainer is that a culture of philanthropy ends up creating more donors who give more who are happier then they were without this culture, but but what is that? It that culture of philanthropy? So we ended up doing a lot of talking about was that change and institutional values that puts donors at the center of your philanthropy efforts? I think so often we we get tied up and understandably in all the details, that a taste to get the appeal out the door to get the event plan that we forget the donor experience that don’t know when this donor receives that appeal. Is it speaking? To them, or is it speaking about institutional needs? Organizational priorities? Or is it speaking to that donors, motivation, what we know really matters to them the most so that’s one of the ways that that ends up being manifested in being donor-centric i think one of the other things that we really spent a lot of time talking about today is creating a collaborative environment, whether that is collaborating with another organization or institution or internal collaboration, you know, was i was working in higher education does the development office sit off in its own corner? And who knows what they do over there or can let development office reach out to, in the case of higher education that dina faculty and say, hey, i have this great donor xero from you, i think you really could have ah, a powerful impact on that and have the dean, in fact, they say, well, of course, absolutely, i’ll do that for you program staff saying yes, how can i help in fundez development? Let’s talk about some of the different constituencies and donors included, of course, but why don’t we start with with the board? How do we create a culture of philanthropy among our board? Absolutely that and you you are right to assume that was a big topic that came up for sure, you know, what we realize is we were talking together about where our boards are now is how much preplanning needs to go into building that culture amongst the board before they ever even joined the board. So in the recruitment, meaning the group recruitment process absolutely, and setting those expectations from the nominating committee forward really setting that expectation that every boardmember as a part of as a requirement of joining our board is involved in some way and fun development that there’s a give and and a get policy not to give aura, get policy or no policy at all on that on that topics. So from the very point of what are expectations of our board in general to a recruitment process, making sure that every single boardmember who is invited has already been solicited is already an investor in this organization or in this institution that they believe we likened it this morning, the difference between taking a major gifts model to board recruitment versus a hiring model do we bring people onboard who have a passion for what we do know us from the inside our donors or investors in us, or do we say, oh, you know what? We need a lawyer let’s go find one, we’ll interview them, will recruit them. Oh, they don’t know anything about us or oh, we’re seventh or tenth on their list of philanthropies, or we’re not on their list of philanthropies at all. Um, how it’s a different tone how do we set these expectations? Would this be in writing? This isn’t a conversation i’m talking about in the recruitment stage, how, how in detail that we set the expectations? Absolutely well, i think certainly having that written policy is something that’s, a vital tohave that’s, something that that externalize is it from any one person in the executive director the ceo having to be in that that position of playing the heavy and saying, i really need boardmember sze who do this when it becomes a shared policy of not only the institutional leadership, but also that nominating committee that that becomes a part of the culture, it institutionalizes that practice, but then if we’ve only written it down, we haven’t really done that that donor-centric turd taking that donor-centric step we need to share that in the recruitment process and i think often a lot of particularly small organizations, but i think it’s not exclusively small organizations say, look, we’re so desperate for board members will kind of take whoever we can get well, darn it, you deserve better than whoever shows up you should keep looking. You should keep looking and not be emp embarrassed to have this conversation with board members talk about it, especially because so much of what i hear is trouble with a boardmember who isn’t productive and now trying to get them off the board, we can put it softly and say transition them off, but everything off however you do it, it’s it’s difficult, so don’t create a headache for yourself by recruiting someone who you’re pretty sure is going to be a lackluster boardmember and then they’re going to fulfill that expectation that you had and now you have sort of dead weight on your board and you have to deal with it. It could really be a drag abs tony that’s so true it so it’s too easy we make it. Too easy toe put people on the board, and then it becomes a way too hard to get the monk’s virality zehr involved in egos involved who were their friends are and it’s really very difficult don’t short change your organization that way, and and just take whoever will come as you’re suggesting, or so what other expectations are there around? Maybe attendance or activity level? What other expectations do we wantto set in advance during this recruitment? Well, certainly, i think that yes, that attendance should be something that’s spelled out in your board. Accrued mint prophecy that and it’s something that you’re bored share needs to continue to monitor that as a board we owe it to each other and to this organization to show up prepared, be engaged in in our right committee work in between boardmember ings. I think i would add to this that not only is committee work important, but that as board members we are all we should all and i say we because like i said on a board myself that we as board members all owe it to our organization. Tto find the right role in fundez elopement that regardless of what other committee we sit on? We’re all fundez developers and it’s a matter of matching the right skill set that each boardmember brings to the right fundez elopement job would i love a board full of solicitors? You know? Of course i would i would be thrilled to have a whole bunch of solicitors sitting there, but not realistic, but that’s not what success has to look like, besides and there’s a lot on of around fund-raising that board members could do without soliciting exact making entree introduction, maybe hosting something in their home so there’s plenty of non solicitation activity available, right? Absolutely something that we did as a board taking off consultant had putting on boardmember had something that we did as aboard this past year was to really diagram what our skills were actually did this with each other, not privately said, okay, we know that there are two rules that all of us need to be good at. We all need to be able to share the story of what this organization does. We all have to be ambassadors. We all have to be on the same page in terms of message, so let’s make sure that we’re abetting in our board meeting chances too, train up, make sure that we stay on the same page, that we bring new people in. And they get that it’s a part of their orientation and that we are all stuart’s, that we all have that opportunity to not only say thank you for your gift, but here’s, how it’s been put toe work because of you. We were able as an organization tto achieve this and this and this that are very tangible in concrete and understandable outcomes. Exactly getting the getting the board involved in that critical stewardship process. Right? All right, well, we spent a lot of time talking about the board, but i think that’s important it is the place to start right in creating this culture of philanthropy. Let’s talk about some of the other circles or constituencies. Um, what about among ah, among employees that are not fund-raising employees, how do we again, how do we create this cultural philanthropy? Absolutely. You know, he had one of our clients had a very interesting take on how he was going to embed this culture of philanthropy in his agency as a part of all of his interviews, regardless of what position he was interviewing for he is the ceo. I would ask that person in their interview here at our agency. We are all fundez fella, pers, what role do you see this position playing in fund available? That’s outstanding? I mean, even someone who does facilities, work or maintenance work or data entry every strata of asses isn’t every aspect. And so he was challenging them. And the point was not that they come up with the right answer. But did they have an answer? Did they think, were they willing to engage thoughtfully on what this could look like horses? I don’t really see that as part of my job that’s them that that mythical they who do development over here and that’s, not me. So it was really looking to create that that collegial environment that we’re all in on this and that’s very consistent with what we just talked about recruitment of board members, he was doing it in recruitment of employees at all levels, okay, what else? Well, let’s say after we’ve hired, how can we continue to instill that we all have a role in fund-raising or fun development again outside the fund-raising staff exact could we keep that going? Some of the critical players that that i think we need to be bringing on board that can demonstrate to do such a powerful job of demonstrating the others? Yes, when we call on you, it’s okay to say yes, we’ll treat you well and because they get a tremendous amount done for us in building that culture of philanthropy, making sure that you’re building a really strong relationship with your cfo, that business office or finance office, that having a strong, powerful relationship with them from the very beginning enables you is a fun developer to say, hey, you know what i’ve got a donor who either has a lot of accountability, concerns or demands, this is something that is a value of theirs it’s important to them to not have to be that conduit of the messages of the cfo to say, you know what? I would love to bring our cfo in tow have a conversation with you about how we invest our endowment, the ways in which we’re accountable for using our funds could i bring him, or could i bring her with me, on our next donor of is it, knowing that you’ve got that partner at the table is willing to say, oh, yeah, absolutely, i can do that, and i know what to do. I know how to translate, spread she into donor. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative dot com mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free second reading. Learn how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Hi, i’m carol ward from the body mind wellness program. Listen to my show for ideas and information to help you live a healthier life in body, mind and spirit, you’ll hear from terrific guests who are experts in the areas of health, wellness and creativity. So join me every thursday at eleven a, m eastern standard time on talking alternative dot com professionals serving community oppcoll. Hi, this is nancy taito from speaks. Been radio speaks. Been. Radio is an exploration of the world of communication, how it happens in how to make it better, because the quality of your communication has a direct impact on the quality of your life. Tune in monday’s at two pm on talking alternative dot com, where i’ll be interviewing experts from business, academia, the arts and new thought. Join me mondays at two p m and get all your communications questions answered on speaks been radio. This is tony martignetti, aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Technology fund-raising compliance. Social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays, one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting. Talking. How can we incorporate this into the employees performance evaluation? You know, at the end of the year again, i don’t want to deal with fund-raising staff putting development staff signs for the model side, but all the other employees because that’s, that’s what they’re bonuses if those exist or that’s what they’re paying, if that exists well, of course they exist. Their pay is going to be based on what their attention is going to based on their their end of year performance evaluation. How do we build this into that? That tony that’s a great question, i think that’s something that we need to be looking at, as i think his organization’s mohr and more start looking for those over arching strategic goals and incorporating enterprise wide planning into their approach rather than siloed unit by your planting that that fun development needs to be on the table is one of those overarching plans. And then okay, as we start to get our feet under us, and if you’re in program delivery. All right, well, let’s, take a look at this. Overall. Strategical, what role could you play? Let’s have that conversation at the beginning of the year. Build that set of delivery bubbles that you’re comfortable with. And i know it’s not just going to be make work from a development standpoint that’s really going to be valuable from a development standpoint, and then and then we hold you accountable against those at the end of the year that there aren’t any fur in my mind, there aren’t any sort of standard set must have incorporated in the you know that every program officer needs to go on x number of visits over the course of the year, you have to be that know exactly that it needs to be organic and fit within the culture of the organization that what this person does but that it’s not okay to say, well, what i do is not development. I’m talking with lord goodwin, we’re talking about creating a culture of philanthropy in your non-profit on laura’s, vice president of the osborne group um, so as we’re talking about different maybe, uh, fears of employment or different departments with i’m thinking of the toughest case might be the key. If there’s a computer database person or staff, how might they be brought in? And i’m thinking to create this culture and i’m thinking, i mean, they deal with vendors, so maybe maybe we can transition to among the vendors in the service providers should should they also be knowledgeable about fund raising and fund development and how that’s all and what their role isn’t? And even though they work for a company that just provide services to us? Absolutely well, i want to take that sort of in two directions, i think the value of having that sometimes it’s that that bridge employees who understands the advancement services side of managing data that’s a must have that is that person you need to be cultivating or finding, you know, in in a big institution they’re goingto have ah, person whose job it is to translate technology into development’s, meek and development speak back into database that that, of course we know that that’s their lot of smaller organizations do they have that level of specialization? They can’t afford that that’s not realistic, but it doesn’t mean that you, as a development leader, can’t be seeking out who has that skill set? Who could i go to? Who i know can be my champion who is intuitively gets or or has that instinct for what we’re trying to accomplish here who could help me translate here’s the kind of report that i have and when i have this report and whatever for matter or can pull this query in the way that i’m asking for here is why it makes a difference to our whole organization, i think it’s, so important, even when they’re talking internally to keep reinforcing this report, as mundane as it may seem, is as wonky as it may seem, contributes to the larger hole that’s the way to continue to educate and build that internal culture as faras as external taking it to the external. Exactly. I think they’re with our outside vendors, absolutely they should be incorporated into be made a part of our overall corporate outrage. They have employees who, if we have a center or are, you know, an outside vendor, say it’s, a food service outside vendor? Well, they’re likely a part of that community. They’re deriving benefit from being a part of that broader community as a corporate don’t feel certainly they, you know they have a relationship that they from a from a business standpoint, have an interest. In continuing to to develop, but likely, as a company have philanthropic values, how could we meet up with their corporate social responsibility to use that that popular phrase here? What is what’s their take on corporate social responsibility? How can we connect with that and bring that back onto our campus, celebrating them publicly among our whole community or our broader donor community? We’re so happy to have this partner in providing this excellent service to us, but also being a philanthropic partners. Well, i think that there there is the ultimate win win let’s spend our closing couple of minutes talking about the donor center fund-raising and creating this culture now among this constituency are donors, i guess it’s just generally how do we get started with that? So that donors feel the this culture that we’re creating everywhere else? Absolutely. I think one of the things that we’re hearing from our clients across the country is that the the good old i have the ability to send out a male appeal and it can be undifferentiated. It’s the same letter i’m sending everybody in the world, it’ll pull pretty well, it’ll pull enough gifts back in to meet the needs that we have it’s good enough that good enough is just not doing it anymore. Couple that economic stress that so many are feeling at that at that low end of the giving pyramid with this increasing expectation of personalization, facebook knows everything about me and who i might want to be friends with and what adds, i might want to know facebook’s five hundred million customers are one hundred eight hundred million gigantic. Why can’t this organization that i care about say to me and maybe a smaller way and maybe a less sophisticated way but still say to me, hey, laura, we know you. We know what matters to you. We know what you value being able to give me a za donor the opportunity to designate my annual fund gift, for example, to say, hey, off these four core areas that are budget always supports maybe here’s one that’s more important to me or i love this program, i’m not going to restrict my gift and say you must spend it here, but i’d like to vote with my dollars e-giving that opportunity back to our donors being welcoming them to the table is collaborators in how they’re gift gets used that’s an important step to take at the other end of the spectrum pompel being oriented toward and setting those expectations of visit, visit, visit moving teo a face-to-face culture there’s no better way to be donor-centric than to look across the table at you, tony, and say, hey, what are your philanthropic values we fought motivates you find out so much about people just by having a simple conversation? Absolutely latto goodwin is vice president of the osborn group has twenty years of fund-raising experience, and we’ve been talking about creating the culture of philanthropy among all your different constituents here at national philanthropy day, hosted by the association of fund-raising professionals, westchester, westchester county chapter and this is tony martignetti non-cash non-profit radio coverage of national philanthropy day. Yes, this is non cop radio listen teo only by miscreants and general dealbreakers non-cash prayed eo my thanks this week to eugenia cologne and also laura goodwin and to the westchester county chapter v f p and their conference organizer, joe ferraro. Next week, interviewing and hiring cheryl nufer will be with me from peredo consulting with strategies to professionalize you’re interviewing. And hiring process also, maria simple, the prospect finder, will return with ideas from the world of prospect research podcast listeners both of you, you must have voted multiple times because after i asked you to last week now we have five ratings and we have five star rating on itunes. So my thanks, tio everyone who did that. I thank you very much for going and giving us enough ratings that itunes would give us a reading, and i’ll always i’ll be grateful if we could get a few more. Um, you simply go to itunes, open us up directly in itunes and click one of the one through five stars at the bottom of the page that’s not for those who already did it. We don’t want to don’t want to cheat in this in this voting process, but if you haven’t done it, i’d be grateful if you did either going directly to itunes or through non-profit radio dot net, i’d be grateful for your ratings there. Our creative producer is claire meyerhoff. Sam liebowitz is our line producer. The show’s social media is by regina walton of organic social media. Good job again promoting my blog’s. Thank you very much for that. And the remote producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is john federico of the new rules will be doing some more remote, producing in just a few months, starting the new season. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. I hope you’ll be with me next friday, one to two p, m eastern here at talking alternative dot com what? I think that being a good ending, you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Duitz get in. Dahna duitz how’s your game. Want to improve your performance, focus and motivation? You need aspire athletic consulting, stop second guessing yourself. Move your game to the next level. Bring back the fun of the sport, help your child build confidence and self esteem through sports. Contact dale it, aspire, athletic, insulting for a free fifteen minute power session to get unstuck. Today, your greatest athletic performance is just a phone call away at eight a one six zero four zero two nine four or visit aspire consulting. Dot vp web motivational coaching for athletic excellence aspire to greatness. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one, eight three two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight one eight, three, or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com way. Look forward to serving you. You’re listening to talking alternative network at www dot talking alternative dot com, now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Looking to meet mr and mrs wright but still haven’t found the one want to make your current relationship as filling as possible, then tuning on thursdays at one pm for love in the afternoon with morning alison as a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all with distinguished authors, industry coolers and experts on everything from wine to fashion. Join us as we discuss dating, relationships and more on talking alternative dot com. Are you fed up with talking points, rhetoric everywhere you turn left or right? Spin ideology no reality, in fact, its ideology over intellect no more it’s time. Join me, larry shot a neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven easter for the isaac tower radio program in the ivory tower will discuss what’s important to you society, politics, business it’s, provocative talk for the realist and the skeptic who want to know what’s. Really going on? What does it mean? What can be done about it? So gain special access to the ivory tower. Listen to me, larry. Sure you’re neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven new york time go to ivory tower radio dot com for details. That’s, ivory tower radio dot com everytime was a great place to visit for both entertainment and education. Listening. Tuesday nights nine to eleven. It will make you smarter. Talking all calm.

2012 Memorial Planned Giving Ideas

Spring Flowers courtesy of NixBC on Flickr
The memorial giving season is coming up: wedding anniversaries; graduation anniversaries; Mother’s Day; and Father’s Day.

Start thinking about your promotion of memorial planned gifts, or gifts-in-memory-of your donors’ loved ones, now, so you’re prepared come May and June. If you’ve already got this in your annual plan, excellent. Either way, I have a few ideas. Add yours.

Facebook It. Remind fans this is the season to remember loved ones and dear friends. Include a link to your giving or Planned Giving page.

Direct Mail. If you’re not doing a mailing devoted to memorial gifts, drop a slip into an existing mailing. Or add a P.S. to a letter you’re already planning. No additional expense for either of these.

Newsletter. Got a newsletter going out in May or June? Drop in a sidebar.

Email. Got a list? Send a blast. Include a link for more information, or a link that opens an email to you.

Events. A short mention at spring cocktail parties will remind people of their parents’ and siblings’ wedding and graduation years.

Build Endowment. If you have an endowment, encourage memorial gifts to create or augment a fund in memory of family. Donors with funds might ask family to make a gift to your endowment as their anniversary gift. If you don’t have an endowment, you probably should by this time next year.

I hope spring is productive for you, before things slow down during summer. I remember when that was true.

I like Tom Waits. Here’s his “You Can Never Hold Back Spring.”

Nonprofit Radio, March 30, 2012: Planned Gift Prospects By Phone, Tanya Says Farewell to PPP & Kony Complexities

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Sponsored by GE Grace corporate real estate services.

Listen live or archive:

My Guests:

Mindy Aleman: Planned Gift Prospects By Phone
Mindy Aleman from Kent State University takes the role of professor to teach you how to identify Planned Giving prospects from your phone-based fundraising. She’s been doing it for years with great success. (Pre-recorded at the National Conference on Philanthropic Planning last year.)

 

Tanya Howe Johnson: Tanya Says Farewell to PPP
Tanya Howe Johnson sat with me at last year’s Partnership for Philanthropic Planning conference to say goodbye to the organization she has led for 20 years. She retires in April.

 

Gene Takagi & Emily Chan
Gene Takagi & Emily Chan: Kony Complexities

Our regular legal contributors, Gene Takagi and Emily Chan of the Nonprofit & Exempt Organizations Law Group, look at issues around the viral “Kony 2012” video.

 

 


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Here is a link to the audio podcast: 085: Planned Gift Prospects By Phone, Tanya Says Farewell to PPP & Kony Complexities

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Metoo hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio march thirty, two thousand twelve big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent i’m your aptly named host i sincerely hope you’re with me. Last week, it would hurt me deeply if you had missed to twitter chat hosts on twitter talk we had pamela grow of small non-profit chat and brendan kinney of fundchat both on twitter tell us how these one hundred forty character conversations i can help you non-profit and build your professional network and push it. Maria simple, our prospect research contributor and the prospect finder, explained how push technology much of it free khun support your fund-raising this week planned gift prospects by phone. Mindy allen of kent state university takes the role of professor to teach you how to identify planned e-giving prospects from your phone based fund-raising very unusual, but she’s been doing it for years with great success and that’s pre recorded at the national conference on philanthropic planning this year, tanya says farewell to p p pee that’s tanya how johnson she sat with me at that same conference last year, the partnership for philanthropic planning conference to say goodbye to that. Organization that she has lead for twenty years, she retires this next month. April and finally today, cockney complexities our legal contributors jean takagi and emily chan from the non-profit and exempt organizations law group look at legal issues around the viral kony twenty twelve video it’s gotten eighty six million views and we’re going to look at it from an angle that you have not yet seen. I hope you will stay with me right now. Oh, and i’ve forget about it. I’m all screwed up. I also have course tony’s take two this week on tony’s take to my blogged one fact about planned e-giving i’ll tell you what it is and why that fact should be reassuring to you use hashtag non-profit radio if you want to join the conversation through twitter, i’m very grateful that the show is supported by g grace corporate real estate services. Now is the time to say that we’re going to take a break, and when we return, i’ll have the pre recorded interview planned gift prospects by phone with mindy element from kent state university, so stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com. We look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s a lawrence h bloom two, one, two, nine, six, four, three, five zero two. We make people happy. Hey, are you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. We’re on the river walk in san antonio, texas, and my guest right now is mindy element. She is executive director of the center for gift and a state planning at kent state university in kent, ohio. She is a c f ar e and an a p r i’m going to ask her what those mean very shortly. Mindy, welcome to the show. Thank you, tony. Nice to be here. A pleasure to have you see fr ee i know is certified fund-raising executive. But what is the a p r after your name designation? I’m also accredited in public relations by the national public relations society. Okay, how do you feel? You used your public relations credential in your gift planning work all the time. Thanks. Oh, yeah, absolutely. How is that? Tell me you’re building a story. You’re building a case for your institution. You’re crafting the proper message. And you’re thinking about the audience and that’s all about public relations as well as planned. Nothing. All right. Excellent. Thank you. Mindy, your your topic is harnessed. Phone center. Power to increase plant. Gif ts now, i don’t think that most of our audience and the audience is small and mid sized non-profits think of their phone center as a place to prospect planned e-giving donors. So why are you recommending that? Well, tony it’s really a gold mine? Four future plan gifts and for requests that are undocumented there, unbeknownst to the organisation and for many reasons may not be known until after the donorsearch passes away. Okay, and we can uncover these gif ts through our phone work. Absolutely. Okay, most of the time and we use students in our phone center. But any well trained, personable rapport building phone center caller could do that. Okay, well, that’s kind of a mouthful now, so it sounds like, do you? Ah, you do you stay away from or recommend against? I guess the hired tell of a telephone tell us solicitors for for annual fund. I don’t recommend against it. I think it takes a little bit different training. The reason student callers or callers who are involved in the organization’s mission are very efficient and effective is because they bring a sense of doing it now to their phone conversations and particularly with universities, a student is best at developing a nice report with an alumnus who may have gotten a degree in business, and the student is majoring in business and khun se gi, do you have any advice for me? I’m having a tough time with the international business ethics class, okay, so they can develop that report that profession schnoll consultant solicitor is not going is not going to do it’s it’s a unique relationship between the student and the donor on the other end of the line that if your phone centers very successful getting gifts, it’s, because they’re developing report, that same report is very successful and into girl in terms of identifying those who might also put your institution in there will all right? And we’re going to get to those to those details. Let’s set the stage at kent state now as executive director of the center for gift in a state planning you probably don’t oversee the annual fund telemarketing function, right? You’re you’re working with another office in this, okay, you have a good working relationship, i guess. Absolutely. And this truly is a nice example of a collaborative effort. And buy-in between the plan giving area and the annual fund program, how did you discover the potential in the annual fund telemarketing work for your gift planning work? Well, we had been very successful at our annual fund. We were raising a lot of money and the annual fund was breaking all kinds of records. So we knew at the time that we had a very great program in place. During the same time, we had a screening, and the screening had uncovered about twenty seven thousand prospects who had a high proclivity for making a plan gift to our organisation. This was a screening by an outside company, one of the one of well screening cos yes, and i could mention the company if you don’t, if you like your blackbaud and they did a wonderful job for strip. And the dilemma that we found ourselves in was well, how the heck are we going to get to talk to twenty seven thousand? Likely plan giving prospects? How many people are in the center for gift in the state planning at the university? Well, there’s, only a couple of us plus our administrative support. However, we have another fifteen to twenty full time gift officers representing different constituencies. However, they are mostly major gift officers. So we had what we call in this area. Lack of legs. Okay, twenty seven thousand people. What? What did you decide to do? Well, we thought maybe we could piggyback onto the successes of our phone center who were talking to thousands of alumni every week. And maybe we could take the best of those callers, give them a specific pool comprised of the ones with the highest blackbaud ratings in the plan giving area and ask them to discuss whether the the donor ever had any intention or thought of remembering their in their alma mater in their estate plan. Your colleague who oversees the annual fund wasn’t concerned that this would buddy the message and that the annual fund solicitation might get lost in there for the annual fund income suffer well, no, because we we decided up front that this pg ask, as we called it pgs, peachy ass, actually, what? It was really mostly a plan giving conversation, segway. But that would only occur number one if they were in the plan. Good e-giving phone calling. Pool number one and number two, if the person called, had made a gift or a pledge so it didn’t interfere it all. It came afterwards, okay? And had made a gift or a pledge in that in that call. That’s? Correct. Okay. And what do you call this program, ken state? We call it, request a request. All right, but you’re not really soliciting a bequest. You’re you’re asking if there’s ah, an interest in it is that is that right? Yes. But, you know that’s where there it’ll starts and it’s a nice segue way. If somebody has been donating for years and they’re in the right demographics for plan giving it’s very natural and easy for the student caller to say, you know, mr jones, you’ve been so wonderful all these years. And i certainly appreciate your gift tonight to the school of music. Have you ever considered including us in your state plan? All right. And what was the initial response to that? How many years have you been doing this request? A bequest. This has been going on since two thousand five. So it’s in its about six and a half years, i guess. Right? I guess we’ll clearly the answer is, the initial reaction was not negative, and i guess positive. So you continued for the for several years after it’s been wonderful, tony, it really has not only have we identified hundreds of people who would consider a bequest, but we’ve also uncovered many people with with requests or other plan gives already in there a state plan and the most the fat, most fabulous part of all of this is that many of these donors we’re not on our radar screen. Well, they were in the twenty seven thousand because but they were not on your plan to give prospect radar screens that right, right? And they were yes, they they were unbeknownst to us in terms of whether they would really do something or not. So it really pushed the meter in terms of identifying really good plan giving prospects. And as we all know in the world, the plan giving many current gifts can come from plan giving donors as well. So is the language that the students are using. Is that is that what you gave us earlier? Would you consider or have you ever considered share, including okay, and and there are. Other options as well, let’s, say there was somebody that said, well, i can only make a small gift this year. Tony too. The department of physics. I wish i could do more, but i could only give you a small gift. The collar then was empowered and trained to say, well, i hear your passion in your voice. Maybe you could just put us in your will. And you would be surprised and pleased. I would think, to find out that many people said, you know what? I’m going to go ahead and do them that’s really something you’ve uncovered something really very, very interesting. Thank you. Yeah. Great. Now, your program description says that this is an award winning program requested request. What? What award or awards? Everyone. This particular program has been the recipient of four different case awards. Three golds in terms of best overall program. Best plan giving can cases the council for advancement in support of education. Yes, yes. And it also meant a lot because we we received an award for collaboration. And it truly was a nice effort between our phone center manager, the annual fund director, my my department in a range of other folks, including the major gift officers, because for many of them, they ended up receiving nice leads. If somebody was assigned and indicated they might consider putting tens in their will, then the particular advancement officer was encouraged to go to follow-up so we’ve raised millions of dollars duitz and gifts and pledges through this program over the years, clearly a collaboration between three different three different areas of fund-raising so how did you select the callers who were who would receive the enhanced training? Teo teo participate in request of a quest i depended on the phone center coordinators in the end, the managers to provide me with their very best callers, those that had a great track record in securing gifts, those that had a really passion and joy for the institution and those who were just great on the phone, particularly for older adults who may not want to talk at certain times during the day, or who have hearing issues and so on. So just in terms of the person’s volume on the phone, absolutely right, okay, volume being able to enunciate properly, our collars went through all kinds of training, including gerontology. Expert who came in and talked about issues that older adults face and things like sundown ing, which means that we wanted some of these calls to go out earlier than six p m okay, so training by jared atallah gist yes, what other training did the these specialized colors get? They had a range of basic plan giving options so that they understood the difference between a simple will bequest and let’s say of retained income gift. Okay, but nothing so technical that they were inhibited or overwhelmed or felt like they didn’t want any part of this, and they knew to be able to refer those to me and oftentimes i was there during the calling, listening in, okay? No, they’re helping out of being around that’s a part of call center training is listening surreptitiously. Yeah, um, so they were just opening the conversation. And isn’t that what we trained? A lot of major gift officers to do? I i spoke with someone earlier talking about breaking down the silos mean, so this is just an extension of what what i think is that conversation breaking down the seller’s between plan giving in major e-giving you’re just including students from the annual fund call center. The important thing about having conversations with people and getting to the core issues is being able to elicit trust for yourself from that person and whether it’s, a student caller or a major gift officer, the person on the other end of the phone could be made to feel so comfortable that they want to talk more and believe it or not, if we’re not asking for will’s, we’re not doing our job because every other charities out there doing the same, and in all these years of calling and in the thousands of people who have been called and followed up on, we have never gotten one case of somebody saying, how dare you ask me that? That is so inappropriate? And most people were thrilled to know you know what? What a great idea! I ought to include my alma mater in my will. Never not one complaint, not one complaint. Okay, well, you’ve screened the people who would be part of this, the in terms of the the prospects, and also highly trained, the caller’s it’s all done very sensitively and appropriately to the right, poole and never a single complaint. Excellent. Um, follow-up is critical to any solicitation or conversation of this type would what’s the follow-up this is really, i think, the key factor of this program you can’t do or launch some kind of program without proper follow-up because nothing is worse than a student coming back to your office ing wow, somebody just told us they’re they’re leading fifty thousand dollars in their will for us, and then we don’t call them for a year. I mean, that’s, that’s critical. So the follow-up has to be done with as much enthusiasm and passion, and what i decided to do was work with our data base folks and code these different calls. If somebody was just considering including us in their will, they were coded as a cb, considering a bequest. They got a letter from their student caller thanking them for considering and telling them it was nice to speak with them, and it was actually signed by that student. They also got a letter from me thanking them for considering and if they requested, information included information and so on. So there was there were a number of follow-up procedures and protocol that we were very, very religious on, he should say in terms of following of the the way to what the person wanted to receive all the way to giving them a call maybe six months to a year later, saying, you know, you know, mrs jones, you had one time thought about including us in your will would it be helpful to you of somebody from our office took you to coffee to discuss or would you like some more information? Okay, so that is a part of the follow-up six months or a year later. Yes. Yeah. What’s your preference for follow-up to someone who has said in one of these calls, you know, i’ve already included you in my will, which certainly has happened. Do you then request documentation or request that they fill out a simple form? Or is their word sufficient for you to include them in your recognition society? Well, after we send out the balloons and all the party favors to their house, yeah, we’ve really simplified it over the years. We do not request a copy of their documentation. However we do ask that they give us something in writing to specify their instructions, and it could be in using our simple form that we that we offer that helps them, or it could be in the form of an email or a note saying, dear can state, i’d i’d like my funds to go to the kent state university museum, for instance, so with that latto we, we include them as a member of our legacy society, and they get all kinds of acknowledgment there after it’s also the beginning of another conversation where we can say, you know, depending on how much is it comes to fruition at you could create a permanent endowment, and we can we can help you with that as well. And what what are you thinking there in terms of permanent damage? What type of gift are you tryingto encourage them to? This is simply where, if there’s sufficient funds through there, a st gift right now, endowments on the ken campus or twenty five thousand? Ok, so in other words, if they’re going to leave us at a minimum of twenty five thousand, we would like them to know that they have an opportunity to have a permanent impact at the institution with there area of interest could go. On teo in perpetuity, the program is requested. Request it’s at kent state university, and i’ve been talking to mindy ah lemon, who is the executive director of the center for gift and estate planning at the university, talking about harnessing your phone center power to increase plant gifts. Many element, thank you very much for being a guest. Thank you, tony. Been a real pleasure. You’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning in san antonio, texas two thousand eleven. The attendant think dick tooting getting stinking thing. You’re listening to the talking, alternate network, get anything. E-giving you could are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative dot com mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free psychic reading. Learn how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Lively conversation. Top trends. Sound advice, that’s, tony martignetti non-profit radio. And i’m samantha cohen from the american civil liberties union. Welcome back now i have my interview from that same conference last year, last october with tanya how johnson and hears that. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning, hosted by the partnership for philanthropic planning. We’re in san antonio, texas, and i’m very pleased to have with me the president and ceo of the partnership for philanthropic planning. Tanya. How johnson she’s going to be retiring in april of next year, two thousand twelve, after twenty years as president and ceo tanya welcome. Thank you. And thanks for having me, it’s. A pleasure to be here. A pleasure to be a sponsor and partner with the with the conference and with the partnership. No, this must be a pretty emotional time for you. It’s. The last conference. What would you say that of your presidency? Not certainly not of the of the organization of your presidency and chief executive officer ship. What are you feeling, it’s? A very bittersweet time. I have to admit, i’ve had twenty great years. I love this organization. I love all of the people that i’ve worked with, its bin a wonderful opportunity for me to give. Back to philanthropy and give back in some way to those people who have been important to me all my life from charitable organizations, so i’m very sad to leave. I’m excited about having one more career before i really retire, and i’m looking forward to exploring what those options are and hopefully staying in touch with everyone here. Of course, what do you have in mind for that next career? Well, what i’m telling everybody is that i’m going to write a tell all book that’ll scare them nobody’s gonna keep in touch with you then, but it’s too late. You already know it all all these years, i keep saying, i’m going to remember this, so no, actually, i haven’t made a definite decision yet. I’m exploring a number of options, okay? And leaving the window open and i hope by january i’ll have an announcement to make, okay? Okay, we’ll look forward to that, and i’m sure that will be on the website because people do want to get in touch with yes, absolutely so this is probably going to be on the partnerships website. Do you want to say a farewell something that is fitting for? Your imminent retirement well, i don’t know if i could say anything that was really fitting for my retirement, but i will be making some remarks later this afternoon here at the conference and will be video taping those, and so hopefully we’ll have a chance to get those out to members. It would be nice to be able to say a personal goodbye to everyone and and that’s, not really possible, but i hope through the magic of technology that we can do that, so i thank you for this opportunity as well. It’s been a pleasure on dh, thank you and congratulations. Thank you, tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. Right now, we take a break when we return. Tony’s, take two, one fact about planned e-giving and then after that, i’ll be joined by our legal contributors, jean takagi and emily chan, with kony complexities. Stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you feeling overwhelmed and the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level, and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s. Create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three, that’s to one to seven to one, eight one eight three. The conscious consultant helping conscious people. Be better business people. Dahna hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com welcome back, it’s, time for tony’s, take two at roughly thirty two minutes into the hour. My block this week is one fact about planned e-giving that fact is it’s a relationship business? People often get bogged down and i think even discouraged ged from starting a plan giving program because they think about technical concerns and needs for expertise, or sometimes people who already have programs get bogged down in administrative work. If you’re starting a program, you don’t need technical fancy advanced gift offerings to have a very solid and very respectable planned giving program, and that is, should be reassuring too small and midsize charities it’s just not necessary. You start with requests, which is a gift in someone’s will those air very simple for you to promote and for your prospects to understand, and you don’t need to go any further in a lot of cases. That’s, a very respectable program for small and midsize shop, just marketing and promoting charitable bequests and on my block this week in that post called one fact about planned e-giving there are links on how to get started because i did a series of articles for guide star they’re links to those articles explaining how you start a program just around charitable bequests. So the one fact about planned giving is that it’s a relationship business you don’t need fancy technical administrative stuff and it’s easy to get started just with requests, that is all at tony martignetti dot com and that’s tony’s take two for friday, march thirtieth, the thirteenth show of two thousand twelve now i have with me jean takagi and emily chan are you guys out there? Way are hi tony money. Hello, how are you joining me from san francisco and the non-profit and exempt organizations law group is jean takagi he’s, the principal of neo, and he edits the popular blogger at non-profit law block dot com on twitter he is at gi tak g ta ke emily chan is an attorney at the non-profit exempt organizations law group and principal contributor to the non-profit law blawg, and she is at emily chan on twitter. And emily chan just recently wanted a big, prestigious national fancy award. Won’t you tell us? Emily thanks, honey. M it is an award from the business law section non-profit organizations committee with the american bar association for us outstanding young lawyer i’m really honored and thankful to gene for making the nomination. All right. And that’s not just a san francisco or california award right attracted the national. Alright, congratulations. Thank you, jean takagi. If you don’t win an award within the next month, next time you supposed to be on the show, you’re you’re out! I think i’m already reporting family, so all right, so but that includes bowling trophies. If you can come home and come in with a bowling trophy between now and the next show, you’re still you’ll still be on. We’re going to talk about kony complexities, let’s see jean, why don’t you remind us what the cockney video is? Because there may be people who haven’t heard of it yet although eighty six million have, we may have listeners who are not among those eighty six million what’s the what’s, this cockney video and what is invisible children kony two thousand twelve, with a short thirty minutes video created by invisible children, was released earlier this month on as you said, tony, eighty six million views on you two, not including all of the views on coney or invisible children’s own. Website and other websites that have picked up the video. So it’s, a huge movement to promote invisible children’s mission to stop ugandan warm and war criminal, uh, who’s, draconian the kony two thousand twelve. It refers to joseph kony who’s brutal guerrilla warfare tactics with the lord’s resistance army or l r a in regions of central africa, particularly northern uganda. Uh includes the strategy of kidnapping children and using them soldiers for his efforts often, uh, using them to kill their own parents. So it’s, just a really, uh, atrocious were criminal out there that invisible children has targeted the video because it was so popular has caused sort of all about what caused a lot of conversation on both sides people in favor of and opposed teo the work of invisible children. And i think a good amount of envy that that that video got so widely distributed. Gene, there are some legal issues that that you and emily see what? Why don’t you get us started with this is thought about this us charity and its international work? Sure, i think that’s a good place to start first, there is the question about whether an american charity can get involved in international programming on having activities overseas. Well, there’s nothing in federal law that would prohibit a u s organisation five, twenty three public charity from engaging in international operations. But of course the organization would have to comply with the laws of that foreign jurisdiction. And in this case, invisible children has an affiliated organization. Invisible children ngo that was formed in central africa on is kind of a partner in their programming over there. So invisible children, public charity, the us public charity engages in grantmaking to the ugandan ngo that’s related on de emily that that foreign grantmaking that’s that could be a concern. Yes, absolutely similar to the same kind of concerns that we have domestically about the use of five to one say, three assets. This concerns certainly becomes more complicated and maybe more severe when we’re talking about money going abroad. Um and so the level of control and oversight on the due diligence that an organization is doing to make sure that money is used properly, something that any organization with foreign grantmaking should be aware of and take care of, okay, and and what are those? What are? The concerns i mean, what are the tests that we’re looking at for whether the grantmaking is is appropriate abroad? Well, they’re quite a handful of tests, so to start on a basic level, any of the five o one c three rules still applied to foreign operations, so concerns about inappropriate benefit to insiders to private individuals for being used for purposes outside of the exempt purpose of the organization, which again must still be consistent with our domestic five twenty three regulations, but also so so so so the so the irs is arm extends beyond just us borders. If you’re a u s five twenty three, your international work is governed by the same constraints as you’re us grantmaking yeah, parts of it work, and i will have, you know, two bodies essentially or more than it may be reporting to you because it is a us non-profit so it does have to comply with u s laws but speaks touch now, it’s getting involved in a foreign country now, you also have to look at the foreign country and figure out what rules would apply as well. So another concern with this grantmaking assad for individual teo donate teo a public charity while that money can be used abroad, it cannot be earmarked to go abroad. I can’t not be earmarked to go to a specific individual, and this is consistent with the same kind of rules you see domestically were again, it can’t be earmarked. Go to specific individuals to get that charitable deduction on. And it goes back to that level of control and discretion that domestic non-profit should have to make sure that it’s actually using the money and further and it’s exempt purposes, and following through with that money to make sure that it’s being used properly by the recipients do we know how much money, um, invisible children was devoting. Teo er non us grantmaking. Yeah, i believe gene has the statistic on hand. Sure. It’s it’s about two point three million dollars in their two thousand ten form nine. Ninety that was reported going towards there. Foreign ngo. Okay, i wanted teo just sort of ad tio empoli comments about not earmarking donations to foreign individuals, but that would also include foreign ngos. If you as a donor, earmark your donation to us charity and say it must go to a specific foreign ngo you will not get a deductible contribution, and the charity will not really be operating consistent with it. Uh, legal requirements toe exercise oversight over that if they’re just merely acting as a conduit. So those things for donors and cherries to be careful of. So in other words, gene, invisible children can’t say up front that it’s going to make grants to i don’t know, you know, some you ugandan grassroots organization, they can’t do that. They say that the donations that they receive are specifically going there. They say that one of the recipients is that ngo okay, okay, um was there i’m sorry i interrupted you. Was there another point you wanted to make about this international grantmaking sure, i just wanted to make sure that everyone was aware that they’re anti terrorism laws that also may apply on us what policy? So you’ve got to be careful of making sure that you’re not acting against us public policy in your porn grantmaking okay, now, that’s just in the grantmaking so that wouldn’t apply to the video that they had done, right, that it wouldn’t matter whether that position against joseph kony was against us policy, right? It actually could matter-ness just okay. All right, how’s that well, if you’re using a charitable funds for which organ donors got deductions for and for which you are not paying taxes can’t use those funds to promote, for example, racial discrimination because that’s against us public policy and that’s true, whether you do it domestically or abroad. Ok. All right, so so, eh? So if the u s had a policy of supporting joseph kony just hypothetically, then they then then invisible children would have trouble with the video that they just produced. Is that right? If they used if they use charitable funds for it that’s that’s, right. Okay. Okay. Just a hypothetical. I don’t know. It’s a law school, hypothetical man, i know you guys were rolling your eyes in san francisco, but i’m amusing myself. So actually something else. Do i wantedto arika with grantmaking that gene and i were discussing recently about the relationship that’s happening here with invisible children of domestic non-profit and grantmaking teo ngo. So, emily, you and jean sit around the office and talk about these things. Do let’s expect that’s? Incredible that’s. I love that. Okay. Well, i mean, that’s what that’s, what lawyers working for non-profits ought to be doing is just yeah, it’s good to hear good years, not just with me. You guys share share information offline. Outstanding. Okay? Whenever a story like this comes out, we do think there’s always lessons to be learned and takeaways, especially when it gets so much attention on. So one interesting fact that jean notice what grantmaking is to an ngo by the same name, invisible children abroad. So this is the organization that was set up essentially in another country. And we’re just thinking from the perspective of an organization that if there is let’s, say hi overlap between the individuals running the domestic non-profit and then the recipient ngo abroad, that maybe the level of discretion that you used on the due diligence on the information you put out let’s, say with your annual reports or your filings, or even on your website, you may want to pursue a higher level of that two again show that there is a step in between the two and it’s not just becoming a conduit, essentially, or collapsing into the same group of people and you discovered this we have just about a minute before break you discovered this or jean discovered it on the nine, ninety. Yeah, essentially that that’s. Right. So, on the nine, ninety, they report they’re grantmaking teo, invisible children, the ngo, but we don’t know very much about invisible children, the ngos. So wait three million went that way. How did they spend their money? And you know what type of due diligence is there that’s not really available to us or the irs, unless they decide to audit the organization. But you are saying that that invisible children has an office in uganda and not invisible children, the us public charity. They formed a ugandan ngo, central african ngo teo teo, okay, and it’s also called invisible children correct. I understand, okay, we’re gonna take a break. When we come back. We’ll keep talking about kony complexities, so stay with me in this crack legal award winning team. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, i’m carol ward from the body mind wellness program. Listen to my show for ideas and information to help you live a healthier life in body, mind and spirit, you’ll hear from terrific guests who are experts in the areas of health, wellness and creativity. So join me every thursday at eleven a, m eastern standard time on talking alternative dot com professionals serving community. Oh, this is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting. Are you concerned about the future of your business for career? Would you like it all to just be better? Well, the way to do that is to better communication. And the best way to do that is training from the team at improving communications. This is larry sharp, host of the ivory tower radio program and director at improving communications. Does your office need better leadership? Customer service sales or maybe better writing are speaking skills? Could they be better at dealing with confrontation conflicts, touchy subjects all are covered here at improving communications. If you’re in the new york city area, stop by one of our public classes or get your human resource is in touch with us. The website is improving communications, dot com that’s improving communications, dot com improve your professional environment, be more effective be happier and make more money. Improving communications. That’s. The answer. Told you. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent on tony martignetti non-profit radio gene. Before the break, we were talking about the international of the ugandan ngo invisible children and the us invisible children. It sounds like your advice is is just really that there has to be separation between the two, similar to a charity that is in the us and maybe its foundation fund-raising arm. Also here in the u s is there a parallel there? Well, most most charities have their fund-raising arms within the legal entity of the charity itself. There are some organizations that separate out there fund-raising units like an endowment is a separate corporation for risk management purposes and asset protection. So the separation that you’re talking about for those reasons, is similar to what a u s charity and a foreign related nto would need to do with. Well, yeah. Okay. This is this is really some crack forensic work that you guys did finding this in the nine. Ninety. Very interesting. And then, of course, nine nineties all publicly available. Right? That emily, is there another topic you want to? You want to talk about with respect? To the invisible children that we also in looking at the nine, ninety found some interesting information about the progression or, i guess, evolution of the organization’s mission. And again, this is all coming from this publicly available annual information return on, we see that this is all from guidestar, which gives you about the three most current years. In two thousand eight, we see a pretty broad description of the organization’s mission in part three of the nine, ninety, which focuses on program i’m activities, which basically says it’s media based awareness and advocacy provoc grams in the us, we see that in two thousand nine that it now becomes more specific, stating that it’s about raising awareness and education in the us about atrocities, exploitation and abuse is invisible children throughout the world here, now we see a focus on invisible children, and then in the most recent filing available from two thousand ten, we actually see it become even more specific where it says that invisible children uses film, creativity and social action toe and the use of children, soldiers and joseph tony’s rebel war and restore l r et affected communities in central africa to peace and prosperity. So again, even more focused, yeah, so what’s the impact of these changes over three years, there’s quite there could be many impact from this. The first is that one question someone would have is whether this is consistent with their governing documents, because, again, this is an information return. So even if the mission has one thing, you really have to look to your articles of incorporation and those documents to see what actually what purpose you’re supposed to be furthering. So with those documents, the articles of incorporation and the mission statement within them have to have been updated and become more specific from year to year, the way the nine, ninety reports that did they absolutely should, for a couple of reasons, one is, you know, the articles of incorporation are not really accessible to the public. I mean, you’d have to request them. You’d have to be a certain person in the organization, possibly get that information. So for one, communication with donors is very important. Um, and you’re funders into the public, and you would want that to mirror your governing documents in any kind of public information. You have another issue more. Legal issue has to do with the use of your charitable assets that you received so there’s a concept called charitable trust doctrine, which essentially says that the assets you received azzan organization are locked into the mission that you have at the time that you get those so if, for example, in two thousand eight, it has very actually no let’s focus on the two thousand ten right, the most specific two thousand ten, the most specific year, right? And then let’s say in the next year they’re going toe they’re going change it again just in their own internal understanding of how they want their mission to be on, and they’re going to focus on the new region unless they’ve amended their governing documents, even if internally they believe now they’re focusing on a new area under their state shirt will trust doctor, and they were not probably cannot use those assets that are being received. After internally, they decided to make a change to this new focus. What saying another country it’s still going to be locked into this joseph kony rubble war, right? Because because that money was raised in two thousand ten, which was their charitable purpose at that at the time it was raised, right? Interesting god. And so this is just important for organizations to know we seen this, you know, in other cases where an organization has decided internally, it evolved it’s starting to change its focus, but it hasn’t changed its governing documents. And so all the assets that’s receiving are locked into that mission that is still stated in their governing documents. So this is very important for organizations tio check their governing documents also because they’re there for a reason that really helps guide the organization. And why don’t you just remind us, emily, what are those governing documents? Articles of incorporation general will be the most important and then there’s also your by-laws which could be more specific than your articles that this all would play into germany. What your mission, wass i’m and then also just looking at your information return. So the nine, ninety things that you put on your website that can go to misrepresentation with donors on other issues like that, if it’s not consistent and people are donating under a belief of where it’s going, that is actually something that the organization can do yes. Okay. All right. This was a really interesting forensic work. Really? Are you guys going tobe log about this? Yeah, i think so. You know, i’ve been thinking about this week’s show and having this discussion. I think a lot of interesting topics have come out from it that we absolutely would want teo make available to everyone. Okay, well, if you block it, then let us know, and we’ll put the link, of course, on the show’s facebook page. All right, wey have to leave it there. Emily chan and jian takagi, prince attorney and principal respectively, of neo. The non-profit and exempt organizations law group in san francisco. Thanks both for your time. Always a pleasure. Next week, campaign feasibility studies. If we can have fun with this topic, then there’s no stopping twenty martignetti non-profit radio eugenia cologne, a consultant in that area of campaign feasibility studies. Makes sense of what their value is and what the best practices are. And if you know something that rhymes with feasibility, please put that on the facebook page. I want to thank you. Mindy holloman, tanya how johnson and the folks at the partnership for philanthropic planning. For all their work and helping me to be a media sponsor for their conference last year and get those interviews to you that we played today and special thanks to gloria cur mean, at the partnership for those of you who are listening to the podcast, i’m speaking to both of you. Now i would love for you each of you, each of both of you to have to give a rating to the show, because right now on the itunes paige there’s so few ratings that that itunes won’t give a rating. So and actually, there are more than two of you that listen, i would beseech you to please go to itunes, are page in itunes and just click one through five stars. One means you hate it. Five means it’s great and we would love. I would be very grateful to have enough reviews that itunes feels comfortable giving us a of one through five star reading, and you can go directly to our itunes paige in itunes. Or you can go through non-profit radio dot net. The show is sponsored by g grace and company. Are you worried about the rising cost of rent for your organization, do you need a plan for real estate that you’re non-profit owns? George grace has been advising non-profits on their real estate decisions for over twenty five years. He offers listeners a complimentary thirty minute consultation. They are at g grace dot com or eight eight eight seven four seven two two three, seven. I hope you’ll be with us for the next live show on talking alternative, which is betsy cohen’s power of intuition. You don’t have to listen through the weekend, although you certainly can, because we’re streaming all time, but the next live show is monday at eleven betsey’s show. Power of intuition. Our creative producer was claire meyerhoff. Janice taylor is our line producer. The show’s social media is by regina walton of organic social media and the remote producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is john federico of the new rules. I hope you’ll be with me next friday one to two p m eastern at talking alternative broadcasting always found at talking alternative dot com dahna hyre i didn’t think that dude in there getting ding, ding, ding, ding. You’re listening to the talking alternate network. E-giving nothing. You could. Looking to meet mr and mrs wright but still haven’t found the one. I want to make your current relationship as filling as possible, then tuning on thursdays at one pm for love in the afternoon with morning alison as a professional matchmaker. I’ve seen it all with distinguished authors, industry coolers and experts on everything from wine to fashion. Join us as we discuss dating, relationships and more on talking alternative dot com. Hi, i’m julie, hi, i’m julia, what are you wearing? Welcome to j and j’s. Secrets of style and beauty. 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One Fact About Planned Giving

"hands clasped" courtesy of Leo Reynolds on Flickr
Planned Giving is a relationship business.

That should be reassuring to small charities, because it means you don’t need fancy stuff and experts to get a program going–and to make it very respectable.

You’ll enjoy success in Planned Giving if you build relationships with your consistent donors who are around 55 and over. When you screen for consistency, ignore gift size. If a donor has been giving you ten dollars a year for the past 8 or 10 years, or more, the person is an excellent Planned Giving prospect.

There is a technical side to gift planning, but you don’t need it if you start your program with bequests. I wrote a series of articles for GuideStar explaining how to get started. Small- and mid-size charities can have a very respectable and appropriate program without needing expertise or spending a lot of money.

My background is law. I draw on my technical skills about 10% of the time for my clients. I can go deep, but it’s rarely necessary.

On the other hand, I spend a lot of time strategizing around people: how we’ll engage them; what different generations prefer; what a particular couple will prefer; who’s the best person to extend an invitation; who should sign the direct mail letter? Like all fundraising, Planned Giving is based on strong relationships.

Don’t let the technical side dissuade you from inaugurating a program. And don’t let the technical stuff drag you down if you’ve got a more mature program.

Focus on your prospects and donors and the planned gifts will come.