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Tony’s Guests:Terry Billie, Wendy Nadel & Lisa Robb: Working With Your Small Organization Board
What’s special about working with small shop boards? We’ll talk about setting expectations; recruiting; training; fundraising and assessing your board’s capabilities. My guests from Fund Raising Day 2012 are Terry Billie from the Hudson River Museum; Wendy Nadel from Yonkers Partners in Education; and Lisa Robb, executive director of the New York Council on the Arts.
Constituent relationship management. You’ve got constituents: employees, donors, volunteers, vendors, clients. How do you manage your relationships with them and what’s the impact on your prospect management? Maria Semple is The Prospect Finder and our prospect research contributor.
This week’s segment with Maria has a survey. Please take a moment to answer three quick questions. You’ll find it below. Thank you! If you could also share it with other nonprofit professionals, I would appreciate it.
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Here is a link to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J68T3SM
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Here is the link to listen if you missed the show: 104: Working With Your Small Organization Board & See The Right CRM System.
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Durney hello and welcome to the show, it’s tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent i’m your aptly named host. I’m excited to be back in the studio. It’s been a couple of weeks. Oh, do i hope you were with me last week? Of course i do. I’d be devastated to hear that you had missed last week’s show it was audit week, you’re hr audit. Karen bradunas is a human resources consultant. There may be things hiding in your hr closet that you need to bring out and dust off to avoid problems later on, we talked about your benefits plan immigration, paperwork and that’s not only for immigrant laborers and what to do if you get audited by federal or state regulators and your social media audit, scott koegler continued our discussion from the one hundred show on sites that help you assess how you’re doing in social media. Hoot suite marketsmart radiant six on a couple of others scott is the editor of non-profit technology news on our regular tech contributor this week, working with your small organization board what’s special about working with small shop boards we’ll talk about setting expectations recruiting, training fund-raising and assessing your boards capabilities my guests from fund-raising day this past june are terry billy from the hudson river museum, wendy no adele from yonkers, partners in education and lisa rob, executive director of the new york council on the arts also today, see the smart cr m system, constituent relationship management you’ve got constituents, employees, donors, volunteers, vendors, clients how do you manage your relationships with them and what’s the impact on your prospect management? Maria simple will be with me, she’s, the prospect finder and our prospect research contributor between the guests on tony’s take to my block this week charity corporatization reduction three i’ve talked about this before the blurring of the line between corporations and charities. I’ve got a couple of new data points they’re on my block and i’ll talk about them on tony’s, take two use non-profit radio the hashtag to join the conversation on twitter hashtag non-profit radio right now we take a break and when we return all intro my pre recorded interview from fund-raising day on working with your small organization board, stay with us e-giving didn’t think dick tooting good ending things you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Getting anything. Dahna cubine joined the metaphysical center of new jersey and the association for hyre. Awareness for two exciting events this fall live just minutes from new york city. In pompton plains, new jersey, dr judith orloff will address her bestseller, emotional freedom, and greg brady will discuss his latest book, deep truth living on the edge. Are you ready for twelve twenty one twelve, save the dates. Judith orloff, october eighteenth and greg brady in november ninth and tenth. For early bird tickets, visit metaphysical center of newjersey dot order or a nj dot net. Hi, i’m donna, and i’m done were certified mediators, and i am a family and couples licensed therapists and author of please don’t buy me ice cream. Our show, new beginnings is about helping you and your family recover financially and emotionally and start the beginning of your life. We’ll answer your questions on divorce, family court, co, parenting, personal development, new relationships, blending families and more. Dahna and i will bring you to a place of empowerment and belief that even though marriages may end, families are forever. Join us every monday starting soon. Number ten, ten a m on talking alternative dot com. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Dahna hi there, and welcome back. I want to send some live listener love got listeners newport, north carolina. I miss you, north carolina. I own a home there, and i haven’t been there in a few months, but i’ll be going back next month. Missing north carolina st louis, missouri live listener love out to st louis right now. We have pre recorded interview from fund-raising day here in new york city this past june on working with your small organization board. Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of fund-raising day conference two thousand twelve in new york city were in midtown manhattan at the marriott marquis hotel on the subject we’re talking about right now is working with your board. My guests are terry billy, assistant director of advancement at the hudson river museum. Wendy adele, executive director of yonkers partners in education, and lisa rob, executive director, the new york council on the arts ladies welcome. Thank you. Thank you. You have all three of you and thank you for taking time on a busy conference day right before lunch on we’re going to get youto lunch. Don’t worry, you won’t be late for lunch. Your subject is working with, uh, boards of small organizations. Lisa, why are boards of small organizations different than boards of larger organizations? Well, normally boards at large organizations that do a fair amount of fund-raising it’s a given and planning and very kind of instrumental involvement with the board, but less so on a volunteer basis or operational basis. Smaller organizations tend to have closer relationships to boards in terms of really what they’re doing for you and it’s also more difficult for them than at large organizations to get some of those things done. So you sometimes encounter at a good small, a good board in a small organization, tremendous work ethics and tremendous alignment with the mission because it is more of a struggle to get to some of the resource is that the larger organization board sort of inherently have. Wendy, why don’t you just set some context? Explain what youngers, partners and education is about what’s your work. We are a public education fund that supports the yonkers public school district for an independent organization that works to increase the number of students in yonkers who graduate from high school and completed postsecondary program. Okay, and now terry what’s, the specific mission of the hudson river museum, the hudson river museum is a history, science and art museum, providing opportunities to brought in the artistic and cultural experiences for people in the hudson river region. Okay, lisa wanted to explain what your work is with counsel in the arts. I’m the new york state counts on the arts is an agency of new york state government, and we work for the governor and receive our money through the budget. Process from the budget enacted every year by the governor and legislature. And we distribute thirty five million dollars of public funds to about fifteen hundred organizations, of which eighty percent have budgets of under seven hundred thousand small organizations. Tony let’s, dispel a myth that you have to be with just a few minutes ago. Boards of small organizations are not necessarily small board know they can range anywhere from thirty five to seventeen or fifteen, usually not less than that. And do we find the same type of diversity on a small organization board that will find in a larger organization board? Yes and no. Sometimes you may have a larger organization may have more corporate people that have connections to larger, mainstream corporations. Then you may have some people that have more connections to private foundations community board sent have a lot more community leaders, people who are connected politically, people who have businesses in the area on dh. Then, of course, you do have people that live in the area that may work for a corporation in a, you know, another capacity. And you also may have some folks that are government based. Okay, so you’ll have that local commitment, as lisa was describing, right? You have a little bit more local commitment. You’re your group may live in the area where your organization is, where a larger organization your your trustees may live elsewhere, right? So so so why don’t we stay with that, terry? What? How can we leverage that? That local nature of the board? Well, you’re trying to first off people become members of your board because they’re interested in what you do, and they want to help it serve your community, the community that they live in. So the urge to be part of something bigger than they are is one of the things that you want to work on. And so then you just need to work and find out what their capacities are, who their contacts are and see whether where their strengths are, too. Have them help you. Okay, twenty let’s start with sort of the chronology of board members life cycle, uh, recruitment. What? What are the challenges and that a small organization faces in recruiting successful boardmember we liked it really? Just talk from how we do it in my organization, but we typically try to identify specific areas of need that we have on our board and some of the gaps of skillsets connections, how people are connected on and we try teo, identify people who can fill those gaps on the board. Sure, and typically, the way we recruit them is through personal relationships. Typically somebody on our board might know of somebody or i might have met somebody, or in some cases, people have even approached us with an interest in the work that we d’oh. And now, since you are a local organization, you’re drawing from a smaller pool of potential talent. That’s correct, but you have the advantage of it being local and again, the commitment that at least talked about that’s. Correct? Okay, okay. Back-up lisa, special challenges of other special challenges around recruitment of boards for small charities that we should talk about. Well, i think one of the things we talked about in our workshop earlier, wass the wendy spoke to it. Well, that sort of a lining, the at a small local level. You may you want to make sure you know really what you want their role to be because they really is a commitment level. And interest level that is often not there. In the larger organizations. People may actually want to do tacit work for you. They may want to make real connections in real time for you, it’s, really not a so, you know, they’re not doing it for source social reasons. So i think, a lining that, you know, the individual in what they want to contribute, and then what the organization needs is even more interesting with smaller organizations. Because there’s more opportunity, i think, to really work with the boards one on one with real goals, that they want it, you know, complete with you, because you’re a small organization, you can actually do that. The goal isn’t a, you know, twenty five million dollars capital campaign, it’s a. You know of of two hundred fifty thousand dollars scholarship campaign, where numbers that become more achievable. So i think that is a challenge. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, i’m donna and i’m done were certified mediators, and i am a family and couples licensed therapists and author of please don’t buy me ice cream are show new beginnings is about helping you and your family recover financially and emotionally and start the beginning of your life will answer your questions on divorce, family court, co parenting, personal development, new relationships, blending families and more dahna and i will bring you to a place of empowerment and belief that even though marriages may end, families are forever join us every monday, starting september tenth at ten a m on talking alternative dot com are you fed up with talking points, rhetoric everywhere you turn left or right? Spin ideology no reality, in fact, its ideology over intellect, no more it’s time for action. Join me, larry shock a neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven easter for the isaac tower radio in the ivory tower will discuss what’s important to you society, politics, business and family. 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The people of creation nation listened to norah simpson’s creation nation. Fridays at twelve noon eastern on talking alternative dot com. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business, why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. I’ve had a guest on not too long ago. Melanie schnoll begun. Her work is with very ultra high net worth clients in the bank. I apologize. Either j p morgan or morgan stanley. Apologies, melanie. But her her one of the point that she made was that very wealthy people shouldn’t be ignored by small organizations. Potential boardmember because it could be bigger. They could be bigger players on a smaller board, of course. Plus you want their expertise, but they could be very interested in a small charity. Good when we actually have a few board members who have been on major major boards, like in new york city. Um who i think have a more gratifying experience. Kind of working on the more local level, rolling up their sleeves, having a direct impact on a cause rather than sitting on a fancy board and going tio three or four meetings a year and about feeling expected to write a check and doing nothing. So i think, that’s, that that’s really the just the distinction, right? Same thing here. My organization has a wide variety of folks in both wealthy and not so wealthy. But people who were really involved and and the smaller organization that’s that’s the reason why they become a member of the of the of the board is to get involved because they have a passion. So, terry, since fund-raising is so important for board members, how do we set the appropriate level of e-giving four boards at small organizations what’s your place there? Some places just give one level of giving for everyone saying, okay, everyone needs to give five thousand dollars or three thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars or whatever it is, but it has to relate to the size of the board’s budget. So for example, my organization does not have a specific geever get, but we expect everyone to participate in the annual fund everyone to give to the gala in some way, shape or form and everyone to give an additional gift of some sort. So you may have some folks that can give twenty five thousand dollars to the gala and then ten thousand to the annual fund and then an additional gift from their private foundation and then other people will, through their company or through there, and a combination of company and the personal money. Give five thousand to the gala, you know, one thousand to the annual fund and, you know, some other money, so it has to be a willingness to accept so it’s a willingness to accept what they khun dio right? Because it’s their capacity so it’s about having a conversation with the boardmember when they’re coming on to understand, to have them understand that there is a responsibility to see support the organization, and then to talk about what level that they’re comfortable giving it. So is that how you assess their capacity? And you’re just really you need to have a conversation what they’re comfortable with, right? Well, i mean, you’ve done the research, you’ve done the research before you brought him in as a trustee to kind of know what they’re pass it e issue done the the prospect research to say, ok, well, this person, you know, has given here there and what have you so you kind of have an idea of what they’re financial level is so then it’s a matter of having a careful conversation with them too say, you know, what is it that you feel comfortable with? And it is, of course. It’s important to set those expectations at the recruitment stage, right. Exactly together. Normally written down. I mean, this is not it’s not uncommon to have written documents that say your contribution will be two hundred fifty dollars. You know that that’s? Not an uncommon. Okay, where you’ll be expected to go to an event or you’ll be expected to cultivate whatever. It’s not uncommon to have those things even written down. It’s. Not like these air secret or uncomfortable conversations. You know, they’re just that’s just part of the business relationship. Most bored people understand they will be a set of contributions they have to make some of which include financial time. Whatever would you would you go so far as to recommend that they be a document that the boardmember signs? Yes. In most cases, there is a is a a a a board agreement. Okay, because liability means you normal. Ok, wendy, partners in education, we don’t have a written agreement, but we haven’t explicit verbal commitment that in most cases has been honored without a problem. Okay, it is not in a contract. All right. How about communications with with a small organization board is that? Is it any i’m guessing easier because most of the people are local? Terry, go ahead. Well, we my ceo communicates with the board on a regular basis. Individually, we have meetings every month, so every other, every was every other know every other month is an executive board meeting. And every other month on the other side is our full board meeting. And then we do not have a board meeting in august. So there’s that then there’s also committee. So we have committees, there’s, a finance committee and development committee, a program committee and nomine nominating committee. And so they usually meet every other month or every two months, three months or something like that. And then we all like i communicate with staff with the board members that i’m working with for a specific project or the, you know, different staff would work directly with the boardmember so it’s, more informal words again, a larger organization with larger, more high level board members, you may not have as much communication access access to them and communication through all your staff with them. It may just be a point to point from your ceo to the board or maybe your ceo, your cfo and your development person, the only people that talk to your board when they were going to say something on communicating for us. I’ve really have kind of individual relationships that the board members. And for the most part, i’d say seventy five percent of them. I have. I’m in communication with on a very regular basis, and you’re the executive director. S, right. Ok, which is, i guess. They’re more accessible to the charity. Also, the board members make themselves more accessible than a larger organization might find. Well, i find ways email, and i mean, i think communication is really easy, you know, whether wherever you live, you could just shoot and email and get a response, but because the board’s pretty active everybody’s working on something so there’s always i mean, it’s not the communication is not for the purpose. So much of updating as it is to kind of do the work, and we work together as you know, collaboratively on you, no specific issues and projects that puts me into direct communication with the board members on a fairly regular basis. So what about switching topics? Labbate hyre assessing the capacity of your board in different capability, different areas, maybe it’s fund-raising maybe it’s love assessing whether you have gaps in expertise? What what’s important? I think, wendy, we’ve all talked about nominating committee’s and what we do, we’re in all the organizations i’ve worked for is the nominating committee is one of the most important committees on any board or the nominating people, and we we do it very almost like database oriented. You know, here the five or six strands of talent that we need, you know, social talent, business, talent, political talent, you know what, marketing, whatever it is, you know, here’s the slots where that is filled now, here’s, what? We’re going to have gaps, we spend a lot of time looking at the term limits, and when people are coming up for renewal too, you know, because gaps will then because you really want to call today, you know, minimally, a year in advance, you want to start your cultivation efforts because you make no assumptions and and also things come up for people, you know, they were interested last year, but this year someone is ill in their family, they’ve gotten a promotion, they’re moving, etcetera, so the nominating committee is very important and to be very strategic about on the goals. I mean, you could have a goal that you have celebrities that’s fine, but, you know, you have to just make sure it’s all you’ve gotten what’s it called a pipeline, you know? So you’re constantly putting names into that pipeline, and your board is very active in that process. Well, they are on their on the nominee they are, the nominating committee rarely includes people from staff in anything other than, like a, you know, did that’s really very much the work of a board there also engaging the full board. Oh, christ, as they identify needs. Oh, you know that it’s talked about usually nominating and issues of bored recruitment are are usually part of certain board meetings. You know, it’ll come up as an agenda item and then there’s the nominating committee, which has, like, you were saying this most of the time, i talked to our board members when i was at pelham art center because they were working board. Wendy so a lot of the communication had to do a task oriented project management, things you were doing together, military. Anything you want to know about assessing the capacity of the board. Okay, what about board training? Any any differences in when a new boardmember comes on any differences that you’ve identified you, emmanuelle for smaller organizations that okay, please go ahead. We have aboard manual that we’ve been evolving our organization’s not quite five years old yet sweeping, evolving that and new board members that come on, get an orientation. They are given emmanuel. And each year we, you know, have ah, two three hour orientation for our new members and that’s how we train them. And there is no big formal training program but it’s more of an orientation to the organization. Ok? And most of them have been to something that we, you know, most of them know us and not where they joined the board. Someone in the other workshop had an interesting idea. She spoke about on their board. They actually had, like, a, you know, in high school or college, the key club where you came in new and someone was aligned to you. They had a senior boardmember each new boardmember that came on, there was a relationship. They were the mentor to that new boardmember i thought that was a really good idea. I thought that was a great idea. What we do is we have a retreat every year once a year. It’s ah, saturday afternoon. And so we are doing both role playing or discussions talking about topics that are of interest, reviewing our strategic plan. So last year at our board retreat, we went through some role playing in how tio make an ask good. Okay, excellent. That kind of leads me to something interesting. I think i hope hyre what about board members who aren’t comfortable asking directly, but maybe can be engaged in other activities around fund-raising why did you continue, terry? Well, some people are very they they feel uncomfortable asking their friends, their family or going to to even business colleagues to set up a meeting for something. Um, and so you need to find different ways for them to to support whether they can host a party of their friends at their home. We’ve done that. Where then you have your museum staff and their friends. They’re so the museum staff could do the cultivation because we’re that’s what we do. S o or you can have them come with you on a site, is it with a funder or a lunch? And they just need to be the intro person and the ask and the program description and all of that comes from the staff people, so they are observing their participating in some way, but they’re also they’re shadowing. They’re learning through it by going through this, you know, site visit or you? Know, observing the ask at a cocktail party or what have you do you find that they become the ones who are reluctant in the beginning? Tio actually ask become more comfortable. Have you seen that? Well, a little bit, yeah, i mean that’s the goal and sometimes it may take a little longer depends on everyone’s personalities different and some people are more comfortable in the limelight and others are not. So you have to kind of work with what they’re willing to do, what their comfort level is and you can’t force someone into something that i want dio that will be a disaster. Forget wendy’s. I don’t think i think something terry set is is really key, and that is, you know, in addition to asking people for money equally is important is is just opening up doors, making introductions and that’s i mean, even for people that don’t like to ask for money making introductions is really important because, you know, particularly if you really believe in the mission of the organization, the organization khun sell itself that’s themselves, that pipeline that lisa mention constantly introducing new people. I know we have a boardmember and you know, one of things i like to do is just kind of focus when i have my board members do. And we have one boardmember who has some really key foundation contacts and his what i asked him to do every years you get me into two foundations and that’s it that’s it that’s your job and that’s huge. That could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. So anything you want and what i do think that friendraising and fund-raising are all part of that same resource development. And as long as you can make sure there’s enough prongs and what you think of resource development there’s no, boardmember that can’t help you if we have to leave it there, ladies. Thank you very much, wendy. Tell you. Thank you. Lisa. Rob is executive director of the new york council on the arts. Wendy liddell. Adele is executive director of yonkers partners and education. And terry billy is assistant director for advancement at the hudson river museum. Ladies, thank you very much. Thank you. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of fund-raising day two thousand twelve at the marriott marquis in midtown manhattan. My thanks to the three ladies. Some live listener love out tio st louis, missouri, hello, jersey city, new jersey. Welcome back. My dad was born there, i told you, used to live on mcadoo of reston, virginia. Hello, live listener love, and then we go further east vietnam. Welcome. I wish i knew the city. I’m sorry, our software doesn’t tell us what city. Right now we take a break, and when we returned tony’s, take two, and then maria simple will join me to see the smart cr m system. So i hope you stay with me. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Joined the metaphysical center of new jersey and the association for hyre. Awareness for two exciting events this fall live just minutes from new york city. In pompton plains, new jersey, dr judith orloff will address her bestseller, emotional freedom, and greg brady will discuss his latest book, deep truth living on the edge. Are you ready for twelve twenty one twelve? Save the dates. Judith orloff, october eighteenth and greg brady in november ninth and tenth. For early bird tickets, visit metaphysical center of newjersey dot or or a nj dot net. 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. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Oppcoll i’m christine cronin, president of n y charities dot orc. You’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. That live listener loved that i sent to vietnam is joined by love going out to korea, and if you’re listening, if in a foreign country i’d love for you. Teo, tell us what city you’re in because our software doesn’t tell us so you could tell me on the linked in group or the facebook page or tweet me. Let me know what cities you’re in vietnam and korea tony’s take to roughly thirty two minutes into the hour. My block this week is charity corporatization re ducks three i’ve blocked this before, as you can tell from the title, and i’m still concerned about blurring lines between charities and corporations. More cities, for instance, are collecting what they call pilots payments in lieu of taxes from charities or they’re considering getting these payments from charities pittsburgh in memphis for most recently and there’s in my block there’s a link to a chronicle of philanthropy article talks about pittsburgh and memphis and a number of other cities that are either collecting those or looking at it. Also, we have corporations starting to look like charity’s, taking some in some of those charity attributes there’s the b corp in california. That’s ah, a form of organisation be corp. For an organization that gives some public benefit as well as having a profit motive. And in a lot of states there are low profit, limited liability corporations also called l three c’s on dh does i put this together with some other data points and just concerns me that the charity start to look like corporations and start getting treated like corporations in terms of those taxes. On that corporations start to look like charities. It’s on my block. The name of the post is charity corporatization re ducks three. My block is tony martignetti dot com. And that is tony’s take two for friday, the tenth of august thirty fourth show of the year. Joining me now, as she does once a month, is maria simple. Maria is the prospect finder she’s, an experienced trainer and speaker on prospect research. Her website is the prospect finder dot com. Her book is panning for gold. Find your best donor prospects now with an exclamation mark at the end. And she is at maria simple a si m pl e on twitter. Maria, welcome back. Hi there, tony. How are you today? I’m terrific. Very well, good to have you back. Thank you. We’re talking today about c r m constituent relationship management. Why is this important? Well, you know, it’s very important for non-profits to track relationships that they have especially fund-raising purposes, in my opinion, you know, i’m talking more about fund-raising side there as a prospect researcher that you want to be able to see, you know, where our people interconnected you want to be ableto have a certain data point certainly noted in a system that’s going to be able to capture the relevant points of information that are important for your organization and a broader cr m really goes beyond even the donor database. It would be able to track relationships that you have with volunteers with perhaps people that are coming in, uh, to use your organization’s services on a daily basis so it can give you a really broad picture. And, you know, i any any time you can have any type of a tool that shows sort of relationship management for a mapping tool, you know, i’m all for that, okay? And you and i have talked about too, that prospects don’t only come from donors and fund-raising quote fund-raising prospects. But could be employees or vendor’s vendors to the organization or consultants. Right? Right, right. So these are all the types of relationships that you can manage in a system, you know, ideally, you know, a picture scenario where you are a ah non-profit executive at a small commit sides non-profit and you get a phone call and somebody says, you know, hi, this is, you know, tony martignetti i’m looking to talk to you a little bit more and expand on our last conversation. If it’s me calling, you probably should hang up, but it’s using some other example? Yes. You know, you would want to be able to instantly trying to recall well, gee, what? Tony and i last talk about what were the talking points? You know what? What was his area of interest? Right? So ideally, if you’re, you know, at your computer, will you be able to just, you know, put tony’s name in there and pull up some sort of a data sheet on tony said that you’d be able to track what what were our last conversations? And, of course, you know, this is really important. There’s a lot of turnover right at non-profits so, you know, you want to be able to have that that that long term relationship tracked a donor doesn’t care, right? They don’t care that there’s while they developed relationships with key personnel at the non-profit but in terms of the overall longevity and their commitment to that non-profit organization, whomever that executive director development director is, um, he’s probably not as important as the overarching mission and trying to make sure that that there’s that continuity that people will continue to understand what that donor’s intent is what donors specific interest are. Yeah, it becomes quite embarrassing to say, you know, someone who’s new in the position, you know? I don’t i don’t really know what what conversations were before me, you know, it all just needs to be documented. You’re right for the institutional knowledge and continuity, yeah, absolutely, really critical and donorsearch budget organizations are really just using some sort of a spreadsheet right now to manage this, you know, there are systems out there that are fabulous, and they really range in price. Do you want me to talk about a particular guide that can that can help them kind of identify this. And i can actually put some information on on your paige is well about it. Yeah, in just a moment. Let me just get to one of the survey questions that we had about what? What systems people are using now to manage constituent data. Fifty percent of using razor’s edge. And about seventeen percent are using donor perfect and about a third of using other other software systems. But nobody said one of the choices was it’s on paper or in our heads. And so, thankfully, nobody nobody said that. And nobody said excel spreadsheets. Good thing. So all right, so people are past the index cards, at least. Listeners. Well, this is sophisticated audience, so you’re not going to get your average executive director ceo fundraiser listening to this is a sophisticated show, so the sample is skewed. So we’ll presume that there are some who would say it’s on paper in our heads, but they’re not our listeners. They could be were welcomed them, because then after today’s show, they could choose a different answer. Find value. This’s a that’s. Right? Of course. S oh, please. Why don’t you, uh you have an idea if we had just a couple minutes before break, you have ah, a place where people can sort of compare software, is that what you have? Yeah, absolutely. June twenty eleven idealware dot org’s, uh, terrific website for all types of things having to do with technologies for non-profits they came out with a free downloadable guide that’s called the consumer’s guide to low cost donor-centric and they reviewed lots of systems, and then they go into in depth and review sort of their top ten systems and across all kinds of different, uh, data points, you know, they’re reviewing them, of course, for price. And by the way, all assistance they reviewed technically felling under the four thousand dollars range. Okay, so these are not going to be like razors edge is not going to included, right? Razor’s edge is a very high entry cost. Yeah, so i thought, well, with, you know, your your listener audience of the smaller to midsize non-profit that some of their recommendations might actually fit very well for the non-profits they’re looking at, you know, how well can you manage the donor information? The reporting, tracking events, some of the systems khun do that? Well, yeah, because event event attendees that’s another constituency, right? That’s, right? They might attend an event, but they’re not. They’re not donors in the strict out of pocket sense without any other, any participation. So event attendees another important constituency that’s, right? And they are also some of the systems will do male merging very well. Others are not as great at it. Email. How well can the system email out or play? Well with an outside system, for example, i know that there are certain databases that played very well with donorsearch software, like tapestry in constant contact or constant contact in sales force. Dot com they are two systems that integrate very well together. So integration actually is another data point that they looked at. So, you know, i recommend everybody take a look at that particular guide because it’s free it’s downloadable um and idealware is actually having ah, replay on their webinar that they have on that particular topic as well. And i happen to have received an email. Just tweak that they’re having a sale on their recorded webinars. So for this month, only august it appears that they are nine dollars to download the past recorded webinar. Okay, but and the the survey sounds like sort of a consumer reports of of c r e m now does idealware this is important to know his idealware create today of their own software package or now that they’re not in that business there just a value. They’re reviewing it, right? They will value you don’t. Okay, so we’ll put the idealware dot com. But what? What we put oh, dot org’s. Thank you. But why don’t we put the link to the this document? Go on the facebook page and in the linked in group? Sure, i can do that. Okay. Thank you, maria. You’re always very good. And maria is maria doesn’t only say she’s going to do it actually doesn’t. So the show ends at two p m eastern. I would expect now putting round spot. No, but i’ll just say very quickly. Maria will have the stuff up. I’ll just leave it there. She always does. You always. You always have been. Um okay. What? You had a conversation with a ceo of, of of of a newer, newer offering in this field right recently? Well, actually. That’s what prompted me to kind of take a look at their whole cr m area? There’s there’s a very new, interesting software out there. And it’s called unify o you and i f y o dot com. And by the way, it works best on google chrome. So i know that was one of the questions that i made sure that we are listeners answering on since you’re right, but since you just mentioned it, let sze get that question out. It was which internet browser or using it work fifty percent explorer. Fifty percent are chrome, and then a handful of people, i guess, have to and the about a third of those said fire fox so a third of the yeah, about a third of the half what the hell am i talking? About? Fifty percent said explorer, fifty percent said chrome and about seventeen percent said firefox. So obviously summer using multiple systems. That’s what i was trying to convey in the past minute and a half. Okay, so way. Just have a minute before break. So say a little bit more and then we’ll come back. Okay? Sure. So what it is is a technically they call it a browser extension, and if you go to their website, they have a really cool little video. And i can post, uh, on your page is, well, a link to a specific video that talks about how confused for prospect research and that’s what really caught my attention, but basically what they say is that it bridges the gap between you and your c r m so and we’ll give you a little bit more information on that. But it really completes your customer profiles toe all of your cloud applications, so it integrates with several systems already sales force dot com high rise, which is another cr m system that i’m actually not as familiar with, um, and so, since sales force dotcom does have a non-profit maria, we have to take a break hold. That thought you were just saying, since salesforce dot com does have a non-profit when we return, we’ll let you finish that sentence. Stay with us. Talking. Hi, this is nancy taito from speaks been radio speaks been radio is an exploration of the world of communication, how it happens in how to make it better, because the quality of your communication has a direct impact on the quality of your life. Tune in monday’s at two pm on talking alternative dot com, where i’ll be interviewing experts from business, academia, the arts and new thought join me mondays at two p m and get all your communications questions answered on speaks been radio. 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Today, your greatest athletic performance is just a phone call away at eight a one six zero four zero two nine four or visit aspire consulting. Dot vp web motivational coaching for athletic excellence aspire to greatness. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business, why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com. Altum welcome back, maria. Simple it’s. Your turn. Teo, finish that sentence on thing about sales force dot com they do have a non-profit related cr m so eyes that free budges. Do you know if that’s free? I believe it is. Yeah, i have. Yes, i was approached, i think. But it wasn’t recently by a salesforce dot com representative. I think it is free. The dover street version for charities. Yeah, i believe it is so what’s kind of cool about it is, you know, it had caught my attention was the fact that if i’m assuming now that the sales force dot com tool that non-profits air using would indeed integrate with unify oh, so if we’ve got any sales forthe users out there, i’d love some feedback. You know, through my page or tony’s page to see if it’s working well for you, but basically once you load this unify o icon up into your tool bar so let’s say then you are looking at somebody’s profile in sales force dot com you can click on the little unify. Oh, uh, icon and it will show you other other interactions that have happened with that person, so if that person has been tweeting about your organization or any email communications that have happened, you can manually put in specific notes about a person, so i’m thinking for a really small to midsize non-profit this could be a very interesting solution. Now, this is brand new. Tony okay, yeah, this is brand new, this is you launched may twenty twelve um, i had an opportunity to skype twice with the ceo of this company in recent weeks so i could get a better handle on understanding it and they love feedback. So, maria, it sze pulling in the whole web when you when you identify somebody that you’re you’re interested in? Yeah, well, it integrates best with certain platforms, but yeah, i mean, if you’re browsing and google chrome, so i was right, it has to be it only works in google chrome so far right far only google chrome, but they are looking to develop it for the other platforms as well. And, you know, i just think, it’s something really need to take a look at if if any of our listeners have an opportunity to do so and provide some feedback, they hadn’t created this. For the not non-profit sector originally, so to know that there could be this applique ability because you can have teams of people so let’s say you’ve got the executive director, the development director, maybe a program director and maybe a couple of board members be considered a team. All this data can be shared. So if you and i are on a team, tony and i want to try and figure out what? When were the last communications, it would pull an information about your last email communications okay, and are you testing this unify? Oh, maria, you know, i’ve been playing around with it a little bit, but i don’t have sales force dot com loaded here so that’s, why? I’d love to know somebody who does have it to see how that how, how that could integrate but it pulled in lengthen dad a twitter feed and i think it’s gonna have a lot of applicability it’s free right now, and it won’t stay free forever, so there will be a fee attached to this at some point. But i’ve been told by the ceo they’re going to keep it very affordable for the nonprofit sector. More broadly, when you’re looking at your your cr m software it’s important to know what, what your goals are from your from your system. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, you know, is it’s a system that is only going to be turning out donorsearch ports is this system, as i mentioned earlier, that might have to do mail merges and email marketing? Um, is this a system that is going to be able to help you track, um, interactions, right with those air critical for prospect freak prospect research? Oh, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, you think about all the points on the continuum on the development cycle. So you’ve got the prospect identification and research think about how will it play into cultivation? Solicitation the thank you, the follow-up and the stewardship i c c r m being invaluable not only for me, it’s, a prospect researcher, but certainly in stewarding donor forward. So it should have really flexibility to be able to provide additional notes. I love cloud based systems personally and don’t put me in george in jail. Now, i think the audience knows club. I think scott and i have talked about cloudgood other other other guests have, okay? I think people should know the cloud by now, i’m clear to talk. Wait, we just have about a minute and a half, though. Okay? So any cloud based system, for example, will enable any board members that you give access to the system, say they are very active and cultivating and solicited, soliciting people and meeting with people outside the office. Then they can certainly go ahead and type in notes about those particular meetings. And that again for that continuity is very, very important. Maria simple is the prospect finder. Her book is panning for gold. Find your best donor prospects now. And her website is the prospect finder dot com maria. Such a pleasure. Thanks very much. Thanks. Always tony on dh something occurred to me as i was talking to maria, you know, wanna make sure that i’m not sounding hypocritical because i blogged and talked about on tony’s take two. My concern about charities being too much like corporations. And now here we are talking about with marie about salesforce, dot com and unify. Oh, a system that wasn’t developed for charities was developed for companies. I do think there are good practices, great practices. In the in the for-profit corporation sector that charity’s can learn from and vice versa. I think corporations could soften themselves in some ways and learn a lot from charities. It’s the it’s, the so learning from each other, that’s to me, that’s distinct from starting to, um b organized by be regulated by by the other by state and federal overseers as one that you’re really not as as as b corp to start to look like r l three sees the limit for-profit limited liability corporations, i think start toe look at so that’s the start to look like charities that’s the distinction for me between what maria and i were talking about when i blogged about this week my thanks, tio terry, billy, wendy nadella, lisa, rob, of course, and the organizer’s of fund-raising day twenty twelve as well as maria next week grow your grassroots. Michael o’brien is a consultant and a grassroots organizer. Why this might be good for your organization and how do you get started? We’re talking about bringing new people to your cause and how to keep them excited about your work through the grassroots. Also, scott koegler returns. He’s the editor of non-profit technology news in our tech contributor you know i’m gonna be talking about devices, laptops, desktops, mobile we’re all over. Social networks checked out are linked in group facebook page maria will have the resource is up there? Follow me on twitter and use our hashtag non-profit radio. Also, i host a podcast for the chronicle of philanthropy it’s called fund-raising fundamentals. If you like this show, you might like fund-raising fundamentals it’s on itunes, it’s, a ten minute monthly podcast devoted to fund-raising continuing to wish you good luck in the way that performers do around the world. I want to keep this up because it’s fun and and i can do whatever i want on this so house with buy-in bruv house won’t buy-in bro that’s german for break your neck and your leg like we would say in the u s break a leg. Germans want you to go further because they have a large orthopaedic surgeon constituency, so they weren’t broken necks and legs and my thanks to janice taylor for these language lessons and contributions. Do you have one away that foreigners greet performers that are just about to go on stage and what they wish them how they wish them luck. Share it with me, let me know, and be sure and tell me how to say it. Our creative producer is claire meyerhoff. Janice taylor is our line producer. The show’s social media is by regina walton of organic social media and the remote producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is john federico of the new rules. I hope you’ll be with me next friday, one to two p m eastern on talking alternative broadcasting, which you will always find at talking alternative dot com. I didn’t even think that shooting. Good ending. You’re listening to the talking alternate network. You get anything. Dahna cubine hi, this is nancy taito from speaks been radio speaks been radio is an exploration of the world of communication, how it happens in how to make it better, because the quality of your communication has a direct impact on the quality of your life. Tune in monday’s at two pm on talking alternative dot com, where i’ll be interviewing experts from business, academia, the arts and new thought. Join me mondays at two p m and get all your communications questions answered on speaks been radio. Are you stuck in your business or career trying to take your business to the next level and it keeps hitting a wall? This is sam liebowitz, the conscious consultant. I will help you get to the root cause of your abundance issues and help move you forward in your life. Call me now and let’s create the future you dream of. Two, one, two, seven, two, one, eight, one, eight, three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three the conscious consultant helping conscious people be better business people. Dahna you’re listening to talking alternative network at www dot talking alternative dot com, now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio friday’s one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcast are you concerned about the future of your business for career? Would you like it all to just be better? Well, the way to do that is to better communication. And the best way to do that is training from the team at improving communications. This is larry sharp, host of the ivory tower radio program and director at improving communications. Does your office need better leadership? Customer service sales or maybe better writing are speaking skills? Could they be better at dealing with confrontation conflicts, touchy subjects all are covered here at improving communications. If you’re in the new york city area, stopped by one of our public classes or get your human resource is in touch with us. The website is improving communications, dot com that’s improving communications, dot com improve your professional environment. Be more effective, be happier. And make more money. Improving communications. That’s. The answer. Talking. Hyre