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Welcome to the Nonprofit Partnership E-News In this Issue 
Visit our website Contact Us: Robert Wooler, |
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Conduct a Self-Audit of Your Donor Communications Use these criteria to conduct a quick self-audit of your key communications pieces: newsletters, appeal letters, website text, annual reports, and the like: 1. Is the content donor-centric? Does it say in some way, “With your help we can do amazing things and without your help we can’t. It all depends on you." 2. Is it entertaining? Does it read like an excerpt from one of your proposals, or does it have the necessary virtues of unexpectedness, simplicity, and a conversational tone? 3. Is urgency part of the message? Does it strongly ask the donor to contribute now? 4. Does it pass the “you” test? Experts say “you” is the most powerful word in advertising, so use it a lot. Frequent repetition of the word “you” keeps people reading. 5. Does the message suggest the chance of loss? Be explicit about the consequences of failure. If you don’t reach your fundraising goal, spell out what will happen. 6. Are your headlines effective? The headline and sub-head should work as a unit and tell the essence of what you need to know. 7. Make it as convenient as possible to give. Invite donors to sign up online for monthly giving. 8. Are you reporting your results? You need to answer the question, “How did my contribution make a difference?” One-third of your copy should feature results. 9. Are there credibility builders? Does your communication build trust? Source: Tom Ahern, Ahern E-News 5.5 Your Organization’s Endowment Toolkit Karen Jackson, Esq. from Results in Giving, Ltd. will return to Erie for two information-packed sessions on the nuts and bolts of setting up an endowment for your organization. Whether you are considering this step through a forthcoming gift from the Anonymous Friend Fund or are interested in building or revitalizing an endowment, don’t miss these sessions: Part I on April 2 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm will cover case statements, options for endowment structures, accounting rules, and fund area formats, while Part II on May 6 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm will cover contracts and the legal aspects of endowments. Both sessions will take place at the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies at 40 Holland St. behind the Blasco Library. Please RSVP to The Nonprofit Partnership at 454-8800 or tnp@thenonprofitpartnership.org. Not Thinking Endowment? See You These Upcoming Sessions Do-It Yourself Results. Every audience you report to wants to know one thing – what difference did you make in the lives of those you serve? Yes, outcome measurement is important, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Joyce Miller and Tania Bogatova from Key Stone Research Corporation will offer this practical session on outcome measurement. Learn how to determine indicators for your most basic changes, devise of adopt easy-to-use measures of impact, and translate these measures into powerful outcome statements – all with your own personnel, under your own control, and within your budget. Wednesday, March 19, 8:30 – 11:00 am at the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies, 40 Holland Street, Erie, PA (behind the Blasco Library.) Keeping Your Keepers: Recruit, Reward, and Retain. Are you tired of the human resources revolving door? Because relationships are the most important aspect of our nonprofit business, keeping our good employees is one of our top priorities. Human Resources Management Consultant Gay Marie Catania will present this session on practical low-cost practices you can adopt to support, reward, and retain your most valuable resources. Thursday, April 24, 9:00 – 11:00 am at the Jordan Room at Knowledge Park Center, 5240 Knowledge Parkway at Penn State Behrend. Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative Brings New Resources to Local Nonprofits The Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative (ECBC) is a new federally-funded venture sponsored by GECAC, The Nonprofit Partnership, and Erie Weed and Seed that will offer twelve full-day trainings in nonprofit management, capacity-building grants of $10,000 - $50,000, and extensive one-to-one technical assistance. Interested organizations are encouraged to apply by completing a self-assessment questionnaire and returning it to the ECBC program office at GECAC by Friday, March 14. Complete information is available on the GECAC website at www.gecac.org. PANO Standards for Excellence Comes to Erie County The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) will offer their four-session certification program in the Standards for Excellence, covering all aspects of nonprofit governance and management. This 16 hour program will be offered beginning in May and will take place in Edinboro in four sessions, ending in September. Additional information about the course content is available at www.pano.org. If you are interested in participating, please contact Bob Wooler at The Nonprofit Partnership, 454-8800. Working on Your Organization’s Brand The current enthusiasm for marketing in the nonprofit sector has many organizations fixated on branding. As you think about your brand, here are a few branding myths to explode: 1. Marketing and branding are one and the same. The reality is that branding is less about marketing and more about identity, leadership, values, and reputation. It is not so much something you create as something you reflect. The wider community actually creates your brand based on their response to your programs, culture, and leadership. 2. Once we have an attractive logo and catchy tagline, we have our brand. The reality is that logos and taglines are banners for your brand, not the brand itself. (see above) 3. Branding is the responsibility of the marketing staff. The reality is that branding is the product of your work – it is everyone’s responsibility. 4. We don’t have a budget for branding our organization. The reality is that your operating budget is your branding budget. Communicating about your brand is everyone’s responsibility. Keeping everyone in the organization, including your board member ambassadors, on a consistent message about your brand is nevertheless important. Key elements of a “messaging package” should include the following: • Tagline Source: Branding Bytes, v. 1, no. 6 (Spring, 2007) by Checco Communications
What To Ask Your Prospective Board Members As you and your Nominating or Governance Committees consider new Board members for your organization, you will have a get-acquainted session. Here are some questions to ask: 1. How passionate are you about what we do? Passion is the driver when it comes to asking for money, being an ambassador, or being an advocate. 2. How much time can you give us? Being realistic about the expected time commitment up front is one of the most important things to be clear about. 3. What motivates you as a volunteer? The answer will help you provide the right kind of fuel to keep this person engaged. 4. What expectations do you have from the management of the organization? Since we evaluate each other on expectations we sometimes fail to communicate, knowing these things up front can be a relationship-saver. 5. Do you have personal goals or hopes that can be advanced by service on our board? Many times volunteers have important social or career goals in mind that are by-products of their service. Knowing this upfront can be helpful in meeting their goals and making it a fulfilling experience. 6. Are you willing to make a financial commitment that is a stretch? Expecting board members to stretch out of their comfort zone should be the norm for nonprofits. 7. As you think about the three key Board roles – ambassador, asker, and advocate – where do you think you fit best at this point? The answer will help you organize your Board strength while communicating to the candidate that with time and seasoning, all Board members will be good in all three roles. Source: Kay Sprinkel Grace, Over Goal: What You Must Know to Excel at Fundraising Today, 2006. Somebody Wants to Give to Your Organization ...and Charity Navigator wants you to know that these are the questions they are asking: 1. Does this organization clearly communicate who they are and what they do? 2. Does the organization define their short- and long-term goals? 3. Does the organization track the progress it is making toward goals? 4. Does the organization’s program make sense? 5. Is the organization trustworthy and is it worthy of a long-term commitment? Come on out for the Erie Ambassadors’ Involvement Night. The Erie Ambassadors, a program of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership, are looking to turn out many young professionals and newcomers to Erie to promote connections to local organizations. Be on hand with literature that showcases your organization and work the crowd. Wednesday, March 19, 5:00 to 8:00 pm The Nonprofit Partnership is pleased to announce that applications are available for the 2008 Bracken Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Governance. If your Board is doing outstanding work, this is your time to apply. The organization with the winning application will receive a grant of $5,000. Details and applications are available at www.thenonprofitpartnership.org. The Erie Community Foundation will celebrate the many good works of the local nonprofit sector at its Annual Meeting in August. To help showcase your work, the Foundation is hosting an Acorn Contest for which prizes will be awarded. Entries are to be a 4x6 photograph in 300 DPI or a visual artistic presentation depicting the mission of the nonprofit. Acorns of any kind are to be incorporated within the scene – the more creative the better. Entries will be judged for meeting the criteria, artistic merit, originality, and creativity. Entries are due by May 14, 2008 and can be delivered to the Foundation office or e-mailed to efessler@eriecommunityfoundation.org . First place will be awarded $500, second place $300, and third place will receive $150. All entries are “winners” as they will be featured at the annual meeting or in the annual report. Good luck.
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