Blueprint Fundraising

Tip of the Week: Handy tax credit calculator

My last Tip of the Week pointed you to the United Way of the Lower Mainland’s website and we’re going there again… You can use their tax credit calculator to quickly determine the real cost of a charitable donation. It works for donations made by BC residents to registered charities (tax credits vary slightly in each province). Research always shows that tax credits/tax receipts are not top motivators for giving, but nonetheless it is important for fundraisers to understand the tax implications of gifts.

Boo for the Red Cross

In a dark corner of my fundraising heart, I’m miffed at the Red Cross these days. You might think it is jealously at the relative ease of disaster relief fundraising of late… but you would be wrong!! (Although I am a little jealous about that.)

The reason is a rotten series of print, radio and television PSAs called “Blood Saves.� View the campaign here. The tagline is "Saving the World Isn’t Easy. Saving a Life Is.�

Each ad picks on a different cause: saving the environment, ending homelessness, or stopping child labour. A young person tells the story of trying to do something to change the world. Although they try their best, the world is such a huge mess that their efforts are totally futile. The ads are so depressing!! I’m sure they will recruit lots of new blood donors, but shame on the Red Cross for discouraging people from taking on the big issues that really need their attention and passion. Grrrr!

Nonprofit balancing act

Charity Village has a cover story this week on the “Nonprofit Balancing Act: How to project the right image and fulfil donor expectations.”

Communicating effectively without being (or appearing) wasteful is a concern for many of the nonprofits I work with. Check out the article for a few ideas on how some groups are doing it well.

Update on We, the two-headed albino snake

Newsflash! Auctioning a two-headed snake on the internet is not a good fundraising strategy. There were no bidders. At all. The Aquarium is now looking at a private sale.

Upcoming workshop on creating a fundraising plan

I’m going to be leading a workshop for Volunteer Vancouver on February 8. It’s called How to Create a Fund Development Plan — Your Path to Sustainable Success. If you are interested in taking part, please register here. Hope to see you there!

Here’s the skinny:

This practical session will give you the tools and skills to write a fund development plan for your not-for-profit organization. Learn how to choose strategies that suit your organization, set goals, and create a budget. You will also learn how to detail the steps to success, evaluate progress, integrate fund development into your program work, and engage volunteers from start to finish. This session will be ideal for small- to medium-sized organizations that have at least one staff person to work on implementing the plan. To benefit from the hands-on exercises in the workshop, participants will need to be familiar with their organization’s budget and current fund development activities.

Date: Feb 8, 2006
Time: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Lunch will be provided.
Location: Sport BC (on Broadway at Hemlock in Vancouver)
Fees: $175.00 (Non-Members)  $130.00 (Members)
Early Bird Registration before Jan 27, 2006: $165.00 (Non-Members)  $120.00 (Members)

We start the year… strangely

Sometimes it seems that there is nothing new in fundraising. Then along comes We. This two-headed snake is being auctioned as a fundraiser for the World Aquarium in St. Louis, Missouri. The aquarium purchased her for $15,000 and is hoping to raise $150,000 in an online auction. So far, no bids. I’ll keep you posted. Auction closes on January 10.