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HBH client, Opportunity Manor gets new digs!

Congratulations to CEO Regan Stommes, Executive Assistant Natalie Ethan and the OMI board, staff and volunteers on the move to your brand new facility!

Opportunity Manor, Inc. (OMI) helps people in Central Minnesota to live independent lives through a number of excellent programs including: residential housing, memory loss day program, behavioral consulting and activities and recreation for people facing challenges and most recently, an MS program. They’ve existed since 1980 with a focus on assuring the full participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in all aspects of community life.

The new facility will allow OMI to serve an even greater number of clients and will enhance the quality of programming available.

For more information on OMI’s programming, or to volunteer, visit their website or find them on Facebook.

Again, congratulations on the big move. The new space is beautiful!

~Katrina & Bob

Top 10 Tips for a Dazzling Year-end Appeal

My husband carried in a stack of letters on Black Friday proclaiming, “Looks like that time of year. All of these organizations want our money.” As a professional fundraiser, I always enjoy opening these pieces and picking apart the components that work (or don’t) to use as examples with the nonprofit groups we assist. Of course, I always take more time with and have a greater interest in these pieces than he does, so I make a point to ask for his opinion, too.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Tips for a truly dazzling year-end appeal letter:

• Keep it short (you are not the only organization landing in my mailbox this season).
• Illustrate your impact by highlighting ONE person, ONE family, ONE tree, etc. Sophisticated politicians do this during campaign season all of the time. What’s more compelling, a story from the perspective of 4-year-old Max who sleeps in a different church with his mother every night or, the old, “we provide a home for 45 children every night?”
• Personalize, personalize, personalize! You MUST use a donor’s first name and sign (in pen, not printer ink) your name whenever possible. Write a personal note to add another layer of personalization.
• Segment your lists. If a donor has given before, you’d better be sure to address that in your letter. It is not a one-size-fits-all deal.
• Use bullet points. And photos. I doubt you’d be reading this post if it wasn’t written in bullets.
• Don’t focus on your needs…”We need your help..blah blah blah.” Remember, you allow donors to give to people or places they care about.
• Don’t include too many numbers, statistics, etc. Direct them to your website for that info.
• Invite donors to get involved in other ways so they know you care about what’s inside their hearts, not just their money clip.
• Always end with a specific call-to-action. “Make a gift using the enclosed envelope.”
• Finally, plan out how you will integrate the same messaging into all of your end-of-year communications (social media, e-marketing, website). Consider a video for your website and Facebook page that builds upon the story from your appeal letter.

Best of luck in meeting your annual fundraising goals this holiday season! Stay tuned for another blog post on tips for fundraising follow-up. Hint: without it, you likely will not meet your annual goals this year.

Cheers!

~Katrina

Emergency Program Dedicates New Home with a Call to Action

It was a day that had been long awaited.  As the Star Spangled Banner played softly from the St. Louis Park High School athletic field down the block, prayers were offered by Rabbi Kravitz and Reverend Allick.  Campaign Co-Chairs Elissa Heilicher and Camille Schroeder were thanked for leading the Capital Campaign Steering Committee, and presented with an original poem by Julie, a long time STEP social worker, who fought back tears as she read it.  The ribbon covering the entrance was cut by the three lead donors and board chair, who spoke passionately about the gratitude the St. Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP) felt to its community and the daunting 3-year process of raising $1.2 million dollars for an emergency service program.

STEP dedicated its permanent home at 6812 W. Lake Street in St. Louis Park on September 27, honoring the more than 700 donors to date who have made the project a reality.  But this was not a standard ending celebration.  The STEPing Forward campaign is not quite done.  Instead of being a celebration of the end result, it was a celebration of how much more STEP has been able to help its neighbors in need because of its move to its first permanent home after 35 years of nomadic existence.  It was an affirmation of its donors and hard-working volunteers, and a call to action to remind the community of STEP’s increasing requests for service and need for regular, ongoing support through financial and food gifts.

All donors to the capital campaign are honored in STEP’s new building.  Local mosaic artist Stacia Goodman designed the welcome sign and all commemorative signage with an eye to STEP’s mission and the individual personalities of the donors.

For more information about STEP, visit its website at www.STEPslp.org, or its Facebook page.

Give to the Max Day Video Featuring MN Celebrities

Check out this video just released by GiveMN featuring our state’s own celebrities promoting Give to the Max Day. We are looking forward to seeing hopefully record-breaking results of tomorrow’s 24 hours of giving.

I’ve got my own list of nonprofits to support. And they’ve caught my attention either via Facebook or through a personal e-mail.

Nonprofits: what creative ways are you promoting Give to the Max Day?

Donors: who will you be supporting and why?

Best of luck to all on what seems to have become a Minnesota holiday!

~Katrina