This document provides a summary of a practicum final report evaluating the fund development program of IDEA Space and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority (SCIDpda). The report analyzes fundraising results from fiscal years 2012-2014, finding that total individual giving and average gift size have trended downward in recent years. It also reviews the organization's methodology, which included analyzing fundraising data and goals and conducting staff interviews. The report is divided into program observations of current practices and recommendations for improving fundraising productivity in the future.

1. 1
IDEA
SPACE
|
SCIDPDA
PRACTICUM
FINAL
REPORT
SARA
YOUNG,
MNPL
CANDIDATE
SEATTLE
UNIVERSITY
JUNE
3,
2015

2. 2
INTRODUCTION
From
January
–
June
2015,
Sara
Young,
Master
of
Nonprofit
Leadership
candidate
at
Seattle
University,
has
worked
with
the
Jamie
Lee,
IDEA
Space
Manger,
at
the
Seattle
Chinatown
International
District
Preservation
&
Development
Authority
(SCIDpda)
for
the
purpose
of
conducting
an
audit
and
evaluation
of
IDEA
Space’s
fund
development
program.
The
final
deliverable
for
this
project
is
a
proposed
annual
development
plan.
However,
after
the
audit
began,
it
was
agreed
upon
that
Sara
would
expand
the
scope
of
her
evaluation
and
recommendations
to
also
include
recommendations
for
the
larger
SCIDpda.
IDEA
Space’s
primary
revenue
stream
is
grants,
comprised
of
a
mix
of
private
and
government
or
quasi-­‐governmental
funders.
The
majority
of
the
funds
that
come
in
for
IDEA
Space,
and
the
larger
PDA,
are
restricted
to
particular
programs
or
projects,
leaving
support
for
general
operations
as
their
greatest
need.
IDEA
Space
and
the
SCIDpda
also
generate
revenue
from
a
special
events,
including
the
annual
International
District
Spring
Roll
and
the
Moon
Festival;
this
year
they
are
having
a
40th
Anniversary
Celebration
in
the
fall.
Where
I
see
an
opportunity
for
intervention
in
the
development
program
specifically
is
related
to
individual
giving.
IDEA
Space
and
the
SCIDpda
do
not
have
robust
individual
giving
programs,
and
their
campaigns
are
not
cyclical,
but
are
more
reactionary,
responding
to
a
funding
opportunity
that
arises
to
address
a
specific
need
in
the
community.
This
is
not
surprising
given
the
historical
funding
structure
of
community
development
corporations
(CDCs),
in
which
funding
is
secured
for
specific
projects,
such
as
façade
improvements,
housing,
etc.
Further
perpetuating
the
difficulty
in
instituting
an
individual
giving
program,
the
organization
does
not
have
a
full-­‐time
dedicated
development
staff
person,
making
it
difficult
to
administer
an
annual,
individual
giving
program.
I
believe
there
is
potential
to
raise
more
dollars
on
an
annual
basis,
while
expanding
the
donor
base.
The
purpose
of
this
program
audit
is
to
identify
ways
in
which
IDEA
Space
and
the
SCIDpda
can
generate
sustainable
growth
and
reach
new
levels
of
productivity
in
both
donors
and
dollars
in
the
future.
There
is
a
great
deal
of
opportunity
to
grow
mail,
e-­‐solicitation,
membership-­‐based
and
major
donor
productivity
through
strategy
enhancements
and
by
building
on
existing
fundraising
events.
There
will
be
a
necessary
investment
of
resources
in
order
to
develop
the
program
to
the
level
it
has
the
capability
of
reaching.
This
expenditure,
however,
will
result
in
a
significant
return
on
investment.
PLAN
OBJECTIVES
• To
conduct
an
audit
the
fund
development
program
• To
conduct
interviews
with
IDEA
Space
and
SCIDpda
staff
to
collect
qualitative
program
data

3. 3
• Offer
specific
recommendations
for
future
direction
in
these
areas,
as
well
as
provide
a
critique
of
the
current
practices
with
a
goal
of
increasing
fundraising
productivity
(dollars
and
donors)
going
forward.
METHODOLOGY
The
methodology
for
the
program
audit
entailed
an
intensive
analysis
of
current
program
practices,
including
a
thorough
review
of
past
and
current
fundraising
results,
goals,
technology
and
data
infrastructure,
and
program
philosophies
as
provided
by
staff.
The
report
that
follows
is
divided
into
two
parts:
program
observations
and
program
recommendations.
PROGRAM
OBSERVATIONS
Fundraising
Results
–
Individual
Giving
Number
of
Individual
Gifts
Arranged
by
Giving
Level
• The
total
number
of
individual
gifts
has
barely
decreased
from
531,
to
527,
to
503
from
FY
12
–
FY
14,
respectively.
• Total
giving
from
individuals
is
trending
down
from
$108,168,
to
$104,539,
to
$95,339
• Workplace
giving
fluctuated
from
$6,057,
to
$4,947,
to
$7,832
• Average
gift
size
has
decreased
from
$203,
to
$198,
to
$190
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
$
1
-­‐
100
$101
-­‐
500
$501
-­‐
1,000
$1,000
+
2012
2013
2014

4. 4
Fundraising
Results
–
Corporate
Giving
Number
of
Corporate
Gifts
Arranged
by
Giving
Level
• The
total
number
of
corporate
gifts
has
decreased
from
77,
to
72,
to
51
from
FY
12
–
FY
14,
respectively.
• Total
giving
from
corporations
has
fluctuated
from
$96,838
to
$102,611,
to
$49,438
• Average
gift
size
has
fluctuated
from
$1,257
to
$1,425
to
$969
2014
Individual
Donor
DistribuQon
$1
-­‐
100
$101
-­‐
500
$501
-­‐
1,000
$1,000
+
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
$1
-­‐
100
$101
-­‐
500
$501
-­‐
1,000
$1,000
+
2012
2013
2014

5. 5
PROGRAM
RESULTS
&
TRENDS
• 2014
giving
trends
track
more
with
2012
giving
trends
than
with
those
seen
in
2013.
• In
both
individual
and
corporate
giving,
average
gift
size
as
well
as
number
of
gifts
has
decreased
in
2013
and
2014.
• There
was
a
spike
in
corporate
giving
in
2013.
Annual
Giving
A
strong
annual
giving
program
is
a
critical
element
of
an
overall
successful
development
operation.
Annual
giving
is
fundraising
program
that
generates
gift
support
for
the
organization
on
an
annual
basis.
It
is
the
primary
fundraising
approach
used
to
broaden
support,
upgrade
levels
of
giving,
and
provide
operating
support
for
ongoing
programs
• Annual
giving
is
often
the
entry
point
for
future
major
donors
• Annual
giving
focuses
on
new
donor
acquisition,
donor
retention,
donor
reactivation,
and
donor
upgrading,
with
the
eventual
goal
of
moving
a
percentage
of
annual
fund
donors
into
major
giving
categories
• By
reaching
a
large
number
of
donors
and
potential
donors,
annual
giving
strategies
are
the
primary
mode
of
contact
for
the
majority
of
donors
or
prospects,
making
annual
giving
a
critical
communication
tool
• Annual
giving
provides
a
reliable
stream
of
revenue,
often
unrestricted
in
nature,
for
organizational
programs
and
priorities
The
SCIDpda
doesn’t
have
a
formal
annual
giving
program,
but
they
do
employ
some
annual
giving
strategies
such
as
e-­‐solicitations.
Also,
a
large
percentage
of
their
annual
giving
comes
in
through
special
events
in
the
form
of
ticket
sales
and
sponsorships,
which
happen
on
an
annual
basis.
Specific
program
observations
and
commentary
follow:
Staffing
There
are
no
full-­‐time
staff
solely
dedicated
to
development
for
IDEA
Space
or
the
larger
SCIDpda.
Jamie
Lee,
IDEA
Space
Manager,
had
been
the
lead
on
development
work,
in
addition
to
the
many
other
responsibilities
detailed
in
her
job
description.
Jamie
has
experience
serving
as
a
development
director
prior
to
working
for
IDEA
Space.
Jamie
has
shifted
some
of
her
fundraising
responsibilities
to
Monica
Lauw,
the
recently
hired
Development
and
Communications
Manager.
The
primary
fundraising
focus
of
these
staff
members
is
on
grant
writing,
reporting
and
the
management
of
a
contract
grant
writer;
special
events
fundraising
(including
working
with
corporate
sponsors);
and
administrative
work
related
to
fundraising
(data
entry
and
generating
acknowledgement
letters).
Work-­‐study
college
interns
also
provide
some
support
to
the
development
program.
Staff
levels
for
the
fundraising
program
are
low.

6. 6
Senior
Leadership
and
Board
The
senior
leadership
team
consists
of
Maiko
Winkler-­‐Chin,
Executive
Director;
Veronica
Wood,
Deputy
Director;
and
Paul
Mar,
Director
of
Real
Estate
Development.
All
Seniors
Leaders
make
an
annual
gift
to
the
organization;
however,
it
is
unclear
whether
this
group
holds
the
belief
that
an
intentional
development
strategy
is
integral
to
the
organization’s
success.
From
observation
and
anecdotal
evidence
I
learned
that
Maiko
does
not
feel
comfortable
making
fundraising
asks
herself,
however,
she
exhibits
traits
that
are
desirable
in
fundraising.
As
indicated
in
the
answers
provided
in
the
Fundraising
Assessment
Questionnaire,
the
Board
does
not
uniformly
play
a
role
in
the
organizations
fund
development
efforts.
Some,
but
not
all,
Board
members
make
an
annual
gift,
participate
in
fundraising
tasks
and
mobilize
their
networks
for
the
benefit
of
the
organization’s
development
program.
The
Board
does
have
exceptional
attendance
at
fundraising
events.
Program
Results
&
Trends
Based
on
interviews
as
well
as
analysis
of
the
assessment
created
for
the
fundraising
program,
the
following
observations
have
been
made:
• Donor
retention,
reactivation,
new
donor
acquisition,
and
upgrading
behaviors
of
donors
are
the
four
most
important
pillars
of
a
successful
annual
giving
program.
SCIDpda
has
not
historically
tracked
these
metrics,
and
has
very
limited
capacity
to
currently
do
so.
• The
typical
window
of
time
from
the
date
a
gift
was
received
to
donor
acknowledgement
is
upwards
of
two
weeks,
behind
industry
best
practices
of
2-­‐3
days.
This
is
understandable
given
their
limited
bandwidth,
however
it
would
be
wise
to
try
to
shorten
the
window
if
possible.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The
development
program
is
poised
to
increase
its
productivity
with
some
modest
changes
to
the
current
program
structure
and
practices.
The
following
recommendations
are
intended
to
maximize
the
program’s
potential
in
the
area
of
donors
and
dollars
going
forward.
Some
of
the
recommendations
are
philosophical
in
nature,
or
programmatic
changes,
and
would
not
necessarily
require
additional
resources,
though
the
staffing
recommendations
and
a
few
other
suggestions
would
have
budget
implications.
Staffing
As
mentioned
earlier,
the
current
staff
levels
for
the
development
program
are
under
what
would
be
expected
for
a
an
organization
with
a
budget
of
it’s
size.
I
would
recommend
adding
at
least
a
.5
FTE
position
to
the
development
team.
This
staff
member
could
support
with
the
administrative
functions
of
development
and
offer
support
to
Jamie
and
Monica
on
higher-­‐level
projects.
Duties
to
handled
by
this
staff
would
include
database
management
–
including
data
entry,
running
reports,
list
pulling,
donor
acknowledgement/gift
receipting,
event
logistics,
workplace
giving,
managing
recurring
giving,
direct
mail
and
e-­‐solicitation
support
and
other
duties
as
needed.

7. 7
Annual
Development
Plan
As
with
any
endeavor,
a
strategic
well-­‐designed
plan
is
essential
to
keep
you
on
course;
I
would
highly
recommend
that
the
SCIDpda
create
an
annual
development
plan
to
map
out
fundraising
campaigns,
solicitations,
events
and
other
fundraising
strategies
that
they
plan
to
employ
throughout
the
year.
Specifically,
I
would
be
sure
to
include
the
following
pieces:
• Date
of
the
campaign1
• Fundraising
goal
• Budget
• Staff
and
volunteer
needs
• Associated
publication
deadlines
After
any
campaign
has
been
completed,
it’s
important
to
debrief
to
determine
what
was
successful,
what
could
be
improved
next
time,
whether
or
not
you
were
able
to
meet
your
fundraising
goal,
etc.
You
may
debrief
in
a
separate
document,
or
you
can
build
out
space
for
this
in
the
development
plan.
Donor
Acknowledgement
Process
Industry
best
practices
recommend
that
donor
acknowledgments
should
be
sent
out
within
48
hours
of
the
nonprofit
receiving
the
gift.
Even
for
adequately
staffed
teams,
this
is
a
difficult
standard
to
achieve.
However,
it
is
something
to
aspire
to
and
to
inform
SCIDpda’s
current
practices.
I
would
suggest
that
batches
be
processed
at
least
once
a
week,
with
twice
weekly
as
the
ideal.
During
heightened
periods
of
giving,
such
as
around
a
special
event,
time
should
be
allocated
to
acknowledgement
work.
Individual
Upgrades
Donor
upgrades
are
an
essential
part
of
a
successful
and
strategic
development
plan
and
are
essential
for
moving
donors
along
the
donor
pipeline,
from
annual
to
major
donor.
Currently,
the
majority
(67%)
of
individual
donations
are
at
the
$1
-­‐
$100
level,
with
the
average
gift
being
$60.
If
1/3
of
these
donors
upgraded
their
gift
by
50%
(assuming
it
was
the
$60
average
gift),
that
would
result
in
an
additional
$3,430
annually.
If
1/3
of
the
donors
in
the
$101
–
500
bracket
upgraded
their
gift
by
50%,
it
would
result
in
an
additional
$18,423
(assuming
the
average
gift
was
$267).
Recurring
Giving
Program
Recurring
giving
programs
are
becoming
more
and
more
popular
among
fundraising
shops,
both
small
and
large.
And
for
good
reason:
over
time,
a
successful
recurring
gift
program
can
help
raise
the
baseline
for
your
annual
fundraising
program.
Typically,
gifts
are
made
on
a
monthly
basis
with
recurring
giving
programs
and
the
average
gift
can
range
anywhere
between
$5-­‐50.
Recurring
Giving
is
a
smart
fundraising
strategy
for
a
few
key
reasons:
1
In
this
instance,
“campaigns”
refers
to
any
fundraising
vehicle
(events,
direct
mail,
GiveBIG,
etc.)

8. 8
1. Increases
a
donor’s
total
annual
giving
amount.
Over
the
course
of
the
year,
donors
who
transition
over
from
making
regular
annual
gifts
to
recurring
monthly
gifts
tend
to
make
much
larger
cumulative
gifts.
If
you
transition
a
donor
from
making
an
annual
$250
gift
to
a
monthly
$30
gift,
you
increase
that
donor’s
gift
to
the
organization
by
$110
over
the
course
of
a
year
–
the
donor
won’t
feel
the
upgrade
on
their
budget
the
same
way
they
would
if
they
were
to
increase
a
one-­‐time
gift.
Plus,
recurring
donors
will
often
continue
to
make
smaller
one-­‐time
gifts.
2. Increases
donor
loyalty
–
Recurring
Giving
makes
supporting
your
organization
easy
for
the
donor;
all
that
needs
to
be
collected
up
front
is
a
credit/debit
card
number
and
you
are
all
set.
When
giving
is
made
easy,
donors
will
continue
to
support
your
organization.
3. Creates
a
predictable
revenue
stream
–
Once
a
recurring
giving
program
is
built
out,
you
can
begin
to
rely
on
a
set
amount
of
income
coming
in
the
door
each
month.
This
should
be
a
major
selling
point
for
organizations
that
deal
with
unrealizable
revenue
streams
or
limited
access
to
liquid
operating
support.
FINAL
THOUGHTS
A
critical
component
for
moving
your
organization’s
fundraising
from
transactional
to
transformative
is
building
a
culture
of
philanthropy
from
the
inside
out.
Even
with
the
most
strategic
and
well-­‐informed
plan,
without
by-­‐in
from
those
who
are
closest
to
the
mission
of
the
SCIDpda
–
staff,
Board,
allies,
small
business
owners,
neighborhood
residents,
etc.
–
your
fundraising
will
never
reach
it’s
full
potential
if
this
culture
doesn’t
exist.
It
makes
a
very
compelling
case
to
a
potential
donor
to
say
that
100%
of
the
SCIDpda’s
board
and
staff
make
a
gift
of
personal
significance
each
year
to
the
organization.
But
a
culture
of
philanthropy
isn’t
just
about
donations
–
it’s
about
how
your
community
comes
together
to
advance
the
mission
of
your
work.
A
definition
adapted
from
the
W.K.
Kellog
Foundation:
A
culture
of
philanthropy
brings
people
together
to
foster
a
shared
responsibility
for
the
quality
of
life
in
the
community
and
sets
about
transforming
a
community’s
culture
from
the
inside
out.
You
have
a
fantastic
community,
team
and
are
doing
important
work
in
one
of
Seattle’s
most
historic
neighborhoods.
Adding
strategy
enhancements
to
the
work
you
are
already
doing
will
elevate
your
program
to
new
heights
and
will
open
up
the
door
to
new
opportunities.
I
believe
that
with
simple
modifications
to
your
program,
the
SCIDpda
should
be
able
to
build
out
a
more
robust
and
predictable
fundraising
program
to
help
Seattle’s
historic
Chinatown/International
District
thrive.