My nonprofit has recently decided to follow your advice and build a base of individual donors.  (We have lost most of our foundation funding and see this as our only choice.)  We are very small, with only two staff and five board members and so we want to attract a small number of big donors ($5000+).  We are not trying to disrespect people who can only give $35 or $50, but we don’t have the staff capacity to deal with them and think it is more efficient to go after big gifts.  How can we best focus on major donors?  

~Seeking quality, not quantity

Dear Quality:

I hear your desire a lot and it reminds me of my desire to lose weight without diet and exercise. It could happen, but probably not.  You may find some donors who will start by giving $5,000 or more.  Some organizations have, mostly because they knew people in that category already.  I doubt this describes you or you wouldn’t be writing to me for free advice. People who give $35 or $50 are really not very high maintenance:  A nice, genuine thank you note and newsletter or some kind of information sent two-three times a year will keep most of them very happy.  Someone who gives $5,000 expects way more attention than a thank you and newsletter, so if you are trying to build a base of people who don’t want much from you, I would tend more to go to the lower dollar donors.  

The problem is your premise:  You are only thinking of going to individuals because you can’t raise enough money from foundations.  This is a little like someone saying “I married you because no one else would have me.”  The reality of individual donor fundraising is that you have to want to build a base of donors because you think this is the best way to fulfill your mission, you look forward to maintaining these relationships, you want to belong to the community you serve and not to funders, and you see the inherent relationships between fundraising, organizing, education, and outreach.  You see individual donors as another part of your strategy to move your organizational agenda.  If the only reason you are seeking individuals is because other doors are closed, you will not succeed.  You may attract some individuals who you will then abandon once you have foundation money again.  

Building and maintaining a broad base of individual donors is a lot of work and it isn’t worth it unless those donors also are part of your larger vision.  So start there:  What kind of organization are you building?  What incomes streams make the most sense for your organization?  You could go from foundations to earned income, for example.  Or perhaps you should become a program of another organization rather than having to raise all your own money.  You probably have many more options than you realize, but it all starts with asking the right questions.  

~Kim Klein

There are many things that we each care about that taxes and government funding makes possible – so, what do you love?

• Could it be health program or food stamps for your clients?
• Could it be a school or community center where young people can learn, feel safe and have fun?
• Perhaps a street light or public park?

As we proclaim affection and devotion at Valentines Day, let’s shout out some love to things that we’d never get to enjoy, be moved by or make it through our day with, if taxes were not there to support it.

“LOVE IT, FUND IT”

Tell us what YOU love that taxes pay for-

How?

• Post it on our Facebook page: either type it in or take a picture of yourself with that object of affection. You can even hold a sign that says, “LOVE IT, FUND IT” Download a sign here!
• Comment about it on our website: http://nonprofitstalkingtaxes.org/uncategorized/love-it-fund-it/
• Use this opportunity to start a conversation with friends and co-workers about what’s important to them, so we can make 2012 a year of more revenue

We’ll compile your posts and pics in a gallery on www.nonprofitstalkingtaxes.org throughout the month of February. Be sure to check back to see all of great things that are publicly funded! And don’t forget to talk to your friends, colleagues and political leaders about how if you love it, let’s fund it!

The Love It, Fund It campaign is powered by Nonprofits Talking Taxes, a project that educates nonprofit staff on the California Budget Crisis. Visit www.nonprofitstalkingtaxes.org to learn more and find out how you can make the common good a common conversation.

Any quick tips on maximizing donations at year-end?  We are still short of our goal and I want to use this time to best advantage. We have sent a year-end appeal, are seeing major donors as they are willing and available, and have a online appeal ready to go at the very end of the year. 

~Need  411 on Dec 2011

Dear Clever with Numbers:

You seem to have most of your bases covered, and that is great.  If you can I would add: 

1)      Calling all your “LYBUNTS”—Last Year But Unfortunately Not This Year—donors.  Retaining donors is one of the most important elements of an individual donor program and calling to remind people to make a gift again this year will increase your response significantly.

2)     Make sure your website, your written materials and your solicitation team knows to remind people over 70 ½ of the “IRA Rollover Provision” which allows them to withdraw money from their IRA without paying income tax if they are giving that money to charity, and still get the deduction for that (if they need it).  This is a wonderful cost saver for older people who have IRAs.

3)     Make sure you are completely up to date with holiday cards, thank you notes, and any other personal correspondence with donors, board members and volunteers.

4)     Don’t wait until year-end to ask for online donations.  Put a brief note about your year-end goal on your website and keep updating it as you get closer and closer to meeting it.  Encourage people to make donations to your organization in honor of friends and family and send those so honored a nice card.

5)     Create a wish list—post it in your office, on Facebook, on your website and anywhere else you can (if you are in a small town, put it up in the Post Office), hang it on your door….  People are clearing out at end of year and many offices are going virtual so they have furniture, computers, paper, etc. 

Good luck!

~Kim Klein

My organization is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2012 and is thinking about forming an honorary committee of big donors/high profile figures to help support the year’s fundraising efforts.  Aside from listing committee names on letterhead for fundraising appeals and on event invitations, are there other things honorary committee members can do for your organization?  Will I need to create a committee description for potential members?

~What’s in a title? 

Dear What’s? 

Congratulations on your 10^th Anniversary!  That means your organization has spent more than a third of its life surviving in this recession and you should be proud of that.  The great thing about an “Honorary Committee” is that it has whatever meaning you want it to have.  I think the minimum you want from committee members is their own gift, plus permission to use their names on publicity materials.  In addition, it would be normal to expect them to be at the event, and even for one or more of them to speak.  Often, honorary committee members are asked to assemble a table of friends and colleagues and to help raise money.  Some agree to this and some don’t, and of course some of those who agree follow through and some don’t.  But basically you can create whatever job description you want, knowing that the more tasks you ask them to perform, the fewer will agree to serve on the committee.  For this reason, most organizations have an “Honorary Committee” made up of well known people who loan their name and make their own gift, then a “Host Committee” of people who may also be well known, but who do a lot more work.  I suggest looking at the invitations of some of the very largest organizations in your community for more ideas, and if you belong to the Association of Fundraising Professionals or other network of development and special event people, to ask them what works best.  

And, to you and all our readers:  please have a happy holiday.  Get some rest.  Do something fun with people you love. 

~Kim Klein

I attended my first workshop on disability justice facilitated by Mia Mingus and Stacey Milbern, two Korean queer women with disabilities, at the United States Social Forum in 2010. Sitting in a room with others wanting to talk about disability and ableism within a social justice framework was like coming home for me. During the presentation and dialogue, things that I had often wondered about started to make sense. Why are there so few people of color with disabilities and LGBTQI people with disabilities visible as activists in social justice movements? Why is there such a pattern of burnout in activist communities? What issues are we not discussing in social justice spaces that prevent us from supporting each other and encouraging ourselves and each other to practice self-care?  

Disability justice proposes nuanced additions to a social justice framework. I hope our movements will become more inclusive of people with disabilities and we will learn to support each other as if the success of our movements depends on it, which I think it does. I believe this will make our organizing stronger, more effective and more sustainable.

If a funder does not require us to hire an outside evaluator to evaluate the program they funded, is there any reason to do so?  We do our own internal examination and I’d like to save the money but our main goal is to provide the best program we can.

Survey.  Survey not. Survey….

Dear Survey:

You articulate a dilemma faced by many organizations, which is basically “what is the added value of an outside evaluator, particularly for organizations that do internal evaluation and are genuinely always seeking to improve their programs?”  To answer this question I asked a professional evaluator, Juliah Lindsey, to weigh in.  This is what she said:

“I am glad you are not just thinking that the reason to do evaluation is to make funders happy.   An outside evaluator can help ensure that you are making the maximum impact and can help your organization fine tune the services you provide to clients, use resources wisely and plan for the future. Many people don’t realize that an outside person will often discover many good things you are doing which you do so automatically you don’t realize they are part of your effectiveness. 

Also, an outside evaluation can be used in a grant report and with individual donors as a way of demonstrating due diligence and not having to toot your own horn.  Outside evaluators can also act as a coach or personal trainer who keeps you focused on meeting the goals that you set for yourself by identifying ongoing barriers and strategies to help you move forward.  Reflecting on successes and areas of improvement this year is an important planning tool that will help you do even more next year. 

Finally, an outside person will often have a more clear sense than could be expected of anyone in your organization of what data is most useful to you, how to access the data and how to interpret it.”

I would add to Juliah’s comment that donors and funders will often have a higher regard for an organization that is willing to be evaluated by an outsider at their own expense.  You show that you have nothing to hide, that you have confidence in the quality of your work, but also that you want to do the very best work you can to fulfill your mission.  I generally find that good evaluators more than pay for themselves. 

For additional information on evaluation for small and grassroots organizations, have a look at Marcia Festen and Marianne Philbin’s book, Level Best, (Jossey Bass Publishers).