Non-profit

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#GivingTuesday is two weeks away – on 28 November 2017

What is your charitable organisation planning for #GivingTuesday? #GivingTuesday occurs in just 13 days – on 28 November 2017.

If you have not already jumped on board, it is not too late. And, if you have decided to participate in Giving Tuesday, it is time to create a concise plan of activities for that date.

#GivingTuesday is one day when Australian businesses, non-profit organisation, community groups, families and individuals come to together to celebrate a day of giving and to kick off the giving season.

This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday will reinforce the power of social media to create a global moment that is dedicated to giving around the world.

Check out what other Australian charities are doing to take advantage of the GivingTuesday campaign by performing a simple Google Search. For example, UNICEF Australia is running a Giving Tuesday Appeal.

Are you a supplier to the Australian charitable sector or do you work for an Australian charity and want to know how to get involved in #GivingTuesday? Do not let another day go by – sign up today and become part of this global campaign to encourage philanthropy across the sector. On 2 November, Forbes Magazine ran an article called  Don’t Have A #GivingTuesday Campaign Planned Yet? 5 Shortcuts To November 28.Find out how to become involved at the GivingTuesday site.

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Customer Service – what does it mean to non-profit organisations?

Customer service failures are easily identifiable. Think about a time when you became agitated with a company you were dealing with as a consumer. Was it an airline, an online store, a retailer, a hotel, or a restaurant? What got your blood pressure up? How could this customer service experience have been prevented?

You and I do not put up with poor customer service as consumers. If we receive poor customer service, we likely complain directly to the supplier via letter, email, phone, or, even, Twitter and other more public channels. In the NFP sector, why would donors put up with a charity and why would non-profits put up with suppliers who are not on top of their customer service game?

I had a conversation yesterday with a customer about what it means for a supplier to deliver good customer service to the NFP sector. We talked about the great customer service NFP suppliers deliver pre-sales; however, once the purchased is signed, the solid customer service goes out the window. We talked about companies who serve our sector and how little customer service is delivered, especially on a pro-active basis. We also talked about the fact that often smaller suppliers deliver far more superior customer service than the larger suppliers.

Customer Service Action Items

What must each of us do to ensure those things do not occur in our organisation or business?

Good customer service begins at home. Your team – whether in a charity or supplier to NFPs – need to consider their work colleagues to be their customers. We need to be responsive of one another in meetings, email, and other forums. A positive atmosphere is infectious, as is a poisonous atmosphere.

When customer service is delivered to one another, it spreads to our external customers – donors or charities.

Turnaround time. We should expect to hear back from one another within a business day when there is not a holiday or sick leave situation. When a day’s turnaround time is not possible, set expectations with the “customer”. Be clear about length of time and, perhaps, reasons why it may take you a bit longer. Keep the consumer informed about your progress.

Gift entry/acknowledgement. Charities should be responsive to donors when a contribution is received. How does your organisation measure up? You don’t know? You should. Processing a gift and returning a receipt/acknowledgement within 48 hours is critical. I have said it before. You and I cannot control the amount of time it takes Australia Post to get the donation to the charity. Likewise, we cannot control the amount of time it takes Post to get the thank you letter to the donor. Therefore, we must control the length of time the gift is in our custody.

Processing time must be measured, goals set, and KPIs monitored.

Friendly, upbeat greetings. Whoever is on the telephone or greets visitors to your organisation needs to be friendly and upbeat at all times and no matter the distractions. Remember the old saying that you do not get a second chance to make a first impression? Use that rule at the reception desk.

Do Not. As a member of a team, you cannot blame others for not being able to respond in a reasonable time frame. Additionally, do not tell people you are “flat out” and cannot complete their task. Doing so makes it seem like you believe they, too, are not busy. We are all busy. And, doing so also diminishes the importance of their task!

Absence won’t make the heart grow fonder. Be sure to have constant coverage and even during holiday and sick periods. Do not assume your donors or customers will understand and will simply wait for their key contact to return. Set out of office messages on the phone and email systems.

Be proactive. Reach out to your donors in between asks. Check in with your donors just to see how they are doing. Suppliers should do the same. Suppliers should reach out to NFPs to share ideas, discuss how other customers have overcome a challenge.

The hard stuff. Having difficulty accomplishing the hard stuff should not prevent us from delivering good customer service and it should not prevent us from accomplishing the day-to-day, more routine, items. If a donor or a customer, in the case of a suppler, asks something that cannot quickly be answered or, perhaps will require a bit of research, set clear expectations about the timeline it might take to get an answer.

Under promise and over deliver.

Good customer service levels do not have to be difficult to achieve. Start at home; repeat it to your external audiences; set metrics for turnaround time; ensure friendly and upbeat atmosphere at the point of reception; do not blame others and do not use the “flat out” excuse; fill gaps in staffing during holiday and sick periods; and don’t let the hard stuff get in the way of the more routine items.

Following these simple tasks will let you, as a non-profit or a supplier in our space, shine throughout the year.

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It’s not too late for non-profits to conduct data hygiene

DataEarlier this week, I wrote a blog post about the first Christmas Appeal received this year. It’s the only one received so far, which suggests others may still be navigating the many tasks they need to complete in order to drop their Christmas Appeal. As part of those tasks, it’s not too late for non-profits to conduct data hygiene!

Assuming some charitable organisations are behind with their Christmas appeal, perhaps the reason is data hygiene. One of the single most important steps prior to the Christmas appeal drop is the need to complete hygiene.

Some non-profit organisations take the important step to cleanse their data, while others do not. Those non-profit organisations who perform data hygiene, perform this task at least one time per year.

Data cleansing includes, but is not limited to, high level activities such as:

  • National Change of Address (NCOA).
  • De-duplication of constituent records.
  • Data enrichment, including:
    • Deceasing of records
    • Do not mail flag.
    • Do not call flag.
  • Other important mass data management practices.

As suggested in prior FundraisingForce blog posts, dirty data gets you nowhere…except broke. Proper data cleaning prior to dropping the all-important tax and Christmas appeals is not optional. Do you put this in the “too hard” basket? Hire an expert like FundraisingForce who will guide you through the process, management of suppliers, and develop a process for you to follow for years to come.

Don’t assume someone else will do this task – whether you are assuming the mail house does it or someone else on your internal team. Develop a process to get this task done and to ensure the cleansed data makes it was back to your organisations CRM. To merely cleanse the file for the appeal and to not load the clean data back to the CRM (a common mistake made by charitable organisations) is like cleaning your child and putting them back on the playground.

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Video is a fantastic partner when making an ask

After watching the Houston Texan’s (and former Wisconsin Badger) JJ Watt lead a fundraising effort for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the impact of video cannot be underestimated. It is obvious video is a fantastic partner when making an ask. Over the last ten days, JJ Watt , the US football hero, has used video to encourage people to give to JJ Watts Houston Relief Fund and he has also used video to applaud, encourage, and steward those who were supporting the effort. To date, JJ Watt has highlighted the fact that millions of dollars have been given to the hurricane relief effort through the Fund via a crowdfunding platform. The campaign has been so successful JJ Watt has had to increase the goal multiple times.

Plain and simple, video brings your story to the donor. It is also does the following:

  • Connects the charity or the cause to the audience.
  • Evoke emotion.
  • Increase the non-profit’s reach.
  • Inspire others to share a story or a cause.
  • Increase awareness.
  • Engage,

In this case, JJ Watt recorded an original message to get people to give and then he recorded regular updates where he expressed his gratitude for dollars raised and educated donors about where the money was going. These videos were shared on the Web via the Foundation’s Website and also via social media. Sure, JJ Watt is a national celebrity. Nonetheless, he took matters into his own hands and recorded the videos to prove the power and effective use of video.

Not only have average people become engaged, but JJ Watt captured the attention of the media and of celebrities. People have been jumping on the bandwagon due to the personal nature of Watt’s approach. To date, Watt has raised over $27 million. And, he is not done yet.

Most of us carry a video camera with us each day. Non-profit fundraisers can cut unprofessional, but personal, videos at any given moment. These videos are effective and and easy to deploy. There are also firms who produce very professional videos to tell our stories. There is one such firm which caters to the video needs of the NFP sector, Big Review TV/Big Cares. Big Review TV produces video packages for your non-profit organisation to use over the course of a year to bring the story closer to your prospective donors.

Whether you need a video to get the word out immediately, such as the case of a disaster relief effort, or you want a full range video package to build your brand, increase awareness, and show the emotive nature of what you do, video is becoming a necessary component in our fundraising efforts. JJ Watt has given us a case study to learn from and encouraged us to put videos in our toolbox.

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CRM Implementations – your IT department cannot do it solo

CRMWhat’s the number one mistake you can make when implementing your constituent relationship management (CRM) system for your charitable organisation, school, or university? The number one mistake is to leave it to your Information Technology (IT) department to implement it. Your IT department cannot do it solo and in a silo.

Earlier this week I wrote a blog post titled CRM loses the new car smell quickly. Is a change worth it? In the previous blog, I wrote about a five step process FundraisingForce uses to work with its clients to search for a CRM to meet their requirements. Searching for a CRM is only half the battle. Implementing it, and then maintaining it, completes the picture.

Identifying a project team made up of key users, or subject matter experts (SMEs), to implement the CRM is critical. Too many organisations rely on the IT department to implement the new solution “because it is technology focused”. Sure, involve the IT team on the steering committee and use them when technical tasks arise. But, leave the actual implementation of business processes and business delivery up to your project team/SMEs.

To have your IT department implement the CRM spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. Here is why:

  • Your business owners/SMEs understand the finite detail of their business processes. IT teams are good at the back-end technology and infrastructure. Use the IT team for what it is good at and let your business owners drive the implementation and the change required.
    • You would not put a chef in charge of your brain surgery, so why would you expect an IT team to be able to implement business processes in the front end of a solution?
  • SMEs and staff in your departments will be the day-to-day users of the solution. Maintaining ownership of the implementation of the solution with these business owners is critical. To have IT own the CRM simply does not make sense.
  •  Core change management principles suggest change efforts must include plans for identifying leaders throughout the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so that change “cascades” through the organisation. IT transformation projects, such as the implementation of a new CRM, requires people across the organisation to lead and to get their teams to participate.
  • Involving SMEs broadens the talent on the solution implementation team rather than have the focus of the project simply on the technology.
  • If you want your CRM to be accepted, utilised, and proven to be the right investment, you need user adoption. The way to commence user adoption is to involve your SMEs and core users in the implementation.

Your CRM project will be one of the single largest investments of your organisation. Engage the right talent at the right levels and remember your IT department cannot implement the CRM in a silo.

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CRM loses the new car smell quickly. Is a change worth it?

CRMFundraisingForce receives a telephone call or web enquiry every four days from an organisation seeking to find the “perfect CRM”. They’re using The Raiser’s Edge, eTapestry, ThankQ, iMIS, Salesforce, or one of the other lesser known solutions. “It’s time to change”; the current system “does not work”, “it is not meeting our needs”, “it is antiquated and I know there are more up to date systems out there”, and “I used ‘ABC’ system at my old job. It worked really well” or “my friend uses DEF system at her organisation and she likes it”  are all typical comments made. But, should you change CRMs just to change? The CRM loses the new car smell quickly. Is a change worth it?

There certainly are legitimate reasons to convert from one CRM solution to another. The most legitimate of the statements above includes “it is not meeting our needs”. I would ask “what are your needs?”. Most charitable organisations, schools, and universities cannot articulate their needs or CRM requirements. That’s where organisations like FundraisingForce come into play.

FundraisingForce has a five step CRM process to guide any non-profit organisation, school, or university to find the most suitable CRM for their organisation. The fact is there is no “perfect” CRM, but finding the most appropriate fit for your organisation is what it is all about. Here are the steps we follow:

  1. Requirements gathering. Our team will spend a number of days working with your staff to identify the key requirements for any new CRM.  Workshops are held, business processes are analysed, and gaps in the current system are surfaced.
  2. Market supplier identification. Here we identify which suppliers FundraisingForce recommends should be included in the CRM search opportunity.
  3. Documentation. FundraisingForce creates a Request for Proposals (RFP) packet to distribute to the market, which includes:
    • Notification letter. A letter to be distributed to invited solution supplier participants inviting them to participate, outlining the process and the timeline, and asking them to sign your organisation’s confidentiality agreement.
    • RFP letter. A cover letter to go with the Request for Proposals.
    • RFP. A Requests for Proposals is written to outline the request you are making for the suppliers to submit a proposal.
    • Business Functional Requirements. A large Excel spreadsheet containing a tab for each department and all associated requirements.
    • FundraisingForce Observations and Recommendations. A document containing our observations and recommendations, which is then used for your organisation to address issues in parallel to teaching for a new CRM.
  4. Demonstrations and discussions. FundraisingForce will facilitate the demonstrations and discussions between suppliers and your selection committee.
    • These demonstrations often require a couple of rounds.
  5. Negotiation. FundraisingForce will assist you to negotiate and solidify the best possible agreement and scope of work for your project.

Changing to a new CRM because it is clean and shiny (has the new car smell) is no reason to change at all. Base the decision to change in fact. Base it in facts surrounding the following:

  • Your organisation has outgrown the limited functionality in the CRM.
    • The current system does not meet requirements 1.7, 1.9, 2.4, 3.3, 6.9, and 11.4. Those six requirements are where your organisation plans to grow the most strategically and without a system meeting these requirements, that growth will be stunted.
  • The customer service received from your current supplier is appalling.
    • Some suppliers believe customer service ends with the sale. Once you sign the dotted line, it is difficult, at best, to get any sort of attention from the supplier. The only time you hear from the supplier is when the invoice is sent.
  • The demonstration received from your current supplier suggests the supplier has no plans to improve their technology to meet our expanding requirements.
  • The value for money paid to convert to the new CRM outweighs the cost maintaining the status quo.

Once you decide to conduct a process, ensure it is facilitated by someone you trust to do a thorough and fair job. Then, used properly, your CRM is as key to your fundraising success as having an army of talented major gift officers. Find the right CRM, implement it correctly, and keep watchful maintenance over the CRM for years to come.

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Happy New Year, Australia! End of financial year

end of financial yearIt’s new year’s eve. An end of financial year. Happy New Year, Australia! Many of us are receiving eMails and last minute pitches from companies and charities reminding us it is the end of the financial year. These eMails state it is our last day to purchase this item or that service and it’s our last day to give a donation this financial year.

Prior to today, our letter boxes were stuffed with advertisements and also with charitable appeals seeking that end of financial year purchase or last donation. In three days, I received over two dozen appeals because of the various charitable organisations I give to or am affiliated. That’s not a gripe – it’s just a reality. And, today, I woke up to a dozen emails from charities, alone, stating it was the last chance to give this financial year to save an organisation, to help another organisation reach their goal, and to help another discover life saving cures for diseases, etc.

It’s sort of like a political campaign. Candidates get their messages out through mass marketing and try to convince the voter they are the best choice or a terrific choice amongst the field. Non-profit organisations are in the same boat. Charities have made their case through the post, phone, and eMail. It is now up to people to decide : a) will they make a donation today and, if so, b) which organisations will they give their final donations to on the last day of the financial year?

Charities have done their job. Most non-profit organisations have been strategic and many have been persistent. Donors will make final decisions today. It’s all in their hands to decide. Let’s hope the donors decide yes on question a, above, and name your organisation in their answer to question b. Good luck! Happy New Year!

 

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Fundraising Effectiveness Project – what is it and is it worth launching in Australia?

Fundraising Effectiveness ProjectThe Fundraising Effectiveness Project – what is it and is it worth commencing in Australia? In 2006, the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute established the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) to conduct research on fundraising effectiveness and help nonprofit organisations increase their fundraising results at a faster pace. Now, 11 years later, the project has allowed 6,000 non-profits in the US to measure, compare, report, and analyse their growth in fundraising.

Australian charities are hungry for information to compare and contrast their organisations against others in the marketplace. Not all organisations can afford to participate in Pareto Benchmarking or Blackbaud’s donorCentrics. One way to gather this information is for an organisation to survey organisations seeking information about fundraising revenue and spend, staff size, and other metrics for use in fundraising strategic planning, budgeting, and other areas. The challenge with surveying colleagues is most fundraising professionals will say they are time poor and many will shy away from responding. Imagine if 5an organisation surveys 12 NFPs in a given year. Now multiple that times the number of us who survey colleagues wanting to know this type of information. That’s a lot of time spent on gathering and reporting information. Additionally, there is a great variance in how one organisation reports data compared to another organisation. So, we are often not looking at apples to apples and, instead, apples to grapefruit.

Enter the FEP.

FEP provides nonprofits with tools for tracking and evaluating their annual growth in giving. Growth in giving is the net of gains in giving minus losses in giving. Nonprofits raise more money by investing more money in growth-oriented fundraising strategies that both increase gains and reduce losses. The FEP is focused on “effectiveness” (maximising growth in giving) rather than “efficiency” (minimising costs). FEP conducts an annual survey, provides useful growth in giving performance measurement tools and publishes gain(loss) statistics in a yearly report through a partnership between AFP, The Urban Institute and participating donor software firms. The FEP resources support growth-oriented fundraising programs.

In this day and age when we are being asked to measure results in a greater, smarter way and when the media and others are demanding we prove our worth, wouldn’t the Fundraising Effectiveness Project assist to provide the kind of data needed?

What do we need to get the FEP off the ground in Australia? An organisational body to coordinate the project and the key software suppliers to offer the FEP measurement tools in their software offerings. A key to the success of the FEP is the participation of a variety of donor software firms – many of them offering the same products in Australia. Most already have the FEP reporting mechanisms built into their software.

Read the 2017 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report here and judge its value yourself.

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It’s National Volunteer Week – let’s celebrate the Australian volunteer!

National Volunteer WeekThere are weeks and months to recognise various charities and causes. Few activities we do are more important than celebrating our volunteers. It’s National Volunteer Week – let’s celebrate the Australian volunteer!

Most of us volunteer in one way, shape, or form for a non-profit, community, or professional organisation. Some put in enough hours to equate to a part-time staff position. But, are we always recognised for our service and do we feel valued?

There are countless ways in which we can show our gratitude to volunteers whether they work one shift a year or volunteer on a regular basis. What are you doing to recognise your non-profit organisation’s volunteers? Here are some quick and easy ideas:

  • Send a thank you eMail to every volunteer.
    • Personalise the communications.
  • Segment an electronic communications to show real value and appreciation to those giving the most service.
    • Recognise the top tier and the number of hours each has dedicated to your charitable organisation.
    • Add a video naming the volunteer and thanking them for something in particular.
  • Send a thank you card signed by each member of your team.
  • Conduct a volunteer recognition social event.
    • Honour a small set of volunteers who have gone above and beyond this last year.
  • Nominate a volunteer for a community award.
    • Nominating someone will shed light on your non-profit organisation’s volunteer program and will encourage others to excel in their service.
    • Fundraising Institute Australia recognises a volunteer of the year in each state, as well as nationally, each year.
  • Feature a volunteer in each issue of your eNewsletter.

We do not need to what until national volunteer week to show gratitude. Remind volunteers each day how valuable their volunteer service is to your organisation.

Simply saying thank you each time someone finishes a volunteer shift will make a big difference. And, it’s free!

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Most common mistake when creating a fundraising strategic plan

Fundraising Strategic PlanFundraisingForce works with dozens of charitable organisations each year to create a fundraising strategic plan (FSP). What is the most common mistake when creating a fundraising strategic plan? Asking a single person to create the fundraising strategic plan for your organisation.

There is not a week that goes by where an organisation does not contact me to ask me to create a fundraising strategic plan for the organisation. What’s wrong with that request?

No one person in your non-profit organisation, or external to your organisation, can create a fundraising strategic plan. Fundraising plans are not products you can purchase off the shelf or have magically designed for you. Instead, fundraising plans are carefully crafted plans, which are created through workshops, 1:1 meetings, research, and surveys. These plans are created involving internal and external stakeholders across the organisation and may take 2-3 months to create and finalise.

Fundraising Strategic Plan Components

  • Executive summary.
  • Background of organisation.
  • Business driver(s).
  • Structure of fundraising program.
  • Responsibility table.
  • Fundraising history.
  • SWOT analysis, including mitigation strategies for weaknesses and also for threats.
  • Competitive landscape.
  • Projected revenue.
  • Projected investments.
  • Return on Investment (ROI).
  • Reporting and analysis.

Need assistance creating a fundraising strategic plan for your non-profit organisation, school, or charity? Contact FundraisingForce or attend the Fundraising Institute Australia Fundraising (FIA) Strategic Plan Masterclass in a capital city near you. Check the FIA Website for more details.

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