The document discusses how creating a culture of philanthropy within an organization can lead to consistent fundraising success. It argues that top-performing non-profits share this culture where (1) the board accepts responsibility for fundraising programs, (2) the CEO communicates the importance of philanthropy internally and externally, and (3) the organization is open about its reliance on private donations. For a culture of philanthropy to take root, everyone in the organization must understand how their roles can support fundraising, and staff must build relationships with donors.
Building Stronger Donor Relations SystemsColin Cumming
In recent years, phrases like “culture of philanthropy” and “donor centricity” have hit the field by storm, often with budget-breaking strategies for implementation and little information about where to start when one may not be a decision-maker. Thus at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy's Brown Bag Lunch & Learn Series, I facilitated a discussion about the importance of donor relations when it comes to long-term fundraising success and ethical fundraising practices. I also talked about the role of fundraising in the context of arts and cultural organizations.
The goal of the event was for participants to walk away with easy to understand ideas for their own organizations and volunteer roles. I discussed: Donor relations and fundraising from a historical perspective; How to integrate engaging donor relations practices into your fundraising program; Fund development challenges specific to membership-based organizations, arts and cultural organizations, and organizations that frequently request general operating funds.
Note: This slideshare is of Version 1.0 published in 2015, Version 2.0 was published in 2021.
The first version was published on a free-but-donate, effectively on the basis that you made a donation to Resurgo Spear if you enjoyed it. In that spirit, it will continue to be freely available (although some of the examples are now dated). v2.0, the latest version of the book, is available at: https://fundraisingfieldguide.com It has many more updated examples, content, and references.
The Fundraising Field Guide was written to help early-stage tech startup founders decipher and navigate the fundraising process. It is based on a collection of blog posts published on my site thedrawingboard.me and has been published using Reedsy, a marketplace for self-publishers to connect with an online community of editors, illustrators and marketers. The book provides an overview of the common challenges experienced by entrepreneurs when going through the funding process.
I hope you enjoy it!
In my public relations case studies and campaigns course I worked with a group to create a public relations plan for CPE to improve their internal relations.
Building Stronger Donor Relations SystemsColin Cumming
In recent years, phrases like “culture of philanthropy” and “donor centricity” have hit the field by storm, often with budget-breaking strategies for implementation and little information about where to start when one may not be a decision-maker. Thus at the Johnson Center for Philanthropy's Brown Bag Lunch & Learn Series, I facilitated a discussion about the importance of donor relations when it comes to long-term fundraising success and ethical fundraising practices. I also talked about the role of fundraising in the context of arts and cultural organizations.
The goal of the event was for participants to walk away with easy to understand ideas for their own organizations and volunteer roles. I discussed: Donor relations and fundraising from a historical perspective; How to integrate engaging donor relations practices into your fundraising program; Fund development challenges specific to membership-based organizations, arts and cultural organizations, and organizations that frequently request general operating funds.
Note: This slideshare is of Version 1.0 published in 2015, Version 2.0 was published in 2021.
The first version was published on a free-but-donate, effectively on the basis that you made a donation to Resurgo Spear if you enjoyed it. In that spirit, it will continue to be freely available (although some of the examples are now dated). v2.0, the latest version of the book, is available at: https://fundraisingfieldguide.com It has many more updated examples, content, and references.
The Fundraising Field Guide was written to help early-stage tech startup founders decipher and navigate the fundraising process. It is based on a collection of blog posts published on my site thedrawingboard.me and has been published using Reedsy, a marketplace for self-publishers to connect with an online community of editors, illustrators and marketers. The book provides an overview of the common challenges experienced by entrepreneurs when going through the funding process.
I hope you enjoy it!
In my public relations case studies and campaigns course I worked with a group to create a public relations plan for CPE to improve their internal relations.
“Building relationships isn’t optional in fundraising, it’s inherent in the definition of what fundraising is.”
One cannot overstate how important the concept of ‘relationship fundraising’ is to fundraisers. Since Ken Burnett coined the term in his 1992 book the idea has become one of the dominant modes of thought about fundraising. Yet there is still little agreement among practitioners about what relationship marketing actually is, what a relationship approach might mean for the way we steward our relationships with supporters and crucially, whether it even works.
We’re proud to have partnered with world renowned fundraising expert Dr Adrian Sargeant, technology provider Bloomerang and Rogare, a world-renowned think tank for fundraising, to sponsor groundbreaking research by Dr Adrian Sargeant, Jen Shang and Rogare’s director Ian MacQuillin.
Non-profit organizations do not have the luxury of large bank accounts for-profit businesses have; they depend in large part on donations from their supporters and grants for funding.
This is a presentation by Justin Perkins, Director of Nonprofit Services at Care2.com featuring research on Social Network Fundraising and use of new media for nonprofit marketing.
CEOs and boards of non-profit organisations can add great value to the fundraising process but many are unsure what their role is and how to get started.
These slides which follow show some of the messages we use in our seminars with CEOs and Boards.
A financial professional in the Kansas City area, Bradley DiTeresi serves as a partner with real estate development company Casas Hof Constructora e Immobiliaria. Outside of work, Bradley DiTeresi supports organizations such as Unbound, formerly the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA).
“Building relationships isn’t optional in fundraising, it’s inherent in the definition of what fundraising is.”
One cannot overstate how important the concept of ‘relationship fundraising’ is to fundraisers. Since Ken Burnett coined the term in his 1992 book the idea has become one of the dominant modes of thought about fundraising. Yet there is still little agreement among practitioners about what relationship marketing actually is, what a relationship approach might mean for the way we steward our relationships with supporters and crucially, whether it even works.
We’re proud to have partnered with world renowned fundraising expert Dr Adrian Sargeant, technology provider Bloomerang and Rogare, a world-renowned think tank for fundraising, to sponsor groundbreaking research by Dr Adrian Sargeant, Jen Shang and Rogare’s director Ian MacQuillin.
Non-profit organizations do not have the luxury of large bank accounts for-profit businesses have; they depend in large part on donations from their supporters and grants for funding.
This is a presentation by Justin Perkins, Director of Nonprofit Services at Care2.com featuring research on Social Network Fundraising and use of new media for nonprofit marketing.
CEOs and boards of non-profit organisations can add great value to the fundraising process but many are unsure what their role is and how to get started.
These slides which follow show some of the messages we use in our seminars with CEOs and Boards.
A financial professional in the Kansas City area, Bradley DiTeresi serves as a partner with real estate development company Casas Hof Constructora e Immobiliaria. Outside of work, Bradley DiTeresi supports organizations such as Unbound, formerly the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA).
Graham`s oenighetspyramid. Eller konsten att föra en seriös debatt och vinna trovärdighet och därmed sympatisörer.
Det finns tyvärr också en nivå till, våld! Låt oss aldrig överhuvudtaget överväga det! Samhällsutvecklingen återfinns i spetsen av pyramiden. Där finns de vassaste argumenten.
Respond to each peer initial post and question at the end with a res.docxcarlstromcurtis
Respond to each peer initial post and question at the end with a response about 3-4 sentences long.
Peer #1
Friend raising is when a nonprofit organization builds a relationship with their clients focusing on the development of a unique and special type of relationship with the hopes of creating passionate supporters that believe in the cause and can help bring in others by word of mouth that they trust that will have some type of loyalty to the organization rather than just someone who it becomes all about the money. Friend raising with a nonprofit organization’s clientele is important because there are is a bigger commitment there in the relationship and gives a little more ease to the organization to ask people they already know for money for a particular cause and wouldn’t make asking difficult. Of course some people do not like to ask others for money but when it’s for something important like for an organization with a good cause then it’s pretty simple to ask your friends whom you know very well to help you and contribute to your cause. “In friend-raising, the relationship is a sustainable practice of genuine care and concern—each party involves itself for the benefit of the others, thereby representing and reinforcing the community” (Allers, 2013).
Solicitation is definitely a part of the relationship between a nonprofit and their donors whether they have any affiliation to them or not because any means of asking someone for something or trying to obtain something from someone is considered soliciting in a positive manner. There is also the means of someone who would barge into or intrude in an organization to ask for either monetary donations or to purchase something from them and in most places this is not allowed. Solicitation can help raise the profile of the business when it reaches a broad market base to help them generate new sales (Martin, 2018). In the nonprofit friend-raising instance, solicitation is a good thing and sets up the friends to be potential customers and helping to advertise the business rather than it being advertised by the business owners (Martin, 2018). Having friend-raisers speak to others about the organization’s cause will help to bring others in the door because they trust them.
A nonprofit must have volunteers in their organization in order for them to be successful, as many of these organization types rely heavily on their volunteers as they are considered their backbone and spread the word about the mission of the organization (Tishman, 2013). These members do not give their support to the organization for a payout and most of the time is not looking to be compensated in any way or receiving a gift, they are only looking for the organization to be successful and see their cause making a difference. There should definitely be a volunteer program in an emerging nonprofit organization especially in our economic times where there are many people who are in need of the communities help. A manage ...
At the Chamber's 8/14 Non-Profit Roundtable ArtsCenter Executive Director, Art Menius shared with members the keys to building a strong board for non-profit organizations.
Valerie Remoquillo-Jenni
Source: STEP Journal, Volume 24, Issue 1
The global philanthropy landscape has changed significantly, due to a new class of donors who are redefining their engagement with wealth and giving – the next-generation givers.
You may also view my comments on this topic at http://familybusinesswiki.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-big-conversation-for-the-new-philanthropists
Elevate your nonprofit's mission with a repertoire of five innovative marketing tactics that magnetize donors and supporters. Through emotive storytelling, the far-reaching prowess of social media, the allure of creative fundraising events, the appeal of influencer alliances, and the warmth of personalized thank-you campaigns, your organization will pave the way for transformative impact and lasting connections.
Susie Bowie (Community Foundation of Sarasota County) and Tina Arnoldi (Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina) designed and presented this fun and interactive session at the Council on Foundation's Fall Conference for Community Foundations in Charlotte, NC. Join the ride!
This presentation was given at the Community Foundations conference on 9/14/10. A lot of the information about social media strategy and ROI is useful for anyone.
1. T H E
martin L E T T E R
P u b l i s h e d b y M G I / S e r v i c e s a n d C o u n s e l i n f u n d - r a i s i n g a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
Creating a Culture of Philanthropy
By John A. Martin, CFRE
hy do some institutions consis-
tently meet their fundraising
targets, year in and year out,
including capital campaigns, while others
soar and dive? What is it that drives consis-
tent, quality performance?
When MGI Fund Raising Consulting began
exploring these questions several years ago,
we quickly realized that neither institutional
size nor fundraising goals were relevant
markers in identifying “sustained perform-
ance” institutions. Neither was organization
type; successful educational institutions and
health care organization displayed a consis-
tent set of characteristics. And while maturi-
ty of the fundraising programs played a part
in these success stories, not all mature
fundraising programs maintained the same
level of success.
Our analysis led us to conclude that top-per-
forming institutions share a “culture of phi-
lanthropy.”
Every employee plays a part
Some people define philanthropy as volun-
tary action for the common good. Many talk
about fund development as the engine that
drives philanthropy. Without charitable giv-
ing, most not-for-profits cannot survive.
Philanthropy and fund development -- inex-
tricably entwined -- belong to the entire
organization. Every individual. Every depart-
ment. All volunteers. For a not-for-profit
organization to be truly successful and effec-
tive, the organization must develop a culture
of philanthropy.
This means that everyone in the organization
... from the janitor to the president of the
board ... understands that philanthropy and
fund development are critical to organiza-
tional health AND that each individual (both
the janitor and board president) has a role
in the process.
But too often, this does not happen. Fund
development is isolated in one corner of the
organization. Or assigned to staff and/or a
committee of the board.
First and foremost, everyone should be an
ambassador for the organization’s service,
and for philanthropy and fund development.
Being an ambassador means doing one’s
own job well, understanding how all the var-
ious jobs in the organization create one inte-
grated system, and – most especially – treat-
ing all of the organization’s customers
(clients, donors, volunteers, community
people, etc.) with care and respect.
If board members don’t talk enough about
the organization with their friends and col-
leagues, it doesn’t matter how hard the
executive director tries to raise funds. If the
receptionist isn’t sufficiently helpful, the best
direct mail solicitation will not be as effec-
tive as it can be.
This is the culture of philanthropy. An atti-
tude. An understanding. A behavior. After the
culture of philanthropy is firmly established,
fund development is more effective.
Tools for success
Organizations that have successfully estab-
lished a culture of philanthropy share these
characteristics:
1. The governing Board accepts
responsibility for and leadership of
the annual and capital giving pro-
grams. Many organizations hire develop-
ment staff or assign development to their
executive director. All organizations
should establish a board-level develop-
ment committee. But regardless of staff
or committee, the board is ultimately
responsible for the financial health of the
institution. That means that the board is
ultimately responsible for fund develop-
ment. Governing boards at philanthropi-
cally savvy institutions understand the
importance of investing in their founda-
tion or development office staffs to realize
the potential within their constituencies.
Such boards are populated with individu-
als equally adept at making solid business
decisions and helping raise annual and
capital funds in partnership with CEOs
W
2. M G I / S e r v i c e s a n d C o u n s e l i n f u n d - r a i s i n g a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s
Publisher: John A. Martin, CFRE
Editor: Pamela Capriotti, CFRE
Contributing Editors:
Elizabeth Hamrick
John Schwietz
Published by:
MGI Fund Raising Consulting, Inc.
600 South Highway 169, Suite 180
Minneapolis, MN 55426
For information on our services, call toll-free
1.800.387.9840 (U.S. or Canada)
Visit our website: www.mgifundraising.com
Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgment.
Additional copies are available free of charge by
contacting The Editor at our South East office.
T H E
martinL E T T E R
and fundraising staff. They take personal
responsibility for the success of annual
and capital programs.
2. The CEO understands his/her role in
the fundraising effort and uses every
opportunity to communicate the
importance of philanthropy to inter-
nal and external constituencies. Top
fundraising institutions are headed by
individuals who blend management acu-
men, vision, and interpersonal skills into
the ability to communicate to internal and
external constituencies the value of phi-
lanthropy to their organizations. During
capital campaigns, these CEOs may spend
a significant amount of their time on
advancing the campaign — overseeing
the strategic planning/needs assessment
processes, recruiting campaign leader-
ship, rallying staff around the institution’s
needs, addressing civic groups, attending
campaign leadership meetings, and culti-
vating and requesting gifts from the top
25–30 prospective donors. Their institu-
tions benefit from their investments in
private philanthropy that can produce
fairly predictable results and a handsome
return on investment.
3. The institution is open and frank in
describing its dependence on pri-
vate philanthropy in its Board meet-
ings, publications, constituent
events, and personal visits with con-
stituents. There is a regular spot on
Board meeting agendas for reporting and
discussing private philanthropy initiatives.
The Board openly celebrates positive
results or is visibly excited by news of a
major funding commitment, and Board
members openly volunteer to take on
fundraising assignments. Regular publica-
tions inform, educate, and celebrate phi-
lanthropy. Publications and websites
openly evidence the connection between
About the author…
John Martin, has more than 30 years
experience in the not-for profit field, on
both the organizational and consulting
sides. Through his consulting work with
clients seeking counsel for major capital
and endowment campaigns, Mr. Martin
has earned a reputation as one of North
America's top strategists for the not-for-
profit sector. His brash mix of social con-
cern and aggressive business smarts has
helped raised hundreds of millions of dol-
lars for colleges, hospitals, human service
organizations and arts and cultural groups
throughout North America. He can be
reached via email: martinmgi@cs.com
MGI is a full service fund-raising and com-
munications consulting firm operating
across North America. We consult through-
out the United States and Canada for a wide
range of not-for-profit clients:
• Hospitals and Health Care Organizations
• Social Service Organizations
• Private Schools, Colleges, Universities and
Post-Graduate Schools
• Cultural and Arts Organizations
• Churches, Synagogues and Religious
Organizations
The experience and resources of the firm
have been used by a variety of clients from
well-established national not-for-profit
organizations looking to prepare themselves
for the 21st century to first time start-up
capital campaigns.
For more information about planned giving
and planned giving consultancy, please con-
tact John at: martinmgi@cs.com or call our
Toll Free Number: 1-800-387-9840.
private philanthropy and excellent service
to customers and community. Successful
institutions carefully craft personal com-
munications to their most consistent and
generous donors, which are often deliv-
ered in person.
4. The foundation or development staff
is proactive in explaining the insti-
tution’s funding priorities to
prospective donors and stewarding
relationships with existing donors.
Publications and events may inform and
educate constituents, but gifts that make a
difference are obtained by building and
maintaining personal relationships with
prospective donors. Development or
foundation officers cannot increase annu-
al giving totals nor achieve campaign suc-
cess while working behind their desks.
The institution that develops the closest
relationships with prospective donors,
and stewards well the gifts of existing
donors, will receive the majority of those
donors’ philanthropy. The desk and the
office may hold the keys to donor strate-
gies, but the strategy must be implement-
ed frequently and in person.
5. Employees recognize the integral
nature of philanthropy in generating
revenue for the institution and,
thus, are willing to support the
activities of the foundation or devel-
opment staff.
6. Foundation and development staffs
are acknowledged as important con-
tributors to the life of their institu-
tions and are accorded appropriate
respect.
7. The institution is genuinely proud of
its fundraising accomplishments and
expects to continue a pattern of
ever-increasing fundraising success.