BigFundraising

Summer's a Great Time for a Carnival

Suzanne Falter-Barns's blog over at Get Known Now has a great entry about blog carnivals. "What's a blog carnival?" you may ask. It's basically a collection of posts about a single topic, hosted in one place. Visit The Blog Carnival Index for a listing of over 4700 blog carnivals. Sounds like a really cool way to increase the visibility of your blog, your brand or your organization.

Here's a link to the only non-profit-related blog carnival I was able to find.
br> Perhaps we should start a carnival of our own?

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Technorati Tags: blog carnival, Blog Carnival Index, increase your visibility

Plan to Learn

Well, it's the middle of the summer, and I'm sure you're not thinking about your year-end planning. Or, are you?

Most organizations will close out their fiscal year on December 31. Which means they'll need a new plan ready to go on January 1--just 5 short months away! One of the items you should not neglect in your plan is ongoing training--for your self, other staff members, volunteers and board members.

Not sure what kind of training your team needs? Check out the workshops and seminars offered through BigFundraising.org. You can also contact your local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as well as organizations like Compasspoint and Boardsource, for other ideas.

Make sure your team starts the new year right--prepare them now with the proper training!

Technorati Tags: board training, professional development, Compasspoint, BoardSource

Is Philanthropy Becoming Cool?

Unless you live under a rock, you know that Warren Buffett made a huge ($31B huge!) to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation a couple of weeks ago. And the mainstream media was all over it. Morning news programs, evening news programs, even a three-day extravaganza on Charlie Rose. Does the level of coverage mean that the general public is finally ready to embrace philanthropy? Can philanthropy ever become "mainstream"?

I highly recommend viewing the Charlie Rose shows, particularly the one where he sits down with Mr. Gates and Mr. Buffett to talk about their friendship, and what attracted Mr. Buffett to Mr. Gates' foundation. It's a very valuable insight into the issues that all major donors deal with. First they buy into the mission, then you must prove that you (and your organization) will be an effective steward of their gift. Being professional and businesslike were key for Mr. Buffett--and they are for many of your major donors too.

I'd love to hear what you think about philanthropy becoming cool. Email me or leave a comment here. Check out Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in a conversation about the power of philanthropy.

Imitation Doesn't Flatter

We're at the end of my top 5 tips to make your event a success. Previously, we've talked about knowing what you want, getting the scoop on your attendees, being realistic and thanking those involved. Here's my last bit of advice:

Tip #5:  Don't Be a Copycat
It's very easy to try to copy or imitate another organization's successful event. This rarely works. I have worked in communities where one successful celebrity auction has led to a rash of imitators the next year. And a bunch of nonprofits wondering why they didn't raise as much as the original.

Any event is a representation of your organization. Your event should convey what's unique about your nonprofit and its work, in addition to accomplishing your fundraising or friendraising goals. By copying another organization's event, you run the risk of muddying your own message and confusing attendees.

If you think you'd like to try a celebrity auction because others have been successful at it, think long and hard about how to make your auction special and unique. Being original will lead to much more success than simply being a copycat.

I hope you've found these tips worthwhile. And I hope that, if you have tips of your own to share, you'll either leave a comment here, or email me with permission to post it.

Technorati Tags: creating unique events, nonprofit fundraising, celebrity auctions

Be Thankful for Your Successful Event

Almost through my top 5 tips to make your event a success. So far, we've talked about knowing what you want, getting the scoop on your attendees and being realistic about building a successful annual event. Now, let's talk about gratitude.

Tip #4:  Thank, Thank, Thank
Please, please make sure your organization does not fall off a cliff after your event is over. So often, there is no other communication once the last guest leaves the venue. At a very minimum, thank everyone involved with the event:

• Thank the host, if the event location/space was donated or deeply discounted.
• Thank the attendees, with a short note or a postcard (remember, you collected their contact info at the event, right?)
• Thank any and all vendors who donated or deeply discounted food, prizes, services, tents, chairs, whatever. A small ad in your local paper is great for this...some papers even have special ad rates for "thank-you's".
• Thank your volunteers. A small gift, a luncheon, or just a personal note from your ED and/or board president will go a long way to keeping this important group motivated.
• Thank your staff. I'm sure some (if not all) of them worked overtime to ensure the success of your event. A small gift, catered lunch in the office, or additional time off can help to show your appreciation.

Don't go incognito once your event is over. Show everyone involved how much you appreciated their effort to make your event successful; they'll be much more likely to participate next time!

Look for our final tip soon:  don't be a copycat.

Technorati Tags: thanking donors, motivating volunteers, appreciating staff

Key to Successful Events: Get Real

I hope you all enjoyed a terrific long weekend. Summer's now "officially" here, I guess! We're in the middle of my top 5 tips to make your event a success. In previous posts, we talked about knowing what you want, and how to get the scoop on your attendees. Today, it's all about getting real.

Tip #3:  Be Realistic
It takes a significant amount of time, or a significant number of dedicated volunteers, or a truly unique concept, to create a successful annual event. On rare occasions, first-time events can be wildly successful, but that is not generally the rule. Let me give you a couple of examples.

During the first week of August every year, Martha's Vineyard Community Services holds its Possible Dreams auction. Auction items must be experiences that bidders could not possibly have otherwise:  like lunch with Mike Wallace, a sail with Walter Cronkite, or having Carly Simon tell you who "You're So Vain" is really about. The auction began over 25 years ago, and raised about $2,000 its first year. Last year they raised nearly $750,000! It has taken that long for the event to create its reputation for truly unique items, and to ensure that celebrities attend the event to personally auction off their experiences. This is truly an example of building a successful annual event over time.

An example of building a successful annual event more quickly, using a significant number of dedicated volunteers as well as a truly unique concept, is the "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" event, to benefit the Island Affordable Housing Fund. Attendees pay $500 per ticket, to attend a cocktail party and dinner. What's so unique about that? Well, guests don't know where they're going to dinner until they show up at the cocktail party. Roughly 10-12 hosts have created unique dining/discussion experiences, and guests only find out which one they're attending when they arrive at the cocktail party. Experiences range from dinner with Larry David, creator of "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm", to a sports-themed dinner at the home of the owner of the Boston Celtics. This event has been running for less than 5 years, and already generates roughly $200,000 each year.

So think big about your annual event. But know that you'll need to commit some heavy-duty resources to making it a big event quickly.

Our next tip:  you can never be grateful enough.

Technorati Tags: successful annual events, nonprofit fundraising, volunteers

Successful Events Require Scoop

I know that many of you are working on events this season, so I'm publishing my top 5 tips to make your event a success. Previously, we discussed the importance of having clear goals for your event. Today, it's all about the scoop.

Tip #2:  Get the Scoop
Who attended your last event? Many organizations I work with cannot answer this question. How can you possibly judge the success of an event, particularly if it is a "friendraiser", if you don't even know who was there?

You simply must gather as much contact information as you can about the attendees of each event you hold. Even if it feels weird. Here are some easy ways to go about doing it:

• Hold a raffle. Everyone must fill out the raffle stub with their contact information, in order to be entered.
• Require RSVPs. Is any explanation necessary?
• Have a sign-in sheet/check-in station. This is easiest done at the entrance to the event; and no one gets in without checking in. The trick here is to make sure you have enough staff/volunteers stationed at the entrance. You don't want the check-in line to be so long that people skip around it.
• Give everyone a small gift at check-in. Attendees will wait through a line, if it means they get a present at the end!
• Post your privacy policy. Wherever/whenever you ask for contact information (at an event, on your website, etc.) you must post your privacy policy. This can be as simple as a sign or handout reading "We respect your privacy. It is our policy to never, ever sell or rent your information to any other organization."
• Respect anonymity. As you know, there are certain donors and prospects who wish to remain anonymous. Respect that, and know that it is unlikely you will ever garner contact information from every single person at an event.

Getting the scoop on the attendees at your events may require a bit more work on your part, but it will pay off in much more effective communications post-event ("thank you for attending"), as well as provide a significant boost to your database.

Next up...being realistic.

Technorati Tags: building databases, gathering contact info, know your donors

Event Season is Here! Make Sure Yours Stands Out

Summer one of the biggest event seasons of the year. Many non-profits use summertime events to generate a large portion of their revenue. If you happen to live in a winter resort community, you see the same thing happen in the wintertime in your area.

Unfortunately, it's easy for your event to get lost in a donor's mind, or to have donors and prospects experience "event fatigue". Over the next few days, I'll share with you my top 5 tips to make your summer event a success.

Tip #1:  Know What You Want
What is/are the goal(s) for your event? Do you want to raise a lot of money? Do you want to build your prospect database? Do you want to thank major donors/key volunteers? Do you want to generate media attention for your organization?

Usually, it's a combination of all of the above. However, you must prioritize your goals. What is the major reason for the event? What are the secondary reasons? For example, if your focus is fundraising, you'll need to make sure that the event provides enough value (e.g., great speaker, amazing venue, unique experience, truly outstanding auction items, etc.) to make attendees want to part with their money for your cause.

On the other hand, if your focus is more on "friendraising" (building your database), you'll want to ensure that your event will attract as many of your target audience as possible.

So, if you're planning an event this season (or any season), make sure your board, staff and key volunteers are all clear on the major goals for the event.

Tomorrow we'll talk about the importance of getting the scoop...

Technorati Tags: successful events, fundraising strategies, nonprofit fundraising

What the Heck is Teleboarding?

No, teleboarding is not the latest Olympic sport. It's refers to those board members who may not be able to participate in person, but who do so virtually (via telephone and email). It's a concept that's familiar to nonprofits in seasonal communities, where board members may only be physically present for a few months out of the year. However, it's becoming more popular as board members experience increasing demands on their time.

It can be challenging to keep board members involved and excited about your organization when they can't be there all the time. Here are a couple of ways that I've found to make "teleboarders" feel more included, and to capture their very important input.

• Require every board member to have an email account. This allows easier between-meeting discussion and collaboration among board members, and allows you to distribute meeting materials (minutes, agendas, etc.) more quickly and cost-effectively.
• Offer teleconferencing at your board meetings. Allowing board members to participate via telephone means you won't lose out on valuable input, and the board member will feel more included. There are two free services that I like to use: FreeConference.com for one-time calls, FreeAudioConferencing.com if you'd like to have the same number for all calls.

While it might seem like a bit more work to keep "teleboarders" involved, it will be well worth it in the long run.

Time to Start Your Year-end Campaign

I can hear you groaning from here. "But I just finished doing the final report on last year's year-end campaign." "What about my vacation?" "Can't I think about this in September?"

Now is exactly the right time to be thinking about your year-end campaign. And here are some of the things you should be thinking about:

• How much do I need to raise?
• What are my other goals for this campaign? Raising awareness? Adding prospects?
• How much will I have to spend on this campaign? Do I need to solicit donors of printing services?

Having the answers to these questions sooner rather than later, will help to ensure the success of your year-end fundraising efforts. For example, if you do need to solicit donations of printing services, it's best to get in early, before your preferred vendors have already used up their pro bono budget for the year!

So, answer the above questions...then head off for your vacation!