Governance as Leadership

Issue 121 - July 16, 2024

In This Issue:

• NEW BLOG: Is Your NFP a "Business"? Yup​
• Leadership, Productivity and Your Full Potential
• Getting Your Fundraising Back on Track

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You have revenue. You have expenses. You have products. You have staff and issues. But you are not a business? Oh, no, we are a service! Really? Is there a difference? Read on here.​

Leadership, Productivity and Your Full Potential

Justin Mecham writes a weekly blog for the Full Potential Zone, with “weekly secrets” to unleash your leadership, productivity, and full potential. Receive it every Monday morning.

Although he works primarily as an executive coach in the for-profit sector, much of his work is very related to the not-for-profit world as well.

Here is his recent post on values.

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Who else is interested in Governance as Leadership? Share this newsletter with others!

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Getting Your Fundraising Back on Track

​Amy Eisenstein is an advanced certified fundraising executive who works to empower your not-for-profit, and you.

One of the most frequent questions she gets from fundraisers is, “How can I raise more money?” In other words, “How can I be more effective at my job?”

Her answer typically is “Get off the treadmill of grant writing and event planning and focus on what really matters – individual donors.”

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Here are the things she recommends you focus on:

• Selecting a Donor Database

This critical tool is fundamental for your fundraising success and can make or break your efforts. Your donor database should enable you to easily track and thank your donors, as well as easily identify your best and most loyal donors. Finally, you should be able to review a donor’s history and relationship with your organization.

• Improving Stewardship Efforts

One of most important aspects of a successful fundraising program is how effectively you thank donors. Do your donors feel valued by the leaders at your organization? Do they know how past gifts were used and do they feel like they’ve made a difference in the world (with regard to your mission or cause)?

• Engaging Current Donors

When donors feel a part of something, they are more likely to lend a hand. Do your donors feel like “insiders” at your organization? Are there opportunities to get involved and volunteer? Are you meeting with donors individually, to learn about their charitable and philanthropic interests?

• Increasing Retention Rates

Tracking donor retention rates is one of the basic metrics you should be monitoring. Acquiring new donors is much more expensive and time consuming than keeping the donors you have. If you increase your retention rate by just 10% it will significantly improve your overall long-term fundraising results.

• Creating Authentic Relationships

Donors give to organizations they trust. That means they need to believe the leaders at your organization are capable of carrying out the programs, services, and ultimately achieving the mission of your organization. Relationships are created through dialogues, so you want to create opportunities to speak directly with donors.

• Planning for Planned Giving

The largest gift most donors ever make to a nonprofit is through a planned gift. The most popular type of planned gift are bequests. If you are not actively soliciting bequests, you are missing the best opportunity to grow your endowment and provide funding for the future of your organization.

• Making Giving Simple

Donors tend to give more, and more frequently, when giving is simple. How easy is it to make a gift to your organization? Have you tried to make a gift online this year? What about a monthly gift? If you haven’t made an online gift, you really don’t know how simple or complicated the process is.

• Evaluating Your Events

Take a quick inventory of your fundraising events. Once you account for staff time, how much are you really making in net (after expenses) revenue? Is it worth all the staff time? Are you draining the energy of staff, volunteers, and donors with a burdensome number of fundraising events?

• Inventorying Your Grants

How many grants are you applying for and getting each year? Are the applications simple or complex? Is the process worth the amount you are receiving in return? Could you eliminate some of the more complex, smaller grant applications and devote more time to individual donors?

Ask your questions. Join her Facebook community of fundraisers, or connect with her more directly on LinkedIn. She also has many free resources on her site. Check it out!

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How are we doing? We use your input to calibrate our resources specifically to your needs. Any suggestions? I would love to hear them! Don't be afraid to contact me or my team directly, we are happy to hear from you.

Sincerely,

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