Generous Living

A Generous Life 

Of course we experience blessings in this life. This is a reflection of God’s amazing grace. But generosity today will also translate into eternal rewards. “Great is your reward in heaven,” Luke 6:23 says. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,” He says in Matthew 6:19-20. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Our message to major donors can be clear and compelling: Here and in eternity, God’s nature is to be a rewarder. He meets our needs in this life, He blesses the generous giver, and He promises eternal rewards. “Give, and it will be given to you,” Jesus famously declares in Luke 6:38. “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” He’s not promising instant prosperity; God is committed to not letting us “run out” or go without as the result of giving. As we become givers, He ensures that we will have more coming in, more available to give.

* Like what you just read and want to learn more? Check out, More Than Money: The Truth About High-Capacity Givers.

Clear Communication with Donors / Partners

Rohit Bhargava has a new book out called Likeonomics: The unexpected truth behind earning trust, influencing behavior and inspiring action.

Here are his tips on telling the truth for good.

1. Tell the truth about yourself:  “Help connect donors and supporters with the REAL PEOPLE behind the work that the organization does.  Nonprofits typically think in terms of showing the real people who are helped, but not the people doing the helping.  The iPhone has two types of camera - the one that you point outwards and the one that you can point at yourself.  We need to get better at using the second one,” he says. 

2. Tell the truth about what you need: “Get better about sharing the truth behind what really matters and what really doesn’t,” he says.  “For example, the Salvation Army can do a great job of getting people to donate all kinds of clothes, but during the summer they generally have more need for summer clothes, and in the winter it’s the opposite.  Why not tell people that?  You won’t, of course, turn down any donations.  But just be making your real needs more obvious, you might encourage people to donate more.

Great advice.  Being truthful is hard.  Bhargava says the truth is so often ugly, inconvenient, hard to see and it makes you vulnerable.  But don’t be afraid of it.

Ministry and Marketing Alignment

Partnering Ministry and Marketing - being sure that communication is authentic, and ministry driven. As ministers, we need to keep our marketing efforts intimately intertwined with our ministry. They are not separate things. They must not be — because treating ministry and marketing as separate entities is laden with risk. In fact, as time goes by, if ministry and marketing are separate things, they actually become less and less like each other. By the time Jesus made that major scene at the temple, the “marketing guys” had lost sight of the ministry they had set out to enable. Now they were consumed with the enabling rather than the ministry itself. Jesus could see into their hearts, and what He saw was that they were no longer ministering, in their own way, alongside the priests; instead, they became exclusively “marketers” with only money on their minds. Our work with donors — communicating, inspiring, persuading, everything — needs to grow directly out of the ministry itself. Knights of the Middle Ages, during the Crusades, were sometimes baptized into Christianity — but they typically held their swords out of the baptismal waters. Why? It was a technicality. They intended to use their swords for destruction, and didn’t want to place them under God’s control. Today, our pocketbooks are our swords — and we hold them out of the baptismal waters as well. We want our money to be somehow beyond God’s control. Too often, perhaps, we think and talk about donors as if they own the money, when in fact we know that it’s God’s money. Furthermore, we are not calling the donor to an activity that will be harmful for him, but rather, in God’s economy, helpful — indeed, it can be transformational!

* Like what you just read and want to learn more? Check out, More Than Money: The Truth About High-Capacity Givers.

Little is MUCH when God is in it!

This week, I will revel in whatever role God assigns me to play.

The greatest impact you make may be the result of the smallest action you take. 

The New York City crime rate famously dropped by an astonishing two-thirds after Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his police commissioner implemented a neighborhood quality plan. They cover up the graffiti as quickly as it goes up, they fix windows as quickly as they break, they replace street lights as quickly as they go out. The theory is that when people see that people in power care about the smallest things, they will assume that they care about the big things. Part of the signal that criminals are looking for, without necessarily even realizing it, is the signal that says This is a place where the people in power aren’t paying much attention. I can commit my crime here and get away with it. Criminals have shied away from the areas where this theory has been implemented, and the crime rate has plummeted.

Little things make a big difference. A little effort brings about big results. A warm response to someone who comes to my door can end up shaping that person’s life for eternity. My willingness to invest a couple hours a week in some supposedly insignificant ministry effort can change forever the life of someone touched by that ministry. Dedicating myself to responding with Christlike compassion to someone (who just basically annoys the living daylights out of me) can give that person a taste of God’s love unlike anything they’ve ever experienced; and that experience can change not only them, but me, in a way I never imagined.

In Matthew 13:31,32, Jesus said, Don’t get hung up on big, high-profile ministries. God’s real work in the world is in the little things. Here’s how he put it:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

It doesn’t take a huge effort. A small effort makes a big difference. The smallest gift, given in Christ’s name, makes a huge impact for the Kingdom. Not just in others. But in me.

If we can catch this vision for what Jesus wants to do in us, it will revolutionize our lives and ministries. If we can honestly say to God, “Hey, whether it’s big or small, glamorous or plain, I want to be involved however you want me involved — I am sold out to you” — our “misery index” will go way, way down. And our “joy index” will go up!

My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... God, I want to serve brilliantly wherever you put me. Help me not to judge the impact I would expect from my effort, but simply to give my all to the task you have placed before me to accomplish. Amen.



1 Corinthians 1:27
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Our Fight Against Sin

 I found these six ways of minimizing sin to be very instructive regarding gospel-centered sanctification/mortification of sin. Take a moment and examine your fight against sin, the ways you are prone to minimize sin, and develop an intentional strategy to renounce them.  Remember, resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Be authentic with others, making the Arena section of your life the large and dominant section.

 

Defending

I find it difficult to receive feedback about weaknesses or sin. When confronted, my tendency is to explain things away, talk about my successes, or to justify my decisions. As a result, I rarely have conversations about difficult things in my life.

Pretending

I strive to keep up appearances, maintain a respectable image. My behavior, to some degree, is driven by what I think others think of me. I also do not like to think reflectively about my life. As a result, not very many people know the real me (I may not even know the real me).

Hiding

I tend to conceal as much as I can about my life, especially the “bad stuff”. This is different than pretending in that pretending is about impressing. Hiding is more about shame. I don’t think people will accept the real me.

Blaming

I am quick to blame others for sin or circumstances. I have a difficult time “owning” my contributions to sin or conflict. There is an element of pride that assumes it’s not my fault AND/OR an element of fear of rejection if it is my fault.

Minimizing

I tend to downplay sin or circumstances in my life, as if they are “normal” or “not that bad. As a result, things often don’t get the attention they deserve, and have a way of mounting up to the point of being overwhelming.

Exaggerating

I tend to think (and talk) more highly of myself than I ought to. I make things (good and bad) out to be much bigger than they are (usually to get attention). As a result, things often get more attention than they deserve, and have a way of making me stressed or anxious.

Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence

Download a PDF

Great resource from www.minnesotanonprofits.org.  The Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence are based on the fundamental values of quality, responsibility and accountability. The ten characteristic accountability principles distinguish the nonprofit sector from government and the business sector. The 133 management practices provide specific guidelines for individual organizations to evaluate and improve their operations, governance, human resources, advocacy, financial management and fundraising.

Read the all the Principles and Practices by downloading the PDF.

Role in Society

Nonprofits are obligated to understand their role as entities that engage and inspire individuals and communities for public benefit, and to conduct their activities with transparency, integrity and accountability.

Governance

A nonprofit’s board of directors is responsible for defining the organization’s mission and for providing overall leadership and strategic direction to the organization.

Planning

Nonprofits have a duty to engage in sound planning, define a clear vision for the future, and specify strategies, goals and objectives for plan implementation.

Transparency and Accountability

Nonprofits should regularly and openly convey information to the public about their mission, activities, accomplishments and decision-making processes. Information from a nonprofit organization should be easily accessible to the public and should create external visibility, public understanding and trust in the organization.

Fundraising

Nonprofits should adopt clear policies for fundraising activities to ensure responsible use of funds and open, transparent communication with contributors and other constituents.

Financial Management

Nonprofits must comply with all legal financial requirements and should adhere to sound accounting principles that produce reliable financial information, ensure fiscal responsibility and build public trust.

Human Resources

Nonprofit organizations should place a high priority on exercising fair and equitable practices that attract and retain qualified volunteers and employees. Nonprofits have an obligation to adhere to all applicable employment laws and to provide a safe and productive work environment.

Civic Engagement and Public Policy

To the extent possible, nonprofit organizations should engage constituents in public policy and advocacy activities as a means to fulfilling their missions and promoting community interests.

Strategic Alliances

Nonprofits should initiate and promote cooperation and coordination between a variety of entities to avoid unnecessary duplication of services and to maximize the resources available to the communities they serve.

Evaluation

Nonprofits should regularly measure their performance against a clear set of goals and objectives. They should share this information with their constituents and the public and use it to continually improve the quality of their processes, programs and activities.

Leadership

The Leadership Challenge

Too often people confuse a strong-willed personality as an effective leader, leadership is not being strong-willed, rather having a strong sense of purpose that is centered upon God. The church of our Lord needs leaders, not petty instigators. There are too many churches that substitute a petty person for a godly person and see no distinction, because the people who put them in power do not know the difference.

Characteristics of an effective pastor and church leader:

 

Vision

A vision will have your primary call from Scripture, to hear and obey His Word!

Knowledge

Knowledge is being assured that what Christ did is relevant and impacting, and is a reality that must be accepted and committed to.

Love their Call

Love their Call is Passion, it means there is nothing better you would rather do than...

Energizer

Energizer is the importance of influence, and being attractive with Christ who gets excited and is joyful for Him!

Learning

Learning is to learn and grow from the experience the Lord gives us so we are an example for His work!

Maturity

Maturity is to know that our need is to be in Christ, and not to be to ourselves!

Perseverance

Perseverance is to continue in our state of grace so we live it out in our lives and walk with Christ to the end for our eternal reward!

Courage

Courage is the willingness to take a risk and go beyond ourselves, our experience and knowledge and into what is best for the body of Christ!

Faith

No Fear of Failure is the ability to take a risk and keep the focus and attention on our call and obedience!

Followers

Followers is knowing that you cannot lead where you have not been, unless the leader is a good follower of the Lord they cannot lead others effectively!

Listening

Listening knows to be an effectual leader, you must know how to listen, all its takes is the will to turn it on and let it work.

The true peace of a life totally entrusted to God

This week, I will define peace God’s way.

What you want isn’t as good as what God wants for you.

She was such a loser that her life could only be described as “sinful.” But when Jesus came to dinner at a local religious bigwig’s house in Luke 7, she sneaked in, found Jesus, and — weeping over her own depravity — anointed his feet ... the ultimate sign of reverence.

Jesus forgave her sin, then gave her instructions: “Go in peace.”

Was he guaranteeing her a problem-free future? No. Jesus doesn’t share our most common definitions of peace:

“If only my ministry had a little more money, I’d feel at peace.”

“If only I had a different wife, I’d be at peace.”

“If only I could have a baby.”

“If only my baby would sleep through the night.”

“If only I could be in charge of this ministry, instead of stuck in this position.”

Unfortunately, none of these achievements leads to real peace — because each gives way to some other need which leaves us restless.

Peace isn’t a feeling at all. Jesus didn’t forgive the woman’s sins and fill her with his power for the sake of a warm fuzzy feeling. He didn’t die on the cross just so I could have higher status in my social circle or greater success in my career. Jesus paid the ultimate price for the sake of getting me the one thing God wants to be sure I have: true peace of mind. Alignment of my heart with God’s heart.

We imagine a change, and we envision peace of mind resulting from that change. But God looks at peace of mind from the other side. He can give me peace first, regardless of whether my circumstances change the way I want them to.

Jesus looked at that sinful woman in the Pharisee’s house, throwing herself on his mercy, and what he said to her, in the space of 8 words, was cosmically profound: Your faith has saved you, go in peace. In other words, as of this moment, you have the potential to become the fully actualized person I dreamed up when I created you. A person who loves life. A person who feels full of passion — and yet fully contented. A person who makes a powerful impact on those around her ... and yet a person who is completely at rest, every single day — because she knows she is letting the Spirit of Jesus Christ shape her, guide her, empower her, fulfill her, make out of her life everything she longs for it to be, deep down inside, in her heart of hearts.

True peace comes from totally trusting Christ ... entering into a true life “in Christ” ... because a life in Christ is the only life I’m perfectly designed to live!

My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... Father, give me your peace. Not a flimsy feeling founded on my circumstances, but the true peace of a life totally entrusted to you. Amen.

Your Grant Appendix

Four Ways to Make Your Grant Appendix Shine

Whether you're an established organization familiar with the grant process or you are a new nonprofit venturing into the state or federal grant writing realm for the first time, chances are you're overwhelmed by the amount of information requested by the funder—and the herculean efforts it can take to gather everything by the deadline. Narratives and budgets are critical elements, but just as crucial in importance—and sometimes overlooked—is your proposal's appendix. "How in the world can I gather all of this information in such a short period of time?" you may ask. "What happens if I’m not able to obtain all the necessary components before the deadline?" There's one simple answer: your grant will not be selected for review, and all the sweat equity and sleepless nights you and your staff have invested in the project will be for naught. Following are four "Do's and Don'ts"—some basic, helpful tips to ensure your application is in A+ form—elements that will make or break your proposal.

What to Do (and Not to Do) to Create a Stellar Appendix

DO:	Provide information specifically related to your organization and your project.
DON'T:	Provide ambiguous, lengthy information not specifically related to your project.
WHY?	Evaluators read thousands of pages during grant competitions. They spot "fluff" a mile away and won't read it.

DO:	Provide statistics and information relevant to your organization and local community.
DON'T:	Rely solely on national and statewide info/statistics.
WHY?	Evaluators want to know what's happening in your community. They want verification that you're involved as an active participant—as part of the solution.

DO:	Provide crisp, clean, scanned PDF documents.
DON'T:	Provide documents that are crooked, blurry, or incomplete.
WHY?	Your grant application is a reflection of your organization and the professionalism with which you will carry out your project.

DO:	Obtain Letters of Support/MOU (Memoranda of Understanding) that are current, on letterhead, relevant to your project, and that explain the organization's involvement with your project (work to be performed, cash or in-kind contributions, etc.).
DON'T:	Include letters that are old, not signed, not on letterhead, form letters, or letters that do not specifically address the project—or the organization's specific support and involvement in the project.
WHY?	Think community; coalitions; partnerships; commitment; support. If you don't include strong, solid, and relevant evidence of support for this specific project, John Doe Nonprofit down the street will. If your applications are comparable—with the exception of your weak letters—John Doe's project will be funded above yours. It cannot be stressed enough how important these letters are to your proposal.

Know Your Donors

Donor relations blindness

Don’t develop donor relations blindness! One symptom of this deadly marketing disease is the test ban. This is not a nuclear arms treaty. This is a reluctance to test marketing packages or concepts before committing to use them with your entire donor family. Perhaps the notion sounds too mechanical, too “Madison Avenue,” for a Christian ministry. Maybe it sounds like a lack of faith to test an idea before using it unilaterally. But it can also be seen as a matter of good stewardship of your ministry’s financial resources. If you mail a package to your entire file and it only raises half the money you need, don’t you feel guilty about the loss? To the ministry leader who says, in essence, “I don’t test; I just trust,” we offer this encouragement: Testing doesn’t reflect a lack of faith; rather, it reflects a sensitivity to your donor.

Human Capital tidbits

I just attended a workshop by Lou Carloni of SMBC Incorporated, hosted by PSA in Hunt Valley, MD.


To start, Lou identified good listening as the missing ingredient in communication within most business cultures. Listening facilitates good communication, which builds Trust, which leads to Job Satisfaction, which in turn builds Morale. And we know, satisfied team members means Satisfied Customers. Lou endorsed Chick-Fil-A and Wegmans as great examples of success on this continuum.


Next, Lou walked us through a matrix using Willing [Potential] and Able [Performance] to discern the ‘dead wood’ and the ‘key players’ in your organization. Drop the dead wood, and invest in the A players.

Leave a Legacy

An Insignificant Life

Floss Ewald
I reminded Mom that her granddaughter wanted to hear stories of her life growing up in the 30s and 40s.   She rolled her eyes but did say she wrote a little something.  As she rummaged around, my heart leapt as she said, “Here it is.”  Trying to sound inconspicuous, I offered to take it home to her tonight.   But as I reached, the folder was snatched back and held close as if it needed protection. “I think I’ll make sure there are no errors or anything to change.”   No matter what I said there was no convincing her to give it up.   So close, but that “little something” was so far away.  In that brief moment, I got a glimpse of the title she had written, “My insignificant life.” 
My heart was heavy as I drove home that night.   I did not understand why my Mom was so guarded about sharing her life.   It was evident by the title that in her mind, her life lacked worth.  I recalled our pastor saying that true significance cannot be measured by human standards.  We see in part and much of our vision is skewed.  Our worth does not depend on money, houses, or even if men admire us.  Significance accumulates as you live your life according to God’s principles and plan, because it is God who sets the scales and He is Judge of what we have done with what He has given. 
Her mother and Grandmother were Christian women who took her to church each Sunday.  Margaret accepted Christ as a young girl and began praying daily for her father’s salvation.   At times she wondered if God cared or heard her, but one day, many years later, her father told how Jesus came into his heart as Lord and Savior!   At sixty-six years old, my grandfather’s heart was made new!   I recall Mom contemplating if her prayers changed God’s mind or if God had used those long years of waiting to change her as she submitted herself to obedience and prayer.  To faithfully pray for anyone for 40 years is gargantuan to me.  The character God cultivated in those very long years - patience, obedience, submission, hope, selflessness, let alone a grounded faith and trust in His promises - how can these qualities that she possessed be anything less than marvelous? 
As a young woman, Margaret met Charlie.   Now he’s a book in himself, but he was the tough guy that she ignored and refused to date.  But that didn’t dissuade him.   He stalked her boyfriends, ran them off the road to “convince” them not to see her again, made “arrangements” that rendered her dates unable to pick her up and conveniently he’d show up to take their place.   She became engaged to another and before Charlie went off to the War, he told her that he wanted that ring off her finger when he returned.  Because of Margaret’s influence and example, Charlie also went to church and accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior.   So they married, had kids that they raised to know and love God and have been married over 50 years.  
Margaret and Charlie have six kids and when we were very small, Dad had his own business and bought a house in Pennsylvania.  Before long, Charlie got sick with blood poisoning beyond the point of medical intervention.  Medical bills mounted and the Doctor’s told Margaret there was nothing left that they could do.  The Doctor sent him home from the hospital…to die.   As he lay in their bed, I remember watching the men of the church as they took turns praying for my father and then they did something very unusual. They prayed and put their hands on my father’s body and God provided the miracle of healing with Margaret by his side. 
Margaret shouldered the responsibility of nursing her husband back to health, dealing with the loss of their business, six small children, mortgage and bills and holding the family together.   Her faith in the God that provides was the solid rock she stood on as she did whatever she could to ensure her family's survival.  She washed and ironed clothes for other families, mended, sewed and sold clothes, baked bread, rolls and sticky buns and sent her children out to sell her wares.  She clipped coupons and babysat children and other odd jobs in order to make it just one more day.   She was able to lay aside her pride and humbled herself when she could see that she could not continue without help.   I can still see her tears and hear the pain in her voice as she asked for money to feed us kids.   It’s not easy to be humble and it wasn’t easy for her either, but she did it out of love for her family.  
Charlie recuperated and found a good job where he was able to provide for his family while Margaret started a baking business in our home.  As the baby entered kindergarten, Margaret opened a shop and before long, had a budding business of her own.  For twenty years, she managed the family bakery with the vision in her mind to put their six kids through Christian college.   And as the baby graduated from college in 1986, the doors closed on the bakeshop forever.  The years of work God provided in answer to her prayer of faith was accomplished.   Through God’s provision, Margaret and Charlie did what God had set in their hearts to do – and that was to provide a Christian home, live a Godly example and provide a Christian education for all of their children.  
I thought about what I knew of my mother’s life…and am comforted that it is God who has the final say in significance.   Oswald Chambers wrote, “One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.”  I think he had my mother in mind when he penned those words.  I hope one day to be able to read the words she wrote and so carefully guarded, but from the bits and pieces I have learned and witnessed, I’m sure you will agree that according to our family and God’s standards, Margaret’s life was anything but insignificant.
She graduated to glory on May 21st, 2012

990 Inaccuracies for Charities

4 in 10 Charities Claim No Fundraising Costs on Tax Forms

Thousands of charities do not accurately report to the Internal Revenue Service how they raise money, according to Scripps Howard News Service.
Of the nearly 38,000 nonprofits that garnered at least $1-million in gifts, 41 percent reported to the IRS that they spent no money doing so. In total, those groups raised $116.7- billion
“It is ridiculous to think an organization could raise significant amounts of money without spending money to do it,” said Robert Ottenhoff, head of GuideStar, which provided data for investigation.
Charity leaders say they are under pressure from donors to minimize overhead costs, which include fundraising. However, several organizations said they will re-evaluate how they report those costs in the wake of the study, which examined charities’ most recently available informational tax returns.
For example, among Goodwill Industries International’s, 127 major affiliates, 48 reported no fundraising costs to the IRS. “We are going to have a dialogue within the Goodwill network so that each Goodwill and the boards of directors can become very aware of this issue,” said Jim Gibbons, the charity’s leader. “It is important to be clear and transparent.”

Thoughtful Donors

The Impact Indicators

A number of donors — we would call them “careful givers” or “thoughtful givers” — review their giving practices at the end of each year and decide whether to make changes in the year to come. These are not necessarily emotional, spur-of-the-moment donors; rather, they think and plan.

In order to hang on to these high-quality donors, it’s crucial for a ministry to focus on results at the end of one year and the beginning of the next. How has the ministry impacted lives this past year? How have the donor’s gifts made a difference? These impact indicators can include dramatic stories told in regularly scheduled appeal letters, or in special inserts in those packages. An “annual report” can communicate results powerfully. Thank-you letters accompanying donation receipts can include stories of lives touched through the ministry and other indicators of impact. Emails containing nothing but testimonies of lives touched through the ministry, or praise reports reflecting the impact of the ministry (and thereby the donor’s contributions), can be highly effective without being terribly expensive.

 What donors are saying...

“We are very sensible and logical about what we are doing. It isn’t an emotional feel-good thing, that we want to give this because it makes us feel good. That is what the world does.... The world gives money because it makes them feel good.... Scripture talks about giving to the poor and Jesus asking, ‘When did you feed me or clothe me?’ A lot of organizations will use that to pull on the heart strings. We are a little bit more logical and sensible than that. We want to know exactly how that money is being spent and who is getting it and where it is going.”

Donor Care

Katya Andresen asks, Are you taking care of your donors?  What kind of experience do they have after they give?
Here’s a quick checklist to answer that question.  If you can’t check all the boxes, work on doing better.  The single most powerful thing you can do as a fundraiser is to take great care of the donors you have.

Timeliness:
_ All donors thanked promptly
_ All donors thanked throughout the year

Personalization and Accuracy:
_Thank-yous are directed at the donor – not “Dear Friend”
_The gift amount is included and correct
_ Thank-yous reference the appeal or campaign that prompted the gift
_ Thank-yous are signed by a real person or include a real person’s name
_ I properly acknowledge gift designations and dedications

Gratitude:
_ I express heartfelt thanks for the gift twice in each note
_ I also express gratitude for past support (when relevant)
_ I give credit to the donor for what will be achieved
_ The thank-you is a thank-you, not an appeal!  (It doesn’t ask for money again)

Useful Resources:
_Thank-yous include full contact information of my organization
_ Thank-yous include appropriate tax language
_I make clear how the gift will be used

Ongoing Communication:
_ I tell a good story or use a vivid example in every piece of outreach
_ I report to donors on their impact at least twice a year
_ I recognize donors after thanking them
_ I include the voices of donors in my outreach
_ I ask my donors for feedback

The more you care about your donors, the more they will care about your cause!

Responding to the Online Giving Trend

Online giving is up across all channels. The healthy growth of digital philanthropy continues.  Is your organization capitalizing on this trend?  I recommend branded donation pages that look just like your website (as opposed to a generic donation page that links off to a third-party donation form that looks nothing like your website).  When nonprofits feature a branded donation page on their websites, they can see a significant increase in donation dollars over the more generic experience. The average gift through a branded donation page was $104; that is 20% larger than the average gift of $87 on generic donation pages. Branding builds a relationship with supporters—and shows your organization cares enough to pay attention to the donation experience and donor stewardship.  These small steps matter and increase the likelihood of repeat donations.
Why is that? A branded donation page looks like a natural extension of your website – with the same look of a trusted entity that includes consistent colors, inspiring messaging, and general appearance.

How are you responding to the trend toward online donations?

Detachment Derails

This week, I will dance to God’s flute!

You won’t like every person or every situation you have to work with. But God is committed to making every detail worthwhile.

In one of the strangest comments of his entire earthly ministry, in Matthew 11, Jesus said: “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’”

Have you ever watched 7- and 8-year-olds playing together? The first 50% of the time is spent setting up What We’re Going To Play: “Okay, you be the brother, I’ll be the sister, Vinnie is the dad, and Erica is the mom, okay? Let’s pretend the dad dies in the war, okay? And then I’ll say Please let me have a puppy, and my mom says no way, okay? And ...”

Set-up takes 50% of playtime. Then they start to enact it. This — actually playing — represents perhaps 10% of playtime. But then someone inevitably begins ad-libbing. That’s when you hear, “No! No! You’re not supposed to do that!”

And the final 40% of the playtime is spent in arguing about whether Natalie did it right or Kristofer did it wrong, and it ends up with everybody sticking out their lower lip and marching off, muttering about what the other kids did to ruin the game. “If this isn’t exactly the way I want it to be, then I’m not playing!”

Jesus is painting a similar picture. The story he tells is: Some neighborhood children have toy flutes; they say, “We’ll play Yankee Doodle, and you be the patriots ... you’re taking a break from the war, you’re happy, you’re dancing ... then the British come and kill your wives and children, and we’ll play a sad song, and you’re all sad.... No! No! First the happy part! Then the sad part! You’re doing it all wrong! If you’re not going to play right, I’m not going to play with you!

Jesus says, That’s you. You’re engaged in ministry, but when you find yourself in disagreement with a colleague, you withdraw. You say the newsletter ought to be full-color; I know we can’t afford that. And before you even realize it, you’ve slipped away ... detached from that person ... written them off.

Whatever isn’t to my liking, I tend to withdraw from. I hear a tune I don’t like, I refuse to dance. But God says, I’ll teach you to dance beautifully to that flute. I’ll take even a bad song and make something good of it. Don’t withdraw — plunge in! This is an opportunity to grow. Grasp every opportunity to participate personally in Kingdom-building!

My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... Lord, you know exactly which situations I’m most unhappy about in my ministry. Please give me the grace and the strength to forge ahead, so I don’t miss out on anything you have for me, or for this ministry. Amen.

Carry a Fundraising Toolbox

Fundraising is by no means a hardhat job, but it’s still a good idea to have a toolkit on you. Instead of being filled with wrenches and hammers, this toolkit will be stocked with items that will help your fundraising efforts.
Kay Sprinkel Grace, CFRE, wrote in “Nonprofit Management 101” that you should share this toolkit with other people, especially volunteers. These individuals won’t necessarily be comfortable soliciting donors, but they can still be of help to your fundraising efforts.

Sprinkel Grace suggested having your volunteers engage the community to spread the word about the nonprofit. They will need a fundraising toolkit stocked with the following items:

• Stories of your impact to add a personal touch to your role in the community;
• The elevator speech (and the elevator question – what do you say after you’ve said the speech to ensure that the conversation is just the beginning?);
• Facts about the organization (i.e., number of people served, before and after statistics, etc.);
• Analysis of the organization’s impact measured against the needs of the community;
• Most commonly heard questions and objections to giving and the recommended response;
• Highlights from the strategic plan that may be relevant to some potential donors; and,
• Full financial information, presented in an understandable format.

Bequest Requests

Planned giving requests are always a touchy subject. It can be difficult to find the right time to start asking frequent donors about it.
According to Joan Flanagan in “Successful Fundraising,” there are 10 instances when people will write or update their will:

• They inherit money or property;
• They marry or divorce;
• They have a baby;
• They leave for a war zone;
• They buy a home;
• They start a business;
• They are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness;
• They acquire a great deal of money – win the lottery or make a killing in the stock market;
• They plan to take a trip out of the country; and,
• They have a relative who becomes a lawyer.

All of these instances should theoretically help you to decide when to ask for bequests. There’s only one problem: Your organization generally has no way to anticipate these events. So how do you know when to ask for bequests? There really isn’t a foolproof answer to this question, according to Flanagan. She suggested the following tips to make your timing less awkward:

• Include a checkbox in your newsletters or other communications to allow donors to receive information about your bequest program;
• Send communications at least once a year about wills;
• Include a “success story” about a donor who has remembered your agency in their will and what you can now do with that money; and,
• Add bequests and other deferred gifts to the “menu” you offer your prospects when you discuss ways they can support your organization.

NonProfit Assessment Tools

 
 

MARYLAND ASSOCIATION OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS:

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Descriptive standards developed by Maryland nonprofits to promote ethical practices and accountability in nonprofits across the State.  These Standards describe how nonprofits should act to be ethical and be accountable in their program operations, governance, human resources, financial management and fundraising.  Principles are provided, along with 55 Standards - - more detailed performance benchmarks which will enable nonprofits to strengthen their operation.  The Standards of Excellence are intended to describe how the most well-managed and responsibly governed organizations should, and do, operate. (No metrics of performance included.)

                                                                   -    Maryland Association of

                                                                        Nonprofit Organizations

                                                                        www.mdnonprofit.org

McKINSEY CAPACITY ASSESSMENT GRID

“The McKinsey Capacity Assessment Grid is a descriptive tool that describes the organizational capacity, by selecting the text that best describes the organization’s current status or performance on 7 levels and components.  The grid is not a scientific tool and should not be used as one.  The scores are meant to provide a general indication - - a temperature taking.  The tool is meant to be a starting point only.  We encourage you to adapt the grid to meet your own organization’s capacity assessment needs.”

                                                                   -    McKinsey & Company

                                                                        www.mckinsey.com

MANAGEMENT HELP: 

CHECKLIST OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONAL INDICATORS

A self-assessment tool developed for internal use by staff and volunteers of the United Way of Minneapolis Area, this checklist offers ratings of “E” (essential basic requirement); “R” (recommended as standard practice); and “A” (additional indicators to enhance management operations and activities.

                                                                   -    Management Help

                                                                        www.managementhelp.org

 

LEADER-TO-LEADER INSTITUTE: SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL

(Formerly the Drucker Institute)

The Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment provides a process for nonprofit organizations to clarify mission, define results, set goals and develop a focused plan.  The Drucker Self-Assessment tool addresses 5 questions:  What Is Our Mission?  Who Is Our Customer? What Does the Customer Value? What Are Our Results? What Are our Plans?

                                                                   -    Leader-To-Leader Institute

                                                                        www.pfdf.org

INNOVATION NETWORK:

RAPID ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT (ROA) TOOL

ROA provides nonprofits with a “snapshot” of organizational effectiveness as a springboard towards evaluation discussions.

                                                                   -    Innovation Network

                                                                        www.innonet.org

THE MANAGEMENT CENTER: NONPROFIT ASSESSMENT TOOL

The 80-item online system provides descriptive commentary to individual responses to questions in the categories of Administration; Leadership; Board; Community Relations; Marketing; Finance; Human Resources; Planning; Program Management; and Plant and Equipment.

                                                                   -    The Management Center

                                                                        www.tmcenter.org

MILTON EISENHOWER FOUNDATION:  LESSONS FROM THE STREET

As part of the Foundation’s standardized needs assessment, a series of approximately 100 open-ended questions are categorized under the headings of Background, Organizational Development, Fiscal Management, Fundraising and Proposal Writing, Program Administration, Program Development, Staff Development, Communication and Evaluation.  These questions are administered through one-on-one interviews with staff of each organization receiving technical assistance.  Various workshops are offered and rated (on a scale of 1 - 4; 4 is highest).

                                                                   -    Milton Eisenhower Foundation

                                                                        www.eisenhowerfoundation.org      

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER:  SCAT

SCAT (Simple Capacity Assessment Tool) was developed to provide support organizations with procedures for assessing the organizational capacity of potential partners and to provide a process through which relevant, context specific indicators can be developed in a collaborative manner.  SCAT includes seven organizational categories which are further broken down into subcomponents.  A rating scale of 1 – 4 (1 = nascent; 2 = emerging; 3 = expanding; and 4 = mature).  20 is a low score; 40 is a moderate score; and 60 is a high score.  (Developed by Beryl Levinger and Evan Bloom)

                                                                   -    Global Development

                                                                        Research Center

                                                                        www.gdrc.org

BOARDSOURCE

The focus is on the Board’s role as a governing body and “discovering strengths and weaknesses.”  Online assessment asks board to evaluate “their satisfaction” with 10 areas of performance: determining mission; engaging in strategic planning; monitoring programs and services; ensuring adequate financial resources; providing effective fiscal oversight and sound risk management policies; selecting, supporting, and overseeing the chief executive; understanding the relationship between board and staff; enhancing public image; selecting and orienting new board members; organizing the board efficiently.

Results are to be evaluated by Board and CEO in order to develop an action plan.    Offers customized questions for an additional fee.

                                                                   -    BoardSource

                                                                        www.boardsource.org

BALANCED SCORECARD

Developed in part, as a response the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the Balanced Scorecard seeks to respond to the demand for performance-based government.  Measures (also related to nonprofits) are: Mission, Customer Requirements, Internal Processes, and Employee Learning and Youth.

                                                                   -    Balanced Scorecard

                                                                        www.balancedscorecard.org