Fundraising

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Quiet end of financial year

End of Financial Year Savings Concept with end of financial year building blocks and wood calendar on white wood table.

I met with a fundraising colleague on 30 June, new year’s eve for most Australian charities, and we were monitoring how many charities had reached out to us on the final day of the financial year. I remarked how quiet it had been. I commented I had received a handful of emails asking me to make a gift in the final hours and I shared the fact I received one SMS.

There are over 300 charities I mystery shop and I expected more. Perhaps I am a long lapsed donor to many and perhaps charities are scaling back on the volume of electronic direct marketing, as well as SMS, sent?

SMSHere is the one SMS I received. This SMS is from CARE Australia (not part of mystery shopping).

What did your non-profit organisation do to attract donors to make a gift on the last day of the financial year? If you were in email in boxes, on mobile, you were likely one of the few.

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User friendly and forward thinking fundraising platforms

End of Financial Year Savings Concept with end of financial year building blocks and wood calendar on white wood table.Tax time. It’s upon us. Stress about what it will bring, scrambling to find all your receipts and documentation, and regret about what you should have done are all factors this time of year.

I was pleased to receive an Email on 25 June from one of the fundraising platforms allowing me to print my annual giving receipt. I was even more pleased when the platform encouraged me to make additional gifts to the charities I had supported and to encouraged me to make that gift in the closing hours of the financial year.

It is my understanding that both GoFundraise and Everyday hero have this functionality and offer this end of year service.

The tax time annual receipt functionality is of great assistance to those who may not have kept receipts throughout the course of the year. Additionally, the prompt to give an additional gift before midnight on 30 June is an added bonus for the donor and the charity alike. We have a lot going on in the final five days of the financial year and these sites make it easy for the donor by simply including a link to the giving page.

Ease of use and convenience are two ways fundraising platforms make the donor and the charity’s lives easier. Hats off to GoFundraise and Everydayhero to leaders in the Australian marketplace.

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It’s New Year’s Eve

Firework and light show during International fleet review in SydWhat are your plans for New Year’s Eve?

Don’t you hate that question? You always feel obligated to do something and some of us might want to stay home on the craziest night of the year!

Asking you what you are doing on New Year’s Eve may seem as premature as asking what you got your partner for Christmas or their birthday. However, today is New Year’s Eve. Well, at least for the financial year in Australia.

So, what do you plan to do? I plan to make some year-end charitable donations to my favourite charities. And, you should too. There is a tax benefit to giving an additional gift or a first-time gift to a charity on this day. Non-profit organisations depend on our support to wrap up a strong financial year and to continue their terrific programs. It’s up to you and I to not let those charities down and to do our part at fiscal year end. Log onto the charitable Websites or call the charities now! Midnight 30 June is fast approaching!

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End of Financial Year – Raiser’s Edge and NetCommunity Training Sale

Student, classroom, internship.

Looking to train your staff in The Raiser’s Edge and/or Blackbaud NetCommunity? Do you have some leftover budget you’d like to invest, but you are unsure of training dates? Looking for a great discount, but you don’t want to sacrifice on product or service?

We hear you! FundraisingForce has a solution for you.

Book your training with FundraisingForce by 30 June and receive 40% off! Even better, we have a combined 50 years of non-profit experience and over 25 years combined experience on The Raiser’s Edge and NetCommunity! With FundraisingForce, you work with consultants who know your business, know the product, and understand your pain points and how to solve them.

Contact us today to learn more and to book this special offer in these final days of the financial year.

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GivingTuesday – a growing success

 

Snip20150622_183FundraisingForce has written about #GivingTuesday prior and promoted #Giving Tuesday within Australia over the last couple of years. We see #GivingTuesday as an opportunity for Asia-Pacific organisations to jump on the bandwagon of an already successful marketing campaign. For us, it’s a no brainer.

It seems the campaign is growing in terms of success each year. This was recently highlighted in a Huffington Post article written by Steve MacLaughlin of Blackbaud.

According to the article, Blackbaud released a #GivingTuesday Trends report and it is the most in-depth analysis of online giving trends since the event first began. The report covers #GivingTuesday data from more than 4,300 nonprofit organisations representing $55.6 million in online fundraising since 2012.

Here are some key findings from the Blackbaud #GivingTuesday Trends report.

  • #GivingTuesday has had double-digit year-over-year growth in online donations since 2012.
  • Large nonprofits have received the most donations on #GivingTuesday but this trend is shifting.
  • Faith-based nonprofits now receive the largest percentage of #GivingTuesday online donations.
  • Online average gift amounts exceed100 for most nonprofits on #GivingTuesday.
    • About 17 percent of online donation form views on #GivingTuesday 2014 were on a mobile device.

What’s stopping your organisation from joining #GivingTuesday and becoming part of the successful movement? You ought to action the following before 15 July:

  • Sign up to participate in #GivingTuesday this December.
  • Create a business plan full of action items detailing your organisation’s goals and objectives in participating in #GivingTuesday.
  • Work toward accomplishing the action plan over the next four months to ensure a successful first year as part of #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday is 1 December. Why delay the above action items? There’s no time better than right now to start.

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Congratulations, RMIT

Congratulations, RMIT! I was dancing at my dinner table on Monday, 15 June. No, I was not out on the town. Instead, I was opening the day’s mail and RMIT’s direct mail piece caught my eye for all the right reasons.

  1. RMIT makes an ask. Seem basic to you? Many charities in my direct marketing study do not make an ask or, if they do, it is such a soft ask it is missed.
  2. RMIT asks for enhanced data – phone and email.
  3. RMIT asks how I wish to be recognised in donor publications or if I wish to remain anonymous.
  4. RMIT lists other giving options, including:
    • Creation of a scholarship in my name.
    • Consideration of a gift in my will.
  5. RMIT references the Information Privacy Act 2000 (VIC).
  6. RMIT offers matching my donation dollar for dollar.

As RMIT says in the letter, giving to education is powerful. I’m convinced. And, RMIT does a great job enticing me to give. The RMIT scholarship solicitation is a model appeal.

RMIT 2 RMIT 3RMIT

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St Patrick’s Cathedral offers donation capability in-house

When I visited Washington DC recently, I wrote about the lack of donation solicitation throughout the various Smithsonian Institutions. My experience in New York City was quite the opposite.

911The 9/11 Memorial sought memberships and donations throughout the museum. St Patrick’s Cathedral sought donations throughout the church. St Patrick’s solicited donations upon entry to the church, as well as at various stations. I was most impressed with my ability to give a donation online right in the cathedral.St Pats 2

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Anniversary idea

Is your organisation celebrating an anniversary?

Check out this email I received from Uber (perhaps you received one, too?).

Snip20150603_15The email connects me to Uber’s 5 year anniversary by pointing out the months since I joined Uber, the number of times I have ridden Uber, and the city I have most frequently used Uber. It also offers me an opportunity to share this information with friends!

Clever idea. Perhaps your organisation might adapt it to mark a milestone anniversary? You could simply tie the date the donor first supported your organisation, how many times they have supported your organisation, and how much their lifetime giving.

It is ideas like these, whether from the non-profit or for-profit sectors we can adapt to suit our own needs. This is one I thought worthy of sharing!

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Lack of focus on philanthropy in DC-area museums

I have just spent about a fabulous week in Washington DC celebrating my nephew Matt’s 13th birthday. This is a milestone birthday for any young man or woman and this trip is something I promised Matt years ago. As you know, 13 year olds do not forget such promises and neither did this uncle.

Watergate
The file cabinet from the Watergate break-in

During the trip, we visited as many sites as possible, including many of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution. We saw original aircraft, a space suit used by an astronaut on a walk on the moon, the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, the Hope Diamond, a flag which inspired the writing of the US National Anthem, the original US constitution, Bill or Rights, and Declaration of Independence, and the impressive list goes on and on. The Smithsonian Institution is rich with treasures, especially for Americans who love history. As one taxi driver told us, “Washington DC is the Jerusalem of America for Americans”.

Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities.

It always amazes me the Smithsonian Institution museums, with its vast and diverse collections, are free of charge. Some might say that our taxes pay for these institutions and, thus, Americans have paid for these institutions and they should be free to enter.

The Smithsonian relies on philanthropy and membership to survive. In fact, according to its website, the Smithsonian Institution was founded because of philanthropy. The Smithsonian Institution was established with funds from James Smithson (1765-1829), a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The collections in each museum are donated by individuals and organisations world-wide.

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Sign on a collection canister at the American Museum of Natural History

As you enter the museums of the Smithsonian Institution and enter various exhibits, you will notice donor walls and plaques recognising the generosity of individuals, corporations, and trusts and foundations. Additionally, there are opportunities to leave donations in various donation canisters. Because the gift shops and cafes are the only places where money is exchanged, there is no ask for a donation. Additionally, I was asked only once if I wanted to become a member of the Smithsonian Institution. The ask was on the final day of the trip as I purchased something in the last museum (at the exit!). I joined.

Perhaps the mission or policies of the Smithsonian Institution discourage the ask for a donation. Perhaps the leadership simply want people to absorb the history documented in these amazing museums. I was more than surprised at the lack of attention drawn to the need for philanthropy.

It is my sincere hope that people see the value of institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and take the time to support these types of institutions philanthropically and through membership. Places like the Smithsonian do not operate on government support alone and, in fact, would not even exist if it were not for the generosity of people like James Smithsonian and the countless others who take the time to give.

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Finding the ‘perfect’ CRM is only half the battle for your non-profit organisation

 

Customer Relationship Management System CRM in word tag cloud

Has your non-profit acquired a new constituent relationship management (CRM) or supporter relationship management (SRM)? Did the process seem difficult? I hate to tell you, but that was the easy part. Now comes the hard part – implementing the CRM/SRM.

Most organisations do not realise they will need to review their business processes inside and out. Why? Some processes will need to be reshaped simply because they will not “fit” inside the new CRM/SRM. Other processes are antiquated and need a “remodel”. And, others have not even been invented yet within your organisation.

Most CRM/SRM suppliers will work with organisations to implement the new software in a sequential order, such as:

  • Security
  • Data conversion
  • Supporter management
  • Gift management
  • Event management
  • Other

It is best practice for organisations to develop a policies and procedures document in parallel with anyProcedures Folders Meaning Correct Process And Best Practice CRM/SRM implementation. The supplier may provide some documentation, which you will enhance for this added purpose. The policies and procedures document should be a living document, which you will make available to your end users in electronic format. This is a document you will maintain moving forward. The manual should never be “put on a shelf” and left unattended. Instead, your subject matter experts should keep the policies and procedures manual up to date any time a new procedure is developed or an existing procedure is enhanced. It is like cleaning a room in your home. Once it is clean it is easier to keep it clean than it is to start from scratch again.

Implementing a new CRM/SRM does not happen overnight and, in fact, the process from start to finish takes months. The length of time the process takes depends on a number of factors:

  • How well organised is your organisation going into the process?
  • How well developed and established are your existing processes?
  • How clean is your data?

Is your organisation in a transitional or maintenance frame of mind?

The CRM/SRM implementation is ripe with opportunity. Use the process as a renaissance for your organisation. Do not leave any stone unturned. Push the process, the supplier, and your team to truly transform your organisation.

Purchasing a CRM/SRM may be the single largest investment your organisation makes. Maximise the investment by doing it right.

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