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Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity.

Dear Charity Clairity,

Do you have any tips for acquiring phone numbers? We have many long-time donors for whom we only have a mailing address. We do ask on the remit, but often it’s left blank. Our online form for giving collects more, but most gifts still come by mail.
 
— Call Me Maybe?

Dear Call Me Maybe,

You’re certainly on the right track wanting to make phone calls to donors. Especially if you begin with prompt, personal thank you calls which, research shows, deliver a powerful punch when it comes to increasing subsequent donor retention and gift size.

A tried-and-true way to acquire phone numbers is to ask repeatedly, every place you can think of. And, make it easy and compelling for donors to offer their information. You’ll want to be clear that this is optional because you don’t want to depress gift completion. Make sure though, when you offer a place to add/update a phone number, it:

Stands out prominently

• On your donation landing page
• On your thank you landing page
• In your thank you email

Includes a donor-centered reason people should give you their phone number

• Such as “in case we have questions regarding your gift”
• Such as “your number is for internal use only; we will never give it out”
• Such as “so we can quickly inform you when new auction items are posted”
• Such as “so you can easily participate in community conference calls, at your convenience”

Another way to find phone numbers, if you have a mailing address, is to use a reverse directory. There are many options available. You can try a Google search. The problem with this technique is it’s a true research project. Sometimes you’ll find something; often not. And the information can be outdated or incorrect.

There are also donor data append services you can purchase. There are many data append or enrichment services available such as Donor Search, iWave or Wealth Engine. CRM providers also offer a data append and enrichment service as part of their solution and can often find the phone numbers you seek–Bloomerang, Donor Perfect, Double the Donation, and Blackbaud, among others, offer these services. In addition to finding phone numbers, these services can also help you find email addresses. Begin by contacting your own donor database or CRM provider to see what they offer and what other services they may integrate with.

Interestingly, I find donors more willing to give out phone numbers than in previous years when Caller ID didn’t function and there was no good “Do Not Call” registry. And even dining reservation and food delivery services commonly ask for phone numbers these days, so people have become more used to sharing this information. Especially when it suits their purposes. Since people can answer the phone when they want to, they’re less reluctant to share this information.

Once you’ve got the phone number, make sure you use it strategically. See 7 Steps to Getting Started with Telephone Fundraising. Also see Why You Should Text Your Donors.

I hope these tips help change things for you from “Call Me Maybe” to “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”

— Charity Clairity

The post [ASK AN EXPERT] What is the Best Way to Acquire Donor Phone Numbers? appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.

Nonprofits are constantly striving to achieve their missions while being resourceful with their budgets. The workload can become overwhelming, especially with the average nonprofit having only 1-2 full-time employees dedicated to fundraising.

You are not alone in facing challenges as a nonprofit. Limited resources are a common challenge, and getting the support you need might seem out of reach.. The good news is that with the right resources and education, your team can achieve greater effectiveness and ease without hiring more full-time staff. So, take heart! Your nonprofit can thrive and make an even greater impact by taking advantage of valuable resources like coaching services.

Why Your Nonprofit Could Benefit From Coaching Services

At its core, hiring a coach means bringing on someone to help with a specific role. Here are three reasons why your nonprofit could benefit from coaching services:

Reduce Stress and Boost Efficiency

In a recent study, most nonprofit professionals reported feeling fatigued at the sheer amount of work that was on their plate. That is why the most successful nonprofits use coaching services — to relieve the stress and help them find areas to be more efficient. Coaching services can help you prioritize your efforts, streamline your processes, and ensure that you’re using your resources wisely. By doing so, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of stress and burnout for you and your team.

Do More With Less

With limited resources, it’s important to make the most of what you have. A coach can help you make a bigger impact with the tools you already have. They should offer insights on how to get more out of your existing fundraising strategies, software, and beyond. By doing so, you’ll be able to do more with less and maximize your impact in ways you never thought possible.

Introduce New Creative Ideas to the Mix

It’s easy to get stuck in a fundraising rut. A coach can offer an outside perspective and introduce new creative ideas to the mix. They should bring years of experience to the table and help you identify opportunities to raise more funds. By doing so, you’ll be able to stay ahead of the curve and keep your fundraising efforts fresh and exciting.

How a Coach Can Support Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Growth

Now that we’ve explored why you should hire a coach, let’s take a closer look at how a coach can support your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts.

1. Support Your Growth

A nonprofit coach can work with you to understand your goals, provide support and guidance unique to your specific needs, and offer another perspective. You can choose a coach that is an expert in the areas that are most important for you so that you have a resource you can rely on and fill in the gaps of knowledge. They should feel like another teammate in your cause helping you further your mission and reach your goals.

2. Fast Track Your Fundraising Success

Are you spending hours on fundraising efforts but not feeling like you are getting the most out of it? A coach can help your nonprofit reach fundraising success faster by offering insights into your tools and how to get more out of them. They’ll also offer years of experience to give you proven advice on how to reach your nonprofit’s fundraising goals.

3. Continuing Professional Development

A fundraising coaching service should offer your nonprofit the opportunity to continue to learn professionally along with resources to help you and your nonprofit staff gain a deeper understanding of fundraising best practices, strategies, and technology.

Summary

In conclusion, hiring a coach can be an invaluable investment for your nonprofit. It can help you work smarter, not harder, and achieve your fundraising goals more quickly and effectively.

We understand that nonprofits need additional support which is why we designed Bloomerang coaching services to help nonprofits using Bloomerang increase their impact without adding full-time staff. Interested in adding Bloomerang Coaching? Learn more here.

“John (our Bloomerang coach) was so much fun to work with! He went above and beyond in showing me really cool features that I should be taking advantage of to make my work easier.”

Alice Aluoch, Senior Manager, Membership & Development
Global Health Council

The post From Stress to Success: How Coaching Can Help Your Nonprofit Achieve Its Fundraising Goals appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.

Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity.

Dear Charity Clairity,

I’m trying to start a charity in my late husband’s name. My question is how can I go about getting this initiative started? His death just happened, and I am overwhelmed and raw, but need to do something positive in his name. He was loved by so many and had so many thoughts and passions on helping people. I can’t just let him, or his ideas that could help save a life, go.
 
— Wishing I could have saved him

Dear Wishing,

First, let me say how sorry I am for your loss. And it is human, and commendable, that you’d like to bring some positive purpose to this sad event.

That being said, you note you are overwhelmed and raw. Perhaps it would be prudent to take some time to grieve and heal, without holding yourself too much to account right now. Losing a spouse is one of life’s greater stressors and giving yourself permission to step back while the grief is fresh is going to help you gain perspective regarding next steps.

That being said, doing some research into your options for honoring your husband’s legacy may be a way to get started while still respecting your own needs right now.

Let’s take a look at some possibilities: (1) Start a memorial fund with an existing nonprofit, (2) Contribute time and expertise to a program at an existing nonprofit; (3) Work with a fiscal agent, (4) Start a local chapter of a national nonprofit, and (5) Start your own nonprofit.

5 Strategies to Honor a Loved One’s Legacy

I list them in order of easiest to accomplish, and work towards those requiring the greatest effort.

1) Establish a Memorial Fund

One way to honor someone’s lifetime values is to establish a fund that carries these values forward in perpetuity. Are there charities with which you and your husband have been affiliated where it might make sense to set up a fund in his memory? If so, contact them and express your wishes. Find out what it would take to create a lasting legacy that yields annual income for a purpose you support. Some charities may allow you to establish a fund to which other people contribute as the spirit moves them, without a dollar floor. Once you have a framework and fundraising goal, reach out to your networks to try to generate this amount in loving memory.

2) Affiliate with a Project at an Existing Nonprofit

Too often I see people decide to start their own organization that ends up replicating the work of existing organizations. This is well meaning, but under-informed. There’s no need to duplicate costly infrastructures.

Whatever you may be thinking about in terms of initiating something that incorporates your husband’s passions and experience, why not consider working under the umbrella of an existing nonprofit that deals with these issues? Perhaps you had an occasion to work with some of these organizations while your husband was going through this heart-wrenching experience? Consider reaching out to some of them and brainstorming a way you could be helpful to them. For example:

• Get involved in a volunteer capacity (e.g., board, committee, or direct service).
• Explore creating a special project/initiative, and negotiate your involvement. You may have ideas that they would welcome, including resources that may be available to finance the new undertaking. The upside is this will not require separate books, government reporting, and boards and committees.

3) Work with a Fiscal Sponsor

Rather than starting a new charity, and waiting for it to be incorporated before you can begin to fundraise, consider working with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. This means finding an established 501 (c) (3) charity willing to accept donations and handle various financial and administrative duties on behalf of your project. The sponsor accepts the responsibility to process donations and ensure funds are properly spent to achieve the project goals. This arrangement is useful for new charitable endeavors that want to “test the waters” before deciding whether to form an independent entity.

Technically, any established nonprofit can serve as a fiscal sponsor. The National Council on Nonprofits recommends looking for an organization whose mission is similar to yours. If you think you might be leaning towards an all-volunteer organization, this might be a better option than beginning an all-new infrastructure that will bring layers of complexity. Here you can find a fiscal sponsor directory.

4) Start a Local Chapter of a National Nonprofit

If you find a national organization doing the type of work with which you’d like to become more actively involved, see if there is a need for a local chapter in your geographic area. If so, you’ll have the benefit of the larger nonprofit’s name recognition, wisdom, expertise and back office to help you get started.

5) Start Your Own Nonprofit

This is a big endeavor, and there is a lot to consider. It means working with an attorney to incorporate and establish nonprofit status, building a board, hiring staff, setting up administrative and communications systems and putting in all the pre-conditions for fundraising.

If you decide this is something you want to do, walk through the questions you’ll need to answer to determine your readiness.

Next Steps

You clearly have a passion for making a meaningful difference in people’s lives, especially those faced with the same challenges as your husband.

Take some time to consider the best way to turn your passions into productive philanthropy, not grinding paperwork.

Wishing you healing, health and hope,

— Charity Clairity

P.S. For fundraisers reading this, consider which of these options you might offer to your own donors facing a life event that may prompt them to consider creating a legacy to honor and memorialize their loved one. Being able to guide donors on their journeys is the real job of a philanthropy facilitator.

The post [ASK AN EXPERT] When to Start a New Nonprofit vs. Work within an Existing One appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.

Our Ask An Expert series features real questions answered by Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE, our very own Fundraising Coach, also known as Charity Clairity.

Dear Charity Clairity,

I have two related questions about determining when a donor is ready to be asked for a major gift. The first is wondering if there’s a quicker way to get folks ready than going through 18 months of “moves management.” We need money now! The other is when to put a hold on the process because of life events. For example, I have a donor I was about to ask, but he just lost his spouse. I don’t want to lose his gift, but I’m afraid this isn’t the right time to ask. What do I do?
 
— Not Ready for Prime Time?

Dear Not Ready for Prime Time,

As your questions suggest, successful major gift fundraising is nothing more (or less) than building and nurturing relationships between (1) individuals who share the values your organization enacts and (2) your organization effectively enacting those values through your mission. And, this process proceeds along a continuum–from awareness… to interest… to education… to involvement… to investment.

Readiness to be asked to invest depends on where your major donor prospect is now. With a brand-new prospect–who perhaps someone suggested as a board member referral–you’re starting more or less from scratch. But, with someone who’s been giving to you consistently for a period of years, they’re already aware, educated, involved, and even invested–just not quite at the level you’d hope for.

Let’s begin with your first question about how long the process of moves management takes. What you’re after with “moves” and “touches” is getting your donors to the point of active, passionate commitment. So, here’s a little “cheat” I use to assess whether a given donor prospect is at this point. Ask yourself: Would this person answer “true” to one or more of the following three statements (more yesses = larger gift):

• I am loyal to this charity
• I am a committed donor
• This is my favorite charity

The other “hack” is to use the seven key drivers of donor commitment discovered by leading expert on donor retention, Dr. Adrian Sargeant. These include:

1. Trust
2. A personal link to you
3. Your performance in accomplishing your mission
4. Multiple engagements
5. Choice of and quality of communications
6. Shared beliefs
7. A tangible link to the beneficiaries of the donor’s gift and your services

Sometimes a donor engagement survey can help you assess how well you’re doing based on these. You can actually ask your donors to respond true or false to the three statements. Or you can ask them to rank order how they feel or list how they feel on a scale of one to five. Here’s a bunch of questions you can ask. Bonus: the very act of sending the survey and asking for feedback is a “move.”

Let’s transition to your second question about the widower who likely would say “yes” right now to all three donor loyalty, value and preference questions. That is, if he wasn’t distracted by grief. But, wait. Who’s to say he doesn’t want to hear from you now? Maybe he’d welcome a distraction or, more to the point, a connection.

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s this: Don’t look for excuses not to make your next ask or move. Don’t presume on behalf of your donor-prospects. This may be precisely the time your widower would love to have someone reach out. You can be sensitive when you approach him. If he’s not ready, he’ll tell you.

Keep in mind your moves management plan is designed to get your donor to the point of readiness. It’s your job to stay on top of this, understanding there’s no one-size-fits-all cultivation plan. Sure, sometimes things outside your control happen to derail the process. They just don’t change your donor’s trajectory near as often as you’d like to pretend they do. Most people love an invitation. If they’re too distracted or too busy to accept, they can decline. At least you’ve shown them you were thinking of them. Courage!

Here’s hoping this helps you feel in your prime,

— Charity Clairity

The post [ASK AN EXPERT] How to Assess When a Major Donor is Ready (or Not Ready) to Be Asked. appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.

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The post Fundraising is Funny – Inspire World Giving with Bloomerang appeared first on Bloomerang.

This article originally appeared in Bloomerang. See the original article here.