Free Networking Event in Sarasota, FL: November 25 5:30-7:30

Attention all Florida FLiPs! You are invited to our very first FLiP-on-Tap event next week in Sarasota, FL.

Please join us next Tuesday, November 25th for a networking event from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Community Foundation of Sarasota at 2635 Fruitville Road. There you’ll meet fellow young professionals in the nonprofit field, as well as representatives from local resources meant just for you! This event is generously sponsored by Changing Our World, The Community Foundation of Sarasota, and the Southwest Florida Chapter of AFP.

Attendance is free, just rsvp to Holly Lillis at hlillis@changingourworld.com.

Career Option: Higher Education Fundraiser by John Burkhardt

One of the fastest growing and most satisfying career opportunities in the philanthropic sector can be found at your nearest college campus.  While fundraising was once an activity limited to the nation’s private institutions, it is quickly expanding into new arenas.  Most public four year institutions and many community colleges have now gotten into the game, and the overall sophistication of the profession is growing. 

“Higher education fundraising is one of the country’s hottest job markets---and colleges are paying for it” ---The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 11, 2008

At the University of Michigan, the development effort has been well-established with the University having already successfully completed four fundraising campaigns and now completing a very successful fifth.  Its operation is one of the largest in the country.  The development offices, together with the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) - a national leader in higher education administration for over 50 years – will offer a new Master’s degree in Higher Education with a special concentration in institutional advancement and development. The program combines a first rate curriculum with internships in an environment where philanthropy is at the cutting edge.  The emphasis of the degree will be for those individuals interested in pursuing development careers at higher education institutions, but individuals interested in philanthropy and advancement in other higher education focused organizations will also find the Master’s degree a valuable experience.

There are many reasons to consider this a terrific career choice:

Great environments

College towns consistently rate as the most attractive places to work and live.  They offer dynamic, diverse and fun people and things to do.  They are generally immune from economic downturns. They often have great health, culture and recreation infrastructure, and for many of us they conjure up great memories of intercollegiate sports and college life. 

Cheap & Easy: Five Ways to Fundraise on a Dime

Holly Lillis from Changing Our World's Sarasota office brings to FLiP another great article that I'm sure we all can relate to these days-- how to keep on fundraising without adding extra costs. Holly has been instrumental to FLiP in bringing a grassroots perspective on all things non-profit. She will be hosting the first-ever regional FLiP-on-Tap in Sarasota on Tuesday, November 25th. Stay tuned later this week for details.

In an economic downturn like this, many nonprofits share the same concerns over dwindling donations, budget revisions, and the need to cut spending on even such staples as direct mailings and events. In times like this, the old adage “spending money to make money” can take on an ominous tone. Yet this is a key time to communicate to the public your organization’s focus on its mission. Your message of commitment and stability in hard times is priceless, and there are plenty of price-free ways to keep your name in the minds of your constituency. In this post, we’re going to talk about some very effective (not to mention cost-effective!) options for your events, marketing and campaigns in the coming months.

1. Search Engine Optimization- More so than any other form of media, the internet hits the sweet spot of reaching the largest amount of people for the least amount of money. However, even the people that are looking for your organization will have trouble finding it if your search result rankings aren’t very high. Luckily, you can dramatically boost your site’s traffic through some careful Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, and all it will cost you is a little bit of your time. Some of the quickest fixes? Brainstorm a list of keywords that are relevant to your site, then make sure that those phrases are well situated in the text of your various pages. Run through all your links to make sure they are in working order. And finally, see what other sites would be willing to offer a link to your site. Keeping up this simple website maintenance will help shoot your address to the top of the search results.

2. Volunteer drives- One of the most important gestures you can make to your constituency in times of economic hardship is in showing them that they are valued for more than just the amount of money they can give. Let them know that their time is an equally precious resource, and that working as a volunteer for your organization is greatly appreciated. This provides past donors a chance to still give, even if they are not in a financial position to do so, and simultaneously offers them the opportunity to see the workings of your organization up close, which is often the most persuasive case for support. You can be sure that when those volunteers are in a position to donate, your nonprofit will be the first recipient to come to mind.

An Insider’s Guide to the Craiglist Foundation’s Nonprofit Boot Camp by Peter Kazarian

FLiP's new friend, Peter Kazarian, attended the recent Craigslist Foundation event in San Francisco. I was thrilled when he reached out to see if we wanted him to post on our site. Of course we do! We're always looking for new authors with interesting topics. Without further ado, Peter Kazarian's Craigslist Bootcamp review:

When Craig Newmark founded online-classifieds giant Craigslist.org out of his San Francisco apartment in 1995, his central idea was to “connect people.” The famous site grew out of a list of Bay Area events that Newmark would send out to his friends and family. It expanded quickly and is now the largest classified listing service of any kind, anywhere.

True to Craig’s original concept of “connecting people” for mutual benefit, part of the proceeds from Craigslist’s pay-to-publish job listings go towards funding the charitable Craigslist Foundation. The Craigslist Foundation’s mission is to serve nonprofits by connecting them with the resources and expertise they need to accomplish their goals. The motto of Craigslist is “people helping people,” whereas the motto of its charitable foundation is “helping people help.” To that end, they offer annual Nonprofit Boot Camp conferences in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. These conferences are a place for members of the social sector to exchange ideas, learn best practices, and network, with a goal of allowing hardworking 501(c)(3)s to better achieve their missions.

The San Francisco Bay Area conference took place last weekend in San Mateo, CA. The Foundation- subsidized tickets were a reasonable $80, within the budgetary reach of plenty of organizations. San Francisco-based youth nonprofit Loco Bloco led a drumline up to the stage as an opener, welcoming the Foundation’s Executive Director, Darian Rodriguez Heyman. He spent some time cheering the audience on, recognizing their devotion, albeit through varying causes, to positive social change. After speaking more about the Foundation’s goals and hope for Boot Camp, he introduced the keynote speaker: Emmet Carson Ph.D., President/CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Dr. Carson continued to celebrate us, the audience, for our vested interest in improving society. In his words, we were important to the democratic process. Who knew?

After a brief Q&A session, we were released to begin the day's activities. The main tent had exhibition booths where event sponsors could showcase their products and services for potential nonprofit clients. Vendors ranged from database and software vendors (Pledgemaker, Softrek, Convio) to local colleges with social enterprise-focused business schools (Stanford, UC Berkeley) to individual fundraising and grantwriting consultancies. One such vendor/sponsor, Consulting Within Reach, made career coaches available for one-on-one scheduled blocks of free career consulting.

After participants left the exhibition hall, the seminars soon started up. There were six distinct educational tracks available for attendees:

• Nonprofit Basics
• Big Ideas
• Technology
• Lobbying and Advocacy
• Fundraising
• Social Entrepreneurship

I chose Fundraising, because of its relevance to my job, but I kept wanting to run off to a speech by the President of Kiva.org (at the Social Enterprise tent), or a mini-panel on government-focused charitable fundraising (Lobbying & Advocacy). That’s not to say that there wasn’t plenty to do in Fundraising Boot Camp. There was so much going on that I didn’t really have a chance to sneak away!

The first session was titled “Reality Grantmaking”- exactly what it sounds like, minus tribal challenges and voting people off the island. Eligible nonprofits competed for mini-grants of $1000, submitting proposals which were then scored and awarded grants live, by a panel of experienced grantmakers. They would list their rationale for their scores and it did a lot to bring transparency to what sometimes seems to be the black box process of grantmaking.

The second session was about getting board members to participate in fundraising. A representative from Foundation Center spoke about his two decades of experience in gently pushing board members to take a larger and larger role in helping to ensure the financial viability of the organization.

Following an afternoon break and a second keynote by the Executive Director of nonprofit software consultancy Aspiration, we returned for the final seminar in the Fundraising track

“Dirty Sexy Money…Online.” - This suggestively named seminar was one of the most informative. The Vice President of email fundraising firm M+R Services took us through two of his company’s cause-related e-campaigns. We learned about the layout of electronic fundraising appeals and channeling a reader’s attention towards that “donate” button. He also focused on acquiring email addresses and mentioning the benefits of email as a medium, namely low costs and the ability to repeatedly solicit the same group of donors. He made one last, very interesting point: the recent growth of online, small donor fundraising we’ve seen in this year’s political arena comes more from campaigns adopting the best practices of internet fundraising on a large scale, than from any earth-shattering new innovations they’ve introduced.

And with that, the Boot Camp adjourned to a happy hour at a local lounge. There was definitely plenty of food for thought, and what I experienced was definitely at once an inspirational message to social sector devotees, and a meaty guide to work directed at those same nonprofit practitioners. I was surprised at the gender, age, and ethnic diversity of the crowd as well as the number of people in attendance, all of them willing to pay money to learn how to work better for their nonprofits. Not a bad bunch of people to spend a Saturday with.

CauseWired Book Party- 10 Free Tickets Available

FLiP invites you to join us on Thursday, November 13th at 6PM in east midtown Manhattan to celebrate the publication of CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World, by Tom Watson.

We only have ten (10) free tickets 
available so please sign up
today! The exact location will
be emailed to you to confirm
your registration.

Appetizers will be served
and your first drink is on
us!

CauseWired is available on Amazon.

FLiPs role in Web 2.0 by Elizabeth Miller

FLiP's best friend, Elizabeth Miller, is fast becoming our most published author. At this point our editorial conversations go something like this. Will: Write whatever you want. Elizabeth: Okay, I'll send it to you tomorrow.

This time Elizabeth wanted to write about the philanthropic sector can better use social networking and web 2.0 technology. A huge opportunity exists for non-profits and foundations alike, what do we need to do to take advantage of it?

When I was profiled for the Meet-A-FLiP series last fall, I was asked what I saw as important opportunities facing the philanthropy sector. I responded by saying that philanthropy’s ability to become engaged in Web 2.0, or the social web, would be one of the biggest challenges, and one of the greatest opportunities for our profession.

Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed watching how the issue of technology has come to the forefront of the field. Seeing the ways that nonprofits, and foundations themselves, are engaging technology in their work has set the field abuzz with research and opinion on both the opportunities and the challenges organizations face.

From the perspective of nonprofits – research and advocacy groups alike – one of the biggest challenges is simply a matter of knowing what resources exist and which ones will help them accomplish their work more efficiently. Organizations like The NPower Network, NetSquared, Tech Soup and NTEN all provide assistance to groups struggling with these issues. There’s also a new project called We Are Media, which posits itself as a Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits. We Are Media is particularly interesting because it offers a lot of ways to participate and leave feedback in a wiki workspace. These kinds of resources, and the thinking behind them, will push organizations beyond thinking about using the internet only for fundraising.

As someone who works at a foundation, I can tell you our experience with these issues is exciting. In addition to talking with other foundations about how this technology affects our own work, the conversations we have had with grantees about the challenges they face has helped us to understand their experiences. Along the line of what foundations experience integrating technology into its work, the Communications Network released an interesting report a few weeks ago called “Come On In. The Water’s Fine. An Exploration of Web 2.0 Technology and Its Emerging Impact on Foundation Communications.” The report, written by Cynthia Scheiderer and David Brotherton, was the culmination of a year of research as to how foundations are (or are not) using technology in their work. Its purpose was to urge foundations to make more use of Web 2.0 technologies in order to more effectively engage the public in their work and to increase their programmatic interest. The report shows that Foundations are entering this world, some faster than others, at the same time as giving us a sense of  where the field is headed. To see my more detailed blog post reaction to this report, visit The Overbrook Foundation blog here. 

Aside from understanding the tools and platforms available and how they might be used, we need to pay attention to some generational “issues” too. Since we FLiP readers tend to be younger than a lot of our co-workers, I think it’s easy to forget that some of the skills that seem natural to us aren’t so easily accepted within large-scale institutions or by the older generations. We have an opportunity – some might say an obligation – to educate our colleagues and our bosses about the applicability of these tools, how they can increase communication, foster greater interactivity between audiences, and bring more transparency to our institution. I can well imagine that there might be some resistance about the open sharing of information but the more we push for these kinds of conversations the stronger our institutions will become.

The new technology is exciting, even if at times a tad overwhelming. The more we share our experiences, the more we can learn from each other. Whether you’re a funder for social change, or an activist within a particular social movement, how you use the internet to engage and mobilize your audiences may be the difference in whether or not you will be able to claim success.

Growing a Profession By Erin Hall-Westfall & Naomi Marshall

Our old friends Academic Impressions, and the University of Michigan are joining forces for an event coming up on December 3rd and 4th in Atlanta, Georgia.  The event is for leaders in education development who wish to create a program that mimics the University of Michigan’s Development Summer Internship Program.

In advance of the event, I asked my friend and UM connection Kat Walsh  to recommend someone who could tell us more about the larger problem that Michigan's innovative program solves, the challenge of finding experienced professional fundraisers. She got right on it, and helped developed the following post about the lack of next generation leaders.

Due to a number of growing university development offices and new nonprofits across the country, it is increasingly a challenge to find experienced fundraisers. Development and advancement officers at institutions of higher education in particular struggle to recruit qualified and diverse candidates into the fundraising profession.  Moreover, recent studies and articles have focused on the leadership crisis in the philanthropy sector. Lacking a leadership pipeline, industry professionals worry that there are not enough “next generation leaders” poised to take the places of current leadership reaching retirement age. As a result, many university development offices are creating recruitment programs to specifically address recruitment as well as issues of retention and learning.

Yet the struggle to recruit qualified young people into the profession is not due to a lack of interest in the philanthropy sector. The Millennial Generation (those individuals born between 1980 and 2000) has a higher commitment to civic engagement through community service than previous generations. In 2005 the College Senior Survey, which reports the experiences of over 30,000 college students at 118 four year institutions, found that 70% of respondents said that they performed volunteer work during college and 75.8% view helping others through difficulty as a “very important” or “essential” life goal. These percentages are increasing each year. Moreover, “Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out,” a national study released in 2008 by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Meyer Fund, and Idealist.org, reports that 47 % of “next generation leaders” said that their ideal next job would be in nonprofit sector work, or as it is called in some quarters, philanthropic sector work. Where is the disconnect?

Although the Millennials may seemingly have more of an affinity to philanthropy than older generations, they are often not aware of development as a profession, and even if they are, they likely do not understand the depth and diversity of positions and opportunities within the profession. As industry leaders have struggled to close the recruitment gap, they have had to become more strategic about recruiting and retaining professionals, particularly younger ones.

Q&A - DOW Disaster - What Does This Mean for Philanthropy?

In recent weeks the economic… let’s call it “uncertainty”… has kept my mouse poised over the “refresh” button of the CNN.com homepage. However, like many of you I’m not exactly heavily invested in the market. In other words, the DJIA could lose 20% and unless I read about it, I doubt it would affect my day-to-day life very much. Or will it? As I was watching the DJIA crater and rise (mostly crater), I started to think – okay, but what does this mean for us? Actually, what does this mean for Philanthropy? Are all of my donors losing their year-end gift as we speak?

As I was pondering this economic mystery, my bosses at Changing Our World were finishing up an FAQ about the relationship between the economy and the philanthropic sector. It’s not all good news, but I found the contents both reassuring and helpful.

Questions are asked such as:

What is the Worst Case for Philanthropy?

Answer: In the last 40 years the worst one-year (inflation adjusted) decline in philanthropy was in 1973-74, and it was a decline of 5.4%. If this crisis matches that one, giving in 2008 will be approximately $289.5 billion – or exactly what it was in 2005. In other words a decline may be real, but the only rational reaction is to press forward. After a down year, philanthropic giving always roars back to new record gains within two years.

Has the current market taken away all of the wealth this country has built?

Answer: Try and remember back to 1993 (just 15 years ago) when the Dow’s all-time high was 3700. Times are rough, but there is still plenty of wealth out there. The key to stabilizing your annual fundraising total is invest in diversifying your sources of gifts – rather than relying on a small group of individuals or companys all in one industry, try and get a balance to insulate against an economic rough patch.

Should we postpone our campaign or move forward?

Answer: Obviously this is a case-by-case question, but it almost every case you shouldn’t stop. Slow down? Maybe, but don’t stop. This economic crisis is deep, but it’s not the end of wealth in this country.

Since construction is slow, this could be a good time for capital bids. Also, it’s definitely a good time to do some cultivation and let your donors know they are family in good times and bad times alike.

There are 900,000 public charities in this country. Those who stop will be at a disadvantage next year compared to their competitors who continued to cultivate and solicit.

There are dozens of questions and answers available on the Changing Our World website: http://www.changingourworld.com/site/News2?abbr=abt_&page=NewsArticle&id=6573

Also on the Changing Our World website you can find a letter from our CEO, Michael Hoffman, about the current state of philanthropy. http://www.changingourworld.com/site/News2?abbr=abt_&page=NewsArticle&id=6569

I hope you find this post as helpful as I did. Happy Columbus Day, everyone!

FLiP’s back in NYC: October 7th at Turtle Bay!

What:  Free Networking Happy Hour
Where:  Turtle Bay (987 Second Ave., between 52nd & 53rd Streets)
When:  Tuesday, October 7th, 6-8PM
Why:  Get reacquainted with New York FLiPs, meet new members of the FLiP community or join us for the first time!

As we mentioned in the last post, registration isn’t required but we’d like to get an idea of who’s coming, so please click here to register for the event or RSVP to our Facebook event.  Questions?  Email Lyndsay Reville, at lreville@changingourworld.com.

Hope to see you on the 7th!

What to Expect: Online Fundraising by Beth Pickard

When FLiP was up in Boston a few weeks back, I met Beth Pickard, an intern at Firstgiving.com. Firstgiving.com, “helps people realize the power of online fundraising”. I knew Beth had good taste when she complimented my recent post about being a fundraising consultant, so I asked her to tell us a bit more about what she does.

Online fundraising programs can be a less expensive and more creative way to raise some money, but with every nonprofit in the world launching their own program, how can you break through the clutter?

I used to be an ascetic when it came to using Facebook.  I uploaded my first profile picture and never changed it.  I never updated my “status.”  I rejected hundreds of group invitations, and I posted nothing personal.  I resented the mini-feed. 

But over the past year or so, I started to come around.  There is no denying that Facebook has helped to catalyze a new form of communication, sometimes referred to as “Web 2.0” or the “social media revolution.”  The platform, however, is only as good as how you use it, and it can be used for some very effective endeavors.  Networking rules remain unchanged; what has changed is the medium through which networking is happening. 

The key point here is that communication via social media (i.e., online) is becoming something that can’t be ignored.  This applies directly to philanthropy and fundraising, as online fundraising is transitioning from a niche to a primary source of income for nonprofit organizations.

Here are a few insights for effective online fundraising from our team at Firstgiving:

1) Be creative when you ask - Our most successful fundraisers inspire and get donors excited to give by creating interesting fundraising events.  They compete in endurance sports events, sell body parts (i.e, reserve space for a message on an arm or leg during a race in exchange for a donation), shave their beards, and give up birthday and wedding presents. 

2) Consider asking for small amounts - Sometimes people don’t give because they don’t think giving a small amount will make a difference.  Large donations are nice, but it is quite possible to meet a fundraising goal with small donations from a lot of people.  Ask specifically for $5 donations, for example, or even $1 donations.

3) Make it personal - Make a clear and personal statement about why you are doing what you are doing.  It helps people to get “on board” with you.