by Jason Dick on August 23, 2010
While working on a proposal for a significant merit-based endowment, a co-worker made an insightful comment. He said donors who set up endowments picture themselves as the individual receiving it. We can’t quite make this a rule of thumb, but it does give us a glimpse into the mind of the donor. If you’re creating a merit-based endowment, think about the specific values that made your donor successful. What path did he take to success? What obstacles did she have to overcome? Did he have a unique set of skills, training, or talents that made him successful?
Building a merit-based endowment allows donors an opportunity to highlight a trait in another person or program that they value a great deal. Maybe that trait is hard work, and they want to create a scholarship for students who are doing a double major. Maybe the trait is excellence, and they want to create a scholarship for 4.0 GPA students. This kind of endowment allows a donor to carry on a legacy that was started at the organization, in the community, or in connection with a special issue. If they have given to your organization for a long time what is it that they believe in the very most or have encouraged you to change the very most? If they are community-driven, think about their reputation and what they have done to sustain or encourage that reputation.
This is an interesting exercise to think about when building a merit-based endowment. When an endowment fits with donors’ personal core values and supports what they believe in, it can strengthen their interest and generosity in giving.
by Jason Dick on August 18, 2010
This month’s Featured Fundraiser is Sandy Clark. Feel free to leave a comment with questions or let me know if you’d like more information about her organization. If you know of a fundraising professional that I should feature here, I’d love to hear your nomination just send me an email. – Jason
What kind of fundraising do you do and who do you do it for?
I am the Director of Development Communications and Annual Fund for the Rural Development Institute (RDI). We work to secure land rights for the extreme poor in developing countries. Check out our new and improved website at: www.rdiland.org
What keeps you going? Why do you keep working in development?
After a successful career in policy and program management I took a step away – including a one year sabbatical to travel around the world. As a result of this self-reflection I decided to become very intentional and look for an organization that matched my passion for international development with evidence based research and programming. My work at RDI allows me to introduce powerful people in our community and across the world to a powerful idea- that land can and does make a huge difference in transforming lives and societies. There is so much joy in introducing people to this truth and in seeing the steady expansion of RDI thanks to so many committed people in the community who want to support change around the world.
What tips/advice do you have to other fundraisers in your field?
First, is be focused and patient. Relationships, the really great ones, take time. RDI has been working in this field for over forty years and it is just now that we are picking up momentum. My second tip is to take risks. I am a huge believer in jumping in with both feet and trying out creative ideas. I usually have a couple going in my head at all times. It keeps the energy flowing and excites others to join your cause. Finally, I believe in knowing your subject area. I spend time learning what we are doing and staying informed on current projects and trends in the field. You can’t sell it if you don’t passionately believe it.
What is the most frustrating or difficult thing about fund development?
That is simple–providing the level of personalized attention that each donor and staff member deserves.
You recently changed jobs from a large local social service agency to a small international organization. What has been the major difference?
The primary difference has been in the size of our development department. I went from a 14 member team to a 4 member team. With that I have increased the need to multi-task. I am now the event manager, annual fund manager, writer and researcher – to name a few. What I have also found in this change is a closer link to program staff. In my previous organization our development team was a bit removed from program and it was hard to connect with their day to day activities. Departments and programs were in different buildings and many times different cities. At RDI we are all together and we have regular learning sessions where the entire staff is invited to hear a trip report or recent research from program staff. One day I will be learning about deforestation in Kenya and the next day I will hear about micro-plots in India. The learning opportunities are fascinating and provide me with tremendous stories that I can share with donors.
by Jason Dick on August 16, 2010
You’ve been provided some facts and general information about mobile giving. I’ve learned a lot through this process and want to hear your thoughts and experiences in the mobile giving space. Below are a few different theories and philosophies regarding some of the benefits and specifics of mobile giving.
Instantly Viral
Cell phones and smart phones are all over the world and have saturated America. People carry their mobile phones with them almost all of the time. As nonprofits try and find creative ways to reach out to their constituencies, text messaging is a great way to get a personal message out. Providing donors with instant information about the needs of your organization improves the urgency of your message. As we’ve seen through fundraising with Haiti, the mobile platform has an incredible ability to respond to an urgent need in a short period of time.
Emerging Industry
Katya from the Nonprofit Marketing Blog wrote about mobile giving in a recent post.
“Most of us don’t have optimized websites or email outreach. Nail the basics. Then think mobile.”
In the mind of many nonprofits, mobile giving is an emerging industry. The technology has been around for several years and through Haiti it has increased in popularity. If you are struggling to communicate with your donors through traditional channels, get those mastered first. Make sure your organization has an effective website before running a mobile campaign. One of the great values in mobile giving is the ability to point people to your website through an embedded link.
Scalability
Mobile giving is successful when you can effectively communicate with a large group of donors and when you have access to media channels. If you have a really small donor pool you may not be able to raise enough of a reach to justify the associated costs. Talk with the mobile giving business you’re considering working with and get a feel from them if they feel like your nonprofit is right for a mobile campaign.
Capturing Donor Information
In addition to donations, date, and time of the gift, and in many cases the cell phone number. However you can only text to this number you are not allowed to call it. Acknowledging this group of donors happens through follow up texts. Through follow-up texts and embedded links in your text message you can ask donors to fill out information such as an email or mailing address on your website.
I’d like to hear back from you one what your experience with mobile giving was like. If you were successful or unsuccessful, please leave a comment and tell us about it. I’d also like to hear from those of you that have not yet used mobile giving. What is preventing you from trying it out? What concerns do you have?
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Here are a few research studies on the adoption of mobile giving in the nonprofit community.
What questions do you have about mobile giving? There will be a handful of experts regularly reading your comments that can help clarify and explain mobile giving beyond the information I’ve provided. Please leave a comment below with your thoughts about mobile giving. If your nonprofit has used mobile giving let us know who you worked with and what that experience was like.
by Jason Dick on August 11, 2010
When considering which provider to use, it can be difficult to find their pricing information so I’ve aggregated it here. There are more variables beyond cost since different businesses offer different options in reporting and wrap around services. Some of the providers require an application process for nonprofits for charitable or logistic reasons. Below I’ve provided a price chart for each business. Monthly fee packages govern the number of outgoing messages, simultaneous campaigns, and wrap around services you can run.
g8wave is a leader in the planning and deployment of integrated mobile strategies. For the past decade we have worked with brands, agencies and non-profits to build successful, long term strategic mobile plans.
Give by Cell – As one of the few Authorized Service Providers for the Mobile Giving Foundation, we help charities expand their fundraising efforts and reach new audiences with mobile technology. Features like real-time reporting and donor messaging help develop robust mobile giving campaigns.
Connect2Give is currently running a special summer pilot program. During the months of July, August and September you can take a “test drive” for a low cost and without a long term contract.
Other Associated Service Providers who I did not receive any giving information from: Mobile Commons, MPower, Give on the Go
by Jason Dick on August 9, 2010
Mobile giving is like the wild west of online fundraising. Nonprofits are still trying to understand much of what is being done in mobile giving. Some nonprofits are moving west and striking it rich, while others are having a hard time finding a place to start.
What is mobile giving? Basically a nonprofit provides its donors an option to give via text messaging by texting a specified keyword to a specified five or six digit number. When this keyword is sent, the cell phone companies send the designated gift amount to the nonprofit through the Mobile Giving Foundation or mGive Foundation.
The industry is run by two organizations, Mobile Giving Foundation and mGive. Mobile Giving Foundation pioneered mobile giving, delivering the platform to various nonprofits through Application Service Providers (ASPs). When they first began, one of these ASP’s was mGive which eventually broke out on its own. Both of these organizations have brokered a relationship with the majority of cell phone providers enabling text-to-give campaigns. If your nonprofit is considering doing a mobile campaign, you will contract with one of these organizations or their partners.
Nonprofits receive 100% of every donation ranging from $5 up to $30 depending on the designated amount. Additional information and acknowledgements are sent to each donor through outgoing text messages. Many of the providers have additional services that allow you to integrate other features to your campaigns such as website widgets or online giving.
The various ASP’s and mGive charge the nonprofits certain fees to use the platform. There are initial sign-up fees, a monthly campaign fee, and transaction fees for each gift. Nonprofits receive their donations in the form of a check 30 to 90 days after they receive a gift.
