Transcript for 088_tony_martignetti_nonprofit_radio_20120420.mp3

Processed on: 2018-11-11T22:49:54.444Z
S3 bucket containing transcription results: transcript.results
Link to bucket: s3.console.aws.amazon.com/s3/buckets/transcript.results
Path to JSON: 2012…04…088_tony_martignetti_nonprofit_radio_20120420.mp3.710139323.json
Path to text: transcripts/2012/04/088_tony_martignetti_nonprofit_radio_20120420.txt

Metoo 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. I very much hope you were with me last week. I’d be in shock if i learned that you had missed these two features. These two guests smart interviewing makes great hiring cheryl nufer, a founding partner in peredo consulting, explained why behavioral interviewing is superior to traditional methods and how any size non-profit khun get better hires through more sophisticated interviewing, whether you hyre once a year or many times a month and relationship mapping. Maria simple, the prospect finder and our regular monthly prospect research contributor helped you mind your data with tools that reveal relationships you didn’t know exist among your donors. As always, she shares about shared shared values last week. Who wrote this copy? I need an intern so i have somebody to blame it’s what situation is she shared? Valuable resource is many of them free. And if anyone wants to be an intern on the show and take blame every week, please send me your resume this week. The law of attraction it’s the melanie show i should say the law. Of attraction to attract major gift prospects and potential board members, you have to put your best foot forward to get what you are seeking. Melanie schnoll begun is managing director at morgan stanley private wealth management. She helps her ultra high net worth clients make charitable gif ts and get on boards, but she has practical and valuable advice that applies to any charity soliciting a major gift or recruiting a boardmember and diane of the day melanie west writes the donor of the day feature for the wall street journal and covers philanthropy. She’ll explain how she likes to be pitched story ideas, giving you the best chance of getting major coverage for your donors and also what she sees trending and finally there’s a buffet in the news. Melanie reported it yesterday, and we’re going to talk about it today on tony’s take two in between the guests. It is my block post this week take time to play pirates. A few weeks ago, i played pirates with my seven and nine year old nephew and niece, and it got me thinking, and i’ll tell you what i was thinking about that’s around thirty two minutes into the hour on tony’s, take two. Use hashtag non-profit radio to join the conversation on twitter. Join us there were monitoring it in the studio, right, sam, monitoring right now, okay, we are on dh when we take a break right now, and when we return, it is the law of attraction with melanie schnoll begun, so stay with me. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications, then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you to hell? Call us now at to one to seven to one eight, one eight three that’s to one to seven to one eight one eight three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com way. Look forward to serving you. Is your marriage in trouble? Are you considering divorce? Hello, i’m lawrence bloom, a family law attorney in new york and new jersey. No one is happier than the day their divorce is final. My firm can help you. We take the nasty out of the divorce process and make people happy. Police call a set to one, two, nine six four three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom two, one two, nine, six, four, three five zero two. We make people happy. Bilich hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent on tony martignetti non-profit radio with me now is melanie schnoll begun. She is a managing director and head of morgan stanley private wealth, management’s philanthropic services. She serves as a philanthropic advisor to families, foundations and family offices, working with the firm’s, ultra high net worth clients. She’s, the incoming board, president of juvenile diabetes research, foundation of new york and board treasure of the partnership for philanthropic planning. My show has been a sponsor at there. National conference on philanthropic planning the past two years. I’m very pleased that her work and her expertise brings her to the show. Melanie schnoll begun welcome. Thank you so much, tony. Just one corrections. Why in the current oh, you are the kirk heard president of the board of juvenile diabetes research funding. I have to say that because the topic today that we’re gonna be talking about if i didn’t correct you about my particular officer position on a board, i wouldn’t be selling the reason why i said or or why i think it’s so important to serve for constance he believe in. So this is why i need an intern with you and i would both blame the intern and it wouldn’t have reflected on you badly at all. What is your work around with ultra high net worth individuals? What are you doing with them? Well, i think that my work is providing meaning in their life. Many of our clients come to us because they’re in the middle of a transition. Perhaps they’ve sold their business, maybe there’s some interesting event that’s happened in their life, perhaps even a very sad event. That’s happened their life, and we help them identify how to be very strategic, purposeful and planned in there, giving for many clients when they think about making a contribution, even a large contribution, they don’t put a tremendous amount of thought into it. It might be a cause that they’ve heard about maybe one that they’re associated with, but they’re not doing a deep dive into the background and the backdrop of what’s really going on in that non-profit organization or what else? There might be out there in the world. So we try and provide that professionalism and then along the way make our clients professionals themselves. What what? What? Do you find motivates ultra high net worth? And shortly i’m gonna ask you, what is ultra high net worth? But we’ll work our way to that. But what do you think motivates their giving? Well for some clients? It’s because someone sick in their family for other clients, it’s because their rights a little more about that someone sick where the e-giving in memory of the person, soon it’ll be in memory, will hopefully to find a cure. Hopefully the final usually clients witness a major change in their attitude. What they used to buy with their wealth no longer becomes important and that’s, because the second that someone has a diagnosis in their family of someone who’s ill the only thing they’re thinking about is identifying better treatment and perhaps secure. So we find often that we come to the film provoc table with someone who has just been given that diagnosis more and is looking for the solution where so many of us just our resource is, we go to the web and we learn as much as we can, but when we’re talking about people with extraordinarily extraordinary wealth that can actually invested in a possible cure that’s what? They want to buy it. They want to buy the cure. I think what’s shocking and disappointing in many instances is that clients, no matter how wealthy they are, find out that they can’t necessarily buy everything. So it is that deep investment for the long term, perhaps not even for the benefit of their family member who might be ill but for others to find a cure better treatment. Better resource is that might bring some of our clients to the table. Others are just deeply invested in their community. They want better cultural organizations. They want better education for their kids. Certainly in new york, that’s a very big issue about private school, public school. And as your children are going through that educational problem situation, where are there enough of fine schools in new york to send our kids to? In many instances, they find that they that there’s not so. Our clients are interested in identifying. How can they be the solution to the educational drama issue? We have just a couple minutes before a break. What? What what’s the definition of ultra high net worth. What is how much money are we? Talking about, well, a lot more money than i have. I’ve always said that i really hope to one day be able to be my own client. But for us, ultra high net worth is really defined as clients who have a net worth of twenty five million and more. The reality is that it’s, a very open span for those clients, though, with twenty five million and mohr, they usually have a significant out, a significant amount of money that they could do something incredibly impactful with their philantech. On how much i’m wondering how much does somebody who has that kind of wealth walk around within their wallet like like i have typically, like thirty or forty dollars in my wallet? But so i would probably not be confused for ultrahigh worth of net worth. If someone stole my wallet, i probably wouldn’t i probably couldn’t get away with that. But, you know, like, how much do you think they have? Just on an average day in there? Well, how much do you think that carry around? Probably probably no cash. I think that i think that most about very wealthy people typically put most their stuff on cards today. So you know what? Actually, i would go after your wallet if i knew that you were on the street. So just watch thirty or forty bucks, so i was ready. I was ready to go, like, three or four hundred in my wallet, and then it almost be worth it to lose that much if i could get two muggers to think that i’m ultra high net worth. Yeah, yeah. Now they would share the story of the ultra high net worth guy, you know, among their prison friends and i could, you know, get known that way, but i’m going about it the wrong way. You got to go down so well, no cash. Now we need to talk about prison reform as faras labbate, right? So so how can you make sure that those who come out of prison that are better off than when they went in and are telling the story of twenty martignetti being ultra? Yeah, absolutely. We have to take a break when we return. Of course, melanie schnoll begun stays with me, and we’ll continue talking about the law of attraction. So i hope you stay with us. You don’t think that shooting getting thinking, you’re listening to the talking alternate network. E-giving nothing. Good. 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 huntress people be better business people. Oppcoll hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative dot com mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free psychic reading. Learn how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. I’m leslie goldman with the us fund for unicef, and i’m casey rotter with us fun for unison. You’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio. My guest is melanie schnoll begun and melanie let’s talk about. When charity’s air trying to solicit gif ts you have your clients who are ultra high net worth, but you have, i think, very valuable advice for any charity that’s trying to solicit any major gift, which maybe five hundred dollars or thousand dollars for some charities. What what’s your you see sort of faulty proposals a lot, don’t you? Yeah, i think that non-profits believe they understand who the donor is, and they prepare something in advance. That’s a critical error, you never know who that donor is, the famous saying. If you’ve met one philanthropist, you’ve met one philanthropist, so we try and tiki non-profits to perform a radical listening, and that means spending the time to really understand why a donor may want to be a donor to their organization. The time will be incredibly valuable both for the non-profit but even more importantly for the donor, when the donor has the opportunity to talk about what they care about why they care about the organization’s mission, you hear things you really hear things inside of that conversation inside the conversation in the donor’s hat so radical listening is a skill that we teach non-profits to practice. And that skill is something that serves both board members. It serves the staff of non-profit organizations, and at the end, you’re really giving a service to a donor. I think that most of my clients find that no one listens to them well enough. Yeah, but but a charity that’s that’s soliciting a major gift. However they define that might feel that they’re not going to get another meeting with this person. They go one shot. We finally got the meeting. We got forty five minutes. Way better. We’ve got to lay it all out because we may never get a second meeting that’s, right? So you walk into every meeting with the idea that if i really listened to this donor, i’m going to get the second meeting. If you walk in with a proposal thinking that you know who this person is and what they want to offer your organization, you’re probably guaranteeing yourself that you’re not going to see that donor again. So does it always work? It may not always work if you begin practicing it. Well, if you spend so much time performing discovery on that donor both in the dance of the meeting and then, while you’re sitting at that meeting, i think over time you’ll find that your practice as a fundraiser will dramatically improve. So you’re suggesting that if you can move the donor while while radically listening, then you’ll get a follow-up meeting brightstep my suggestion is, if you are performing radical listening, you will move the donor, okay, okay, even without introducing your mission and your work in the first in the first meeting, right? Because you’re going to hear from the donor what the donor wants to dio instead of telling the donor with a non-profit wants the donor and you do know there’s a threshold interest, otherwise you wouldn’t have gotten the first meeting would have gotten the meeting would have gotten the meeting. So it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s an important skill it’s something that has been written about andi, i think that we can’t live in that fear fundraisers can’t live in that fear that this is joan, or will not be interested in talking to me again. In fact, most of the conversation is not a conversation most of the conversation is letting that ultra high network donor talked to you, and you’re just there. To listen or again, it could be any level donor, and i’ve had where we have a regular prospect. Research contributor maria simple is on, and she and i have talked about the value of the face to face meetings, and she’s a professional prospect researcher who knows all the web webb resource is, you know, but she still recognizes that the greatest prospect research comes from a good, good conversation, absolutely, and and and and he’s absolutely right face-to-face looking a donor in their eyes. In many instances, i think being on the donor’s being in the donor’s territory so ah place where they’re comfortable, where it’s an environment either their office, they’re home, maybe somewhere where they’ve recommended that they like to go for coffee. Usually i recommend going for a glass of wine because, you know, does it doesn’t hurt, but her loosen up? Yeah, exactly. I’ve tried to get sam lee boards to have wine here, but he’s not doing it now you’re not really radical listening, right? I just radically demand. Thanks, you know, but i’m not a charity, so i think i’m exactly you only have thirty example. Everything was for you only have thirty dollars. You’re well, you’re our charity ticket. You can’t get a decent bottle of wine for thirty bucks. So then the careful listening radical listening is goingto inform your valuable proposal when that when it’s the right time, that’s, right sametz writer and the valuable proposal some hints that we give to non-profits as they’re preparing that that proposal brief three points know what are the key issues that you’ve heard? The donor has said to you, the areas where they’re really interested in supporting on ly talk about those areas, right? Putting in a proposal for stuff that you haven’t heard because the organization needs it, but the donor doesn’t want it what’s the likelihood of that getting funded so three typically are the most that we suggested a proposal going backto a donor that you know what they’re interested in, you’re going to get a much better response, okay, other tips for the for the proposal itself, for the written document, you brief couple pages, right? A couple of pages in fact, most of our clients today, they don’t want to read stuff, right? And they fear that if the non-profit is spending so much time and resource is preparing proposals, then they may not be spending the money that i’m giving to the organization i’m doing the work so in many instances, is it brief short? In fact, non-profit should ask the donor. How would you like me to prevent to present a proposal? Is it isn’t even something that you want in writing? Or should we just have another conversation? I would welcome that second conversation so that now the second meeting, the donor’s prepared to do their own radical listening. Is there a problem? Sometimes when a donor gets sort of passed off from somebody who knows the work very well to the fund-raising professional who’s goingto the closer it’s like it’s, like in a in a car dealership going to which i have very bad memories of a child. Buying my first car was awful, but at a car dealership going from the salesmen to the finance manager exactly going that office and the door gets closed off, you know, but being passed from the maybe the executive director or someone who knows the work well to the closer the fundraiser doesn’t something get lost there sometimes. Yeah. What? What gets lost is the gift. So no one wants to be handed off everyone in that non-profit organization, both from voluntary leadership. To professional staff should be able to talk about programming if the executive director is the one who has contact with that donor. If it’s a boardmember who has the contact with that donor, or if it is the professional fundraiser that has the contact with that donor, the conversation should be between those two people bringing others include others in the conversation. But don’t hand a donor off. I have a a client’s situation that happened with a large university hospital incredible organization doing tremendous work. And this client’s unfortunately this this medical institution was not able to save the life of our client’s husband. But he wanted to honor him. She wants to memorialize him. And the doctor who was treating her husband was the individual that he wanted to leave a contribution for so that he could continue doing the great work that he began with her clothes with her with her husband. Many of the conversations happened between her and the doctor. It was intimate. She could see clearly what she wanted to accomplish. And then when it came down to the clothes she was handed to a development director. Ah, fine development director. Someone who? Spent years in the business, but it was so disconnected and she felt that were there. Were you there for the meeting? So i was there after the fact also, i came in to help save the gift. Okay? And we this this donor-centric working with us after he felt that brush off from the doctor and it was completely unintentional. So totally unintentional. Just protocol just about innocuous handing off it’s the way things are done, he wasn’t supposed to close that’s someone else’s responsibility. So what? I teach both boards as well as professional staff. It’s everyone’s, responsibility close. If you’re the one who has the relationship, you need to be confident enough to make the ask. And you need to be prepared enough too close. And if it’s i guess if it’s a really technical gift which it could be a at large dollar amounts, then at least include the in your case, the doctor, but generally the program, the work expert in the conversations don’t leave him or her out in the hall while now the professional closer you know, goes through his is her stick that’s, right? And you know it. Theatre knees, the accountants. All the financial advisers, all of those professionals, need to play a role in the process. I’m if the donor wants him to be included in the conversations about the specifics of the gift that’s great, but there’s the technical aspects of giving and then there’s the emotional aspects of giving and what i see getting lost. It’s, it’s, it’s never technique, right? You could draft a perfect trust. It could be absolutely accurate. The document itself could get an a plus plus in any fine law school. But if the donor is not connected emotionally to the gift, it doesn’t matter what the document says. Melanie schnoll begun is managing director, head of morgan stanley, private wealth, management’s philanthropic services and we’re talking about the law of attraction basically had a look good when you’re either soliciting a gift or soliciting someone for boardmember ship, which is what i’d like tio transition to now, okay. Appealing to a board appealing to a potential boardmember, um since you’re working with ultra high net worth people, i’m going to guess that sometimes there approached because they’re very wealthy. And how do they feel about that? Yeah, so in the law of attraction, it’s it’s rarely because they’re really good looking. Damn many of them might be hot tonight, but it’s usually because they’re wealthy, so similar to the idea of marriage. Right? So when i got married, i married for love. I married for looks there’s, you know there’s a little bit of money to that’s. All so that’s, always wonderful when you think that before you can say sex on the show is this the part where you were this sick? It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming sex is you have to have a little foreplay before sex. So it’s getting there russia you’re like that’s been my problem. You’re russian in europe. Well, among others, but let’s keep it let’s. Keep it focused on alt-right work-life let’s, take this conversation on the bed here. Right? Right, right. So the opportunity of creating a marriage between potential boardmember and an organization it’s. Incredibly important. So the the reason donors believe that serving a non-profit is an appropriate step for them is because they’ve been courted well, it’s, because they find the organization incredibly attractive and good looking it’s because they want to spend a lot of time with that organization because they want to see that organism they grow and really achieve incredible impact very similar to marriage alive know the problem with marriage is is half the men in divorce, so the same is true with non-profit port service, you’re excited at the beginning, right? You can’t wait for that next kiss can’t wait for the next date and then quickly within the first year, if the non-profit doesn’t really know how to work well, play well, dine the donor well doesn’t understand where they like to go to how they like to vacation. If the non-profit doesn’t know how to use the donor to his or her maximum capacity, they get bored, they get disenchanted and the worst thing is donors cheats like just like what happens in many families that fall apart, they begin looking at other opportunities that really do want them thinking that it’s better on the other side there feeling remorse about having joined this board, everything was great in the beginning, the right the honeymoon stage, but about exactly right. Exactly right. So spend your time non-profit should spend their time thinking about whether or not this is a person they want to marry. Is this a person that will bring value to this relation? Can we grow together? And what do we each bring to the relationship? It has to be more than just money again. Just like many families, right? If all you’re going after is the wealth than a marriage for many, many years will fall apart. You know the boardmember potential boardmember wants to know that they’re going to be used effectively. That’s right? Utilized way. Don’t use board members. We usually large numbers. Okay. Okay. Um, taking over the show? No. Uh, let’s see, so but a lot of times, board charities need an expertise. We need an accountant or we feel we need an attorney. And in some deshele t real estate, maybe or something. So they’re seeking that profession. But that is contrary to what you’re recommending, right? So i think what boardmember sze need to be on? What boards need to do to get the right people on their team is, they have to look for people different than themselves. What happens with most non-profit boards is you look around the board table and everyone’s the same right, because it’s a friend introducing another friend. They come from similar backgrounds, specially smaller charity it’s, a friend of the executive director of the founder, absolutely especially small non-profits and specifically, when they’re getting off the ground, right. So it’s, the founder, it’s, the founders best friend, its founder, sister, and perhaps someone who worked for them at one point time or an intern so non-profits really need to think about how can we bring true diversity to our board? Professionalizing aboard must include accountants, financial advisors, lawyers, but you can’t just look at them as a lawyer, you need to look at them as a lawyer that has a mission that there interest must be tethered, if not tied to the nonprofit organization, that they’re a lawyer that’s their skill set. But ultimately we know that even if they warrant a lawyer that they really support the work of that organization. I wantto have you bring something out that we had talked about that very wealthy people are not un interested in working for smaller midsize working among being utilized by small and midsize charities. Is that right? Absolutely. I think that many very wealthy clients believe that they can be better utilised in a small nonprofit organization. In fact, that’s where most of the money came from. So the majority of our client base started their own closely held businesses. And they realise what it means to rule up their sleeves to get dirty. They love on that kind of opportunity and nonprofit organizations. So when you come into these large non-profit organizations very bureaucratic, very political. So many individuals that look like them. So it is even mohr attractive for wealthy people to see that you know, my gift. We’ll make a significant difference here. But my time may even be more valuable. Tulani schnoll begun is a managing director and head of morgan stanley. Private wealth, management’s philanthropic services. Melanie, thanks very much for being in the studio. Being a guest, tony. Thanks for having me. It’s. Been a pleasure right now. We take a break when he returns. Tony’s, take two. And then, after that die, end of the day. Melanie west. Stay with me. Hyre you’re listening to the talking alternative network. Are you feeling overwhelmed in the current chaos of our changing times? A deeper understanding of authentic astrology can uncover solutions in every area of life. After all, metaphysics is just quantum physics, politically expressed, i and montgomery taylor and i offer lectures, seminars and private consultations. For more information, contact me at monte m o nt y at r l j media. Dot com 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 roof, 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. Hey, all you crazy listeners looking to boost your business? Why not advertise on talking alternative with very reasonable rates? Interested simply email at info at talking alternative dot com welcome back, it’s, time for tony’s take two at roughly thirty two minutes into the hour. My block this week is take time to play pirates. A couple of weeks ago, i played pirates with my seven year old nephew and my nine year old niece, and it got me thinking about the value of taking time for play, whether that’s play with kids or play with adults, it’s a chance to rest your mind and think about things on dh ideas completely unrelated to what your work may be day to day, it could be mindless play, and that could be even mindless play with adults you might have fund-raising yourself mindless with adults and then and then playing, you know, talk politics without any restraint that we have in our day to day lives. All i think makes you at least i feel this makes me feel more refreshed makes me more focused at work. I think when i take time off and i return, i’m just i’m just performing better and i’m hoping that you’ll get some of those same result it’s from taking time, tio play could be pirates could be something else and that’s what’s. My blogged this week, my blog’s is tony martignetti dot com. I also want you to know that we have a linked in group for the show. If you have a suggestion of guests or topics for the show again, just go to the blogged tony martignetti dot com and there’s, a very prominent link to all my social media properties presences, including the new linking group for the show and that is tony’s take two for friday, april twentieth, twenty twelve. The sixteenth show of the year with me now is melanie west. She writes for the greater new york section of the wall street journal. She writes the donor of the day column and covers the philanthropy beat. Before that, she wrote for the weekend journal aboutthe wine industry and wine travel. She joined the journal in two thousand six graduate of cornell and the columbia university graduate school of journalism. Melanie west lives in manhattan with her husband, and i’m very glad that her work brings her to the studio. Melanie welcome. Thank you. Pleasure to have you. Thank you. Um, let’s talk about donorsearch that day. What’s the what’s. The purpose there. Well, as you know, we’ve had a long commitment at the journal to report on the philanthropic interests of of our readership, and for many years we had a column that was gift of the week. And during the economic downturn, we how do i put it? Sunset that column in favor of resurrecting it with the greater new york section, which is our city section in the wall street journal, available in new jersey and connecticut, and certainly manhattan and the boroughs. And ah, the decision there was to create a column that was daily and looked at all kinds of philanthropy be at a forty million dollars gift or a gift from a teenager who does something that’s incredibly not charitable. So that’s what? The column is runs most every day in the paper. Assuming that we have news, we have room for it on dh it’s a pleasure to do and they they preferred the alliteration. Clearly, i like a little rations on my show. Gift of the week doesn’t sound snazzy donor the day sounds pretty cool, i guess die end of the day you’re doi end of the day, i’m doubling urges w w end of the day i think and you just surpassed five hundred columns. I know not you personally. Yes, we’ve done five hundred of them wasn’t just last month, i think, yep, ok. And that’s, you know, it’s been a great opportunity to speak with e, you know, diverse group of people here in the city and to learn about their passions. And i won’t say that it isn’t a challenge. Teo, create that column every day or lose five days a week. It is so you know, i hope your readers, your listeners, have some ideas for me, and they could certainly reach out to me, and we’re going to talk about that. How long have you been doing the column over a year now, okay, i’ve written the majority of that five hundred. Oh, you have, yeah, okay. And your predecessor was surely banjo. Correct, right? Who’s now on the connecticut westchester beat, i think something connecticut westchester, correct. Okay. You sometimes do a mention of the day what’s that about well, said someone who’s ah do gooder on dh it’s for people who have extraordinary passions and do unusual things. So for example, we’ve had a gentleman who ran for three days straight who’s raising money for multiple myeloma cancer research. We’ve had a teenager who, you know, collected a bunch of money through unicef, trick or treat they’re unisex trick or treat program. They had raised the most amount of money of any kids in the country, and that was up in connecticut. Um, these are for, you know, those air areas to talk about people’s philanthropic gifts without them being huge gifts and make for an unusual story and certainly a very charming story. So how do you like to be pitched? Email over phone what’s, your what’s, your preference about being pitched for doner of the day? I get pitches in all kinds of different forms, really off difference. Is there a way people? I’m sure people would rather give it to you in the form that you prefer. Um, actually don’t have a form that i prefer. What i really need to know is that the individual who is to be profiled is comfortable talking about the size of their gift. The quantity of their gift dollar value is always included, right? It’s a critical fact in the story. We are a paper that reports on transactions and these air philanthropy transactions. And so the amount of the gift is critical. Of course, it needs to be in a recent gift, and it needs to be news. Most of the stories that i do, in fact, ninety nine percent of the stories that i do our exclusive. So the story needs to come to us first. People need to be. The donor needs to be compelling. It needs to be someone who’s generous. Someone who deeply cares about what they’re giving to those are the best stories. Okay, do you take into consideration that for some charities ah, twenty five thousand dollar gift or forty thousand dollar gift, maybe very large. These they have to be, of course, gift in the millions. And, well, i mean, i think a twenty five thousand dollar gift to a major university is maybe not is proportionate gift. But to answer the question more broadly know there’s, not a threshold. Okay, it’s, really a question of is that it? Is that a meaningful gift to the organization? Okay, and what would you like to see in the in the pitch? What do you need to know? Initially, tio to determine whether you’d like to go ahead. Well, i need a sense of time if they want to do it tomorrow, then on di doo doo stories that, you know, happen tomorrow. There’s a story that i had to run today that will run on monday and it’s a very quick turnaround, so i don’t need a sense of time certainly need a sense of the amount of the gift, and i need a sense of who the person is. Okay? Oftentimes i’ll get a email where someone will say, well, i have this idea of someone who might want to do something and is usually nine times out of ten doesn’t come to fruition, so needs it pretty to be a pretty solid, okay, let’s, get the incumbent ones that air so kind of vague, right? What about the the idea of follow-up phone calling of some of somebody emails you a pitch and then follows up with a phone call to say, i just wanna make sure you got my email does that? There are some journalists who gets very turned off by that on don’t appreciate the double double contact. How do you feel about that? I tried to be friendly to everyone that calls very thoughtful. Okay. Okay. Okay. Calls a reasonable number of times a reasonable number. Okay. All right. Anything else you want to say about pitching? You know, just reach out to me by e mails at the bottom of every story online. So it should be pretty easy to get me, and they’re very easy to find just google melanie west or melanie grace west correct, g r a y, c and donor of the day and you’ll find many many columns donorsearch day. So since you’ve written the majority of the five hundred, you see some trends, no doubt what what’s what’s, something that you’re seeing happening more often seems my good trends, i think ok, you know, i’m seeing a lot more people acknowledging the need to give locally, um, people who have made their wealth in new york and in the region and who feel it’s their responsibility to support the city. Either they’re they’ve come here, they’ve come from here. There are many of them have been born in brooklyn, but they have a very good awareness that the need is great close to home. That isn’t to suggest that there aren’t a tremendous number. Of people who are giving to their alma mater, zand states away what it is to say that there’s this awareness that there is a need in the city and i think that we can partially thank mayor bloomberg for setting that trend and making that awareness known, especially among his friends and colleagues. Now should we point out that is going back to stories that are appropriate? That needs to be some metrical area connection once you make sure that’s clear well, the donor of the organization needs stay in the area, okay, new york, new jersey and connecticut correct nasco some connection with the charity or the donor, right? Well, the column runs in the greater new york sections, so we’re not reporting on what happened the california but the show’s hyre worldwide, so i just wantto make make sure that people know there’s got to be that new york, new jersey connecticut connection. Okay, aside from local giving, what else? What else you’re seeing it’s great for me again. People i think are choosing not to give anonymously. They’re choosing to set an example. They’re choosing teo, encourage their colleagues as well. I had a gentleman, who’s. A donor a couple months ago, and he gave a two million dollar gift to bridgeport hospital, which is in connecticut. And he said one of the reasons why he gave the gift is because he wanted to make, you know, set the example for for other people and basically, he said, if you know people look at me and say, hey, he could give two million i can do at least that much, um, and in this particular gift, the gentleman’s joel smile oh, ah, he had the cardiac unit named for him. And so i think naming gifts are also, you know, compelling to people. Come, you know, in so few words, he said that effectively, if i could have a named gift for two million prison that many of my neighbors can also have a similar gift. And that’s that’s pretty well known in fund-raising circles that we can get somebody to stand up at a gala let’s, say or identify themselves somehow and say i did it in fact, in board meetings. It’s sometimes used to i did it, and i’m challenging all of you to do it. Sounds like something similar to what? What? That? Gentleman, what jules was doing, joel and then jules kroll he’s a gentleman. Who’s made his his his million’s in global consulting and search of corporate security. Right hey gave a two million dollar gift to john jay college and he again wanted that to be a very public gift to inspire others to give to John jay and 2 other city university established. You know, the college is to grow their fund-raising profile as a place where, yes, you khun give gifts here. There’s another gentleman. I did a story on very recently. His name is henry van amorin. Gin it’s quite well known in the gay, lesbian and bisexual transgender community. He funds a lot of causes, and he gave a million dollars a million dollars to in the life media. And he never gives a name gift. He on lee it’s anonymously and the reason why he gave this gift it to your point is he wanted to inspire others to give. And it was a matching gift or a challenge gift. And do you find that is usually the charity that encourages the person to step out of anonymity? Or is it the donor thinking of it on their own. I don’t think the charity concert i don’t think the charity could be persuasive enough teo, to get someone who would give anonymously to suddenly put their name to it. I think the individual wants to do it, you know? Arika dahna i mean, i could see a charity trying push because they’d like to motivate the same similar gift, and we have just about a minute before a break, you have your seeing something in terms of gift being split up, split gift. Yeah, i think this is a good idea. Trend there. Some donors that i’ve spoken with have decided, especially for college endowments, to give a gift that, you know, may endow a chair but also to give a gift a tte the same time. Two scholarships. So something that could be used in some in the president in something that is a future gift that the university can drawn. Okay, so seeing okay current and then planned gifts or deferred endowment type gif ts corrects here together. Right? Right. Okay. All right. Well, we’ll take it. We’ll take a break there and when we return, melanie west will stay with me. Doi end of the day. Andi. I hope you do, too. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Hi, this is psychic medium. Betsy cohen, host of the show. The power of intuition. Join me at talking alternative dot com mondays at eleven a. M call in for a free second reading. Learn how to tune into your intuition to feel better and to create your optimum life. I’m here to guide you and to assist you in creating life that you deserve. Listen every monday at eleven a, m on talking alternative dot com. Hi, i’m carol ward from the body mind wellness program. Listen to my show for ideas and information to help you live a healthier life in body, mind and spirit, you’ll hear from terrific guests who are experts in the areas of health, wellness and creativity. So join me every thursday at eleven a, m eastern standard time on talking alternative dot com professionals serving community oppcoll. Hi, this is nancy taito from speaks. Been radio speaks. Been. Radio is an exploration of the world of communication, how it happens in how to make it better, because the quality of your communication has a direct impact on the quality of your life. Tune in monday’s at two pm on talking alternative dot com, where i’ll be interviewing experts from business, academia, the arts and new thought. Join me mondays at two p m and get all your communications questions answered on speaks been radio. This is tony martignetti, aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Technology fund-raising compliance. Social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio friday’s one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting. Talking. Oppcoll welcome back to big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Melanie west writes the donor of the day column for the wall street journal she’s with us, but she doesn’t only write the donor of the day column. Just yesterday, she had a piece on howard buffett, son of the very well known philanthropist and billionaire what’s what’s happening in the buffet family melanie that you covered yesterday? Well, i had the great opportunity to visit mr buffett on his farm in the middle of illinois beautiful part of the country and ride in his tractor as we work the fields for a little bit. All right already. I have to stop you. I’m sorry, but his his tractor has gps e well, i mean, this isn’t just your regular old puffing plaque smoke tractor, though they did start out with that was a pretty sophisticated piece of equipment, it’s, more like what i would call like a robot, a giant farm robot, but i read gps in a tractor and initially wondered why you need gps isn’t is an attractive, pretty much just up and down the rows. Why is there a gps in attractive it’s harder? Than you think. My over our new yorker is oversimplifying. Don’t you need gps when you travel out of the city? I do. But how far does he think his tractor he’s got quite a bit of land and it actually speeds to process out. So it’s yeah, we got it back and forth, it’s more than just back and forth. There is some technicality to it, and you want to plant a rose straight if you don’t, you’re gonna have a messed up crop. Okay? I just envisioned a lot of turn left. No, no, no, no. It does it on its own. Oh, gods the tractor? Yes. Oh, oh, it sze more than just telling you how to go. Oh, absolutely. No, no, no, it’s. Not that kind of thing. It’s gps operated in the sense where it’s like not off by an inch. Oh, excellent. Okay. All right. That was a digression. Okay? Important one that didn’t come out this in detail. It did not come out in a story with sophistication of his gps. Actually drive. The tractor doesn’t just say turn left. Turn right. And it plots exactly where each seed gets dropped. I mean it’s really? Quite amazing. Okay, okay. So in the last few years, mr buffett has turned his attention to domestic hunger. As you know, his foundation. It’s, about a two hundred twenty five million dollar foundation, has primarily funded work in international developments. Howard buffett correct foundation correct. This’s, the middle son of the billionaire investor. Okay? And he in recent years decided that there was more he could do closer to home. For many years, he has supported things throughout decatur and illinois and nebraska local charities. But he has become more aware that hunger has a different look than what we might think of it. And in rural areas. It’s really quite quite an issue feeding america, the charity that mr buffett has partnered with reports that, you know, the greatest levels of food insecurity in the country are primarily in rural areas, not in urban areas. They’re statistic is fifty five percent. So with this, he looked closer to home, began doing more research he funded with feeding america giant map called i think it’s called bridge the meal gap for the meal gap. And it basically takes a county by county approach of where hunger is. In america, and he funded that project with some other partners based on that, he decided he could do more. And for the last few years, he’s been thinking about a project that would directly get farmers invested in hunger in their community. Now, in rural areas, you have to think about it, you know, who are the who are the leaders in rural areas and is very much the farmers on dh. So if they got together and they work together, how could they raise money to give closer to home? And this was his problem and something that he solved. And so on thursday of this week, he announced a plan in partnership with adm. Archer daniel with daniels midland to create a program where farmers give a portion of their crop to feeding america. Archer daniels midland very big agribusiness, correct company. So what a farmer does is he has nine hundred fifty bushels in a semi tractor trailer. They roll up into archer daniels midland. The company asked, how much of that do you want to give to charity? We can give a bushel. They could give no bushels. They can give a hundred fifty bushels. And what happens is the amount of money for that bushel goes back to the organization, so so we’re not donating. There were some comments to your yeah, that suggested that the raw corn was being donated to food hunger program, yeah, hungry people provoc corn no it’s very bad for the teeth for everybody unless you’re gonna pop it. But it’s not a balanced meal, so the proceeds of the amount that they designate that was in the article. Okay, so but i can’t help it if people didn’t read carefully, it is a confusing idea because i think people think that there’s going to be farmers who are giving food, and that is actually a secondary portion of it which was not covered in the article is he wants to encourage those people, too. If you’re going to give money and you’re going to donate some of the proceeds from your crop, why not within the gardens and lands that you have grow a little food and donate that to the food bank as well? So he in one of his plots of land is actually growing corn for the food bank indicator and he’s gonna, you know at harvest time, roll up with a bunch of sweet corn. And the, um the money is going to be donated to the peach farmers. Local correct local food program say little about that. Right? So feeding america has about has two hundred to food banks in the country. Fifty three of those food banks directly service rural populations. So the gift in what the farmers air donating will benefit those fifty three food banks. So it is staying in their community and that’s very, very compelling for the farmers. That is a key component to getting them to donate stays local. Correct. Not unlike what melanie schnoll begun. My first guy? Yes. I was talking about that there’s. An interest in giving people are interested in giving locally. They want to see local impact on this is called invest in acre co-branded. Okay. And so all of the programme materials should be live now and online. And i believe it’s, invest in acre dot or ge ah it’s being primarily funded and driven by the howard g buffett foundation. Okay. And there again that you are always invest an acre dot org’s, i believe. All right. Melanie melanie west. Thank you very much for being a guest. Thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure. Melanie west writes the donor of a column for the wall street journal and covers the philanthropy beat there. My thanks also to melanie schnoll begun for being with me and her assistant saraya for all her help next week, get monthly givers. Bob wesolowski, the president of caring habits, helps you get habitual monthly donors through electronic funds. Transfer ft for those in the in the in the business and strategic organizations raised more money starita ansari is president and chief change officer at m s b philanthropy advisors. She wants you to organize thoughtfully around your mission, looking strategically at your inputs, outputs and outcomes to boost your fund-raising revenue keep up with what’s coming up. Sign up farming satur email alerts on the facebook page like that page! If you like the show, you’d always know that you can listen live or archive to catch us archive, go to non-profit radio dot net non-profit radio dot net that will take you to our itunes paige and my thanks again. To those who raided the show on itunes on twitter, follow me follow the show’s hashtag used the show’s hashtag non-profit radio use it unabashedly our creative producers, claire meyerhoff. Sam liebowitz is our line producer. Janice taylor is our assistant producer. Shows 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 sincerely hope you will be with me next week. Friday, one to two p, m eastern. You always find us at talking alternative dot com, which is the home of talking alternative broadcasting. Dahna good thing. The shooting. Good ending. You’re listening to the talking alternative network, waiting to get me anything. E-giving cubine how’s your game want to improve your performance, focus and motivation than you need? Aspire, athletic consulting stop second guessing yourself move your game to the next level, bring back the fun of the sport, help your child build confidence and self esteem through sports, contact dale it aspire athletic consulting for a free fifteen minute power session to get unstuck. Today, your greatest athletic performance is just a phone call away at eight a one six zero four zero two nine four or visit aspire consulting. Dot vp web motivational coaching for athletic excellence aspire to greatness are you suffering from aches and pains? Has traditional medicine let you down? Are you tired of taking toxic medications? Then come to the double diamond wellness center and learn how our natural methods can help you, too? He’ll call us now at to one to seven to one eight one eight three that’s two one two seven to one eight one eight, three or find us on the web at www dot double diamond wellness dot com way look forward to serving you. You’re listening to talking on turn their network at www. Dot talking alternative dot com, now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Looking to meet mr or mrs, right? I still haven’t found the one want to make your current relationship as filling as possible, then tuning on thursdays at one pm for love in the afternoon with morning alison as a professional matchmaker, i’ve seen it all with distinguished authors, industry coolers and experts on everything from wine to fashion. Join us as we discuss dating, relationships and more on talking alternative dot com. Are you fed up with talking points, rhetoric everywhere you turn left or right? Spin ideology no reality, in fact, its ideology over in tow, no more it’s time for action. Join me, larry shock a neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven easter for the ivory tower radio in the ivory tower will discuss what’s important to you society, politics, business and family. It’s provocative talk for the realist and the skeptic who want to know what’s. Really going on? What does it mean? What can be done about it? So gain special access to the ivory tower. Listen to me, larry sharp your neo-sage tuesday nights nine to eleven new york time go to ivory tower radio dot com for details. That’s, ivory tower radio dot com. Every tower is a great place to visit for both entertainment and education. Listening. Tuesday nights nine to eleven. It will make you smarter. Talking.