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Here is a quotation from Sam Keen, which I hope you will heed: “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
They’ve approved the course for their continuing education points. Full participation in the Intensive will earn 8.25 points in “Category 1.B – Education” of the CFRE International application for initial certification or recertification.
I can’t say that any of the information was especially surprising (this is an advertising piece after all) but there were some interesting stories. The thing I found myself doing most was looking at the ads from various nonprofits. Looking at ads side-by-side really helps you to see what works and what doesn’t. You be the judge, but my faves (they intrigued me enough to go to their websites) were from Bridgepoint Health and Alberta’s Promise. Apparently big, simple and kind of obscure works for me.
Go St. Elizabeth’s and Team 3 — the saints!
When I teach or take workshops, I usually wish there was some sort of follow up so that people could be supported in applying the new ideas in their work. This program is going to combine workshop-style sessions, hands-on participation and individualized coaching (and no actual butts will be kicked). By the end of the Intensive, my goal is that participants will truly be ready to launch a major gifts campaign. I’m limiting it to 12 participants so that everyone gets a lot of individual time and attention.
Here are the details. To find out more or to register, please contact me at andrea@blueprintfundraising.com or 604-682-6582.
Session 1: Planning Your Major Gifts Campaign
September 16, 2008 / 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Session 2: Creating Your Case for Support & Building Relationships
October 7, 2008 / 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Session 3: Asking For Money & Working With Volunteers
October 28, 2008 / 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Coaching
Each participant will receive two hours of individual coaching by phone or email outside the sessions.
Location
Workshops will take place at Suite 400 - 21 Water Street, Vancouver. Refreshments and yummy snacks will be provided.
Cost
$685 plus GST per person if you register by July 31
$775 plus GST per person after July 31
Registration closes August 28
Discount of $40 per person for more than one from the same organization
Space is limited to 12 participants and you must register in advance
You can register online through AFP Vancouver.
FIRST COURSE: A Course for Volunteers, New Fund Raisers, & Allied Professionals
Thursday, June 26 & Friday, June 27
Simon Fraser University, Surrey Campus
This is a two day workshop taught by experienced fundraisers that will provide an overview of fundraising techniques. The workshop is limited to 40 participants to facilitate group discussion and participation. Participants will receive a 450 page participant manual – a valuable reference on fund raising functions.
Early bird fee (until June 13th): $325 AFP Members / $375 non-members
After June 13th: $375 AFP Members / $425 non-members
Ratio of fundraising cost/fundraising revenue in fiscal period
Rarely acceptable: more than 70% (charity nets less than 30%)
Generally not acceptable: 50% to 70% (charity nets 30% to 50%)
Potentially not acceptable: 35.1% to 49.9% (charity nets 50.1% to 64.9%)
Generally acceptable: 20% to 35% (charity nets 65% to 80%)
Acceptable: less than 20% (charity nets more than 80%)
What do you think about these ratios? Is your organization operating in the “acceptable” range today? To figure that out you’ll have to read the guidelines because it isn’t a straightforward calculation. For example, fundraising from government and foundations should not be part of your calculation. And you should include non-receiptable donations.
I took part in a national conference call with CRA representatives yesterday (organized by AFP and Imagine Canada — thank you!). CRA seems to be aware of the many many legitimate reasons an organization might have an “unacceptable” ratio. For example, investing in a bequest program where all the expenses are incurred today but the gifts won’t be received until far into the future. They also acknowledged that start-up organizations or causes with limited appeal or low profile may have to spend more to raise money.
I encourage you to look at the guidelines and give your comments. I’m going to. Some of the conference call participants had great ideas. For example, should this be a rolling average based on several years rather than just one, to accommodate for extraordinarily good or bad years?
Although this evaluation grid is simplistic, I’m happy that someone is attempting to address the very real concerns that donors have about unreasonable fundraising expenses.
Here are a couple of recent articles about the guidelines:
Lessons in charity
Watchdog sets charity rules
New charity rules a good first step
The Little Give will see $10,000 in cash, and a whole lot of time and energy, distributed to four worthy nonprofit organizations working to make a difference in the lives of children and youth.
Here’s how it will work: over a 48-hour period starting at 9 am on June 20, 2008, Karyo Edelman staff will be randomly divided into one of four teams, and tasked with creating something great for its nonprofit partner. The winner will be the team that makes the biggest impact – measured by things like leveraging Karyo Edelman’s cash contribution, bringing attention to what the nonprofit is trying to do, and making a difference in kids’ lives. One of the four nonprofits may emerge as Karyo Edelman’s ongoing CSR partner and become a pro bono client for the agency.
Visit www.thelittlegive.ca to nominate a Vancouver-based nonprofit organization (you can nominate your own organization).
To be eligible, you must be:
- A registered nonprofit organization;
- Based in Vancouver;
- Making a difference in the lives of children and youth (under 24 years old);
- Secular; and
- Available to work with a Karyo Edelman team on Friday, June 20.
Conducting a major gifts campaign: A step-by-step guide
April 8 , 2008 • 9 am to 12 pm
The Alliance for Arts and Culture, Suite 100- 938 Howe Street
This workshop will guide you, step-by-step, through the planning and implementation of a major donor campaign. You will learn how to make a case for your financial need, create a gift chart, recruit a campaign team, identify prospects, develop effective solicitation tools and make “the ask. Real life case studies and examples will inspire you to create a major gifts campaign for your organization.
This workshop will be suitable for development staff, executive directors, artistic directors, board members and volunteers with at least a year fundraising experience and whose organizations already have a base of individual donors giving on an annual basis.
Workshop cost: $75 (+GST) for Alliance members and $100 (+GST) for non-members. Pre-registration and payment is required.
Please phone 604-681-3535 or email info@allianceforarts.com to register.
The event will feature a presentation on “Mobilizing Your Evangelizers” by GiveMeaning.com’s Tom Williams. Many fundraising professionals are experimenting with how to integrate online communities into traditional fundraising strategies — this is such an important topic for anyone working in fundraising today.
Vancouver’s first Net Tuesday event is this Tuesday, Feb. 5th! Every month, SOCIAL CHANGE MAKERS and WEB INNOVATORS come together at NetTuesday events to mix, swap stories, build new relationships, and collaborate on new ideas. Whether you’re working in the nonprofit/social change sector or Vancouver ’s technology hub – you’re invited to join us for great conversations, networking, and community building!
Our kick-off event will feature a presentation by Tom Williams of GiveMeaning.com – entitled “Mobilizing Your Evangelizers” - an overview of how nonprofits and social change groups can use the social web to engage members, reach out to new supporters, and explore new ways to fund raise. Followed by a presentation by Peter Endisch of the Wildlife and Environmental Activist Network, sharing his recent and unique experiences with social media and online tools. Plus a demo by the great folks behind LiveVote.ca and a conversation about how this Vancouver based startup can be used by the social change community.
This event is FREE and starts at 5:30, with presentations from 6-7pm. (approximately)
When: Tues February 5, 2008 @ 5:30-7:30 pm
Where: WorkSpace - Suite 400, 21 Water Street Vancouver
Contact: Joe Solomon @ 604-736-8512
You can find all the details at the Centre for Sustainability.
Fundraising fundamentals:
Going beyond government grants
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
10 am to 1 pm
The Alliance for Arts and Culture
Suite 100- 938 Howe Street Vancouver BC
Workshop cost: $75 (+ GST) for Alliance members and $100 (+ GST) for non-members. Pre-registration and payment is required. Please phone 604-681-3535 or email info@allianceforarts.com to register. See you there!
The Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison seems to have tapped into that sentiment, with great success. They recently announced a commitment of $85 million from a group of 13 alumni who want to keep a name OFF the business school for the next 20 years. They call themselves the Wisconsin Naming Partnership. You can watch a video of the no-naming ceremony. The unusual gift is getting lots of coverage.
From the announcement:
The Wisconsin naming gift is the first of its kind received by a U.S. business school. Conventional business school naming gifts adopt the name of a single donor in perpetuity. By preserving the Wisconsin name for 20 years, this gift leaves open the option of future naming gifts.
UW-Madison Chancellor John D. Wiley calls the gift “a creative act of philanthropy and a major milestone for our university.”
“These partners have stepped forward to ensure that their deep pride in this school, this university and this state is passed along to the next generation of business students,” Wiley adds.
Before you think that this is all about altruism and high ideals… members of the naming partnership are going to provide advice to the business school on issue of naming rights in the future. From a CityNews interview:
Micheal Knetter, Dean of the School, has noticed that the price of naming rights has been skyrocketing in recent years. He suspects that by 2027, when the agreement is up, he could reap a major fortune by offering up the rights to the school’s name again, a figure he estimates could be worth an astounding $300 million or more by then.
Canadian taxfilers reported making charitable donations totaling $8.5 billion in 2006, up 8.3% from 2005. But sadly the number of donors decreased 1.4% to 5.8 million. For the fourth year in a row, donors in Abbotsford had by far the highest median donation of any metropolitan area at $620. For a little bit of speculation on why the number of donors is decreasing, check out this article from the Globe and Mail.
There is a great advantage for donors to give this way and it is well worth promoting the option to your prospective supporters. Since legislation changed in 2006, donors do not have to pay capital gains tax on publicly traded stocks when they donate them to charitable organizations. The donor saves more by giving stocks than they would by selling the stocks and donating the proceeds.
Here’s a little illustration on how much a donor could save by giving stocks instead of selling the stocks and giving cash. 
(Disclaimer: the details will depend upon the donor’s specific situation. This is just an example. Graphic from CanadaHelps.)
Vital Signs is the second annual survey of how well the region is doing in many areas of importance to nonprofit organizations — housing, health, arts and culture, environment, transportation, work, education, the gap between rich and poor… In addition to being required reading for understanding community issues, you are very likely to find statistics and information to use in your communications and fundraising campaigns.
In the midst of looking at Vital Signs, I noticed that the Vancouver Foundation has a brand new website — looks great and includes video, grantee profiles and a new logo. Very nice!
For arts and heritage organizations, the deadline for ArtsPOD’s fall grant cycle is September 21st, 2007.
For community service organizations, the deadline for Social ServicesPOD’s fall grant cycle is October 26th, 2007.