The 12 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

Thank your smallest donors – Yes, your SMALLEST DONORS!

Many nonprofits do a great job of picking up the phone and calling people to thank them for their $1,000 or $500 donation.  Some small nonprofits may even call donors who mail in a check for $250.  Thanking “major donors” in a special way is kind of obvious don’t you think?

But what would be really different is to pick up the phone and call your 25 smallest donors, those people who sent in a $10 or $25 or $50 check.  Just think about it.  Imagine the last time you sent in a check for $25.  Hopefully, you received a thank you letter at some point, although probably not within 48 hours.  When you got the thank you letter, you probably smiled and felt appreciated.

Imagine, though getting a phone call from the president of the board thanking you for your generous $25 donation and sharing a success story about how it contributed to the life of a child!

Why should you consider thanking your smallest donors like they are major donors? 

Well, because for those donors, $25 might be a major donation, and they want to feel as appreciated and valued as a $5,000 donor.  

You also just never know what might happen because of the good will you built with that small donor. 

Let us know if you if you tried this and how YOU felt, how the small DONOR felt and what happened next.

Wishing for a Peaceful New Year!

Deb

Upcoming Seminars: Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

Almost everyone now in the non-profit and education fields focus on raising money.  It makes sense.   For years, most of us depended on government grants or funds.  But now we have come to a point where this mindset is just not sustainable anymore.  Government funds to organizations and education are being cut, despite the fact that money is needed to fund all the great work our schools and non-profits are doing.  We are at a crossroads where we can either continue to depend on funds that are dwindling or take a new direction towards long-term sustainability that begins with inspiring people to help.  At first this might seem scary or risky, but rest assured this does NOT mean asking for money or anything else for that matter.   You only need to inspire people to want to help by showing them all the great work that you do.  This is where the case statement comes in, and it is the first part of the formula for effective community engagement.   

Story + Direction + Relationship = Effective Community Engagement

The purpose of the case statement is to articulate the essence of your organization in a compelling, concise and consistent manner.  It’s the gathering place for your official story, and it’s a helpful tool for staff, board members, donors and volunteers in raising awareness of your organization.  Finally, our format is strategically designed to answer all the questions a prospective supporter would have before deciding he/she would want to learn more.  

I was wondering if any of you have taken a stab at developing your own professional case statement.  I’d love to see what you came up with.  If you’re stuck, don’t feel bad, because it took me six months to develop the alinea case statement, and it takes us a full 10 hours to develop one for our clients.  And that’s after doing about 100 of them over the past seven years.

I have also received some questions about how you go about developing “ambassadors” for your organization.  Guess what?  The answer is the same one.  It all starts with being able to inspire people to want to help.  

In this blog, I thought I’d highlight two seminars that cover both these topics.

Upcoming Seminars – Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

First, I will be facilitating a FREE workshop sponsored by PNC Bank and Reilly, Penner & Benton accounting firm on Wednesday, November 2^nd, 7:30-9am in Milwaukee (details at www.alineaconnect.com).  During this workshop, we will walk through how to develop a professional case statement.  If you’ve already started your case statement, but you need to take it to the next level, or if you haven’t started one yet, you won’t want to miss this opportunity.  If you’re not in town, join us via skype or other technology.  

Second, I will be facilitating a workshop for the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee titled “Engaging Volunteers in What You Do,” where you will learn about giving the inspiration and direction necessary to fully engage volunteers in your organization?  We’ll focus on using your story to recruit and retain more volunteers, inspire ambassadors for your organization and develop support for volunteers within your organization.   This seminar costs $40-60 and will be held on Thursday, November 10, 9-11:30am at the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee.  (details at www.alineaconnect.com).

Part III: #1 Fundraising Tool, Your Professional Case Statement

Writing Your Success Stories, Goals, How You Can Help, and Credibility Text Box

Your case statement is almost ready!  In my previous two posts, you learned how to write your Did You Know, Mission, Vision and Unique Approach Sections. Now I will show you have to complete your case statement through writing a compelling success story, articulating specific and measurable goals, how people can help your organization and what you need to include in your credibility text box located on the left hand side of your page.

Section #5 – Success Stories 

The purpose of your professional case statement is to inspire people to want to help.  Nothing inspires people more than bringing your mission to life through stories.  Your case statement should include at least one success story that illustrates the magic of your unique approach.  The formula for an effective success story is:  What was the situation or challenges before this person came to your school or organization + What happened at your school or organization + What does the future look like now and what are the person’s goals after benefiting by your organization’s mission. 

Example – SOS Center  www.soscenterinc.org

“I dropped out of school when I was in the 10^th grade.  By 16, I was pregnant and married.  I raised two children who finished school and some college.  I took care of my grandchildren so that my children could work. I’ve been a housekeeper for over 20 years.

Now I find myself at 52, divorced and no more children to care for.  One day I passed the SOS Center and saw a sign on the lawn, Free GED Classes.  I went in and signed up.  I’ve been going to the classes three days a week, for a year.  The classes are not easy; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just give up, but I keep coming back because I’m doing this for me, and I want a victory!

I’m so grateful for this lab; I have this opportunity to achieve something that I passed up a long time ago.  I’m sure everyone here feels the same way.  Thank you for your continued support of the lab.”

Darlene has since earned her GED in June 2011.  But the big news is that she scored a perfect 800 on her Reading Test where a score of 410 is all that is required to pass!

Example – Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School 

Twins, Miguel and Tito, came to Mt. Lebanon for 4^th grade barely reading at a 2^nd grade level, way behind in math and not engaged in school.  Being premature babies, tragically, their family was told not to expect high academic success.  Immersed in a culture of high expectations and nurturing support they needed from teachers, today in 8^th grade, Miquel and Tito are internally motivated to succeed, and Tito will make the honor role this quarter.  Miguel and Tito plan to attend WI Lutheran H.S.

Example – Victory Christian Academy  www.vcaschool.org

Naomi arrived at VCA in 4^th grade illiterate and with severe discipline and emotional issues.  A well mannered and respected student of her peers and teachers, as well as scoring proficient in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies (WKCE 2009), she will graduate in just a few days and attend WI Lutheran High School.  Naomi plans to study criminal justice. 

Section #6 – Achievements

I’m always surprised at how difficult it is for nonprofits and schools to identify their successes and accomplishments.  They are always focused on doing a better job, which is a good thing, but people want to support an organization that has shown it can be successful.  It doesn’t matter if you’re not as far along as you would like.  Share your successes to get people excited about what your organization is capable of.   Here are some examples of client successes.

Example – Day Care Services for Children, Inc. – www.daycareservicesforchildren.com

• Ninety percent of our children are determined to be  “ready for school” according to the Chicago Early Assessment and child developmental assessment administered five times during the school year.

• Collaborate with more than 60 partners, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists and the Milwaukee Health Department to provide immunizations, physical and dental exams and support services to 100% of our children at our sites. 

• Staff people are among the most qualified in the field. One Hundred percent of center managers and administrative staff have bachelor’s degrees; more than 70% have associate degrees, and of that 40% are working toward bachelor’s degrees; one-third have worked at DCSC for more than 15 years.

Example – Connecting Youth, Inc. 

§  Served more than 150 young men since founding in 2002.

§  99% of these men successfully achieved their program goals and were reunited with their families.

§  Tens of young men continue their relationship with our staff, reporting education and employment success and seeking guidance in overcoming challenges

§  100% of staff people have at least three years experience working with at-risk youth, are enrolled in the Youth Professional Development Program (School of Continuing Education at UW-Milwaukee) and complete 50 continuing education hours yearly.

Example – A2 Charter and Jackson Elementary Schools 

• Jackson’s Magic Tree House Reading Center Project featured on the August of 2008 cover of “Teaching Today” magazine.
• 2008 Recipient of Sheboygan County Green Scene Grant Award.
• Known for strong education programming and extensive free-of-charge after-school enrichment activities.  Only elementary school in the Sheboygan Area School District with a student-run newspaper and Yearbook Club.
• 98% parent and student satisfaction for 2007-2008 school year.

Section #7 – Goals

Remember the formula for sustainability through effective community engagement?  Story + Direction + Strategic Relationship Cultivation.  Direction means being clear about what your organization needs and how people can help.  Everyone inside your building plus your ambassadors must be able to articulate your top three priorities when it comes to recourses.  If not, you will surely miss some opportunities when someone at the next cocktail party says, “How can I help?”  Some client examples.

Example – TBEY (Tessas’ Black Entertainment & Youth Center)  www.tbey.org

 

• Provide a $3,000 annual stipend to every instructor, totaling $60,000.
• Increase our scholarship fund by $14,400 to allow 40 additional students to attend TBEY.
• Grow annual revenue to $200,000 in 2012/2013.

Example – Wauwatosa School of the Trades

• Educate the public about trades as a true profession and trades unions as community partners
• Increase enrollment by 60% by eventually adding freshman and sophomore classes
• Increase trades instructor  teaching days by 20 – $15,000
• Recruit Co-op Placement Partners to provide more opportunities to work while in school
• Transportation for students to trades training centers - $5,000
• Library renovation including trades books and journals and full library- $10,000
• Consumable materials and technology upgrades annually - $15,000
• CAD program and the training certification for teachers to teach it - $7,000

Section #8 – How You Can Help

When people finish skimming your case statement and they become inspired, they should know exactly what they can do to help.  This section should contain specific items that people can help with immediately.  Here are some client examples.

Example – Divine Savior Academy – www.divinesavioracademy.com 

• Visit!  Tour our school and witness excellent education and student success in person.
• Donate!  Help expand our science and music programs. 
• Serve!  Contribute your talents by joining our Marketing or Fund Development Committees.
• Sponsor!  Connect with our students, families, faculty and supporters by sponsoring one of our events, like Winter Festival or one of our Parent Sharing Nights.

Example – Shiocton International Leadership Academy

§  Visit!  See hands-on learning and global awareness in action.

§  Give!  Your time, money and talent can make a huge difference.

§  Volunteer!  Offer your home to a foreign exchange student. 

Example – BHK Child Development Board  www.bhkfirst.org

• AmeriCorps: Make a difference by serving in a school, child care center or community agency in the western Upper Peninsula and receive a $12,700 living allowance and a $4,725 education award for one year of service. For more information contact Chrissy Karry at (906) 482-3663.

• Volunteer: Assist in the classroom, extend school activities at home, participate in home visits, be a bus monitor, attend parent meetings or share your talents and gifts in other ways.  For more information contact Lisa Schmierer at (906) 482-3663.

• Donate: The BHK Foundation was founded in 2006 by community leaders and parents to meet the need for excellent early childhood programs and educational support in our community.  Your gift will directly support local children's services and scholarships for area students. Please send your tax deductible contribution to: BHK Foundation, 700 Park Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931.

Section #9 – Credibility Text Box 

Your case statement should include a text box on the left side of the front page, which lists the leadership, board members, major donors and supporters and contact information.  People like to see what other people they respect are supporting.  For example, if you have received a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, that fact adds credibility to your case for a lot of potential supporters.  

You are now finished!  Make sure you present this document to your organization’s board for feedback, input and agreement.  Once approved it is time to put this document in the hands of as many people as possible so that they in turn learn how to speak of your organization, just as I described in the first posting of this series. 

If you would like to see examples of some case statements, please email me at Deborah@alineaconnect.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Part II: #1 Fundraising Tool: Your Professional Case Statement

Writing Your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach

In my previous post, How to Build the 10 Sections of Your Case Statement, I discussed with you why it is so important for your story to be clearly articulated by as many people as possible in order to cultivate the relationships you need in order to attract resources.  With a compelling and concise case statement to put in the hands of as many people as possible, you will be on the path of attracting resources in places you might never even expect.  So many of my clients have been surprised by the resources they have attracted once they learned to tell their story.  If you haven’t already, check out my blog, Making Relationship Fundraising Work for your Non-Profit or School, for more inspiration!

I also discussed the keys to grabbing your reader’s attention in the beginning of your document with a “Did you know?” section that also emphasizes the need for the work your school or organization does.  Now it is time to discuss the next 3 sections of your case statement:

1. Your mission and how you achieve your mission  
2. Your vision for the future 
3. Your unique approach

Let’s get started!

Section #2 – Mission and how you achieve your mission

Your mission should be short and sweet and clearly describe why your nonprofit exists.  It is extremely important though that your mission statement never says you do more than three things. As much as we would like, people will never be able to remember more.  You should also use language that everyone can understand.  The language we use within our field could sound completely foreign to someone outside of it. 

Next, following your mission statement should be no more than three bullets that describe how you achieve your mission.  Here are some examples from our clients’ case statements to give you a better idea.

Example – Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association www.wccaa.org     

The Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association (WCCAA) collaborates with government, individuals, agencies and companies to increase access to quality early care and education for all families.  We achieve our mission in three ways:

• WCCAA influences public policy to increase standards, quality and access to early care and education for all families.
• WCCAA provides professional development on early care and education to strengthen best practices and increase quality.
• WCCAA supports its members via access to a network of center administrators.

Example – Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship  www.ceoofme.biz

The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE) empowers young people ages 9-24 to see themselves as the CEO of Me as they experience personal and professional growth through programs and coaching related to financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

We accomplish our mission through:

•  Personal and professional enrichment experiences that allow young people to see themselves in a variety of roles and build personal character traits like self-discipline, business etiquette and perseverance.
• Entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs that teach young people how to launch small businesses, manage and invest money and develop critical thinking skills.
• Individualized coaching to prepare young people for success as entrepreneurs and professionals in contemporary business settings. 

Example – BHK Child Development Board – www.bhkfirst.org

BHK Child Development Board serves children and families through innovation, collaboration and comprehensive services that set high standards of excellence.

We accomplish our mission through:

• Bay

  Child Development and Education Programs for Children that are research-based best practices taking place in a caring and nurturing environment in order to build a solid foundation for each child's success. 

• Programs for Families that transform ordinary interactions with their child into extraordinary learning experiences!

• Health and Wellness Programs that  help families, staff and health professionals overcome barriers that prevent families and children from receiving needed health services.

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute 

Through a hands-on learning community focused on understanding the Earth’s systems, Red Cedar Environmental Institute provides middle school students with an academic experience tailored to inspire and challenge every single student.

How we achieve our mission:

• Engaged students – We tailor our curriculum to students who learn better through hands-on projects and scientific inquiry.  No matter a student’s starting point, they will be challenged accordingly and be free to maximize their progress according to their ability.

• Project-based learning – Projects related to natural resources in the Chetek area will act as the vehicle to learn core subjects like math, reading and language arts as well as 21^st Century skills of collaboration, problem solving and communication.

• Earth’s systems – Focusing on the natural resources of the Chetek area inspires projects that will benefit our local community and allowing students to deeply research projects empowers them to make their own conclusion. 

Section #3 – Vision for the Future

People are much more inspired by your vision for what the world looks like because of your nonprofit that what you actually do.  Your work is important, but often nonprofits lose sight of what their ultimate goal is.  Your vision for the future should paint a colorful picture of the impact you hope your organization will have.  Ideally, your stakeholders (people and organizations that are impacted by your organization) should contribute to this vision.  If they do, they will feel like they have ownership of helping make it happen. 

Here are some examples of compelling vision statements:

Example – Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association  www.wccaa.org

All children are prepared for personal and educational success

• WCCAA is a global model for collaboration to influence public policy and professional development to impact best practices for early care and education.

• WCCAA inspires a family-friendly philosophy empowering early care and education centers to care for children and assist businesses to achieve goals through secure and productive employees.

Example – St. Marcus Lutheran School & Church www.stmarcus.org

St. Marcus is a nationally recognized leader in urban educational reform and a welcoming and inviting force of transformation for the Milwaukee Community.

Example – CAPITA Productions, Inc.  www.capitalproductions.org

Through world-wide support of its endowment and scholarship fund, CAPITA offers unlimited opportunities for people seeking to grow as performers and as members of diverse communities.  

CAPITA’s unique inclusive approach to uniting communities through meaningful theatre experiences is a model adopted by communities around the world.

Through its quality productions, mentoring and touring opportunities, CAPITA is a pipeline of talented performers for professional performing arts companies around the world.  

Section #4 – Unique Approach

Funders don’t like duplication.  If your nonprofit is addressing a similar issue as others, it will be very important to distinguish your organization from others.  What is special about your approach to the same issue?  For example, St. Marcus Lutheran School emphasizes a “no-excuses” philosophy, and if a child is not succeeding it means that St. Marcus is not succeeding.  They don’t care what the background of the child is, and once that student enters the building their focus is on educating that child.  Bottom line, they focus on the students inside the building.  Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School requires that its teachers and staff appreciate how poverty impacts the students they service, and offers programs to families in order to increase the likelihood that students receive support at home.  They focus on students inside the school but also try to impact the support they receive at home for their education. 

Here are some other examples of how our clients describe their unique approach.

Example – Shiocton International Learning Academy www.silacharter.com

Our learning model takes personalized learning to a whole new level.  There are three key components of our model that ensure students are maximizing their learning: 

• Project-based learning allows students to explore areas of personal interest deeply and use a variety of learning styles to master core subjects key abilities.  Community partnerships provide mentors and opportunities to take learning out of the classroom to engages students and offer opportunities to apply knowledge to real-life scenarios.
• Additional support is offered immediately when it becomes apparent that students lack a particular skill.  For example, a short-term seminar may be used to teach a specific skill.  Or a web-based computer program, partnered with standardized testing, will identify remaining knowledge gaps to be used to further tailor learning for that student.
•  Accountability:  Five-year student achievement goals are included on our website.  Progress toward achievement goals will be published on the website and updated annually. 

Example – House of Love  www.house-of-love.org

Loving Family Environment + Personal Development Plans = Successful Independent Living:

• A safe and loving family environment full of positive encouragement, clear expectations and immediate feedback allow our youth to gain confidence and preparation for adulthood.
• Self sufficiency is achieved through individual personal development plans and rigorous support services in the areas of

o   life skills

o   education

o   holistic health

Take some time to review your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach to make sure they fit within these guidelines and are agreed upon with your board.   Once again, all sections should be compelling, concise and communicate the essence of your organization.  Please feel free to contact me for advice or even share your work here!  I’d love to learn more about your organization!

In my next post I will be discussing the final sections of your case statement.  You are well on your way to begin relationship fundraising!

Attracting Resources Doesn't Happen By Accident

In last week's blog post, “Making Relationship Fund-raising Work for your Non-profit or School,” I took you on a journey to a new mindset about the ability to attract resources. I discussed the stories of three different organizations that benefited from this mindset.

Within each of these stories there was an organization that was able to attract resources without even asking. What did they have in common?

They consistently and successfully engaged people. And how does one do that? There are three steps to this process.

The Formula for Consistent and Successful Engagement

First, you must be able to inspire people with your story. This means your story must be compelling, concise and consistently told, as well as be driven by a vision for the future. You must be able to depict a clear picture of what the world will look like because of your school or nonprofit.

Second, you must be able to articulate what you need and how people can help. Let's say you're out at a cocktail party, and a couple asks you about your school. You did a great job of inspiring the couple with your unique approach to educating children. But now, when they ask you what your top priorities are, do you have an answer? Would your board members have the same answer? This happens all the time, and if you are not prepared to answer this question, you may miss out on an opportunity. Below is a great testimonial of a client who without any hesitation, had the answer to this question.

"I'm a co-founder of a charter school, and while I was on the board, another board member and I decided it was the right time to invite one of our relationships, a very influential community member, for a tour."

"During the tour and the lunch meeting, the school's founder did what many founders do - offered passionate stories about the children. At one point during the lunch, the gentleman asked, "What are your top three priorities?" She was ready for this question, and offered, "We need a new HVAC system or in three months we won't be able to open our doors. This is going to cost $75,000. We also need to clean and paint the gym, which will cost $20,000, and . . ." This gentleman stopped her and told her that she should consider#1 and #2 done. The next day he dropped off a check for $75,000."

Third, you must be strategic about cultivating relationships over a long time period. What does this entail?

• Really getting to know what people care about

• Asking people how they think they fit in

• Being clear about what you need and how people can help

• Saying thank you over and over and over again

• Continuing to connect and reach out to people.

This is a huge undertaking and some infrastructure is required to do it successfully. This is also not the job of "a fund-raiser." A fund-raiser's job is to drive the strategy and empower board members, staff people and ambassadors to confidently see every moment of the day as an opportunity to tell your organization's story, make connections, identify opportunities and bring those back to the organization to determine follow-up steps.

We Love Success Stories

If you decide to try this, let us know what happens. We love success stories!