Reflections on “Leadership and Philanthropy for Social Change and Peace”

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Andy Ware

By Kelly R. Young

Dr. Maya Soetoro and Thomas West are committed to building a generation of peacebuilding artists and storytellers who inspire people everywhere to roll up their sleeves and start pursuing a more just and loving world.

They do this through their work at The Peace Studio. Through their work—and thru special presentations like the one recently held by the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy—they are building a movement that leads to a more empathetic and less divided world.

Dr. Soetoro and West shared inspiring stories and their personal perspectives as they shifted the narrative in philanthropy to place social justice and peace at the center. Audience members joined from around the country and world to hear them reflect on the meaning, practice, and impact of philanthropy for social justice and peace.

It’s important to note their backgrounds and why they are true experts and thought leaders on this topic.

Dr. Maya Soetoro is the co-founder of The Peace Studio. She’s an award-winning peace, multicultural, and international studies educator who serves on the International Team Consultant, Obama Foundation, and Faculty Specialist, University of Hawaii. She’s a former campaigner for her brother, former President Barack Obama.

Thomas West is the first executive director of The Peace Studio. With several years of experience as both a justice-centered performing arts producer and professional opera singer, Thomas previously held positions as a special projects producer at The Juilliard School and as the founder and executive director of the New York-based Collaborative Arts Ensemble. In 2014, he was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts by President Obama.

Through The Peace Studio they are using the arts and media to promote hope and healing. Their presentation was energizing and inspiring. While you can watch the full video, I wanted to share some of the quotes and comments that captured my attention.

Dr. Soetoro spoke fondly of her multicultural upbringing, which influenced her commitment to peace and conflict resolution. She became aware at a young age that we contain “bothness”—the notion that people can be destructive, creative, selfish, and collective, yet build ourselves up with authenticity and choose our higher self.

She emphasized the value of serving others and using a strength-based approach to innovate and spark change. She talked in detail about how our world needs healing and that collectively we must focus on positive peace to build a more beloved future for our community.

Dr. Soetoro encouraged everyone to consider their peace building identity and to use your voice to bring light, uplift others, and champion innovation. “This is the time to wash our eyes, and reconsider who we are and our responsibilities,” she said.

According to Dr. Soetoro, we all play a role in healing the hurts of the past that will change our future. Each of us can be a part in building a more peaceful community and peaceful world.

West spoke with passion about the role that artists and storytellers play in inspiring action and helping people connect across differences. He believes that to successfully shift our country to move from a culture that’s rooted in fear and isolation into one that’s more hopeful, we need to create opportunities to engage in storytelling that’s focused on strengths instead of deficits.

“When you tell a story with more positive energy, the result will be more positive action,” he said.

He also praised the innovation from artists during this past year, while acknowledging their natural talent to innovate. Artists around the world created incredible content—content that West encouraged the audience to seek out and share.

“Artists and storytellers should always be at the table,” he said. “They’re critical to shaping our culture and future. We need artists more now than ever.”

After answering questions from the virtual audience, Dr. Soetoro and West closed their presentation with a strong call to action. Dr. Soetoro encouraged everyone to think of themselves as peace building leaders and to create new ideas that lift one another up with a sense of possibility and common purpose.

West invited everyone to reframe how they tell stories—to be confident in their story and stand up for what matters most. He also encouraged people to think about what they can do to contribute to a better world.

One simple thing we can all do right now is take The Peace Studio’s #PledgeForPeace and commit to making everyday choices that contribute to peace. As Dr. Soetoro said, “we can’t wait for solutions; it begins with us.”

Kelly Young, president of Baise Communications, is an award-winning public relations counselor with 25+ years of experience in working with nonprofit and small businesses. She has worked in nearly every capacity of public relations throughout her career and has a proven track record of success in media relations, social media, brand management, communications planning, and community relations. She has built a strong reputation within the community and is sought after for her industry expertise and thought leadership. Kelly is a natural storyteller and an enthusiastic advocate for causes.

Fundraising 2020: what a year

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Andrea Pactor

An informal survey among five fundraisers I know across nonprofit sectors illustrated that this group is resilient, nimble, thoughtful, and deeply committed to helping the organizations they serve meet their missions—especially during a pandemic.

As fundraising consultant and philanthropy leader Yolanda Johnson said, “Fundraisers are the beacons of light and hope that illuminate the path to the good work needed in the world today.”

Three questions framed the conversations with the fundraisers.

What fundraising strategies worked well during the pandemic?
What did you do in 2020 during the pandemic that you might continue in a post-pandemic world?
What kept you moving forward and positive during the crisis?

Granted, although the pace of vaccinations has accelerated, the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across society. Nonprofits may experience financial hardship into the future as the country recovers from this crisis. Yet, each of the fundraisers expressed optimism and hope during our conversations.

Meet the fearless five:

Theresa Butler-Porter, CFRE, holds the role of philanthropic relations at Lakefield College School, a co-ed boarding and day school for students in Grades 9-12 in Lakefield, Ontario.

Trish Jackson is interim senior VP for development and alumni engagement at The New School in New York City, NY, a role she began in November 2020 working for a new president who had started in April 2020.

Katie Prine is senior director of philanthropy at Second Helpings, a food recovery and hunger-relief agency in Indianapolis, IN.

Bente Weitekamp is vice president of development for Community Health Network Foundation in Indianapolis, IN.

Diane Wortis is director of advancement at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA, a role she started in February 2020, just before the pandemic changed everything.

What fundraising strategies worked well during the pandemic?

Theresa said that the ability to recognize that “we are all in this together” grounded her conversations with Lakefield’s donors. She enjoyed the opportunity to engage people who really cared about the organization, especially the “silent supporters” whose voices are not often heard. “Donors want to know what is going on,” she said. As a fundraiser, Theresa asked, “How can I help you help us?”

For Trish, multi-generation Zoom meetings with families took off during the pandemic. She relayed that one development officer set up a meeting with an 80-year-old donor who then invited his son-in-law to join the meeting. The son-in-law serves on a board of one of the New School’s units. The son-in-law invited his husband, the 80-year-old’s son, who invited his sister to join the meeting. Ultimately, the father, mother, their two children, and both in-laws participated in the meeting; once the original meeting was set up, the rest happened organically.

Second Helpings moved donor activity online. Working with Google docs, Katie and her team made thank you calls to donors. She hosted “meals” online with small groups of donors and found that video worked well to keep the donors engaged. Donors who had not previously attended live events joined the Zoom gatherings, which received “rave reviews.”

Bente shared that Community Health Network had the first COVID patient in the city at one of their hospitals. At first, the foundation put fundraising on hold but within a week, they recognized the need to fundraise through the crisis.

An urgent appeal in the early summer raised funds for behavioral health because they realized that it was “an epidemic within the pandemic.” The foundation was flexible and nimble and focused on grassroots efforts to raise funds.

Diane also had great success with small virtual events. Mahaiwe, a presenting arts organization, has access to many talented arts experts. In one instance, Mahaiwe engaged a Julliard lecturer on opera to shift his regular Metropolitan Opera performance lecture to Zoom

Ninety donors “showed up” for that lecture, almost three times the number who attended the in-person lecture. The Zoom opera lecture has continued on a biweekly basis for the last year, and Mahaiwe has received many new gifts from appreciative donors as a result.

What did you do in 2020 during the pandemic that you might continue in a post-pandemic world?

Theresa said that because she was working at home and had fewer distractions, she was able to be more intentional about the amount of time spent with donors. She was more proactive in talking with donors about philanthropy, which has resulted in larger and more frequent gifts.

Taking the time to understand better what moved them to support the school initially has paved the way to ensuring that future conversations are focused on what best serves the donors’ priorities and align with the school’s vision for the future.

As a VP of advancement, Trish said the pandemic showed that people can successfully work remotely. With a big picture perspective, she envisions that the New School and other higher education institutions will be more willing for people to work remotely; this approach opens up the talent pool tremendously. Further, she said the New School is looking at limiting their rental space footprint and will encourage staff to participate in hoteling rather than have assigned office space.

Katie said that she will continue the video component they started with donors and use it for committee meetings, too. The Zoom engagement expands Second Helpings’ audience beyond central Indiana.

Bente anticipates that the foundation will continue to be nimble and aware of the tone and sound of things. Foundation staff did more personalized stewardship; for example, a fundraiser would call and tell the donor “your gift arrived today and thank you” instead of waiting to acknowledge the gift after it was processed. She said that the extra attention goes a long way.

Like Katie at Second Helpings, Diane will continue to engage small groups via Zoom. In RSVPing to a virtual major donor event planned for April 2021, a donor at her winter home in Florida said “you made it easier for me to join you.”

Diane senses that the arts may continue to host hybrid events in the post-pandemic world, an approach that may attract younger and new audiences who might not have been able to afford to attend live events.

What kept you moving forward and positive during the crisis?

Theresa found her constant interaction with donors refreshing and energizing. She approached fundraising during the pandemic asking “how can I make people feel seen?” She found that success brings more success; success is an “adrenaline pump.”

When donors were encouraged to participate, to further understand the challenges and the opportunities, both short and long term, they were more likely to commit to an ongoing role in the fulfillment of future strategies. At Lakefield, it is the current—and future—students who will benefit most from these enriched philanthropic relationships.

For Trish, who began the interim leadership position in November 2020, everything was new and that excited her. New School leadership provided her a clear roadmap for her work, including a mandate to provide healing, leadership, and mentorship to the development staff who had not been laid off early in the pandemic. Despite a 50 percent reduction in staff, the New School raised more in the past year than it had the year before.

Katie, who is passionate about Second Helpings’ mission, was motivated to move forward because she knew she was making a difference. She said that the staff, which is also mission-driven, relied on each other a lot and worked together harmoniously.

For Diane, her Mahaiwe colleagues kept her moving and strong. When she was overwhelmed, she knew she could call any one of them for help and support. The younger staff kept her on track, too, especially with technology.

Working in healthcare, Bente and her team were at the heart of the crisis. Like Katie, the mission kept her focused and motivated. She knew the patients needed them to raise the dollars and that the foundation needed to support internal caregivers such as nurses and environmental service works. That her work is all about people helping people sustained Bente during the pandemic.

The two-minute video below highlighting the health care foundation’s work in 2020 is an uplifting reminder of the important work fundraisers do every day. Thank you to the fearless five and all fundraisers—beacons of light who make the world a better place.

Most couples still make decisions together when they give money to charity – but it’s becoming less common

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Andy Ware

By Jacqueline Ackerman and Jon Bergdoll

The big idea

While most U.S. couples make charitable giving decisions together, the share of joint decision-makers is declining, according to a study we published March 16. About 62% of couples decide about their giving together, down from 73% in 2005, the last time anyone studied this behavior in the general population rather than in rich families.

Meanwhile, we found that it became more common for one partner to make all giving decisions for their household. When that happens, women are more likely to be in charge than men – 15% and 12%, respectively. The remaining 11% of couples decide separately about what charities to support and how much money to give away, down from 16% in 2005.

These findings are based on responses to a Women’s Philanthropy Institute survey we and our colleagues conducted in May 2020 on how families make decisions about charitable giving. About 3 in 5 of the 3,500 people across the country who completed the online survey on behalf of their households were married or living with partners – in line with what’s typical for the U.S. overall.

Because we defined couples as anyone married or living together, including any gender combination, households headed by LGBTQ couples were included in our data. We did not analyze their giving patterns separately, and we plan to publish our findings on the 3 in 10 Americans who are single and couples whose households include other adult family members at a later date.

We also looked at other factors, like demographics and how much couples give to charity. For example, we found that older couples and couples with children under 18 are more likely to give jointly. And, on average, men who decide on behalf of their household tend to give the most. Households led by people who are married or partnered and make charitable decisions separately give the least.

Individuals have different thresholds for when to consult their partners.

It makes sense that a person would be more likely to talk to their partner about donating US$2,000 to a charity as opposed to $20. But couples who decide about giving separately, or where men make all the charitable decisions, have much higher thresholds for giving without any discussion. Couples deciding together, or where women make all the giving decisions, have much lower levels at which they talk about this issue their partner.

Finally, most households seem satisfied with their charitable decision-making, with around three-fourths of all couples indicating that they agree about the amounts and causes supported.

Why it matters

The roles women play, both in the workforce and in their families, have changed over time with more of them becoming breadwinners.

Understanding how these changes might affect household giving matters because charitable giving in the U.S. mainly comes from individuals and families. Money from people, as opposed to foundations or corporations, has accounted for at least 70% of all charitable giving over the last 40 years according to research conducted by the Giving USA Foundation in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

What still isn’t known

We studied charitable giving in terms of dollars given. But generosity isn’t just about money. Volunteering, advocacy and other forms of giving are also important, especially when financial resources are constrained. Scholars of philanthropy like us still do not fully understand household dynamics surrounding these other ways people give back to their communities.

Interestingly, couples responded to our survey in May 2020, at the beginning of what economists are calling the “she-cession” – a period when women are disproportionately staying out of the workforce, especially mothers, to accommodate the additional caregiving and parenting responsibilities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This timing means that we may have obtained data from a moment when women’s decision-making power is at its lowest level in recent years, but it’s too soon to know whether that might have influenced the dynamics of charitable giving for couples.

[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter.]

Jacqueline Ackerman, associate director of research, Women’s Philanthropy Institute, IUPUI and Jon Bergdoll, applied statistician of philanthropy, IUPUI

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Five strategies to engage volunteers as donors

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Andy Ware

By Kristi Howard Shultz

Volunteers are your organization’s most invested constituents. They are 4x more likely to give and give 10x more, on average, than non volunteers. If you are not including them in your development plan, you are missing out!

With National Volunteer Month just around the corner, there’s no better time to consider how to celebrate and engage your most treasured contributors.

Seize

With social distancing requirements it can be harder than ever to safely provide volunteer opportunities. Whether you are offering activities virtually, in person, hybrid, or have paused with plans to resume in the future, you want to provide a fun and memorable volunteer experience.

Volunteers leave energized, knowing more about your mission and how their contribution made a difference. From the start, you want to let them know what you are all about. Consider making your printed engagement menus and online “get involved” tab comprehensive. Be sure that a volunteer’s first impression includes captivating and compelling opportunities to donate.

Steward

In the United States alone volunteers are 63 million strong. They offer their valuable time, talent, treasure, and testimony to help neighbors, serve their communities, and provide their unique expertise. As gift officers there are a number of ways that we can recognize and celebrate their invaluable contributions:

Handwritten notes
Thank you phone calls
Social media spotlights
Newsletter profiles
At your annual gala
Through local awards
Via earned media and cause marketing

Consider using the next month to plan an activity per day for National Volunteer Week, April 18-24.

Strategize

If your agency doesn’t currently engage volunteers as donors, you may be asking yourself where to start. Start by finding which of your volunteers already donate. Meet with them, ask strategic questions, and for their advice.

The information you gather here and the relationships you build will inform your cultivation plan. These meetings will offer great insights and allow you to create meaningful surveys, giving levels, appeals, and recognitions. These are your champions!

If your agency already solicits volunteers, you can still benefit from the activities listed above. You may also want to audit your current appeals and work toward best practices such as personalization. No matter where your agency is on the spectrum of engagement, be sure to invite volunteers to donate.

Solicit

Once you have provided a positive volunteer experience, celebrated their contributions, and gathered feedback from your volunteer donor base, you are ready to ask! Volunteers are their own special segment and should be treated accordingly. Employ annual giving best practices when developing the voice, giving levels, and story for their appeals.

How can you develop your giving levels to appeal to the head and the heart of the donor?	$100 supports five client interviews, qualifying them and connecting them to our services.
How can you use your giving levels to motivate donors to upgrade—especially to that $250+ retention sweet spot?	$275 provides 10 hours of volunteer training.
How can you show the full spectrum of your services and impact with your giving levels?	$500 supports one ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A client’s experience start to finish?	$1,000 can provide lumber for six feet of ramp, bringing clients that much closer to freedom.
How can you use the high end of your giving levels to promote major gifts or a special campaign—anniversaries, milestones, etc.	$3,000 delivers a complete ramp and a life-changing experience for our clients, their families, and caretakers.

Giving levels, when used correctly, are a method of cultivation. They are another way to tell your story!

Swap

There is no doubt that in today’s changed landscape keeping volunteers connected and engaged is challenging. Beyond the challenges COVID brings, you may have organizational culture barriers to overcome. Oftentimes, the program and development departments can be siloed. It may be time to evaluate this relationship:

How does your program department feel about fundraising?
How can you demonstrate the value of engaging volunteers as donors?
How can you involve them in fundraising?

The program and development departments are partners in resource development.

What information can you share with one another to grow the agency as a whole?
What can interdepartmental collaboration look like?
How can you regularly and reliably do this?
How can you overcome objections if they are hesitant?

A healthy and ongoing collaboration between program and development ensures a successful volunteer giving program.

Kristi Howard Shultz, founder of Kristi Howard-Shultz Consulting, is a nonprofit executive that leads with head and heart. With 20+ years of experience working for nonprofits including nationally-known, time-tested institutions like The Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs, she has worked in nearly every capacity of fundraising throughout her career. She has a proven track record of success in board and fund development, campaign management, and capacity building. She has built a strong reputation within the community and is sought after for her industry expertise and thought leadership. Kristi is a natural relationship builder who loves to put plans into action. Championing “firsts” for organizations is her specialty.

Effective leadership, successful fundraising

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Bill Stanczykiewicz

By Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D.

Fundraisers are managers utilizing a fundraising plan as a management document to achieve goals and meet metrics. However, even though fundraisers rarely hold a nonprofit’s top staff position, fundraisers are also leaders. Knowing the difference between fundraising management and fundraising leadership is essential for fundraising success.

While management is focused on today’s details, leadership is focused on tomorrow’s possibilities. Those possibilities are rooted not in the fundraising plan’s goals and metrics (i.e., management) but the vision and the impact of the nonprofit’s mission.

The fundraising manager concentrates on how funds are being raised, by whom, and by when. The fundraising leader, in contrast, inspires everyone in the nonprofit by focusing on why the funds are being raised and what could be next if fundraising could increase to meet an expanding vision.

That vision is informed by constantly looking outside of the nonprofit and into the future. The fundraiser can study a range of trends including (but not limited to) the economy and the culture, laws and policies, and anything else in the external environment that could influence future fundraising, positively or negatively.

Paraphrasing former Apple executive John Sculley, the future belongs to those who are first to see future possibilities. The fundraising leader’s compelling vision, delivered with inspiration, galvanizes the entire organization around successful fundraising.

Leadership opportunities are available with all colleagues. For example, the leader’s direct influence with the fundraising team is clear since the fundraising staff reports to the leader. However, the fundraising leader also can lead up to the CEO and the board of directors, using the soft power derived from information and expertise to influence the fundraising activities of those who are higher up on the org chart.

When teaching effective leadership in our Certificate in Fund Raising Leadership program, The Fund Raising School relies on the definition provided by James MacGregor Burns in his seminal book, Leadership. According to Burns, leadership is “relational, collective, and purposeful. Leadership shares with power the central function of achieving purpose.”

Leadership is relational, with the leader not perched above everyone else. Leadership is also collective, with the leader encouraging team members to work together, contributing their skills and abilities and their recommendations and concerns to strengthen the overall team effort.

The team’s collective effort is aimed at achieving purpose. For the nonprofit organization, this purpose is to make the world a better place by fulfilling the organization’s unique mission.

Leading with the mission in mind is the essence of transformational leadership, promoting the organization’s success over each team member’s success. Focusing on the “why” of the mission also increases the possibilities for ethical fundraising since behaving unethically would damage the individual and the nonprofit.

The fundamentals of transformational leadership also reveal why fundraisers are well-matched for leadership and, in fact, already are leaders. For example, successful fundraisers are already focused not on themselves but on helping donors experience the joy of giving in ways that strengthen the nonprofit’s impact. This is a transformational approach in which fundraisers lead toward organizational success, not personal achievement.

As Dr. Lilya Wagner described in her book on transformational leadership and fundraising, “This is important for the fundraiser because our work is less about us than about everyone else, from donors to colleagues to community.”

Fundraising is a management function, and yet fundraisers also have unique leadership opportunities.

Check out the Effective Leadership, Successful Fundraising course »

Bill Stanczykiewicz, Ed.D., serves as assistant dean for external relations at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, where he also directs The Fund Raising School.