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

According to the Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report released by NTen, Common Knowledge and Blackbaud, Facebook is the most popular platform for sparking conversations and inspiring support in the charity world. According to the report, 89% of nonprofits are using Facebook.

So, that’s great that 89% of nonprofits are using Facebook. But how many of them are using it effectively? While spending more time on Facebook than I care to admit, I’ve uncovered a number of unsettling trends that can seriously stunt a nonprofit’s social reach.

Among the top include:

• Posting information completely unrelated to your charity or the world that you work in. If you are an animal rights organization, don’t share the latest story on CNN World News. Use your page to tell stories and invite conversations about the work you do.
• Posting more than one or two status updates per day. If you show up too often in a user’s news feed, they simply have to click the “hide” button to ignore you. Don’t risk it by posting too often.
• Posting too infrequently. Aim for posting interesting, relevant content at least once per week.
• Starting a Facebook page as an individual that has to “approve” friend requests, rather than an organization that a user can easily “like.”

Make sure the admin you’ve assigned to manage your cause’s Facebook page has a general understanding of how the platform works. Usually the best way to do this is to research and take note of strategies that other groups are using that appear to work well. Once you have a good handle on what works, then it is time to develop a social media content calendar.

For inspiration, check out some of our world’s top charities and how they’re effectively using social media. Sure, they have big budgets but that doesn’t mean you can’t borrow an idea or two.

Also remember to strive for diversity in your postings to keep info fresh and interesting. Check out Visual Arts Minnesota’s page for an example of this. They use Facebook to thank volunteers, announce events, poll their supporters, encourage giving and showcase art among many other things.

Finally, if you’re interested in how to harness the power of social media for your organization (and frankly, why wouldn’t you be?), check out Beth Kanter’s Blog, a leading authority on social media and nonprofits.

What good ideas have you seen that you can you build upon to enhance your Facebook presence? We’d love to hear from you!

~Katrina

Key findings from the report include:

• Giving by the largest grantmakers – those that give more than $10 million annually – is estimated to remain relatively flat in 2012.

• Many foundations anticipate that assets will rise in 2012: 45 percent expect their assets to increase, while 39 percent predict they will stay the same. Most grantmakers who expect higher assets forecast increases to be less than 5 percent.

• A strong majority (70 percent) of grantmakers expects to continue with current grantmaking priorities and programs in 2012, compared with 61 percent in 2011 versus 2010, as reported in MCF’s 2011 Outlook Report.

• Twenty-three of 77 education funders surveyed predict they will increase their giving to education in 2012. Arts, culture, and humanities is the only subject area to which more grantmakers expect to decrease funding than plan to increase it.

What does this data mean for your cause? With more and more organizations looking to diversify their funding streams by seeking out grants from private donors, the grants environment remains extremely competitive in Minnesota. One grantmaker quoted in the report shared: “The demands on our grantmaking funds continue to increase…..the decisions become more and more difficult.”

Stay tuned to this blog for grant writing tips that will give your proposal the competitive edge so you can focus on what’s important: your mission.

-Katrina

Investing your time and energy into organizing your fundraising efforts will give you peace of mind at work, and while I can’t promise it will take away those nagging “right before you fall asleep panics,” it will make you more effective and hopefully quell your anxiety some while you are away from the office.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way that, if put into practice, will save you time and sanity.

• Choose a time/appointment management system and stick to it. And don’t feel pressured to use an electronic calendar. Find one that works for you. I use Entourage for Apple. My colleague Bob recently switched from his high-tech i-Phone app back to a paper pocket calendar.
• Put together two grant calendars for the year. One for grant submissions and the other for reports due. Make sure to include deadlines.
• Print, copy and file all of your organization’s supporting documents such as your IRS determination letter, by-laws, 990, board lists, etc. Print them and file them into their own folders. That way, the next time you’re putting together a grant proposal last minute, you can pull together an appendix with ease!
• Get it in writing. Put together a calendar for fundraising and communications activities for the year. While you may think you have it all in your head, you’ll quickly find out that putting it in writing will ease your tension and help others on your team get on board with your plan for the year!
• Clear off your desk every Friday so you return to a fresh, clean start on Monday morning.
• Use a visual display board, whether it is a chalkboard or cork board to write motivational statements that will keep you going throughout the week.
• Finally, when you begin feeling overwhelmed, find a way to relax. Go for a short walk. Do a breathing exercise. Use aromatherapy. Experiment with what works best. We are all more productive and accurate when we feel relaxed and in control.

Resolve to be more organized in 2012. Do it for yourself. Do it for your colleagues. Do it for your family. Just do it!

What methods of organizations work well for you at the office?

Cheers,

~Katrina

While e-mail solicitation has yet to replace mail solicitation, it is gaining ground and serves as a great reminder to donors to remember your organization in their year end giving.

Last December, we brought you “5 ways to increase online giving before the new year.” Since they are still relevant today, we thought we’d bring them back with a few added bonus tips.

Here are 5 activities you should do now to ramp up your fundraising efforts over the next 4 days.

1. Test your system. Make sure giving online to your organization is seamless and easy.
2. Send an e-mail to your donor base today reminding them why they support you and that time is running out to make a year-end gift. Make it short and sweet. Inform them of your goal. Send another e-mail on the 30th.
3. Ask your board to forward the e-mail on to their friends.
4. Update your web homepage or landing page with a specific call to action to donate. Check out Minnesota Public Radio for a good example of this.
5. Update your blog to include a story about a client you’ve served. Post the blog on your Facebook page (if your nonprofit doesn’t have one, post one to your personal page…also remember to share it with your friends).

And a few more for good measure:

• Add a video to your webpage and social media platforms even if its just a 2-minute vignette shot with your i-Phone.
• Personalize your GiveMN page. The folks at GiveMN have made it easy! Add photos, a video and a story that illustrates the impact of your work.
• Tell donors exactly where their money will be going. Either solicit for a specific project or show how a general donation will make a difference.

Finally, staff the office on December 30 and 31. Not everyone is comfortable giving online yet and may call in with a donation or transfer of stock. It is painful to imagine a ringing phone in a dark office on the biggest giving days of the year.

From all of us at HBH Consultants, cheers to you and yours for a healthy and successful 2012!

~ Katrina

As fundraisers, we know that if we don’t ask, we won’t get. Then why is it that so many nonprofit execs grumble around the water cooler about the low return on their year-end appeal rather than simply picking up the phone?

Picasso's "Three Musicians"

Donors are busy. Letters are easily tucked away into drawers or fall behind the microwave. Research suggests that following up on a mail appeal with a personal phone call can double your return. In fact, according to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, it is often the follow-up call, not the letter, that actually motivates the donor to give.

Here’s how to do it:

1) Approximately 2 weeks after your appeal is mailed, gather a handful of outgoing volunteers (depending on the size of your mail list). My experience is that one person can reach about 10-15 people per hour (including documenting the conversation).

2) Prepare a list for each volunteer caller with a page for each donor that includes: the donor’s name, how much you are asking them to give this year and a space for them to document the conversation i.e. yes, no or maybe and anything else that should be added to the donor database. And for goodness sake, make sure not to call anyone who has already made a gift!

3) Provide callers with a simple script to guide the conversation.

4) Take time before the calling commences to coach volunteers on how to conduct a call and what kind of information to collect. Work with them on voice tone and role play the various responses they will encounter. This will also ease anxiety.

5) Have fun! Order in pizza, make it a competition, do whatever it takes to ensure callers have an enjoyable time.

Now gather the troops around some eggnog and get dialing!

Cheers,

~ Katrina

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

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.

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

1. Before the visit, ask the visitors if they have special areas of interest or questions they wish to be addressed.
2. Schedule the visit at your agency’s best time of day — a time when there are programmatic things happening that you know will interest the prospective donor.
3. Be sure to inform staff and volunteers that a prospective donor will be visiting.
4. Offer a tour at the beginning of the visit.  (Make sure that the facility is clean and neat.)
5. Involve a member of your board of directors in the site visit.  Also include staff, volunteers and those you serve in the site visit, as appropriate.  Brief each in advance.
6. Review your proposal carefully in advance of the visit and share a copy with others who will have significant roles in the visit.
7. Provide updated information.
8. Tell stories to make your case.
9. Be prepared for hard questions, but remember that it’s okay to get back to the visitors with answers quickly if you need to gather information.
10. Ask a few strategic questions of your own.