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Nonprofit Radio for July 1, 2016: Purpose Driven Branding & GuideStar Platinum

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

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Laura Ferry: Purpose Driven Branding

You need to be deliberate in the partners you select when you venture into co-branding. Laura Ferry helps you package yourself to potential partners; find the right ones; and, select the relationship that makes the most sense for your objectives. Laura is the founder of Good Company.

 

 

Eva Nico: GuideStar Platinum

Eva Nico, GuideStar’s lead on nonprofit strategy and evaluation, walks you through their new platinum level and how to get there. Your nonprofit probably has a GuideStar profile, and if you haven’t contributed to it, it looks bad. Whichever level you’re at, Eva will help you out.

 


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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, we have a listener of the week kapin coal from the san francisco bay area she’s at non-profit chapin and she tweeted, quote, catching up on last month’s tony martignetti non-profit radio and i here at non-profit meg is listener of the week congrats girl. Well, when you shout out a listener, the weak you become one if you are the first to do it and that’s what shape? And did nobody’s ever done that before? And she used the hashtag non-profit radio, which i am always grateful for. So shape and cole, congratulations are non-profit radio listener of the week and i’m glad you’re with me. I come down with bronco candid i assists if i caught wind of the idea that you missed today’s show purpose driven branding, you need to be deliberate in the partners you select when you venture into co-branding laura ferry helps you package yourself to potential partners, find the right ones and select the relationship that makes the most sense for your objectives. Laura is the founder of goodcompany and guide star platinum even nico guide stars lead on non-profit strategy and evaluation walks you through their new platinum level and how to get there. You’re non-profit probably has a guide star profile already, and if you haven’t contributed to it, it looks bad whichever level your app even we’ll help you out on tony’s. Take two fund-raising fundamentals we’re sponsored by pursuant full service fund-raising data driven and technology enabled, you’ll raise more money pursuant. Dot com my pleasure to welcome laura ferry to the show. She is the founder of high low laura. Let me give you a formal introduction, please. Founder of goodcompany, a brand citizenship consultancy. She has over fifteen years of marketing strategy and alliance experience. And her clients include partnership for a healthier america, hewlett packard, pbs kids, petsmart charities and national public radio. They’re at goodcompany strategies. Dot com laura faerie. Welcome, paul. Hi. Great to be here, tony. Okay. Oh, hi. You’re ready now? Yeah. Okay. Because we’re on your on. All right. Okay. Um, let’s start at the like there’s. A basic level of you know, co-branding and strategies with partners. And what? What do you feel that non-profits are not? Getting quite right about this field, i think one of the most important things about bringing a non-profit and a corporate culture together in a partnership is to really try to understand each other’s position coming into it. I think one of the biggest challenges is really seeing that other side and trying to bring those two together and integrated effort. So one of the key things for making that happen, mr, really come to the table understanding what your organization brings to the martin our ship on how that aligns with okay, okay, and we’re going to we’re going to get to that because that isn’t you’re right, that’s a very important part. What what do you bring? What? What are the what are the, the potential partners? And most most often, i don’t know that always companies, but most often their companies. What? What are the company’s looking for? The corporate partners are you are usually looking for somebody some organization to align with that has similar values brand values, it’s the corporation has selected a cause that they want there, corporation or brand to be about that is usually the first step toward them identifying a non-profit partner, that fits their goals. Ok, okay. No, please go ahead. Continue. I was going to say, and they also are looking for non-profit partners who have that mindset of plenty together. A sortie xero relationship that benefits both parties. You mentioned, i think the phrase brand value and at the outset, i don’t wantto don’t wantto make universe cerini but we have jargon jail in-kind martin and tony martignetti non-profit radio, but we’re just getting started, so i’ll, you know ah, light sentence. But but and plus, just some of these phrases are unfamiliar to people in non-profits help us understand what brand value what does that mean or whatever? Maybe maybe through examples. What are examples or what does that mean? I think the best way to think about that is the trumpet to use the term brand citizenship and what corporations were trying to dio or how they benefit from working to do things that support social impact. And there it is. But really it’s like putting a halo on a corporate brand and giving it a social profits selves, it helps them engaged at the consumer level in a meaningful way. That address is on an empathetic way what the consumer is is concerned about in the world. So that’s, how causes come together with corporations and corporations create brands that are good citizens in the marketplace? Okay, i can’t like that that halo analogies uh, yeah, cool, alright, i mean, not that they’re not that they’re bad to start and i need a halo, but no, they’re they’re they’re not well, that’s. Why? I’m not sure that sainted i think saint, did you have a nimbus around you? But a halo for halo is for angels, right? And the nimbus is i think, for saints, so so we’re not putting, you know, to point your gear brand in the direction of of giving it a purpose to solve. The social problem is really relevant today because today’s consumer, similar ennio consumer in particular, is looking for corporations to solve business problems in a way that they no longer really necessarily have faith that the government can d’oh that’s where all of this conversation around france being good citizens has emerged hard to imagine a loss of faith in government. Yeah, just can’t conceive of that. All right? How about some examples whether they’re big famous? Ones or or smaller ones, you know, i mean, because our audience is small and midsize non-profit so it doesn’t have to be a, you know, big famous one, but sametz samples before we take our first break in a couple minutes. Yeah, i think what your switch you’re seeing out there is brand associating themselves with causes like, uh, that that emerged from, like starbucks is a great example starbucks has hyre a lot of initiatives that our focus on solving social problems, everything from making sure their employees have college degrees, too. I’m starting a dialogue at the register on talking about it’s, just like race, which howard schultz, john give it, give it, give a try and actually got a lot of flack for it, but he did try to start a conversation around a really relevant special topic on dh now starbucks is also taking its surplus of food supply and donating it at the end of every day. All of those acts are all of those programs that they’ve developed help them put that halo on their bread and have and create that brand feeling about starbucks that day that they care about what the rest of us care about howard schultz is ceo of starbucks. Yes, okay, okay, that’s, a that’s, a good example to go out on, we’re going to take our break, and when we come back you and i’ll keep talking about purpose driven branding, 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. I feel like doing live listener love right now we got it, we got to send the live love to everyone who is throughout the country throughout the world. We know we get listeners from routinely from asia on dh germany, ups and mexico very often. So live listener love, of course, to was in the u s listening friday one p m eastern, but sending that live listener love international as well. You know who you are live listeners podcast pleasantries, that’s where the over ten thousand are listening in the time shift whatever device in time and activity you’re in the midst of while you’re listening i’m glad you’re with us pleasantries to the podcast listeners and the affiliate affections cannot continue without sending the affections to our am and fm listeners throughout the country. Whatever day of the week. Whatever time your station has scheduled us, i am glad you’re with us. I know somewhere, even on weekends, affections to our many am and fm affiliate listeners throughout the country. Okay, laura ferry, thank you for indulging me while i, uh, send live. Listen, love. Podcast pleasantries and affiliate affection is very important to do. Um, okay, well, reassure me, please, and us that this is not on ly for big organizations and international corporations to come together, but we could do this on a small level local level as well, right? Yes, of course she could. And one of them is the most amazing thing is a small business is known for it philantech please. So there you could really approach these partnerships at a local level. They’re small non-profit using the same steps toward really, you know, developing an effective partnership that really helps promote your mission and engage people in that cause while at the same time helping that local business got from those ability for being a good community, citizens and, of course, on the local level, smaller organizations have that advantage. You know, you may be seeing potential partners at events in your community chamber of commerce, which a lot of non-profits belong to, you know, you’re you’re meeting potential partners probably a lot more often than than big scale non-profits like you’re rubbing shoulders with them, you know, often routinely. Okay, so let’s go where you wanted to go. Because this is important. On what? Identifying what it is you bring to the table to help your potential corporate partner maximize that brand value. Look at me being old jargon e l love this it’s great it’s. Great. So i think i like just throw some questions out for your audience to think about that. You know how before you approach a partner, these air the casings to think about how can your non-profit help foster that brand citizenship or bring that brand halo to that corporate partner and fearsome test? Look for ways that that your mission aligns with the cause that that corporation cares about even goes far is being doing a research ahead of time, looking at their corporate website, trying to understand what they may already be doing in the corporate social responsibility area and seeing if you’re a good fit. Okay, now and in terms of that, laura, could we look to see who they may have partnered with in the past? That may be a related mission. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. I don’t want you to go through the list too fast because i may have some questions for you. Okay. Okay. So, uh another really key factor, and developing any partnership is to make sure that you have support across the organization. So once you found and identified that partner, make sure that that they’re all of their resources are also bringing, uh, their resources to the table. So you really want to put in all hands on deck partnership and know that you have, you know, a little support on both sides of the partnership to really have the most effective intact together. Yeah, so is this something that on the non-profit side, the board should be apprised of right? And maybe, i don’t know, maybe even approve. Absolutely. I don’t really know any non-profits who wouldn’t take a big strategic partnership and have the board weigh in on it. So absolutely. Do you want to see these? Once we’ve identified our partner, is there a written agreement between the parties? Yes, there usually is. And and that could be a non disclosure. That could be a contract between the two organizations. But you’re usually sharing brands which are assets that you have to protect legally at those people, uh, are aware of that. So you want to be sure you have an agreement in place that, uh, that legal allows you to share brands and also gives you the option of reviewing and approving how your brand is being used on the other side of the partners? Yes, yes. Excellent. Good. Brand management is really important. Okay. Okay. Uh, all right. Go ahead. What else? Ah, in terms of the value we bring to the corporate partner hey, there’s, this isn’t always the case with all partnerships. That kind of depends on what kind of relationship we’re trying to build. But if you could engage that corporations, employees in your efforts to support whatever the campaign, you’re putting together with corporations or any kind of the program that just lends itself to engaging employees that’s a really great asset to your charity, because that could be, you know, for a small company, hundreds of new brand advocates for you as a non-profit and it can also lead to along a longer term relationship with that corporation because those folks actually become your supporters is part of your campaign. I’m thinking, like, top my heads, our mentor possibilities, but it really could be any could be any volunteer activity, right? That sure. Okay, you have any examining going on? Yes, i do. And one of the really wonderful non-profits i work with this kaboom, which is an organization that builds playgrounds across the country they built over sixteen thousand. So far on that is, uh, a, uh non-profit that typically it’s not there. Only it’s like the only vision for the cause of play, but they typically bring in corporate employees to come actually do those playground, though. So if god carmax, for example, is one of their big sponsors. So if there’s a local playground build near carmax locations, carmax employees actually go out to that site. And participate in the playground built. So it brings a lot of team building. Is it feeling good about the company? He worked for? It’s really? On exciting and meaningful, an authentic way to engage your employees and volunteering and coming together at a company. Excellent. Now this would have would feed what you said earlier about millennials. And if it’s a it’s, a company that has a lot of young employees, they’re they’re looking to blend their their professional life with social change work, right? Yes, absolutely they’re also looking for opportunities to connect socially, so by bringing them together are providing them with access to volunteer opportunities. They have a chance to meet new people and share in an active there that they can feel really good about doing together. So we do the playground build all day, and then we meet for beers after that’s ideal, right? Exactly. Ok, yeah, exactly, ok s o that’s called the the employee engagement so that’s i’m just i’m just i’m just amplifying. It was reiterating what you said but valuable to think through how employees could help your cause and the value that that brings to the to the company. In terms of engagement and company spirit, maybe i mean some company he comes. Some companies even have a requirement right for so many service hours, i guess per year or something like that? Yes. That’s their true. Okay. Excellent. All right. The employee engagement. All right, what else? What else you got? I think one of the things that you need to remember to is that alright, relationships require work. So the best ones really flourished when both parties begin with shared common interest singles and really bring that value together to the table and get really creative about what it is you want to do together. We mentioned a playground, bill that’s. One option. But could you also tie that teo retail promotion? Where, you know, at the register, you ask customers to donate a percentage of their transaction? Tio just to the kaboom cause todo playground and in our local communities, those are great ways not only to engage on the employee’s side, but also at the consumer level. You’re connecting there as well. Okay, you got any other? I love stories. And i some of the feedback i get from listeners to is that they love. Stories to any other, any others examples doesn’t have to be of the volunteer. I think a lot of really interesting things happening with designers who are developing, uh, fashion lines and products to support causes that they care deeply about you may recently have seen tommy hilfiger launched a line with a non-profit called runway of dreams to design an apparel line for learning disabled kids, so they he’s actually created a very stylish line. That’s easy, tio, pick off and get on so that’s one example, lady gaga and elton john just launched a product ah called love bravery at macy’s that is really interesting and showing some real promise for supporting both of their independent foundations. Um, there’s also social enterprises emerging everywhere, which typically a lost non-profit partnership uh, brands like tom’s where buy one give one are now partnering with coffee companies and a whole range of ah causes that are out there in the field helping in developing countries. Ah, gymboree and kapin kaboom is another example of a baboon partnership that i’m really excited about is cook doing parted with gymboree than on and gymboree launched a line of play where it last year called hop and roll and a percentage of of all of the apparel line that was sold to supporting kaboom cause, uh, employees and all the stores competed on the one who the store who raised the most funding for, um for by selling product to consumers actually won a local playground bills. So it was really well integrated program that involved engaging both employees and consumers, and we’ll do good campaign. Excellent. So so what? The higher level, this this clearly even product development is possible. You you’ve given a couple examples of where special products were developed. Okay now, again, small and midsize non-profits out. They may not get that far, but there still is. They’re still great potential for doing this on on a smaller scale. Sure. And, you know, there are local non-profits that further causes that are being supported by local business all the time. Alex’s lemonade stands are happening everywhere. So there are local restaurant night where percentage of that night sales that stone into a local cause. Uh, so those airways to engage through retail, whether they be restaurants or, you know, apparel stores, local grocery to support the cause is that that local communities? Yes. Excellent car washers. I mean, we know whatever whatever is in your community on dh. Yeah, i think you’ve just touched on the point that if there’s already some relationship between you, you know, maybe they’re just giving twenty five hundred dollars to your and you will run, walk or something like that or, you know, they’re sponsoring you in some other way. Maybe, you know, leveraging that existing relationship and approaching the company about going deeper. Yes. That’s that’s a great way to think about it. In fact, i’ll go out on a limb here and say, i think there have been in charity work happening at the local level, two small non-profits and local businesses for a really long time and corporate brands that are now just catching on to engaging at the local level through store retail stores in campaign. So i do. I do agree with you. I think a lot of really exciting things can happen at the local level. And you can actually work that backwards. Now. Goto the corporate side too. Support your non-profit on a national basis. Yeah. Cool. Now, if laura, if we want to get this started? I mean, isat do we need to go in with fancy, you know, a fancy presentation the first time? Or is it really just a conversation the first time to sort of explore? I think it’s important to go in there, having done your research and really understanding who that company is and what they care about most and what they’re trying to achieve by participating in a collaboration with a non-profit on dh and if you can show that where you’ve connected the dots before you go in there and tell that story in that meeting, how you deliver it is is not as important as the story you tell. So, you know, i like to have power point that some people are better it just articulating, um, you know, the connections that they’re saying and they’re there, what they see is a value and bringing these two organizations together verbally so there’s really no magic answer. It surely just depends on what you’re comfortable with. All right? Long story. Good. All right. Um, i took a little off track and mohr mohr for ah, showing value to the potential corporate partner. What those questions to think through i think you want to, uh, talk through what kind of first take a look at your organization and what you khun gray in terms of marketing resources to support a campaign that could be anything from interesting promotions and campaigns that you go that you have going on or have plans for and how that company can integrate into that. That planning, uh, if you have basic marketing tools in place and you’ll reach a lot of people, tell that corporation all about it because that’s that’s an audience that’s really going toe the thrill that corporation is supporting because they care about that would include your social media. Your newsletter, your website, just really what ways can you give visibility to the partnership from a marketing and communications standpoint? And one of those numbers look like they’re lower numbers and they’re not going to blow a big corporation away. That’s okay, just talk about the resources that you do have and on the investment that you’re willing to make, too, to share that corporations part of the partnership to your stakeholders in your community and, you know, are there ways to connect employees like we talked about? Really? Looking at all the way around the scope of possibility for bringing the organization’s together. And i think that’s that’s really what you want to have in your story and your pitch, too a corporate partner for a small business, you can use the same principles that yeah, absolutely you yeah, and and you want to go in confidently because you you do have the you do have assets, you know, you mentioned, like, all the social media properties and and your own brand value and your dedicated volunteers, you know, you do have networks and assets that you, khun bring to the relationship. You want to be confident about this. This is not a humble ask, right? Okay, i guess you agree. Okay, ok, cool. We have just like a minute and a half left. What? What? What have we not talked about or what do you wish? I’d asked that i haven’t. Please one of the most marks, most remarkable statistics that i’ve seen that i’m trying to build on right now. And i’m heading tto licensing expo next week in las vegas to talkto companies about working with my non-profit clients no license their brands to consumer. Product program, because i think there is an opportunity, tio cell cause branded products, uh, not all of them fit, but quite a few of them do, and and i’d like to see that development and really that’s, based on some cohen research that came out that says that eighty seven percent of consumers latto products associated with the cause over the left twelve months that’s, a khan twenty fifteen research data points that is a really strong one, so it is an opportunity, i think, to make a connection at retail. So how can you develop more product, not just promotions, but products that actually can activate? I thought about your mission in people’s homes and in their daily lives through product, we have to leave it there. Thank you very much, laura. Thank you, thank you, laura faerie, founder of goodcompany. There goodcompany strategies. Dot com. Guidestar platinum with even nico is coming up first. Pursuant velocity is one of their online tools. Why do you need it? You don’t, you could keep on managing your fund-raising the same way you do now and keep on expecting different results, and you will prove yourself insane. Or i suggest you can keep your fundraisers on target by prioritizing activities, measuring their time against goal, making smart decisions about what to do each day and each week, and following up on time with donors and potential donors, tracking milestones with potential donors. And, of course, all the tools and the dashboard that go along with that all in velocity. It was created to help pursuant fund-raising consultants manage their client campaigns, but now you get the pro tools to manage your own campaigns, and that doesn’t matter whether you have one fundraiser or you have a team or you’re an executive director doing your fund-raising you need management tools too keep you on track and all these other things. I was just talking about velocity. It helps you raise more money, you’ll find it at pursuant dot com. Now, tony’s, take two fund-raising fundamentals. Have you checked it? Out it is my alter ego. The other podcast i do. I produce it for the chronicle of philanthropy and it’s. Very different. Different format length. Um where? It’s only ten minutes. Ten to twelve minutes. And it’s once a month. Not a weekly it’s on the chronicle of philanthropy website philanthropy. Dot com it’s. Not at tony martignetti dot com. Did i mention my side is tony martignetti dot com telefund dot com and it is devoted to fund-raising that’s, that’s all we talk about now that that’s pretty wide topic, but we don’t get into the stuff that is legal. Andi even, you know, social media, you know, started tangential prospect research getting old, tangential. So it’s devoted to fund-raising. But we talked about events, grants planned e-giving major annual, um, crowd funding. Those are just some of the ones that come occur to me off the top of my head anyway. Fund-raising fundamentals quick burst. Once a month, you’ll find info at twenty martignetti dot com there is info there on dh fund-raising fundamentals is also on itunes. As is this show that’s tony’s take two. My pleasure to welcome even nico to the show as guide. Stars lead on non-profit strategy and evaluation issues. Even nico helps non-profits share their full story, using the guide star profile and to use the information to make better decisions. She has over twelve years of experience in strategic planning and evaluation in the social sector. Having worked at fsg social impact advisors and mckinsey and company, she has a phd in physics from oxford university. Dr niko, welcome to non-profit radio it’s. A pleasure to have you. I have to ask you right off with this phd in physics. Does this non-profit inertia trouble you? Well, i probably have a better understanding of non-profit inertia, maybe that anyone else having having a degree in physics and, you know, learning about inertia and all the forces that actor in the world so i often him, you know, both and used and delighted when i hear some of those words from science trickling into into the social sector as well. Well, i’m going to challenge that. You may know the most about it. I i studied up and i learned that for a mass point. The moment of inertia is just the mass times, mass times the square of the perpendicular distance to the rotation access i equals m r squared, of course, and that point mass relationship becomes the basis for all other moments of inertia. Since any object can be built up from a collection of point masses, how do you feel about that? I think that just proves that these days, if you have the google and wikipedia and access to all of the sources, then maybe you don’t. Maybe you don’t need to study quite a quite as much. How dare you? How dare you suggest that? Where do you come off? Well i just introduced you. We never even got started yet. All right. Um really? I mean, honestly, okay. Guidestar, guidestar, dot or ge? They have ah, niu platinum, the new platinum club, the platinum level tell us, just give us an overview about this before we go into detail. Yeah, now absolutely so it’s funny. So i’m you know, relatively new to guide star i’ve been with rose for about six months, but i feel like that gives me kind of a unique view on what we’re doing and some of the new things that we’re doing and what’s most exciting. And i would say one of the most exciting things that we’ve done, you know, really for a long time is to have to have released problems. So platinum is so we recognize non-profits for sharing information through guide star and it’s, not just sharing it with us, but it’s sharing it with a lot of other stakeholders, including donors thunders, you know, other non-profits and audiences, and we recognize that non-profits with what we what we call a seal of transparency so that’s, really and platinum is our highest and knew it seal of transparency and a recognition of the kind of really interesting and much more meaningful data that non-profits can share with others. All right, cool. Now, uh, let’s, let’s, give some background, tio, guidestar and and its value. What kind of stats do you have on this guidestar dot org’s thatyou khun boast about in a number of unique users each month? I mean, come on, you know, you have this, you know how many? How many people? How many people in america are you to me, but being sort of like a cross between, obviously we are non-profit ourselves a social sector organization, but also in company, because we do run guys start that or that we, you know, we do well, we deal a lot with digital data. So yes, there are a lot of numbers out there that sounds very impressive. And i would say one of the things that really drew me to guide stars is just a scale of reach that we have. So a few of those numbers of guy estrada or ge gets about seven million visitors per year. And this this is a cross section of both, you know, donors who might be coming to us advisors. Who are working with foundations and advising them on the strategies and the partners that they have, as well as non-profits who come to us directly to either, you know, look for their own information in some cases, and of course, to look at their peers. So seven million visitors, i would say that we have also, you know, one thing that we that i didn’t know about before guys start before coming here is that when you participate without your data doesn’t just stay on guidestar dot org’s, you know, as great as that is, it actually flows to a lot of other places in the sector, so we have over one hundred ninety, partner kind of websites, platforms who who used this data and they sit with their audiences who again tend to be donors or, you know, for crowd funding for point of sale giving for donor advised funds. E-giving so, you know, through that kind of network of one hundred ninety partners, we we you know, millions, not just seven, but, you know, tens to hundreds of billions but could could even be more than i equals m r squared could be could be i don’t know how that applies to anything but is completely irrelevant. But now every organization that file’s in nine ninety is already on guide star, right? Yes. Okay, i know you want to make this point even more emphatically than i did for are over ten thousand listeners throughout small and midsize non-profits you’re already there. Yeah, i think this is this can’t be over kind of emphasized, so a lot of people might think that it’s kind of like linkedin where you have to go and create a profile. The fact is, if you do file a form with the irs, but you are already on guidestar, and so really, the thing to do is to kind of google yourself, sees your guy’s profile, comes up or come to guys start at borg and sort of google yours up with us. Search for yourself and see what’s there because i’m finding that a lot of non-profits especially your, you know, fantastic audience, maybe a sort of smaller to ms sidle midsize organizations doesn’t know that they’re already on their and maybe their profile is looking a little sad. Yeah, what would they have if they’ve contributed nothing? Well, they might. Have their basic nine, ninety form as a button, and otherwise, you know not much off perhaps a few of the fields from the nine, ninety that’s named their ceo, but not much else. Okay, now, tio, you said to move up to the platinum or two moved a level you recognize non-profits for their contributions, and you have different levels. Bronze, silver, gold and platinum. And now, okay, why don’t we? Well, what comes before bronze, like, if you’ve contributed nothing, is that the aluminum foil it’s, like a sheet of paper? No. Well, try to stick. I mean, okay, your degrees, physical physics, not chemistry, but try to stick with the pattern. It’s all there, all medals. Let go that’s! Better than aluminum foil. Yes, lead, pb. Okay, so i know all about science and chemistry. Pb lead. Yes, lead that’s a better one than aluminum foil even. Okay, so if we have nothing, my organization has not contributed anything to the guidestar dot or ge. How do i get to the bronze? No, no. That’s a great question. So, i mean, the first thing to do is to actually claim your profile. I love that works claim, you know, it’s sort of obviously connotation, some level of ownership, but we have got to start obviously can’t just let anyone modify any organizations profilers needs to someone who represents that organization needs to, you know, come to us and say, hey, i’d like to you know, i’d like to be in charge of the content on my profile, and so all you have to do is come to you guys, start that orc and there’s a nice button up, you know, a field up top that says update your profile that takes you through some of the instructions. But the first step is going to be to, you know, tell us that you want to claim your profile. By coming to our website, then we will do a little bit of due diligence to make sure that we verify that you can, in fact, modify the organization. You want to represent your weinger bonem fundez just that your bona fide? Yeah. Okay. And then after that, your kind ofyou have access two as a set of tools that let you contribute the information. All right, all right. So that’s bronze and and how do we move up? Yeah, so broad. I mean, one thing i’ll say about bronze bronze are is kind of the basics, right? Unless you climb the podium. You know, the olympics coming up later this summer, it gets you on the podium, right? It sort of means that you you could be found as an organization that is a legitimate organization working in the social sector. All right. And more than just your more than just your nine, ninety, is there? Yeah. So, it’s, just, you know, you can say kind of what your programs are. You can obviously a little bit more about who your leaders are. And frankly, you can also make sure that your correct address appears with your organization. Like you wouldn’t believe, but i know a lot of us move around, and this could be a problem even having the right address, foreign organizations that, you know, step one, you’re on the podium with ron, get over is basically contributing some your actual audited financials or some equivalent. So the nine, ninety, you know, we love we know it, we love it, but it’s a little bit dated and it’s not the same audited financials. So if you if you want to get the silver, you can contribute some additional information about your financials and that just increases trust in your organization. All right, wait, wait even let me stop you doesn’t have to be an audited financial statement cause a lot of small organizations don’t don’t have to do that and don’t do it it’s very expensive, right? So i would say one passes the auditors statement, the other passes the tool basically give you some of the fields that we need that kind of give us a little bit of the equivalent, even if it’s not audited. Okay, i don’t see how you’re very egalitarian there, all right? All right. Gold, gold wolber gold is basically helping tell your story, right? You’re not just your financials, you’re not just your tax form, you’re not even just your address. It’s really about describing what you’re trying to do and what strategy is you’re using to get there? So is allowing you to tell your story in your own words, so more narrative in the gold, more free form, okay? And the pinnacle blast them? Yes, xena, zenith of guidestar presence. I don’t know where they were going to go, you know, diamond emerald next or what? I know well, you have to go like like, you know, it is kopperman basically says, you know it, if gold is the town halls and platinum is a little bit the show, right show it. And so what we’re what we’re looking for there is for organizations to tell us about some of the measures that they use to track their progress in results. So it’s, it’s, more quantitative, you know, give us the measures, but i would say it’s still very inviting for organizations of any size, okay? Because we basically were not dictating to you what you should measure, we’re just asking what you already do and what you care about and what you talk with your board about already in terms of outcomes and impact, is that a is that where you’re going with this? Well, i think we’re starting a basic, even just the outputs, right, sort of what activities, how many people are you’re serving? You know, if you if you have, if you have compelling information about what happens to those people that, you know, you might think of those mora’s out out outcomes, then we are definitely want to know that as well. Okay, i understand. All right, we’re gonna take a break, and, well, professor niko and i have plenty more time left. Teo, go through the rigours of equal m r squared, and so please stay with us, and we’ll keep talking about guide star, platinum and guidestar generally. 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 naomi 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. Duitz hi, this is claire meyerhoff from the plan giving agency. If you have big dreams but a small budget, you have a home at tony martignetti non-profit radio. Eva, i elevated you. I called you professor nico. I should’ve just said dr niko. Doctor, have you ever been a bit? Have you have been a professor of physics? You have not right. Okay, i did not recall that in your in your bio, but i want to be sure. So it’s just it’s. Just it’s. Just dr nico. Not not, professor. Um, okay, so no. So after platinum, i don’t know. The best thing i was thinking of was like, you’re gonna have to go, like american express black, but of course, that’s not a metal. So i don’t know where you’re going, but clearly you need you’re going to need more because you’re gonna have a lot of organizations in platinum in a few years and then you’re going to want to distinguish even higher than that. So i hope there’s planning for the expansion in the future, the up on the upside. Well, it sounds like you have some good, great ideas, tony. And if your listeners teo all years yeah, i was thinking, do we go gems? Do we go planet? Do we go colors? Planets is a good one. Oh, yeah, we just found another twelve hundred forty seven planets? I think so. Planet says you’ve got a lot of potential upside potential with planets. That’s a good one. Um okay, so we understand what these levels air about and let’s see what’s so wanted it was anything more you want. Talk about the terms of the of the platforms of the ladder or whatever metaphor you use, teo, describe these different levels. Anything more you want to say about that? I think i think we’re pretty good, although i just want to say that i think what’s really interesting is that it’s already? So we have about over six hundred organizations currently who have gotten to platinum and what’s nice. Is that it’s? Not just some of the big guys? Of course we do have those represented, but it is actually organizations just like ones that are hopefully listening. So i just pulled out a profile here for a little organization called the adult life training incorporated it’s out of fort wayne, indiana. It’s got, you know, an income revenue of, uh, a few thousand dollars on dh what’s. Fascinating is, you know, obviously i can read a lot about their mission. They’re trying to help hyre they’re trying to help people gain employment, but when you go to that platinum results, you see, you know, you see some really fascinating things, like they say here the number of clients that we served, it happens to be thirty eight and twenty fifteen, so now you know, something, they they’ve touched, you know, the lives of almost forty, people hyre here are how many certificates have been earned by those people in terms of further training, the one hundred fifty four and then here’s the numbers of here’s, the number of hours of training that has been delivered and it’s almost six thousand hours of training. And, you know, i’m just saying that i think this kind of information is extremely valuable for other non-profits to see and understand and for donors and thunder to see and understand that’s an excellent example. Thank you. Even what’s the name of the organization again. Shout them out again. It’s called adult life training think and it’s out of fort wayne, indiana. Excellent. Excellent. All right. I hope adult life training is listening, but okay, so that’s a great example of a very small organization. Thirty eight. People served in a year, but hyper local and they’re ah, they’re in the platinum club, you’re in the club, all right? All right. Um, what kind of feedback do you get from donors of potential donors? The individuals using guide star, you know, share some of those hopefully positive stories? I’m sure they are. Well, what kind of stuff do you hear? Oh, i think, you know, donors really these days are increasingly coming online toe look for information about non-profits and i’m sure we all talked about a lot about millennials, but we all know the trends there that increasingly people look for information and people are curious about not only, you know, they do care about some of the financials they do, but they really want to know what? What are some of the results? What does the work look like? They want to see some of the pictures, um, of people being health, and they want to understand the scope of work that a non-profit might be doing. And so we just see a lot of interest in this in this kind of information from donors and hence the new platinum level because that gets to what you’re describing people are seeking. How about from non-profits do you? You get it anecdotes from organisations that are grateful that you’re there because you enabled ah ah! Gift. Absolutely so way enabled give through our through our platform there sort of donate now buttons on our platform, and obviously, as i mentioned, we enable a lot of a lot of non-profits come to us actually, because they are trying to participate in the amazon smile program that’s sort of millions of dollars are moving through the program where someone could buy a book and give to their favorite non-profit at the same time, we actually provide the back end to that information, and so they want to be featured on there, and they come to us sense of mr info and his current with amazon and its current with all those one hundred ninety other websites. So, you know, we definitely see non-profits just being thankful that we save them time and we increase their exposure to all of those different audiences, and they don’t have to maintain a separate profile with all of those different order, which for small non-profit would be a humongous a little more about these hundred ninety partners you have what are some other examples of types of organisations or companies that are using guide stars, expertise and and gathered information? Yeah, great. Great it’s. The second one. Oh boy, thank you. Two in two in thirty minutes. That’s. Great. Thanks. So so one one great example. So all of the major donor advised funds of national donor advised funds that that facilitate e-giving for donors are using guide stars data. So obviously, fidelity, schwab, those those kinds of funds we also, as i mentioned, obviously participate in a lot of that kind of point of sale giving programs. Amazon probably being the biggest one. And then the third sort of the third kind of group of people are, you know, there’s, a lot of crowd sourcing crowd funding web sites out there, you know, global e-giving give well, grassroots or great there’s a lot of sort of crowd funding websites that also are looking for non-profits teo, you know, to be features there, and we provide that information as well. Excellent. Those are some very big names. Cool. All right. We just have about two minutes or so left. Eva and i want to touch on the overhead myth. The the idea that the best way to evaluate a charity is tow no one number. And that is how much of its revenue does it spend on, quote overhead that this bad this bad moniker for all non program expenses. What is guidestar doing to help defeat this myth? We’ve been very active on this because we we think that judging a non-profit by their overhead ratio is just, you know, playing wrong. It’s it’s sort of like judging a business by their cost, without understanding that returned that they might be generating. So what i think it’s wrong to we’ve been active in campaigning and always had sort of a letter to donors, a letter to thunder’s about the overhead miss and how they should be paying more attention to how they think about, you know, how they compensate non-profits for the work, the true cost of the program and briefly overhead is people its executive directors, it it if they are the people also doing the work and being out there in the world promoting the work. So, you know, that that’s been a part of the campaign, the other thing i would say, just a link back to our problem conversation is, you know, so far, we said two donors, please don’t look at the financial ratio, right, it’s sort of like telling people, please don’t think about the pink elephants what’s the first thing you think about, you know, the pink elephants, so i wouldn’t feel like wave tell people not to look at that as the sole measure of success, but we haven’t had a lot to offer. Instead, i feel like we’ve gotten more. We’re going to get their offering them something else compelling to think about it. Look at all right? We have to leave it there. Eva listeners can look back to that show that i had on had with the jacob harold, the ceo of of guide star and the other two signers to the overhead myth letter about two years ago. October was that october. I think twenty thirteen maybe was almost three years ago even thank you very much. Thank you. You’re very welcome. Thank you. Even ico representing, of course, guidestar dot or ge next week, maria simple returns with political giving. If you missed any part of today’s show, i beseech you, find it on tony martignetti dot com. We’re sponsored by pursuing online tools for small and midsize non-profits data driven and technology enabled pursuant dot com creative producer is claire meyerhoff. Sam liebowitz is the line. Producer gavin doll is our am and fm outreach director. Shows social media is by susan chavez. On our music is by scott stein. Be with me next week for non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Go out and be great. 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 craig newmark yeah insights, orn presentation or anything? 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