Blueprint Fundraising

10 strategies for recession fundraising

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a great series up right now with 10 things to do now, to raise money during the downturn. You need a subscription to read the full articles but here’s their list. It is based on interviews with a variety of organizations. Some of these are back-to-basics ideas, which is what a lot of people are focusing on. Others are about being  frugal and innovative. All excellent ideas these days.

1. Don’t treat giving as a financial transaction. Tell donors how their giving is making the world a better place and don’t just focus on the perks they will receive (e.g. “you get a newsletter and four free tickets” — this is especially important for arts organizations).

2. Keep close ties to donors. Don’t make your only contact with donors be solicitations. Focus on thanking and showing impact. Find ways to let donors see the impact for themselves.

3. Offer matching grants. Ask a loyal donor or funder to provide the match.

4. Ask donors to give monthly. ‘Nuff said.

5. Look for ways to save money on fundraising. Trim special event expenses or eliminate programs that aren’t serving you well. Look for ways to move your communications online. Freeze salaries. Renegotiate with your vendors and consultants (don’t know about this one!).

6. Seek alternatives to soliciting private donations. Can you rent some of your space to another organization? Start a social enterprise? Develop a cause-marketing partnership with a corporation?

7. Collaborate to raise money. You can have greater impact and generate more attention by working with others. For example, ten grassroots organizations serving people with disabilities could put on one large event instead of each having their own. They would probably raise more, hold a better event and get more attention than doing it alone.

8. Scale back ambitious campaigns, but don’t give up on them. You may have to scale back on the goal or increase the length of your “quiet phase” where the lead gifts are solicited.

9. Avoid emergency solicitations. Asking donors to bail you out or save you from impending demise is not an appealing message — who wants to invest in an organization on the brink of collapse? Instead, tell people how the economy is hurting the people you serve and the issues you work on.

10. Shore up relations with grant makers. It is going to take some time before endowment-based funders can get back to decent levels of giving, but that doesn’t mean you should stop paying attention to them. Be on their list when giving resumes, by being in touch and continuing to show them you are making a difference.

Save the sea kittens

This campaign made me laugh! And it is doing something I’ve wondered about… How can a good cause capitalize on the online world’s unquenchable desire to view cute cat images?

PETA’s campaign is all about asking people to stop eating fish and write to the US government to ask them to protect fish. But since fish are not cute, they propose rebranding them as “sea kittens.” Maybe that will help. “Chicken of the sea” certainly worked for tuna. The site has lots of creative content to explore.

About the Campaign

People don’t seem to like fish. They’re slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads—which is weird, to say the least. Plus, the small ones nibble at your feet when you’re swimming, and the big ones—well, the big ones will bite your face off if Jaws is anything to go by.

Of course, if you look at it another way, what all this really means is that fish need to fire their PR guy—stat. Whoever was in charge of creating a positive image for fish needs to go right back to working on the Britney Spears account and leave our scaly little friends alone. You’ve done enough damage, buddy. We’ve got it from here. And we’re going to start by retiring the old name for good. When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head, it’s time for a serious image makeover. And who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?

Benefits of the Brushed Aluminum giving level

Shouts and Murmurs, my favourite section in The New Yorker has a funny piece by Bruce McCall, proposing donor giving levels for a Charity Gala Event.

As part of the Brushed Aluminum Motley, you can expect to receive: Sandwich; unlimited water-glass refills; simulated autograph of Guest of Honor on cover of official event program; preferred coat-check queue position; use of rest room (depending on key availability); partially unobstructed head-table view.

Read the rest… and Happy Friday!

A recess from excess

My fundraising colleague and blog pen-pal Lorna Visser sends this post, after having read my most recent. She makes great points about keeping things in perspective and remembering what really matters in our lives, for our causes and for the planet. — Andrea
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A different spin on the “financial markets meltdown” — a recess from excess?

As fund raisers, we are the front-line representatives of the causes we champion. We simply cannot let ourselves, personally, be dragged down with negativity. New year’s resolution: purify and redirect our thoughts in regard to all the dire economic messages spoon-fed to us by the mainstream media.

The other day the headline on the Vancouver Province was something like “Nation in Crisis.” When I flipped it open, it was just more vaguely ominous predictions that we might lose value in our pension funds or that the value of our homes might go down a bit. Gee, the last time I checked, “crisis” meant people starving to death, or being bombed into oblivion as is happening in Gaza, or, as is happening in Africa, dying of AIDS daily at a rate that exceeds the number of people who died in the World Trade Centre attack.

As fund raisers, the first thing we need to do is give our heads a shake. Consider the source of all these fear and scarcity messages: the mega-industrial conglomerates that own the mainstream media, the very ones who are rightly suffering  economic setbacks right now. But let’s take a look at this, as individuals and as fund raisers, from a different perspective.

If you choose to see the world as a fear-filled place, full of need and want and scarcity, that is all you will see. But if you think of the world as a place of abundance and sufficiency, then this so-called “economic crisis” becomes simply the readjustment of some of the dials that run the financial economy. What was going on before was grossly unsustainable, and this is a necessary correction — society moving toward some sort of sanity. People with no jobs and no money to repay their mortgages will no longer be loaned money to buy houses. Bankers will stop concocting devil’s brews based on bad loans, investment mixes so complicated that no one can understand them. Banks will no longer assume that property values will go up indefinitely.  And while we’re at it, we can all stop assuming this earth’s natural resources are limitless, that we can cut down and mine and pollute and extract indefinitely. I’m thinking of this as a “recess from excess.”

But to tell the truth, I’m not giving the whole thing a lot of my mental energy. I’m in the home stretch of raising $1.5 million for a local land acquisition, and it has been a blast. Working with The Land Conservancy and the Valhalla Foundation, we are raising money to buy a piece of unspoiled, lake-shore private land we have nicknamed “The Valhalla Mile” in order to add it to Valhalla Provincial Park. Know what? This whole campaign has been done during the so-called economic meltdown, and yet we have been overwhelmed with the generousity of individuals, of foundations, and even of the provincial government — proof that when you are truly doing the right thing and you keep the faith, you can build it and they will come! (If you want to know more, check out the campaign at www.conservancy.bc.ca/donatetovalhallamile )

Bottom line: so long as we have our health, good nourishment, a roof over our heads, work that has meaning, and souls who love us and whom we love, we are not in a crisis. Yes, you might have to tighten your belt a bit (who doesn’t need to lose some weight?) and change some budget predictions for donations this year, but we in the charitable sector have always been creative about keeping costs down and doing a huge amount with a little money.

There is abundance in our world, and the people who truly believe in your cause will stick with you. Make sure you stick with them. This is the time to focus on the quality of your donor relationships and recognize that what you do brings meaning to donor’s lives, and that is a most worthy calling.

– Lorna Visser

New year, new fundraising realities

Happy New Year!

This my first day back to work after two lovely weeks off. I’m feeling apprehensive about what’s going to happen to both charitable giving and the pressure on charities for services in the year ahead. January will be the month to assess how your holiday giving compared to previous years and think hard about how your fundraising plans should change to deal with the economic climate.

I wanted to share a few random things with you:

AFP Vancouver has asked the government of British Columbia to increase the provincial portion of the charitable tax credit. The province’s Finance Committee is recommending that the government include AFP’s recommendation in the upcoming budget. Should the government decide to include the measure in the 2009 budget, it would place BC on par with Alberta and provide a combined (federal and provincial) charitable tax credit of 50 percent at the top-end. Please take the time to send a letter or email to Finance Minister Colin Hansen in support of this change. It is the kind of policy reform that could help encourage donors to give.

Also from AFP Vancouver, registration for First Course is now open. The course dates are February 16th and 17th. Early bird prices are available until January 16th.

Over the holidays The New York Times had an article about a fundraising success story that began at the BC SPCA and has gone on to raise more than $30 million for the American SPCA in the last two years. Their most successful fundraising appeal ever is a two-minute TV ad featuring Sarah McLachlan. Simple, emotional and powerful. The ad has generated 1,000 new monthly donors for the BC SPCA. It all came about because a board member, who knew McLachlan and that she loved animals, asked if she would do it. (Thanks to Mary-Ev Anderson for pointing out the article.) Here’s the ad:

Happy holidays!

It REALLY feels like winter here in Vancouver where we have had more snow fall over the last week than I’ve seen in all the years I’ve lived here. Perfect for everyone who was dreaming of a white Christmas!

I hope you have a lovely holiday, wherever you are and however you celebrate the season. I really hope you aren’t reading this from an airport, where your flight has been canceled indefinitely and you’ve been eating Subway and Tim Hortons for three days.

This has been another year of wonderful clients for Blueprint. I would like to thank these excellent organizations for allowing us to help them with their fundraising and communications projects. I am deeply inspired and grateful for all you do for the community.

Adoptive Families Association of BC
Alliance for Arts + Culture
Amuse Consulting
Atira Women’s Resource Society
Ballet BC
BC Association for Community Living
BC Compassion Club
BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations
Birmingham & Wood
Bowen Island Municipality
Canadian Cancer Society
Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver Burnaby
Cherie Smith JCCGV Jewish Book Festival
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
City of Abbotsford
City of Vancouver YouthPolitik Conference
Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Centre of BC
DanceHouse
David Suzuki Foundation
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Environmental Youth Alliance
Lundin for Africa
Marguerite Dixon Transition Society
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House
North Shore Disability Resource Centre
Out On Screen
PLEA Community Services Society of BC
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio
St. James Community Service Society
Sunshine Coast Community Services Society
The Banff Community Foundation
The Communications Group
The Salvation Army Chilliwack
The Tyee
Vancity Community Foundation
Vancouver Art Gallery
Vancouver Community College
Vancouver International Writers Festival
Vancouver Museum
WISH Drop-In Centre Society
Yaletown House Foundation

No more snow, please… via Flickr.

New learning opportunities in 2009

Just a quick note to let you know that the next AFP First Course for Metro Vancouver is going to be held on February 16 and 17th. Early bird pricing is available until January 16th.

I’d also like to let you know about a planned giving course taught by Peter Chipman, starting in January at BCIT. Peter is an excellent teacher and very experienced gift planner. His course is open to anyone who has taken BCIT’s Essentials of Fundraising course (FUND 1215).

I’ve postponed my Fundraising Basics workshops on grantwriting and creating a fundraising plan from January to sometime in the spring. I’ll keep you posted on a date for those workshops. Let me know if you want me to email you directly when  dates have been set.

Market meltdown hits Vancouver Foundation

On Friday, the Vancouver Foundation announced that they expect a $10 million to $15 million decline in the amount they will distribute to the community in the coming year. In 2007 they distributed almost $70 million. Their funds, worth $760 million at the beginning of 2008, are now worth about $660 million because of the global economic crash.

This is going to be a huge hit to BC charities — some apply to the foundation for project funding and others have their own endowments within the Vancouver Foundation generating undesignated operating funds. You can read more about the decision in coverage by the Vancouver Courier here. And there’s more coverage by CBC here.

In Canada we are hearing a lot about how lucky we are that our economy has not been hit as hard as many others around the world. But it’s becoming clear that we can’t escape the impact. Many of our donors — institutional and individual — have experienced major loses. Everyone working in fundraising has to think seriously about how to make budget next year.

In coming posts, I’m going to give some ideas on how to work with donors and adapt your fundraising through these tumultuous times. If you have ideas to share, please do.

Fundraising Basics course registration open

For those of you in Metro Vancouver, I want to let you know that I’ll be offering a day of “Fundraising Basics” on January 14, 2009 at the downtown YWCA.

I’ve designed these two workshops for people who are new to fundraising or who have less than three years of experience — staff, board members and volunteers too. You can read all the details here. Early bird discounts are available until November 30 and you can register online for one or both. Participation in each session qualifies for 2.75 continuing education points towards your CFRE. Hope to see you there! Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

CRASH COURSE IN GRANT WRITING
Jan 14, 2009 • 9 am – noon
We’ll cover the basics of successful grant writing from start to finish. You will learn what funders want, how to identify potential donors, design fundable projects, write winning proposals and build relationships with funders. Learn from sample proposals and useful checklists to help you evaluate your own proposals.

CREATING YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN
Jan 14, 2009 • 1 – 4 pm
Learn how to create a realistic and diversified plan to raise money for your nonprofit organization. We will discuss the pros and cons of common fundraising methods and how to maximize their success. You’ll learn how to make a compelling case to donors and how to steward donor relationships. Do you feel anxiety about asking for money? You’ll learn tips and techniques for conquering this fear.

Super smart viral video

Wow. I’m impressed on a daily basis by all the new ways the the web is being used to spread the word, get people involved and raise money for the US election. Fundraising is changing so quickly! And the election is showcasing the best and latest of every possibility.

Here’s a viral video I think you’ll like — making its point in a clever way and giving viewers to tools to pass it along to friends. Put your full name in to get the complete effect.

AARP 08 Video

Enter your name to see who can bring real change to Washington. First Name: Last Name: