How we give in the digital age

Posted on August 21, 2020 by Abby Rolland

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI)’s new podcast series, “Philanthropy Plugged In” invites scholars and practitioners together to discuss the intersection of gender, giving, and technology.

One of the episodes focuses on giving in the digital age, and features Scott Jackson, president and CEO of Global Impact, an organization founded to support workplace giving with small donors. Global Impact supports charitable ventures by conducting advisory work to support campaigns and fundraising initiatives, acting as a support team for those fundraising programs, and providing tools to everyday donors.

Jackson and Global Impact have sought to expand philanthropy by using the program Grow Fund, which acts as a personal foundation to donors and allows them to be strategic when investing their dollars in philanthropy and the community.

To relate the work of Grow Fund to WPI and its new study Women Give 2020 – New Forms of Giving in a Digital Age: Powered by Technology, Creating Community, Jackson pointed out that women are giving on a more regular basis to philanthropy, which is why Grow Fund is targeted more toward women donors and their busy lives.

“Women see philanthropy as part of their everyday lives,” Jackson said. “Women also are quickly becoming a dominant donor in terms of the size of their gifts and the size of their grants they’re making.

“While men still currently edge women on the size of donations, women are more likely to give more frequently. In the future, I believe that women will lead men in their giving while also growing their own philanthropy.”

Jackson also imagines that technology will provide crucial access to expanding philanthropy:

“We’ve seen tremendous growth in online giving as a whole, and so technology is playing a role in providing access to philanthropy. In addition, we’re seeing that donors are willing to give more and more of their philanthropy online and trust online programs as effective and safe tools for giving.

“We’re also seeing an increase in building community. With COVID-19, we’re finding new ways to create community with one another online. As we build community, women donors will lead the way in giving circles, collaboratives, and other forms that will not only bring giving to life, but will also have the ability to focus on causes and the ability to create social impact within a community.”

Jackson noted that Grow Fund supports over 250 giving circles on its platform. He thinks this allows individuals to join with others to leverage similar interests and funding in order to give larger gifts together, thus making even more of an impact.

In the future, he says that technology can act as a tool for individuals to give together and to be strategic about philanthropy: “We’ll be able to see the social impact that we can have by coming together in given communities.”

According to Jackson, technology can also serve as a way to democratize philanthropy.

“The research from the Women Give 2020 report helps show us that women give to smaller nonprofits and community organizations, and also give to equity and inclusion-focused groups,” he said. “Using technology to create community allows people to find each other, build community, and share in philanthropy together. I hope that as a result, we’ll see greater impact on the core elements of gender and equity in society.”

Listen to the full podcast, or learn more about gender, giving, and technology in WPI’s newest report.

The fundraising landscape in the midst of COVID-19

Posted on August 17, 2020 by Andy Ware

By Kelly R. Young

Amid all the other ways that COVID-19 is affecting the fundraising landscape—donors losing jobs, cancellation of major fundraising events, etc.—how does a recession impact fundraisers and philanthropy? How is COVID-19 impacting the fundraising landscape overall? What should fundraisers do in the midst of a global pandemic?

To help answer these questions, we asked two nationally renowned fundraising experts and adjunct faculty members of The Fund Raising School for their opinions and insights into the ever-changing fundraising landscape.

Kay Sprinkel Grace, FAFP, author, and international speaker is one of the most respected voices in the fundraising profession. She was recently named the 2020 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Since starting her own consulting firm, Transforming Philanthropy, in 1989, Grace has helped nonprofit organizations raise billions of dollars to reach their annual and campaign goals through strategic support of their fundraising and board development efforts.

Karla A. Williams, M.A., ACRFE, consultant, teacher, author, and speaker, has inspired organizations across the country to accomplish unlimited goals with limited resources. She motivates her students and colleagues with her keen sense of the donor environment, her propensity for challenging assumptions, her principled participative leadership philosophy, and her unique classroom levity. Karla is an organizational consultant with more than 35 years of professional nonprofit leadership. Her firm, The Williams Group, has assisted over 300 nonprofits to develop strong donor-focused cultures.

Are we able to draw any comparisons to the Great Recession of 2007-09?

Grace: There is an important distinction in that the Great Recession was an economic crisis only; this is a health crisis. I believe there are some parallels in donor behavior in seeing that people want to give and make a difference. As fundraisers, we need to communicate the need and show the impact of how giving is making a difference.

Williams: I believe these are two different scenarios, and we cannot overplay economics with a significant health crisis. We may not want to use the recession as an example to learn from, but rather learn to monitor what is happening and leverage what is going on to better communicate with our donors.

How is COVID-19 impacting the fundraising landscape?

Grace: I see the greatest impacts in major donor fundraising and the importance of communicating impact. What donors need to see during times like this is that their social investment is making a difference. As fundraisers, we need to adjust and be creative. We need to think differently too. While we are continuing to social distance and hold meetings and events virtually, how can we personalize a very cold platform, such as Zoom? Something as simple as using the Gallery view on Zoom and identifying people by name can feel more personal. Just when you think you have mastered your craft, something new evolves. Recognize it, accept it, and adapt. Our industry has not changed; the tools have.

Williams: What COVID-19 has done to philanthropy has disrupted people’s perception of health and safety, and when people are uncertain about their future, their giving slows down. COVID-19 has created unintended circumstances that affect people’s ability to stay focused and to be optimistic. The uncertainty that we are experiencing affects people’s attitudes and behaviors that will absolutely affect philanthropy. Giving is very therapeutic and allows people to be a part of a solution. Our role is to continue to communicate with them and invite them along the journey to solve the issue at hand. I advise fundraisers at this time to continue to foster and safeguard all relationships, because those who are holding tight right now may give in the future. In the absence of giving, maintain relationships.

What should fundraisers do amid a global pandemic?

Grace: To be successful right now, organizations need to show flexibility, innovation, and acceptance to change. We need to refrain from using the term “that’s the way we’ve always done it” because the one thing that COVID-19 has taught us is nothing is the same. Relationships with donors that included in-person solicitation meetings are now being done virtually. Events are now online, and we are finding new and creative ways to engage with a variety of audiences. Nonprofits tend to be apologetic when calling on a donor or making an ask, when now is the time to stand boldly and demonstrate how the needs we meet as a sector are profound. People give to us because we meet needs, not because we have needs; show it. Protect partnerships by being open, honest, and transparent.

Williams: Now is the time to over-communicate with donors. They will choose how much and what they want to listen to. Call them to ask how they are doing, not to ask for money. Send weekly updates from your executive director. Highlight success stories. Drill back to the basics and show your impact. Keep donors informed; the good news and the bad news, but at the same time show hope instead of despair and desperation.

Treat all donors in a way that shows you are grateful for their partnership no matter the size and type of gift. As fundraisers, we are guilty of focusing on the donors who give the most. However, we need to focus on everybody and every gift. This is an opportunity to have donors serve as champions for you, not just with a financial gift, but as an influencer who can share your message of impact in the community. We need to consider fundraising as a full-blown profession, backed with research. We should not apologize for asking for money but demonstrate the need and the impact of a gift, whether that is a gift of time, talent, or treasure. I believe philanthropy is love of humankind, and that love needs to be nurtured. Cultivation is critical.

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The takeaway here? Rather than view this pandemic as the demise of fundraising efforts, fundraisers need to look at this as a time to pivot in the way in which they raise money while seizing an opportunity to develop deeper relationships with their donors. Connections are even more important in this time of social distancing. We are all learning to change and adapt, and fundraising is no different.

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.

A journey of fundraising exploration

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Abby Rolland

Fundraising.

A word that means to raise funds. Sounds simple enough, right?

As many of you are probably aware, it’s not. As Dr. Gene Tempel, dean emeritus of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and president emeritus of IU Foundation, said, “fundraising is the difficult art of engagement.” It’s time-intensive, not easy, and often misunderstood by the general population.

How can you make sense of this “difficult art of engagement,” and also think of it as legendary fundraiser and founder of The Fund Raising School Hank Rosso defined it: “the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.”

For one, you can take courses at The Fund Raising School. To gain a comprehensive view of fundraising, I’d suggest first working on your Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM), a four-course certificate designed to give any new or experienced fundraiser a grounding in fundraising and philanthropy research, as well as in-depth information about fundraising.

In this post, I’ll take you “behind-the-scenes,” sharing insights you can use in your own fundraising work while also illustrating the benefit of this certificate program (which can be completed fully online now!)

Principles and Techniques of Fundraising

Start with the first course, the one that started it all. This course gives an in-depth, intensive look into all types of fundraising. To be honest, I actually took this course as an academic course during a full semester, as it was required for my master’s degree. However, if you take it solely with The Fund Raising School, you’ll spend four days in-person (post-COVID-19), or eight weeks online, learning about the ins and outs of fundraising.

The academic course had us dive into the work of a local nonprofit of our choice. I met with the development director and entered into assignments that included working through the fundraising cycle, developing and strengthening a case statement, discussing a budget and current funding model, developing a gift range chart (the most challenging part of the semester but also the most rewarding once it was figured out!), and drafting a letter of inquiry.

You’ll learn and do all of this in the non-academic course, but your benefit over mine? You can use your own organization as your case study!

Developing Annual Sustainability

After the first fundamental course, your course path is really up to you. I chose to design mine based on building from the fundraising pyramid up, so my second course was about the annual fund.

I took this course in-person, so it was a jammed-pack two days (which would be four weeks online). We learned all about annual fund components: physical mailings, events, digital fundraising, etc. We discussed the constituents of an annual fund and data-driven decision-making (e.g. what’s your return on investment for an event compared to a newsletter compared to social media).

One of my favorite parts of this course was analyzing real appeal letters with the other course participants. We discussed what stood out to us in the letters we liked, and how those various messages would sound to a donor or potential donor.

Developing Major Gifts

question on easel board — Faculty member Tim Seiler asked us this question, which has stuck in my mind ever since I took this course.

The next step up the fundraising pyramid: major gifts. I took this course in-person for three days (it’s six weeks online), but again, it was a full three days. We talked about organizational readiness, the fundraising cycle, the extreme importance (this is emphasized in all classes, btw) of identification, qualification, cultivation, and stewardship, and meeting the donor where she or he is.

Two important points really stood out to me about this course. One was the DiSC personality assessment. Maybe you’ve already done this, but I would highly recommend taking this “test.” It helped me not only understand myself better, but it also assisted me in working with potential donors. If you’re working with a major gift prospect, knowing or having an idea of their DiSC personality and being able to tailor your solicitation not only to their personal interests and dreams, but also to how they like to see information presented, is crucial.

The other exercise I really enjoyed was the solicitation exercise. Now, I’m sure many of you are well-versed at making an ask. I personally am not. While this practice with classmates did not include the many elements of major gift fundraising (e.g. building the relationship ahead of time), using the DiSC assessment helped my partner and me craft an appropriate and tailored ask. Receiving feedback after was also critical. Practice makes perfect, and so I think the experience could be helpful whether you’ve made a hundred asks or one.

Planned Giving: Getting the Proper Start

I had planned to take this in-person (I really like the interaction between classmates), but then COVID-19 happened and The Fund Raising School shifted all of its courses online for the time being.

However, I found this third different way of taking a course helpful in its own way. You miss the in-person interaction, but you get to communicate back and forth with classmates in discussion sessions. You do have readings, quizzes, assignments, and discussions when you take the course online and have to weave it into your daily schedule (rather than solely focusing on a course for a few days), but with understanding planned giving, I found having more time to digest the material quite helpful.

It’s complicated stuff. You’re learning about gifts that can benefit your organization now, gifts that can help later, and gifts that pay income to the donors or loved ones. We dove into material about marketing and managing a comprehensive planned gift program.

I discovered though, that there are so many ways to connect with donors and help them fulfill their charitable and personal desires. Do they want to donate a specified income amount to charity now and then after they pass, have the trust revert to their heirs? Talk to them about a charitable lead trust. Do they have a life insurance policy that they don’t have use for anymore? They can make the charity a beneficiary, or a beneficiary and owner of that policy. They can even donate property like a house that they’re living in and want to stay in, but then goes to the charity after the donors pass (life estate).

Simply put, donors can leave a bequest. It’s simple language that can be included in their will bequest, and since there’s a large transfer of wealth that will occur very soon, it’s important to have.

Conclusion

So there you go. Four courses to increase your knowledge of fundraising. You can also take Managing the Capital Campaign, instead of one of the three I did (Annual Sustainability, Major Gifts, Planned Giving). Whether you’re a new fundraiser or experienced one, these courses and the many others offered by The Fund Raising School will help base your fundraising in thorough research moving forward.

Abby Rolland has her master’s degree in philanthropic studies and her Certificate in Fund Raising Management. She currently serves as a fellow at The Patterson Foundation.

Capital campaigns during COVID-19: What do I do now?

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Andy Ware

Fellow course attendee, local organization Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS) is currently running a comprehensive campaign. Here, a VIPS family receives therapy with a LightAide.

By Kristi Howard-Shultz

I recently took the online course Capital Campaigns: What do I do now? The title alone was intriguing. It’s something, as a professional fundraiser, I’m asking myself every day and you may be too!

To answer this question, dean emeritus of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and long-time fundraiser Dr. Gene Tempel shared his expertise on capital campaigns and how pandemics affect charitable giving. It was a great session and I left determined and encouraged with the following takeaways:

The environment is new.

There is no doubt that we are in a volatile economic environment. The magnitude of this crisis has grown from curbing the spread of COVID-19 to damaging the economy in unprecedented ways. Donors may be giving less and we may not be able to meet face to face for many more months. While we have been through economic downturns and national tragedies before, we have never been through a pandemic and downturn quite like this.

Crises like September 11, 2001 gave us some guidance. Many organizations during that time found that their donors needed about two months to process the tragedy and reconnect to their previous giving priorities. COVID 19 is a bit different. This crisis has gone on for many months, is worldwide, and there appears to be no end in sight. In other words, waiting two months is relative. Your approach and timing with donors may be a bit different, but the fundamentals of developing relationships and running the campaign are not.

The fundamentals are not.

Even mid-pandemic, you will still follow the typical guiding campaign principles: sequential solicitation, volunteer involvement, focus on quality over quantity. Relationships still rule. Ultimately, our visits during the campaign still contain these essential aspects: 1) expressing empathy to donors and prospects, as well as all our constituents, 2) explaining the need, answering questions, and telling the truth, and 3) letting the donor lead. Leave your meetings asking things like, “How would you like to proceed?” “When should I check back in?” “Transparency builds trust!”

The timeline may be extended.

The biggest adjustment in the timeline may be in the planning phase. Even though solicitation may happen later than you originally planned, you can use extended planning to reach out to current and prospective donors. Let them know you’re thinking about them, gather their feedback and concerns, and share plans for the campaign.

This is also the time for organizations to review options. If a facility is planned, can construction be delayed? If construction has begun, how will the organization fund it until the campaign is completed? You may need to adjust campaign and building priorities for a post-pandemic world.

What do you need to include now that you didn’t before? What needs to be changed or even excluded? Were you planning space for in-person programming that you now realize can successfully be done remotely? Maybe you need more or different technology? Don’t be afraid to iterate.

Offer flexible pledge payments. Now, more than ever, nonprofits need to listen carefully and communicate regularly with donors. Some donors may need to suspend their pledges or work out an extended pledge period. Some may have been planning to make gifts from appreciated assets or stock options and ask to postpone their gift until a time when their assets recover from the downturn.

Delay the public phase. Research shows, from the experience of the Great Recession, that donors making smaller gifts are among the first to stop giving. If your campaign is near the end and soliciting general gifts, that might cause your campaign to stall. It’s not too late for the campaign cabinet and the board to consider alternative strategies.

Take heart!

Whether you are doing a project or comprehensive campaign, or anywhere in between … your cause is worthy. Your case is solid. Go forth and raise!

Kristi Howard Shultz, founder of Kristi Howard-Shultz Consulting, is a a nonprofit executive that leads with head and heart. With 20+ years of experience working for nonprofits including nationally-known, time-tested institutions like Scouts BSA (formerly 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.

Living the dream

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Abby Rolland

You previously learned about then-student and now alumna Erin Wuertz, B.A.’18, who began working at Coburn Place as an intern after hearing about the domestic violence shelter’s work from fellow alumna Julia Kathary, M.A.’08.

Two and a half years later Wuertz continues her work at Coburn Place but now as a full-time employee. How did she earn her current position as community engagement manager, and what does she most enjoy about working at Coburn Place?

After finishing her internship, Wuertz applied for and received a part-time position as a front desk mentor, who serve as the front line workers at the domestic violence shelter. Then, she moved into a full-time role working second shift (4 p.m.-12 a.m.) while finishing her degree.

After graduating in December 2018, she earned the position of volunteer coordinator that following February. Only nine months later, she received another promotion to become the community engagement manager.

“I’ve been able to advance and grow tremendously with Coburn Place,” Wuertz said. “I went from volunteering to helping in pantries, then helping with events, to now planning those events and managing in-kind donations/items and volunteers in three years.

“It’s been an amazing and surreal journey. Coburn Place really values growing the talent it has and promoting from within.”

What does Wuertz enjoy the most about her current work?

“Helping domestic violence survivors is my passion, and I believe that Coburn Place is doing a top-notch job in this area. I am so fortunate and thankful to use my skills in philanthropy and events management in a way that not only makes a huge difference in general, but makes a difference in a cause that I am truly passionate about.”

She hopes to continue to learn all that she can and do all that she can to help Coburn Place, while also hoping to open her own transitional housing for domestic violence survivors somewhere it is truly needed. She also plans on finishing her graduate certificate in philanthropic studies and continue on one day to earn a master’s degree in philanthropic studies or social work.

“Growing up in the world of domestic violence started my dream of helping others, and now working in this world as an adult has only grown that dream even more,” Wuertz said.