I’m thrilled to be hosting the Nonprofit Blog Carnival for February!

Since Valentines’ Day is this month, the Carnival topic is: As a fundraiser, how do you take care of yourself?

I believe fundraising is the best profession in the world! But it can be incredibly stressful, grueling, and thankless.

We often focus on letting donors know we love them, but how do you show yourself the love?

Nonprofit blog readers

If you’re a blog reader, sit tight. I’ll post a round up of the best of the blogs right here on FundraisingCoach.com at the end of February.

Nonprofit bloggers

If you’re a blogger, here’s how to be part of the carnival (even if only as a clown!)

• Write a post if ideas of how you take care of yourself. How do you as a fundraiser reenergize? Give yourself a pat on the back? Recover from the “no”? Feed your creativity? Stay inspired?

  There isn’t a right or wrong type of post. Yours may be funny, serious, or even emotional.

• Email your permalink to nonprofitcarnival@gmail.com or fill out this handy form by Monday 2/27.
• I’ll sift through all the submissions and, with the help of my team, will choose the ones that best fit the topic. Posts well written and relatively recent (within the last couple months) are best.
• Check back here on February 2/29 to see if your post made it. And to get great ideas on how to keep yourself motivated for the long haul!

Let the carnival begin!

I look forward to your creativity!!

To get an idea of how the posts will be collected at the end of the month, check out January’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival. These are posts relating to “dreams” (since we observed MLK Day here in the States!).

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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1. Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants
2. Part of the Carnival
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[Warning: Rant in progress]
In my book Ask Without Fear!, I encourage fundraisers to PYITS–put yourself in their shoes. Thinking like the donor or prospect can save you lots of embarrassment in the process of asking for money.

But never forget: you are not your perfect donor

Your major gift donor prospects are not on the same life trajectory as you. They have different life goals, work patterns, and values. This is good. This is why they are in a financial place for you to be talking to them.

So listen to what they want.

Based on my trainings around the world, 70-75% of the people reading this blog are outgoing, gregarious extraverts who love to be recognized. Don’t assume your donor wants their name up in lights. They may simply want a note of thanks from the CEO. Or maybe a quiet coffee with her.

On the other hand, if you tend to be more introverted and detail oriented, remember that your donor may indeed want to have his name listed as prominently as possible. Or to be recognized at a big gala.

Today, take off your ear muffs

Even if you could never conceive of anyone really wanting “that” [splashy recognition, quiet recognition, whatever], listen to what the donor wants.

As you go through your day today, take off your ear muffs to listen. It might even help to stop at the donors office door and pantomime taking off ear muffs.

You’ll be able to raise alot more money when you remember that you really aren’t your perfect donor.
[The rant is now over]

How do you stop assuming you know and really listen? Tell us in the comments!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

Other Possibly Related posts:

1. Perfect opportunity for a corporate ask?
2. Rant in progress: You’re going to have to ask!
3. Fundraising Secret #16: ALWAYS be interested in the donor as a PERSON

Here’s a 5 minute recording of CC Chapman talking with me about using video in nonprofit work.

Filmed at BlogWorld Expo in Los Angeles last month, you’ll see there’s a lot going around in the background…including voices from on high and a loud shriek!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

Other Possibly Related posts:

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2. Goofy video fun poll: Which promo do you prefer?
3. What Katy Perry and the Black Eyed Peas taught me about nonprofit fundraising

Have you ever been thanked for a nonprofit donation over Google Chat?

I just was. And it was so cool!

I just made a donation to an amazing nonprofit, Amirah. [Full disclosure: I am on their board.]

A couple minutes later, Google Chat popped up with the message:

You just donated to a great cause! Thank you…

Cool. Simple. Real time.

Remarkable, really.

Don’t Blow this Off

Some of you will be tempted to dismiss this with a comment like, “Yeah. But you’re on their board.”

So what?

When was the last time you made a personal thank you to a board member in a way he would love?

Why not do it today?

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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Here’s a video of my “Google+ for Nonprofits” session from BlogWorld Expo in Los Angeles last month.

There were 2 sessions about Google+ there: Guy Kawasaki and Chris Brogan did one; I did the other.

This was presented days before Google opened up pages for brands. The information presented here is still relevant but now there is even more nonprofits can do.

How are YOU using Google+ for your nonprofit?
Let us know in the comments!

The above video is only one of over 100 recorded sessions from BlogWorld Los Angeles 2011. You can get all of the videos — plus nearly 100 bonus interviews and other bonus content — by picking up the entire Virtual Ticket here: BlogWorldExpo Virtual Ticket [affiliate link]

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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The year is coming to a close so it’s the season for “Top 10 Lists,” right?

Here are the list of the top 10 most popular posts published here on FundraisingCoach.com in 2011.

# 10. was actually a tie between both:
3 Easy Phone Tips and
3 Tips for Effective Fundraising Letters

# 9. My Top 5 Android Apps

# 8. How to Make More Money with Your Next Silent Auction by Sherry Truhlar of www.RedAppleAuctions.com

# 7. What Katy Perry and The Black-Eyed Peas Taught Me About Nonprofit Fundraising

# 6. 5 Twitter Tips for Fundraisers

# 5. 10 Ways to Successfully Chair an Event by Layne Gray, founder of Vivanista

# 4. Are Fundraising Professionals Stupid?

# 3. Getting Started on Google+ for Nonprofits

# 2. 55 Quotes on Fundraising & Giving

and the # 1. most popular blog post published here in 2011 was… [drum roll please]: How to Write Effective Fundraising Letters

Reading over these 10 posts will help spark some great ideas for fundraising in 2012!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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Since Thanksgiving is in November here in the USA, I always spend most of this month thinking about gratitude, gratefulness, and thankfulness.

I wanted to post some really off-the-wall creative way to say thanks. Something that would wow you and get you to retweet this.

But then I attended a donor appreciation event last Monday that a hospital client was throwing for its donors. The format was incredibly simple:

• Donors were invited to a local science museum, a fun place to hold an event.
• They were offered simply heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine and beer.
• The room was decorated a bit by the caterer and the hospital put a few drawings of our building expansion. (And a couple hardhats! Brilliant!)
• And there was almost as much mingling as there were formal comments.

Simple. But the energy in the room was amazing. Donors loved seeing each other. They loved the food and wine. They were a buzz about the expansion.

And they knew they were appreciated as people, not just as ATMs.

So instead of some gimmicking or uber-creative thank you, I’d encourage you to try the thank-you’s that seem mundane to you and your staff. They rarely grow old to donors.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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If you’ve been waiting to join Google+ until your nonprofit or organization could have a presence on Google+?

The wait is over.

About 30 minutes ago, Google opened up Google+ Pages!

I’ve scoured their introductory material and have found references to pages being for “businesses, organizations, and groups.” There appear to be no explicit restrictions on nonprofits.

As I told folks in my “Google+ for Nonprofits” webinar last week at Blogworld Expo, I highly recommend using Google as individuals. But now you can have a sanctioned place for your organization too!

Here are some reasons I think Google+ is going to become the way nonprofits communicate with their donors.

• Google+ is wonderful for sharing pictures and videos as well as really detailed posts
• Google+ circles allow you to communicate solely with donors or your board or your staff
• Google+ allows you to follow anyone you want, without having to get “permission” like you do on Facebook or LinkedIn
• Google is already driving the majority of traffic to nonprofit sites so why wouldn’t you jump on board when they roll out a search engine changing platform like Google+?

Get your own nonprofit page at Pages for Google+!

Update

In the meantime, I highly recommend getting your personal profile set up. Be sure to include links to your nonprofit!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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I love it when people come out with practical, nuts-and-bolts books to help nonprofits. It’s even more fun when it’s with people I know!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Sandy Rees and ask her about her new book Get Fully Funded. [affiliate link]

The Fundraising Coach: Why did you feel compelled to write “Get Fully Funded”?

Sandy Rees: Writing a book like this has been a professional goal of mine for a long time. When I became a coach/consultant, I found myself teaching the same system of fundraising over and over. It just made sense to write it all down and put it in a book so I could make it available to way more nonprofits than I can possibly get to one at a time.

FRC: What are some of the common fundraising mistakes the you see nonprofits making?

SR: One of the most common mistakes I see is nonprofit leaders thinking small. They don’t see their organization as being able to attract lots of donors or “heavy hitters.” They look at other nonprofits with envy and think “we could never raise money like they do.” They see themselves as competing with other nonprofits. It’s all poverty mentality. The truth is that if nonprofits built good relationships with donors and encouraged them to give just a tiny bit more, there would be MORE than enough money. The concept of fully funding your mission isn’t a dream. It’s do-able. I’ve done it and I’ve coached many organizations to do it. In fact, there’s a testimonial on my website from one client that consistently has a cash surplus in the bank.

FRC: You talk about 7 simple steps in your book. Could you share those steps with us?

SR: You bet! The Get Fully Funded system is a step-by-step process for creating long-term financial stability through donor-based fundraising. Simply put, it’s a blueprint to building the fundraising program of your dreams.

I’ve boiled it down to 7 simple steps that you can easy implement.

• Step 1: Make fundraising a priority. You must get infrastructure in place in your office, and put the systems together that will support you when you are fundraising. Otherwise, your fundraising program will collapse as soon as it starts. You also must get your mind focused on what’s possible and let go any beliefs that zap your energy.
• Step 2: Understand why people give. Before you try to raise money, it’s helpful to uncover a donor’s motivations for giving. You must understand all the reasons why someone might make a gift to your organization so that you can appeal to them specifically.
• Step 3: Identify the best donor prospect. You can save a lot of time and resources by focusing your efforts on the right people. When you get clear about your ideal donor and how to find more just like them, attracting donors becomes easy.
• Step 4: Tell your story. When it’s time to talk to donors and prospects, it’s best to have a clear, focused message to share. You need carefully-selected key messages and a compelling, hooky elevator speech. You also need to be able to share a heart-warming story about a person or a family your nonprofit has helped.
• Step 5: Plan how and when will you ask for a gift. This is the nitty-gritty! You need a written, comprehensive fundraising plan for your nonprofit, complete with all the strategies and techniques that will be most effective for the target audiences you are after.
• Step 6: Acknowledge the gift and build relationships. Thanking and stewarding a donor is not only polite, but it builds relationship and trust with the donor. It starts with a great Thank-You letter and ends with a grateful donor who becomes an ambassador for you in the community.
• Step 7: Evaluate success. Measuring your success will help you know which fundraising activities to continue and which ones to dump. Consistent evaluation will help you not only stay on target and focused, but keep you moving forward.

FRC: I like that you use the term “long-term.” So many people seem panicked for short-term fundraising results. How do you respond to people like that?

SR: In order to achieve sustainability for next year and the year after and so on, we’ve got to think long-term. Nonprofits have got to stop living “paycheck to paycheck” or “bake sale to carwash” or whatever they’re doing. The principles in my book will help put things in place that make fundraising work every year, like a well-oiled machine. Now, I know that some folks are backed into a corner and really must raise money right away. For them, they have to figure out what they can do that will get them the most results in the shortest amount of time with the greatest long-term impact and the least investment. Then they have to do whatever it takes to make it happen and raise the money they need to get out of their current crisis. They’ve got to give up all the excuses they’ve been using for lackluster fundraising, and just do whatever it takes to raise money. It’s a real shift in attitude.

FRC: What is the one most helpful thing nonprofits can do to position themselves to getting fully funded?

SR: Make fundraising a priority. In fact, it’s the first step in the system and the first chapter in the book. If people don’t make fundraising a priority, they aren’t going to get the results they want. Simple as that. Making fundraising a priority involves time management and priority management, but also attitude management. It involves shifting your perspective and looking at the countless opportunities that are out there for your nonprofit, instead of focusing on the lack.

I believe so strongly in this, that I’ve offered the first chapter in the book as a free download on my website! www.getfullyfunded.com/get-fully-funded-books.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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As the economy continues to falter (or barely grow), we need people’s donations more than ever. But if we operate from a place of “need,” we can start sounding like we think we’re entitled to people’s money.

We never are.

So it’s more important than ever that you have your donor relations system in hand.

Here are some things to be thinking about as you review your plan.

• Send acknowledgements quickly

  Time after time, bloggers report making 10 donations at the end of the year and only getting 3 acknowledgements.

  Don’t let this be you.

  Best practice is to get those out within 24 to 48 hours. Some nonprofits aim for a week, allowing them to dedicate one day for receipting.

  Just get them out.

• Have a stewardship system decided in advance

  Acknowledgements are expected. Stewardship is much more. Here are some things I help clients consider:

  • What level gifts get a handwritten note from the development director? The ED? The board chair?
  • What level gifts get a phone call from the development director? The ED? The board chair?
  • Do you have board members or staff do a thankathon?

  These should all be spelled out so that, for instance, the ED can have a list of $1000 donors to call each week.

• Do something special

  What can you do that makes you stand out?

  You don’t have to necessarily send chutzke. But what you do should be distinctive to you.

  And it should always say “thank you.”

  If you were Ontario Nature and did the Ruby the Hummingbird” mailing (see it on SOFII), perhaps you could send them little packets of birdseeds.

  Or maybe you could send a personal video of someone benefitting from the gift. It shouldn’t be long and doesn’t need to be overly edited. Something expressing authentic gratitude is all it needs.

Don’t let your donors feel like ATMs. Let them know that you appreciate their generosity.

What are some ways you let your donors know you appreciate them?

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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