Tag Archives: donor cultivation

Nonprofit Radio for October 11, 2021: Next Year’s Plan For Your Year-End Donors

My Guest:

Poonam Prasad: Next Year’s Plan For Your Year-End Donors

We’re in the 4th quarter and you’re expecting a lot of fundraising revenue. You want those donors with you next year and beyond. Poonam Prasad has the strategies to make that happen. She’s president of Prasad Consulting & Research.

 

 

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[00:00:10.84] spk_4:
Hello and welcome to tony-martignetti non profit radio

[00:01:41.44] spk_1:
Big non profit ideas for the other 95%. I’m your aptly named host of your favorite abdominal podcast and oh, I’m glad you’re with me. I’d suffer the embarrassment of Ruba malaria if you made me hot with the idea that you missed this week’s show next year’s plan for your year end donors. We’re in the fourth quarter and you’re expecting a lot of fundraising revenue. You want those donors with you next year and beyond. non Prasad has the strategies to make that happen. She’s president of Prasad consulting and research on tony state too planned giving accelerator. We’re sponsored by turn to communications pr and content for nonprofits. Your story is their mission turn hyphen two dot C. O. It’s a pleasure to welcome to the show for the first time Hunan Prasad. She is founder and president of Prasad consulting and research, providing board and staff training, audit, major gift capital campaign and publication services to non profits. She’s on the executive committee of the Giving institute, leading consultants to nonprofits before nonprofit work. She was an investigative reporter and worked in journalism, advertising and pr in India south Korea Hong kong the West Indies and the U. S. Her company is at Prasad consulting dot com and she’s at prasad c Welcome to the show. Prasad opponent. Prasad. Welcome to nonprofit radio

[00:01:53.44] spk_0:
Thank you Tony. It’s a pleasure to be with you.

[00:02:02.54] spk_1:
My pleasure to have you. Thank you. There’s so many so many facades. I guys called um facade instead of being um so you’re in you’re in new york city, right? You’re coming

[00:02:05.65] spk_0:
to us from new york? Yes. Coming to you from downtown Manhattan

[00:02:09.30] spk_1:
downtown. What neighborhood?

[00:02:11.54] spk_0:
Oh, east mid down. Sorry.

[00:02:13.84] spk_1:
Oh, now you moved in downtown anymore.

[00:02:16.17] spk_0:
Yes. Now we moved, we moved recently near Grand Central Station.

[00:02:20.74] spk_1:
Okay. And your Grand Central. And how about your home? Where where, where is your home?

[00:02:24.55] spk_0:
Also in midtown,

[00:02:26.08] spk_1:
midtown, midtown east. Also,

[00:02:28.39] spk_0:
midtown east. Also. Okay,

[00:03:06.04] spk_1:
East side of new york city. For your business and your home. Wonderful. So we’re talking about this year’s fourth quarter donors and how we want to treat them and work with them So that we hold on to them into 2022 and beyond. So just, you know, because we know the donor attrition is a big problem. It’s a appalling somewhere around 75% annual donor attrition rate. What do you see? You know, generally that, uh, nonprofits could do better about holding on to their year end donors

[00:06:17.64] spk_0:
actually, tony uh, the attrition rate or the leaky bucket is almost, uh, from three donors, you get down to 1.5 or from two donors, you could be down to one next year. So for all the efforts that you’re putting in to bringing these donors in. If you think about, you know, we were a research firm. So we often get people asking us, can you find me new donors? Can you find me new donors? I’m sure we can find them new donors. But the point is, once they’ve got them in, they have spent so much effort and time and money on getting them in. And then if you don’t steward them, if you don’t get to know them and you don’t work with them, then you’re going to lose them by next year. Um, and that’s the tragedy of uh, fundraising. You know, that is really very inefficient. So I suggest only just two little tips, the donors that you get in at the end of the year. There are only two things you need to do with them. one is get to know them. And then the 2nd 1 help them to get to know you. So show them that you are doing the right thing with their money. You know, the impact report reporting, telling them what you did with their money and how you could not have done it without their money. And the second thing learn about them. You know, if you were trying to become friends with someone, you went to a party and you met somebody and you said, you know, this was a really interesting person. Uh, they came to my birthday party, they gave me a present. I would like to be more friends with them. Would you not write them or thank you not? Would you not invite them to a body afterwards. Would you not say it? Let me have coffee with you. These are simple things that we do in everyday life. But then when you’re the executive director of a of a charity, a little social service charity, you said, I don’t like to do fundraising? Well, it’s not it’s human relations. These are people who gave you something they didn’t have to give you. They could have bought a boat, they could have bought a car, they could have bought a dress, they could have bought a rug for their living room. No, they gave that money to you. Shouldn’t you be grateful? Don’t we tell our Children you get a thank you gift for Aunt Mabel. You never met Aunt Mabel writer. Thank you. Not sit down here and right, right, and a thank you note, she sent you this gift. It’s simple. It’s it’s it’s not it’s not it doesn’t even have to be about fundraising. Yes. A lot of small agencies don’t have fundraisers, don’t have dedicated development people, but this is not even about development, This is about standard manners, you know, standard courtesies, things that we grew up with. But when it becomes, oh my goodness, it’s my donors. I don’t like doing this. I’m afraid to ask them for more. You know, just thank them first before you think about asking them for more, you know, and don’t wait too long to figure it out. You know, have the plan now, you’re getting the money in 40% of the money is going to come between October and November and December, that means it’s coming in now, October. You know, and in December you’re gonna get 20% of your money. So what is your plan for January? What is it that you’re gonna do?

[00:07:17.04] spk_1:
Okay, well, we’re gonna we’re gonna get there, we’re gonna get there. Hold on. Um So you made a couple of things, points that I want to amplify about it. Just being a matter of common courtesy in in a lot of respects, and it being about relationship building. All right. So, you’ve got, you know, in in in corporate marketing, there’s the idea of get a finger grab a hand. You know, someone walked into a Starbucks, they bought a coffee. Well, Starbucks doesn’t only sell coffee. They sell music, they sell food, they sell coffee accessories, they sell a tire, right? But not to mention they sell an environment. Uh, so I think there’s a lot we can learn from that. You know, get a finger grab a hand. So someone, let’s let’s take the donor that’s made their first gift, Right? Because that’s the tougher one. That’s the that’s the easiest one to lose

[00:07:20.79] spk_0:
that 1st 1st. That’s the that’s the most fragile relationship,

[00:07:56.14] spk_1:
right? So, we’re gonna start with that. I’m giving you the toughest hypothetical, right? So, all right. So we’ve got a bunch of first time donors, we had a very successful fourth quarter in donor acquisition. We brought in a good number. What however good number is defined by My listeners. That could be 12. It could be 1200. It could be 12,000. We’ve got a bunch of new first time donors. You started to allude to, you know, what’s your plan? What’s your plan for january? What’s your first recommendation for? What we’re gonna do with this, this nice rich cadre of first time donors?

[00:07:59.40] spk_0:
Well, my first recommendation is of course they didn’t within 48 hours to get a tax

[00:08:03.07] spk_1:
receipt. If it’s

[00:08:04.11] spk_0:
Over a certain amount that you need to give them a tax two

[00:08:06.41] spk_1:
$100, requires a receipt. How about your about just a simple acknowledgment letter

[00:08:20.04] spk_0:
Also, you start then you start with the next. So then depending on how much money they got They sent you, you need to figure out who they are. If it’s over $1,000, you need to send it to somebody to research somebody in your office or somebody you outsource it to. You need to figure out who this donor is and why they gave to you.

[00:08:34.84] spk_1:
Well, all right. But for some non profits that could be, if it’s over $100,.

[00:09:16.54] spk_0:
Yes. If it’s over $100, you might wait till January and take the whole batch and screen them. So we are now screening a batch for a social service agency in Connecticut and we’re screening uh $690 that gave From $20 up in the last two years now. It’s late that we’re doing it now. But you know, it’s better than nothing. So ISIS suggests that, you know, we have another client that we’re doing over the pandemic. They said they had 274 new donors who gave over $500. And we’re looking for people within that Group within that cohort who would give maybe $10,000. They actually have people, we just finished that project and they actually have people who would give them, not just $10,000, but $100,000.

[00:09:46.04] spk_1:
Okay. Okay. All right. Let’s take a step at a time. So We’re sending our acknowledgment within within 48 hours. And if the tax receipt is required, then you might incorporate that into your acknowledgement or you might send something separate. Alright. We’re saying thank you fast. Now, is there is there nothing else between, you know, suppose that’s in october or november, donor. Nothing else between that and screening them in january. Don’t we want to we want to be involved with

[00:10:41.94] spk_0:
them. Yes. Yes. So then you start then you start with the seven. Thank you. Then you start with the seven. Thank you because this person has given you a a donation and depending on their level of giving and the effort you have to put in. You start with sending them your annual report, your newsletter. Welcome email. Some some agencies have a three series of welcome emails. And so you do that. Maybe you send them a donor survey which they respond to and tell you what aspect of their uh of your program they are interested in. That will help you a lot uh to know you know, we have a social service agency. They do senior care, they do middle school education, they do uh other kinds of adoption. So now which program is that person interested in? They can tell you or you can find out given are based on when you do the screening and when you do the research, you will see what else they’re giving to. And that will give you a clue as to which part of your program they care about.

[00:11:03.94] spk_1:
All right, well, you also have a clue based on what they gave to. Yes.

[00:11:04.45] spk_0:
Yes. If if

[00:11:05.88] spk_1:
if you know a lot of people don’t designate a gift. I agree. I agree with you. But if they designate their gift to a particular program, then you know where their affinity is.

[00:11:14.69] spk_0:
Yes. And you know that in the database right away. Of course.

[00:11:33.44] spk_1:
Absolutely. Yes. It’s important to preserve what people give to. Just like. It’s important to preserve the donors survey results that you suggest? Absolutely. Okay. What what might be. What what might we be soliciting uh information about in that in that follow up donor survey? You want to get to know folks better

[00:12:47.54] spk_0:
which aspect of the program they care about how they heard of your agency. You know uh Would they ever would they attend a webinar? If if you had one would they be willing to travel and come and see your facility? Uh You know is there a particular staff person that you know they have met with or or they know about you know each each agency is different. So you would ask different questions based on what you want to know about them. Uh what would help you? So those would be for instance with this where there are three different uh we have an irish theater company. Well they would want to know which which playwright you know with their favorite if you’re a music or something you might want to know which music they care about. If you’re a medical agency might we used to send out service and say which disease do you want to know more about? So we can send you newsletters about that disease. So you know based on your interest based on your work. You ask the right questions.

[00:12:49.08] spk_1:
Okay. And you also mentioned the seven. Thank you.

[00:12:52.23] spk_0:
Yes

[00:12:53.93] spk_1:
I say a little more about your seven. Thank

[00:15:37.44] spk_0:
you. This is this is my mantra that I have been teaching. You know I’ve been teaching at N. Y. U. And also at Columbia and I teach workshops all the time. And this is one of my mantra that I teach. And now my students have started deciding it back to me. So and it seems like oh my God you’re going to say thank you thank you thank you. It’s not that you have to be creative. So you might send them the tax receipt which is the first thank you. And then depending on after that you might have uh the executive director writer. Thank you. You might have the development director writer. Thank you. You might have the program director. We have a little archaeological excavation. You know there are two main archaeologists, archaeologists involved with it. and depending on which one uh is uh you know closest to that person who send the gift. We’ll have them right appears on the on the thank you note which we draw for them for some people. I might call them and say you know because I’m in new york city I might call them to say thank you. I have received your gift. It’ll take a while for us to process it. But in the meantime I want you to know that your check was received and we’re so grateful and the excavation will start on such and such a date and we’ll send you pictures and this is our facebook page and you know communicate with them. Uh one of my friends uh sent her son to a boarding school and she sent a little gift where she’d been sending it to the local school all the time. But now because it was a boarding school, the parents suddenly she got a call from my parents really wanted, why is the parent calling me when she said, you know, I know you sent a gift and I wanted to tell you thanks from the school. But also I want to tell you that I was yesterday at the tennis match in which your son played and my son is captain of the team and he played so well and we were so proud of my goodness, do you think that lady is not going to give another gift after that? I mean it’s just brilliant and it wasn’t even a staff member. It was a volunteer. I have I have another agency this year. There was a crisis and people ask me and I happened to have insight into that particular problem. They said what should we give to? I said, oh, this is a great agency. I’ve been, you know involved with them as a volunteer for a long time. You know, they use the money very well. They’re doing really great work. They sent the money. I sent the money. None of us have ever gotten a thank you note. Now they’re doing the work. They have social media, they have facebook, they have Lincoln they have a blast. They’re sending us the, all the information about what they’re doing and we are so happy. They’re doing it. But they didn’t do God one Thank You. And one of the donors sent it from a donor advised fund. He’s got no thank you, let alone seven.

[00:15:43.44] spk_1:
It’s time for a break.

[00:16:43.64] spk_2:
Turn to communications. I’m on their email list and they said something this week. That’s very interesting. They talk about seeing good news stories on social media, uh, specifically linked in, in this case and the uh, frequent lament that people will, will comment that you’ll never find stories like this in the mainstream media. In fact turned two points out that many, many of these good news stories originated in mainstream media. Um, you know, some are, we’re in newspapers, others might have gotten exposure from national outlets like the new york times or CNN, or one of the major networks. But the point is a lot of these stories originate and in some mainstream media and then make their way to social media. So what’s that mean for you? It means there are a

[00:16:44.64] spk_3:
lot of journalists

[00:16:58.94] spk_2:
that are interested in good news stories that maybe just generate a laugh or a smile or it’s, it’s um, it’s more of a story about work that a nonprofit has done.

[00:17:02.04] spk_3:
So the journalists

[00:17:03.33] spk_1:
are out there.

[00:17:04.28] spk_2:
They are hungry for these good news stories. If

[00:17:06.79] spk_3:
you’ve got something

[00:17:07.85] spk_2:
like that.

[00:17:09.74] spk_1:
Look internally,

[00:17:10.74] spk_3:
if you’ve got some good news

[00:17:27.94] spk_2:
turn to, can help you get it noticed right, help you craft that good news story and then get it exposed in all the outlets you’ve heard me talk about. So they finish up this on this. I’m choking up. That’s, that’s how that’s how, uh, much this touches me,

[00:17:33.04] spk_3:
they finish up there

[00:17:58.64] spk_2:
their email by saying there are lots of journalists out there that are ready to give good news stories a look despite what you may read on linkedin. So, you know, they’ve got their eyes on the media market. Turn to communications. Your story is their mission turn hyphen two dot C O. Now back to next year’s plan for your year end donors.

[00:19:01.14] spk_1:
Yeah. I mean, that’s that is a very bad practice To have gone. Well, you know, some folks say 24 hours, you’re, you’re being more generous 48 hours, that’s still fine. But If it goes much longer than that and you’re, you’re saying it’s been months or whatever, you know, that, uh, to not acknowledge every single gift, I don’t care if these are $3 gifts. I don’t care if the dollar and a half. It still deserves an acknowledgement. You just never know. Someone might be testing you with a small dollar amount and really who gives a dollar and a half anyway, so that, that’s, you know, that’s a hyperbolic on the low end, right? Uh, but if someone gives you $5, they might be testing you, they might have capacity to give 5000 or 50,000. They may have capacity. They may feel whether they can’t or or they know they can, but they’re they’re trying you out every gift deserves acknowledgement. So when you were just describing that’s very poor practice.

[00:19:08.04] spk_0:
Well, unfortunately, the excuse is that they are because they’re doing such good work. They are understaffed and their non profit. So they don’t have capacity.

[00:19:34.24] spk_1:
That doesn’t, that doesn’t sell. That’s a that’s a nonstarter. You need to invest in your organizations to the extent that you can thank people. Thanking people is not overhead, It’s not worthless. It’s it’s an administrative investment. It’s not an expensive, it’s it’s an investment in the relationships that you’re talking about. You mentioned earlier, you know, absolutely relationship building, if that’s an investment thanking

[00:21:02.24] spk_0:
people. Absolutely, and and that’s how one needs to think about it. And and you know, the board members, the staff, the executive director, everybody needs to be aware that how important this is. Now, another thing that people ask us a lot is we got a gift from a donor advised fund and we don’t have any access to the donor. So we don’t know how to thank them and we want to know who they are, what they are and you know, they’re freaking every sort of possible way of trying to google it to trying to get us to do it. This is so simple. This these these two donors who gave to this charity that gave through the donor advised fund that I know about, they are friends of the board members if they put a list in front of the board members and said, you know, we got a gift from. So and so family fund and unfortunately we don’t know how to thank them. They said that maybe they sent a thank you note to the to the donor advised fund agency. Somebody would speak up or you look in your database and say, oh, they came to the gala. This is the same person who came to the gala and sat at, you know, board member access table. So he’s gonna know this person. So let’s tell him that your friend gave us a gift even though there was no gala, even though there was just a virtual gala and he still gave us a gift. He didn’t even sit at your table.

[00:21:24.64] spk_1:
All right. So those, right. Those are, those are good ideas. But there is frustration among, among nonprofits getting donor advised fund gifts when you know, okay, so you’re right, try try your board query your database. But there are gifts that come that sometimes that folks can’t identify and that I know that is a frustration among nonprofits.

[00:21:56.24] spk_0:
Yes. But you know, more and more people have who have set up donor advised funds want people to know who is giving. It’s, it’s less and less about being anonymous. Now, people are going back to setting up foundations or entities from which they can give, uh, and be known and they want that because they want to add their credibility to the gift. They want people to know that a person whom they know give to this charity because it helps the charity.

[00:22:28.74] spk_1:
It does. Right. But there are, there are donors who would not agree with you. But I do, I agree. But there are always some donors that are going to remain anonymous. And I mean, I’ve always thought, you know, focus on the donors who you can identify. I understand the frustration for those. You cannot, they may come to you through a facebook fundraising event and facebook doesn’t share the information. They might come to you from a donor advised fund. That is not a name that you can track, uh, focus on the folks that you can thank and for the donor advised fund. Of course we should be sending a letter to the fund. Right, thanking asking them to forward the letter onto the anonymous donors.

[00:23:12.94] spk_0:
Exactly. And they would, I’m sure the same donor, the same donor, the friend of mine that gave because I said, oh, this is a good charity could give to them. It’s also sent to another charity in the same space. And he got his seven. Thank you. He actually told me I got seven. Thank you. So, he said, you know, the development director wrote, the executive director wrote the board member wrote, they sent him an annual report. You know, they invited him to an event. They sent him different things. You know, I mean reports, personalized. Yeah. All right. I mean, you could take a little video and send it to the person, you know, that you can do

[00:24:18.44] spk_1:
personalized video is a terrific idea. Um, I’ll give a shout out to a company that’s not expensive. Bond euro bongiorno dot com, bong boro easy personalized videos. You shoot a one minute video and you say thank you. And you can, you can be walking, you can have any background you want to know the production value is not the concern, sincerity, The genuineness. That’s the concern. And you do it in a 45 seconds or one minute video. You sent it right back to the right to the person. You can do it immediately. You could do it the next day. So, and Bongiorno is by no means the only personalized video platform out there. But Um, yeah, you’re right. Personalized video is a good one. all right. So you mentioned these screenings. So now we’re now we’re a little longer on now. We’re into January. Right? We’ve done our activities for the fourth quarter. Now we’re conveying into January. What kind of information uh, you’re looking for in a, in a screening. Does it have to be a commercial screening? You know, what are we,

[00:25:09.24] spk_0:
what are we looking at? You could, you could do research or you could just go for a screening depending on the number of donors. If you have seven donors, you know, you just give them to somebody to research who has tools like screening tools and research tools and ask them to do it for you and that’s all you need, You don’t need a sophisticated screening. But if you have 670 donors or something that I knew and they were given maybe over $20 or $50, then you certainly should have a screening down. But don’t try to do it yourself because then when you get it back, you have this information and you have no idea what to do with it because there are mismatches in the screening. It’s an automated process. There are mismatches in the screening. You know, there’ll be a lot of tony-martignetti is and Putin presides in there and you have to make

[00:25:30.54] spk_1:
sure that I don’t know if there are such good examples who not pursued and tony-martignetti are not very common names, but there’ll be a lot of there’ll be a lot of smith’s and uh smiths and joneses et cetera. Okay.

[00:25:32.68] spk_0:
Yes. And and you know you being me is how many food and presents? All

[00:25:39.12] spk_1:
right. There aren’t too many tony-martignetti is I would be surprised.

[00:25:50.84] spk_0:
Okay. In fact it’s more confusing when there are only two or three because then you really begin to think this is your person and then it turns out it’s not your person.

[00:25:53.14] spk_1:
Right? Okay. So you’re you’re you’re caution against doing it on your own or I mean if you’re going to do it on your own. You said if you had just seven or so. You know, you’re not gonna hire an agency for that. But you just, the point is you need to be careful that you’ve got the right person

[00:26:08.50] spk_0:
right? Like checking,

[00:26:10.24] spk_1:
check middle initials, check addresses, check whatever you do know against what you found to make sure you’re, you’re dealing with the right person.

[00:27:04.64] spk_0:
Well, you can, you can outsource, you know, a little bit of work every month with somebody with some research firm. We do that all the time. Uh, you know, it’s not that we do it all, you know, in one go and finish. You know, we have like an arrangement where if somebody new comes in, gives more than $1000 get more than $500. Whatever matters to them, they send it over to us and we screen them, research them, give them back information on that person. Okay. Okay. But it’s geared to small agencies. It’s geared to small agencies so that, you know, because otherwise what happens is the Harvard University’s and the big, big who have seven researchers get all the big donors because they have the tools and they have the staff. So you, you do need to implement some of the techniques that the top fundraising organizations you

[00:27:13.64] spk_1:
mentioned, you mentioned before screening and research tools there, are there some out there that you can suggest that folks can use

[00:28:02.94] spk_0:
on their own. Yes. You could, you could make a substitution with with something like ivy or donor search and try to do some work on your own. You could look at the, you could look at the linkedin profile of the person. If you know, you know, I mean small simple things. You could google them of course. Uh small things that you know, you could look at if you know where they work. You could look at the bio most law firms have the lawyers while on on the website many firms have the, you know, employees, bio senior employees bio doctors. There are free sites for looking at doctors to see what kind of specialty does the doctor have. Is it something that’s relevant to my cause?

[00:28:05.45] spk_1:
Yeah. Good. Alright, right. If you can find the person’s company firm that they work for or practice. Okay. And you mentioned I wave and donor search.

[00:28:31.94] spk_0:
Yes. These are subscription services. So you have to pay a little bit uh, you know, usually it’s in your subscription and you can check out your donors through that. And the aggregate information of other gifts that the organization has received. Other organizations have received from the same donor. Okay. Right. Right.

[00:28:37.14] spk_1:
Other charities that the person is given to us. So then you start to get a little profile of person. All right. So you can have

[00:29:03.54] spk_0:
to be careful because of the person your donor is in new york and the person, a person with the same name is giving in texas, you have to be careful to see why would my donor given texas? Maybe it’s another person or maybe he went to school in texas and he is giving in texas. Or he’s giving to a senior center in texas because my daughter has a mother there who’s in that home. So you know you need to be a bit intelligent about.

[00:29:30.84] spk_1:
Yeah right with that. With that caution you gotta you gotta that caveat. You gotta be uh certain that you’re dealing with the right person. Otherwise you’re going down you’re gonna start talking to the person about their gifts to texas. And they’re going to say I don’t know what you’re talking about and then then you’re gonna be embarrassed. So all right. All right. Um Okay so screening is a possibility. Good. You can engage your company. You can do some on your own. What what what what are we gonna do from what we learned from our screening now? What?

[00:31:54.44] spk_0:
So there’s the thing I mean you know we do research where research for and we send research to our clients. The question is how do you read this research? What does it mean to you? What what is the interpretation you get out of a research report on? Suppose we write a little bio on this person. So what what what what is the strategy that comes out of this research. So the first thing that indicates higher giving is age. So anyone over the age of 60 or 65 has more disposable income. They paid their mortgage, they probably paid their children’s college education. They’re beginning to think about their own, you know, legacy and they’re beginning to give more generously. So 60, you have a better chance of getting a higher upgrading their gifts before that. People are still on that little hamster wheel, you know, increasing their mortgage, buying a little bigger house, sending their Children to a better school. You know, getting them into college, they just often do not have time unless they are very community minded and they might give to their local community or their college or things like that. But but they become more Uh philanthropic, more generous generally after the age of 16. Now, there are always exceptions. The other thing there are a lot of people look for as you know, being in plan giving is people without Children, because people without Children do not have that usual legacy is, oh, I’m leaving good Children into the world. Yeah, that’s great. But when you don’t have Children, you have to really think, what is it that I am leaving? What footprint am I living in this world that I lived and who benefited because I lived And those people take a little more care and thought and and usually we’ll try to make an impact in a different way and you can help them do that and make them happy. And you know, there there’s a lot of studies that say people who give are happier people who give actually benefit more from their gifts than the person receiving. So it’s at that age, particularly when you have that reflective time for reflection that we see better gifts.

[00:32:02.64] spk_1:
It’s time for tony steak too

[00:32:59.84] spk_2:
planned giving accelerator. I’m starting the promotion again this time for the January 2022 class, I have accelerated the accelerator. It’s no longer a 12-month course. It is now a six-month course. I will teach you step by step, Everything that was in the 12 month course, but we’re gonna, we’re gonna step it up six month course. I’ll teach you everything you need to know about starting your planned giving program and you’re not only learning from me, you’re learning from your peers, folks who are similarly situated, they’ve got the same frustrations, they’ve got the same tensions bandwidth constraints as you do. You learn from them, They’re your, they become your friends, your allies, your safety net in planned giving accelerator. So if you want to get your plan giving program started,

[00:33:03.14] spk_3:
You want to start in 2022,

[00:33:05.64] spk_1:
you can start

[00:33:06.28] spk_3:
with plan Giving accelerator. I

[00:33:19.34] spk_2:
hope you’ll join me. All the info you need is that planned Giving accelerator dot com. That is tony stick to, we’ve got boo koo

[00:33:20.86] spk_1:
but loads more

[00:33:21.61] spk_2:
time for next

[00:33:23.10] spk_3:
year’s plan for your

[00:33:24.59] spk_1:
year end donors,

[00:35:46.14] spk_0:
then there are other things like education for one thing, if you know the education you can no other people who went to that school. So maybe you can have them go on. Maybe have a board member went there so you can build a relationship more strongly. But also of course education indicates more disposable income. So you begin to see when you build a profile of the person you say, oh well they went to the school from that area, They studied social work or they studied history or that tells you something about what they are interested in. Right? And then there’s the question of, Although I said that people who don’t have Children, you know, are very sought after by plan giving professionals, on the other hand, people in their lifetime are more generous who have Children over the age of six Because they’re trying to inculcate good values in their Children. They start to see the value of a community. So there are studies that show that people who have Children over the age of six, there could be 6-18, they could be 18-24. But a family unit, a couple usually has more disposable income. It could be a same sex couple or a heterogeneous couple. But the heterosexual couple. But the point is because there are two incomes in that family, they usually have more disposable income. So so that that’s important when you see that. So those are little things that you’re looking at. And then of course there’s the interest, what else they give to, You know, how old are they? Was it their parents that also gave to this charity or this type of charity? I have a I have a friend and he gave to a university music program. And I said to him, why do you give, you didn’t even go to that university? Why are you giving to that music program? He said, well, I became friends with the dean. They invited me to an event. I went on a trip with them to Austria to listen to classical music. And he said in the end, you know, my father died when I was very young. And the one thing I remember is sitting on his lap when he played the piano. So the piano music to him was, and he doesn’t have any Children. So, you know, that’s what makes him happy giving to students who play the piano

[00:36:20.23] spk_1:
reminds us of course reminds him of his dad. And he hopes that that uh those young students will have Children of their own and their those Children will sit on their laps the way he sat on his dad’s lap. All right. Those are good. Those are, those are valuable insights that we can, we can get from uh, that we that we can get from the screening. So now going back to what you had suggested earlier when you said get them to know you and let them get to know, uh, sorry, get to know them and let them get to know you. So how do we do the second part of that now that we have this information, valuable insights? How do we let these new donors get to know us?

[00:37:37.13] spk_0:
Well, we talked about the series of three emails that welcome them. We have invitations. Uh, and of course in this environment, maybe you can’t invite them so easily, but you could still send them a video. Now. We had a homeless, uh, organized agency for homeless people last year that we were working with. And they sent out a video of their new building and somebody sent them $25,000 just from that video because it was the Executive director going through the building and saying, you know, we had such hopes for this building. We finally got it built. We’ve got all these people were going to bring into this building and the person was so touched. He was also a senior citizen. He had money. He felt like, oh, let me help. There are other people out there my age who do not have housing. And here is somebody who’s an agency that’s providing it. And that video, you know, a small video that they didn’t even actually seriously ask for money in it. They just said, and if you’d like to, you know, there was a little bit and

[00:37:44.23] spk_1:
well, it it touched it touched somebody. Well, video can do that. It’s powerful that way.

[00:39:16.22] spk_0:
All right. And of course a tour with the executive director. So you’re really getting to know the person, you know, face to face. So as best you can in this environment. You know, it’s a trusting relationship. So by video you’re seeing them as best you can. The other thing is of course you could set up coffee with them and people are much more accessible now because they’re not going out. So people are taking calls even if they are not. Yeah. In where at home, they’re still taking calls from wherever they are. They’re doing zoom with you. They want to be conducted. All of us are starved for human contact. We took these things for granted. And now suddenly we realized how valuable our community is. You know, I walk out, I’m an anonymous new york city right where nobody really knows anybody and you walk on the street and nobody should recognize. You know, it’s not like that anymore. The moment I walk out on the street, my neighbors are standing out there, they’re also walking. There’s no nowhere to go and nothing to do except to go for a while. So they’re all out there walking and they all suddenly know each other. So you realize how important your community is. So do you think that the area neighborhood association and things that are being done in our neighborhood are getting more attention. Sure, more people are planting, helping to plant in the parks, more people are helping to give to the local community association. Suddenly that’s becoming more important. So something that’s good for the small agencies.

[00:39:18.39] spk_1:
So engagement, Yeah. Uh, engagement at whatever level it might be something communal and community and in, in face to face,

[00:40:10.61] spk_0:
yes, might be something come and paint a mural on your wall of your, you know, of your agency. We have a, a friend of mine runs a clear art center community, you know, they make pottery, they got the local artists together to come and paint the wall even urine Corbett, they could still do that. You wear your mask, You come and paint the world their artistic. So you could plant flowers in your garden, invite them to do that, invite them to do outdoor things in the local park. You could have a gathering of rooftops. People have been doing gatherings or some of our clients have been doing gatherings or rooftops whatever you can do outdoors, especially in the summer. And then also we were talking, well, we were

[00:40:14.43] spk_1:
talking about january, but that’s okay. Well into spring

[00:40:55.71] spk_0:
now january, you could do a lunch and learn, which is a good time to do a lunch and learn. And that also gives you an information back because the people who attend, you do the lunch and learn on different programs and people sign up based on the interest. So then, you know, well this donor signed up for this lunch and learn on this program. So obviously that’s what they care about or they might write to you and say I didn’t, I really wanted to attend this, but I couldn’t. So you send them the recording of that lunch. That’s another, uh, value of having something which is recorded, which you’re doing on zoom. You can record it like, just like your radio programs, tony

[00:41:15.11] spk_1:
I’m a, I’m a big fan of big fan of audio. I think it’s very intimate medium, yep. All right. So we’ve, we’ve, we’ve thought through our engagement, it might be something in real life. It might be something virtual. I love. I mean, you gave a lot of good ideas. Um, now we need to plan for the next solicitation.

[00:41:21.53] spk_0:
Now

[00:41:49.61] spk_1:
we’re in, we’re in like the third quarter of 3rd quarter of next year and it’s coming time to solicit the person again. They made a year into gift this year. So we’re going to presume, but they’re, they’re going to do the same. Let’s exclude the folks who maybe became major donors and they’ve got a relationship now with a gift officer. We’re not, we’re not at that level. Uh, we’re dealing with the larger group. We’re planning our fourth quarter. What should we be thinking about in terms of possibly upgrading or should we not try to upgrade in the second year. What’s your advice around planning that, that second year solicitation?

[00:45:27.39] spk_0:
Well, another thing that we never spoke about and some of my clients and colleagues will be very upset if I don’t mention it is creating a giving circle. So you could have, if you have enough donors at certain levels, you could try to upgrade them by creating a council, uh, you know, giving society, you know, so, so somebody who gave 500 you could give them an incentive to upgrade to 1000 because when they’re at 1000 they’ll get such and such benefits. You know, they’ll meet somebody that they care about or they’ll get a painting or they’ll hear a concert or you’ll have some event just for them. So, so you’re constantly upgrading those who gave 500 to 1000, those who gave 1000 to 5000, those who gave 5002, 10,000. So, so a little theater client is probably going to say, oh, you know, uh, famous irish actor is going to speak with 10 of you and you only get invited to that if, if you give, you know, a little bit more than what they were already given and that and that creates a cohort of people. So they have a little sense of community because that giving society is going to meet, um, we have the example of a museum that was up. It’s a very famous glass museum called the corning Museum of Glass and it was very well supported by the corning company. But the corning company went through some very tough times and so they needed private support during that period. So they started with a giving society where people came up, they went through the museum, they were passing by on their way to Niagara Falls or they were interested in glass or whatever and they were told that if you give this much that’s great, we are very grateful. But if you give this much you’ll be invited to an event the opening of our show and guess what? We’ll fly you up in our private plane because corning had the private plan and you won’t have to drive all the way you know from new york city well and and that was something the company could no longer support the museum financially. But they had this plane which flew up with their executives and I was such a such a cashier to to fly up in the blind drain, arrive at this museum, attend this beautiful event on roman glass with food from roman times and then have the director of the museum walk you through the show. I said one of the most beautiful things that you know, I was a stuff remember trying to attend this and I thought I was wowed and and so you know you can be creative with almost anything you could if you’re a social service agency will say well I can’t do that well you know you have people in your community who will come out and provide their celebrity help to you. So you could still have somebody do a little concert or somebody, somebody from your community who’s a wonderful singer musician or something. And and it may be not relevant, but maybe their daughter was helped by your uh, you know, educational charity or their mother was served by your senior citizen center. They will do things for you. There was a person who used to come and play the piano at a senior citizen center in uptown all the way up, you know, above the Columbia University is in Morningside

[00:45:30.03] spk_1:
Heights or something, riverside

[00:46:01.08] spk_0:
riverside riverside. Yeah. You know, they’re above Colombia where the cloisters, the museum is there and nobody knew who this person was. But when we looked him up, he was a very famous pianist who used to play at the Carlyle and his mother was in the center. And so he would come up and perform. And so we asked him if he would perform and he did a concert and Steinway hall for us because he was a famous man and there are little treasures in your community. You just have to find out about them. There are little gems floating around.

[00:46:14.68] spk_1:
All right. So you like the idea of incentivizing folks to give a little give more, Even even in the 2nd year. So they were they were our, it was first year was last year. Now we’re planning for the next year incentivize them to increase even in that just in that second year. Yes,

[00:46:46.98] spk_0:
yes. And they will because you’ve been talking to them, you’ve been engaging with them in different ways and, and maybe some of them will become, you know, much higher level donors because for small agencies, a small amount can make a big difference. There is if they gave that small amount of a much larger organization, they can’t give them that personalized attention and it’s not going to make, its going to be a drop in the bucket.

[00:46:52.58] spk_1:
Yeah. There are those folks who will be more will be more generous

[00:46:56.35] spk_3:
to smaller agencies

[00:46:57.35] spk_1:
because they get a lot better treatment. They have more fulfilling relationships with a smaller organization than they would at an organization where their gift was

[00:47:07.88] spk_0:
not in their communities. They, you know, they feel closer to it.

[00:47:14.38] spk_1:
Okay. Alright then. Um, why don’t you leave us with some final thoughts please?

[00:47:54.88] spk_0:
Well, just remember about the leaky bucket. You know, it’s a, we all grew up with that song. There’s a hole in the bucket, realize a dear Liza. So just remember you are not going to let your bucket leak. You’re gonna make every effort you can to get those the donor who’s gonna fall through the cracks, Give him as much attention as I say lavish movie cultivation, whatever tactics you can think of. Whatever relationship building and getting to know you uh, thoughts and strategies that you can come up with, have a plan, learn about them and let them learn about you.

[00:48:16.47] spk_1:
Excellent. I’m gonna look, I’m going to remind myself uh refresh my memory about there’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza what do we do something like? What do we do? All right, thank you. Hernan Prasad founder and president Prasad consulting and research. The company is at prasad consulting dot com and she is at Prasad C Thank you very much. Program.

[00:48:24.37] spk_0:
Thank you Tory pleasure to talk to you.

[00:48:27.07] spk_1:
My pleasure as well.

[00:48:30.77] spk_2:
Next week engaged

[00:48:31.62] spk_3:
boards will

[00:48:32.58] spk_2:
fundraise with Michael Davidson and brian

[00:48:55.77] spk_1:
Saber from asking matters if you missed any part of this week’s show, I Beseech you find it at tony-martignetti dot com were sponsored by turn to communications pr and content for nonprofits. Your story is their mission turn hyphen two dot c o. Mhm. Our creative producer

[00:49:26.17] spk_4:
is Claire Meyerhoff shows social media is by Susan Chavez. Mark Silverman is our web guy and this music is by scott stein, thank you for that. Affirmation scotty you with me next week for nonprofit radio Big Donald. profit ideas for the over 95% go out and be great. Mhm

Nonprofit Radio for March 4, 2016: Date Your Donors

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

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Hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. I’m your aptly named host. Oh, i’m glad you’re with me. I’d be hit with five grossing alvey a lie tous if i drew a breath to hear the words you missed today’s show date your donors jonah helper is author of the new book date your donors. He wants you to enjoy the full breath of fund-raising relationships he’s, founder and partner of altruicity consulting and he’s with me for the hour on tony’s take two, the non-profit technology conference and ntcdinosaur live are you in? We’re sponsored by pursuing full service fund-raising data driven and technology enabled, you’ll raise more money pursuing dot com so glad to welcome jonah helper halper halper back to the studio has been a guest before his new book is date your donor’s he’s, a non-profit marketer and fundraiser with over ten years of experience specializing in new donorsearch acquisition and engaging gen x and wires he’s, founder and partner of altruicity consulting they’re at altruicity dot com the book is that get your donor’s dot com and he’s at jonah helper already chuckling. Yeah, welcome. Back to the studio. Welcome back to the show. I haven’t thrilled to be here. Thank you so much. Talk. Good to see you. Good to have you here. Um, congratulations on the book. Thank you. How did you get to the concept of dating and donors? So i started doing ah, training fund-raising training a couple of years ago. And i just found i started using a lot of dating analogies that was very natural on daz. They started tio go down that rabbit hole of discussing, you know, how fund-raising is is akin to relationships in courtship, in attraction and things along those lines. I started to think about about my career as a fundraiser, and i noticed that there were even even the people who, you know, classically trained in fund-raising and, you know, had the experience. Some fundraisers were unbelievable at the craft, you know, there’s some fundraisers who, you know, we’re okay. They’re mediocre, or they were just, you know, kind of putting in the time. And they’re doing the kind of the best breast practices of the business. But there was a clear line between those who were the born fundraisers or seemingly born. Fund-raising and those who weren’t and i started wonder why that wass and it wasn’t something you would able to see in a resume, it wasn’t something that was just, you know, you can look and see their track record and see why that was the case, it was experiential, like i would interact with these people, and there was there was kind of like an use of cool, like, it was just like you would be around them and you would be, you know, wanting to be around that would be attractive, and as that started to take shape, i started teo kind of more put, ah, structure around it to say, what is it that those type of people have that makes people want to be around them as a fundraiser or as just a human being? And, you know, one of the interesting kind of correlations i found was it was very someone of my high school experience, which is you weren’t you were you were not so cool in high school, i wish i was on the other side, but no, you know what it was is i went to a boarding school, all boys, tremendous. Amount of testosterone. And basically, you know, the need and the desire to be on the in crowd was the most important thing to make. Yeah, i spent so many waking hours just trying to figure out the chess moves that would take me to be in the inner circle. And what it did is it drove me further and further away. I became like the hanger on on. I thought i was i thought was a cool guy. I thought i had, you know, certain skills. I thought i you know, i was in a terrible ballplayer. Like the things that were important to high school boys. I was a terrible ballplayer. I i got my my varsity letter in announcing oh, as one step below cheerleaders. Annan varsity letter ship. So, i mean, i dealt with these things with a sense of humor and a nem barris ingley. A large number of times. It would more be people laughing at me then with me, right, which only, which only further perpetuates that downward spiral. Yeah, three guys, a joker reason he’s the jester. But he’s not, you know, it’s. Not even always laughing with them. Like i said. So all right, so i dealt with it. That was my athletic outlet was announcing right there and managing rights to carry soccer balls on and off the field. Make sure nobody was on the bus on time. So you’re announcing a managing in-kind of, understandably, why you kind of self selected into certain kind of career right now. I’m announcing right for myself. Exactly. I’m not shepherding a bunch of high school kids on a bus on then announcing touchdown, thie irony. The irony is i knew any i still know nothing about sports, right? I mean, i have trouble distinguishing football from baseball. Well, so have a great fundraiser is that you can talk intelligently on any subject for about two and a half minutes. Lord, help you. If they want to have a deeper dive in town. Well, two and half minutes they’ll be laughing that will be actually laughing at me. But i football is the one with the field goals, i think. Yes, yes. Your baseball has the three pointers. No, basketball is through your basketball to report. Okay, so so the irony was, you know that there’s somebody whispering what? What to announce? Almost exact my ear. Oh, that’s got a touchdown. Touchdown number fourteen that’s? Uh oh, yeah, here he is, steve berman, who was a friend of mine. I couldn’t remembers number, but that’s how i dealt with my awkwardness and snusz so? So where i’m going with this is is that i found there were certain kind of character traits of that of that high school kid who seem to be the center of attention. And then i found that things don’t really change from high school things like, yeah, i know i don’t i hope i’m in outlier and that in your theory, i’m an aberration. We’ll know what it does is it way kind of grow into a lot of the things that we are lacking in high school high school. You’re just naturally you’re trying to figure yourself out. There’s not necessarily that the confidence there, you know, there’s a discovery that’s going on there. So it’s not a natural thing for you kind of say, this is who i am, these with skills i bring that confidence that’s kind of grown over the years, but that what i’m alluding to when i’m i’m kind of referencing now is the fact that confidence and clarity whether whether it’s real or not on the high school level, right, that perceived confidence is something that people are attracted to the fact that you say i know who i am, i know what i stand for this is what, whether for good or for bad, this is who i am, people want to be around people who have that who have the kind of that confidence say this is what we stand for. This is what i’m excited about. This is where i’m headed, and i want you to join me and confidence and clarity or a couple of things that were going to talk about yes, because as you’re suggesting, those are traits of good fundraisers, those those outlier fundraisers that are at the at the high end? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, cool. Uh, what’s. So why don’t we go out a little early for a break right now? It seems like natural place and we come back, we will will dive into the details of date your donors stay with us, you’re tuned to non-profit radio tony martignetti also hosts a podcast for the chronicle of philanthropy fund-raising fundamentals is a quick ten minute burst of fund-raising insights, published once a month, tony’s guests are expert in crowdfunding, mobile giving event fund-raising direct mail and donor cultivation. Really, all the fund-raising issues that make you wonder, am i doing this right? Is there a better way there is? Find the fund-raising fundamentals archive it. Tony martignetti dot com that’s marketmesuite n e t t i remember there’s, a g before the end, thousands of listeners have subscribed on itunes. You can also learn maura, the chronicle website, philanthropy dot com fund-raising fundamentals, the better way. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Jonah helper, my guest, we’re talking about his new book date your donors. You want to start with authenticity and so this’s where i was not so authentic in high school, but i believe i’m much more authentic now, but sure, authenticity a great trait for fundraisers. Yeah, you know, it’s it’s interesting, because when you are in the business of raising money, you’re interacting with a lot of people who are high net worth who travel in certain circles, have a certain lifestyle, it’s easy to kind of pander to them and try to say, you know, i want to be on the inside so i can get money from them. That’s the kind of at the perspective especially young fundraiser has is how can i get into this? This network? And what i was when i mention before and when i think, applies when it comes to authenticity, is and also packaged in the non-profit, you know, jargon of mission envision, the idea is that you should know what your folks what you’re standing for there is a few of my jonah helper and working with a special needs charity, and this is my my job and my mandate and what i’m raising money for. I’m not jonah helper, mr country club. I’m not jonah helper, mr poker player, you know, hanging, hanging out with with these individuals, they may become friends and that’s fine, and they may become my network, but i’m coming to them not underneath the guise of being a buddy of being one of their friends, just being part of the network, but rather i’m coming through the through the lens of my mission, what i’m in the business of doing, where i’m headed with this, what i hope to accomplish with my mission and how these individuals can be a part of that experience. So in a way, authenticity is not me trying to fit into their world, maur them trying to fit into my world, and and that requires me not to be focused on myself, right? And i know what i am, what i stand for, but rather interact with them and then hopefully they see what who i am or what i stand for, that authenticity, what i’m really in the business of doing, and they’ll gravitate today. And they’re hopefully attracted to it, right? Not metoo them but them to me. So let’s, break this down because you’re talking about authenticity of the person and also authenticity of the organization cracked. All right, so let’s, start with the person. This is where we get to confidence, you know, you you want yeah, yeah, you just don’t want people to be molding themselves to what they think, the donor that they’re meeting that day or that our wants them to be right. But be true to yourself. Well, they’ll see right through that in there is if you’re the type of person who’s going to be mike mission creep like, you know, you know, i may be the business of doing this well, but you’re excited about that. Well, let me chase you down there about you know, about that that i know what i’m in the business of doing this is who i am, what i stand for that person’s a hedge fund, you know, man or woman, i am a fund-raising professional for this organization. That’s what i do know this is who i am and what i do if the if the stars align and they’re interested in what i’m doing, they’ll support it. If this is not of interest to them, it is not a priority for them. If it’s, you know, not meant to be it’s not meant to be, but the moment i start chasing people down there, then i’m effectively being that kind of aggressive door knocker to say, you know, give, give, give me, me, me, i i and that’s why i don’t want to be playing now, but what about when you get into situations like you’re meeting with a donor and we get into a political conversation or something religious? You know where your yours the stars are not aligned with theirs, you know, maybe you’re different political spectrum different into the political direction, then they are. How do we how do we stay authentic? So it’s? Interesting, because i’ll give a kind of ah kind of case in point, you know, there’s some people who use social media where there’s like a clear demarcation line between the personalizing, the professionalized we’ll have this is my missing my business account like this is my business facebook this is my organizational facebook presence on this is my personal place. Facebook president and never shall the twain you know me. Ah, that that is not my approach. My attitude is my my priorities, my belief system, you know, what’s important to me what i don’t think it’s important to me is as much ah factor in my relationship with these individuals than than anything else. The fact that may not agree with me politically, or the fact that may not agree with me what it is, then that’s that’s their prerogative. But at the same time, it’s nothing to do with the mission vision might cause i think mature people can make that clear separation between what is relevant, teo, the supporting whatever the good work that i’m doing other educational, humanitarian or are you know, whatever it is as and what jonah helper you know, does on his on his free time now, there’s importance of someone being trustworthy and having credibility and respect and you could ruin that by what’s going on in your personal life. So there is absolutely a certain amount of of measure that goes into what you’re doing. Discretion, yes, absolutely absolute discretion, but because people look and people see and if you want them, if you want them to give you their money and to trust you with their money to accomplish a certain good, if they think that you are not a trustworthy person because of the way you live or your reckless in some way or form, then that obviously is going to hurt you on the business side. But i think that things that are whether it’s politics or religion, you can agree, be respectful and you can agree to disagree, and i don’t think that will bilich deepti be a deal breaker. In fact, what i find is that when people know jonah helper father for jonah helper, you know his religious level or his political involvement that just shapes me as a person, and i find that the people who have become fast friends within become my donors are people who become friends and in a bigger way than just, you know, thank you for your check, and i’ll keep your loophole. You’re good how the good work is, you know, play out it’s, become more friends, i think a good example that is, when i had, you know, a couple of my last children i would get presents from some of my donors because it was clear that i wasn’t just fundraiser was shown a helper, of course, you know, help her father. Father, you know so that yes, there’s, of course, abounds there, okay? And i see that playing more now in our presidential election year i politics come up more in conversation that with donors, potential donors, when i’m with clients, then you know, then even just six, six or eight months ago, if you’re too highly spackled, like if you’re like, you know what i mean? Spy eyes like like mr clean jeans. There’s no there’s, no depth to you. Outside of your job, people are not going to find a way not going can connect with you, there’s not gonna be that human connection because your justice, you know, thomason ah, doing the work of your organization and you’re not a human being. So i think i think those other things that add flavor, not color and deep in the relationship, obviously again, with certain amount of discretion depends on how you live your life. But but i think that’s so important people realize who you are as a person and even not just as your you know, you mentioned social media, but just in conversation, you know, you don’t have to be the raging donald trump or bernie sanders fan. You could be respectful of the other person and say, you know, you know, o r, you know, maybe you don’t even need to in a conversation say what your aspirations are and who you hope will win just oh, you know, okay, yeah, he’s cool or hillary’s lullabies finite, you know, matt, i see points in her, and most people are not going to say who you stand, who do you want? You know, they’re not going to challenge that way and that’s another thing also is that when there is a conversation where you want this is that you have a position or you feel strongly about something, i think that if you’re open minded person or healthy person, those those conversations can be interesting without devolving into, you know, for violence. So i think i think that you could you could have those conversations and just by virtue of the business, you have those conversations because you could be at a country club, you can be on the golf. Course, and you’re not talking business for ninety percent of the time you’re talking family talking politics, you talking religion and time all the things that everyone talks about eso yet you have to be kind of present and in that experience and be really yeah, and you want to get beyond the small talk? Yeah, you make the point and get your donors, you know, we’re looking for common ground, so we start conversations often with the weather, right? Because everybody shares that, but, you know, if that goes on for more than, like, a minute and a half, i start to get antsy, right way got to get further than the weather and they know why you’re there like there’s, no qualms that the reason why you’re in their offices because they talk about the mission in vision of your organisation, what you hope to do and why you need their money. So it’s it’s not like you pulled the wool over the eyes, we’re talking, you know, baseball and the next thing you know, we’re talking money. They know why you’re there so it’s just a matter of of guests making the connection, finding the connection, whether it’s through friends, your common connections, whether it’s, tio shared interests, whatever case maybe, but they’re expecting the having a deeper conversation about what you’re doing, and they respect you for what you’re doing, you know, this is that was this is the business that you chose to be in your raising money for a worthy cause and making wonderful impact so there’s nothing to shy away from its not fund-raising is not a dirty word here a lot of these traits, but all of these traits or that you’re seeking in fundraisers, can’t be hyre ascertained from a from a resume, and you mention this in the book, too, that that, you know, it’s a personal business, you want to meet people before? I mean, obviously it’s going to be a personal interview, but but you don’t find resumes, a very valuable tool for recruitment, basically, what i’m saying, right? I think i think in general you’ll find word of mouth is always the strongest, you know is whether you’re looking for new business or whether you’re looking tto find their best people. Companies around the world have wonderful policies where there’s incentives if you refer people to the company and they get a job there for existing employees. There’s a reason for that? Because if you’re willing to put your reputation on the line to bring someone in who you think would be a good fit for the company, then that then that person has a better chance of being a good person as opposed to just another resume and an inbox so there’s absolutely value ah, stronger value and sitting in front of somebody and interacting with them on in a real way to be able to determine if they’ve kind of got the personality and and the kind of the gumption to do the work and do the fund-raising i needs to get done that you will never be able to get by just looking at a piece paper. How poised are they right? Right? I mean, you might think, well, you know, the interview is an artificial, um, environment and there’s high stress, you know, for the interviewee, but so is fund-raising mean, if you’re meeting a donor for the first time, that’s a bit of high stress, a potential donor for the first time, actually, if i could show a quick story that i think way don’t really care way stay in the abstract. I don’t know i love no, we love stories all right, so it’s interesting, you say that you know, it’s high stress experience interview process. When i got my first job, i met with i want to like a job fair, for it was for the jewish federation system, which is like the united way for the jewish community, and it was a national it was the national umbrella organization that hosted this job fair, and there must have been twenty different cities represented the had their own local jewish federation, and i went to this Job fair is super green 20 year old kid, i did not even know what i was applying for. I was like, i want to help the jewish community that’s all i knew, i didn’t know fund-raising know anything on i start interviewing for all these jobs called campaign associate? I thought political campaign no, no campaign means fund-raising so i didn’t know that when i was interviewing, but i’m all the interviews that i had, there were what you’ve described grilling me, you know? What would you do in this scenario? And then you’re at an event and this happens, you know, a lot of that kind of stuff, and as someone who is new, ah, that was jarring. I didn’t. I didn’t know even what to proud of process that what the right answer was this is the wrong answer. There was one organization there representing one federation there from baltimore, maryland, with who ended up becoming my first boss kind of ruin the punch line there, but he didn’t ask me any questions about fund-raising or non-profit what would you do in a difficult situation? Not none of it. It was what books do you like to read? You like wwf wrestling or is a lot now. It was all of this random stuff, and i sat with him for forty five minutes and we just, like, talked and at the end of the forty five minutes there’s, like, all right, we’re done, and i was totally confused because especially in context of all the other interviews that i just had, this one was like like he was like, wasting my time. Yeah, i got to call backs. He was one of them and i ultimately went to baltimore ended up starting my career in baltimore for three years there, and i finally mustered the courage to ask him, obviously, once i have the job because i want to, you know, scare amount of hiring me, i said, you know what? Why did you hire me? He said, you have a nice smile, you carry a good conversation, the rest you’re going to learn on the job, and that was very powerful because that was him sitting across from a and saying, is he a nice guy? Does even nice smile? Is he? Is he great interact with? Because that part is harder to teach the art and that’s the part that you master that from high school is a part that i like god it’s trial by fire? Exactly. I got that out of high school, but that was something that was a lesson that i’ve taken with me since then to know that you were a you hire the right person not to fill a position where a lot of the other ones were, they were looking to federals phil position, and they’re trying to determine my skills if i was good for that position, but rather, he said. Here’s a guy who i think has potential, i’m going to hire him, and i’ll obviously augment the position to be right for him and b he was looking at me for my potential here’s somebody on dh what i was able to present on the emotional and the human side, the science of how to go out there and raise money. I had no doubts. The twenty year old kid you could learn. What? Do you like it? Yeah. Outstanding. So so you had clarity. You were you were clear about who you were. You exuded confidence, no doubt and and and led to the hyre. Yeah. Okay. All right. What are the traits? What else do you like to see in individual fundraisers before we get to the this clarity of organization around mission and things like that? What else do you like to see in a fundraiser? So, obviously, you know, one of the one of the most important ones is, you know, and they often they they even say it on resumes on a job. But descriptions is, you know, self starter. But i want to dive a little deeper in that idea of being that. Kind of entrepreneurial person to get out there and create new relationships, because when you are an entrepreneur, whether you work for a big company organization where you are on your own, a fundraiser is somebody who has to build their own network. If you’ll come into a new city or a new organization, you’re not necessarily hopefully you’re not just picking up the dozen are one hundred donors that already giving you’re going out there and raising new money, and that requires you to be a self starter to say okay, where are these people who would be interested in supporting this cause? How do i get introduced to these individuals? How doe i interacted them? How do i stay in touch with them? And all those kind of skills require you not sitting on your couch. Ng ng bon bon. Sorry. If that’s your approach, then it’s not gonna work if you want to be sitting behind a desk it’s not going to work. You have to be somebody who enjoys the thrill of going out there and and making those contacts. So that’s that’s one of them, you know, main things that i that i look for. Somebody who has that kind of drive to kind of get out there and make it happen as if you’re building your business because you aren’t your house, you’re building your network, your own proverbial roll independent for your business, it’s for the good of the mission. Exactly. Okay, all right. So let’s go to the organization side being being clear and confident on the organization side because we want to be successful in our dating relationship with our donors. You want teo clear, clear statement of mission. Somebody like you. Like, eight word mission even right? So that’s a lot. A lot of you know, the consultants who will help the organisation shape their mission. It has to be concise. It has to be super concise. You know what you could share with somebody on one floor trip up in the elevator? I it’s really what? Who are you? What? What? What’s the organization. And if your job is to tow and malaria deaths done, we’re in the business of ending larry desk. You’re not waxing poetic about how you’re going to do it and buy what deadline you just want to be able to say? Mission is what? You’re in the business of doing so, you should be able to clearly say, and like you said, you know, eight words or, you know, one sentence, this is what we’re in the business of doing. The only thing you might claire, qualify it with maybe his location like right ending malaria deaths, west africa, right? Right. That’s tied to your containers? Yes, exactly. If you if you are central africa and that’s your job and that obviously is in their mission statement. Absolutely. But again, it’s not going on about, you know your values and the vision for this it’s just clearly what you’re in the business of doing. What cycle? A sip of water. Because it looks like your first thing. Andi, i will suggest that we talked about so the mission you have some examples of missions in in the book. Remember buy-in charity water is very brief form. So i’m obviously a big fan of charity water. They bring clean water to basically to the people in africa and, well, it’s interesting. They limited to africa. It it’s a whole nother conversation about the scope of their vision. Ah, but they do of many, many different. Villages in central africa. I’m in some other areas as well, but basically they are fund-raising organization and the fund water projects on the ground, so they don’t actually drill themselves. They have organizations on the ground doing the drilling, but they are a fund-raising organization that funds those those well projects, and they’re one of the organization has a very concise mission statement. Yeah, a lot of them dio i’m trying to think it was you referred to certain certain one in particular, you know, just that was one example, right? You cite some in the book, so people have to buy the book way. Can give the whole book about paige, expect there’s only non-profit radio. This is not proper radio. Should expect you should have high expected. Yes, but we can’t bring you all two hundred rich pages. Yes. Date. I would have come with a list of the mission statements prepared. Dahna. Okay, um, after mission, we’re moving to our vision. Yes. Now we’re getting a little more detail. Yes. So so. And when you talk about vision, obviously i’m doing it through the context of dating and relationships. You know, vision is where you’re headed. So when i talk about dating when you’re dating for a purpose, right, you’re looking to find somebody who can spend, you know, whether it’s rest of your life with our meaningful part of your life. The idea is to find somebody who wants similar things is you, you know, using the dating analogy, do they want to have children? Do they want to live in the city or the suburbs? Do they want to be, you know, primary breadwinner, both, you know, both working whatever the case may be, but these are important conversations you have when you’re dating someone seriously. Where we headed together is unit because if you’re not on the same page of one wants children and it’s important to him, and the other one doesn’t want children that’s probably a deal breaker, so so, you know, the correlation to fund-raising is that i discovered that in my first marriage oh, there you are, bring i could bring some case study in on the way outside our competition today, vice to se eso eso eso when i was so when you’re when you’re doing the fund-raising business being the fund-raising business and you’re and you’re looking to get someone to support your cause, you’re not supporting your cause for what they are. It is now right? You’re not. We’re break. We bring clean drinking water to central africa. That’s not the case. That’s gonna get someone open their wallet, what’s going to get them to open the wall is this is where we are now, but this is where we’re headed, and if they buy into the idea of where you’re headed, then they’re going to support you. So if they like, if they see that vision of your organization is the white picket fence with the dog and the tire swing, then they will support you. They’re not here to fill holes or to cover your gaps in your budget. They want to know that you are a viable organization and you have some great things in mind, and you’re headed in their group great direction. So that’s, what i talked about vision and through the dating perspective is the idea that you’re selling somebody on where you’re headed, okay, where this relationship with right shows that it is going to go okay, i hang out because i have to talk a little about pursuing through sponsors our show and you and i’ll catch up in a minute or two pursuant you’ve heard me talk about one of their cloudgood aced tools, velocity made specifically for gift officers to keep the gift officers on task. Now i recognize the gift officer might be you. You might be the ceo, and you’re the director of development. All the more reason i think, that you need to check out pursuant and their tool velocity and all the more reason that you need technology to be helping you in your day to day because you’re wearing so many hats. So whether your gift officer in a large organization that’s got a half a dozen or more or your ah solo shop or somewhere in between, you know, you have to be using technology smartly, and velocity is one of those tools that can help you. It was originally developed for pursuant consultants to help their fund-raising clients, that’s another thing that pursuing does is fund-raising counsel, and it was originally developed as an internal tool for those pursuing consultants. They realized its value, and so they’ve made it available. You can get the tool without the consultant, you don’t have to have the fund-raising consultant you can use the tool that they’re using and get that value so you know, it’s got the analytics is the metrics, and it keeps you on task in you’re fund-raising so you know, if you need to raise more money, velocity can help you do it and there’s all the info about velocity at pursuing dot com now it’s time for tony’s take two the non-profit technology conference is this month coming up march twenty third through twenty fifth in san jose, california. I hope this is not news to you. You’ve heard me talk about it before i hope you’re going to be there or if you can’t be there subscribe subscribed to ntc live, which is the live audio stream that yours truly will be hosting for them. This is an excellent conference, it’s my third on tc getting interviews for non-profit radio third time i’ve been there, it’s, just a bunch of smart people that can help you use technology mohr effectively in your day to day pursuant is going to be there, they’re going to be right near me. I’m going to be on stage hosting this ntcdinosaur stream pursuit will be there, and you could check them out there, too. Um, it’s, all at ntcdinosaur, sorry, and ten and ten dot or ge, and also have info at tony martignetti dot com. And both places will have the the schedule of people that’ll be interviewing. And, again, those interviews going to be on anti seelye, ve the stream. And then also, of course, they’ll be on non-profit radio in the coming months. Okay. Jonah helper. Thank you for your indulgence, sir. Hey, you do you freely with ntcdinosaur provoc technology? I actually attended. Not last year, the year before that. And it was amazing. There was. Yes, it was. I had a first. All they had, like, big band on stage. You’re talking about twenty fourteen. It might have been twenty. Forty, right? Yeah. I had a fantastic time. It was. And it was in california. It was in san francisco that year. I loved it. I mean, they were great. The organizer’s there were fantastic. Yeah. Okay, i think i was twenty thirteen. I was a twenty. Fourteen. Was my first one there in washington, d c okay, so they alternate east, mid and west sametz been so close to twenty three years ago. Yeah. It’s a it’s. A lot of smart people. They had a big band on stage. It was. I mean, it was heaven enchantment, and i was like, well, i wasn’t expecting that. Andi conference in general gave me that kind of flavor. It was with the sessions or great, the people in the hallways, you know, i always love the hallways, the hallways of the best. Because when you you always meet the best people in the hallways, sessions are good because you can hear the training and they’re in their and the great sessions, but there’s, nothing better than being able to just bump into somebody and find out they’re doing amazing work, and it could be a small church in virginia, and they’re doing phenomenal things that you could apply to your organisation in some, you know, specific instance, i love that, yeah, that kind of randomness on dh and the ntc, the non-profit technology conference did that for me. We were talking about your organization and and its mission and vision statements, and you also want, you know, you want organization to be clear about who their primary customers are and not two morph into something that you really don’t belong doing or being with or, you know, again being true to yourself being say more about that. Yeah, so so, you know, let me get a good story that i heard from my friend nancy lublin, who is the founder of dress for success and was then chief old person of do something dot orgryte, which is teen engagement, so the fact that she was, you know, not a team made her the old productions on crisis text long yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. Just treyz his text leinheiser heard one she started well, shouldn’t start, do something. Yeah, but she might as well have started because where i’m going with that story on dh, everything she touches turns to gold and that’s, not luck. I mean, it’s, she is a a tour de force. I mean, she is unbelievable. But the story that she she shared with me was that when she came to do something that or go it was a centers, it was a brick and mortar centers around the u s where teens would could get involved. And there it was founded by melrose place actor shoe. And it was andrew shoe. His name was okay. And it was it was a floundering organization. They were having a major major problems, and they were presented when she came aboard with an opportunity for i don’t know where the dollar amount was my been two hundred fifty, three hundred thousand dollars from a company that that said build a teen center near our call center. Like near, you know our operations and, you know, we’d love to have a teen center over there. And nancy, as the new ceo of the organization of duitz of do something that orc sa declined the money and an organization that is starving for cash. Yeah, so it seems to be like, you know, like, what are you doing? You know, your new new new kid on the block here on dh you’re turning down this money, and when she brought her into the offices or, you know, in in our offices, she they sat down with the leadership in legends like, how how badly do you want this job? All right, you know, you’re seemed to be kind of walking your way out of it, and she said, you know, you need to trust may because this is not the future of do something that i do something right, forget the dot org’s it’s not future of do something to have all these brick and mortar, you know, places for students to kids to come together, it needs to be online and she after that point shut down all the physical locations, took the whole thing online, rebranded to do something as do something dot org’s and and is now getting forget the corporate dollars that she turned away the two hundred thousand tens and tens of millions of dollars they get and primarily comes from from companies, so arrow pasta will partner with them for teens, for genes. They found that homeless teenagers the number one thing that they wanted were a pair of jeans. Why? Because i don’t have to be washed every day and its owner’s homeless, he doesn’t have access to clean clothes, a pair of jeans are cool enough, you know, generic and cool enough that you could wear and where without having to clean them every day. And that was something that homeless teenagers wanted, and they partnered with aeropostale for kids who had no better privilege to donate their genes threw in the store, it created a tremendous amount of foot traffic into air apostle, and that was vowed valuable to them, the co-branding was strong, and it turned out to be a wonderful partnership, and they’ve just replicated that that kind of model of companies adopting programs, supporting their their their operations, they have done tremendous amount, because so your point they were focused. On the mission of, of serving young adults who want to volunteer, and it was not going to be a brick and mortar place. It was going to be online. And because she was paying attention to that and not the dollar, she was able to take this organization which was floundering, and make it the powerhouse that it is today. And that she’s now entrusted in the hands of the other time the chief operating officer, aria finger she’s, now the ceo of do something that oregon are on ours, but on non-profit radio toy. So there you go as ceo and as ceo. And then and then they spun that off because, yes, okay, i said yes, because our online they’re able to serve millions and millions of teens like five million’s i mean, they have, and they have this big treasure trove of data. Yes, about teen engagement and know how to engage them in issues. I think they’re think their sweet spot is like sixteen to twenty five or so. And then beyond twenty five, they used your primary money is coming from companies. Big data or data is so important. So because that’s the case then, like, you know, think that something that you mentioned earlier about how nancy level went onto crisis text line that was born out of the fact that they were getting texts, emergency tests, texts of young adults who are suicidal, we’re getting abused or things along those lines and and as an organization as there to help people, what do you do with that? They weren’t equipped, they were equipped, and then they found the typical the standard nine nine eleven was not going to be able to handle us, especially for the digital age where people are going on their cell phone and they’re more comfortable hiding in the bathroom on their cell phone and texting somebody on emergency. They needed to do something so and that kind of stuff has outgrown has grown out of do something dot or ge and that’s? Why, you know, have crisis tax line? So it is there’s so many wonderful examples that you can see where, especially in their story, where they straight stay true to their mission, and if it wasn’t and if and if and if emergency texting was not right for do something dot or ge, they didn’t. Just like expand the mission to fit under, do something out or they made it crisis that’s now a new organization, nancy’s now the head of that. And that was a new thing. It wasn’t like mission creep, and now we’re doing, you know, we’re solving another problem. They started a new organization with all focus on your primary custom. Absolutely cool. All right, after we’ve started this relationship, we need to keep it going. And you call this i don’t have a name a chapter with somewhere you say from lust toe love. Well, so the analogy, the relationships go ahead. You’re so so we all know this and in our in our our own relationships, you know, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever it is at the early, early part of the relationship, this tremendous amount of lust, right there is the attraction it’s, new it’s, fresh it’s, exciting and that’s so important because that is going to be, you know, the chemistry needs to be there that’s vital to the success of meeting new people and starting to develop a relationship with them. But it needs to mature, right and there’s if the relationship is only on that’s the part i missed in high school. Yeah, the maturity and the whole thing is stirring up a lot, so i had a lot of lost, but okay, you know what to do with it all i’m in the same boat, my friend. S o so yes, so? So that has to mature. So, yeah, if you get somebody to become a donor of your organization, right, they may be enamored and they might be a beautiful organization. You could be a charity water you could be, you know, do something that or go any of these clauses that are gorgeous. I mean, they they look gorgeous, their offices a gorgeous they just have got that locked down, but it needs to mature and it was the relationship with them needs to be more than just face value is not just i’m excited to be part of this, you know, sexy organization. It needs to mature to say, look, i’m a partner. I’m somebody who’s not just early part of the job. I’m a partner. I’m in this for the long haul. I want to help them grow whether it’s capital improvements, whether it’s ah, you know the infrastructure what, whether it’s special projects, whatever the case may be, i want to see this organization grow from where it is now and where it’s headed. And that means that the relationship needs to mature where they have a greater stake in the game. And that means lino much like in our own personal relationships, where we might do certain milestone things, like move in together. There needs to be that kind of advancement, that kind of moves management and to use, you know, fund-raising jargon to take that relationship from one that’s courtship and maybe a first gift to now increase that support over time. Part of this is a plan. So when you have, we need to be more structured. Maybe then are in on our dating side and our our relationship side. But we need stewardship plan, basically what belongs in our stewardship. So i like to talk a lot about new donorsearch accusation because, you know, you mentioned if you have something as a donor and you want to keep one of the chapters is called, keep the fire alive. Right? So that you want to put some good practices in place. You know, i talk about there in the in charge of keeping the fire alive and howto kind of moves that move that relationship along, that you should treat someone like an investor or treat them like family right now. Or and and and and while it may sound like that’s ah, daikon that’s outside the investor way investors or relationships, right? Are you treating me like, like, a business transaction? Or so the nice thing is that it’s not mutually exclusive because what happens is in your relationships there are absolutely expectations if you if we decide tony, you and i decided we’re going to move in together, right? What? We have a wonderful relationship. We love each other. We have a wonderful relationship we want we’re going to move in now, and we’re gonna have to take it to that one quote next-gen metoo do this by the way, if you’re my wife. Well, my by floods in indianapolis, so nobody listens to this show so you don’t worry about it. Word getting out exactly right. Good. We could talk after, okay. So so if if we want to take that to the next level, is there anything truly different about our relation with each? Other do we love each other anymore? The moment that we are now in the same apartment? No, right? There’s, no inherent change that happens between the way you feel about me and i feel about, you know, the decision that we’ve decided move it. What we have done is we’ve increased expectations on each other that there’s a certain kind of shared life, now that we have that’s more than we had before, because we’ve said that this is a priority deepened our commitment, deepen our commitment. So now, now that we’ve deep in our commitment, i am now have a certain level of responsibility to you, right? You have there’s a certain level of investment that i’ve now made right than i know how to manage that’s, like just know if i move in with you and i lived like a single person, right? I don’t care about your feelings. I know it was anything of the week before when we weren’t living together. It was any behaving the same way, right? But now that we live together, i have a new set of standards that i have tto abide by and it’s me and it’s mutual, right? You have expectations to army. I have expectations on you and that’s. Not a bad thing. It’s a it’s. A healthy thing. But what happens is i need to meet those expectations. So if i wanted if if you’ve given me something, if you give me money a cz a fun as ah someone who’s going to give money a donor and i take that money. The relationship starts that right, it’s not thank you for your gift. I’ll speak to you next year. It’s. Now that i’ve taken your ten thousand dollars, i have a responsibility to you to make sure that you know how your money is being spent. Oh, so this gets to our city. Our stewardship plan eso starts appointed stewardship plan is that when i get to give, when i when i get money from a donor it’s, not just another box to check off and say okay, i got this gift. I got to go get another fifteen or twenty other gifts. Tto meet meet mike. Now, how are we going to try this house? So how do you really take this? And deep deep in that relationship so there’s everything from leadership roles. There’s these opportunities when it comes to getting them to open up their own home in their own network a lot times people think that if you ask somebody to do think favors for you favors going, quote, like open their home for a parley meeting or to give your cause that’s burning equity that deepens relation, because giving to you so finding ways to cement leadership positions for them to spend more time in your offices. And when i mentioned treating like investors and treat them like family, why should they only have a relationship with you? Right? You are representing an organization, there’s. Some other wonderful people in the office is it’s. Some of the best donors and leaders i know come into the organization and they say hello to everybody from the person at the front desk to the person in the mail room. They know everybody because this is their family now. So those types of opportunities airways to kind of systemized that are important you could see in the book the whole bunch of suggestions for that. All right, we’re gonna go further. We gotta take a break. But don’t go a little more into this idea, that asking people, asking donors and volunteers to doom or is not burning them out. It’s. Deepening the relationship and not doing that could burn them out. They’ll stay with us. Like what you’re hearing a non-profit radio tony’s got more on youtube, you’ll find clips from stand up comedy tv spots and exclusive interviews catch guests like seth gordon, craig newmark, the founder of craigslist marquis of eco enterprises, charles best from donors choose dot org’s aria finger do something that worked and they only levine from new york universities heimans center on philanthropy, tony tweets to he finds the best content from the most knowledgeable, interesting people in and around non-profits to share on his stream. If you have valuable info, he wants to re tweet you during the show. You can join the conversation on twitter using hashtag non-profit radio twitter is an easy way to reach tony he’s at tony martignetti narasimhan t i g e n e t t i remember there’s a g before the end he hosts a podcast for the chronicle of philanthropy fund-raising fundamentals is a short monthly show devoted to getting over your fund-raising hartals just like non-profit radio, toni talks to leading thinkers, experts and cool people with great ideas. As one fan said, tony picks their brains and i don’t have to leave my office fund-raising fundamentals was recently dubbed the most helpful non-profit podcast you have ever heard, you can also join the conversation on facebook, where you can ask questions before or after the show. The guests were there, too. Get insider show alerts by email, tony tells you who’s on each week and always includes link so that you can contact guests directly. To sign up, visit the facebook page for tony martignetti dot com. If you have big dreams and a small budget tune into tony martignetti non-profit radio, i d’oh. I’m adam braun, founder of pencils of promise. Asking people to do more. Yes, whether they are donors or board members, this is not typically does not lead to burn out. What leads to burnout is give me your your annual gift. And now give me your annual gift a year later and a year later and there’s no substance beyond you’re giving, right, right. So the so let’s talk about i want to take a cold pill that back a little bit because i think a lot of the fear of asking people to do more comes some of the fear of asking in general, especially asking for money, you know, fund-raising is not a dirty word, and i know so many professionals and leaders in the business of consultants talk about how it’s not a dirty word, but i kind of tied into the relationship side of things in the sense that when you’re asking for money from somebody, if it’s devoid, if it’s void of a relationship, right, if we’re just asking and you’re dialing for dollars it’s, it’s, it’s taking the relationship out of it and it’s just making us and no one enjoys all transactions for that. And no one loves that. No. One likes to do that that’s. Terrible when there’s a real relationship in that leads to money. It’s, beautiful, and obviously, you can hear the correlation between like sex and relationships. If it’s just mechanical and there’s no relationship behind it, it may be fun. You may get the gift let’s, not underestimate. Great. But but my point is, this is probably not going to be a sustainable long term strategy. You’re not going to get somebody that may give you one time, but it’s not going to be a capacity gift, they could probably give you a lot more than what they’re giving you and your and it’s not like there’s any relationship behind it. So if you’re if you’re going to go after those easy shots like that, then you might get lucky. All right, you know that, but but in the end of the day, if you if you develop a real relationship than the asking for money, is the exact opposite of a negative experience is the most powerful, empowering, beautiful next step in that relationship that makes people go? Yes, i’m i’m in this i’m in this relationship, i’m in it for the long haul. So it’s it’s kind of it’s it’s kind of that double edge sword where fund-raising could either be a terrible, terrible experience transaction transaction, a wallet with legs, right? You know it’s the sex appeal of just the fact that they have money versus somebody who’s, a partner partner in the cause and he’s excited about the vision and wants to see the succeed and right on dh just wants to do more than just give exactly. You’re not going to know that until you start asking, even if it’s just give it’s done in the context of i am partnering with you and the way i’m doing, doing my share is by giving you money because if you’re going to be on the ground drilling wells or curing our ending malaria deaths or, you know, providing needs for special needs children, i’m not as a donor, i may not be the expert on how to do that, but i know if i give you money and i trust the experts, it will get done and that’s fine, they built, they’ll become a partner in dollar and that’s fine, but it’s not a transaction, it’s more than that because they are bought into the vision of the organization, all right, on a part of getting people to buy in and having them feel insiders is sharing the occasional downside failure. Yes, i’ve seen i’ve seen the good, bad and the ugly on this i’ve seen organizations that are afraid to share information with their donors on day worrying about it, it’ll burn relationship, and those tend to be the relationships that were never strong to begin with. But the there are wonderful examples of how failure or, you know, where something did not work, and it may not be, you know, gross of, you know, abuse or are you no mistrust think some things just don’t work and, you know, you put your your organization on the line, you try big things, and it doesn’t pan out it’s a wonderful opportunity to deepen the relationships. Okay, i’ll give you ah, a quick story example. I was in scott harrison who’s, a ceo and founder of charity water in his office, and he was telling me about early on and charity water before it was like, the very sexy, very sexy that’s what it is today hey told me early early on, he had a couple people on staff on payroll. They were doing their first projects, and they were going to go by that it belly up. They did not have the funds for payroll. They they were really desperate, and scott told me that he sent out a number of, like, blow you. Know emails to people who are in his periphery, you know, just to these donors and basically say, like, i need help, i need help, we’re in trouble, we’re doing great work, it wasn’t just like, you know, bail us out was like, we’re doing amazing work, but we’re in trouble. And one individual guy named michael birch, who was the who’s, a tech entrepreneur, he was the founder of bebo, which is a british base like social network from the nineties, like i bought by, i think, a well for eight hundred million dollars and he’s done not numerous projects that also brought in a lot of money, but here was a guy, michael birch, and he responded to scott and said, i’m happy to meet next time i’m in the new york area, i think he was in san francisco, and he meets with with scott and scott in-kind of bears, a soul tells, tells him everything going on and, you know, they’re doing great work, but it’s just not catching on. They’re breaking their teeth and it’s just not happening, and michael birch gives him some recommendations, gives him some advice, and then he says, i’ll see what i can do, you know, as faras giving you a little help, so he goes home. I don’t know how many days it was, you know, whatever was in the story that scott told me, but scott told me that he was sleeping in bed and his phone went off. I know texts or phone call, but was from michael birch and say, he said, i sent you some money. I’m wiring it to your account. I hope it helps, and skye trembling opens up his bank account and there’s a one million dollar gift that was sent from michael birch to charity water. And that was that trust that michael had, and he was really kind of like the one of the first major donors that they had that kind of went all in on them. He was somebody after hearing the troubles and tribulations, but was bought into scott harrison, who is, you know, the personality on the mission that he stands behind and said, this is something i want to support, and they turn that negative into tremendous partnership into this day michael and his wife are huge supporters of charity water. Everybody is not perfect in ceo land. You talk a little about flawed characters. Yeah, because because with natural, you know, things don’t always go perfectly. We might even make mistakes. I mean that that was not a mistake, that scott sure that’s got made, but but things don’t always go perfectly, and we know that from our personal relationship characters in history succeed. Yeah, i mean, so we all know this from our own personalized ships, you know, sometimes you date somebody, it doesn’t work out, and it goes down in flames, sometimes amicable, sometimes it’s definitely not their, you know, whatever it is, whether it’s dating marriage were human rights. It’s the human condition s o in the nonprofit world it’s true as well, we don’t have, you know, perfect relationships. And there are times where you butt heads with a person that you’re involved with a lay leader of volunteering your organization, and you might no longer be the right person to have that relation with them might be somebody else. It might be something that you can work with them and see through tio, but the communication and like any relationship and i talk about in the book about commune importance of communication you can either work through it or if it’s, you’re not the right person to either find somebody else. If they are bought into the cause, if it’s the cause they care about, they might be ableto be kind of handed off to somebody else and if its destructive, which sometimes, you know, a fraction of the small fraction of the relations are and it’s not in the best interest of the organization, for them to be aligned with his lay leader don’t even if they give a lot of money and it could hurt the organization, you gotta cut your losses and pull out so there’s absolutely ah, whole spectrum on relationships and how you handle them depending on what’s the best interest of the organization. We’re gonna leave it there. The book is date your donors did your donor dot com and you’ll find jonah he’s at jonah helper. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Congratulations again on the book. Oh, thank you for having me next week. I don’t know because about five weeks from today, when we’re in the studio but you know it’s going to be excellent. Have i let you down? Ever has non-profit lady radio let you down? If you missed any part of today’s show, i admonish you, find it on tony martignetti dot com. I’m still not sure about the singing this year, so i’m still i’m still thinking about that. We’re sponsored by pursuant online tools for small and midsize non-profits data driven and technology enabled pursuing dot com. Our creative producer is claire miree off. Sam liebowitz is the line producer. Gavin dollars are am and fm outreach director shows social media is by dina russell on our music is by scots died. Be with me next week for non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent go out and be green. What’s not to love about non-profit radio tony gets the best guests check this out from seth godin this’s the first revolution since tv nineteen fifty and henry ford nineteen twenty it’s the revolution of our lifetime here’s a smart, simple idea from craigslist founder pregnant mark insights orn presentation or anything? People don’t really need the fancy stuff they need something which is simple and fast. When’s the best time to post on facebook facebook’s andrew noise nose at traffic is at an all time hyre on nine a, m or eight pm so that’s, when you should be posting your most meaningful post here’s aria finger ceo of do something dot or ge young people are not going to be involved in social change if it’s boring and they don’t see the impact of what they’re doing. So you got to make it fun and applicable to these young people look so otherwise a fifteen and sixteen year old they have better things to do if they have xbox, they have tv, they have their cell phones me dar is the founder of idealist took two or three years for foundation staff to sort of dane toe add an email address their card it was like it was phone. This email thing is fired-up that’s why should i give it away? Charles best founded donors choose dot or ge somehow they’ve gotten in touch kind of off line as it were and and no two exchanges of brownies and visits and physical gift. Mark echo is the founder and ceo of eco enterprises. You may be wearing his hoodies and shirts. Tony talked to him. Yeah, you know, i just i’m a big believer that’s not what you make in life. It sze, you know, tell you make people feel this is public radio host majora carter. Innovation is in the power of understanding that you don’t just do it. You put money on a situation expected to hell. You put money in a situation and invested and expected to grow and savvy advice for success from eric sabiston. What separates those who achieve from those who do not is in direct proportion to one’s ability to ask others for help. The smartest experts and leading thinkers air on tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent.

Buon Giorno From Venice! How To Keep Your Planned Giving Above Water

Cultivation and solicitation of the right prospects and potential donors for your Planned Giving program will maximize your gift revenue.

Nonprofit Radio for September 5, 2014: Anniversaries Are Opportunities & Work Smarter Across Email And Social Media

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

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Susan Gabriel: Anniversaries Are Opportunities

Susan Gabriel
Susan Gabriel

Susan Gabriel, senior associate at Cause Effective, has tips to make your anniversaries–5th or 125th–more than a night or a weekend. They are great opportunities!

 

 

 

 

Alec Stern: Work Smarter Across Email And Social Media

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With Alec Stern at NTC

If you coordinate email with the social channels you’re using, people will have a better experience with your organization. Alec Stern shares his strategies, then tells the story of Constant Contact‘s birth. He’s a founding team member and vice president for strategic market development. (Recorded at the Nonprofit Technology Conference, NTC 2014.)

 

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Hello and welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. I’m your aptly named host. Oh, it feels so good to be back in the studio live and i’m glad you’re with me. I’d be stricken with a para fire in jail abscess if i had to swallow the fact that you had missed today’s show anniversaries are opportunities. Susan gabriel, senior associate at cause effective has tips to make your anniversaries with her fifth or one hundred twenty fifth mohr than a night or a weekend. They are great opportunities, anniversaries are and work smarter across email and social. If you coordinate email with the social channels you’re using, people will have a better experience with your organization. Alex turn shares his strategies, then tells the story of constant contacts. Birth he’s, a founding team member there and vice president for strategic market development. My interview with alex were alec was recorded at the non-profit technology conference and t c twenty fourteen a couple months ago on tony’s take two do you know about my other show? We’re sponsored by generosity, siri’s hosting multi charity five k runs and walks i’m very glad that susan gabriel is with me here in the studio she is senior associate at cause effective, she and they provide coaching and consulting services to non-profits on resource development challenges ranging from starting or strengthening annual major donor and anniversary campaigns and increasing board fund-raising to maximizing the strategic potential of special events and anniversaries and that’s what we’re here to talk about on twitter, they are at cause effective. Susan gabriel, welcome to the show. Welcome to the studio. Thank you very much, it’s. A pleasure to be here. I’m very glad you are. I’m glad have a live guest to welcome me actually back into the studio because i’ve been away a while back i am alive your life and live alive cause effective is a non-profit itself we are. What is your work? Helping other non-profits i like to say we have to walk the talk because we are a non-profit where? Thirty, i think almost three years old now, and our mission in life is to help other non-profits build their capacity around resource development. So we’re that’s that’s key for us that we’re capacity. Builders were not the kind of consultants who come. In and do the work and leave necessarily and not so much will come in and tell you what you should do and then leave, but we really sit side by side with our clients and help figure out what are the best strategy? Is what’s going to work for you? And then we’d do an awful lot of coaching side by side, making it work, making it stick. I get a lot of requests for fund-raising consulting, how do we get to the next level? Were mostly founder funded or very small board funded. The board is not effective at fund-raising beyond e-giving from their own pockets and it’s a small boarding. And how do we get to the next level? I believe cause effective khun do exactly that can help those kinds of organisations? Absolutely, yeah, that’s a that’s a question we hear every single day because we’re kind of stuck and you know it can happen to very small founder lead organizations and it can happen very large organizations as well that we’re just stuck. We don’t know how to move it. We don’t have to move the board. We just seem to be living in the past and not be able to really diversify our income streams. We know we need to do that to be smart, to be healthy in the future. And how can we sort of unstick everything and get it moving forward a lot that that a lot that unstick ing is that they’re being stuck in event fund-raising yes, and we’re going to talk about anniversaries specifically, but that’s a lot of what i referrals that i’m asked for our you know, we have an annual gala, we do some events during the year, but we know we know like you’re saying, we know we need to diversify, but, you know, can you help us? No, i the work i do, i cannot all i can do is refer and it’s not an easy referral, so i’m really glad to have found cause effective. It’s a pleasure. I like i said, we hear a lot of that. We talk a lot about year round fund-raising relationship building, so fund-raising is it’s that old thing? Fund-raising is friendraising its building relationships with people year round, building a community of support around the organization and many many of our organizations are stuck on. The one annual event, you know, if they’ve never done outreach to individuals very often, the first thing that we think of is an event. So we do an event and we do the event year after year, and breaking down out of that model is is one of the key leverage points is i see to helping people move forward. That’s outstanding! I said, really glad to have met you and calls effective because i can refer non-profits to you and i hope they come to you were thrilled. Let’s, let’s, talk about anniversaries we have ah, there’s. A lot of potential that’s not being realized. Absolutely that that’s. That word opportunity. I told you when we chatted that that that’s, the biggest word i use around anniversaries is for some reason people pay attention when it’s your anniversary. We know when we have a birthday we have a fiftieth. You know, wedding anniversary. Whatever it is, people will drive across the country. Write to help us celebrate. So people pay attention differently when it’s the anniversary of an organisation and it’s a wonderful time to gather everybody together again. You know everybody who helped make the organization what? It was to say thank you to people to applaud too celebrate the past too, really let people know where you are now and then. Of course especially toe let everyone know what the vision is for the future and how they can be helpful. So that idea that’s one of the leverage points for me in terms of the opportunities that anniversaries provide it’s more people kind of building the team right building the bench so that more people, our thinking about us and reaching out out on our behalf and opportunities or anniversaries are a great time to do that. So clearly it’s already sounding like it’s, got to be more than an evening or even a weekend. We do a workshop very frequently that’s called more than just a party because again that’s part of that stuck thing where people think, well, it’s our anniversary so i guess we better do a neve ent we better do agulla and very often some sort of event. Regala is part of it. You’re not saying that doesn’t belong. No, no, no, no, of course not, no it’s great, you’re going to celebrate, you’re going to invite everybody around, but very often that’s just one of the things, even in smaller organizations that don’t have the resources to do, you know, seven or eight activities during the year are too completely, you know, do a re branding, which people vary off organizations very often do during the anniversary, but even just putting, you know, the fortieth anniversary logo on your website, changing the letterhead, gathering people to celebrate in a different year in a different way. And that idea, you know, looking back former honorees, former board members, former staff, volunteers, donors who were no longer with us and the sort of building back the community touching base with everybody again to say thank you, because they all helped you get you know, where you are today, but then again reenergizing those relationships, so they’re sort of part of the team moving forward. When should we start to be thinking? If we have our fifth anniversary coming up for our one hundredth anniversary coming up, when should we start the planning? Those might be different answers. I mean, if it’s your fifth anniversary, i love it if they’ll start a year out and i know that’s very difficult for smaller. Organizations, you know, very often people wake up and go oops. It’s our anniversary, we better call cause affected somebody just told me yeah, our anniversary’s coming up? Yeah, so the lead time is really, really key cause again, that possibility of reaching out and finding people and and planning, i think, is so important because, again, that that idea of opportunities we always start when we’re working with any type of an event or certain or even an anniversary campaign with your objective and way often asked the question, where do you want your organization to be at the end of the anniversary period? And that’s? Not just i want to raise ex more dollars or i wanna, you know, have three more major gifts or i want to get two more board members, which are all very, very key goals, but there could be lots of different things that you want to accomplish. A new database, a new website you created and, you know, create an advisory committee or whatever it happens to be. So we find that at the beginning of the planning session, if you’ll step back, take a breath and, you know, gather the right. Folks around the table on dh really ask ourselves that question. You know what we want to accomplish in our anniversary, or what can we do now? And what can we build in to be a little bit healthier and stronger, you know, over the next, even three to five years, outstanding. You mentioned we just have, like, a minute and a half or so before ah first break getting the right people who are who are so well now where let’s say we are the six months in advance and maybe it’s our for our audience probably more like their fifth, tenth or fifteenth or twentieth anniversary coming up. Who are some of the right people? That should be in the in those early conversations. That’s a great question and i was pretty pleased with it. I was way asked the question, who might be interested in our work? And that is very broad. Sometimes we have attention. You get stuck on the question of who can we ask for money? You know, and that’s, what will happen if we’re just having one event who might be should be could be interested in supporting our work in some former fashion and then looking at that university people and inviting, as many of you know, representatives from those various groups around the table to do a big brainstorm with us and think together with us about how the organization can meet its goals in the anniversary. And then, of course, ultimately, we hope those people will continue to be part of the solution right part of the team that continues to make the cancerversary a success. This could even be community members, absolutely volunteers, parents, alumni program participants, local vendors. You know, the insurance guy that you know, boardmember sze funders, whatever makes sense, a lot of, you know, government folks are government allies, bring him around the table, and if it makes sense it’s case by case. But you mentioned funders that’s an interesting yeah, funders past current finders there. Well, if they’re interested, right funders future, if you can get them there, you know, potential board members, potential funders, absolute. What a wonderful way to engage them in the work with you. We have to go away for a couple of minutes when we come back. Susan, i’m going to keep talking about anniversaries as opportunities. Stay with us. You didn’t think that shooting getting dink dink dink, you’re listening to the talking alternative network to get you thinking. Dahna cubine this’s, the cook, said about bush senior wear hosting, part of my french new york city, or guests come from all over the world, from mali to new caledonia. From paris to keep back french is a common language. Yes, they all come from different cultures, background or countries, and it common desires to make new york they’re home. Listen to them. Share this story. Join us. Pardon my french new york city every monday from one to two p, m. 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 to seven to 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. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. We got to do live listener love because it’s so been so weak many weeks that i haven’t been able to let’s start here in the us. Shelby, north carolina, levittown, new york and new york, new york live listener love to you also langley, canada in british columbia live listen, love up there, let’s, go abroad several in japan we see tokyo, but there are several others masked or hidden for some reason. Konnichiwa, sweden, paris, france we have a guest live. Listen, love susan, please, for paris, france got you italian, mexico city, mexico. Hola. So korea and inchon, korea also on your haserot our anniversary very impressive. You’re beautiful. Yeah. Finders all with the new york accent. You lost your accent for the for there are parisian er’s. Um, the anniversary it is not well, we already said doesn’t even have to be weekend, but it could be months, right? This could be a long term affair. Could be long term affair could be twelve to eighteen months. Easily, it could easily be even a two or three year campaign. I mean, many larger we’re going to do? And you said you said when do we need to start planning? So if you’re planning an anniversary campaign where you want to raise, you know, five, ten, fifty million dollars you need to start way up front, you know, again, who are the right people? What are the right goals? First of all, who are the right people that we need to gather around to help us reach those goals? And the whole idea of a silent portion of that, you know, campaign before it goes public on raising a lot of money and awareness and getting the branding and the messaging straight before we ever, you know, take it live so it could easily be a year to even two years of planning. I love that it’s not just around fund-raising there all the stuff that you mentioned before the break, like new new database rebranding, i guess it could even be evaluating your mission statement. Perhaps you know, the core values, things. I mean, there’s. A lot of a lot of opportunity here having nothing to do with fund-raising or volunteer recruitment per se, right? Yeah, a lot of organizations do that kind of. Work, they’re doing a strategic planning process right before an anniversary is a great idea if you can pull it off, we do a little mini strategic planning is part of our work with organizations because we do want to take a breath and step back and say, you know, where are we where we go and what do we need in order to be able to get there? What are we trying to build hutu meaning on the team? What kind of resource is will we need to really to really be able to get there? S o but a lot of organizations do doing a formal strategic planning process right before an anniversary before they because that tells them where they need to go on the kind of objectives that they need to have, and it can be programmatic. Absolutely, it could be building the capacity of the infrastructure of the organization, and it is related to fund-raising because if you want to start a new program or, you know, beef up a program you’re going to need, the resource is in order to do that, and you’re going to need that, you know, the human resource is as well, including the people on your board and we have all these people together. Are we proposing things that we would like to be our goals at the end of the anniversary? We’re also listening to what they think we should be doing exactly both. I think i think, you know, because some of these people don’t know what’s really, really well and part of what we want to do, gathering them around the table is to get to know them better and have them get to know us better. I think tow walk into an anniversary planning process like that with a pretty good idea of where you’re going, what you as an internal team think your goal should be, um, and presented to them and share it with them, certainly for feedback. You want to hear what they have to say, but you especially want to here with them in terms of messaging and what might be meaningful to them and people like them in terms of engaging them in the way we want, you know, we want to have a relationship with these folks ongoing. So what would that look like? Please tell us what kind. Of messages you would need from us, our communications, or what kind of events and activities would be most meaning bill to you and people like you. Now you make just slip down a little bit. Yeah, there we go. I want you to be comfortable, okay? And i want people to be able to hear you, um, goals these need to be. I hear this from a lot of guests, but we’re going to reinforce because it’s been a while. Measurable, right? I mean, we talk about smart goals specific, measurable, achievable, and i forget they are in the team, all of those things. But we want, you know, like numbers of new donors. Perhaps if we were talking about fund-raising and maybe what sectors they come from potential channels. I’m glad you said sectors, because that, yes, measurable is really, really important. Just that old adage. Write what what gets measured gets done so as specific as you can make goals, you can say we want to raise more money, and if you raise an extra dollar you’ve, you’ve succeeded. But if you say, i really want to build our major donor effort and we now have five people giving us ten thousand plus and by the end of the anniversary period, we wantto have twenty five, people e-giving us that amount. That’s very, very clear. And justus, you said tony it’s measurable, so we want to be able to celebrate. You do want the goals to be realistic. You can’t be pie in the sky because you want your team to feel really, really good at the end of it. Like we we definitely succeeded. We definitely took the organization forward because that’s a very motivational to keep people engaged. If this is our fifth or tenth anniversary, what do you think are some some reasonable goals? I think you know it’s, our favorite answer at cause of activity. Thanks. It really depends on where the organization is, right? Tell us a story can share a client story about an organization that exploited its its anniversary and did. Well, um, sure, i can. I worked with a dance company whose board was lovely and very committed, but not used at all to reaching out on behalf of the organization and really serving as the face of the organization. The chair was knew he’d never been a chair. Before, it was a lot of work to do in terms of sort of building that second, that second team and by the end of the anniversary period and in fact, during the brainstorming session which i led for them, three meetings of pulling, you know, gathering all those folks, those disparate folks around the table, they had three new board members who were very active and you mentioned before from sectors came from different sectors of the economy. So they brought different collectivity and networks with them, and they’re in a much different place. The board chair, i can say, is doing a terrific job. He knows exactly what he’s after now and he’s out there, you know, introducing the organization to new people into new board members and getting you know it also having a lot of fun. Outstanding. What anniversary was that for them? Ten. Now you have your own background in the arts. I d’oh what? You are an actor. I was. Does that help you in your work? Certainly. With the arts organizations i use you mentioned that it wasn’t in my bio on the on the website. We do put it in my bio. When, when we’re ah reaching out to arts organizations because we, you know, we think they find it that’s fine, i have about half a dozen different bios, one emphasizes standup comedy, one emphasizes plans giving charity registration, exactly downplay everything because i’m embarrassed fundez organization, you know, whatever. So yeah, i have a lot of bios is, well, yeah, i understand it certainly helps me in my training work. We do a lot of workshops, we do a lot of training, you know, in front of boards of directors and engaging people, and being funny and and entertaining is certainly eyes, certainly helpful in that in that work. Yeah, there’s quite a bit of don’t dole training a lot of doll out there. There’s a lot of dollars is a lot of people are paying for it. Unfortunately, most of what we do is free, so i’m really glad that you made that point. You can get entertaining, entertaining smart people for free, excellent. After we have our goals, where what’s our next step in our planning, i think it’s the team again, it’s, who were those people? Who do we need on the team to actualize those goals? Xero an anniversary committee we’re talking about now? I think so. Okay, you start with the internal sort of, i call it the internal working group, but the internal team and then you go external when you’re ready, when you have your your goal is pretty much said, and you know where you’re headed, you’re going to gather the people together that you think can can get you there and his divers a group as possible because they all bring different skills, different connectivity, you know, different levels of commitment, but i think that’s key that’s one of the leverage points in terms of taking your organization to the next level is building the group of people who are serving as ambassadors and thought partners, and ultimately, you know, donors and supporters for your organization, the more people we have i mentioned earlier that idea of a community of support, the more people we have in that community, that air reaching out on our behalf. The bigger and bigger that community gets, and then we can really create a sustainable fund-raising model and it’s, not the same people asking the same people over and over and over again. Now, obviously, we have to take care of them on the other side, the’s a relation in ships with riel humans so we can reach out and raises over exactly if we just forget about them. We can’t expect them to be there the following year if we don’t take good care of them, let them engage otherwise it’s, poor relationship building and exactly were suffering in a lot of more fundamental ways than not getting the most out of our anniversary. Yeah, exactly. Presumably you would’ve invited to these initial meetings some of the people that you’d liketo see on the anniversary committee and you could be gauging their interest in doing that from the from the early meetings. Exactly a lot of those jobs that you is that old, i think it’s a dale carnegie thing of when you ask people for money, they give you advice. But when you ask people for advice very often it leads. It leads to money. So when you pull people together. It’s really? We just want to think together with you we want to get your thoughts. We want your ideas, but part of that is that you’re cultivating them. They’re getting to know its justus you said they’re getting to know you, you’re getting to know them. And very often people who have who have come for these brainstorms they will. Now what do i do? How can how can i help? Because this is great. The other thing is, is getting them asking other people for advice, an anniversary or kind of any day of the week is a good time to ask people for who should we be talking to? You know, if you’re not interested or if you are interested, who else do you know who might be interested to give us a little advice about something? Sametz spur, tease? Open a door for us or, you know, help us with our marketing or the right, you know, crafting the right messages or whatever people there’s a lot of different ways. That’s another thing i like to remember and share there’s a lot of different ways for people to be helpful to our organization’s. Not just money. Absolutely. We have our committee. Now together we start assigning roles, responsibilities, leadership, etcetera and my right. Or have i skipped anything? I don’t think so. I think that’s it. Okay. You have your goals depending. I mean, we’ve run one hundred fiftieth anniversary campaigns where there were seven different subcommittees. You no one was marketing. One was community outreach. One was fund-raising, etcetera, and smart. You know, smaller organizations where everybody’s in the same room together. But division of labour is definitely important if you can get volunteermatch leaders that you feel really comfortable working with to take on certain bits of this work, especially in a small ah, you know, not so well staffed organization that can be really crucial if somebody’ll take ahold of one of the pieces of it and run with it. And then you can sort of be the little wheel that that manages the big wheel instead of trying to manage, you know, seventy five different pieces. Who’s who’s who is shepherding this entire activities? This. And is there an honorary chair? Well, maybe not the honorary chair. Was there there’s an anniversary chair person. It was a volunteer or remember what again, adding, it depends very it depends on the organization and the structure of the organization sometimes it’s, the executive director who’s sort of keeping all the wheels moving if there’s a development director, very often it’s his or her job to do that in terms of leadership and sort of inspiring the group very often, it is that share of the anniversary who’s actually doing the outreach to especially high level folks, if it’s a big ask whatever that amount is very often it’s that person that we’re looking to teo to provide that leadership i’m i’m doing this, i believe in this this is a great opportunity, wonderful organization, and i’m asking you to join me, which is a very powerful and different message than coming from, you know, the development director who who works at the organization, so we love it when we get that peer-to-peer outreach and asking from members of the of the committee and those leaders, you’re absolutely right. Those leaders are key and making sure that it’s successful, what are some of the fun activities events that you’ve seen around around anniversaries? Oh well, you know, amazing things, carnivals and you know different things that people have done with auctions. People we have a wonderful group that i’m working with it. The heart of their mission is is volunteers corporate volunteers reading to young people on their lunch hour? They literally dropped down out of their offices for an hour and reid to the same child week after week. Can i plug them? You go, it’s called read ahead and they are read ahead and they are terrific and they’re inviting celebrity readers. And we had bobby kind of ali at the event last year and he did a wonderful job doing doing his reading from a children’s book. So something that’s very mission centric is is is most profound. I think the worst thing in the world you want to somebody leaves an event of any kind, but certainly your anniversary goes around to the office the next day and says, wow, i went to this great event, you know, it was on a yacht or whatever it was, and somebody says, oh, what group was it for? E? I don’t know it’s something to do with kids, you know? You know? So you really want people to be steeped. In the heart of your work, when they walk out and have a wonderful, enjoyable time, you mentioned quickly look focused a little more on some of the communications that might be different for around anniversary. You have f some advice around the marketing communications part ah, tiny things specifically, mostly it’s, that issue of just making sure everybody knows it’s your anniversary, that idea of inviting them in ah it’s a celebration we want to hear from you come in and be with us. Come to a you know, come to a barbecue in the summer aura, you know, holiday party in december. That idea of really thanking people and it’s very warm and that kind of outreach and also being very specific about about where you’re going and how people can be helpful, i think cause effective has some events coming up that i think we wantto give a little shout out for. Thank you. We do. We have. Ah, we do a lot of the workshops. Thanks, tio. Various and other organizations with which we partner. We have ah, works up. Coming up on october fifteenth at the foundation center and that’s about the development team building. A strong development team between the development department, the executive director and the board and even the program’s staff. And we have a lovely workshops around building your board’s ability to fundraise that we’re doing in partnership with the non-profit coordinating committee and city foundation. And that is taking there’s one in october in in brooklyn and there’s, no one in long island and one in connecticut. Where can we find information on cause effective site on the cause, effective site or and or on the non-profit coordinating committees site for the ones for their or foundation center for the first foundation center for the first one? We do usually three or four workshops there. Ah year. So i’ve coming back. I’ve done training there, too, on plant giving in charity restriction. Not boring, not boring, not boring. That’s what people said, i’m convinced already. Thank you, susan gabriel. She is senior associate, senior associate at cause effective. You’ll find them on twitter at cause effective. And the cost effective website is as effective dot org’s susan gabriel. Thank you very much. Terrific advice. Thank you so much is absolutely my pleasure. Pleasure. Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. Generosity siri’s you know about them, they host the multi charity five k runs and walks and they are a sponsor and so i have to give them shout out what is special about this is that small and midsize shops probably likely can’t generate enough activity enough participants to have your own run walk. You know you can’t go out there with fielding twenty people everybody’s going tto gett there and say, where’s, the party, but you put together a dozen or fifteen charities, and everybody brings twenty or so, and now you’ve got three hundred fifteen times twenty yeah, three hundred or so. So you know, i i just i love the concept of building this community for a day around your fund-raising they have a charity support team that helps you do the fund-raising of course, you get the, you know, you get the dashboard to get the website and everything so that your participants can go and they they in classic peer-to-peer fashion, you know, they ask all their friends, of course that’s all included in what what generosity siri’s does. I like to talk to people on the phone and so ah, you know, pick up the phone, talk to dave lynn he’s, the ceo. They have activities coming up in new jersey, miami, new york city and philadelphia. There are seven, one eight five o six. Nine, triple seven if you prefer the web generosity siri’s dot com do you know about my other show? It is fund-raising fundamentals. It’s, a podcast that i host for the chronicle of philanthropy. It’s very different than non-profit radio it’s it’s quick, quick burst it’s only ten minutes long, it’s a monthly and its devoted to fund-raising topics i usually have a consultant and one of the charities that they’re working with or a client you know, client or former client last month was getting large corporate gif ts we had the president of the wells fargo foundation and the ceo of accelerated schools in los angeles, one of the wells fargo grantees. Ah, i’ve done facebook fund-raising with john hayden getting to the next level online storytelling attracting monthly recurring gif ts creative lacoste thank you’s, lots of others i’ve been doing this for about two and a half years for the chronicle. You will it. It is called fund-raising fundamentals information? Is that tony martignetti? Dot com and so so on itunes and that is tony’s take two for friday, fifth of september thirty fifth show of the year here’s my recording with alex, turn on working smarter across email and your social channels. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of ntcdinosaur non-profit technology conference two thousand fourteen we’re at the marriott wardman park hotel in washington, d c with me is alex turn he is remember the founding team and vice president for strategic market development at constant contact, alex turned welcome to the show. Thank you, tony. Pleasure to have you your workshop topic eyes grow your non-profit with email and social media, i presume we could be smarter non-profits could be smarter about working across on coordinating email and social. Yeah, for sure that there’s a lot of opportunity with the different channels that are out there today, and i think, you know, email is that targeted kind of private conversation i’ve given you my email address and your now reaching out, communicating to make there’s that opportunity where, you know, where’s, the supporters, the constituents of that non-profit hanging out and oftentimes it’s on those social channels, so when you think of the marketing mix there’s there’s, a wide variety of those options each non-profit for-profit i’ll figure out kind of which channel works for them and where their base is hanging out, but you can you can sort of leverage that communication, get in the conversation and share the things both in email and then replicate those over on the social channel so they may miss it in the inbox and pick it up on those social channels. And how do you know which which social channels you should be spending your time on? Yeah, so that’s a great question, i think, you know, oftentimes non-profits, you know, say, well, no, should i be on all of them? The best thing is really to sort of pick a channel where they believe that their constituents or hang out, they could certainly ask them, you know, are you on facebook? Are you on linked in twitter and so forth, and then test test their way and figure out when those channels get a presence on that start toe post? You know, some of their communications, some of their thoughts, and then really just see the engagement that starts to happen. And then once they kind of get a channel down, then they can look at which other ones make sense to expand on. Okay, so this has to be deliberate and unconscious and not it’s new, so we should be there. Yeah, i think, you know, you know, there’s an investment in terms of your time, for sure as you’re supporting these because you’re, you know, at your inn a conversation so it’s not just sending out of communication and, like you would say for an email that’s going to send in someone’s inbox their going to read it, and they’re going to take action. You’re in a conversation certainly is that expands over onto social and so in supporting that, you just we’ll figure out which ones work on and spend and invest more time in those if that’s where your constituents or hanging out ok, and then you’re good the the value in converting from the from the from the conversation on the social network two two as you call it it’s exactly the private conversation and email, right. And what? How do we how do we make that we start to make that leap? Yes, i think. You know, the as non-profits air supporting their customers and being, you know, all different constituents. So it’s it’s donors, it’s, boar, it’s, their board, it’s, their volunteers, supporters, there’s a whole wide right of different folks that are kind of involved with that. Non-profit and so as they’re in the conversation, say, on social, they could do they ask, you know, at that point to say, hey, you know, would you want to subscribe to receive our our newsletter, and then, you know, when they do that, they can set the expectation in frequency to say, well, our monthly news that air around events, you’re special events, news, you know, alerts about what’s going on with the non-profit and so oftentimes if they get in the conversation on one of the social channels that usually will drive them to want to, you know, go over and subscribe therese, receive some other information via email and so forth. And you suggested in that example you just gave making the case in even in let’s say it’s, even just a twitter ask, but making the case for why you should sign up, not just sign up for our email ar e mail alerts yeah, i think you know, the, you know, from the recipients perspective, you know, that being the constituent, they’re going to make decisions around what they’re where they’re going to sort of of hang out, and if they believe in what the organization is doing there supporting it, they like they like kind of the work that you’re doing there, hanging on those social channels just simply by asking its and sort of setting the expectation of what they would get if they were to subscribe through, you know, you know, the email newsletter, then they go over and and so then you’re going to meet their expectations because, you know, kind of told him i had a time what the what to expect? Yeah, it’s subsumed in everything we’re talking about, but let’s make it explicit. Email is still very valuable for for campaigns of any type, whether it’s money or call to action email is very important, right? Yeah. There’s, no question. You know, when you when you think about sort of the targeted nature of that’s going into the in box, they can take take action with that, you know, with the push of the button receiving that they can go and donate that can click toe, attend the event and very easily with the click of a button, share that to their social channels. So you get the leverage of it’s, sort of a trusted source. I believe in this organization, ivan affinity with with it. And i’ve got a bunch of friends and people that are sort of following me on my channels. So literally push of a button, share it out to my social channels. And then that could engage others to want to take a look at the organization and it’s coming for me. I could put a note. Say, hey, this is that organization i told you about let’s all go gather together, go to the park and teo, you know, the spring cleaning event or attend attend event. You know what? Do you guys consider making a donation as well? So i could be doing and ask of my friends simply by taking the email that’s in my in box and informing that on an email still has very high open rates. Yeah. Still valuable in that respect. Yeah. Eso, you know, certainly with, you know, with constant contact. We’re seeing over ninety eight percent, you know, kind of in the inbox and readable format, so, you know, the great thing is it’s getting there, and then they can easily take action from from that email. What about if listeners are our audiences about nine thousand small and midsize non-profits what about the, uh, millennials? Younger? Like suppose you’re trying to activate, like, i don’t know, fifteen to twenty five year olds or so is email less less? Uh, well, lower open rates among those ages for email and mobile becomes more important. Mobile in text. Yes, i think just across the board mobile in general, about fifty one percent. You know, recent studies say about fifty one percent are sort of opening those emails through through mobile initially, so, you know, kind of half the people are looking at on a mobile device on dso, a cz faras where, you know again, where’s, the audience of that non-profit hanging out potentially the millennials have you on some of the social channels, but you have that opportunity to do the ask on dh as you engage with them to have them subscribe in of course, then they would be able to get their communications v e mail as well. So, so, really it’s a personal preference, you asking you? And if email is not my, not the way i want to communicate with you, i won’t subscribe, and i’ll stick with the channels where we’re having the conversation right, exactly. Okay, um let’s, i know we need teo. We need to go to a lot more detail on, you know, leave. Leave listeners with something they can not necessarily execute, but least test on. Dh. Think about sure as they is there in their social channels and coordinating with email. So what? What? What about your your panel? Is that your i’m sorry, your workshop already already happened. What? What advice did you have for people that we can leave listeners with get them thinking about their own work? Yeah. It’s ah, there’s a lot of places we go with that i think they know there’s some there’s, some kind of key things to sort of take away. I think first, you know, when people were thinking about moving on to social channels and, you know, in my session, folks or start asking kind of which channels or should we get going and others who would be broader and you’re kind of the things we talked about earlier, i think one of the things that, you know, testing their way and again ist is figure out, sort of which of those channels when creating when creating their communications, for example, email there’s. That there’s the ability with one click for my creation of that email toe push those out to the social channels, but i think, you know, for example, fired five tips to why they should support my non-profit i could easily hit a button and share those on the channels that that we’re supporting is a non-profit but if you think about that, if i had these five tips, one thing you could do is, for example, on twitter, maybe do one tip today, right? So take spread those five out into five tweets on dh then so of course, with the same, you know, called action where, then go and see the others if they’d like. So then you have the opportunity and potentially catch someone who may not be on the channels when you’ve put that initial communication out through it. But now you have an opportunity, maybe catch him, you know, because they’re hanging out at the time when one of those additional sort of tweets happened, so i think there’s ways to take take the communication and share it, but also take the content and think about ways to sort of divide that up on dh. Use it effectively across the different channels, okay, um also value in sharing the content that others that others have created maybe an ally. I’m not thinking simply adjust the the retweet, but maybe going deeper and introducing people teo on allied organization that those similar type works maybe in a different part of the country. Or you’ve got a relationship, perhaps on a different level, with an organization sharing their content introducing. And i think at that point you become an introducer of people you’re making making new connections value there, too, and you don’t always have to create your own content. Yeah, so one of the big questions is always around content, and i think you could certainly be developing it on your own because, you know, you could be our authentic self is a non-profit you can talk to the audience about the things that you’re doing, but i think there’s so many constituents right under your soda under your nose that can support support your content as well. So you think about boardmember tze you could think about your supporters, your volunteers, the folks that are actually delivering the services on your behalf and, of course the recipient of those services so there’s, so many different folks that could actually be assisting in writing and developing some content, putting it sort of in the voice of the receiver of service, is that the ones who are actually delivering it? Staff, i mean, there’s there’s, sort of all of those things. But, you know, oftentimes there are complimentary non-profits there’s also different advocacy groups and folks that are talking about the similar topics that you would be supporting us a non-profit and so we would always suggest you could go read some of the content that’s out there and then put some opener in your own words when you’re attaching or sharing some of those things. So from a thought leadership perspective, here’s, why, i think it’s important for you as a supporter of our organization to read that information in terms of the your various internal constituents. How do you how do you empower them? Tio? Be content creators and enable them? And where does that stop, mister? Start with leadership, right? But how do we had a week persuade them that they can create through the content for us? Well, i think you know there’s. There’s a lot of different ways, tiu that ask sometimes you can just start simply by serving out, you know, asking for feedback, right? Few backs, a gift, so just going out to the recipient services and getting their feedback and then sometimes sharing back hey, you know, maybe we maybe we made an adjustment to some of the services were providing or we added another, you know, clean the park day because people said it was so great will want to do more of it. And so, you know, just simply by surveying, getting that feedback and saying, hey, we we heard you were going to add another day, and this was based on the feedback that provided by you are our supporters at the same time, when you’re thinking about your different constituents, anyone receiving services, you know, that gets to sort of the heartstrings of hearing from someone who, you know, i may be made a donation, that person received these services and what it did to them and their family, and then seeing seeing kind of the impact of what i’ve done with the delivery of those services, you know, is a real feel good and so, you know, they’ll be happy to share that, you know, they’re sort of their experiences staff and others that are delivering the services would want to share their experiences in doing so, and that certainly doesn’t feel good there as well. And then you kind of move around those different constituents, the just simply by asking, you know, you’ll find that several people, you know, believing in the organization will want to sort of tell their story from their vantage point. I think volunteers is just another great way where, you know, they’re they’re investing their time, they’re bringing their friends along to assist in volunteering and helping as well. And then, you know, they’re constantly and not even with the ass. They’re constantly always going to be sharing, you know, they attended the event that took photos, they want to post those they want to just talk about, you know, kind of the great experience, they’re they’re investing their limited time, we all have limited time, right? And so and they’re going, they’re going to sort of share on their own. But when you ask, you know, there’s, certainly i would feel good if the organization came to me and said they would love to get your thoughts. You know, do you mind telling us a little bit about your experiences with supporting the organization or volunteering? And people are happy to do that. This is going to require, ah, maybe a cultural shift in the organization. Our content is no longer just created by our web team, our web web person with, with, you know, in a small bits i shot, that could be one person. Dafs you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Yeah. Have you ever considered consulting a road map when you feel you need help getting to your destination when the normal path seems blocked? A little help can come in handy when choosing an alternate route. Your natal chart is a map of your potentials. It addresses relationships, finance, business, health and, above all, creativity. Current planetary cycles can either support or challenge your objectives. I’m montgomery taylor. If you would like to explore the help of a private astrological reading, please contact me at monte at monty taylor dot. Com let’s monte m o nt y at monty taylor dot com. 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. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. I’m rob mitchell, ceo of atlas, of giving. And you’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. We’re going tow, tow open, open up the culture, right? Yeah, i think you know it. It’s sometimes it’s an ah ha moment. You know, i actually helped start a couple of non-profits a cz well, sit on some boards and when we have these conversations, it’s sort of like, oh, ok, now i get it, you know, i didn’t even think of them as as opportunity for presenting some content for that we could be sharing. So it is a little bit of a shift. I mean, oftentimes you go rightto folks in marketing or on the content team and you know where they’re just going to be cranking out some of that content. But now they these two can reach out and find some other constituents that will assist. And i had a guest yesterday make the point that you have ah, production facility in your pocket with your average smartphone. Why not? We’re not empower people who are carrying those phones. Teo, his case was make a short video, right? So, you know, i think, yeah, the other thing, you could have some fun with it. So you know, there might be a contest around the organization. Was doing something where they’re like they wanted people to create t shirts, you know, or maybe some some branding around the organization, and so they have a contest and everyone starts creating those. Of course they’re going to want to share the ones that they’ve created they might may have. Well, here’s the top ten list or here’s the winner, of course. What are they going to do there? Want to tell everyone and share it on on their social networks? They look, check it out. My shirt wanted this contest at the local non-profit and so you could have some fun with different different ways to engage them. You probably have an interesting story. A founding team member of constant contact, constant contacts, pretty well known organization, which i’m sure you’re very pleased with. Yeah. What, what? When? When was i mint twisted in the founding of ah, such a ubiquitous company. When? When was the founding s so how did it come around? Sure. So, you know, from day one there was actually there’s three of us in an attic when we started. And then we quickly sort of banded together a great, great leadership team and others toe sort of help in sort of the founding of the organization. When was this? Where with a what year was this the ninety seven and ninety seven beginning in ninety eight? Okay, and so from day one there was obviously with with many of us there was, ah, sort of a passion to want to be involved with. Non-profits and we’ve we’ve supported non-profits from the get go, we’ve gotta cares for kids program where our customers are, partners are employees can all donate an account two of two non-profits that that are near and dear to them on, and certainly once that where they’re sort of supporting educational programs for kids. So we’ve been really active and involved there. Hyre and so today we have over a hundred thousand non-profits that we work with and so it’s, you know, obviously very key key part of the business and, you know, when we started early, i think, you know, one of the early premises were level the playing field for smaller organizations to be able to use the tools that you know, like email marketing against sort of the big box in the agencies and folks that we’re doing for for larger org’s yeah, what landscape looked like at that time, late ninety seven, ninety eight what was available before there was constant contact s o there were certainly some things that were being done on the enterprise, you know, kind of sort of upper end of the market for larger businesses, but there wasn’t present much for smaller, smaller organizations and non-profits and so, you know, at that time and still we see it today, ah, little bit where the inbox, you know, they were using some of their inboxes, you know, sending group based messages and attaching things to those and of course, all the problems that sort of ensued with using that as a marketing channel. And so, you know, as we evolved and creating this very easy to you sort of self self service tool, but but bringing in all of the thought leadership, the know how in the coaching to assist folks because, you know, we have over six hundred thousand customers today, and they’re all small businesses, you know, seventy percent have ten employees or less, you know, fifty per cent of two and twenty percent have one employee, so we’re dealing. With the v in very small, fifty percent have to two employees. Yeah, okay. And so, of course, in the non-profits scenario, there’s a lot of volunteers and other stepping in. And so we had to tow really figure out sort of that success formula. Tio, make sure that teach him how to do it well and help help them succeed at it. And now you have consultants who are who help help do the training. Yeah. So there s oh, there’s all kinds of way that we will assist them today. Last year, we spoke toe over four hundred thousand people locally. So we did about seven thousand events delivered by folks that we have out regional development directors in the field, but also we have authorized local experts that that air trained upto speaking as well and so we’re out, sort of in the communities delivering that thought leadership and best practices. Tto help folks succeed at that. And of course, if someone raises their hand and said, you know, i need assistance, you know, we have marketing coaches that are gonna help them, you know, as they initially get started, we’ve got, you know, sort of support. Any time where they can call on get assistance that way. But if they really do need someone to assist, we’ve got, you know, thousands of consultants that are local, and many that are also, you know, focused in different verticals that can assist them. I want to give a shout to ah maria simple, who is unauthorized local expert she’s a listeners know her very well she’s monthly contributor in prospect research, but she also is unauthorized local expert for constant contact. So i think if you’re thinking about constant contact, you’d like to learn more that no better place to start, maria simple and you can certainly get her through the show’s facebook page through my blaga tony martignetti dot com or her sight, which is the prospect finder dot com super yeah, she’s outstanding. Yeah, so glad she’s part of the show and has been for we’ll be a year and a half or two years, so yeah, um, let’s go back. Teo. Teo to your workshop. Back-up what? What more advice can we believe non-profits with you must have other tips. Things you take aways that you want to share? Yes, i think they’re a couple. Of you know, in terms of what we’re talking about content, i think one of the things today more so than ever, given that, you know, fifty one percent of the folks we’re looking at things on mobile phones a little bit on the less is more so thinking about, you know, oftentimes we want include images and and other things in there are communications want to make sure that the footprint of those air small so that it could be, could be read on those devices a supposed toe, you know, the way often see where have to sort of scroll side to side or up and down to see some of them. This is very important optimized for mobile, right? What do you say? Fifty percent of one percent opened on mobile? Yeah, kind of initially looking at the communication through mobile, so i think it’s really important to think about from the sizing of sort of images, but also make each other there’s an alternative text there if the images is blocked, so they’ll know kind of what, what, what they’re missing, but at the same time, you want to keep the content sort of short, sort. Of shorter and sweeter and you know you’ve got it, you’ve got sort of, you know, the initial two words of that subject line or kind of key, you know, you know, today or don’t miss out or, you know, things around, you know, sort of getting them. Tio tio want to go on and read that so they may look at it, the mobile they may actually, you know, go to the called action and do something there, of course, then you have the back of it being in your inbox. So then go look at the uso the full communication, but we would also guess, you know, if you’re doing a newsletter, you could do some of the initial content on, and then you could do some some sort of tease them with the article and then a link over to see the rest a supposed toe, putting everything in the communication. So there’s some some options there? Kind of, you know, dr them toe wanna click through because, you know, opens aren’t necessarily in an indication of reading, but what if they’ve clicked to go and see something you know, that’s that’s a good indication so as you look at things making immeasurable, i think one of the things that way often see is just, you know, thinking about the call to action and, you know, measurable results, right? So today, someone might say, well, so even, you know, email driving over to social, you know, if we get so many likes or so many shares that’s great, but but thinking about what? What you’re back to your goals and objectives of that communication, is it? Is that really it or do you want to be driving you? No action around, you know, attending our event or, you know, click to donate s o something something deeper than vanity metrics exactly and said it’s and said, you know, set that those goals and objectives so that that you’re mapping your communication to achieve that, and then of course, then, you know, as you go and and you create your communication, think about the leverage of sharing that so giving that campaign and through email, more life, bike by sharing that over on the social channels and as we talked earlier than once they’re on those channels and you, you’re building your building the conversation with, um then doing that ass to get them to subscribe in to get the targeted messaging through, you know? So so you you have the opportunity in that marketing mix to capture them wherever they’re hanging out. So if they miss the communication as ah, you know, because it’s girls through on social, they can always be coming back and seeing that in their inbox to take action. Okay, excellent. Thanks for your advice around. Coordinating email in social thanks to me. My pleasure, alex turn is a member of a founding team and vice president. Strategic market development. Constant contact. You’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of ntc not brought the technology conference. Twenty fourteen. Thanks so much for being with us. Thank you, tony. Thanks to the folks at and ten, the non-profit technology network got more live listener love people joining in kawasaki and shoes. Wacha, japan. Konnichi wa. Beverly, massachusetts. Atlanta, georgia and multiple new york city lots. People in new york city welcome live listener love to you going abroad again. Let’s. Go to china, nanjing ton gene ni hao the philippines air with us. Ireland is with us can tell what cities in either of those countries, we could see la paz, bolivia, though don’t we don’t get too many listeners from south america welcome live listener love and coming back here, mount st joseph, ohio live love to you. Next week we have a seat altum he’s going to talk about using your irs form nine ninety as a marketing tool and also another interview from non-profit technology network. If you missed any of today’s show, you’ll find it at tony martignetti dot com. Remember generosity siri’s for those multi-channel ity five runs, walks, generosity, siri’s, dot com, our creative producers, claire meyerhoff, sam liebowitz is the line producer shows social media is by julia campbell of jake campbell. Social marketing on the remote producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is john federico of the new rules music is by scott stein. You with me next week for non-profit radio. I hope you will big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Go out and be great. Yeah. They didn’t think dick tooting. Good ending. You’re listening to the talking, alternate network, waiting to get anything. Good. Come. Join us for the thirteenth annual vigil for international peace and ecology on sunday, september twenty one. From nine a, m to six p, m. Celebration of live music and dance performances. Spoken word human-centered line art installations in a world peace flag ceremony that celebrates the united nations international day of peace. That’s sunday, september twenty one from nine a, m to six p, m central park numbered band shell by the bethesda fountain. For more information or volunteer, go to www. Dot vigil number four. International peace dot org’s that’s, the number four in the earl, or call to want to chip in to five, four, three two that’s a two one, two, triple two, five, four, three two we’ll see you there. Krauz durney you’re listening to talking alternative network at www dot talking alternative dot com now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Have you ever considered consulting a road map when you feel you need help getting to your destination when the normal path seems blocked? A little help can come in handy when choosing an alternate route. Your natal chart is a map of your potentials. It addresses relationships, finance, business, health and, above all, creativity. Current planetary cycles can either support or challenge your objectives. I’m montgomery taylor. If you would like to explore the help of a private astrological reading, please contact me at monte at monty taylor dot com let’s monte m o nt y at monty taylor dot com. 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. Talking. Hyre