GuideStar Survey Shows Difficult First Half for Many Nonprofits

Jane Page-Steiner, JPS Nonprofit Strategies 

How are your nonprofit's revenues for the first half of the 2010? Some 40 percent of participants in a recent GuideStar economic survey reported that contributions to their organizations dropped between January 1 and May 31, 2010, compared to the same period a year earlier. Another 28 percent said that contributions had stayed about the same, and 30 percent stated contributions had increased.

How can a nonprofit organization address a shortfall of revenues mid-year in a budget cycle?

You may want consider the following strategies:

1. Reconnect with past donors by phone or in person to ask for their support - take the time to explain your critical need for support and how their support will make a difference.

2. Ask your board to increase their annual donation to your organization or challenge the board to create a matching fund appeal - where the board matches up to a targeted amount raised from an appeal to the community. Ask one or two board members to write a story for your newsletter or website sharing why they financially support your organization.

3. Make sure your organization is set up to accept donations on your website, FanPage or any other social media you may be using. MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR DONORS!

4. Revisit your strategy plan and how it relates to your budget - extend out goals to help minimize expenses.

5. Consider your policies and practices on utilizing your reserve funds or endowment - can these resources be used to sustain your organization as you build new revenue strategies?

Strong leadership and thoughtful planning can ensure that your organization will continue to thrive even during difficult economic times.

To read the full report from GuideStar "The Effect of the Economy on the Nonprofit Sector: A June 2010 Survey" go to ... Read more.

Jane Page-Steiner, President of JPS Nonprofit Strategies is the publisher of the Cincinnati Not-for-Profit News and a 20+ year leader and consultant with nonprofits. You can reach Jane at at jane@jpsnonprofit.com , call 513.574.9797, or www.jpsnonprofit.com .

How to Engage 20-Somethings in Your Cause - Guidestar.org/August 2010

Finding new volunteers and donors is one of the biggest challenges facing
nonprofit organizations. For the past few years, more and more nonprofits
have used social media to get people to embrace their causes, but getting
the "social-media generation" behind your cause and then inspiring them to
contribute in time and resources is another matter.

Today's 20-somethings, sometimes called "slactivists," are often cynical of
corporate efforts. After all, at a formative age they witnessed dramatic
institutional and corporate failures. But they were also born during an age
of riches, are highly educated, and have been told that the world is their
oyster. So they are a very optimistic group.

The advertising agency TBWA/Chiat Day, with research partners Flamingo and
Changing Our World, recently conducted a study to explore what causes are
top of mind for people born between 1982 and 1992, and to find out what
types of marketing programs can successfully engage this group.

Here are eight ways the study suggests that nonprofit brands can engage
young adults:

1.Take time to understand what motivates your 20-something audience.

2.Seed information in places the 20-something audience goes for news.

3.Make your messages social.

4.Show how corporations you work with help support your cause.

5.Overcome logistical barriers. The top three reasons young adults don't get
involved in social causes are: time constraints; skepticism that their
involvement will make a difference; and a lack of opportunities to get
involved.

6.Ignite creativity.

7.Start an L3C staffed by young adults.

8.Consider going open source.

How do you engage your young-adult volunteers? What draws them to your cause
and organization?

Read the full article at Guidestar at http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2010/how-to-engage-20-somethings-in-your-cause.aspx source=aug_5_2010nwsltr&hq_e=el&hq_m=714193&hq_l=5&hq_v=10589f9854 

Volunteering in America 2010

This year's 'Volunteering In America' report, from the Corporation for National and Community Service, reveals that for the second year in a row volunteering rates have increased in the United States.

This year's report was highly anticipated for the light it would shed on two issues: whether volunteer rates would drop during the recession, and whether there really has been a compassion boom. In addition to highlighting a number of statistics such as the overall number of hours volunteered per age group, and the states and communities with the highest volunteering rates, the report sheds light on the types of volunteer opportunities that were most popular. In 2009, fundraising accounted for 26.6% of volunteer work, followed closely by collecting or distributing food (23.5%), general labor (20.5%), and tutoring (19%).

Indiana Highlights:

- 1.5 million volunteers
- 29.9% of residents volunteer, 19th of the 50 states plus D.C.
- 42 hours per resident, 13th of the 50 states plus D.C.

"Americans have responded to tough economic times by volunteering in big numbers," said Patrick Corvington, the Corporation's CEO. "What we're seeing is the depth of the American spirit and generosity at its best. People are turning toward problems, working with their neighbors to find solutions to real problems, from homelessness to the dropout crisis."

To check out the full report, visit http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/IN

Are Your Board Members Bowling Or Playing Golf?

I had one of those “AHA” moments a couple months ago when Dave Renz, Ph D from University of Missouri - Kansas City shared that in anecdotal research his team learned why most board members show little interest in attending training events to become better board members. They found that many board members do not really identify with the board member role or only view themselves as short-term board members. These individuals just see themselves as helping an organization they care about, and it happens to be as a board member right now. That got me thinking …

My “Bowling” vs.”Golf” analogy comes from my own experience as a hopeless amateur at both endeavors. (I offer this with all due respect and apologies, in advance, to accomplished bowlers and golfers.)

Bowling can be enjoyed by just about anyone who shows up at the bowling alley. Even the worst bowler gets to roll 20 balls and feel some satisfaction with knocking down some pins with their friends.
Becoming more proficient is admirable but doesn't change the basic experience. I propose that the individual who approaches their board experience like bowling views it as a great chance to show up, feel good about their efforts, and spend time with friends and people who share a common interest. They might assume that the board experience is the same for most board members in most organizations so there is really nothing more to learn.

In contrast, the beginning golfer quickly realizes they are experiencing a different game than the more capable golfer. Their game takes longer, they see different parts of the course and sometimes suffer the ridicule of other golfers - plus lose lots of balls. Though this person might have started as a recreational(bowling-style) board member they recognize a need to learn and improve. Something has helped them realize that different boards and different board members work at different levels of effectiveness and impact. I would suggest the reason we see many golfers take lessons but fewer bowlers is because golfers realize it really changes their experience.

When board members hold a limited view of the possibilities and potential of being part of a high performance, high impact board, they settle for merely participating. We want them to realize that learning the board member role changes the game and the experience for themselves, their organization, and the people they serve for the better.

BIN2010: Social Media & Blogging Conference is a 2-day conference for both experienced and new bloggers and social media enthusiasts alike. Sessions will include topics ranging from beginner-level through more advanced social media marketing, business, publishing and tech topics. A beginners workshop, Social Media 101, is included for all ticket-holders.

The event is being held August 20-21st in downtown Indianapolis.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.blogindiana.com/2010. 

Use the discount code NFPNEWS and receive 15% off your ticket!

Can Nonprofit Leaders Consider Retirement Again?

Around this time two years ago, tens of thousands of nonprofit leaders across the country were mapping out timelines to their retirement or next adventure - including dozens, at least, in central Indiana. Many had not yet mentioned anything to their boards or other staff leaders. Then the financial crash hit, retirement savings plummeted, and unless a replacement was already hired most leaders put their plans on the shelf to wait for better times.

Staff leaders are thinking retirement again, based on the increase in calls I am getting from board leaders and executive directors to assist with succession planning or these leadership transitions over the next 1-2 years. What has caused the change? The stock market is still far from its 2007 highs but has improved since the scary Spring of 2009. A driven, or tired, leader can only put off their next career, writing their book, or moving to Australia for so long.  Add to that one of the toughest environments ever to run a nonprofit organization and it seemed inevitable that we would begin to see some ripples of that wave of retirements that has been forecasted for the past 5 years. Still, in the bigger picture, many questions remain unanswered about how long current executives will want to continue to work and what they will do next.

What is “Retirement”?

In our leadership survey a few years ago, we found a significant number of nonprofit leaders had pushed their thinking of retirement age toward 67 or even 70. What wasn’t as clear was whether they envisioned being in their current role or doing something else. When I started focusing on executive transition work 6-7 years ago, I perceived many of my clients were retiring to golf, friends, family, and perhaps some informal volunteer roles. The leaders I speak with today are more likely to be talking about pursuing one of their other passions or even continuing their life’s work in a new way – seldom does living in an RV or sipping marguerites on a sandy beach come up as more than a vacation.     

How Big a Deal Is It When a Long-term Leader Leaves?

The comparison that people seem to resonate with most is to a long-term pastor retiring. Though nonprofit executives haven’t done marriages and funerals, they have been visible, inspiring advocates for a cause or a neighborhood as leaders, mentors, coaches, friends, and very important fund raisers. They have been the face, the identity, and the heart of the organization in the community. There are emotional, operational, and relational components that must be addressed as the board steps back to assess where the organization is, where it is going, and what kind of leader will be needed next.  Among the most important is to reassure staff, funders, and donors that everything is on track and well-planned.    

Where I do interviews as part of the organizational reflection and assessment process, staff and board members are both anxious about their long-term leader departing and excited about the possibility of having a new leader with fresh vision, intense engagement, and new perspectives.     

Balancing the Best for the Organization with the Best for the Individual

On the other side of the discussion, leaders who stay too long can inhibit the ability of an organization to build strong staff and board leadership, adapt to the changing environment, and maximize their impact and contribution to the community. Ironically, the very leadership qualities and characteristics that enabled an organization to survive and grow to a certain point can be the same leadership qualities that limit that organization moving forward. Some people have labeled this common tendency as “Founder’s Syndrome”, applying to both long-term executives and founders.

Truly sharing leadership seems to be the best prescription to combat “Founder’s Syndrome”. A painful, but positive, leadership inflection point happens when the board asserts their role as co-leaders of the organization – insisting on being a real part of defining and quantifying what success means to their organization and holding all parties, including themselves, accountable for moving toward those agreed upon outcomes.

If you are a board or staff leader anticipating a transition, I would be happy to speak with you to discuss the types of support we might provide. Feel free to share this article and the process overview at this link with your leaders  http://www.notforprofitnews.com/images/One_Page_ETM_Intro.pdf . Watch for another Leadership Survey this fall as we keep you informed about what we are seeing.  

13 Steps to Driving Volunteer Recruitment, Engagement and Leadership

From the VolunteerMatch blog! Contributed by Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention

When it comes to recruiting and motivating volunteers to ever higher and more effective levels of engagement, no organization has its work more cut out for it than New York Cares. As New York City's leading volunteer organization, New York Cares runs volunteer programs for 1,000 New York City nonprofits, city agencies and public schools, enabling more than 50,000 volunteers annually to contribute their time, expertise and energy to a wide array of organizations, addressing critical social needs citywide.

In order to ensure that its massive and complex operation runs smoothly, the staff at New York Cares has spent considerable time developing and refining their volunteer recruitment strategies, whose lynchpin, not surprisingly, is communication. I've spent some time talking with the folks at New York Cares recently and as you'll see below, their strategies can be put to work to boost your organization's volunteer recruitment, engagement and retention rates, no matter your size.

The Challenge In the recent past, New York Cares realized it faced three challenges that limited its ability to grow the base of volunteers serving its nonprofit partners.

1. They needed to raise "activation rates" of attendees who came to learn about New York Cares volunteer opportunities. Only 45% were immediately signing up for an assignment after their informational orientation.

2. They needed to increase the levels of volunteer engagement. The great thing about New York Cares is that it's a one-stop shop for want-to-be volunteers to learn about opportunities to help a broad range of nonprofits, and sign up for a project that has a commitment level of as little as just a few hours.

But New York Cares needed and wanted volunteers to come back again and again for more of the meaningful volunteer assignments they offered. "We needed to increase the average number of projects volunteers completed in order to grow the services we provide to nonprofit partners," says Colleen Farrell, senior director of marketing and communications at New York Cares.

Farrell notes that New York Cares also needs a volunteer team leader for every project they start.

3. They needed to create new leaders. "We wanted and needed a higher percent of our volunteer base to step into leadership roles. Taking a leadership role is the ultimate form of engagement and is critical to our expansion," says Farrell.

What follows is a group of 13 key principles for volunteer communication strategies I've gleaned from my observations of New York Cares' work. I want to thank executive director Gary Bagley and Colleen Farrell for volunteering their time and insights on how they've achieved their success. Where credit is due for brilliant insights and ideas, it is theirs alone; for anything less, I take responsibility. More