Sample presentation (edited to maintain confidentiality) with a complete strategy assessment, current situational analysis, context framing, identification of pressure points, applicable recommendation, along with a realistic action plan that includes low-cost databases, and in a package that ends with energy to achieve results. Presented to the board of directors during a strategy session at the Canadian Liver Foundation in Vancouver, BC - a non-profit which I volunteer my spare time to.

1. Membership Drives Everything
A discipline grounded in real research and real results
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maintain confidentiality)

2. AGENDA
 What’s happening in and around us?
 What should we do about it?
 Current environment
 Need for a stronger membership base
 What members want
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3. What’s happening in and around us?
External
• Economic uncertainty
• Mass competition
Internal
• <confidential>
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4. What should we do about it?
Selling impact
Nurturing
Transparency
members
Members
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5. Current environment
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6. Current environment
 Donations have been declining
2007 2008 2009
Amount (in $
billions) $8.65 $8.19 $7.75
% change from
year prior -5.3% -5.4%
 Number of Canadians reporting donations on their
taxes have been declining since 1990
 23.1% of Canadians were donors in 2009 versus
24.1% in 2008
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confidentiality)

7. Recent trends
 <confidential>
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8. Current environment
 Demand for charity “accountability” is growing
 Increased media focus on charity effectiveness
 Donors demanding more control and involvement
 Charity rankings becoming more widespread
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confidentiality)

9. Current environment
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confidentiality)

10. What does this all mean?
 Increased competition
 Stakeholders want to associate with NPO showing
value
 More exposure if positioned correctly
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11. Membership drives everything
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12. Need for a strong membership base
 <confidential>
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13. Need for a strong membership base
 Why a strong membership base?
Key Success
 A membership base drives everything
Factor
Corporate
Sponsors
Government Media
Donor Base
(Members)
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14. Need for a strong membership base
“Strong charities have a solid base of individual
donors”
“Strategically important to build a base of
donors who give regularly and in response to a
cause”
- Scotiabank Philanthropic Advisory Forum
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15. Need for strong membership base
 <confidential>
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16. Need for strong membership base
 Cygnus Applied
Research reports:
 Acquisition is more
expensive than retention
and often at a loss
 Focus on boosting donor
retention
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17. Need for strong membership base
 Customers leave for many reasons
 Geographic move
 Death
 Wooed away by competition
 #1 Reason: they simply feel you don’t care enough
about them
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18. Members want to help
“The essential ingredient in forming productive
engagements is to create ways for stakeholders to
provide candid feedback to the foundation about its
grantmaking practices and approach.”
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19. Members’ wants
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20. Plan of action
1. Establish monthly newsletter
2. Generate more information sharing
3. Establish effective database
4. Emphasis on past stakeholders over new ones
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21. What do we do with members?
Research shows that donors don’t want
formal recognition, just information.
 Prompt gift acknowledgement
 Confidence their gifts are “working” as intended
 Measurable results of gifts at work before another
gift is requested
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22. How do we manage members?
 Inexpensive databases to manage members
effectively
• $50 per month for up to 100 members
• Marketing using email
• Marketing via social media
• Donations, and more
• $25 per month for up to 250 members
• Automated applications and renewals
• Newsletters and email blasts
• Member self-service, and more
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23. Thank You
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24. Questions?
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