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February 2011  
In This Issue
The Titanic and Social Media
Can You Afford a Free Donor Database
Data Driven But Maybe Wrong
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Janet Levine

  

In my workshops, I generally ask the participants to introduce themselves, tell us their title and what their organization does.

     Invariably they talk about the activities their organization is engaged in:   "We teach at risk students English by having them write poems;" "We provide emergency shelter for homeless men;" "We provide health care for poverty-level patients."

    I don't know why this surprises me.  In my online grants class, the first take on the needs statement-the reason why the grant is being sought-is almost always described by the thing they are going to do:  "We are requesting $25,000 to hold a series of 5 workshops to teach women on welfare office skills."  Blah blah blah.

    It's not that the activities are unimportant.  But generally they are not compelling.  Nor will they show a prospective supporter what makes you stand out from all the other schools that educate, social service agencies that help, shelters that provide a roof overhead or food.

    Some years ago, I heard Giselle Acevedo-the executive director of Para Los Ninos in Los Angeles-say that nonprofits needed to tell our stories differently.  That has stayed with me because she is right.   

    We must learn to let our passion shine through; our successes hold the spotlight, the transformations that happen because of our work take the center stage.

    Story telling is one way.  Another is to simply think differently about what you do.  Ask yourself:   What is different today because we exist?    Sometimes it is a subtle difference.  Instead of "We provide transitional shelter," you might say "Last night because of our organization (or better still, because of the support we get from our donors), 25 homeless families had a roof over their heads." 

     Most nonprofits do amazing things; don't be shy.  Tell those things to your prospects and the community at large.  The responses you get will also be amazing

 

Fundraising capacity not where you want it to be?

  Need help in making Board members comfortable with fundraising?    


 Contact Janet Levine Consulting for a

free 30-minute meeting 
 to see how you can broaden your base, increase your capacity and raise more money.


Email janet@janetlevineconsulting.com to schedule an appointment
 

The Titanic and Social Media

  

 

    How many friends do you have on Facebook?  What about followers on Twitter?  Have you managed to upload at least one video to YouTube?  If you did, how many views did you get?

     Social media, it seems to me, are counting numbers and not looking at whether the time, effort and energy are being spent in the right places.  This fantastic graphic pretty much says it all:

 

social media iceberg 

 

    Instead of worrying about social media, come up first with a strategy that will get you where you want to go.

    Beyond this, you also need to consider the price of that journey-both in terms of dollars and time. 

If you are a one-person development office, social media probably isn't an area where you can afford to spend much time-unless that is where your prospects hang out.  Then you can't afford not to go there.  But what will you have to give up?  Clearly, you must know what your goals and objectives are-those "business needs"-and then you better be clear about your Return on Investment and how you will measure that. (READ MORE) 

    

My clients often ask about donor databases-there are many to chose from.  One good way to "shop" is to check out Idealware's Report on low-cost donor management systems.  But maybe you were thinking "free" not "low-cost."  Read the article below and then maybe think again!

Can You Afford a Free Donor Database?

Jenny Henry is Director of Communications at Sumac, a complete, ready-made software solution for non-profits.. For more information on Sumac visit: http://www.sumac.com

   

 

  If your organization is having trouble managing data or your current system is just not cutting it anymore, generally speaking you have two options:

a)  get licensed ready made software, or

b)  develop a custom  system using OpenSource, Access,        FileMaker, or open source components.

    Let's say you're leaning towards a custom made system because resources are limited and a custom made system doesn't cost anything upfront.  The problem is: free up front will cost more in the long run.  

    Have you considered, for instance, who is going to develop the system for you? Hiring a consultant or developer will cost more than you think. They charge high hourly rates and who knows how long it will take until it's completed and running smoothly. Maybe the organization's Chairman has a nephew who is studying programming and will develop it for free.  Sounds like a good deal, right?  Well, not so fast.  You still need to consider who will handle ongoing support.   

    Let's face it, no matter how great the system seems when it is created, it is going to require ongoing maintenance and support.  Consider, for instance:

·      How you will get your data from it's current format into your new, custom system?

·      Who will iron out all of the glitches?

·      How you will update the system as technology evolves (e.g. email security becomes more restrictive, Internet protocols evolve, and operating systems change)?

·      How you will make necessary enhancements to the software?

·      How will you get your data out of the custom software if you decide to change systems? (READ  MORE) 

Data Driven But Maybe Wrong 

 

    In the February 6, 2011 issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, William Schambra of director of the Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal at the Hudson Institute complains that Measurement Is a Futile Way to Approach Grant Making.

    It's not that Mr. Schambra thinks we shouldn't measure, but he notes there are no standards for measurements; no coherent way to collect data which, in term, builds a body of knowledge.

Nonprofits, who struggle under the burden of all this number crunching and measuring outcomes, would rejoice if Mr. Schambra's wish to end what he describes as acts of futility were abandoned. And yet...as one of the comments to the article says, "Would Mr. Schambra purchase stock in any company, except a start-up, that couldn't prove the results they claim? "  Probably not.

    Maybe more to the point is the question of what if we didn't measure?  Mr. Schambra isn't really saying that.  What he is advocating for a standard by which we would measure.  More, he is hoping that someone, somewhere will actually pay attention to what is being measured. 

    And that would be a very good thing, indeed.

 

Have Your Say
notebook Inquiring minds do want to know--what is on your mind?

 Send me your article (200-800 words) on any topic of interest to those who work for or with nonprofit organizations. 

Are your fundraising results down?  Janet Levine Consulting can help. Email or give me a call at 310-990-9151 to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.

Sincerely,
Janet Levine