Deb Baker, a North Lake, WI resident and mystery writer, donated a portion of the sales of her new book “Goodbye Dolly” at the launch party to the Town Hall Library. Baker worked at the library from 2000 - 2005. Her book “Goodbye Dolly” is the second in a series about doll collecting. The first book is called “Dolls to Die For.”

Some of the characters in Baker’s latest novel are inspired by actual people. Baker based a character in her first book on two people and she found that sales increased as a result of this. Jack Frederickson and George Strobel enjoyed being in her mystery novel.

“I think between them they bought 20 books, which gave me the idea to put everybody I know in my books,” she said.

The fundraising event featured a mock trail in which Baker was grilled by a prosecuting attorney, played by her husband Jim. She then finally admitted where some of the inspirations for her characters came from local residents.

Source: Lake Country Reporter

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When working on any volunteer project, you certainly couldn’t do it without the dedicated help from your team of volunteers. Whether it is a school, church or organization project, your volunteers are critical to the project’s success. Volunteers handle every aspect of a project or an event. Volunteers have many different skills and talents to help your project. A volunteer skilled in graphic design can make your posters, flyers and invitations. A volunteer with connections to a grocery store might be able to get you a great discount on food and beverage for the event. A “social butterfly” volunteer that knows everyone in town can probably get even more volunteers to sign up.

Thanking volunteers is an important part of any volunteer project. It is best to thank volunteers as they begin a project, while they are working on the project and then give a big thank you at the end of a project. Thanking volunteers is just one step in building relationships with your volunteers. Volunteers that feel appreciated and needed will be more likely to come back to help you with other projects and events. There are a number of ways you can thank your volunteers that are not expensive, they will typically just cost you time and some thoughtfulness.

1. Handwritten Notes

A handwritten note is a wonderful thank you note. Do this even if you don’t think you have terrific penmanship: this is not an exercise in who has the best handwriting, what truly shows is that you took the time to say thank you in a very personal way. E-mail is a great invention but it is simply too casual sometimes, and in this case a handwritten note “trumps” e-mail big time. Don’t know what to say: it is simple, thank the volunteer for what they did and tell them what a big difference it will make to the project overall. Use plain and simple language. This will be much appreciated.

2. Telephone Call

Another great idea is to make a telephone call to thank your volunteers. It is an especially nice touch to have the person in charge of your organization make the call, whether this is the Principal of the school or the Executive Director of your organization. Give the person in charge a list of the people to call and some “crib notes” of what they have accomplished in case this person doesn’t know every single detail that has gone on. Many people are impressed with and appreciate a personal telephone call.

3. “Thank You” at Annual Event

Many organizations have an annual dinner or an annual event of some type, whether to fundraise or to just get together as a community. This is a prime time to say thank you to your dedicated volunteers who have worked on your special project. Have everyone stand up or come on stage. You can have everyone in the room give them a round of applause. It is a nice touch to give people something, like a small plant or a picture frame – it can be an inexpensive gift but something just to say thank you.

4. Hang a Plaque.

Have you re-done the playground at school? Or gotten new musical instruments for the school band? Or perhaps you have worked on some other special project. A nice idea to thank your volunteers is to create a plaque in the room or area of the project that lists the names of the volunteers. You can also have a little “unveiling” ceremony showing the plaque to your volunteers with coffee and cake.

5. Name Something

Another idea is to name something in honor of your volunteers. It can be to name a day in honor of your volunteers or perhaps a special award for other volunteers to be presented with for the future. This can be a very memorable honor for your volunteers to be awarded and they will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

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Many of the questions that were submitted to the fundraising survey that we recently conducted had to do with volunteers. Getting, keeping, inspiring, organizing and other help with volunteers for your group — were all mentioned quite a few times.

Some of the specific questions I’ll plan on answering either individually or with articles in future. But for now I can provide a quick answer to all of the volunteer questions. Well, sort of. I can at least direct you to several resources that may have the help that you need.

First I highly recommend Thomas McKee’s Volunteer Power website. There are many articles archived there about a variety of volunteer issues. He also has a free newsletter and a new book coming out.

Secondly, I have subscribed to the Successful Fund Raising newsletter published by Stevenson Inc. for over a year. I’ve always found highly valuable information well worth the subscription price.

They also publish The Volunteer Management Report and though I have not subscribed to that one, as its not my main area of interest, I expect that it would also be of the same high quality. You can view all of their available monthly newsletters here.

Besides general volunteer questions, another issue that came up frequently in the survey had to do with working with boards. Of course the majority of non profit board of directors serve voluntarily.

There are two books that I’ve been using recently with a board that I am on and they have really been life-savers. Hildy Gottlieb not only “knows her stuff” but also presents it in a concise, easy to implement manner.

If your group is on the hunt for new board members you absolutely must get Board Recruitment & Orientation A Step-by-Step, Common Sense Guide. Really, I can’t imagine recruiting new members without having read this book first.

The second one by Hildy Gottlieb is about how to get your board to take a leadership role in fundraising. I haven’t quite finished reading this one yet, but so far I am again impressed with the information presented in FriendRaising: Community Engagement Strategies for Boards Who Hate Fundraising but Love Making Friends.

While there may be many questions and issues related to volunteer management, I would estimate that a great majority of these questions can be answered by these resources here.

Enjoy!

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Thanks to everyone who entrered this contest by answering the fundraising interest questions. There were many great responses… I think I’m going to be busy for quite some time answering them!

Today the random drawing was done for the 10 winners… if you’d like to find out who won and watch the drawing as it happened click here for the video.

If you are one of the lucky winners we’ll be contacting you soon about claiming your prize. You can choose a copy of the new Silent Auction guide when it’s released or one of our current ebooks.

Congratulations!

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Here’s a “thank you” going out to those who completed the fundraising interest survey. I’ve just started going through the results and so far have been very interested to hear some of the responses. You’ve posed a lot of great questions!

Here is one chart that shows which fundraisers respondants were most interested in learning more about. As you can see fundraising letters and corporate sponsors were the most popular. Silent auctions and online donations tied for third place.

Everyone who submitted a survey was eligible for the drawing. The winners of the 10 free ebooks will be annouced on Monday. Thanks again for your input!

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The 12th Annual Used Book Sale for Mississauga Symphony held from Thursday, September 19th to Sunday, September 23rd in Mississauga, (Ontario, Canada) at the Sheridan Centre. The book sale is quite large, with 54,000 books. The books are divided into 48 categories from history, sci-fi, romance and other genres.

Last year’s book sale had 20,000 books and the symphony was quite pleased to raise $46,000. The book sale also features CDs, DVDs, records, games, puzzles and assorted epherma (postcards and calendars and other printed materials).

Books are sold for very reasonable prices, from fifty cents to $3.00 each. The book sale has thirty dedicated volunteers that work year-round to prepare for the sale, but during the book sale week there are more than 180 volunteers working on the sale. The book sale is the symphony’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Source: The Mississauga News

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The Burlington High School Student Council is holding a raffle to support the Great River Hospice in Iowa, with a very unique prize that makes local football fans quite comfortable indeed. Winners have the opportunity to sit in a comfortable sofa during Burlington High School home varsity football games. They will also enjoy free snacks from the concession stand.

Raffles are sold for $2.00 each. Tickets are sold at the gates of the stadium and also in the stands. There is information about Great River Hospice available at a table next to the concession stand.

The student council hopes to raise $2,000 with their fundraiser. Upcoming games on October 5th and October 19th will help them reach this goal.

Source: thehawkeye.com
 

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In the first article in this series we discussed 5 general reasons why people donate to charitable causes. Beyond the general reasons that we’ve already discussed it’s critical that your fundraising team consider why an individual would be motivated to give to your group in particular.

Here are five of the top reasons that someone may choose your group over, or in addition to, a similar organization.

1. They Support the Way Your Group Solves a Problem

People often give to organizations that are in tune with their values and beliefs, or support a particular interest or hobby. However there are often many organizations within a particular broad mission category.

For example, a search on Guidestar using the keyword “hunger” returned 1,562 organizations that support hunger relief! But there are many ways to address this particular issue. For example, our local food bank runs a program that was pioneered by America’s Second Harvest called Kid’s Cafe. It provides after school meals and activities for a-risk children. On the other hand, Bread for the World focuses on legislation and local advocacy to promote policy change. These are two very specific ways of helping solve the broad issue of hunger.

There are people that will appreciate the specific way that your organization solves a problem or engages its mission, and may prefer this approach over another and be persuaded to donate on this basis. In your communications to members highlight the specific ways that your group fulfils its mission.

2. They Have Seen Evidence of Your Organization’s Effectiveness

While someone may not have been personally touched by the cause or your organization, they may be motivated to give because they have been impressed by your effectiveness. While this is generally not the sole motivating factor, your organization’s past performance and reputation go a long way in helping secure a donor’s trust.

I have personally seen this on a local level in several instances. An organization that consistently went about its mission for 20+ years saw an amazing response when they did their first donor acquisition direct mail appeal.

This is also a word of warning for new organizations. It is tough to start a new non profit and it’s something that generally doesn’t happen over night. People want to see that you can make good on your promises before donating, especially when it comes to significant funds. For new organizations, relying on a few close friends who are champions of the cause and partnering with an existing non profit can be more effective in securing funds than soliciting a skeptical public.

3. Their Gift Has an Immediate Impact

People often enjoy giving to projects that meet an immediate need. Often these are time sensitive appeals. Meals and toys for children around the Christmas holidays are common projects that meet specific needs. A matching grant deadline or a project that will start soon are other examples of an urgent need.

Mal Warwick, in his book How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters says that all appeals should have some sense of urgency. Otherwise donors may think:

If the money I send you this week won’t make a difference right away, shouldn’t I send money to some other charity that has asked for my support and urgently needs it?

Consider how your organization can time its appeals to highlight the most urgent needs.

4. They Are Personally Involved With Your Organization

The more someone becomes involved with your group, the more they will begin to see its effectiveness. Even more important than that, they become personally invested in your cause and seeing your organization succeed. When you hear someone say “we” instead of “you” they consider themselves part of the team!

Here are just a few ways that you can engage current and potential donors with your organization:

• Provide a tour of your facility - open house or informal one on one tour
• Invite them to a lunch to be held at your facility
• Get them involved with a volunteer program
• Ask a former client or volunteer to go with you to speak at a civic organization
• When holding special events always have a strong connection to your mission

5. They Were Asked

The number one reason that people give is simply because they were asked. Even if someone generally supports your mission they may still not actually give financially unless asked.

Think about it in another context… how many people come to your home without an invitation? Even when you tell family or friends to “drop by anytime” they aren’t too likely to do so without you explicitly inviting them. Same is true with your donors. Even people who volunteer or are otherwise involved are more likely to give financially when they are asked to do so.

So what constitutes an ask? A billboard, a PSA or having a website “donate now” button? Nope… those are all too passive. The more direct your ask can be the better. The most broad appeal that can still be effective is through direct mail. The most personal is a one-on-one ask for support.

Listening to Your Donors

Many donors give because they like how your group solves a problem, they know your rate of effectiveness, their gift has an immediate impact or they are somehow personally involved. “Because you asked” is the over riding number one reason that many people give.

Of course these are still general reasons. The only way you can know why people give to your group is simply to get to know them. What are their needs and desires? What led them to become involved with your charity?

There are several mass data gathering ways to learn this information. If you have an email list you could hold a survey using free software such as Survey Monkey. A clip out survey in your newsletter is another option. Just like other appeals make these surveys time sensitive.

In the end though, building lasting support for your non profit organization comes down to the one-on-one relationships that you have with your supporters. The best way to learn why people do or do not give to your organization is to get to know them personally.

In her book FriendRaising: Community Engagement Strategies for Boards Who Hate Fundraising but Love Making Friends, Hildy Gottlieb gets to the heart of the matter:

Friendship is about kindness and generosity and compassion. It is about reciprocity, about that 2-way street of dependability, trust, nurturing…Friendship is not about what we get, but what we give.

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This grantwriting seminar shares proven techniques to turn grant proposal “ugly ducklings” into “beautiful swans”. The Get Your Grant With A Proposal Makeover seminar is presented by Cheryl A. Clarke, JD and Susan Fox, CFRE, they are also the authors of a book, Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request from No to Yes. This online seminar will be held on Thursday, September 27th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The cost for the seminar is $199. The seminar is conducted through Affinity Fundraising Seminars.

This seminar will share the 10 most common flaws in proposals according to funders. It will also give proven techniques to correct these flaws and transform your proposals to have the very best chance to secure funding. This seminar offers you the opportunity to learn how to write “stronger” and with more persuasion. You will also learn editing techniques to use for proposals written by others.

This seminar is well-suited for: Staff, Board Members and Volunteers. Anyone who writes grants or reviews grant proposals.

Cheryl A. Clarke, JD is a fundraising consultant, trainer and “recovering lawyer.” She is also the author of Storytelling for Grantseekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising (Jossey Bass, 2001).

Susan Fox, CFRE has worked as an independent fundraising consultant to nonprofit organizations since 1980. She has held the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive since 1995.

Click here for more info or to register.

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The goal for an auction is to raise money, plain and simple. However, at many auctions, the catalog of items for bid may number far less than the number of attendees at the event. Hosting a Raise the Paddle Special Appeal will encourage every attendee to give a little extra at the event. Continue Reading »

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