There are several major research databases, but if you have a small development shop or don’t yet have the time or resources to subscribe to a database, there are quite a number of free (or free through a public library system) resources where you can perform prospect research or, if you are a potential donor, perform a background check on an organization’s financial reports.

People Search and Social Media Sites

Google (gold mine if you develop good search skills)

Linked In

Zoom Info (Try it! I did a search on my name and company and found blogs written for Collins Group)

Facebook

Twitter

Google Images (helps to make sure you are actually researching the person you think you are)

Local news articles and publications

Prospect and Donor Research

NozaSearch

Search by donor name or nonprofit. This is not a free database but a 24-hour free trial is available.

Property Assessment Directory

A state by state listing of property assessment databases searchable by owner name or property address.

Business and Financial Background Information

ABI/Inform

Subscription required; free trial offer; available online through major library systems

This database compiles full-text articles and has in-depth coverage of companies, products, executives, and business trends.

Business & Company Resource Center

Subscription required; free trial offer; available online through major library systems

Company profiles and histories, industry news, brand information, rankings, investment reports, chronologies and magazine articles.

EDGAR

Free online access

The Securities and Exchange Commission public filing records for companies since 1984.

Guidestar

Nonprofit search is free; access to organization’s financial reports requires subscription

An information service that specializing on reporting on nonprofits and contains millions of IRS forms 990. This is also handy for researching executives and officers.

ReferenceUSA

Free search from home page; subscriptions services available online through major library systems
US and Canadian business and residential listings companies including executive searches.

British Columbia Securities Commission compiled a list of free and paid resources covering both the US and Canada (mostly Canada but they have a nice breakdown on the sources available for conducting background research.)

http://www.bcsc.bc.ca/uploadedFiles/dealers/compliance/Research_Sources.pdf

What are your favorites? Happy hunting!

It was hard to not get swept up in the excitement of the day, and The Seattle Foundation is to be commended for utilizing social media to keep us all informed of progress, golden ticket winners, and bursts of activity. Truly, we were all in this together.

As the dollars are counted and the dust settles, what does the success of GiveBIG really mean? Philanthropy is alive and well in Seattle (and beyond). Many of us thrive on banding together with like-minded souls to support causes and people who are changing lives for the better (following the herd has its plusses from time to time!). Social media is a very effective tool for calling people to action and building a sense of community. Nonprofits that already do a good job of communicating with their supporters shine when it comes to rallying their troops for a special occasion. Those who haven’t quite shown up to the party yet tend to struggle.

Almost a week past the big day, here’s what stands out in my mind:

• The “save the date” email I received from a favorite nonprofit in early April
• The phone call from a friendly volunteer of another nonprofit thanking me for giving last year during GiveBIG and encouraging me to give again this year
• The email with a video clip of actors performing short scenes from upcoming plays
• The email with a picture of a smiling child with an “ask” in a thought bubble
• Friends and colleagues posting on Facebook the organizations they supported
• The thank you call from an executive director 30 minutes after I made my donation
• The board member who issued a matching gift on top of the stretch pool to make every donation grow bigger

These are shining examples of inspired philanthropy, to be sure. My only gripe is this: shouldn’t every day be GiveBIG? As we move through the next 365 days, let’s open up the conversation about how we are channeling the structure and energy of GiveBIG to stimulate great fundraising strategy and excellent donor relations. One nonprofit executive told me that they are working on non-financial goals for GiveBIG, such as new donors acquired and participation from staff. Another development professional relayed that she is considering orienting the annual fund around GiveBIG to take full advantage of the “free” messaging and matching funds. Whatever strategy you pursue, let’s be sure that GiveBIG actually inspires us to GiveBIGger. You don’t really want to stay home, do you?

Quick now: When was the last time you walked into an elevator where someone asked you to explain your occupation in four floors or less?

Thought so.

That’s why today I am calling on everyone to kill your elevator speech–and to start working on your “share-and-engage speech.”

I’m sure at some point in history, on a distant elevator, one person asked another person for her occupation, and then promptly got off at the fourth floor, leaving her totally befuddled, feeling bound and determined never to let that happen again. But when did the rest of us decide we needed to make this the template for explaining ourselves and our organizations?

Why is now the time to free ourselves of this practice?

Because elevator speeches are full of hackneyed phrases like: “I work to transform lives by unlocking each man, woman and child’s human potential.” Or “I am dedicated to breaking the shackles of poverty and neglect holding down the working poor.” Good sentiments, all. But, really, who talks like that?

No one has ever approached me in an elevator and asked me to explain my occupation, but countless people at parties, workshops, conferences, beer halls, etc., have. And they aren’t getting off in four floors. They look at me expectantly, ready to engage in a conversation. So why should I come back with a response designed to run a sprint when, in fact, I need one for the middle distances?

The reason is that we all fear the dreaded marathoner. Going on and on and never getting to the point. Fair enough. But let’s not solve the problem of being unnaturally verbose by being unnaturally brief.

Lastly, the elevator speech is inherently all me and no you. There’s no engagement point.

So, let’s get on our track shoes and work on our middle-distance run. Something like …

“Hi, I’m James and I work for The Collins Group. We’re a consulting firm that helps nonprofit groups raise the money they need to do the work that enriches all of our lives. Some examples include programs that care for the poor and elderly, arts organizations, educational institutions, and groups working to preserve the environment. I couldn’t be happier about what I do for a living. So, tell me, what brings joy to your life?”

Capital Campaign Manager

The Capital Campaign Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the HealthPoint capital campaign. The Capital Campaign Manager works in conjunction with HealthPoint leadership and staff as well as campaign counsel to develop and implement plans and systems for a successful campaign.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Oversees and implements the campaign plan, managing day-to-day campaign efforts
2. Oversees corporate and foundation requests, manages relationships with program officers, and researches and prepares grant proposals and reports
3. Prepares copy for, and oversees, the development of all campaign materials, including brochures, talking points, and newsletters.
4. Staffs all campaign committees, organizing meetings and working with volunteers one-on-one to ensure they are prepared and supported in their assignments
5. Develops and manages prospect lists and a moves management system for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors
6. Oversees the donor recognition and stewardship plans/policy
7. Coordinates campaign activities with other development and marketing staff at HealthPoint
8. Helps shape and implement donor strategies, preparing staff and volunteers for donor meetings, and attending meetings when appropriate
9. Develops and manages community campaign components.
10. Oversees the campaign budget and capital campaign reporting.
11. Maintains good attendance, is punctual and works full scheduled shift is a condition of employment.
12. Demonstrates respectful, professional and appropriate behavior that supports a team oriented work environment.
13. Demonstrate a commitment to the mission, core values and goals of HealthPoint and its healthcare delivery including the ability to integrate values of justice, respect, compassion, excellence and stewardship into appropriate programs and services.
14. Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree plus advanced business and/or fundraising training; CFRE desirable.
• Minimum five years’ experience in fundraising management
• Record of successful career growth leading to significant management responsibilities in a nonprofit organization
• Successful track record managing relationships with volunteers and major donors
• Experience engaging diverse communities in fundraising efforts

Communication Skills

• Detail-oriented, organized, and self-motivated
• Excellent writing and public speaking skills

Reasoning and/or Critical Thinking Ability

The ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Solid understanding of budgeting needed. Work plans must be developed and implemented.

Computer Skills

• Advanced ability to operate computers and related software programs including Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and Powerpoint.
• Working knowledge of fundraising database systems; Salesforce is preferred

Licenses or Certificates

• None Required

Physical Requirements and Working Environment

This position requires the manual dexterity sufficient to operate phones, computers, and other office equipment.  This person must speak and write clearly using the English language to accurately convey information and be able to hear at normal speaking levels both in person and over the telephone.  Vision correctable to 20/40 is required to review written materials.

Generally good working conditions with little or no exposure to communicable diseases, extremes in noises and temperature.  Little or no safety or health hazards.  Minimal lifting or climbing; work performed in an office or clinic setting.

Planning and Development Coordinator

This position is responsible for maintaining the donor database, data analysis and reporting for public grants and private grants, and generally supporting scheduling, data needs, and research related to planning, fundraising, grants, marketing and community relations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Maintains the integrity of HealthPoint’s donor management database/system, including policies and procedures, entry of gifts, donor/funder information, and report generation.
2. Enters all donations/gifts/grants and ensures donors are thanked according to donor stewardship and recognition plans.
3. Prepares and maintains reports on donors, donations and campaigns.
4. Supports Director of Planning and Development and volunteer leadership by making appointments, preparing packets, and drafting thank-you letters and notes
5. Supports HealthPoint’s fundraising efforts which include preparing prospect lists, tracking moves  management, solicitations for appeals, special events, and proposal writing.
6. Develops and maintains reporting and invoicing timeline and ensures the complete and timely submission of all public and private grant related reports.
7. Assists with the accurate and timely submission of grant proposals and reports.
8. Performs research as needed to support grant proposals.
9. Interfaces (by phone, in writing, in person) with key external stakeholders, funders and donors.
10. Assists in the preparation and dissemination of HealthPoint’s Community Newsletter
11. Supports identified marketing and community relations initiatives.
12. Provides general research and data support for planning department work.
13. Maintains good attendance, is punctual and works full scheduled shift is a condition of employment.
14. Demonstrates respectful, professional and appropriate behavior that supports a team oriented work environment.
15. Demonstrates a commitment to the mission, core values and goals of HealthPoint and its healthcare delivery including the ability to integrate values of justice, respect, compassion, excellence and stewardship into appropriate programs and services.
16. Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Education and/or experience

Bachelor’s Degree (BA or BS) and/or equivalent experience with 2 years of fundraising/grants experience. Demonstrated ability to be a self starter, motivated, works independently with ability to follow through.  Strong interpersonal, multi-tasking and teamwork skills.

Communication Skills

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures/reports/documents, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports and business correspondence.  Work involves both mass communication and personal contact with donors/funders.

Reasoning and/or Critical Thinking Ability

Detail oriented with the ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of work product and high degree of ethics and integrity in information gathering.

Computer Skills

Advanced ability to operate computers and related software programs including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Visio, PowerPoint.  Experience with donor management systems preferred; especially Salesforce; as well as e-communication programs such as Vertical Response.

Licenses or Certificates

None

Physical Requirements and Working Environment

This position requires the manual dexterity sufficient to operate phones, computers, and other office equipment.  This person must speak and write clearly using the English language to accurately convey information and be able to hear at normal speaking levels both in person and over the telephone.  Vision correctable to 20/40 is required to review written materials.

Generally good working conditions with little or no exposure to communicable diseases, extremes in noises and temperature.  Little or no safety or health hazards.  Minimal lifting or climbing; work performed in an office or clinic setting.

• Check out the Chronicle of Philanthropy.  You can read the journal’s articles featuring sessions and news here.
• On Twitter?  Search #afpmeet to see some of the best nuggets of information from each session, and to assess which sessions you want to purchase recordings of for your shop.
• Podcasts from each session available here.
• Check out charity:water for a great website full of infographics and creative donor cultivation strategy.
• Lisa Shannon was a distinguished speaker Carol found extremely innovative. Read more about her book, “A Thousand Sisters,” and her work in Africa.
• Claire Diaz-Ortiz, author of “Twitter For Good,” was a presenter at the conference, and as a result her book was flying off the shelves. Check it out here.
• Did you love the “Fundraising Effectiveness Project” Kristin referred to during the webinar? Find more information here for great tips, and to add your voice to the data collected so far.
• Peter Drury spoke about teaching your board to evaluate fundraising effectiveness. Download the podcast here.
• Follow Kristin on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest fundraising trends (@kristinbarsness). Collins Group’s Twitter feed is another great resource (@CollinsGrp).
• Links to last week’s webinar slides and audio.

In many nonprofit organizations, especially ones which are small or mid-sized, the development and communications functions are lumped together under one long heading of “Director of Development and Communications.” These are, however, two very distinct functions that have different purposes guiding them, and need targeted strategies to work to their best advantage.

A marketing communications plan encompasses the key messaging that clarifies your vision and the strategies and channels in which you share those messages with your constituents. The purpose is community awareness of your organization and engagement in its mission. You want to make everyone aware of what you do, why you do it, and how your organization is a leader in your field.

A development plan identifies your organization’s fundraising objectives and revenue goals as well as strategies for donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The purpose of a development plan is to increase donor engagement with and giving to the organization, to increase revenue to support your programs and, ultimately, mission. You want donors to understand the benefit your organization provides to the community and believe in it enough to give you a financial gift to support the organization.

Neither of these two plans can exist in a vacuum; they must complement each other and ultimately be working toward the same goal: fulfillment of your mission.

Where do they intersect? Donors.  Along the communications pipeline, donors must first be aware of your organization and come to believe in your mission before they make the decision to support you financially. Donor communications is the place where these two plans must agreeably intersect, and is not just a method of communication (i.e., case for support, annual reports, solicitation letters, and eNewsletters), but simple and substantive key messages that must be written and spoken with truth and consistency, so that your constituents are inspired by and have clear expectations of your organization. Donor communications is not about telling people what you do, but rather showing them how their gifts make an impact. The purpose is to educate and engage current and potential donors so that they will be advocates for your organization and support you financially.

If you have separate communications and development departments, have you checked to see how many print and electronic messages your donors get from you – and how often? For example, if you’re a member organization, what department writes the renewal letter ? Are all of your communications – no matter from what department or for what targeted purpose – on a single calendar?

Don’t let this happen to you:

Healthy Babies, Healthy Kids was getting ready to unveil its new program to ensure all toddlers in the greater metro area would receive balanced, healthy meals at participating daycares. Because of some unforeseen issues, they moved the rollout a week. But no one informed the Development Department of the delay – and they had just sent out their annual Spring Solicitation letter. Two days after the ask letter arrived in people’s real and virtual mailboxes, so did the brochure announcing the Toddler meal program. How many people opened that second letter? How many people deleted that second email without fully reading it?

If your nonprofit doesn’t have the available budget for a dedicated communications professional, this article will  help you create a plan that can coexist with your fundraising effort and be carried out by other staff.

If you’re just getting started on a strategic communications plan, here’s a simple template to help you gather your thoughts.

You can follow successfully implement both marketing and donor communications strategies as long as you have a cohesive plan that is clear as to where they differ and why they intersect. Good luck!

Thorough studies provide critical feedback about an organization’s overall reputation, identify which aspects of its mission and vision resonate more and less with donors, cultivate potential donors and leaders, and help determine the internal infrastructure needed to support the increased engagement with donors during a campaign. Perhaps most importantly, a feasibility study sends a loud message to loyal supporters and opinion leaders: “We value your feedback as we shape our vision to better serve the community.”

As organizations rely on the generosity of individual donors more than ever before, here are four trends we’ve seen during our interviews with hundreds of donors over the past year:

• Urgency really, really matters. Donors will hesitate to endorse your project vision – defined as how the community you serve will benefit from the campaign – if they perceive your plan as a “nice to have” vs. one that it is essential to moving your mission forward. What will happen if you don’t move forward with your plans? What opportunities will you leverage by moving forward today instead of waiting until tomorrow?
• In addition to meeting urgent needs, donors want to know how your campaign vision will enable you to advance your mission more effectively and efficiently.  How will your programs not only serve more community members, but also do so better? What does “better” mean? With whom will you partner to amplify your impact in the community?
• As government funds diminish or disappear entirely, many donors perceive protecting (rather than expanding) core programs as worthy of significant investment. To what extent will individual giving need to scale up in order to ensure that your current programs will still exist five years from now?
• If your campaign vision is ambitious, donors will look closely at the long-term sustainability of a larger operating budget to support expanded programming. Does your campaign goal include dollars dedicated to ramping up new or expanded programs? What revenue assumptions are you relying on for your future budget, and how have they been tested?

We are living through fundamental shifts in funding for the arts, human services, education, the environment, and health care. Regardless of your sector, whether donors choose to partner with you in protecting or advancing your organization’s mission will depend on how clearly you articulate the urgency and community benefit of your program, and your ability to realize and sustain your vision.

We have so many channels of instant communications available to us. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, and SurveyMonkey – just to name a few – have all broken down the traditional means of gathering feedback and disseminating information to our donors and clients. Never before have nonprofits been able to survey and gather feedback from their constituents so quickly.

But what do you do with that information once you have it? It is so easy to become overwhelmed and then, in turn, overwhelm your constituents with the sheer amount of information available. How do you prevent information from just becoming noise?

Infographics.  Data Visualizations. These are just some of the growing buzzwords about using visuals to engage and inform meaningful data to our clients and constituents. Simply put, an infographic is a way to represent visually a key message in a quickly and easily understood illustration or chart.

A recent article from the Chronicle of Philanthropy highlighted the increasing use of infographics among nonprofits. The intent is to take complex ideas or trends and make them accessible to your donors. Seattle nonprofit a child’s right recently created a fantastic infographic to show exactly how a big gift can impact (or not impact) an organization.

The use of good visualizations in communications can help nonprofits better understand trends within their own organization, connect with supporters, advance their mission, and communicate with stakeholders.

Data Without Borders is an organization that connects volunteer data scientists to nonprofits to increase data collection, analysis, and visualization. Check out founder Jake Porway’s presentation at the Pop!Tech conference on the ways organizations are using data visualizations to transform themselves.

Some key things to keep in mind:

Make it simple. If people don’t get it or aren’t drawn in at first glance, they won’t stop to figure it out. Too much information is overwhelming.

Think about the message. What are you trying to explain? What do you want your donors to know?

Share. Ask you colleagues for feedback. Ask them if they understand the message.

Innovate. Look at how other organizations are using infographics, specifically in social media. It’s great to see what other nonprofits are doing and learn from them.

Give credit. As you would in any written report, make sure you reference your sources.

Have fun. One of my favorites! How Beer Saved The World

Some additional resources:

http://www.visualizing.org/

http://pinterest.com/howardlake/fundraising-infographics/

Referring to the second goal, Richard noted that UBC is working with a fairly disengaged alumni pool because it is primarily a commuter school, and the university hasn’t been in campaign mode for quite some time. Reaching the disengaged masses, he noted, requires different messaging than what is directed at UBC’s close-in friends.

“It’s like trying to get people to come back to church,” he said. “You don’t say to them, ‘We need a new roof, so please come back to church.’” Yet much of alumni communication, Fisher noted, is exactly in that mode. Messages are crafted without regard to whether the receiver is a loyalist or a non-participant.

I don’t know if that was ever a good strategy. But in today’s iPod/Facebook/RSS Feeds/personalized world, it sure as heck isn’t!

This made me think of how often I see colleges and other nonprofits take this single-note approach. How do we communicate with alumni who are non-donors and non-participants? Based on what I see, we preach to them about how great we are (aka cultivation), and then we ask them to give a gift (aka an opportunity to engage).

Instead, how can we be offering the non-players opportunities for engagement that don’t have anything to do with giving? How do we invite them into a conversation first before asking them for their support?

UBC is doing it by finding out what their alumni care about, then showing them how UBC is engaged in that particular activity. Then they invite the alumnus or alumna to be part of that engagement in ways both big and small. Is it working? Richard said to get back to him in a year or so, when the effort has more of a track record. But I think he is onto something.

As someone once said: It’s easy to say no to something hard and hard to say no to something easy. As we craft messages for our disengaged constituents, it’s well worth taking the time and brain power to develop the easy ways to get them to say “yes.”

• Intentional Fundraiser: When I grow up, I want to connect organizations with donors who can help make their mission a reality.
• Accidental Fundraiser: I started out with one life plan, but along the way fell into a new plan called fundraising.
• Many Hats Fundraiser: I was hired for a jack-of-all-trades position in my organization and now am adding fundraising to my job description as well/I’m an Executive Director.
• Fire Alarm Fundraiser: My organization needs money so my new job description is “fundraising.”

How is it possible to distill the constantly growing body of fundraising books, blogs, social media, and conferences into the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee with these new fundraisers?  It’s not. My main goal is simply to encourage, not overwhelm them right out of the gates.

I have been trying to apply the concept that my husband and I used in an attempt to stay on budget with our recent home construction project. Is it a core part of the house, or can it be “upgraded” later? For example, the carpet can be redone later, so we decided not to spend our finite resources on this expense just yet. Likewise, what are core components of a fundraising program that must to be part of your organization’s DNA from the start, and what can be implemented later?

Whether you are creating the blueprint for your new fundraising program or you are “remodeling” your development department, here are a few elements in which to consider investing your limited time and resources as a foundation to a successful fundraising program:

• Engage—Once people start leaning in to show interest in your cause, do you have tangible ways to engage them in what you do? This doesn’t mean stuffing envelopes, but rather maintaining an ever-evolving menu of opportunities that you can sync up with the talents and interests expressed by the individual. Engagement can lead to investment.
• Steward – A fledging fundraising effort can stand out by making stewardship part of their fundraising efforts from the get-go. Circle back a few months after a gift has been given to demonstrate the impact the donation has already made. It can be as simple as an email video shot on a smartphone, or a vivid letter that shows, not tells, the difference.
• Simplify—Don’t make potential supporters work too hard in order to give you a donation. Invest in a user-friendly online giving site, like Network for Good, or provide easy-to-find instructions on your website for mailing in donations if online giving isn’t an option yet.
• Track – You can always change or upgrade the donor database you choose, but creating a culture of information tracking is key. Whether it’s an Excel spreadsheet or a customized database, focus on creating and capturing in writing your methods for centrally maintaining donor information.

Whether you are a fundraising greenhorn or seasoned pro, just remember: a clean, simple infrastructure from the beginning will support your organization for the transitions and remodels to come.