Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%
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My Guests:
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, 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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Here is the link to the podcast: 086: Campaign Feasibility Agility & Creating A Culture of Philanthropy.
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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. 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