Collaboration Pays

So I have spoken a lot about mergers…you know where I stand!

Here is a great initiative that I saw on Jason Dicks blog a while back and recently an article on AFP reminded me to post about it.

The Lodestar Foundation is funding a competition called The Collaboration Challenge.

[They are] awarding $250,000 to the collaboration (two or more nonprofits) that present the most compelling evidence as to how business was streamlined, a cause advanced or a group’s quality of life was improved by virtue of the collaboration.

The money will be split between the organizations involved in the collaboration. 30 semi-finalists have been selected from a pool of over 644 U.S.-based nominations.

An analysis of the top 176 qualifying collaborations demonstrates that:

• Most were formed to maximize funds and/or improve services
• 40% of collaborations were administrative consolidations
• 35% of collaborations were joint programs
• 25% of collaborations were mergers
• Most mergers were recent (18 months to 3 years old)
• Most were in the areas of health (25%) and community development and housing (12%).
• 72% were local in nature

Lodestar will announce the winner on March 5, 2009

Send a Singer

I actually came across this idea last year, and it looks like they have changed the campaign this year to another great idea (I have a link at the end of this post). I still really like this one.

Its a nice twist on a Christmas Card campaign. Donors are asked to

1. Select a tune (depending on price)
2. You then get sent a personalised E-Card which you send to your customers/clients
3. You get your logo in an ad in the Financial Times

Selling Christmas Cards, I always find, is a time consuming and pretty expensive way of raising money. I think there is certainly a place for it, I certainly think individual supporters will still look for cards and you should have a supply. But when it comes to corporates I think they are looking for easier ways to send out Christmas greetings and are also looking to show at Christmas that they support charities.

This is a great way of doing that. I know when I spoke with companies they were happy enough to just have something that they could add to the end of an email to say that they have made a donation, but this takes it to the next level.

The technology is there so I think it should be used. Im sure filming the songs didnt cost much and the site cant have cost a lot to put together either. Great campaign. They have developed on it for this year, check out what they are doing…

R. F. S. Part 13: HMA Report

Harvey over at 2 into 3 sent me through a report from Harvey McKinnon Associates on the implications to fundraising of the financial downturn.

There isn’t much new in it and there are no firm stats or data (still probably too early for anything we can stand over).

There were a couple of interesting points. The first was one I have been telling people about, because its how I feel

People feel poorer, even when they are not. This phenomenon has sometimes been termed “psychic poverty”

 They also point out that:

 Emotions like fear and anxiety are driving investments, investor behaviour and also fundraising.

I think this is an interesting point as we tend to tap into peoples emotions as fundraisers so we need to look at the emotions we are targeting. If people are anxious and fearful, well we shouldn’t focus on that, we need to give them hope and a belief in their ablilty to make an impact.

 The report goes on to state what we have been told before that

Historically, non-profits have done fairly well in most recessions – on average.

This isn’t going to help anyone going to their Board or CEO with reduced revenue! But they do highlight 18 steps we can take to minimise the impact, again nothing really new in there, donor care, looking at lapsed donors, working harder and smarter etc….ie being a good fundraiser!

As with most of the posts in this series we need to remember that all is not lost and I agree with this point.

People will still want to give money to great causes. And they will give when they feel that it makes a difference, that there is the sense of urgency, and that it will make a difference to their emotional lives. It is critical that, as fundraisers, we continue to ask.

Chuggers – Part 2

I posted earlier this week about The Intelligent Giving post about their research around on street fundraising. Its led to some interesting responses, here are some:

1. Adam Rothwell defends his research in a video with Howard Lake, check it out here
2. Dan Fletcher on the Professional Fundraising Blog has his say, suggesting that Intelligent Giving just crave publicity, check that piece here
3. Here is the official response from the PFRA, you need to scroll down to the comment titled “Intelligent Giving criticisms of face-to-face”
4. Adam Rothwell back defending his position again, and applauding charities that have reacted well to the research stating they will take action, you can read that post here

My position still stands on this issue. It is a controversial method of fundraising, it works, but if a charity engages in it they need to remember that it is the public face of their organisation. I had an incredibly negative experience where a chugger told me, after I politely declined stopping to talk to them (I always try to be nice about it, i know what its like), they said “You should it would make you feel good”.

I have never even considered donating to that organisation since then. That’s the danger of getting it wrong. But when you get it right…well the results speak for themselves.

CSR in SME’s

Tina Roche from Business in the Community Ireland was interviewed in Owner Manager Magazine about CSR in smaller organisations. Here are some highlights of what she had to say.

when asked what exactly CSR means. “It’s really about how ethical you are and the integrity you display towards the people you work with and supply a service to.”

“Your staff members are part of everything you do. They should all be empowered to be the best they can be. Even if you employ just one other person, you should aim for that.”

“If you look at some of the big companies, like Johnson & Johnson, they are trying to cure diabetes and that’s a real social issue. It’s a completely different business paradigm.”

Roche points out such companies will want to associate with small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have the right corporate responsibility ethos.

“Companies can reap the full benefits if they see they can attract a diverse background of people by offering flexi- or part-time work or jobs suited around the school terms. There is a way of attracting people to your company, and it’s not just nine to five, Monday to Friday.”

“The companies we are involved with on an SME level are fantastic and are thinking this through. They may not be using the terminology, but they are doing it.”

“If you are saying you use recycled paper from sustainable forests, well then all of your suppliers have to know that. If you’re using renewable energy, then you want your energy supplier to supply you with green energy.” In other words, it’s not just coming from the big companies down, she says.

Crucial business advantages gained from being a responsible entrepreneur include reputation. “If you’re in the supply chain, it’s one of the things, apart from your price, that speaks volumes about you. If your business is putting in for tenders and everything is equal in price, what makes the difference? It’s that you’re trusted…”

Barriers affecting greater implementation of CSR are not that overwhelming, Roche believes. “The biggest one is failing to stand back and think strategically about CSR…if you start to measure and benchmark what you’re doing, simple things can lead to bigger and bigger things.”

As for the future of CSR, Roche sees more social issues being integrated into the fabric of business strategy. Companies will also start holding on to people with high-end knowledge because of the values they espouse.

Read the full article here.

Check out SOFII

SOFII is The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration. Put simply it is Your free source of creative concepts worth copying.

Im all for that!

The idea of the site is to share fundraising ideas and campaigns and if there is one you like…copy it!  The site has various sections:

1. Background to fundraising innovation
2. SOFFI Showcases ; Some best fundraising practice
3. Have your say on the site
4. Well-Educate: Great resources to keep you on top of your game
5. Top Tips from Top fundraisers
6. Books etc..what you should be reading

It is a great resource and worth checking out.

Go Harvey Go!

Any interactions I have had, as a fundraiser, with Harvey Norman have been positive ones. But it clearly hasn’t come from top down.

I actually can’t believe, as reported on the Mallen Baker Blog, that its founder Gerry Harvey has said that donating to charities such as homelessness charities is “just wasted”. More, he said that because homeless people “are not putting anything back into the community” it is just “helping a whole heap of no-hopers to survive for no good reason. They are just a drag on the community”.

Gerry Harvey is worth $1.6bn and in his opinion putting it to good use would  only go to help a bunch of no-hopers who don’t put anything into society.

Here’s an idea Gerry….you could offer jobs to people who are in this position and help that way. People become homeless for many reasons. As the Mallen Baker Blog states:

The most common reasons for homelessness in Australia include domestic and family violence, eviction from previous accommodation and relationships or family breakdown….in the UK quite a large number of homeless men are ex-servicemen, people who you might think have put quite a lot into society.

Gerry Harvey probably loves controversy, and the fact that we are talking about this probably makes his day. Look here’s the thing, its his money and he can do what he wants. But without spending a cent Gerry could make a difference. I would challenge Gerry to take a risk (I’m sure he has taken many) and allow us prove him wrong.

Chugging

We all know that chugging is a controversial method of fundraising. Some people really hate it but yet charities are out there doing it…so it obviously works.

Today the Intelligent Giving Blog reports the results of a mystery-shopping exercise they carried out into the ethics of chuggers (face-to-face street fundraisers).

The results show that:

• some fundraisers were prepared to lie about their earnings in an attempt to get  researchers to donate.  
• the level of  compliance with professional standards was low.
• many chuggers are un-engaged with the causes they represent (one chugger didn’t even know the full name of the charity they were representing!) 

These are worrying. Yes its a sample survey and so doesnt represent all chuggers. And no doubt this will raise further debate between those that think its a bad fundraising method and those that think its reprhensable.

I think the problem with chugging is that its like Marmite (you either love it or hate it). The reality is that no matter what you do you cant please all of the people all of the time.  Should charities not carry out this method of fundraising? Of course they should. But they need to take care and make sure those they employ care and realise that they are the face of the charity (the big hint is in the name..face to face!).

What do you think?

IBM study on consumers and advertising

Of course it’s relevant:

Thanks to Damien Mulley who put together these highlights from the survey:

• Adoption for most categories of digital content services doubled from last year, with services such as social networking now at 60 percent penetration and Internet data plans for mobile devices at over 40 percent for respondents globally
• 76 percent of consumers have already watched video on their PC, up 27 percent from last year
• For both PC and mobile video, the vast majority of respondents prefer advertising-supported models as opposed to consumer-paid models, representing huge growth opportunity for the industry
• Close to 60 percent of total respondents were willing to provide information about themselves – such as age, gender, lifestyle or communications preferences – in exchange for something of value
• The 13-24 year old segment owns an average of between four to five multimedia devices

Non profits need to get into this space. If you aren’t sure how check out Beth Kanter.

World “Whatever You Like, Just Make It Up” Day

Nothing focuses the mind like a “World Day”. You can announce and shout about the fact that today is World….(fill in the blank)…Day.

So how do you get a World Day to mark the something your cause is passionate about? Who do you go to register your World Day?

You Don’t. Just make it up. Google it to make sure no one else is running it (if they are you may need to call it a National Day). Then set about organising your campaign.

A great example of this is World Toilet Day. Yes World Toilet Day….and why not. Did you know that 2.5 billion people dont have access to a toilet? I didn’t

I found this out because of World Toilet Day (part of the International Year of Sanitation).

World Toilet Day was on Novemeber 19th and it wanted people to simply highlight this issue (looks like donating was secondary…..I do think they could have done more to encourage donations to make an impact…they could have had a lot of fun with it). Water Aid in the UK (and I came across this from their agency Whitewater) just wanted people to download a poster and put it up in work.

This is a great example of how, by focussing the mind to a day you can create a sense of urgency or importance around a message.

There are lots of examples of “Days” that take place. Does your organisation have a Day? Why not?

R.F.S. Part 12: Some Good News

Seattle, Nov. 17, 2008-The weakening U.S. economy will force many U.S. adults to cut back on holiday gift spending this year but will also make some more likely to give a “charitable gift” as a present this holiday season, according to a World Vision survey just conducted by Harris Interactive. .

“These results underscore our altruistic American culture of giving back”, says Justin Greeves, Harris Interactive senior vice president of public affairs and policy research. “This study, and a recent study by the Giving USA Foundation (The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University), both show why total charitable giving has increased in 39 of the last 40 years – even during times of recession” says Greeves.

Findings:

• As a result of the current economic climate, seven in 10 adults (71 percent) will spend less money on holiday presents this year, and about half (49 percent) are now more likely to give a charitable gift as a holiday present.
• More than four in five adults (84 percent) would prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else rather than a traditional holiday gift such as clothing or electronics.
• More than half of U.S. adults (57 percent) want something for the holidays this year, but only about one in three (36 percent) say they need something.
• More than half (54 percent) couldn’t remember what they received. More women (60 percent) remember exactly what they got for Christmas last year than men (49 percent).

Ruth Guy wins Marketer of the Year

Winner Ruth Guy, Barnardos, receiving her award from Michael Cullen, editor, Marketing and Sandra Lawler, managing director, Alternatives

Ruth Guy, director of fundraising and marketing, Barnardos, is this year’s winner of the Marketer of the Year for the work she has done in position Barnardos brand and grow fundraising income.  Congratulations to Ruth and it is great to see someone from the sector getting this award.

You can read Marketing Magazines review of Ruths work and why she won the award here

Pants Presents

Can you believe its only 5 weeks until Christmas…it probably doesnt seem that long ago since it was the summer and you were working on the campaigns that are now in place.

As has been the trend over the past few years the number of charities engaging in Virtual Gifts seems to have increased again. And Im not surprised, its a great idea and some executions of it are pretty impressive. I do wonder though if sometimes the person who gets the gift feels a bit disappointed? Im sure the research would show that they dont and the increase in the number of campaigns goes to show it is successful, but I wonder would it be worth thinking of giving the gift reciever a token gift, like a christmas tree decoration, a key ring, a soft toy (all branded)? Just a thought.

Here is a different angle to the Virtual Gift concept that I really like 

Pants Presents (you have got to love that name) is an idea that has been developed by CAFand I came across it on UK Fundraising.What I really like about this is that it puts the ask in the hands of the gift reciever

The idea is to encourage people to tell their family and friends asking them to give to charity instead of giving them a present.  The plan is for a dedicated Facebook page featuring the campaign will also be created.

I can really see this working well at some lower level gifts, so where people choose a Kris Kindle in work or where friends exchange small token gifts.

The stats are there to back up the thinking behind this campaign. Research for CAF, shows that over half (54 percent) of the UK adult population received unwanted Christmas presents in 2007. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) would rather receive one less gift and have a donation made to charity instead. Nearly a fifth (18 percent) received a charity donation on their behalf instead of a Christmas present in 2007. Chocolates (27 percent), soaps or perfume (21 percent), books (17 percent) and DVDs (16 percent) topped the list of unwanted Christmas presents in 2007.

Shaken or Stirred

Lets face it we all need some new ways to engage corporate partners, the typical routes for partnership arent as fruitful as they oncce were. Here is a good idea I came across from Capital Area United Way  where my friend Karen Profita is the new CEO.

They needed something to present to the industries that do not have a staff to do payroll deductions or who aren’t in a position to do corporate donations  .

The idea was presented to a venue/company to use their bar area for two hours with a cover charge of $5. There was a raffle and door prizes and tips or portion of tips went to United Way. The venue keeps all sales on liquor and food (if the venue serves it)

Local “celebrities” were approached with this concept….. Just a few hours of your time…. for a good cause…. They were then said to be ‘hosting’ the event and created signature cocktails.

Facebook and Myspace was used by creating events and groups open for friends to invite friends and so on. Many of the celebrities were media so this helped the efforts as well. They talk about it on-air and in the local papers.

Some people looking at this may think, why wouldn’t you just have one big one with a bunch of people. Nothing wrong with that but… by doing it this way you are able to reach a different audience with each week using a different location, naturally bringing a different crowd.  The age group attending the events has been 25-40 for the most part.

So far the events have raised a little over $7,000and over $10,000 in in-kind donation. Considering only about $100 has been spent on fishbowls for tips its a pretty sucessful event.

I really love this idea, it is simple and a great way to locally engage companies and supporters. Think about how many new people you can engage in your organisation in this way.

thanks to Melissa Parmelee who has organised these events for CAUW for sharing the information with me.

R. F. S. Part 11: Health Charities Worried – Mater Comments

After the post earlier this week in my Recession Fundraising Series about Health Charities being worried about donations, which I took from the Irish Medical News site in an article written by Paul Mullholland I was contacted by a representative of the the Mater Foundation to clarify their position, here is what they had to say:

Mary Moorhead, CEO from The Mater Foundation was concerned about comments attributed to her in Paul Mullhollands recent article. Mary has confirmed that she has been misquoted and is  and concerned that her section of the article is misleading. The Mater Foundation has exceeded target in 2008. With regards to the Mater Foundation’s Charity Ball they have no intention of halving the size of this event but looking at two of the Hospital appeals sharing the event i.e selling 200 tables each. This is due to extra demands coming from the Hospital and not a downsizing measure as suggested.