Blueprint Fundraising

Here’s a beautifully executed website, Light to Unite, that raises awareness and money in honour of World AIDS Day (December 1). If you light a candle for AIDS/HIV, Bristol-Myers Squibb will donate $1 to the National AIDS Fund. One of the nicest parts of the site is how each candle represents a short story that someone has submitted.

I was disappointed to read the fine print… the maximum donation BMS will make is $100,000. When I went to light a candle there were already 213,000 others lit and it isn’t even December 1 yet! It looks a little uncharitable to spend so much on a great viral campaign and then cap the donations at a fairly low amount.

Just in the time that I was visiting the site, another 1,000 candles were lit. If they missed the fine print, those people probably thought they were actually doing something for the National AIDS Fund (and not just reading BMS advertising).

It’s gonna cost more than a million…

“Do you really want to know why I’m doing all this goodwill, and why I’m an ambassador for Habitat for Humanity and why I gave a million to (Hurricane) Katrina?

“It’s because I feel guilty about the huge hole in the ozone layer my haircuts created. It’s my responsibility to right the wrongs of the ’80s.”

- Jon Bon Jovi

Here’s a story in honour of Remembrance Day, via Trent Stamp’s Take.

This scammer has spent the last 25 years cultivating a phone list and stealing money from thousands of people through telephone fundraising, claiming to be from various veteran’s organizations.

I agree with Trent and Charity Navigator. I don’t think anyone should make donations on the phone and charities shouldn’t fundraise by phone either. Telephone fundraising is a big reason that people hate the fundraising business.

This is why people give me funny looks when I introduce myself as a fundraiser at dinner parties. Isn’t it?

Over the last two weeks I’ve facilitated a few workshops where I mentioned various current events and then couldn’t remember the names of donors, institutions, and research studies to properly attribute what I was saying. Brain freeze!

So, for anyone reading who attended the Volunteer Vancouver fundraising planning workshop or either of the BCIT “Essentials of Fundraising” classes, here’s some of what I couldn’t remember as I rambled on…

• I mentioned research showing that people find it easier to give money that to give time (for volunteering, coming to events etc.). The research was conducted by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. You can read about that here.
• We talked about the ethical considerations of donors not fulfilling their pledges. The biggest story of late is that of Larry Ellison of Oracle, who pledged $115M to Harvard for a new medical institution, made it to #3 on the Forbes list of America’s biggest philanthropists, and now seems to have no intention of making good.
• We also talked about charities suing donors or their estates for unpaid pledges. You can read AFP’s take on this thorny predicament.
• The breakdown of revenue was from Cornerstones of Community: Highlights from the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations (2003). Check out page 27, where you will see that 49% of revenue for Canadian nonprofits comes from government sources.