Welcome to Success      
April 9, 2013 - In This Issue:

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Animal Shelter Fundraising

 

 

YOUR CURRENT DONORS ARE YOUR SECRET WEAPON

UnleashThem

     Did you know that your existing supporters' opinions can significantly help your fundraising? They can when your volunteers, clients, board members, and donors write reviews about your organization and post them on GuideStar.

 

     The positive reviews your stakeholders leave today could pay off in the future when new donors are looking for organizations that best meet their objectives. And it's all completely free-there's no charge to either the reviewers or your organization.

 

REVIEWS PROMOTIONAL TOOL KIT FOR NON PROFITS

 

     Raise your visibility with donors: Invite your stakeholders to show love for your nonprofit by writing a review of your organization.  Then promote your reviews to potential supporters by using these social media templates. 

 

     The tool kit contains:

     1. Sample tweets

     2. Sample Facebook posts

     3. Sample newsletter article or e-mail

 

     Use these quick and easy templates to get started gathering reviews about your organization.

 

     As your library of reviews grows, make sure to use them to demonstrate your impact. You can customize the templates to what makes the most sense for your organization.

 

SAMPLE TWEETS

 

Help us spread the word about our commitment to our mission! Write a review about your experience with us on @GuideStarUSA: URL for your organization's profile on GuideStar.

What are people saying about us? Check out our organization's reviews on @GuideStarUSA and join in: URL for your organization's profile on GuideStar

Note: Tweets are limited to 140 characters. If the URL makes your tweet too long, shorten it at

http://bit.ly or tinyURL. The shortened URL will still link to your profile on GuideStar.

 

SAMPLE FACEBOOK POSTS

 

     Help us spread the word about our commitment to our mission by writing a review about your experience with us on GuideStar: URL. Your honest feedback is critical to our continuing our good work and working on the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving success.

What are people saying about us? Check out our organization's reviews on GuideStar to get insight from people who have worked with us firsthand, then join the conversation by adding

your own review: URL. Your honest feedback is critical to continuing our good work and working

on the obstacles that stand in the way of our achieving success.

 

SAMPLE NEWSLETTER ARTICLE OR E-MAIL

 

     Help us spread the word about our commitment to our mission!

 

     YOUR ORGANIZATION wants to hear from you! Your experience matters to us, and your passion for our organization helps keep this cause alive. Anyone with firsthand experience with

 

This article appears on the GuideStar website.

YOUR ORGANIZATION and is not a paid employee -donors, volunteers, board members, recipients of our services-can write a review about us on GuideStar. Your review will appear in our profile on both GuideStar and GreatNonprofits, GuideStar's partner that makes it possible to write and post reviews.

    TIM SPEAKS AT THE VIRGINIA FEDERATED HUMANE SOCIETIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE

 

Tim would like to THANK Virginia Kilmer and Dianna Brown for inviting Tim to speak at the 2013 Virginia Federated Humane Societies Annual Conference, held this year in Virginia Beach.

 

Tim Crum speaking at the VFHS Conference
Tim teaches fundraising techniques to a room filled to 100% capacity.

 

 

Tim gave two presentations:

  

 The Five Steps to Funding a New Animal Shelter & Octopus Fundraising Technique 

A NOTE FROM TIM
Take the time to learn more
      
Tim Crum Headshot1Time....it's really all we have in this life.  And we never really know how much of it we have.  It sounds cliche I know, but we have to seize every moment of it that we have because we just never know when it ends.
  
That's why when I travel, which is very frequent, I take as many opportunities to visit other shelters and facilities to learn more about how they do, what they do.  I also meet with so many dedicated animal welfare professionals and I try to find out how they do their work.  I ask a lot of questions and I try to learn and expand my knowledge base because it helps me grow and I may be able to utilize that information to help my client-partners at some point.
 
I know you have a busy day filled with a lot of responsibilities and tasks that need to get done - you are probably wearing many hats, I get that.  But take time to read this newsletter ...it may help you do what you do even better.    
  
-Tim Crum
INTRODUCING OUR NEW TURNKEY DIRECT MAIL PROGRAM
Riase more money through our easy-to-use program
mailbox     

EASY, AFFORDABLE & EFFECTIVE

 

     If your agency does not have the time, experience or knowledge to do direct mail - or you want professionally produced campaigns - Animal Shelter Fundraising is kicking off its new TURNKEY DIRECT MAIL PROGRAM.  This new program is about as easy as it gets!  Each month we will send you a campaign summary that provides insight about that month's campaign - theme, colors, strategy.  If you want to take advantage of that month's campaign, you sign up, pay for that month's campaign and we provide to you a complete file that's ready to be sent to a printer of your own choosing (or we can even recommend a printer for you).  Your organization is responsible for printing and postage costs.

  

COST

  

The cost to take advantage of ANY campaign is only $750.  There is a $250 registration fee which entitles you to 12 consecutive months of campaigns.

 

SIGN-UP

 

If your organization would like to take advantage of this new program, sign up today.  The registration fee is only $250 which entitles your organization to receive an entire year's worth of campaigns - one each month for 12 consecutive months!  Remember, you only pay for those campaigns you opt in to purchase.

 

Buy Now  

  
This is a non-refundable program and results not guaranteed. 
     

GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

 

grants

 We first announced these grant funding opportunities on our Facebook page. If you haven't already, please "like us" on Facebook so you can be the first to get funding opportunities, fundraising tips and advice. 

 

Ryan Newman Foundation. The Ryan Newman Foundation seeks to fund organizations focused on low cost spay/neuter clinics and encouraging people to adopt dogs and cats from animal shelters, as well as educate children and adults on the importance of conservation. Funding is provided to programs that help shelters and families sterilize and vaccinate dogs and cats.
  
Nylabone.  Nylabone works with many rescue groups, shelters, humane societies and SPCA's. If you are a non-profit organization and would like more information on our Shelter and Rescue Program see our website.
  
 
American Kennel Club Humane Fund.  Part of the AKC's mission is to contribute to the greater good of animals and their well-being by promoting the values of responsible pet ownership and by celebrating and preserving the human-canine bond through awareness and education. To those ends, the AKC Humane Fund distributes and administers grants to animal-focused organizations that uphold these virtues.
  

 

ScoopFree Shelter Program.  The ScoopFree Shelter Program provides financial assistance and free products to animal rescue shelters, fostering homes and adoption agencies to help promote animal welfare and enhance the care they provide cats.
  

 

   
FUNDRAISING WORKSHOPS
 
PHILADELPHIA
NEW YORK
BOSTON
Animal Shelter Fundraising would like to bring its highly-rated, one-day fundraising workshop to Philadelphia, New York and Boston this summer and are currently seeking facilities with the interest and capacity to host us.   If you are located in, or near, Philadelphia, New York or Boston, please contact us about hosting our one-day fundraising workshop.
  
For more information about our workshops, visit

schooloffundraising.com

 

 

Smart Dog School of Fundraising Logo  

7 STRATEGIES FOR MORE PRODUCTIVE BOARD MEETINGS

     Dysfunctional board meetings are hurting lots of non-profits.  Haphazard and non-productive meetings hamper growth, dampen fundraising efforts, and lead to confusion and frustration among members and staff alike.

Your non-profit's board of directors meetings don't have to be tiresome, infuriating affairs.  You can look forward to your board meetings, comfortable in the knowledge that they will move your organization closer to its goals and provide support and encouragement for your staff.

 

     Use these 7 strategies to make your next non-profit board meeting more productive and successful:

 

#1 - Start with Mission. Board members get tired of the same old committee reports, budget numbers, motions and votes.  Most members joined your board because they care about your mission.  Yet, so many board meetings are utterly disconnected from the mission and vision of the organization.

Rectify this by leading every board meeting with a mission-related item that reconnects board members with the heart of your non-profit.  Have someone your organization helped tell their story.  Ask a board member who is also a volunteer offer a slide show presentation on her work.  Ask a frontline program worker to summarize a day in the trenches.  Your mission matters, so put it front and center.

 

#2 - Have an Agenda.  So many non-profit board meetings don't have a firm agenda.  Sometimes organizations will have loose agendas, like "1. Old Business, 2. Fundraising Update, 3. New Business."  Other times, non-profits will run meetings with absolutely no agenda at all.

 

Board members want to come to meetings to get good things done, without wasting time.  Every board meeting you hold should have a firm agenda that is sent out to the members beforehand and enforced by the board chair.  Include time for "new business" at the end of the meeting for items that aren't on the agenda.

 

#3 - Send a Pre-Meeting Packet.  In addition to the detailed agenda, every board member should receive a packet of information and resources at least 3 days before the meeting so that they have time to review it and prepare questions.

 

This packet should include all of the backup items and resources that will be talked about at the meeting.  If your Executive Director is going to talk about the budget, include a copy of the budget.  If your board chair is going to talk about program growth, include a chart and list of growth statistics.

 

#4 - Start and End Meetings on Time.  Many non-profits start board meetings 5-10 minutes late because "our board members are busy people and get here as soon as they can."  This fosters terrible habits, and makes even more board members arrive late, because they know that your meetings never start on time.

Likewise, if you start your meetings late, you will likely end your meetings late, which is frustrating for board members and staff alike.

 

Instead, make it a policy to always start and end your board meetings on time.  People will get the hint - they will get there on time, or they will miss something.  They will also know that you value their time because you end your meetings at the scheduled conclusion.

 

#5 - Make Your Board Meetings about Decisions, not Updates.  Many (if not most) non-profit boards focus their meetings on giving and getting updates.  The Executive Director and staff give updates on programs and fundraising, the treasurer gives an update on the budget, and the board committee chairs give updates on their work.  This takes up 80% of the allotted meeting time, and discussions / decisions are crammed into the last 20% of the meeting, when everyone has already zoned out.

 

Don't waste most of your time on updates.  Much of the information in your updates can be sent to your board members in the pre-meeting packet or as part of regular e-mail updates to the board.  You only have your board together for in-person meetings once per quarter, once per month, or whatever your board meeting schedule is.  Use that time to hold frank discussions on strategy, and to make decisions that affect the vision and work of your non-profit.

 

#6 - Don't Let One or Two Board Members Dominate.  Lots of non-profit board meetings are dominated by one or two board members (often the chair) who speak at, not with the other members.  This leads to board members who feel disengaged and who clam up during meetings, no matter how good their ideas are or what resources they can bring to bear for the organization.

 

Encourage honest and open communication at your board meetings.  Encourage frank discussions.  Encourage everyone to get involved and talk.

 

#7 - Ask for Action.  You should be making asks at your board meetings.  Sometimes, these asks will be for money (such as when you are launching your annual board giving campaign) but more often they will be for action.  Every board meeting you hold should ask for action.

 

This action should normally be fundraising-related.  Ask members to make two introductions for you this month.  Ask your board to hold a non-ask event for you, or for members of the executive committee to each accompany the Executive Director for one ask meeting this month.

 

Whatever ask you are making of your board, be sure that it is concrete and that there is a deadline for action.  Don't say, "We really need help finding new major donors!"  Instead say, "Would you each be willing to help John meet one new major donor this month.  It won't be for an ask, just a get to know you meeting.  Who can help?"

 

If your organization is running board meetings that are less than productive, don't get frustrated.  Use these strategies and be persistent.  Most non-profits can go from unproductive to super-productive board meetings with less than a year of effort.   **This article appeared in The Fundraising Authority April 5, 2013 e-newsletter.

 

DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION NEED HELP WITH ITS BOARD?

 

WE CAN HELP!

 

ANIMAL SHELTER FUNDRAISING offers a complete package that reviews of all your board documents and practices, recommends new policies and practices and includes a one-day board training and development workshop.  Contact Tim for more information.

 

NEWSLETTER SPONSORS
We encourage you to patronize the following industry leading companies...
MASON COMPANY
  

Mason Company has earned the reputation for providing the finest animal enclosures on the market. They use only the highest grade raw materials and, unlike some of their competitors, they manufacture everything in the U.S. rather than overseas. 

 

The Mason Company has sold and installed more kennel systems than anyone else in the world. No matter what your unique needs, chances are the Mason Company has built it before.


 
KURANDA DOG BEDS
  
Kuranda USA, based in Maryland, makes and sells dog beds.
  
GIVE the gift of COMFORT to a homeless pet.    

Day in and day out thousands of shelter dogs languish on cold, hard concrete floors, while cats seek a soft place to rest in their cages. But you can make a world of difference in a homeless pet's life by donating a Kuranda bed to the shelter of your choosing.

Special 28% donation discount. Beds ship directly to the shelter.