JLC2 Janet Levine Consulting
Building Fundraising Capacity

January 2015
In This Issue
Making Better Hires
BIg Thoughts Lead to Big Actions
That End of the Year Appeal
 
Build Your Fundraising Capacity!

Working closely with staff and boards, Janet Levine Consulting will help you increase fundraising capacity and build sustainability. Our philosophy is one of collaboration, where together we develop and implement comprehensive programs that fit the needs and resources of your organization.  

 

Call or email today and schedule  your  

FREE 30-minute consultation

 

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Two Ways to Get Grants
  
Getting Grants is available only as an ebook from Amazon or for your Nook
 
Book Cover - Get Ready Get Set


Get Ready, Get Set, Get Grants is available both as an ebook from iTunes or for your Nook, or as a print book. 
   
  I am a gym rat. Five days a week, I work out--cardio, weights, balance, stretching. But if I don't also watch my diet--if I make poor eating choices, eat too much fat, too many carbs, too much of it all--then all my exercise, while not exactly wasted, isn't going to get maximum results.

 

 Fundraising is no different. You have to have the right balance to raise the most money and to be sustainable.

 

Organizations with large fundraising operations tend to separate out the many different ways to raise funds. It is not unusual to have directors of annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations. Sometimes, these are segmented even further: Parent and alumni giving (annual fund), special gifts (smaller major gifts).  

   

But if you are a small shop, then odds are, you are responsible for it all. And that is where the trouble starts. (READ MORE)

 
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This month we'll be talking about hiring, asking, and planned giving. Keep reading--I hope you find it all useful. 
 

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  Need help in increasing your fundraising capacity or getting your Board to participate?  Help is here.   

Email me 

 or call 310-990-9151  

 

                     Together we can make it happen! 
MAKING BETTER HIRES TO BOOST THE BOTTOM LINE

 The ConCISE Consulting Center of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology works with clients to ensures that the hiring process is cost effective and leads to the best talent being selected. Contact us at concise@thechicagoschool.edu

 

Finding and selecting the right talent is expensive - employee man-adjusting-tie2.jpg turnover can cost up to 1/3 of that employee's annual salary, and that expenditure is non-recoverable regardless of if the individual hired works out or not. In positions and organizations with high turnover, these costs are magnified, having a real impact on the bottom line. And if your hire is someone responsible for fundraising, the cost in rebuilding relationships and restarting stopped development activities can put your nonprofit into a financial tailspin.

 

The right hire can bring new ideas, energize your team, and grow with your organization for years to come - a smart return on the hiring investment. How do you cut costs and make sound hiring decisions (READ MORE)
WHO TO ASK?
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While annual gifts are the lifeblood of many nonprofit organizations, major gifts are those that tend to be transformative. These larger gifts are the ones that allow an organization to start new programs and enhance old ones. They are building blocks, metaphorically and, often as when you are raising funds for a capital campaign, in reality. 

 

Getting a major gift differs in many ways from garnering annual contributions. Your annual appeals tend to throw out a large net. Major givers, however, typically account for only 3-5% of your donor pool. The first step, therefore, is figuring out who among your prospects and donors might be capable of making a large gift. (READ MORE)

PLANNED GIVING FOR SMALL SHOPS

Many years ago, I took a three-day planned giving course. The book we were given was huge, and had a warning: "May cause drowsiness." The course focused on the various planned giving vehicles-their tax implications, legal issues, stuff like that. Unlike the other 33 people in the room, I was not a CPA or a lawyer, and quickly I experienced not exactly drowsiness but overload. I also realized that as the Executive Director of a small nonprofit, I was in the wrong planned giving class. (READ MORE)
  • Are your fundraising results down?
  •  Board members bored?  
  • Are you thinking about a campaign? 
  • Or perhaps you need individual fundraising coaching!

Whatever your capacity building needs, Janet Levine Consulting can help.

  

 
TO SCHEDULE A FREE 30-MINUTE CONSULTATION, 

 

email or give me a call at 310-990-9151


I look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely, JHL3

 Janet

Janet Levine 
Janet Levine Consulting