Tag Archives: planned giving

Nonprofit Radio for Dec. 17, 2010: Enviable eNewsletters & Bank of America High Net Worth Study

Update:

There were big technical problems on Friday, Dec. 17th, which kept the show from streaming. We recorded it, but it didn’t go out. So, the High Net Worth Study and Enviable Newsletters show will be streamed on New Year’s Eve, 12/31, during the regular show time. Also, we’re finally approved on iTunes, so this and other episodes will also be there for you to download and listen to after the broadcasts.

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Compliance. Board relations. Fundraising. Technology. Volunteer management. Accounting. Finance. Marketing. Social media. Investments.

Every nonprofit faces these issues and big nonprofits have experts in each. Small and medium size nonprofits have Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. Trusted experts throughout the country join Tony to take on the tough issues facing your organization.

Episode 20 of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio for December 17, 2010

Tony’s Guests:
Scott Koegler, editor, Nonprofit Technology News.

Scott is our regular tech contributor.

Topic:
Enviable eNewsletters: How to create the strongest eNewsletters that move your donors & volunteers to action.

Claire Costello, the National Foundation Executive for Philanthropic Management at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Topic:
Bank of America High Net Worth Study: What’s in the numbers and what do they mean for you?

You can download the study here: 2010 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy and on the show’s media page.

Here is the link to the podcast: 022: High Net Worth Study & 7 Principles for a Successful Newsletter

When and where: Talking Alternative Radio, Friday, 1-2pm Eastern.

You can subscribe on iTunes and listen anytime, anyplace on the device of your choosing.

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Durney welcome to the show on the aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent, i’m back. I’m live back from bangladesh, sri lanka and thailand where was for the past two weeks? And during those weeks we had interviews from the national conference on philanthropic planning on the show this week, the bank of america, hi networth study claire costello, bank of america merrill lynch’s study expert is going to talk about the numbers in the high net worth study and what they mean for your fund-raising and donor relationships, who makes the giving decisions? What motivates high net worth donors to give? What do they expect from you after they give? And why do they sometimes stop giving to non-profits we’re going to talk about all of that with claire costello and then seven principles for a successful newsletter. Scott koegler, the editor of non-profit technology news and the shows technology contributor, joined me, joins me, scott and it’s a lot of newsletters. He’s not a one tech pony, if you will if you allow that pun, he has suggestions specifically seven principles for newsletter success in your communications that he’s going to share with us? There isn’t gonna be any tony’s. Take two this week. We need the time for the guests. So tt two returns next week on our christmas eve show, and after this break, the high net worth study, which is that interview recorded on site at buttercup bake shop, right down the street on west seventy second street here in new york. Stay with us after this break. Co-branding think dick tooting. Good ending. You’re listening to the talking alternate network to get you thinking. Nothing. 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 two one two nine six, four, three five zero two for a free consultation. That’s lawrence h bloom, too. One, two, nine, six, four, three, five zero two. We make people happy. 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. 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. I’m with claire costello now, and she is bank of america merrill lynch’s expert on their high net worth study. Claire is the national foundation executive for philanthropic management at bank of america merrill lynch, and there she is responsible for providing thought leadership and identifying best practices for films, tropic families and non-profit institutions. And i’m glad that her practice and banks study brings her to the show tonight. Claire, welcome. Thank you very much. Happy to be here. We’re on site, not in the studio. As you can tell by the sound of the recording. Claire, what is the the history of the bank’s study? Why do they what do they do this? Jai networks? Well, the bank considers it a very important part of i thought. Leadership for the sector behaviours in-kind worth individuals around giving over important because worth individuals are responsible for upwards of two thirds of all individual e-giving and as much as half of all giving, including corporate donations on other private donations. So it’s a very important segment of our e-giving population. A very influential segment. And it’s critical to understand. Thinking how they behaved and how they manifest e-giving behaviors miree e-giving season so this is the third iteration of the study it’s, a biannual study we partner with the center on flandez beat indiana university, which is a well regarded academic think tank around all things e-giving and we’re proud to have them as our research partner, so together with them, as i said, this is the third one, the first beginning in two thousand five, i’m looking into not only behaviors, but also that psychographic someone it’s, unlike e-giving usa, which is often compared to which looks quite importantly at the general populace, should not find it worth it at their demographic behavior, you know where they give how much they give. We delve into that as well as the cycle with the cycle graphics, meaning you know what their motivations are, what they’re thinking is around their particular gifts and behavior. So with that we’ve launched just now the two thousand ten study, which looks both at some of the long term training information, that bastard course of study and some new areas of inquiry that we’ve just been curious about thickly timely, of course, as always, we could ask so many more questions, but we don’t have time for a little study down every year, painfully to exclude some very interesting enquiries, but that would just simply don’t have time or money to enquire about. It would take any respondent hours to go into all the questions if we had our brothers, how many questions are there in this? I know the question count. I can’t recall what it was twelve pages of questions, okay, and what’s the methodology. How do you select the people that it’s sent to it’s actually the largest random study of its kind way? Do not pull our clients contrary to many other studies. Mrs of line study, conducted again by indian university on our behalf buy-in all nine digit zip codes, the attempt with great success too dahna you get into a rather insular segment of our of our society, that is to say behind it worth communities, and they do so with the response to this year study was five point six percent, which i’m which is up from last year, last of these four point three percent, so an increase in response rate, i am told by statisticians far and wide, that five point six well, a low number to a lay person has actually been running impressive response cerini particularly again, as i said, among his reverence, who are sick and how many people is the study center we mailed twenty thousand wait received in excess of a thousand responses back, some of which were eliminated to do too either offgrid dahna buy-in complete responses, our wealth, qualification levels, etcetera. And so i think the final count somewhere in excess of eight hundred between eight hundred nine, okay? And the centre at indiana university believes that this is all statistically valid, certainly in terms of confidence levels, it said absolutely, and where it’s not statistically significant, but where it was the loss of interest, even anecdotally, that is all indicated in the report. So anything reported here is appropriately labeled us it’s significant forces with meaning being on the data set well, let’s dive into the substance of her report. I know you’ve talked about this and a lot of different places. What are the highlights that you like to share with the audience? Keeping in mind our audience is small and midsize non-profits well, i think by large, despite the declines e-giving levels, that is to say there was a precipitous drop in average amount given by this kind of worth set of respondents to the tune of about thirty four, thirty five percent. So so, you know scharpnick line, however, think what there are several data points within the state that mitigate against that number. And i think taken as a constellation of data points really are quite heartening for non-profits and in particular, i’m referring to the fact that despite the drop in actual dollars, that respondent didn’t did demonstrated steadfastness and a deep sense of loyalty to the organizations they funded that we care this is seen in the fact that they did not stop giving to anymore organizations, and they have stopped giving to a previous study again, steady that they increased their volunteerism significantly, both in terms of the number of people volunteering and a number of hours that they volunteered, they report wanting the same things from their organizations in other words, they haven’t really yeah change course dramatically in turn, there’s, some jiggering off of what they’re seeking and why they choose a particular order organization but that’s really quite financially driven and not a material change, really. From previous years. So there are a lot of indications that forget it, that that they understand that given this counter cyclical and the first to meet the need, they’ve just done so with fewer dollars. But with no, no, no less bigger and dedication party talking alternative radio. Twenty four hours a day. Oppcoll 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 hi 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 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. I really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. Is this you mind over matter, health and fitness can help. If you’re expecting an epiphany, chances are it’s not happening. Mind over matter, health and fitness could help you get back on track or start a new life and fitness. Join Joshua margolis, fitness expert at 2 one two eight six five nine to nine xero. Or visit w w w dot mind over matter. Y si dot com. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. Well, i guess this claire costello, national foundation executive for a bank of america merrill lynch, and we’re talking about this year’s high net worth survey clear. How about some of the data points that you think your most interesting? Oh, they’re so money, way asked some some new questions this year that we hadn’t asked before one of particular duitz again heartening for your audiences that we asked, as between corporations, large and small government sectors, federal, state, local congress, etcetera on the non profit sector were respondents place the greatest confidence in solving domestic amglobal ills issues, and resoundingly, they placed their faith in the nonprofit sector, and government is quite lows and white low on dh this second behind the province was individuals themselves. So taken again in the aggregate what you with the story that that tells is that individuals together with non-profits they believe in are there they’re solution, teo navigating in the troubled world and so that that was, i think, a great active faith, an endorsement for the non profit sector. Yeah, very encouraging, your right. And in terms of the e-giving decisions, can we talk a little about who’s involved in the family e-giving decision? Sure, let me just say that the the banks are full study is on my blogged mpg devi dot com just go to the post for today’s show december seventeenth, and you’ll find the pdf that you can download, and i think claire and i are about to be talking about the chart on page seventeen called transmitting philanthropic values the role children or younger relatives play in charitable giving. How about that? Clear the family role in deciding where and in what ways to give sametz we saw we’ve seen excuse me continuously through the history of the study that there’s tremendous family involvement on dh we see primarily that high net worth individuals are are themselves transmitted these values of taking taking upon himself, tio educate their children of the next generation, or grandchildren would have you in the values and practices of e-giving so that has been a strong trend in terms of personal hands on teachings around giving we also seem we ask for the first time in this version of the study, about family traditions and and how net worth individuals are engaged family traditions by that i mean, you know what? Another person through e-giving volunteering some kind of holiday custom around e-giving dahna you know, in any discussion, frankly, your year long, depending how they manifest, they’re giving practices and the majority of mind of yours have at least one giving tradition. If not so, that was also, you know, evidence that the value of the practice now the culture of e-giving still very much alive now am i reading this right, though? Because this the figure six on page seventeen shows that about seventy two percent of families don’t involve children or younger relatives there? Is it mostly a couple’s decision? Well, it could be we asked again for the first time in an effort to kind of peer into the black box that is the kind of work household, how e-giving decisions were made in the vast majority, or made collaboratively forty one percent not only discussed with jointly, decide a smaller portion discussed collaboratively, and then one or the other of the couple would decide and there’s various sort of configurations thereafter, but in one form or another, the majority do collaborate, reflection, the numbers your chart that you’re referring to may, in fact be that the average age of the children in this case, old and varied. So some of these respondents responses excuse me, random, based on the demographics of our sample, which itself was random in terms of age of children, who’s involved so that the actual decisions may not have relatives. But the culture and around giving the transmission of that culture is very much alive and collaborative. Okay, what do we know? The average age of the respondents, the average age of the fundez in this study where sixty six years old okay, the majority, fifty one percent were retired. The average income level was between. I think the at the average income was ten point seven million dollars. Though our threshold for entrance to the study there, our definition of wealth was quite low. And we do that on purpose so that we can synch up with the irs studies in there for provider richard cross correlation there isn’t so but but even though we set with the wealth definition relatively low for the purposes of entering to the study again, the average networth proves to be quite high. City is ten points. Okay? And so talking about this collaborative nature e-giving the implication for non-profits is it’s important to involve the family? Certainly the spouse, if, you know, relate the primary relationship might be with the husband or wife, but involved the wife or the husband in your activities and even in your communications because e-giving is a collaborative decision, most definitely, and recent studies put out by the women’s flint against two coincidently also indiana university, not a part of this study, but recent data that i referring you two with biggers talks emphatically about how women are the well formers, in fact, in the respective glamarys very much the growing influence and have been for a long time, but increasingly so and in particular also responsible, more so than the man in the household for nurturing the value set of children. So by all means, if you are fund-raising out there make sure that at a minimum, you’re speaking to the woman in the household and all the better optimally to engage the entire family we’ve seen in this in our study, the time tested correlation between increased engagement with an organization and increase e-giving levels, so the more you could do to involve the family, the better. Off, you’ll be i’m with claire costello, national foundation executive for bank of america merrill lynch. We’re talking about the banks, high net worth study, claire let’s, talk a little about what donors expect from cerini lorts well, actually, before we go to the expectations of what they give of, where they give why they’re giving what some of the donor motivations are forgiving, the primary reason remains an altruistic on, which is that respondents indicated that they give at the rate of about seventy two percent in order to make a difference. And where do we go taxes for in this ranking of motivations, taxes are very much at the bottom, and they have been here a long time it’s very much a misconception that taxes dr e-giving they certainly our primary influencer and how you organize your giving? That is to say, whether you pick of foundation dahna advise fun or any other structures vehicle forgiving because the tax implications varied and very important infrastructure in your wealth and your e-giving that said it’s often been said that e-giving excusing the taxes will get you in the door, but they won’t keep you in the room that you need much more of a connection to stains that same e-giving and that’s been true. That said, this study was the first time in which we saw heightened sensitivity to any forecast changes in the tax. Yeah, there were questions about what might happen so it’s interesting to compare the actual motivations that donors claim taxes fall low, but in your questions about state tax, possible changes or elimination of charitable deductions, what were the results there again, we saw much more tenderness around those issues than we’ve ever seen in the past. You know, i’d like to think broadly that it’s not because of what the tax policy ultimately proves to be, but the uncertainty created by the chatter in washington that continues to this day on the overarching financial straits the country’s in so if you look at the the factors that influence e-giving three of the top four that were in place in our last study remain in the top four, with the exception of one which is feeling financially secure that moved up from the fifth slot to the second slideshare study so much time if you tie that exactly if you tie in that need. For financial security with tax question again, i think it all wraps around the fact that there’s uncertainty and then in certain certainly inform e-giving as well a cz many other things in our daily lives, so i don’t know we won’t know until the next study or until, in fact, the tech krauz has changed to look back and see whether it’s a causal relationship there, but it’s no surprise that they saw a heightened sensitivity around the tax questions both respected the income tax deduction in the state, tax elimination because they were very much up in the air and remain so as they said, today’s durney so let’s move to the to the expectations then donors have from the non-profits e-giving to what there’s a lot of sensitivity in the current environment around accountability, transparency, proper, proper practices and i think that’s reflected in your service. Yeah, again, i think the expectation of non-profits falling too broad categories good governance and personal attention and under the good governance spanner they donors are looking for demonstration of sound business and operational practices first and foremost. Secondly, that appropriate mount is spent on overhead and other administrative costs that’s a very big issue had had a measure what’s appropriate to put into program versus administration recognition that some charities do very on site work in very much on site work in foreign countries are going to have high overhead. Oh, sure, classic examples that is man most against drunk driving fremery cost, at least early on, was mailing costs, so it shows up on the straight and narrow, but is actually part of their mission in any way. So so just one example about how metoo keenan discerning eye behind those numbers because they are not meaningful in and of themselves, they need to be put in the proper context, but certainly and then also under the banner of good government, they want transparency and full financial disclosure. So another important thing to keep in mind as you publicize your annual reports and otherwise with your constituents under the banner of personal attention, donors are looking for their contributions to be acknowledged in a timely fashion, including receipts for any gifts, in-kind or monetary. Do we have some evidence that that receipts proper acknowledgment is not being made? I don’t know, except that they asked for it at the rate of eighty five percent. So we can’t draw any implication there that it’s not being done, maybe it is being done well and they appreciate it. Therefore they wanted to continue, so no, they don’t want their personal information distributed. They do want you to honor and anonymity where it’s requested, and they want request that the donors made for the use of the gift so pretty straight forward requirements. But they do want to make sure you’re on your toes dotting your i’s, crossing your teeth on all of those areas do you know if they were dahna survey questions that listed sameh areas of expectation that did not rank among the ones you just mentioned? In other words, are you familiar with questions that were actually asked him where their members to marry is that good? I’m just worried warrant too important to the donors? Yeah, i think you know, the smallest ranking came in it about five percent, and that was to offer involving with the organization, which is interesting when you look at the increase in the volunteerism i get, says it’s, volunteers are self starters that they will go ahead and forging your opportunity. Don’t need jared, although i would not take that indication percent residents truck non-profits not hyre don’t engage way see in other areas that personal engagement is very important and we’ll see if there is another dahna chart a data point that says emphatically they choose organizations based on their knowledge, their personal knowledge and insight, and engaging with an organization. So this may just be and in terms of what they actually expect a new organization to do, as opposed to what’s important to them. When when deciding mission so it’s a slightly different question, it might be nuance in that regard. There are other, more important things apparently, like sending a thank you note, like providing information about the organization effect all of those at about forty fifty percent, they all hover in the same department around what they expect. They certainly want communication around impact on effectiveness, and they all kind of resonate in around the same communication that is transparent that conveys thie progress made by the nonprofit organization toward accomplishment of their mission. That’s critical, the outcome, outcomes, outcome, communications, right wherever possible, how the gift of the donor roland and then also in that first section you talked about good governance, a lot of implications there for board members for development, proper board procedures around around accountability, financial issues, transparency, whistle blower. I mean, all these types of policies that air that are now becoming critical for non-profits to maintain that have been for a long time on the for-profit science? Yes, where’s that logical to go next after after looking at what well, i mean don’t expect is why they stopped getting to an organization. As i said, they stopped giving congested earlier, okay, stop giving any more organizations and they have stopped seven this is a pot no, showing that again they stood by, albeit with fewer dollars. They stood by organizations that they care about support. So number one up from about forty two percent last year to fifty last study to fifty eight point nine almost fifty nine percent this time around is that the donor was frequented fixes we solicited to frequently or inappropriate amounts. Wait, we don’t know whether that was in fact, done given needs the height needs of non-profits in a shrinking economy, our weather, the donor’s themselves also feeling financially constrain or perhaps more sensitive. To the asks, but at any rate it came up on the richter scale quite loud that they stop giving to our positions was too frequent or inappropriate solicitations, meaning amount and have it i’m sorry, tell us again, how did that compare to the survey? Two years ago, it went up from forty two percent to almost fifty nine percent. Thank you, and the second was that they decided to support other causes a tte the rate of about thirty four percent. This drops from fifty one on the last day third on the list is to where they stopped giving wass that their household circumstances change, and the reason that significant is because encompassed within that choice is losing your job using one of her house will incomes and the fact that that was not more oven influencing factor as to why folk stuff e-giving i think is an indication again that despite those circumstances within the household, that people stood by the organizations that they cared about in-kind i’m looking at page sixty five b after again the pdf is on my block and mpg a dvd dot com distorted post for today’s show on page sixty. Five figure, fifty. I see that three of of the reasons that high net worth household stop supporting organizations are within the organization’s control you mentioned to frequent solicitation or ask for the wrong amount. I also see organization changed leadership or activities on dh down the bottom. That still ten percent inaccurate recordkeeping. So three of these factors are well within the organization’s control. Absolutely. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. This is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent technology fund-raising compliance social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing efforts. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is. We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy contact them today. Admission one one media 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 durney let’s talk about it, the people who help donors make their giving decisions, people outside the family unprofessional professional advisors can you talk to that? The chart on page seventy one little bit? Sure, what we’re seeing in this study is compared to the last two, frankly, is continued trend away from thie advice of non-profit organizations staff in an across the board advisory capacity, so we’re seeing a trend, therefore, tours the consultation with traditional financial advisors like accountants, lawyers on and well structures wait, take this to be one of many data points in the study that together tell the story of a more sophisticated donor with more use e-giving vehicles we saw that e-giving peoples was the largest subset your recipient of dollars this year, up about twenty one percent over last year. So clearly donors are becoming more structured, more conservative about they’re giving. And so obviously when you’re when you’re doing that, you need financial advisors and well structures and tax accountants and lawyers to help you do that. That said, it is not that they don’t value the advice non-profits but they do so more in the context of mission formation and establishing a purpose for their e-giving and helping them two guys, the substance less so the form e-giving so we do see still an important role for non-profit letters buy-in and staff and advising purpose of the mission. Ilsen i see something interesting on this chart on page seventy one that piers or pure networks are actually more important to the donor buy-in in terms of mission, definition and creation, then are the non-profit person? Yeah, i mean it that’s not if you think, through just a social circle an actual tendencies in collaboration donors, particularly perhaps in this in this financial of society, and also non-profits are purposely and respectfully biased, and they, you know, they represented organizations they represent. So i think donors may understand that they may seek a sort of a broader network of piers and others, you are engaged with organizations to balance out those opinions. I mean, they do not differ by that much, i think no hyre non-profit personnel are consulted in this regard, about thirty seven percent, right and peers at about forty forty so it’s right close. But, you know, i think one should not underestimate the influence of pierre, so if you have in your constituents face someone who was connected, someone who has powerful, you’re network or roll index, you know any way that you could engage that person, a cz your advocate would put you in good stead, given the influence of pierce on this and non-profits are routinely encouraged to used boardmember zoho our donors to reach out to their own peered networks, and the evidence here is just that it doesn’t stop with bringing people in, but also throughout stewardship and cultivation process and gift closing process, his peers to be really valuable, absolutely again, that goes back to the volunteering statistics, personal engagement statistics and all of that kind of folds in on itself to say offgrid enlist in an effective way and invoke away some key donors. You will probably do yourself be more efficient way to attract more donors that counts buy-in fired-up kapin i see one thing a little disturbing is that non-profit personnel are providing about four percent, three point nine percent, to be exact of the tax and legal advice as a consultant, i’d rather that should said xero point xero hopefully that advice is not really substantive in detail well, we don’t know the nature of that device in particular, but i would imagine it is that’s. A fairly low percentage could be in the context of don’t advise. Fundez yeah, is this the simple differences in tax benefits between dahna advised funds and foundation, with fairly straightforward fact of him code. Our tax follow-up so again, dahna i don’t know what the precise nature point. We’re just in the remaining seconds. We have left anything you want to of closing conclusion with for the audience, um, only that it’s a very rich study and run seventy five pages long, and you can sort of a line that data and an infinite ways to tell many many different stories encourage your audience to have a look and feel free, of course, but any questions you may have, and we hope that it provides some assistance to you in your day to day work and know that hyre we as an institution or behind your work, this piece of leadership helps support you in doing so. Apparently, our donor is r two when they place an enormous amount of faith in your ability to do your job well and accomplish your mission. So thank you all of you for doing what you do every day. My guest has been claire costello, national foundation executive for films, opic management at bank of america merrill lynch and a reminder that you can download the full report for seventy five pages on my block and mpg geever dot com stay with us after the break, we’ll have scott koegler talking. About the value of e news letters to your organization. Stay with us. That was my pre recorded interview with claire costello on the bank of america hi networth study. You might have mention heard the background noise. I’m sure you did, just as i said earlier, that was pre recorded at our satellite studio in the buttercup big shop on west seventy second street because there was a little snafu here at the studio, but the show goes on and used my iphone actually to record that interview with claire, and i’m very pleased now to bring back a frequent visitor to the show. Scott koegler scott is the editor at non-profit technology news he’s, the show’s technology contributor, and he and its many newsletters he is not a one tech pony if you will allow that he’s here to talk about your communications and your newsletters and to share his seven principles for a successful newsletter. Scott, welcome back to the show. Well, thanks a lot, tony. Appreciate it. One of my favorite subjects, of course. And, uh, just i might just do a little bit of full disclosure here. Producing newsletters for organizations is my business, so i expected the things that i’m talking about today will be valuable to folks, and if they’re interested in knowing more, i’ll leave them to my site that said let’s, go what is the ok, what is the value of a newsletter just in case non-profit listening needs motivation? Why should they spend the time that it does take to produce a newsletter? It’s real simple, it’s, it’s communication non-profits pretty much like any organization need to communicate to their constituents, to their members, to the people that they’re serving and it’s in these days of kind of distributed environments, it’s pretty unlikely that everybody involved is going to actually meet at the same place at the same time. So, you know, there have been, uh, phone trees and and conference calls and those kind of things, and there have been paper newsletters for decades. Generation’s probably the new way of doing this is online or email newsletters, and so to answer your question, why do they need it? They needed to communicate so there the people that they’re serving and that they’re that they’re requesting help from no what’s going on and your seven principles, which we’ll get to. You very shortly applied toe to e newsletters as well as print they do. They’re they’re really for for news letters in general, but most of the work that i do is and is in online. Uh, some some small portion of the newsletters that i produced online actually do show up a cz as print, but that’s kind of a by product, okay? And your e book is seven principles for a successful newsletter. Why don’t you run down what the seven principles are? And then we’ll have timeto talk in detail about a few of them. Sure, let’s, just start at the top, and i think this is aside from being the first one, it’s also the most important one, and that is no and grow your audience, you need to be able to speak to the people that you’re talking to and in terms of things that they want to know, so you need to know who they are. The second one is to focus on the purpose, and that is be sure that the newsletters that you send out are actually talking about the things that that have to do with their constituents with your readership. The message points be clear about the things that you’re talking about. If you’re talking about a particular subject, stay on topic don’t wander all over the place. That’s really more of a general editorial, kind of a message there. Um, consistent content kind of goes along with message points. It really is e-giving quality information. Whatever it is, however you need to produce that. Make sure that it’s good that it’s uh, if it’s audio sure it’s good audio video make sure it’s good video if it’s text you know, be sure that you get the right people to write it. And that it’s been edited a call to action number five ask ask your people to do whatever it is that you are intending for them to do. If you have constituencies that you’re looking for donations, we clear about that? Ask them, um, number six consistent delivery and that really has to do is just producing your con your newsletters on time at the same frequency rate all the time. Don’t start out saying you do it. Going to do a weekend equally newsletter and do too, and then don’t produce one for another six months on. The seventh one is has to do more with the users, and that is a user. Options provide options. Some people like to get, uh, text rather than html in their email and as your email lists growed there’s the topic called segmentation, where you send one version of your newsletter to one group and another two another duitz so those are the seven principles in a real quick rundown, you said knowing your audience is probably the primary, what do non-profits need to know what information do they need to know about their audience before they can produce on effective newsletter using the other six principles non-profits air in a kind of a different position in that if they have people that have signed up as members or have signed up to receive their newsletter, you have a pretty good indication that they already are interested in the kind of things that that non-profit is is doing so you have a little lead on the set up there, so just be sure that the things that you’re talking about are are pertinent to those folks, and then the of the second part of that is grow your audience so you want to be sure that the people that you’re talking to i have the ability to forward your email, to ask their friends and associates to also sign up for your newsletters and just, in other words, spread it. This is a fight, hopefully a viral kind of an approach to spreading your word. Scott. We have just about a minute before ah break should non-profits on lee send to people who have opted in absolutely, absolutely otherwise is called spam, okay, so so the non-profit needs to have a process for having people opt in, expressed their preference to receive this newsletter. Exactly right, exactly. Okay, we’re going to take a break. My guest is scott koegler he’s, our regular tech contributor, but today we’re talking about his e book. Seven principles for a successful newsletter would take a break. Please stay with us. Talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. 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. Buy-in i really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. Is this you mind over matter, health and fitness can help. If you’re expecting an epiphany, chances are it’s not happening. Mind over matter, health and fitness can help you get back on track or start a new life and fitness. Join Joshua margolis, fitness expert at 2 one two eight six five nine to nine xero. Or visit w w w dot mind over matter. Y si dot com. Cerini upleaf do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing efforts. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is. We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission. Wanna one media dot com? Dahna metoo welcome back. I’m talking to scott koegler about his e book seven principles for a successful newsletter. Scott, just following up on what we touched on the break right before the break, this methodology for opting in what’s your recommendation for how non-profits should set that up so that people can do so uh, the most straightforward ways to put a link on the website that so sign up for our newsletter that’s a pretty standard thing, and it’s, a byproduct of the mailing list service that, uh, i’m guessing any of the non-profits that already have newsletters are using it’s, not it’s something it can be set up just my way of saying where to get more information on this. If you go to your company newsletter dot com uh, the westerns khun sign up for this book that i’m talking about, a lot of what we’re talking about is in there, um, there’s, another option for requesting your constituents to sign up for the newsletter, and that is that if you have meetings, if you have actual physical gatherings, you can have a sheet that has people give their email address and, you know, check a mark that says i want to sign up if you do any any connective ity with your with your constituents by email, it’s just notices and updates. You can ask them in those emails to sign up and provide them a link to go sign up, and those are probably the best way of doing it. Ok? And also, if you’re sending direct mail that’s, not a newsletter, but if you’re sending solicitations or some other piece of direct mail it’s very common to have a reply piece and one of the checkoffs on that reply, peace could be include me on your your newsletter or your e newsletter list, right? And actually, this time of year, i know that non-profits will be something out there statements for the end of year latto contributions, so this will be a perfect time to add a separate little sheet in the envelope says you know, whatever it is, sign up for our newsletter, go to this site on on the on a website or just give us your email address on this one. You mail it back to us, your next couple of purpose is that next to focus on the purpose and the on message maybe we could talk about those together. You have them as separate. What do you ah out encouraging non-profits to do around those two. Those two principles? Well, yeah, they are. They’re tightly related if you have whatever your topic is for your non-profit focus on that focus on the purpose and in fact, and miners letters when i send them out, i used is a very abbreviated format. I only send about two to three articles in my newsletters, and they’re very focused on one specific issue. So i mean, you mean all the all the articles are on one one on one subject? Exactly. Okay, now, that doesn’t have to be the same all the time. But be sure that if your if your title of your newsletter talks about e-giving for the year, be sure that you have at least two or three of the articles in there talking about giving and what what what’s come from that what you’ve accomplished e-giving what’s your recommendation for the length of these articles. Um, typically i go for anywhere from three to five hundred words short articles. I think everybody is pressed for time anymore and a lot of us have very short attention spans. So five hundred words is about the limits and maybe six or seven if it’s something that really needs to be covered. That’s outside. Yeah, that should be the exception. The six, six hundred or more. It sounds like. And what about the use of photographs? Oh, yeah. Tony photographs. In addition, teo video and audio. You make a lot of use of those kind of content piece it’s. So easy to get video anymore. Everybody has a a digital video camera or just telephone line up with with a video cam in it. Uh, photographs are great. I used photographs, especially as intro pieces for the for the articles. So there’s kind of a thumbnail image at the lead of every article, just to give it the full context and a little something to look at. And that video doesn’t have to be high quality. Like you said, people have cell phone videos, right? Sometimes the the low production value video can be most interesting. It is, and it has it has more to do with context. So if you have something it’s pertinent to your recipients, foul means used that. I tell you, one secret to this is audio is really the most important part of a video, so if you could get good audio, uh, you got ninety percent of the maid and the video kind of people will follow along, and i’m thinking even outlet’s major news outlets like cnn, they’ll they’ll broadcast cellphone quality video because it’s me, it’s, it’s breaking news. Yeah, exactly. So that it has more to do with content and what people can see than anything else. And on the photos. Do you recommend the use of stock photos? Are they okay? Stock photos are great. They they are, you know, by nature generic. So if they illustrate the point properly, then that’s. Fine. Uh, if you have photos of events and, you know some of your members, whatever it is that the projects that you’re doing, those are much better because they actually give your recipients some connection to the project. And we’re bleeding over into the next of your principles, which is quality content. Anything else that you want to say about that we’ve already already gotten into it? A little bit. You know, the old saying content is king it’s. If you don’t have something that’s worth reading, people will figure that out pretty quickly, so just make sure it’s good and one of the things that i get called on quite a bit for is help with creating content, not organizations have writers now that’ll organizations most organizations don’t have time to create content, so they call on us to create that for them, and i then neither do some writing myself or i call on freelancers that i know that turn a whole variety of different specialties, and we go through an editorial process to make sure that the content suits the medium, talks about the message and is of the highest quality i’m talking to. Scott koegler he’s, the author of the e book seven principles for a successful newsletter and of course, these are regular tech contributor, but today we’re talking about his role as a newsletter editor in lots of realms, not just for non-profit technology news scott, it sounds to me like if an organization thinks they may not be ableto spend the time to develop content every other week, or even every month they shouldn’t commit to a weekly or a monthly newsletter. Maybe they should maybe for them, quarterly is sufficient or every other month. Yeah, absolutely. There are. The frequency rate is is really up to the organization. And whatever it is that you that you described to say that it’s monthly be sure that you could make that commitment. I always suggest that people, especially for doing it themselves, commit to a longer period in between. So maybe it’s every two months, maybe its quarterly. Of course, if they’re contracting for services on dh, they’re using, you know, service like myself. Then, you know, just tell us what to do, and we will meet those deadlines. So it really depends on what kind of capabilities you haven’t house and what kind of commitments were able to make. Scott, we have just a couple of minutes left. I would like to try to get to all seven of your principles. The next one is a call to action, i think that’s self explanatory. But is there more more detail than just that phrase you wantto give the audience? It is very self explanatory and certainly there’s all kinds of nuances to it. But whatever you send out a communication to constituents to your subscribers, whatever the audience might be, you have some reason for doing that. Aside from just saying, hey, we’re still here if it is just saying, hey, we’re still here them hey, we’re still here. What? This is what we’re doing and this is what we would like you to do if it’s a special time of year it’s a, uh, call for contributions, be sure that you say that and say it in the level of detail and honesty, the way that you’re normally custom with communicating with your constituents, it could be now please go ahead. Teo, i’m sorry. I mean, this is your forum, this is your people that are receiving the email have said they want to receive it from you, so i’m not saying take advantage of that as in, you know, go overboard but don’t let their expectations down. They want to know what you’re what you’re doing, what you want and it could be instead of solicitations, which is a very worthy purpose, but it might be request for volunteerism could be a simple is like us on our facebook fan page wei have just about a minute left deliver on time is that is self explanatory. Is it? Sounds. Yeah, i think we just talked about that. You know, consistent delivery. Whatever you commit to deliver and your last one. Those user options. Yeah. Uh, the basics are let users subscribe unit, html or text options. But beyond that, in a larger agency where you’ve got large donors, moderate donors and volunteers, you may want to actually segment your list and send out different versions of your newsletter to those different segments of participants. And we have had previous shows that talking about email segmentation. And specifically that was the show with maria simple, the prospect finder talking about research and how that research can contribute to really valuable segmentation on. And also there was a show with tim kenan, who is the principal of mcvicar and higginbotham that’s, a print and direct mail shop. And he also talked about email segmentation. So just to follow up on your point, scott, to wrap up why don’t you remind people again how they can get your e book? Where should they go? Yeah. Thank you, tony. I say go to your your company newsletter dot com it’s all one word your company newsletter dot com pretty self explanatory just sign up there. I will send you a confirmation. I will send you the e book and you’ll get my about every two to three weeks. My newsletter you can feel free to unsubscribes anytime i won’t inundate you. And, um, if i can help that’s great. Hopefully the book and the content on the newsletter will help you. D’oh. Scott, thanks for again for being on the show again. Thank you, tony. My guest has been scott koegler, the editor of non-profit technology news and lots of other news letters, and that was seven principles for a successful newsletter want thanks, scott and also claire costello from bank of america merrill lynch. We talked about the bank of america hi networth study next week, i’m looking, we’re going to check in with our resident recruiter, paula marks, and our non-profit job seeker leonora to evaluate leonora has revised resume and we’re going to hear paula’s ongoing advice for the job search process. We’re keeping tabs on leonora search once a month and then now also next week. Endowment emergency catherine miree believes there’s a crisis swirling around how endowments are invested allocated and spent, and you’ll hear the second part of that interview from the chronicle of philanthropy from the national conference on philanthropic planning, which i did in partnership with raymond flandez of the chronicle of philanthropy. You can get our insider alerts and like us on our facebook page there, over one hundred, people who like us already, are you one of them? That’s, a facebook dot com, tony martignetti non-profit radio, the creative producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio, is clear. Meyerhoff, our line producer and the owner of talking alternative broadcasting, is sam liebowitz. Social media is by regina walton of organic social media. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Join us next friday at one p, m eastern here on talking alternative broadcasting at talking alternative dot com.

Nonprofit Radio for Dec. 3, 2010: How To Cripple Your Career & Tax Policy

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Compliance. Board relations. Fundraising. Technology. Volunteer management. Accounting. Finance. Marketing. Social media. Investments.

Every nonprofit faces these issues and big nonprofits have experts in each. Small and medium size nonprofits have Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. Trusted experts throughout the country join Tony to take on the tough issues facing your organization.

Episode 18 of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio for December 3, 2010

Tony’s Guests:

Robert Sharpe – Robert Sharpe, Jr. is president of The Sharpe Group. He has over 25 years of nonprofit fund development and consulting experience. He has helped hundreds of leading nonprofit organizations and institutions plan, develop, and implement successful major gift planning and endowment development efforts.

Topic: How To Cripple Your Career In 5 Easy Steps.  You’ll learn how Planned Giving fundraisers can shoot their careers in the foot. My interview with Robert from the National Conference on Philanthropic Planning continues with part 2.

Emily Lam & Perry Wasserman – Emily has worked in the Office of Tax Policy at the Treasury Department. Now she is with a prestigious D.C. law firm. Perry is a lobbyist who works exclusively with nonprofits.

Topic: “Tax Policy & The Future Of Philanthropic Planning.  These two also joined me at NCPP to talk about what a new Congress might hold for nonprofits. This was recorded before November’s election, but we were pretty certain the election would turn out as it did.

Here is the link to the podcast: 020: Career Killers and Legislative Update

When and where: Talking Alternative Radio, Friday, 1-2pm Eastern.

You can subscribe on iTunes and listen anytime, anyplace on the device of your choosing.

Sign-up for show alerts!

“Like” the show’s Facebook page.
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Dahna welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent on your aptly named host tony martignetti last show, which was two weeks ago, and i hope you had a good thanksgiving last week we had bountiful bequests. My guest was susan dame green, and you’ll recall that we talked about why you should start a plan giving program with requests and how to do it. And when i was also joined by shevawn weber, we talked about thrift shops, ops, how your non-profit i should, how to get into the thrift shop business and whether it’s right for your non-profit this week, how to kill your career in five easy steps part to the second half of my interview with robert sharp from the national conference on philanthropic planning and the interview that i did at that same conference with emily lamb and perry wasserman, the subject tax policy and the future of philanthropic planning. Emily is a washington, d c attorney for non-profits, and she used to work with the treasury department in the internal revenue section, and perry wasserman is a lobbyist for non-profits and the three of us will be talking. About what’s likely to happen legislatively in washington and how that affects your organization’s bottom line. That’s this week on talking on tony martignetti non-profit radio. We’re going to take a break and after the break, how to kill your career in five easy steps. Stay with me. 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 buy-in, 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 i really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. Is this you mind over matter, health and fitness can help. If you’re expecting an epiphany, chances are it’s not happening. Mind over matter, health and fitness could help you get back on track or start a new life and fitness. Join Joshua margolis, fitness expert at 2 one two eight six five nine two nine. Zero or visit w w w died. Mind over matter. Y si dot com. Cerini buy-in 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 at two one two nine six four three five zero two. We make people happy. Hyre talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio. I’m away this week, but we’re having interviews that i did earlier at the national conference for not for philanthropic planning, and the first of those is going to start very shortly right now. And that is how to kill your career in five easy steps with robert sharpe. What do you say? The board members who say, well, all right, that’s, a fine example thie and antillean and her niece. But where we’re a business were incorporated is a nonprofit corporation where we’re trying to run a business here, and we need to know what we can expect when someone says you’re in my will. Okay, then i’ll give you five names and you call him up, and then you come back and teach me how to do it. Yeah, you make five of those calls and see what you encounter and then come back and tell me to do it. You can’t say that that’s, that’s altum elearning cripple your career that will you? That’s an execution. But no, the point is you, you, you that’s where oftentimes you can bring in, you know not to be in any way self serving for what we do or what you do, tony. But you can get outside people to come in sometimes and make those points right a cz part of a known as part of an overall, you know, it’s part of talking to a board or a management group about, quote, plan giving this is a point that can be made. And you know what most people who reasonable once you personalize it and they use an example like until they get it because they wouldn’t call their own parents up and ask him that question it’s personal stuff and most of the bequest of residual ery bequest anyway, and they have no idea. And by jargon jacket i yes, residual request that relates to what we’re talking about foreign, that you’ve got three, basically, three kinds of requests that people can leave you. They can leave you a request of a specific amount, which tend to be small because if people have to guess at what they can afford to leave you it’s going to be on the low end or they can leave you a percentage of the estate, or they can some combinations of these. Or they can leave you what’s called the residue that most most charitable bequests come from residual ery estates from very wealthy people who have enough money to take care of their family. Pay the tax on that money, and then have some leftover or people that have no children, and they and their close to their nieces and nephews, and but they don’t want they’ve been involved with certain charities all their lives, and it’s really part of their family. That’s why saying, when people put you in the will their elevated to the status of a family member, and that’s what you should and from their perspective you are you are there somebody spends somebody’s eighty years old. And they spent fifty, sixty years acquiring what they have for them to choose your organization to be one of the places that they trust with their lifetime accumulation of assets. That is a very important thing. And it’s not a business transaction, right? That’s especially, is a family it’s a personal transaction? A residual. Ery bequest is where they leave one hundred thousand dollars each to three nieces and nephews, and all the rest and residue split between four five it’s normally six point eight charities in the will it’s, not just one charity it’s, the six that make the cut and what you’re really doing in the bottom line here is looking for market share among a relatively small number of people, the needle’s in your haystack, and you don’t know who they are, so you have to shake the haystack would put a magnet there, pull them out and you don’t have to go burn the haystack down and then find the needles that are left and there can be a lot of money in those residual area states, though, is the largest one, just just because it’s called residue thats the big ones that they’re five to six x times the size of the average specific request is probably ten to twenty five thousand dollars jump in if you disagree, tony, i mean that, you know, they’re the ones you see there are specific amounts they rarely over fifty thousand dollars, whereas the residual really quote something well hyre like twenty. Eight to thirty years somewhere in there i mean, the comedians about ten, if you look in an organization that has, like, fifteen hundred states a year, get one hundred million dollars, a lot of those estates or small, specific bequests, half of them are western. Fifteen thousand dollars, you know, listening. But one hundred fifty to two hundred thousand is not unusual for a residual request. Our guest is robert sharp, and you’re listening to the chronicle of philanthropy and tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning robert’s kind enough to join us before doing his seminar at the conference, which is how to cripple your career in five easy steps, and we’re not gonna be able to get to all five of the steps. But let’s, talk about something that you did allude to earlier, which is working with other fundraisers. You said that there’s annual giving and this major giving this corporate in foundation giving and and often we see these operating in self contained silos that don’t seem to have a phone line to the others. What about what about working with integrating with other other fundraisers in your organization? Well, this is this is an example of where, ironically, the smaller charity is in this environment, they have advantages with the fewer fewer people on staff when you’re dealing with wealthy donors, when you’re dealing with people that major gifts or for plan gives proximity, those people and being able to manage the relationships are very, very important hyre now the big shops that have three hundred, people in them and they’ve got annual funds and they’ve got real estate departments, and they’ve got all these various things. They have advantages from a technical standpoint, but that’s not that’s a disadvantage when it comes to managing the relationship because a donor at a big university with three hundred people on staff, someone sends a card and ask him for information dahna state it could take two or three weeks to figure out. You know what your what? Your vector victor. You know, who’s got the goods you should answer what’s your clearance clearance, clarence, you know what? Do you know who can, who has clearance to talk? This donor is the small shop with the director development. One person they can get on the subway or a bus or in. The car we’re on a plane and b to c that donor within twenty four hours and or even just pick up the phone and not and not think of the concern that they’ve stepped on a board members toes or there are some some person that those of somebody they’d never met, right? So, you know, they can do what i call them, mohammed, all these school of fund-raising they could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but let’s, get to the shops that have more complexity where you do have to integrate sometimes, if you’re dealing with, like a smaller organization with a lot of may, a lot of big donors of all ages, they then your problem is integrating with with with major gifts. But if you’re dealing with a large organization has a big direct mail or annual fund or whatever you’re talking about integrating with that function in a lot of places, you have to do both the main point. I’m going to make it my session is that i’m going to show this with a lot of charts and graphs and whatever is that? Well, let me let me buckslip go. Backto little prior think the average age one major national health organization that gets one hundred million dollars a year, or maurin, request the average age of their donors when they make the first gift to that organization is seventy six years old? I worked with universities with thirty forty million dollars worth of the question come and you go look at the annual fund history and in minutes, not the average age at the first gift to the annual fund will be in the fifty’s half of the median will be in the fifties. A lot of these people it’s a short cycle from first gift, like the one i mentioned is seventy six it’s average twelve years from first gift until death, so during that twelve years they start out is like direct male donors, and then they stick on the file and then maybe there’s a capital campaign going on. But you’ve got to keep the eye on the ball and make sure that as donors are reach in the end of their natural life cycle, you began to turn down the asks for current money. I’ve never seen an eighty five year old who was giving fifteen dollars upgrade her e-giving so quit senator stuff about thanks for fifteen bucks, can you send me more? She may have turned her thermostat down to be able to afford to send you fifteen dollars. You’re turning her off? Why not pick up the phone and call her? And same is this zone? So we realised now that you’ve made over fifty gifts or you’ve given over a thousand dollars and thank you so much, we know in times like these, people are making sacrifices, recognizing the cumulative militant and longevity and then turning down the volume for gifts that are more appropriate younger and when they go through that match your match by integrating we mean t make sure that the donor is seeing different faces of your fundraising efforts, depending on where they are in their life cycle and every donor as a certain age and every donors a certain wealth. So depending on where they are wealth wise and age wise, you want to integrate sometimes when they’re young right out of college it’s just annual funds, but if they’re in eighty five year old and dwindling in their current giving, most of it may be talking to them about ways they can leave a legacy who are the typical planned gift donors we’ve we’ve talked around this little fun playing let’s go right, well, ok, who’s, the typical trust donorsearch no, now let’s not be that technical who’s most likely to include the organization in their will. Now, do you want to raise money in the next funny in fifty years when i want the money to come in? I wanted this to be long term fund-raising so maybe fifty years, but thirty years, so you’re bored wants to spend money now to generate money in thirty years? Yes, they’re willing to do that. Okay, well, then, you’re probably not you’re not going to be influencing much of that because most of the people that leave money to charities, they’re maximum e-giving cycle was like fifteen to eighteen years, and they died age eighty seven on average. So most of the people that make the end up leaving the bequest ultimately our people outside hyre education and religion, they tend to be people that are required relatively late in life. There you’re longer term flag your files, frequency, longevity, age and gender. You lou, look. For people who’ve given frequently over a long period of time who are going to die in the next ten to fifteen to twenty years? And keep in mind that a sixty five year old couple has about a twenty eight year life expectancy. So really, you’re talking about people that are pretty much over the age of sixty five forty five year olds are going toe fifty years, maybe look at the life story s o i don’t paint if you find a forty five year old it’s got you in there, will you probably have a budding major gift prospect because somebody that has the dough native intent to put you in there, will it fifty years old? Think about what it takes to elevate a person or even think about doing that. So the people it’s not how much they’re giving you it’s how many times that when the attorney says you any charitable interests you want to fire off in their brain and the more likely the more times they’ve written you checks in the more times they’ve made the decision to give, the more likely it is you’re going to be one of the six. Point eight. Charities that are included in their will e-giving anything tooting, getting thinking. You’re listening to the talking alternate network. Get in. Duitz e-giving you could 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. Do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Monisha wanna one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing effort. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is we do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission one one media 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 welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio were listening to my interview with robert sharp on i was also joined by raymond flandez of the chronicle of philanthropy, and the subject was how to kill your career in five easy steps from the national conference on philanthropic planning in october of this year. Here’s the rest of that interview and also shouldn’t you be encouraging these gifts by will. With some regularity and frequency, so yes, that you will be top of mind when when they do go visit there, get that gets to that gets to step five to cripple your career is to ignore the economics. If you have limited resources, you need to spend them in ways that are going to produce the most return. Then when you start getting money in, then you can expand your efforts and do things that are a little longer term, our lord, our lower probability, the money that you, what you want to do is ok, let’s say you’ve got one hundred thousand donors are fifty thousand ten thousand and you’ve got enough resource is to handle twenty, five hundred. You can re sources that you could market request, for example, to your entire donorsearch base once a year, or you could go three times a year to the three thousand people that are over the age of to the to the small number who were in the right age and the longevity range. You’re better off to go four times a year, whether it’s, male or whatever you’re doing focusedbuyer money on frequency of contact with a smaller group of people rather than hitting your entire file once a year because different people are having different events in their lives and there’s this continuity is important. The more things they read about somebody who’s done this especially if you’re not a natural bequest recipient, a college or certain other types of organizations. Wilmore naturally come into someone’s mind than a very niche organization. Let’s say you’re an avid stamp collector, and when the attorney says, are you? Ah, do you have any charitable interest, your college or your religious affiliation or whatever may come more naturally top of mine to get for the american stamp collection foundation that raises money to to fund research and conferences and whatever on stamp collecting, there are people that will put that stamp collecting organization there will, but they’ve got to go out and communicate that idea more often and frequently so. When the attorney says it, you make it into the same slot because they made care more about stamp collecting, then they do their college in the final analysis, rehman’s continue to tie that in with the failure of marketing i think that’s that’s really this marketing marketing, right, miss? Marketing and failure to allocate your marketing resources correctly is another way to fail in this environment, there are people out there that are saying ignore people over the age of seventy because they’ve already made up their minds that and spend your time and effort on younger people. Frankly, that’s, because it’s easier to get a younger person to request a free will planning guide from any blast. And it is a seventy eight year old whose fingers don’t work well enough to work the keys on their computer. And so the fact the matter is they also based on surveys where they go out on the call a bunch of people and say, well, would you consider putting this charity in your will? Yes, i would that’s like when did you stop beating your wife? You know, so a forty five year old is more likely to say they would consider it yeah, way are starting to see more, more suggestions that people thirty five and forty should be should be encouraged include the organization there were wonderful, but you’re going to get money in seventy years and so and how likely is it that is going to? Change the aren’t the person’s philanthropic interests goingto charity priority’s gonna change up from thirty toa seventy eight. I have worked with clients, for example, a sponsorship organization where they have a lot of young donors in their twenties and thirties who give to this organization before they get married and before they have children, hundreds of thousands of them. But then they get married in their twenties and thirties. They have children. They start paying tuitions there, paying for houses in mortgages. All of sudden the discretionary income to spend thirty bucks a month for a sponsorship goes away and they disappear off the radar screen and maybe never come back. There’s, another group of people that it’s sixty to sixty three. When they’re empty nesters they start, they get acquired at that point, and then they start. They start giving at that point so it’s more the later acquired donors who are the ones that tend to actually do it. And that’s true with education, too, in many cases. Let’s see if we can maybe just approach one more. Well, you know what, before we do that you had a request marketing advice for organisations that have maybe ten or even fifty thousand suppose an organization just so now we are giving a deviating a little from career, but but we’re talking about marketing and organization that has maybe just a thousand donors and let’s say that they’re normally normally distributed across age, so a certain percentage of them are over sixty, sixty five, right? What can they do? Tow, promote request just a simple bequest. E-giving well, that organization is likely not tohave i’m a dedicated specialist argast certainly probono no, no way, unless it’s a thousand million dollar donors. Okay, now i’m not gonna happen, okay? So so what you’re trying to do there is educate those people on what i would do in that case is i would be incorporating messages about remember the organization in your will on stationery, on everywhere you can on every solicitation include something about remember the organisation that will or i have already included it would consider including don’t depending on good news is it doesn’t draco’s bad way that goes back to raymond’s question earlier what’s what’s the appropriate way to be asking depends what does depends certain certainly to some extent on on the age of those people. But the good news about having a thousand donors is it doesn’t cost very much money to be exposing the concept to everybody. So occasionally, you know, once or twice a year, you might want to send out something that’s ah, letter from somebody on your board that’s got you in the will and have include some information on the importance of keeping your plans up to date in case you’re terrible interest changed. So the that the good the good thing about being small is that you can if you can afford to go to everybody. But if you have five hundred thousand donors or five million or whatever the larger the organization is and the and the more precious the resources are, you have to do all kinds of things. Then you have to spend more time focusing in on the exact organization i have a question with what if a donor says no he’s, no. Here she has been contributing and giving gifts the organization but but then it’s, like i’m not able to. I don’t want teo are how what’s the next step. Where? Charity there. Well, i would say never say never because people’s someone who is someone who is seventy eight year old and has a sick spouse, i’m thinking of a particular situation where a person had asked about had sent information saying, i’m interested in maybe including this organization, my will, one of the people, but that this conference was telling me that she called this man about eighty years old and, you know, said, you entered you indicated interest in this, and i was just i was in orlando, and i thought i’d come by and say hello. He said, no, don’t bother, you know, i’ve just right now i can’t think about this. My wife is sick, i’m tired. I don’t feel like talking to anybody right now, okay? Let’s say, three years from now, he’s, eighty one years old, his wife dies a year from now and now, it’s, two years from now and he’s gone through his grieving mourning period and whatever and now he gets something else from you. He may then change his mind so events and people’s lives are changing all the time there and that’s. Another reason to be consistently focusing the message on the right group of people because things are changing their lives and things do happen, they do, they do lose a spouse, they do have children that has special needs or grandchildren are all sorts of things happen. So all you’re doing when you’re talking to a person at any point in time, their lives or movies, you’re just taking a snapshot of that moment. And at that moment, the picture may not include a bequest for you, but that can change over time as things happen in their in their lives, same token, somebody can say yes, you’re in my will and then take you out because something happens, they get an illness so they waste a lot of money on something or lose the money and they don’t have the resources that they have, and then they go their lawyer and the lawyer says, have your charitable interest change? Well, you know, since i lost all my money to main off, i just can’t i can’t do this anymore, so it works both ways. Some people that say no now will be yes later and some people that are telling you now on ly about seventy percent of request commitments come through in the end because things change and a lot of those commitments when they say you’re in the will remember their contention on one spouse pre decease in the other. And if the spouses die in the wrong order that you may not get the quote unquote wrong you may get you may not get a request, but they didn’t lie to you. Circumstances changed, but i’ll tell you this. The younger people are when they tell you, when people tell you that you’re in their will and they tell you when they’re under sixty years old, there’s only about a fifty fifty chance you’ll ever get to request. And i know that because i’ve studied thousands of the states where the people notified in advance and we look at the age of the people when they notified him. Then after they die, you look at the probability that they got the request and the older they are. When they tell you, the more likely they are to come through because there’s fewer life circumstances to change their minds that we have to leave it. There were no thank robert sharp very much for your advice. Think. Well, you’re welcome, tony and good luck, raymond. Thank you, too. This is the chronicle of philanthropy and tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. Coming from lake buena vista, florida, our guest has been robert sharpe, and our coverage will continue with future interviews later later, just just later today. Thank you very much for joining us, robert and agreement. That was my interview with robert sharpe. How to kill your career in five easy steps, and i was joined by raymond flandez of the chronicle of philanthropy after this break, tax policy and the future of philanthropic planning. Another not national conference on philanthropic planning interview. Stay with us. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. 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. And i really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. 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Contact them today. Admission one one media dot com. Talking. Welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. I have another interview for you. This is emily lamb and perry wasserman. Emily is a washington, d c attorney for non-profits perry is a lobbyist for non-profits, and we were talking about what’s likely to happen legislatively in washington and how that affects your bottom line from october of this year. Here’s that interview welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio and the chronicle of philanthropy coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. We are outside orlando, florida, in lake buena vista, florida, for the national conference hosted by the bye ppp. The partnership for philanthropic planning and our guests today are emily lamb and perry wasserman there seminar is titled tax policy and the future of philanthropic planning, and i’m very glad that their practices bring them to our coverage of the conference, both of you, thanks very much for joining us. Thank you, thanks for having us. Emily lamb is a council at skadden arps slate meager in flom in the washington, d c office, and she advises non-profits on diverse tax issues, including tax controversy and tax accounting lots of tax. Excellent, and she is a frequent speaker and panelist, and her co presenter at the conference is perry wasserman and he’s, the managing director of five o one c three strategies, which is a washington, d c based lobbying firm. Working exclusively with non-profits perry is the chief lobbyist for ppp. The partnership for films, traffic planning again welcome, your your seminar is tax policy. See the future of philanthropic planning? What is happening in tax policy? The start just generally that is going to impact philanthropic planning. And let me just remind the audience we are recording before november third. November third is obviously a critical day, and we’re in late mid october right now. So let’s bear in mind that emily and perry are doing the best that they can tell us what the future looks like, but it could change after november third. So what’s happening generally apparent. Certainly. Well, you know, the better question tony might be what has not happened this past session? It’s congress, particularly the senate has been ah, overwhelmingly slow. Some might say negligent on tax issues so we haven’t seen ah lot happen. Obviously, congress is in recess right now. We’re about twenty days out into ah to the midterm elections, and when they come back, the next thing is they’ll come back on november fifteenth. We believe, for a lame duck session, they have a number of issues, they have to confront the three big tax issues as they may relate to non-profits would be certainly the estate tax, which we’ve been hearing a lot about this conference already, it would be the extension of the so called bush tax cuts, these two thousand one, two thousand three tax cuts for individuals, and it would also be this big package of extenders, which includes a host of provisions, including the ira charitable roll, over which a lot of non-profits have been have been watching. So, you know, in the in the short term congress is going to have to address those issues, they may choose to address him in the lame duck session, which starts in you know, we’ll go for about a week after the election and before thanksgiving, and then i’ll come back in december, perhaps they made aside just a punt those issues to the new congress in twenty eleven in january. S o we’re not really sure at this point, but that’s kind of the state of play, you know, as we’re talking, emily slow and negligent on taxes, this our congress, you agree? I probably shouldn’t speak to that, because during the last three years, i’ve actually been at the department of treasury in the office of tax policy. So i think my remarks here should be limited and not reflect that type of knowledge from my government service. I think it would certainly be fair to say that there were a number of very large matters on the congressional plate, obviously health care reform being one of them, which does have some significant impact for the nonprofit sector. Notably there was legislation enacted that impacts the responsibilities of charitable hospitals um, and obviously healthcare and the extremely large bill, there are a number of new non-profit type entities that are contemplated in that legislation, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. Certainly, i think there’s there’s the facts speak for themselves, you know, estate tax was not an issue that was taken up extenders, you know, were introduced but have not been enacted, mom and certainly no one can just see. From the political landscape that it has been difficult to get many different things accomplished. What about health care reform? Emily for non-profit healthcare organizations and this is, i think, tumultuous mai mai mai aptly stated, you can you could describe it differently, but for your non-profit clients that are hospitals, how did they get their arms around this enormous legislative change? Well, the changes certainly for hospitals are significant, as you mentioned, certainly my experience recently on the regulatory side, the irs and treasury are in the process of getting guidance out on those particular hospital provisioned i’m referring specifically to five o one r, which has a number of new requirements for hospitals to keep their exemption, and the government issued a notice requesting comments earlier this year. My understanding is that they have received numerous comments, they’re certainly working diligently to try to get guidance out there so folks will understand, you know how best to comply and when you refer to five o one are just give us the full name of the act that we’re talking about. Oh, i apologised five, five, one ours the new section of the internal revenue code. Okay, that was added in the health care isolation, okay, and can you can you give us one or two of the items that are significant there in five? Oh, one are that are going to impact healthcare non-profits sure there are requirements now that for the hospitals to keep their exempt status, they need to have in place at certain times of policies, for example, of financial, a written financial assistance policy and that has to be widely publicized they need to have adopted and in place on emergency medical care policy. There are limitations on the type of charges that the hospital’s may impose on underserved or indigent type patients. There are requirements regarding analysis of community benefit type activities and charity care. Mom, and there is, in fact, a new excise tax that is imposed for a failure to conduct that particular analysis on the community benefit activities carry your are our lobbyist on the panel. What do you foresee any of this changing for? For health care, for non-profits it was an enormous change in health care law. Is there any likelihood of this being revised it all? Emily said a lot of comments have been received or what? Do you think the future of this particular the five o ones fiveone are is? Well, certainly from a kind of macro level we have republicans in the senate and the house candidates running right now on a platform of repealing all are, you know, some of the health care reform bill? I don’t really think that pertains to the five oh one r provisioned but ensure i do want to mention want her vision in the health care bill, which was kind of like a sleeper provisions that will actually affect every single non-profit and that was a ah revenue raising provisions. You know, this bill, it was important and actually required by law that it be offset that it be so called revenue neutral to the government in one way that congress decided to raise revenue and offset the cost of the bill. Was teo tweaker requirement that any entity, including non-profits, will now have to file ah, form ten, ninety nine with the irs for any payment they make to a vendor for six hundred dollars, or more a year? That includes one time payments and cumulative payments over six hundred dollars. Six l thought it would be the provision was said teo have raised or will raise nineteen billion dollars toe offset the cost of of health care reform, so that kind of gives you an idea of the administrative, the nightmare that a lot of you know, every entity but you know, we’re talking about non-profits might face, so there certainly has been a move the last couple months teo to repeal that provision of health care reform. It doesn’t certainly doesn’t go to the subject substantive issues of health care, but there has been a a move teo to repeal that provision they haven’t been able to do it yet, in part because they have to find another nineteen billion dollars if they get rid of that provision. So it’s something that the partnership for filling topic planning has certainly been watching because when those new rules go into effect, which it’s set for twenty twelve, if nothing changes it’s going to be a huge shift for aa lot of non-profits particularly the small and medium sized non-profits who may be a little less sophisticated on some of these issues, tio start to comply with so that’s one issue of the health care bill i think that’s going directly impact non-profits and depending on what happens with the election, you know, we’ll see if it if he gets repealed or not. Yeah, and you allude to something very important for our audience. I mean, the audience for the show. It is small and midsize non-profits. And just how do they get their mind around something this this enormous what’s the timeframe of the sort of the comment period and then the and then the reformulation period. If if there is that reformulation how’s that process where for this provision for this provision ableto make comments and just generally what’s the the time frame? Well, it would be it would have to be a legislative fix. I mean, they would have to be legislation that that that changes the law. Since the president, you know, signed the health care reform bill into law, there has been ah, a lot of movement in the senate in particular, through amendments trying teo drastically raise the six hundred dollar limit. So, i mean, at this point, it’s still in the legislative spirit, hasn’t gone over to the regulatory side of things. So i mean, all i could really say is you know, certainly we’ll have information on the ppp website. I know some other kind of national umbrella charities are following this, but, you know, i would encourage members to reach out tio they’re members of their members of congress are your listeners rather to reach out to their members of congress and let them know that they find this provision to be to be troubling? Because i think there’s definitely a a movement on capitol hill, a bipartisan movement to repeal this provision, but the problem is that i alluded to earlier in order to do that in order to comply with other laws that are on the books. Congress has to offset this change, so they’d have to come up with nineteen billion dollars somewhere and ah, and that’s kind of the name of the game in washington on dh, so i think that’s going to be the potential roadblocks. My guests are emily lamb and harry wasserman, you’re listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio and the chronicle of philanthropy coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. Emily and perry’s seminar at the conference is tax policy and the future of philanthropic planning emily can we switch to the estate tax obviously critical. Nobody really knows what’s happening. We just know that this year two thousand ten there is no estate tax. Enormous repercussions, i think for fund-raising non-profits what? What’s your advice going, toby or what? You’re not advice. What do your word’s going to be around this for the for your seminar audience wow, that that’s a tough one. Obviously think many of us who work in this space and who watch it are just continue to be surprised by where things stand today. And, you know, certainly for the first half of the year, i was still inside at the department of treasury, where my colleague cathy hughes has responsibility for st gift tax matters and she’s, my ex colleague now, obviously, but certainly want to put a pitch out there. Kathy is fantastic and really a wonderful resource to folks who may be interested in this area or have particular concerns. Obviously, from the seat that i was in, as perry alluded to earlier, you know, this has not reached the regulatory side yet. It za legislative matter-ness needs to enact the law that will be on the books or certainly if if nothing happens, the way it works now would be, we’d go back to the two thousand one status. Could you remind us of what that is essentially fifty five percent rates of the death tax? And i think one million dollar exclusion amounts and those air significantly, the tax rate is higher, the exclusion amount is significantly lower than it was in two thousand nine because extra, the legislation that enacted this kind of ten year look forward system had had a system of of great changes and exclusion amounts. I’m just stopping once, emily, on my show, we have george in jail, and i’m warning you, i’m the warden know you know you don’t contribute that would only only sent your fine no door locking it. Sometimes i have keys, i don’t wear remote, so i don’t have my keys. But just for our audio, what is what? Remind us what avectra was boy, i’m not even sure i know the what the two thousand one wall, this tent this ten year look forward that that emily was talking about. It was the legislation, and i have to say, and and we were talking a little bit. About this last night, i mean, in two thousand won when congress was debating this legislation and coming up with this compromise that it would go away in two thousand nine. But she back-up in two thousand and ten labbate nobody or i’m sorry go away in two thousand ten, and she back-up in in two thousand eleven. Nobody thought we’d be in this position where we’d be in october on congress, you know, would be campaigning right now, possibly coming back for a lame duck and nobody knows what’s gonna happen with the state tax. So it’s a precarious situation to be in. I don’t know how this is all going toe going to shake out the house has ah passed last year at the end of the year, i believe they passed essentially an extension of two thousand nine levels. Senator baucus who’s, chairman of the senate finance committee, has ah supported that in the senate. But there’s ah, a coalition of senators of both parties who want a ah ah, you know ah, a different version of the tax so on what the house did is unacceptable to them. So it’s kind of this game of political chicken, you know, unfortunately, a lot of people are caught up in the middle of it, and quite frankly, i don’t know how it’s going it’s going to shake out? We’ve heard some reports congressional staff certainly indicate that chairman baucus, when they come back for lame duck, has a package ready to go that deals primarily with the these two thousand won in two thousand three bush tax cuts, and certainly many expect that a state tax will be dropped in there, but but it’s tough, you have to count them numbers in the senate and it’s very likely that senator baucus will not have sixty votes, which is the magic number in the senate. Teo to move the legislation forward. So unfortunate for this one, i think we’re going to have to wait and see how everything shakes out. I’m with emily lamb and perry wasserman at the chronicle of philanthropy and tony martignetti non-profit radio coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning in lake buena vista, florida. I’d like to talk about senator grassley on the senate finance committee. Very activist around non-profit issues which perry do you wantto? What are you going to start? Okay. Okay. And then, well, then we will turn family. Okay, well, yeah, i would just agree with your assessment. Ah, that now ranking member grassley has been very active ill non-profit issues, probably more so than any any chairman or ranking member of senate finance that we’ve ever seen. Ah, and i think the sector has i think it’s actually transformed the sector, perhaps in ways he didn’t envision a lot of what he was talking about was not legislated the, you know, regulatory actors didn’t end up dealing with it, but the sector itself, i think, has really stepped up. Oh, and dealt with a lot of what he was talking about. And ah, i would say, is perhaps it’s proof of that? And since the two thousand six pension protection act, which i talked about earlier, that had a lot of these reforms in it, i think it’s kind of income quiet on the reform friend, i don’t think i mean, other than health care, i don’t know if we’ve seen a whole lot of ah ah, hold out of reform. So i think that’s how that’s that’s kind of working i do want to note on again. We’ll have to see how everything shakes out after the election, but from all indications that i’m aware senator grassley will be stepping off the finance committee. There’s a very complicated system in place in the senate for committee membership in committee leadership positions, there’s rules on each side about which committees people can serve on in the time limit. So it looks like, ah, senator grassley will be going in a ranking member, chairman capacity to the judiciary committee. Senator hatch will take his place, so i think he’ll still be involved on the issues, but he’s certainly not gonna have that kind of perch that he that he once had. Emily, please, absolutely. I think i absolutely agree, perry, that we’ve seen a lot of activity from senator grassley. He’s had a number of staffers who have been very, very activist and interested in these issues, and i would agree that certainly there were a number of significant reforms enacted not just in the pension protection act in two thousand six, but in a piece of legislation in two thousand five, which imposed a new code, section forty nine sixty five, which are basically tax shelter penalties on exempt organizations that engage in tax shelter transactions on what we had seen through the early two thousand’s was what people refer to as the tech shelter wars, mostly on the taxable for-profit side. But, you know, iris went out there and there were a lot of tax payers engaged in abusive tax shelter transactions, and there was a great deal of activity on that front, i think ultimately it’s pretty clear that the government won those wars, but i think you also saw a little bit of a trend where sametz empt organizations were engaging in that type of activity. So one of those, maybe the abuses that people are most familiar with is the the donation of automobiles, bond, the deduction around those is that is that one of the things you’re referring to that is, i think, definitely a charitable abuse that is not a listed or reportable tech shelter transaction. Thanks. Pension protection might have dealt with the automobile. Yes, i know, but they’re about tax shelter. Yes, which is ah, sort of a very specific, you know, kind of structure transactions that would take advantage of the exempt organization or exempt entities exempt status to help evade taxes. Essentially, you saw that in, oh five, and then clearly the pension protection act in two thousand six, it had a number of reforms. In addition to the incentives, i think is perry really referred to really change the landscape for certain types of charitable giving vehicles, especially supporting organizations and donor advised funds. I think on the regulatory side, quite frankly, iris and treasury are still dealing with that. They’re still in the process of working through regulatory guidance to get that legislative package enacted. And where is that guidance, emily? When will it be ready? One can never predict, but but i know that the folks some of that guidance i worked on while i was in the government, and i know folks are continuing to work very hard on that. Obviously, with healthcare coming down the pike, that’s another thing that really divert a ton of iris resource is because a lot there pieces of healthcare that were effective immediately, including the provisions related to the hospitals. You know, a lot of it is deferred till twenty twelve, but it’s kind of a whole new infrastructure, both for the world outside land for the government to build in order to make that system run. But the last thing i would just notice, i do think that the interest by senator grassley in these areas, even where it did not lead to actual legislation, has kind of transformed the sector and been helpful. The thing i would point tio would be the college and university conversation where senator grassley, i think, was very vocal about why are these universities not spending more out of their endowments? You know, looking at some of the tuition rates and all that he had some round table meetings where a number of very prominent folks came to the table. There was a fairly uniform view expressed at the round table and about the conversation that, you know, one size doesn’t fit. All a mandatory distribution would not be helpful. I mean, we see ultimately, at least to date that that has not being part of any type of introduced legislation. But during that conversation, i think you saw some very large institutions, you know, voluntarily announced that they were going to change some of their policies in terms of endowment spending. Save you no tuition scholarships in that space. And i think that’s clearly got to be helpful, and since grassley has been such a mover in these areas, what do we expect? Can we predict what it looked like when senator hatch takes grassley’s place? Emily, can you can you comment on the replacement? A better insight? I would say obviously, senator baucus has also expressed interest, you know, he’s been with grassley throughout this process, i know he in particular is interested in rural type philanthropy, a zit impacts, you know, his home state, obviously and caucuses from which the montana thank you, of course, in terms of the of the hatch, you know, move over. I don’t know if you have thoughts, parent. Well, i i think you’re exactly right, emily. Senate finances is a unique committee on, particularly with senators baucus and grassley, they worked very close together, they usually least publicly we’re on the same page. So i think regardless of what happens with the election in which party takes control of the senate, i think we’re going to see senator baucus certainly continue with his interest in the sector on dh, maybe even pick up some of senator grassley’s interest it’s also important. To know kind of in the day to day workings of washington. Andi, you may have made this point earlier, emily, that a lot of the staffers may end up sticking around on dh they carry a lot of the load, so certainly they work at the pleasure of the chairman and the ranking member on day work under their direction, but geever even an expertise that we now have on senate finance dahna with the staffers and tax exempt issues, i think we might see them continue toe work on, you know, in the space, so to speak, in terms of senator hatch, i mean he’s certainly known as as a partisan, perhaps a little bit more so than grassley, we know that he is concerned, leased in the last few weeks, we know that he’s concerned with the political issues, particularly how they feel how they relate to see fours and see fives and see sixes that may be an issue that he actually disagrees with senator baucus on, but i don’t i don’t think he’ll deal with those issues to the exclusion of other non-profit issues, but i think we’re going to continue, you know? I don’t want to leave your listeners with this feeling that because senator grassley’s moving over to judiciary, suddenly the tax writing committees may not care about tax exempt organizations? I don’t, i don’t think that’s true, but certainly he had a unique approach to oversight hey used his perch in senate finance to conduct ah, very aggressive oversight of the sector. Ah, and i’m not sure if we’ll see that continue, but they’re still going to know we’re out there and you know what we’re up to, all right? We’re going to leave it there. My guests have been emily lamb and perry wasserman. Emily is counsel for skadden, arps, slate meager in flum in the washington, d c office and perry is managing director of five o one c three strategies washington d c based lobbyist firm they’re seminar at the conference is tax policy and the future of philanthropic planning. Your listening to tony martignetti non-profit radio and the chronicle of philanthropy coverage of the national conference on philanthropic planning. I want to thank both of you for taking time out to join us. You’re you’re terrific team together. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. You’ve been drinking, ending the getting dink, dink, dink, dink. You’re listening to the talking alternate network, waiting to get you thinking. Cubine 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 hi 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. 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, you’re listening to talking on their network at www dot talking alternative dot com, now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. That’s all the time we have today for tony martignetti non-profit radio next week, friday, december tenth, join me at one pm when we’ll have maur interviews from the national conference on philanthropic planning. I am in bangladesh, sri lanka and thailand right now, returning in a couple of weeks hope you’ll join me next week for the interviews that continue from that conference. As always, the creative producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is claire meyerhoff line producer and the owner of talking alternative broadcasting is sam liebowitz, and our social media is by regina walton of organic social media. You can get our insider alerts and see my live appearances on the facebook page. Facebook, dot com, tony martignetti non-profit radio join me next friday, one p m eastern time, right here on talking alternative broadcasting at talking alternative dot com getting linking the ending, the ending the ending you’re listening to the talking alternate network, waiting to get you thinking. Nothing. Cubine 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. Dahna! Hyre treyz this is tony martignetti, aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio 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. 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. 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. 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 hi 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.

Get Promotion Value From Your Charity Registrations

Girl Dropping Coin into Piggy Bank

Your nonprofit has to register in each state where it solicits. That’s the law in every state and D.C. Why not get extra mileage out of the work you put into your compliance?

Standard mileage

  • keeps your officers and board from paying fines
  • gets your IRS Form 990 filled out accurately (it’s signed by an officer under penalty of perjury)
  • protects your organization’s reputation
  • avoids civil or criminal penalties
  • minimizes the likelihood of a gift challenge
  • puts you on the right side of the law

These are important reasons for following state laws, but they’re in the background–which is where you want them. If one of those is all of a sudden front-and-center and capturing your attention, you’ve got a crisis.

To gain extra mileage from your registration work, put it out front on a “We’re Compliant!” web page. List all the states you’re registered in so you get some promotion value out of being on the right side of the laws, operating legally and ethically. Compliance shows you’re protecting your donors from fraud and insuring charitable donations go to charitable purposes. Those are the stated rationales for the web of regulations. So boast about it.

You can’t claim endorsement by states or their officials, that’s crossing the line. But you can certainly brag about your compliance, especially when so few charities are on the right side of the registration laws. You can use the page your organization creates (or one linked to it) to make the mandatory disclosures required by some states.

So shake your tail feathers, flap your wings and crow: “We’re Compliant!”

Nonprofit Radio for Nov. 19, 2010: Bountiful Bequests & Thrift Shops Ops

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Compliance. Board relations. Fundraising. Technology. Volunteer management. Accounting. Finance. Marketing. Social media. Investments.

Every nonprofit faces these issues and big nonprofits have experts in each. Small and medium size nonprofits have Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. Trusted experts throughout the country join Tony to take on the tough issues facing your organization.

Episode 17 of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio for November 19, 2010

Tony’s Guests:

Susan DameGreene, President of BIPS. BIPS is an easy-to-use program that proactively manages the entire process of planned giving from stewarding and projecting future Planned Gifts to collecting realized Planned Gifts.

Topic: Bountiful Bequests: Why you should start a Planned Giving program with bequests–and how to do it.

Shevawn Weber, Manager, of Aspire.

Topic: Thrift Shops Ops: Should your nonprofit have a thrift shop as a source of revenue? How do you get started?
 

Here is the link to the podcast: 019: Bountiful Bequests & Thrift Shop Ops

When and where: Talking Alternative Radio, Friday, 1-2pm Eastern.

You can subscribe on iTunes and listen anytime, anyplace on the device of your choosing.

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Welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent of your aptly named host tony martignetti last week, we fired-up you’re bored fund-raising that was with author and authority gail perry, and she revealed proven techniques to motivate your board to step up to their fund-raising responsibilities. That was for the full hour this week, bountiful bequests why you should start a plan giving program with requests and how to do so my guest will be susan dame green, and then we’ll be talking about thrift shop ops should your non-profit have a thrift shop as a potential source of revenue. And what are the implications of doing that? And how do you get started? My guest for that segment will be shevawn weber between the guests on tony’s, take two at thirty two minutes after the hour. Talk to all of your plans e-giving prospects not only the men sexism, i think it’s hurting some of our planned giving prospecting moron about that on tony’s take two, we’re headed to a break, and after this break, i’ll be joined by susan dame green and we’re going to talk about bountiful bequests stay with me? E-giving didn’t think tooting, getting dink, dink, dink, dink. You’re listening to the talking alternate network, waiting to get a drink. E-giving you could 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. Do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with i catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing efforts. Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is. We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission one one media 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. Durney bonem welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio where were always about big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent, i guess now is susan dame green, and we’re going to be talking about bountiful bequests. Why you should start a plan giving program with requests and how to do it. Susan is the president of beeps bee i p s you’ll find them at bib stre dot com and she’s joining us by phone from salem, massachusetts. Susan has worked in plan giving for roughly twenty, set for twenty seven years, having worked at the american red cross st jude’s, children’s hospital and child reach, where she helped the canadian and japanese affiliates start planned giving programs a lot of experience in plan giving, and i’m very glad that her practice brings her to the show. Susan welcome from salem, massachusetts. Oh, thankyou, tony. I’m very glad to be a pleasure that it’s a pleasure to have you on let’s. Start with something that has related to your name. When i first saw your name, i thought she must be english royalty. That’s an english title. Just explain to people it’s i know it’s not in english title. Explained why that is well, years ago, when i got to be single, i decided i was going to go back to my maiden name, which was dame, but that wasn’t such a good name for a professional woman, and so i decided my middle name is antionette i would go to my grandmother’s last name, which was green, but g at age forty two wasn’t any good, so i decided to get rid of the ai into dame green, so i made my name legally named green in nineteen eighty nine. All right, well, your nobility on this show. Oh, thank you. My pleasure. Why should a non-profit start a plan giving program with requests? Well, i’ve been doing playing, giving twenty seven years, so i’ve kind of been around the block a few times in what i’ve seen is that ninety? Well, i’d say eighty to eighty five percent of the gifts come in as simple bequest. Everybody wants you to start with all the complicated things, but the reality is, most of the money comes from request and it’s a simple thing that’s when we’re talking just about planned gift, you mean that eighty to eighty five? Percent of plan r request. Ok, ok. And do we do we have a sense of how many people have been including non-profits in their will with a charitable request over history? Well, according to giving us they it probably about seven billion dollars this year. So a lot of people are beginning to include playing gift requests in their wills and plan giving is getting to be more and more popular. When i started in plan giving, there were very few people doing it. And now it’s everywhere and so it’s a great time for people to hop on board, even small institutions because everybody else has been doing all the advertising, you can take advantage of what they’ve been doing and simply ask your donors for gift. Not that hard and that’s also a motivation to be doing it because your competitors are that’s, right? Everybody else is doing it in the statistics that my boss used to show me at red cross, i used to be the director plan giving at the american national red cross, and we supported in train twenty, eight hundred chapters. He could document his eighteen years that people equals or exceeded their lifetime, given with their death gift, so it’s very important to start asking you donors for that gift because that’s a very good way that you could not only keep them tied to you, but end up with a lot of money from them, and i typically don’t counsel people to do things just because lots of others are because there are lots of mistakes being made in fund-raising but i think i think this case is an exception to that. I do think that the the enormity of of non-profits asking is an indication that other non-profits that aren’t ought to be i agree with that anybody can start a plane giving program, and so how do you know when you’re ready? We’ll it’s that simple? How do you know when you’re non-profits ready? Well, now i have a slightly different approach than other people do. And remember, i based it on the years experience that i have, but i think anybody can start a plane giving program. If you have a group of donors that you can ask, you could send them very simple, ask wetter and i’ve sent you a sample of that, and i think you’re going to be putting it on your website, right? Yes. There’s going to be ah, what that’s the sample ask letter or consideration letter. Is that right, susan? Yes. And listeners will find that file on my block on the same post that has today’s show. There’ll be a linked to susan’s resource material, including including that. Go ahead, susan. How do you know when you’re ready? We’ll do. What you can do is you can start looking at your donor base if you can afford it. And the donor base is small. I send a letter once a year to its many of the donor basis you can afford. Concentrate on the sixty five and over. The reason is this is a business. Like any other business. You’re going to get a result much sooner. I’m sixty two. I’m much more like who could die then you, tony. You’re in your forties, right late. But yes. Still, i’m still in authorities. I got a couple more years. Yes, thank you. So, that’s, what you want to do? You want to concentrate on people who are going to give you a result for the money that you put into it. And it’s a very simple thing to dio i’d also start with slogan, and i put the spoken everywhere a really simple one that many, many people used to leave a lasting legacy remember the sergeant society in your will or a state plan any kind of slogan that you like, but include the correct legal name of your institution? Susan, before we get too far into how how to do this, i wantto, uh, i ask you about something that you said start with people who are roughly sixty five and over. There has been some publicity within the past year about making suggestions that non-profits asked people in their azaleas their thirties, about including a non-profit in there will what’s your what’s your opinion of that? Well, it’s like everything else, i think you’re going to get a better result from the people who are older there at that time in our life, when they’re thinking about a will and there thinking off there in the conservation and distribution years sixty five and honor the conservation and distribution years. There’s four financial stages of life, one when you’re a kid and you have no control over your old money except your wow and then once you graduated from high school or college, and you’re in charge of your money, but the bills come in so that’s your your high earning years but it’s also your high out years and then fifty five to sixty five that’s your accumulation years that’s the year’s most people accumulate money towards the retirement that’s the years the kids are out of college and their house is paid for, and you’re pretty well settled in your career. So sixty five and over is where people are conserving their money and thinking about distributed so if you talk to people when they’re interested in it, that’s where you’re going to get the best results, yes, and also at that age and, you know, we just have about thirty seconds left before our first break. Also, around that age, they’re thinking about using their estate to teo to distribute to charity that’s, right? There’s thinking about ways of making a difference in the world through their money because they’re no longer physically able to do that, and they still care. Most of our donors still care very much about what happens to the world after this break. Susan damegreene will stay with us. Our subject is bountiful bequests. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio. 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 i really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. Is this you mind over matter, health and fitness can help. If you’re expecting an epiphany, chances are it’s not happening. Mind over matter, health and fitness could help you get back on track or start a new life and fitness. Join Joshua margolis, fitness expert at 2 one two eight six five nine to nine xero. Or visit w w w dot mind over matter. Y si dot com. Buy-in 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 at to one to nine six four three five zero two. We make people happy. Xero talking alternative radio twenty four hours a day. Welcome back with my guest, susan dame greene, the president of tipps llc, susan, before the break, we were just talking about the conservation distribution years and and our older citizens using their estate plan as a way of giving back that’s right? That’s, right? Our donors like to give back during their lifetime, and then when they get into the conservation and distribution years they’re thinking about conserving what they have and how they want to distribute. It will be questioned and wait wait for them to go. Also, if you’re encouraging bequests among people who are so much younger in their thirties and even forties, aren’t there philanthropic interests likely to change not only before their death think interests are going to change, but their whole life is going to change dramatically? They don’t think so now, but it’s all good and involved in ways they couldn’t even think of and the chances of you still being in the will later on her fairly small plus do you want to wait forty, fifty, sixty years for the gift to come in? All right, so we know why it’s important to start with requests. And your advice is that any organization can do it as long as they have donors who love their mission right, who are sixty five and over that’s, right? How should non-profits get started with this? If they have the money and they have the the number of donors, they could do a computerized sort of the file and find the people over sixty five if they don’t, they can go through the files. They’re small organization taking go through the file and they know a lot of their donors and send a very simple letters to the donors asking them for bequest. Once a year on dh, that letter will have on my blogged we’ll have ah, template letter that you khun you can use from courtesy of susan. Thank you, it’s. A simple peer-to-peer ask and that’s all they really need to dio once they do that and they get a response. Then they put them into a system like an excel spreadsheet and keep track of them and then stay in touch with them. What about the will get to how to stay in touch and howto say thank you appropriately. And how often? What about the? The organization that has a larger number of donors, but they don’t have a date of birth. They don’t. They don’t know their ages. Maybe they do have thousands of donors, but age is not something that they’re very ever captured. Well, they can hire a vendor who will do an age overlay of their files for them. They may not be able to give the exact date of birth, but they can give them a minimum of a year of date of birth, depending on how many donors air on the file. Or they could do research themselves and find out what the ages of the donors are. When i was a child, reach what i used to do with the major donors that they called each one up and tell them you make the times in our life possible by the gifts you give us. We’d like to celebrate the time of your life with you. Will you tell me your birthday’s going on in your birthday card? That’s? Terrific it’s, very sweet, actually. And it’s a very simple way. And i got turned down one out of five thousand because they all want to have a first date arika and so it was it was easy, and it made them feel included, and it made them feel happy about it. So there’s a lot of ways you could do it that air noninvasive if you have a small list or if you have enough staff in the time, yes, that would probably be a good project for an intern or maybe a volunteer to do absolutely someone who loves the organization. People, i think love to get phone calls that are just thank you and a little more, you know, would you would you share your birthday or something like that versus thank you? And we’re asking again this year. We’re not talking about that, but but i think to get that live call right now, it sounds like it would be endearing. The live college very important. As a matter of fact, we were talking about howto thank them once they’ve named you in the document. It’s really important, i think, to do with three pronged thank at st jude children’s research hospital we used to do, uh, thank you. Call and someone from our office would call and say thank you. And it was usually a violent here and then. We’d have one of the board members call and say thank you, and we send them out a down thomas society’s certificate, either with one of our fifteen reps in the field. Or we’d invite them to a luncheon where we present this certificate. So they really felt thing. How about some other ways, though, that we can be encouraging this? So you suggested a pithy tagline way have the peer-to-peer ask letter. What are some other ways that a smaller midsize non-profit which are the ones that i know you work mostly with, not exclusive and you work with some big organizations to yeah, but how else can can the smaller shops get the word out? Well, they want to let people know that they accept requests. And by putting that tagline everywhere, people will start to know that you are interested in and accept requests. The biggest problem is people are dying to give to you, but they die before you get to ask them. So, yeah, i put it on the back of every piece of every envelope, every piece of stationary on the bottom of every page on the website, on every board report, every single minute every kapin newsletter every single page is the newsletter just so people start getting the idea boardmember it’s, you mentioned that’s interesting. Oh, absolutely, you should be asking your entire board as a matter of fact, you should get the entire board to commit, because that really shows other people that the board is interested and committed and wants this place to continue after they’re gone. And, of course, that’s the kind of doughnut you want. You want the donor that wants a place to continue after you’re gone, and so your your objective would be one hundred percent of the board has the organization in there will one hundred percent, and you don’t have to ask the amount. Tell the board members that up front it depends on the organization, but most organizations don’t ask the amount you can after they’ve been a donor for a while, but just to get them on board, simply say, please include us in your will no leave a lasting legacy. Remember the sergeant society into willard’s state plan all right, and for the fresh air fund or whatever the name of your organization is your advice, then is in all these places that you you mentioned the back of envelopes and board minutes and all your newsletters and correspondents that you’re using. What? Just thie that simple tagline, that simple tagline everywhere with the correct legal name of your non-profit it can be very effective and then start the the regular program of mailing two people as well as you probably wanna have articles. If you have a new sweater, you want to have an article in your newsletter features someone who has given a gift and is interested in excited about the organization and wants to talk about it. So that’s consistent with your peer-to-peer ask letter, right? You want to profile people who have already done this that’s, right? So people that it’s possible and it’s painless. Really? And what? Well, let me ask. I want to open it up. Are there other ways that you should be? People should be communicating this. What about what about their their individual meetings with just having one on one lunches and things? People? Yes. It’s. A very easy thing to do. What happens with plan giving is you’re building a relationship. And now i was on cape cod doing a speech. For the plane giving council of cape cod, and i was talking with dominic. He and his wife have been married for forty years, and i said to him, well, you know, how did how did you start dating her? Oh, well, you know, i asked her out, and we dated for about four years before we got married. I said, if you had proposed on the first date, what would she have said? And he said, oh, my goodness, i don’t know, but by the four years was up, we both know we want to get married. I said it’s the same thing with the donors, you build a relationship, but the best part is with the donors, you can skip the kissing stuff except with some of the little old lady, so want to kiss you on the cheek anyway, but when you’re having these face-to-face conversations, a lot of people are intimidated by the subject because they feel they’re talking about the donor’s death, and so they’re they’re reluctant toe raise it in a face to face conversation. Well, the reality is, quite a few donors will tell you once you start developing a relationship with them. And you can bring it up remember that the reluctance of the plan giving officer it’s not how the donor is feeling donor’s know that they’re old. They know they’re going to die it’s not a secret, their sister or their cousin there uncle there, father, their mother, their husband has died, and so they’re in that planning stage of life. I don’t know if you have kids, tony, but i bet a lot of your listeners dio and when you were potty training, those kids that’s all you talked about and now these donors air in the stage of life where they’re looking at conserving and distributing their assets. They’re all talking about this to one another so it’s only normal for you to talk to them about it so older americans are ready to ready to have that conversation. The reluctance is on the is on the fundraiser side that’s, right? That’s, right? I’ve been before i’ve been playing giving twenty seven years, and before that, i was a trust vice president for eleven years, and i dealt with over four hundred states year personally. And let me tell you, those donors know what’s going on they know. That they’re going to die, they know that they need to make this plant and they are, and they’re very willing to talk about it. I can’t tell you how many of them say to me, my daughter won’t talk to me about the fact that i’m dying. This is the biggest thing that’s happened in my life when you talk to me about it. So those playing, giving officers, we need to get over that we need to get on with the business and you’re not talking about the person’s death, right? What what you’re talking about is how their estate can benefit this organization that we know they all that way. No, they already love that’s, right? And you can talk more in instead of talking about when you died, talk about in you will let put in something or think about putting in something that will continue this work that you’re so interested in. I know you’re interested in helping all these young people learn about graphics and, you know, we can do that kind of program that you’re doing now, and we can do it with a gift in your will if you and down your annual gift of five thousand dollars and let’s, figure out the amount that program can continue in perpetuity. How would you like to see that happen so you could make it a really positive, upbeat experience, because to them it is the positive, upbeat experience they’re very interested in things involving and continuing after they go, they’re interested in making a difference in the world. Yes, the conversation is not about death, it’s, about the continuation of the organization that they love, right? You said it better than i did. I’m sorry, i’m just, i think, it’s, so important, i guess, that’s. Why i’m repeating it. How do you ah, how do you open that conversation? Are there? What? What advice do you have? Just how do you get into the subject? We’re in a face to face meeting. Well, i don’t do it. The first meeting, the first one, i go out there and i thank them. And i talk about the organization a little bit. But then i say to them, tell me how you first got interested in the fresh air fund and there are twenty five minutes later. My goodness, can i get a word in edgewise here? Because they love you because they’re people are already loved the organization. We know that as you said, you’re not you’re not asking on the first date about including the organization there will but you know you, they already love you. So? So your advice is sort of let’s. Bring that passion to the surface, right? Let’s get them thinking about it that’s, right? And once they start thinking about it, ninety percent of the time, i don’t have to ask them. They help me, so it makes it very, very simple because you get them thinking about what they’ve accomplished in their lifetime. And most of our donors are pretty happy people they’ve accomplished what they’ve accomplished, their fairly well settled in their lives, they have the time, they want to talk to you and they love your organization. And i’d say a hundred percent of them know more about our organizations that we do. My guest is susan history that you never even knew was there? Yes, right? Because they know the organization longer than you. That’s, right, that’s, right. My guest is susan damegreene and she’s, the president of dips b i p s that’s bravo, india. Papa sierra, if you were in the military and you’ll find vips at victor dot com on. We’re talking about bountiful bequests. Susan, after someone tells you that they have included you. Well, you alluded to this. What do you recommend asking for documentation? Proof of the bequest? Well, the first thing i do after they tell me if they send them a thank you letter and i invite them to become member of the seaquest society. Now, whatever the name of your organization, you can use that same name. But many people pick something that’s meaningful for the name of the bequest society. So once they remember that the quest society then i started inviting them to luncheons and making sure that i stay in contact with them on a regular basis. When i was at st jude, i did a study of fifteen years worth of planned gift collection records. We found out that people who were who had named us and we thank them appropriately we got double the amount of money from that group that we got from the people who didn’t get thanked for one reason or the other. We also found out right now, i just i’m sorry, but in that research, that was that was outright giving you get planned gift was planned. Gift result. Fifteen years was a planned gift who had died and left us money. We found out because the program had gone on for quite a while before i got there. And so i did a study of fifteen years with the collection records, and we found out people who had named us in a document and were appropriately thanked. And we did that three pronged. Thank i talked about earlier, they doubled their gift. We got twice as much money from the people who would thank that the people who work thing. And then i had fifteen people in the field of st jude. So it was easy for me to send the plan e-giving rap about to talk to them. People who wanted to be part of the st jude family we could document. They gave three to four times as much as the control group. So it really pays to cultivate these people and treat them like family because they are, because without them, we couldn’t do the work that we do. What about that? We just have about two minutes left. But what about that documentation? Do you do you advise that? Non-profits asked for proof. Can i have a copy of the will or copy the bequest paragraph? Well, that’s all over the map. That depends on the area of the country and the way people feel about it. It’s getting to be more common that people will ask and the way we used to do it, to be a little bit more subtle than the give me a copy of the will was we would send out a optional questionnaire and it with a business reply envelope. Everything has to go with a business reply envelope because you remember you’re talking about people’s money and it’s fairly secure, and they wanted to be a secret. They don’t want other people, so don’t so don’t send ah self mailer postcard back that says that has check off that say, i have included you in my will or i would consider including you, it’s got to be in a secure envelope. Yes, in a business report, and we sent a survey out and we’d say optional. We put it in there, how did you get interested in and our non-profit you know, how did you get interested in child reaches that one that i use? And then we asked a bunch of questions, and then the second page would say optional on it and say, tell us about your gift, and then we’d asked a bunch of different questions about the gift, and some people would fill the whole thing in, and some people wouldn’t, but we got about a forty percent response, which was fabulous that we did do call up after we send it out to follow up, make sure they got it and ask if they felt comfortable filling it in and answer any questions they had about it, but we were able to actually document now i know diane thomas, that university of st thomas in texas is a customer of ours, and she uses a different form and several universities in texas actually do. Have you signed a pledge certification that is the legal form that tell exactly what you’re leaving? So my way of doing it is one way, but everybody does it anyway, okay, so it’s really sort of around the map, it’s what you’re comfortable with and what you’re what you’re part of the country will will tolerate. I guess now you’ll notice, i don’t know if you noticed, but the actors fund of new york is one of my clients and wally monroe there uses the edwin forrest society to propagate hiss and ask people what they’re gift is, and that has worked very well for him. Okay, susan, we have to leave it there. That’s, that’s all the time we have you’re quite welcome. Thank you for joining us. My guest has been susan dame greene, the president of dips llc. She joined us by phone from salem, massachusetts. Susan, thank you again think we’re going to take a break, and after this break, i’ll be joined by shevawn weber. We’re going to talk about thrift shops, ops. Stay with me. E-giving didn’t think tooting getting ding, ding, ding ding. You’re listening to the talking alternate network to get you thinking. E-giving cubine 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 hi 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. Oh, this is tony martignetti aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Technology fund-raising compliance, social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays, one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting, you’re listening to talking on their network at www dot talking alt-right dot com, now broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Welcome back on the host of tony martignetti non-profit radio and very shortly, i’ll be joined by shevawn weber will be talking about thrift shop operations first aa few minutes to take for tony’s take two sexism has been bothering me it’s on my mind, i posted a blogged posted a block post about that last week, and you’ll find my blogging m p g a d v dot com ii was asking whether sexism still exists for professional women, and the answer i got from a very good number of comments was a resounding yes and that’s distressing. What i’d like to focus on right now, though, is that the impact of that sexism on fund-raising one of the comments related to planned e-giving fund-raising very much what we were just talking about with with susan damegreene this woman was a professional fundraiser, and she and many of her friends also is not just her. I have talked to organizations about planned e-giving have expressed interest in including the organization in their will or their others a state plan in some way, either through explicit conversations are emails or just dropping hints, and the women are ignored just the suggestions are just left lingering and that’s very distressing and frustrating that actively interested prospects for planned gif ts and of course it would apply to any type of gift, but the woman who commented on my block was specifically talking about planned e-giving being left open, conversations not pursued and her sense and i agree, is that it’s? Because she’s, a woman and her friends are women, that if they were men, their enquiries and interest in planned e-giving would be taken more seriously. That has, you know, societal impacts, and it also has ah, direct fund-raising impact. So i hope that you are not among the people men who are marginalizing or ignoring your female planned e-giving prospects because that’s just antithetical to what fund-raising is all about and everything that susan damegreene just talked about. And again, there’s more about this topic on my blogging mpg a devi dot com and that’s tony’s take two for friday, november nineteen my guest now is shevawn weber she’s, the manager of thrift shop, the matter of the thrift shop for a spire on broadway in melrose park, illinois, which is a chicago suburban she’s joining us by phone from melrose park susan has managed small businesses, including non-profit thrift shops over the past thirty years. You can follow shevawn on twitter. Her idea there is thrift ing the number four. Good and i’m very pleased that her work for a spire on broadway brings her to the show. Today shevawn welcome. Hi, tony. Thank you for having me. It’s. A pleasure. Tell me. Tell us about a spire on broadway. What’s the work that’s done. Their fire on broadway has been in operation for thirty five years. It was started by a parent dahna shevawn. Can i just ask you, could you speak a little bit louder? Maybe move the phone a lot closer to you, herr to your mouth. Thankyou. Hyre on broadway was started by a small group of parents of children with developmental disabilities. About thirty five years ago. Um, i was hired to manage the store that lacked leadership, and i’ve been with aspire for thirteen years. And what type of donor base does aspire have? We have very large in-kind gift donors. Hoexter tends south to indiana to the east, lake michigan to the west, very far western suburbs and we have done pickups. As far north as lake geneva and that obviously those those in-kind gifts obviously supporting the thrift shop. Yeah, what about the larger donors face to do a spiral? What does their fund-raising look like more broadly beyond the in-kind gif ts to the agency, right? I really can’t speak to those. Okay, your expertise is in the thrift shop. Ok? That’s that’s what we’ll talk about. What does the revenue of the thrift shop look like? We bring in approximately a quarter of a million dollars per year in sales. And do you have a sense of how that ranks among thrift shops? I don’t know. Okay, are there other thrift shops? That air non-profit thrift shops in the community where the spire on broadway thrift shop is? There is one other store in our community. There are several in the neighboring communities, however. And is that an issue for non-profits that are thinking about starting a thrift shop wood with the location of others in the vicinity be important for them to think about. It is important to an extent. Drifters like to venture out and go to many thrift stores. Oh, interesting in one trip. So really? Ah, a congregation of thrift stores in a small area is desirable. Okay, so having a few in one area and you say thrift er’s so tell us a little more about thrift er’s they’re they’re your customers tell us little more about what the customers to the thrift shop look like. Directors our full range of people, we’ve got dealers, antique dealers from the city of chicago who come in and make a large purchase is the furniture to resell in their stores. And then we have families in need who come in and buy everything that they need for their households. So the the antique dealers, that could be another source of revenue that non-profit might not be thinking about initially, but it could be a good source of revenue. Absolutely. What else should ah non-profit have in mind or need let’s put it this way. What they need to have in place before they can really be serious about opening a thrift shop. I think organizations need a solid core volunteers to support the effort of a thrift store. This is the biggest challenge for thrift shop trend and voluntary has moved toward corporate group group with fewer ongoing volunteers. And because training is so time intensive, ongoing volunteers are crucial to the efficient see. So having agood corps of volunteers before you open a threat store, i think is a mandatory. And so is all your labor volunteer and none of it paid except for you. Or is there a mix? No there’s, the mix we do have paid cashier’s and paid movers who go out and pick up furniture for us. But the volunteers are critical to it. Absolutely. We could not be in business without them. Okay, aside from this kadre of committed volunteers, what? What else does the non-profit need to be thinking about? If if they’re considering doing this? Well, they have to think about investment costs, you know? Do they have the administrative and financial resources to support the startup? Can they float the organization during bad sales month? You know, rent utilities are easy to determine, but other costs that they might. You need to consider our building space modifications, women and supplies budget for advertising or marketing consultation. And the volunteers are strong in numbers. Possible paid staff, right insurance. You’re going to have a physical location. So there’s a license to practice. Oh, right. That’s it. Yeah, the state licensing. Or maybe even city licensing, right? So we need volunteers on dh. Some money and including you mentioned something interesting to floating the floating the organization when sales or lean right. Well, what else? Well, we need don’t we need? How about those in-kind donors? I mean, they’re critical right there, critical, and we have found that with a hand written thank you note, teo each donor every time they bring him a donation results and repeat donations. So, you mean you get their address and you mail them handwritten note? Is that what you do? And you’ve shown over time that that that donors who get those versus those who don’t are more likely to come back there? And what about estates? Is that a very big donor population for you? It’s about twenty five percent of our total sales each year we go and pack an entire home and bring it back to the store, and it we have a very large truck and it’s crucial to our revenue. Yeah, well, actually, and and that truck brings up other expense issues insurance we mention sure it’s, but insurance on on vehicles if you’re going to go picking up, which makes it a lot easier is you’re suggesting teo to get those big loads on and then there’s people driving it does you mentioned but there’s maintenance on trucks and gas. And you know all the expenses of that. Also. The how do you market the thrift shop specifically to the states had how do you get known in that state community that is basically word of mouth? Once you have successfully completed a pickup for someone who conducting the state, sales were travels fast? Not too many non-profit thrift stores are providing that service. Oh, really? No on dh. What? What made you decide to get into it? Well, actually have a friend on the north shore who conducts the state sales and she’s been very good to aspire, so i had that initial connection. What about auctioneers? Is that a potential market for you? We haven’t considered that that’s something we may i want to take a look at, okay? Yeah, i was just thinking. If there are auction items that aren’t sold, might they be interested in donating that that’s a very good point. Okay, let’s focus on the donor’s a little more because they’re so critical to the organization that’s thinking about doing this again, that’s our, you know, that’s our perspective, an organization that isn’t doing it but might consider a thrift shop. How do you get the donors to know about ur give to you versus that other thrift shop that you said is not too far away? Well, i think families and friends of aspire, our primary source of donations for the thrift store and through word of mouth that spreads to neighbours and beyond communities. I’m not sure how other thrift stores go about obtaining in-kind for their stores. But for us, it’s spent mostly word of mouth. Do you have money allocated for advertising that very much. Okay, and a little bit you do have. Then what community do you advertise to? Is that for the customers versus the donors? Pretty much we advertise on the brick shepherd dot com and we have a little bit on a spider’s web site. But other than now and twitter, okay, you know, but nothing on an ongoing basis in just a minute or so we have before the break. What about the volunteer training? That’s? That’s going to be important, isn’t it? How do you? How do you train the volunteers? And what do you train them on? Well, you first orient saved them to the building and to the organization. In the mission, and then it’s, just finding out what is a good fit for a volunteer, what would they like to do here? Do they want to interact with customers? Are they creative and are good at merchandising? Or do they want to be behind the scenes and sort through during donations, tag, garments, steam, garments and so on? And is the individual training for each of those tasks, or, or is it more on the job? Initially, i’m training them on the job, and then they are assigned a buddy, and the body kind of makes them comfortable for that first day, and then i’m available for questions, and, you know, i check on their progress on different volunteers need different levels of, uh, motivation. Sure, for motivating. My guest is shevawn weber, manager of the thrift shop for a spire on broadway in melrose park, illinois. We have to take a break. Please stay with us. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. 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. 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Their services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is. We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission one one media dot com. Talking. Dahna welcome back. I’m with shevawn weber, and we’re talking about thrift shops and whether that makes sense for your organization. And if you think it might what factors you should have in mind. Shevawn you do some interesting things with other revenue sources, and we talked about the antiques dealers before we look at the others. Is there anything more you want to say about how you i got into bringing them into your shop? How that worked out thie antiques dealers. No, they really basically found us. Okay, you opened your door on dh. They started coming to you. They pretty much on dh. Why would you divert things to them rather than sell them in your store? Well, they were on the floor. They’ll they were there hyre and items, you know, maybe several hundred dollars piece of furniture that they could then return, return to their shop and resell to an interior decorator for even traitor a mountain. So they really dealers speak out a product through thrift stores. And and it sounds like and it’s a product that the average thrift er is not going to buy. That’s. True. Yeah. So when when these possible pieces that could be right for for the antiques dealers come to you, do you do you offer them for sale for sometime? And you have a policy about making them available on the floor before you give them to the antiques dealer. Or do you just go right to the dealer? No, they’re right up there on the floor, available to the public. And if they happen to be there when the dealers come in, then they make a purchase. Oh, you’re not holding things aside for antiques dealers. And why is that? Is that a firm policy? I guess so. Why is that? I just think, it’s ethical to make it available to everyone rather than diverted just for the dealers. Ok, otherwise you’re back room becomes holding tanks for dealers. And i just don’t think that fair. Yeah. Okay. Um, you also do some selling on ebay. Tell us about that as a potential source that people might not source of revenue that people might not be thinking about. Yeah, we sell any bay. We felt items that would appeal to a niche market. Like high school yearbooks. For example, there are average customer here on the resale shop is not interested in those, but they are, well, fire on ebay. Really? We do. We do about twelve thousand dollars a year in sales on ebay, and it is volunteer driven and it’s. Really fun. We have some fabulous finds on there, and our user name is support spire and high school yearbooks. That’s interesting. So people don’t hate high school yearbooks to you. And then i mean, unless you went to that high school or in that year, they’re of no interest, but on ebay, where there’s a national or into a new international audience, then there’s a market right? Interesting. What else do you divert to ebay that listeners might be interested in? Oh, gosh, way, fashion’s collectible books, original art, a stage jewellery, you know, all kinds of vintage toys and games, everything, well, certain ditches, you said, nitch items. And do you have the same policy about about making things available on the floor? If you think they might be right for ebay or no, just divert them directly to the ebay person who’s. The volunteers handling that right here, sort through donations for things she think well, succeed on ebay, and then if we live that item and it doesn’t sell, then it goes to the sales floor, okay. So there are some other sources of revenue besides people who just who? The sisters who come in true and also we so any fabric requirements that we can’t use here to a rag picture. So there’s no way. Oh, actually not putting clothing in the dumpster and it’s another revenue source. Right. Interesting. Okay, um, susan, just in the thirty seconds or so that we have left, why is the thrift shop important to aspire on broadway? Why do they have one? We have a thrift store to bring in revenue. A fire on broadway provide greater visibility for the agency in our community. You know, it’s connect donors. Sometimes a backdoor donor at the drugstore can’t be an entry point into a bigger relationship with the organization. Excellent. Yes. Okay. Those air, those were all important revenue and prospect generation. Too interested. We have to leave it there. My guest has been shevawn weber one. Thank you very much for joining me, shevawn. Thank you. Tony shevawn is the manager of fifth shop of the thrift shop for a spire on broadway in melrose park, illinois. And of course, also, i want to thank susan dame green for joining me earlier next week no show happy thanksgiving there won’t be a show next friday, the day after thanksgiving, on friday, december third, the second part of how to kill your career in five easy steps that’s the second half of my interview with robert sharp from the national conference on philanthropic planning and another interview from that conference tax policy and the future of philanthropic planning, a washington, d c attorney for non-profits and a lobbyist for non-profits we’ll talk about what’s likely to happen legislatively in washington and how that affects your organization’s bottom line. Those guests are emily lamb and perry wasserman, and again, they were also recorded at the national conference on philanthropic planning. Ah, i’ll be out in the next two weeks after thanksgiving in bangladesh, sir lanka and thailand and of course, at the end of the friday december third show, i’ll tell you, what’s coming up on the tenth, you could get our insider alerts and see my live appearances on our facebook page that’s facebook, dot com tony martignetti non-profit radio, the creative producer of the show is claire meyerhoff line producer and owner of talking alternative broadcasting is sam liebowitz. And our social media is by regina walton of organic social media. On tony martignetti. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio. Join me. Not next friday. But friday, december third, right here, on talking alternative broadcasting at talking alternative dot com. Durney i didn’t think that shooting good ending things. You’re listening to the talking, alternate network, waiting to get you thinking. E-giving cubine 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. Oh, 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. 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. 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. 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 buy-in, 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.

Nonprofit Radio for Nov. 12, 2010: Gail Perry and Fired-Up Fundraising

Big Nonprofit Ideas for the Other 95%

Compliance. Board relations. Fundraising. Technology. Volunteer management. Accounting. Finance. Marketing. Social media. Investments.

Every nonprofit faces these issues and big nonprofits have experts in each. Small and medium size nonprofits have Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio. Trusted experts throughout the country join Tony to take on the tough issues facing your organization.

Episode 16 of Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio for November 12, 2010

Tony’s Guest:

Gail Perry, MBA, CFRE, best-selling author of Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion into Action (Wiley 2007), and her Passion-Driven Fundraising approach, developed over the past 22 years as a non-profit philanthropy expert, has helped organizations raise hundreds of millions in gifts and support. You can learn more about Gail on her website.

Topic: Fire Up Your Board Fundraising: Gail Perry will reveal proven techniques to motivate your board to step-up to their fundraising responsibilities.

Here’s a link to Gail’s Free Fundraising Tools.

Here’s a guide: 12 Ways to Liven Up Your Board Meetings – and Your Board.

Here is the link to the podcast: 018: Fire Up Your Board Fundraising.


When and where: Talking Alternative Radio, Friday, 1-2pm Eastern.

You can subscribe on iTunes and listen anytime, anyplace on the device of your choosing.

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“Like” the show’s Facebook page.

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Dahna durney dahna welcome to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent if you feel that your non-profit doesn’t get the attention it deserves, maybe in the media or maybe from consultants. You have a home here at tony martignetti non-profit radio, the aptly named host tony martignetti fortunate that i found this show last week, we had techniques to develop your corporate sponsorship strategy remember, my guest was john hicks talking about corporate sponsorship, and we had a review of fund accounting software with shows technology contributor, the editor of non-profit technology news. Scott koegler this week for the hour, fire up your board. Fund-raising i’ll be joined by gail perry gale is a consultant and the author of fired-up fund-raising turned board passion into action. Her book title pretty much says it all, she’s going to share proven techniques to motivate your board to step up to their fund-raising responsibilities gayle’s book is published by wiley, and it is available on amazon scales with us for the hour at about thirty two minutes after the hour on tony’s take too. I’m going to talk about sexism and how it’s being suffered by professional women. I blogged about that this week and also your last chance at a discount to the next-gen charity conference, which is next week in new york city. All that on today’s show. We’re going to take a break. And after that, i’ll be joined by gil perry. Please stay with me. Didn’t didn’t didn’t do you’re listening to the talking alternate network e-giving you could 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. Do you want to enhance your company’s web presence with an eye catching and unique website design? Would you like to incorporate professional video marketing mobile marketing into your organization’s marketing campaign? Mission one on one media offers a unique marketing experience that will set you apart from your competitors, magnify your brand exposure and enhance your current marketing efforts. Your services include video production and editing, web design, graphic design photography, social media management and now introducing mobile marketing. Their motto is. We do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Contact them today. Admission one one media 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. Zoho welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. I’m joined now by the president of gale perry associates. Gail perry is a consultant and author. As i said earlier, her book is fired-up fund-raising turn board passion into action published by wiley, available on amazon dot com. Gail is an international speaker on this subject, and she leads her own has laid her own consulting firm for over fourteen years. I’m very glad that gale’s practice brings her to the show today. She’s joining us from north carolina. Welcome, gail. How you doing, tony? I’m doing well. Welcome. Welcome to the show. Pleasure to have you, gil wise fund-raising important for board members. Well, actually, they, uh they actually own for our big fun for it. And many say that they have a very bilich. Although boardmember not agree with gail, i’m goingto interrupt you. I know you’re on your own. A vonage connection, i think. Is that you? Yeah. And it’s breaking up a little bit. Do you have another phone that you can call on and i will do a little a little song and dance while you call him? Okay, please do. This is tony martignetti. Lenny provoc ok, i was also for my song and dance like this. She cuts me off. We’re just having a little technical problem with trying to get a good connection from gail galley there any better? Yes, it sounds better. Why don’t we? Why don’t we continue with the question? Why? And you cut me. I didn’t get to do my song and dance. You believe this? Alright, maybe. Maybe later. Uh, gail, you still there? Gail it’s. Beautiful. All right. You know, this is live radio because this wouldn’t happen otherwise. Let’s, take a look at tony’s. Take two at aa. Seven minutes after the hour instead of thirty two minutes after the hour. Do we have freddie? Do we have gale back? No, we don’t have gale back. Freddie will let me know. Um, the subject that i blogged about this week actually is sexism in not only in the office, but generally in the office and outside the office. Um, suffered by professional women, the story that i told took place in a bar. I was with a professional colleague was a networking dinner. Um and two rather boorish married guys intervened. While i was in the men’s room and came back to find them harassing might be a little strong, but harassing might actually be appropriate. I’m not sure the woman that i was having the meeting with we had to sit at the bar because there weren’t any table reservations available. You can see the whole story on my block at m p g a d v dot com, and it actually has garnered some comments from women and men. The women are telling stories about their own situations, how they might be marginalized in an office that they actually working, but they’re there they lied, but their clients don’t recognize them is the leader, and another story was about a woman who was afraid teo actually stopped wearing dresses in the office because of comments that were made. Another story was from then you adjunct professor, the university wasn’t giving him enough office space or professor or classroom space. He had to run his classes from his home, and he relates how one of the female students was so uncomfortable with that idea that they that she un enrolled from the program from from his class so that’s all on my block. The other thing that i wanted to take a few seconds to talk about on tony’s take two much earlier than anticipated is the next-gen charity conference, and that is coming up next week. I’ll be speaking on friday about social media and planned giving, and you can have twenty percent discount to that unconference on my block. Go to the block, looked for that post, and you click the link to a twenty percent off discount on the nextgencharity conference. We have gale back, but we’re going to take this break. I’ll be joined by gail perry. After this break, please stay with me. 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 i really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. 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He says we make people happy. His show is the divorce. Our i know the show makes him happy. I think. It’s it’s catharsis. Cathartic radio for larry bloom. I know that very heartfelt, very tender radio. You can listen to his show the hour preceding mine. I’m joined now by gail perry. Our subject is fired-up aboard. Fund-raising gail, you’re with us, right? Okay, excellent. Much, much better. And let’s go to that first question. Why is fund-raising important for board members? Gale well, boardmember have such a responsibility to make sure the organization is successful. But the problem is that many organised many boardmember zehr not enlisted a recruited on dh, told when they’re recruited that theirjob fund-raising so at the outset, they should be told they should be told and it doesn’t happen. I think that non-profits or embarrassed to ask him or afraid to bring it up. And i think it backfired terribly because then the staff wants the board to helping fund-raising in the board. Says what? What do you what do you know? What aboutthe chronicle of philantech be just yesterday in the online edition had an article about the frustrations among non-profits that board members don’t step up to this important obligation, and on the side bar, there were four articles going back to i think nineteen, ninety seven since then, and all of them had the headline’s something like non-profit boardmember sze don’t step up to their responsibilities, and here was basically that four or five maybe articles since i think nineteen, ninety seven, i know this is an enormous area of frustration for non-profits yeah, it is, but the problem is that i think i think non-profits bear a lot of the blame because i think i think, frankly, i think their expectations are way too high. You can’t expect untrained volunteers to be successful in fund-raising when they’ve never done it before and they may not have the personality for it, frankly, i don’t want on that boardmember there soliciting because they wouldn’t be good at it. You probably have to clean up. Okay? We’re gonna talk about that later on. But what other roles there are around fund-raising besides soliciting, but so you think you think the responsibility lies with the non-profit wants a little more about that. Yeah, there’s a famous flandez says we all get the boards we deserve. Mmm. And that means that the more time and energy you spend on your board, the more you get out of him. Um, and i think that non-profit leaders need to take take a leadership role with their board and give them training and talk to them about expectations and talk to them about what it is that the job of the board members is to do because so many boardmember don’t know. And frankly, frankly, i think a lot of people who served on boards are very well meaning people, and they want to do a good job, but you got to tell him what you need. Yeah, that’s always that’s always the case, they’re passionate about the mission, and i know part of your messages toe unleash that passion, we’ll get to that they’re always passionate about, otherwise they would have turned you down, you know, they care, but you’ve gotta figure out a way to make it easy for him and make it fun for me. And what are some of the challenges that that are either organizational or personal? To board members well, you know, for one thing, they don’t know anything about fund-raising they be racking, i think it’s unreasonable to assume that somebody could do a great job when they when they’re totally untrue ride and, you know, i’m a battle that weary, hardened veteran of twenty five years and fund-raising and i’m very comfortable with that. I got his sessions, i write articles in conferences understand the techniques in the technology. One of the rules is they don’t understand it at all. I think four members think that fund-raising is all about asking for money, and we all know that that’s not particularly good fund-raising because good fund-raising is much more of a cultivation process in the relationship driven process, but if boardmember think it’s all about asking and it’s all about money, then they freeze, you know, from from opera started about think fund-raising is about changing the world and helping children and helping the environment and all the things that you’re raising money for, and the board members get stuck in this mythology of what they think fund-raising years, and they make it into this horrible, yucky, embarrassing, tacky, poor manners, you know that? They made back-up also its myths about it, but when you do it right, it’s a really joyful experience and your matching donors with causes that mythology often is carried on by the organization. Yeah, you know, i think i think i think fundrasing got a bad rap all around because a lot of people are nervous about it and they don’t they don’t understand it, they don’t know how to do it well, and and it does take a special skill set really does. What about the the meetings that board members are attending and they’d be used for your left looking she’s laughing at me on my own show? You believe this? I know you. I know you’re laughing question um ah, i don’t light board meetings don’t think that board meetings are boring, and i think the board members would tell you that they’re boring and i would say to you, if you have boring meetings, what kind of a board and you gonna have a board board on? If you have a board board, i don’t think they’re going to take action and fundrasing so it’s very important that we make boardmember into a cheerleading session. And a and a exciting motivational experience now, that’s. Interesting. Sometimes, you know, something called a cheerleading session is used pejoratively, but obviously you don’t mean that. How would you turn boardmember into a cheerleading session? Well, you know, i think it’s gotta have some excitement in passion to it. I think the leadership has got to be passionate and excited. I think you’ve got to talk about important issues. You’ve got a door way. Shit boardmember time with crap. Excuse me. You know, um, thank you. You bring in testimonials from people who who, uh, who are being helped by your organization. I mean, just last night i was doing aboard retreat with our local women’s center, and i asked the director to tell us a story of something that had touched her heart recently. And she said she told the story of this woman who had two children, preschool children, small ones. Her husband lost his job and he abandoned the family. And she was that her last resort. She didn’t know what to do. She was going to get evicted from her apartment. She has no money. She had nothing to small children, had never worked outside. The home. And when gene, the director of the women’s center, told her that that the women’s center could help her with her rent for a couple months. So she got herself established. The lady burst into tears and gene in telling the story last night she cried, had a blower nose and and, you know, it was in front of all the board members and the board members really got it about how important their work. Wass and it was a very touching and motivational. It was probably the most touching moment i experienced all weekend work. Yeah. That’s. An outstanding story. And in a in a board meeting. And what was the reaction to board members? Could you see any? Oh, yeah. Physical reaction. Thank you, teo. Right. They could feel the energy. I think a lot about energy. I think that energy probably maybe is the basis of all this stuff. Let’s. Talk a little more about that because you think about it a lot. What do you mean about energy? You know, do you let me give you a little example? Do you have a friend whose energy is like the cold, clammy kitchen sink? You? Know what has been friday night with them, right? But do you have a friend whose energies like the warm sunshine and you want to spend time with them and one of my great fund-raising motta’s is winding down, throw a party because what if you could make what you’re doing fun? You attract people, tio and it bored meetings, air fun if the board members enjoy getting together, if if they if you could, make your boar biddies into a party and let people enjoy themselves, you attract more people to your cause. And if you’re having a fundraising event, turned that into a party and you will bring me more money, there’s a whole lot of this attitude about being gregarious and being i mean, you changed the world by expanding your energy and influencing other people. And if boardmember zehr embarrassed about fund-raising and embarrassed about, quote, hitting up somebody or something, their energy is going to be like the clothes cold, clammy kitchen sink. So i gotta get boardmember away from their myths about fund-raising being yucky and get him pointed toward maybe friendraising so they could be excited about what they’re doing and really inspired. About the work. And there are other activities which we’ll talk about that that are appropriate around fund-raising. It’s interesting that, um, uh, act of fund-raising can be seen as yucky and clammy and dirty and embarrassing and begging, even which is a very debased form of human actions or the same action at same activity fund-raising can be seen is one of the most powerful shining examples of compassion and human. Yes, i’m talking with gail perry she’s, a consultant and author of the president of gale perry associates, and her book is fired-up fund-raising turn board passion into action. Gail, aside from the’s, very poignant testimonials at meetings, how else can can we in live in this? This this passion? Well, i like, i’d like to ask for members by the care. What do you mean, just go around the table and ask or, you mean, write it out? How logistically detail, how would we do that? Development director for hospice tried the question with her group this way she said to our board members, and they were very stiff bunch of noone who didn’t like they thought their job is to manage money, not to raise it, you know, that kind of people, and she went around the table and she said, tell me what? Legacy you’d like to leave from serving on sport, right? They went around the table. Whoa. And he said you would have thought i’d open the floodgates. She said she had never seen such emotion in such passion in these people. And she said i was a sea change way have a meeting she had had with these people in three years in a again a very telling story, gale, we actually we have a call, and i haven’t even said the number. Look at this. If you’d like to talk to gail are calling number is eight seven seven for eight xero for one, two zero, eight, seven, seven. Forty xero for one to zero and we have a caller. What is your name, please? Hi. My name is marion. Mary and i welcome to the show. Thank you very much. What’s. Your question for gail might. My question is, what are board members? We’ve made the mistake scale is already, uh, discussed in terms of we didn’t pre educate them about the fund-raising aspect. I guess going forward, you know, live and learn. How do we go forward in picking board members? How do we screen them? And educate them before we picked them that this is going to be part of their job duty. And also does she have any ideas in terms of resources that we could use to get people over this hump of feeling like fund-raising is yucky because i agree with friendraising really? Maybe the goal is to ask those friends for money, and how do we educate our boardmember appropriately marry and i’m going to ask youto take the answer off off off line on the air because you’re breaking up a little bit, but we have your questions. Thank you very much for calling again the number again. The number to call is eight seven seven for eight xero for one to xero gale, what about the marin’s? First question on on screening board members? Yes, well, let me give you an example. I’m chair of the board governance committee for statewide boarding here in north carolina, and we were literally a fund-raising board and we have changed our mission to write be much more specific about fund-raising and it’s my job to be there. I’m sorry, it’s, my job to be in charge of the boardmember recruitment process? Not surprised. And so we’ve had people in action all over the state all year and, you know, feel feeling and potential boardmember and i have got on the phone with thes women that we’re enlisting, and i said, listen, i just want to go over with you, the expectations, and i don’t you to be surprised, i said the really number one job of sport members is to be leaders in their local fund-raising have been their local town, and do you have any problem with calling people for sponsorships and blah, blah, blah? And they’re very explicit to him, and they usually say, no, i’m happy to do that, and then i say and, you know, i just want to let you know that most of the board members almost all of us are contributing at the thousand dollar level is trailblazers, and i don’t want you to be surprised about that either. And do you think that’s something you could consider and the people i thought you said, yeah, i think i can consider that so it’s been it’s been amazing? That has been so easy for me to talk about it because it can be embarrassing, but somehow i’m not the person who enlisted them and set alight the policeman to screen them before they come on the board because they want to be accepted into this group of very high powered women, and they don’t want any surprises, and so they’re pretty grateful for the for the conversation with me, and they’re really what about putting these expectations in writing nothing that’s very helpful. So after you’ve gotten their verbal but there’s, nothing there a lot of organizations that have lots of written expectations that board members have sons and nothing happened. Yeah, well, ok, of course the writings need to be enforced, even mohr essential than the riding it out. Okay, think about it because you gotta oddball people or get him on the phone and very direct because people don’t read stuff anyway. All right, well, but so are you suggesting a conversation and then something in writing? Onda writing, of course, needs to be enforced. Yeah, people don’t enforce stuff going just although i do know a couple of boards that they give their boardmember zoho sort of a report card at there place at every board meeting about where they stand on their commitment? Yeah, well, i think we’re going to talk later. That’s a wonderful idea. We’re going to talk later in life. We’re going to talk later in the hour about self assessment in just a minute. We have left before a break. Gale, can you share with our caller the sum of the second question? Some resource is for making fund-raising more appealing, you know? And if i could suggest a my website gai o perry dot com, i have a ton of articles, uninspiring board members and lots of different techniques in conversations to stage with them to help them change their attitude about fund-raising i think you need to have a frank fear of convert xero fund-raising conversation. Um, and, uh, now i think that’s very healthy and what you call it cleansing moment, so let him throw up about it. Uh, and then you’ve gotta have a conversation about abundance versus scarcity and about the importance of optimism and the connection to their passion and then friend making such a big deal because i frankly, i held my speak all over the country on this, and i’ll tell everybody i would rather have a friend to my cause than a donor. Excellent. Gail. We’re going to take a break. Those resources are available at gail perry dot com, and you’ll also find a link to those resources, which are which are excellent. I was through them on my block it mpg devi dot com under the show today’s show post. We’re going to take a break after the rake. Of course, gail parry stays with us and hope you do, too e-giving intending to do ding e-giving, ding, ding, ding ding. You’re listening to the talking alternative network to get you thinking. Good. Cubine 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 buy-in, 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. This is tony martignetti, aptly named host of tony martignetti non-profit radio. Big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. Technology fund-raising compliance social media, small and medium non-profits have needs in all these areas. My guests are expert in all these areas and mohr. Tony martignetti non-profit radio fridays, one to two eastern on talking alternative broadcasting, you’re listening to talking on their network at www dot talking all calm now, broadcasting twenty four hours a day. Yeah, welcome back to tony martignetti non-profit radio big non-profit ideas for the other ninety five percent. My guest is gail perry, the author of fired-up fund-raising turned board passion into action that is published by wiley and available at amazon. Gail, you left with a very interesting sort of ah phrase, repeat that for us and let’s let’s think about that friend making i don’t want to see it. I said i would rather have a friend to my cause than a donor rather have a friend in a donor, and people are shocked when i say that it’s a little more about the reason is that i ask everybody, what will a friend do for you? You know, and friends to your cause will do everything in the world, including give money. And so maybe we do need to change our fund-raising into friend making, because if you make friends out of your donors and bring them much more deeply into the cause and get them really involved, then they’ll stick with you for the long run. And we have a terrible problem in fund-raising ofwhat we call donorsearch trish in, which is, of course, the fact that donors give once, and then they slip away or give twice and they don’t stick around. I mean, honey, do you know that donor attrition and i do not know them. But before you, before you cite wth, um, i do know that it’s it costs a lot more time and money to find a new donor than it does to treat well and retain an existing donor. You know, i was reading some statistic. They said it was it cost ten times more to get a new donor or a new customer for business than it does to retain one of those attrition way halling statistic is that across the board, the probability that i will make a second gift, your organization, after i made the first one, is only fifty percent at really that’s the high fifty percent, really some other studies cited even lower than that. And so i would say that non-profits are failing miserably, a customer service and donorsearch um, so therefore, maybe maybe maybe we do need to focus on our current donors and love him a lot and involving more daily rather than going out and beating our heads against the wall in the much harder work bringing, and of course, every organization is going to have their own statistic, which they certainly should be tracking their own their own donor, tricia, while they ought to be, i think, tracking their own donor attrition on dh if they find that number to be hi, that percentage to be hi. What? What can they be doing, teo? To reduce that to reduce the attrition? Got lots of things they could do you that wee hollow. How old movement in fund-raising called donor-centric fund-raising. In fact, there was just a twitter chat on that topic, and then i was following a little while ago. Um, donor-centric fund-raising means that you are thinking about your donor rather than yourself all the time. And you communicate with your donor frequently with cheerful news about the results that you’ve achieved in the world with their gift. And you do everything you can to make the donor feel passionate and connected. You invite, um, two special things. You send them special mailings. You you do not, uh, meaningful information about what you’re doing does not include a boring newsletter. Because studies show that most donors fund that non-profit newsletters. Are boring and they don’t read um and, you know, somewhere some organizations have what they call a donor appreciation of the if something signs boring, that’s fine sporting, i’d rather go to a barbecue. Some eyes have to settle, celebrate the donors, but not to a donor appreciation of. So i think non-profits need to think a lot more entrepreneurially about what donorsearch customer service really looks like and be creative with whatever the organization does in terms of programming to bring violent, bring donors so programming communications well, thank you. Statistics show that the phone call thank you probably is the most powerful to keep a donor giving in connected and i think one of the best ways well, i don’t know. Ah, great way for donors for board members to be involved. Eyes making those thank you calls. I have some clients who do that, others don’t but just a simple just called to say thank you not to ask for anything more, not even to invite you. But just to say thank you, right and healthy. Burke has been the great canadian researcher has done a study after study on the statistical results of what happens. When boardmember say thank you and in a very make a phone call to say thank you and her very first study that she’s repeated over and over with many different sides organizations here’s the first study, it’s amazing, she was working with the canadian paraplegic association, and they were doing a phone mail campaign all across canada, and the average gift of this campaign was twenty six dollars, and she did a test and had the board members make a thankyou phone call within twenty four hours after the gift was received to one out of every ten donors on that big campaign. So they they made their phone calls the boardmember had a great time. They enjoyed it. It was theory well orchestrated. Been five months later, they re solicited both groups, the group that hadn’t gotten a phone call and the groups that had gotten a phone call. And guess how much? Much more money the people who were phone called game i don’t know, did a double thirty nine percent there, nine percent more Numbers from the 10 percent so here’s proof that board members can directly impact the bottom line and fund-raising without having to ask for money, right? And that’s what we alluded to earlier it’s not it’s, not all about asking. Oh, and so that’s that’s what all of my message is all about? And i think border treats around the country and i’m very popular with boards because i give them easy ways to make a difference and fund-raising that don’t involve asking, so they like me and also try to turn the retreat into a party and they like that. Yes, well, you’re very popular with tony martignetti non-profit radio, but we got to call you before i had announced the phone number to call. Well, i’ve been a little tweet out a minute ago, you know, they’re calling like that she’s tweeting while she’s talking to me on the phone. You really? Now what about that previous guest? I had alice march, the attention factor and that’s that’s not good practice. No officer, i’m sure you did it on a break, but she did it on a break. But the number to call if you do want to talk to my guest. Gail perry is eight seven seven for eight xero for one, two zero, eight, seven, seven for eight xero for one to zero and gail is the author of fired-up fund-raising turned board passion into action. What else? Gail, besides the simple and the thing that is something that everybody would love to do besides those simple and pleasant thank you phone calls. How else can we engage board members? That is not a direct solicitation well, one of the when i was writing my book, i interviewed a lot of the bank of directors and one one person just said something so tellingly, she said, if i could just get my board members open doors, that that would make my make my life so much easier, but they are embarrassed about opening doors, and they think it’s all about money, and they won’t do it. And so let’s, let’s give some thought about how boardmember can open doors in a way that is easy for them and playful and fun and is like throwing all their friends onto the bandwagon rather than being stiff and awkward because, you know, i like i like the metaphor of a bandwagon latto boardmember that everybody they know, especially their family and close friends, needs to know that they are very excited about thiscause, and they spend a lot of time on this call and i’ll tell i’ll tell boardmember that, you know, you’re familiar with the concept, of course, of barrel marketing and the notion that ideas are viruses and they spread and so tell boardmember they need to be sneijder’s everywhere they go, they need to be sneezing on everybody, you know, to spread a contagious epidemic of happy news about the work that they’re organizations doing to make the world a different place, a better place. So that’s just asking them remember, laugh if they might back-up mr thinking they understand the concept of sneezing on everybody they know they can do that, so we have to we have to in order to help them sneeze properly. The have found out that board members don’t know what to say. If you really think about the good book, they don’t know what to say and that even boardmember have come to me and they say i wouldn’t have a chance to talk to somebody what i talk about, wait before we talk about what it is you want them to say, who is that they should be talking to? Well, sneezing on who they need every boardmember even if they say they don’t know any, quote, wealthy people, but every boardmember has relationship that can help forward their organization, it might be with a church group or a club or a foundation or corporation, or maybe they’re wealthy. And what about their co workers? Well, their coworkers too, although sometimes co workers, um, is even employee anyway, sometimes that can be a little touchy. However many businesses adopt causes for their employees to get involved in. Okay, that is part of a team building so it’s, very broad, mostly personal relationships, personal networks, and this is this is a country think about all the special network that any one person has. I mean, i’ve got my hairdresser, i’ve got my dry cleaner, you know, i’ve got my extended family, which is very large professional friend, social friends, you know, most of these people know that i’m wildly passionate about a couple of causes and that they’re always invited right now, your advice is your advice, gail, is gail dellaccio matter that’s why they went down to a party it’s a matter of getting boardmember into a different spirit about their call. Okay, but what should they be? What should they specific find a spirit of inviting people on a spirit of sneezing everywhere, talking about it and not being afraid or embarrassed about talking. And what should they be saying, gale? What specifically? Well, you know, like the women’s center last night we talked about wait, we did a little bit of messaging, we did it, we did a mingle exercise, and i asked everybody in the room to get up out of his chair and find another boardmember and just tell him why they care so on, and we did that three different times, they find three different boardmember zor four different board members and just shared a conversation that why they care. And so i think what a boardmember should talk about why think here about the organization? Because that is an impact statement it’s not specific, it usually doesn’t have programs and services and data, and it has an emotion schnoll story that comes from the heart give us an example of a statement like that. Well, i believe in the women’s center because, well, alright, i’m involved this organization on the passion about, i think. Politics for hobby and it’s a pack and you know, i’m of active democrat and also it’s all fundraisers to be active in any politically and either side, because it’s good it’s good, it helps your fund-raising and multiple levels. So i’m passionate about the democratic collison selecting women office, and i just believe that when mohr women are in the general assembly of north carolina, we have better laws for children, for victims, for the environment, and women deserve the voice and they need the voice. And so that’s my personal opinion about why i think my organisation is important and the women there people they could say, you know, i’m just so worried because she’s with these homeless women and children are the most fragile people in our society and their right in our backyard, and it breaks my heart to see him, and we really need some help and it’s an ideal way of opening a conversation about the organization that you’re so passionate about and bringing more friends to it that’s the whole objective and you know it say, boardmember don’t have to have a big speech prepared, right? They can just talk about their own. Personal opinion about what’s important, and they could do that because they’re not going to forget that they might forget the mission statement in the three million marketing messages, but they’ll remember why they care, you know, what’s another way, way, actually, before we move on to the other additional ways, i do wantto put a disclaimer in that gale’s evidence of me. I mean, advice of sneezing is contrary to the centers for disease control recommendations that your sneeze into your elbow that is not she does not want you to seize a terrible shoretz you sneeze openly broadly, and the b aerosol ing your good message throughout the subways and your community do not sneeze into your elbow. Gail, how else again? Thiss to me, i think, is the crux of our whole conversation. Ways specific ways that board members can be engaged. That is not a solicitation. How else? Right now two of my favorite ways are to host tours and host small social? Um, i think it’s just testing your temple non-profit if every single boardmember hosted on event in their homes, just introduce their friends to the cause. No soliciting just introduced him. Just think. What networks your organization would open forth for the future. Boardmember, for example, we had a new director of the carolina ballet here in north carolina and almost like a ballet. Boardmember and i had a porch party tio by introduce people to the new artistic director. And it was way had about twenty people who came and forty people invited. And you have a very big porch. Yeah, well, having a big old southern front porch. I have a lot of parties here in new york city. We have a balcony. Party would be a boardmember in the executive director squeezed onto a balcony. It’s, about fourteen inches wide deep. But that’s that’s only applies here. Wait. We have a national audience listening, right? Not just new york. We certainly do. In fact, that of a boarding party really goes over well in texas and some of the other places that work. Um, but from that porch party, the ballet got eventually a wonderful new boardmember and a major donor. And it was the first time these people had been introduced to the ballet and i the boardmember didn’t have to do anything. All i had to do was have a little party and tell everybody that needed to meet this hot new gun town, so it’s, very easy, and it was, i wasn’t very self conscious, are anything. See, the problem is that boardmember think it’s all about money, they’re not going to do it because their energies going to clam up, and they’re going to feel self conscious and awkward, and they’re going to back away it’s, not about money, it’s, about introductions, right about making friends friends, because even if people can’t give, they may have other relationships they can offer that can open doors. And if you think about the vast possible network that your organization could make use of it’s better, it’s, good to think. In a very broad picture, we have to take a break. My guest is gail perry, the author of fired-up fund-raising turned board passion into action. Take this break, please stay with us. You’re listening to the talking alternative network. 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 i really need to take better care of myself. If only i had someone to help me with my lifestyle. I feel like giving up. 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Contact them today. Admission one one media dot com. Talking. Bonem welcome back to the show. I’m joined by gail perry gale let’s, let’s spend our remaining minutes talking about let’s. Get at least just one more idea. How boardmember sze khun do something fund-raising related. That’s not a direct solicitation. Yeah, something else that i find very helpful. I call it the v i p prospect game. Always like to make everything into a game for boardmember because sounds a little bit more interesting and fun. And you’re gonna explain what the viper prospect game is, right? Okay, no jargon jail today and here’s the the issue of tax oppcoll is that board staff always asked the board over and over for names of people and everybody boardmember every boardmember starts to give ten names and boardmember won’t do it because they don’t know what’s gonna happen to these people after they name has turned it are turned in, but what i do as i tell everybody to take out a sheet of paper that they do not have to turn in and just think for a minute, see if they could make a list of up to ten people who could catapult your organization to a whole new level. Catapults and i’m not talking about messing around and on and then i’m quite i give about five minutes and our mind and that thes people could be representative corporations. They could be a state attorneys, they could be government agencies are elected officials. They could be individuals, corporations, foundations, you name it close social club um, and i try to broaden the basis for the board members to consider all the possibilities of relationships they have. They could catapult their organization. And so i give them practice, right, creating a prospect list and thinking about this without being self conscious, that they have to turn in the name. And then the step one step two is that i asked them to turn to the person next to them and just discuss one of the names on one of their lives. So what i’m doing that there is giving them practice moving from prospect identification to actually considering strategy and it’s, a low key, low pressure exercise that help support members, get them warmed up to the whole idea of thinking big, talking about specific individuals and then moving to strategy of high weekend, um uh, opened the door and cultivate a deeper relationship with this entity or this person and what i do after the exercises that i try to create a viper task force committee and of the board members to need after the retreat because we used to do this three four man need after the retreat and come up with the prospect lift and the staff is going, thank you, thank you, thank you, because the staff has been trying to get the board members to do this forever, but the way they were being approached made the board members feel uncomfortable and the board members would back away. So again, you know, master, a playful, lighthearted approach to a topic that can be very scary for people has been helpful. Yeah, we just have about two minutes left. What about board members that aren’t going to jump on board with this? They’re they’re just so let’s call them just difficult board members, they’re not coming on board with these with these ideas. How do we manage those? Well, you know, i started managing my expectations. Um, i think in any board, you’re gonna have a handful of people who are dead weight. And if you beat yourself up about trying to get these people at that you’ll kill yourself. I just try to try to keep him quiet on and hope they don’t cause any disruption, and then i’ll pull out my term limits to make sure that we can rotate them off the board. Yes, written term limits, which also need to be enforced. Absolutely latto don’t. Okay, what if eso you you’re really so your advice is just bide your time until the term limit ends, and it could be in the beginning of the term? Well, you know, i think i have a friend who was is in the second director, he when he had boardmember who weren’t showing up for doing what they needed to do, he would go meet with him and he would say, you know, is there another way you would like to be involved with our organization are survive caused? Because since you can’t quite do the boardmember job well, and i would say that, and he said they were relieved because they were feeling guilty. Yes, they felt guilty and didn’t want to let the organization down. And also, i think pierre pressure is a huge motivational factor, because nobody wants to look embarrassed in front of their peers. Everybody wants to do come to that board meeting prepared and having done their list that they said they would do so i find your passion, sir. Very, very helpful. And so you have to board meetings, have to praise the people who are performing, and you have to honor and recognize them. And i think i think it’s all about motivation and team building. Yeah, we have to leave it there. I’m sorry. Our time is up. My guest has been gail perry, consultant as president of gale perry associates and author of fired-up fund-raising published by widely available on amazon piela one. Thank you very much for being on the show. Thank you. Yeah. Remind people that my web site is gail perry dot com and their lots of articles on resource is there that you can? All right. Thank you very much. Ok. Bye, gail. Next week. Bountiful bequests. Why you should start your planned giving program with bequests and how to do it. My guest will be susan dame green and also next week. Thrift shops, ops. Should your non-profit have a thrift? Shop as a source of revenue. What are the implications of doing that, and how do you get started? I’ll be joined by shevawn weber, who has a lot of experience working in thrift shops and managing them. You can get our insider alerts aboutthe show and see where my live appearances are on our facebook page. That’s ah, tony martignetti non-profit radio on facebook. Dot com, the creative producer of tony martignetti non-profit radio is claire meyerhoff, the owner of talking alternative broadcasting, his sam liebowitz. Today, we have a guest line producer. I’m grateful for his help. Freddie fuko social media is by regina walton of organic social media. This is tony martignetti non-profit radio. Join us next friday, one p m eastern here at talking alternative dot com. Hyre oppcoll