Taking the Long View

Discovering a New Prosperity: Leaders First!

2010-01-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

A 103-year old woman in a retirement home where my mother lived cruised the halls everyday behind her walker - she was fast! ...always smiling and happy. On her
104th birthday I asked her suggestions for achieving a long life.

She said: "I don't do negativity. Of any kind. When I'm seated with people who are complaining, I get up and leave. No negativity. It doesn't exist for me."

Negativity becomes a default: "There's not enough money." "Our board doesn't get it." "Nobody's doing what they should be doing," "We'll never make out goals and it's going to be tough," etc.

Negativity is an energy drain and a choice that takes a tremendous toll on the body with headaches, sadness, frustration, sarcasm, resentment, and more.

The truth is, many of us aren't really aware of how often we take a negative stance. It's a default frame of mind. As a leader, it begins with you. Are you ready to shift from a negative stance?

An Exercise
For one day, write down every negative thought you have. Is your first thought in the morning something like, "good grief, another day at work." Write it down. Driving into work, you think, "this traffic is terrible and I'll never make it on time." Write that down. If, when the phone rings at your desk, you think, "oh, here we go, it's starting already," add it to the list. Looking at your desk you think: "I can't possibly get all of this done and here comes more" as you sit down to begin your day....make a note.

Notice every time a negative thought enters your head and write it down. At the end of the day, is your list longer than you imagined it would be? Do this for another day. Keep going until you notice the list getting shorter and shorter. You'll be surprised how easily you can shift your negative default.

What will happen is you'll re-program yourself to choose another perspective. You'll choose a more positive one and this will create a shift in subtle and profound ways in your life.

Are you ready for change? Choose it. You have to become aware of your negativity before you can change it. Just try this exercise and see how you feel after a few days. Getting out from under negativity changes everything!

You'll also set a new example with ripple effects in the office and at home. If you're a leader, your responsibility is to look at yourself first.

From Chaos to Peace

2009-12-01T11:45:00.001-08:00

In the moments before childbirth, there is anything but peace, as one body rids itself of what can no longer survive inside. On the other side is profound beauty and grace as the newborn enters the world. We experience joy at new life. The cycle of life and growth is continued in that birth. It's time for a celebration! An ending of one phase of life, pregnancy, has ended so that life in a new form may begin.

The business world and, indeed, our lives in every respect, are changing that much, too. As familiar systems continue to break down, and morph into new processes needing different strategies for success and longevity, we must hold the same expectant perspective as when a child is born.....see it with eyes of wonder and delight of the joy that is to come, determined to support it with all of our resources. Determined to see it thrive.

The following is adapted from Gloria Karpinski's Blessings for This Time of Gathering:

May the fragments of our vision be whole.
May we simplify, clarify, love, and heal.
May we find peace in interconnectedness.
May we be poised in the chaos of change.

Childbirth is our finest example of change. From one perspective, there is discomfort, pain, anxiety, uncertainty. And even amidst all of that, there is joy ready to burst forward so that life may be fulfilled.

What is your perspective on change? You get to choose. Will you experience change as chaos or joy? How will you show up? As a leader with quiet confidence and poise?

Choose poise.

A Thanksgiving Question

2009-11-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Who is behind your success? Rarely is any achievement the result of the efforts of one person. It just doesn't happen that way, although, our society seems to encourage that singular view.

In nonprofit development,it is common for credit for gifts to reflect in performance evaluations. I've even heard professionals argue over who had the most substantive conversations and interactions with a donor and why one or the other deserved more credit for the gift. This is a sign of poor management. It's not sustainable either for the organization's fundraising track record or for employee retention.

Who gives you moral support? Who keeps you focused on why you work in nonprofit at all? Who gives you good ideas? Who do you turn to for a joke or to break the monotony of a bad day?

Thanksgiving 2009 is marked by another question: What matters? This question will come up over and over again as our world continues to change in unexpected ways. You're going to find that you turn back to a simpler life. One driven by values. You're going to find that you de-clutter your desk, closets, even your mind, and that this helps you focus on what really matters.

This Thanksgiving, consider people who support your success.

Be Inspirational and Do Good

2009-10-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

Doing good is a matter of the heart- it's not only done when times are bad or even when times are good. It's just done because it's the right thing to do and because it produces such a high to help someone else.

I hear about all the trouble nonprofits are having and what I see is different. I see people coming together - more volunteers, more commitments, more reporting in the media about how a creative idea saved the day for a nonprofit. These times are challenges not because of the economy, but because we are experiencing a lot of change. The biggest change is a change of heart.

I think communities are taking stock of what matters at the local level and trying to make the most of resources that are available. The economy pressures this....it is good, and it is time we took stock of what really mattered. We have everything we need to take care of each other....if we take stock of what really matters.

For nonprofits, this is a time of true leadership, of being the voice of light in the perceived darkness. Maybe nonprofits should move beyond being recipients of generosity and use the support they have to express a new, stronger voice - a voice of hope, strength, love, and creativity.

Each nonprofit has the opportunity to stand out as a beacon of love and light and when it does, the others of us know that that beacon represents a network of other compassionate people, a board, volunteers, staff, donors, vendors, etc. That's heartening.

It's time to choose optimism. Decide that whatever happens to the economy, or the weather, or even with public health, that you, you will take your fuel from the voices of wisdom around you that express joy, hope, and love for the challenges of life that bring us closer together. Choose your sources of inspiration so that you may lead more confidently.

I liked what consultant Alan Weiss said in his Monday Morning Message: There are people who profit from a prolonged downturn, so their interest is in spreading only bad news and in perpetuating fear. There are others who profit from an upturn and who want to find places to add value as people are able to recover. Find, listen to, and associate with the latter group. There is no contribution in perpetuating and profiting from others' misery. As George Merck noted, "Do good, and good will follow."

Let people follow you. Be the voice of wisdom and hope in your community.

Go Gentle Into That Merger

2009-10-02T04:03:00.000-07:00

In the banking industry, merger means one big bad thing: the big one gobbles up the smaller one and jobs are lost. Now, as the nasty "m" word highlights the headlines about nonprofit organizations, the automatic assumption is that the bigger organizations are going to swallow the smaller ones which will lose their identities in the process. This is not how mergers need to happen. It certainly doesn't serve communities to have more giant-box nonprofits.

Communities are better served by a series, a network, of smaller, well-connected nonprofits working at the local level, managed by passionate citizens who care about the outcomes.

Consider this article in the Davidson News about three nonprofits that are sharing resources....a merger of sorts....to raise awareness of their work through social media. Each retains its own identity, mission, leadership, and fiscal responsibilities while helping each other. Check here.

“It’s innovative because we are asking the public to understand that our strength lies in cooperation and not just in the individual work we do as agencies.”
Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, United Family Services/Tell Two organizer.

A merger is not a case of "We win - you lose," although it feels like that if you're the smaller nonprofit. Again, this interpretation of merger is a hold-over of a by-gone era. A smaller organization is usually more nimble. They can adapt quicker. They may not have the debt that a larger organization with its own building carries.
The element of creativity of smaller nonprofits is a valued asset. It's intangible and easily overlooked, but in a rapidly changing and economically volatile environment, creativity is a key to problem solving.

To reach a new level of effective organization, a re-ordering comes when the value of all parties around the table is fully understood and when the re-ordering emerges from mutual discussions about how all parties are served, rather than from a mandated process with a bigger-is-better mentality.

This natural re-ordering perspective was explained another way in an email arriving this morning: "Pirate societies, in fact, provide evidence for Smith's theory that economies are the result of bottom-up spontaneous self-organized order that naturally arises from social interactions, as opposed to top-down bureaucratic design. Just as historians have demonstrated that the 'Wild West' of 19th-century America was a relatively ordered society in which ranchers, farmers and miners concocted their own rules and institutions for conflict resolution .....(delanceyplace.com 10/2/09 - pirates and anarchy)

An open and creative approach to merger may produce a new and unexpected outcome: nonprofit leaders must be open to the possibilities. This means releasing the outdated modes of thinking that declare A winner and A loser. We can all win if we choose it.

Putting Your Quirks to Work

2009-08-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

We have been programmed to weigh ourselves in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Strengths give momentum. We can be proud of strengths. We're more hesitant to look at or talk about our weaknesses. We are programmed to think of them as problems and so we: ignore them, deny them, blame them on others, justify or cover them up altogether. Since we all have weaknesses and since they are obviously here to stay, isn't it time we re-think their role in our lives? Can we think of them in constructive ways? How can understanding my weaknesses help me?

Enter David Randall, who sent me a link to his paper which I'm sharing below. David says weaknesses point out your strengths and that there is nothing wrong with you (yes!). He says you need to match your unique characteristics with situations that reward those qualities (yes!). He points out these things and more in a light and funny way that is important to anyone leading nonprofits and working with volunteers and donors.

More importantly, we are living in a time when it is important to challenge assumptions. How we think of ourselves can be transferred to how we work with co-workers, board members, and donors. As we build our resource networks, we're drawing all sorts of new and different people into our arena, and we need to tap all of these resources optimally. Let's challenge how we think about weaknesses. As David says it, let's "put our quirks to work." To read the article, click: here!

One way to challenge assumptions

2009-08-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

The phrase, "challenging the assumptions" seems to be popping up everywhere these days. It sounds easy enough until I realize that some of the assumptions that need to be challenged are mine.

When the economy crashed in 2008, I challenged the assumption that someone else would have the answers. While watching financial and business experts point fingers of blame at each other, it became apparent that unlike in the past, no one had the answers. The problems are too big, they're too complex, and they're changing too rapidly to fix easily or quickly. The problems are of a global nature. They're on a scale that's hard to wrap your mind around. Until you look at the community level - where we see rising unemployment, cancelled programs for women and children, and services that enrich a quality of life we've come to expect.

Sitting and waiting for answers was not for me. These problems may be of a new breed, but I know that creativity, innovation, passion, determination, and hope are innate traits that are already organized around more than a million nonprofit organizations in the US. The nonprofit system is uniquely structured for adaptive planning and creative thinking. What assumptions need to be challenged there?

Are nonprofit leaders aware of the nature of change that is bearing down on communities? Are they prepared to lead with new skills? What new skills are needed? Are there other ways to mobilize the talent that is clustered on each nonprofit board? Are nonprofit leaders building resilience? Or, are they waiting for things to get better? Are they cooperating or competing?

For a new perspective, read this article about funding a new world: http://www.jeancraiglong.com/pdfs/COTFTHEUPSIDEDOWNOFFICUCIARYRESPONSIBILITY.pdf

If it raises more questions than it answers, then it served its purpose.

Creativity Connects the Dots in New Ways

2009-07-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

"Creativity is having enough dots to connect." Steve Jobs CEO, Apple, Inc.

Sticking with the familiar seems like a safety zone. We think we are safe when we are on familiar ground. In reality, there is no guarantee of security that comes with familiarity at all, we just like to think it does.

We encourage children to experiment with the unknown all the time: try this new food, ride your bike without the training wheels now, walk into that new classroom - nothing to fear, it's easy.

As adults, we don 't like changing things. From daily routines, to our work schedules, to the processes we move through to complete our work, even including habits and opinions, it's easier to stick to the familiar than reach into the unknown. We're comfortable when the expectations and outcomes are familiar.

The problems facing us today in the world are massive, gaining in complexity and speed. Solving them with the same thinking that built them is not the answer. That will be more of the same. Everything is so tangled up and fragile and one slight movement over there affects something over here and then the entire thing is out of balance.

Each one of us was born with a creative side to our brain. Some access it easier than others. All of us have the capacity to access it. Thinking from the creative side of the mind enables us to see things in new ways. It enables us to connect the dots in new ways.

This is where each one of us can contribute to solving the massive problems we face today: Start with ourselves and develop our own creative capacity. Color. Sing. Make something. Imagine shapes in the stars and clouds. Sit so quietly in the woods that birds and squirrels approach. Play in water. Throw clay pots. Write stories. Take classes in things you think you might not be very good at. Explore and experiment.

This is how you begin to add more dots to the picture and then you can connect them in new ways. Get rid of what no longer fits. This is when new solutions form and a new thinking takes hold. You begin to see problems in new ways and connect to new ideas and solutions. Eventually, you will find solutions beyond where you accepted limits before.

This is the direction we're headed in as a mass of humanity and the Universe seems to be sending us clues about how to get there: the need for more networking and connectedness, the need for more creativity so that we stop trying to solve problems with the same thinking that we used to create them.

Definition of Fundraising Success

2009-05-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

"Success is the measure of how manylittle things you do right." Jeffrey Eisenberg

In the world of nonprofit fundraising, success is often measured by the grand events like how much money was raised in the capital campaign or how many people attended the last event. I once worked in a development office where success was measured by whether or not the development staff met their "quota" of calls on prospective donors. "It's all about the numbers," the administrator would say with a giggle. To make matters worse, the administrator arbitrarily chose a quota each year and handed it to each of us in the form of a marching order.

The major donors I was responsible for liked to sink their teeth into discussions about the activities, reports, policies and decisions of the institution and these appointments were typically longer than what was allocated for donor cultivation time. These donors were subsequently labeled as "high maintenance" by the administrator. Even so, the tally at the end of the year more often than not showed larger and more frequent gifts by these same donors. I considered them stakeholders rather than quota-meeters because they were informed, invested, engaged.....and loyal. Ok, so they took more time, their investment proved it time well-spent and they invested for the long-haul.

The idea of meeting a quota was not motivating to the development team either, a point that was challenged by the administrator. Sharing, comparing, and brainstorming experiences, conversations, and challenges with donors was exciting and due to the administrator's harsh criticism for wasting time, we met outside the office. When one was stuck, someone else would suggest a strategy that might move things along. We laughed a lot at the suggestions and when something worked for one of us, the rest of us felt great about that.

Quotas don't measure development success. By doing the small things well, like knowing your donors, understanding and relating to their value and belief systems, shifting them from annual givers to investors in thought, word, and deed, supporting team players AND having fun.....now, that's success.

Transforming Your Mindset

2009-04-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Talking to nonprofit leaders during the week keeps me focused on their priorities, issues, and concerns. Lately, by the end of the week, I'm feeling all of their fears: the money is drying up, budgets are cut to the quick, donor's are dropping off and existing ones will probably leave, no one's giving or wants to talk about charitable gifts. How will services continue to be offered? How will staff be paid? What will happen to conservation, education, healthcare, animal sanctuaries, preservation, enrichment?

Today, I'm looking for another way to end my week and am sharing my approach with you.

First, I stop the relentless negative messages rolling around in my head that tell me to be alarmed and worried. How to stop them? I take a sheet of paper and divide it into 2 columns, one column is labeled: My limited way of thinking. The other column is labeled: What I want.

In the "limited" column, I list every fear and negative thought I have.

Example: Col 1: I must be on the wrong track with my ideas.

If you're a development professional or executive raising money, you might have the limited view that: There's not enough money out there and why would anyone give now anyway?

The next step is to question every statement in the limited column by asking: Is this really true? If it's not universally true, then the answer is No, this is not true. It's simply a negative that doesn't make me feel very good, and it's a limiting thought.

Example, Col 1: There's not enough money out there.
Question: Is this really true? Well, I read in the paper last week about an anonymous $45 million donor who gave to several colleges and universities. Also last week I learned about a $1 million donor who gave to medical research in local and promising new labs. Personally, I wrote a $100 check to a nonprofit. Are we the only 3 donors out there? Of course not.

My mind relaxes with the realization that there is definitely still money out there. So now, the question is: What thought is at least as true if not truer than that negative thought?

That's the list I make for column 2: "What I want". (It's basically the opposite of the thought listed in Col 1.) How about for Col 2: There is definitely money out there. That's true for me.

It feels better to have productive, optimistic, and results-oriented thoughts in my head than the negative ones. It gives me energy. Considering the old adage, "what you think about comes about," I'm in good shape.

This is the work of Byron Katie. I've used it for years. If you'd like to read more, check out her website: http://www.thework.com/index.asp

During the week, I take company with positive thinkers. I take company with people who are focused on making things better, who are determined to grow and change no matter what, and who are passionate about what they do. It's so much fun.

Are you like me? Working in the nonprofit system to make life better? Collaborating with others who seem to have good ideas and are resourceful? Sharing what you know and the connections you have that might support someone else as much as you?

Are you like me? Life is about manhandling our current social challenges so that when we break them down into smaller pieces, we can get rid of the dysfunction and re-assemble them into productive new methods that fully serve our missions?

Are you like me? It is fun and is your reason for being?

Try not to buy into the prevailing attitude that everything is falling apart. It's not so. It might be that the worn out, rotten, rusted systems, attitudes, and behaviors are ready to be cleaned out so that better ones can emerge.

As a development consultant, I know that the current economic challenges are scary and unpredictable. That's why I choose to stay focused on what works, surrounding myself with productive and creative thinkers, cultivating innovative processes and encouraging other people likewise.

Today is Thursday. My week is ending on a high note because I choose it. I allow it. I am smiling and excited already about the possibilities.

Are you like me?

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass....

2009-04-16T16:01:00.001-07:00

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning how to dance in the rain. (author unknown.)

Financial advisors say to hold for now - an indefinite "now." My vet says he feels like he's "just waiting for the other shoe to drop." A nonprofit executive friend says she's unhappy in her job and would like to find another one but "there is nothing out there so I'll just hold on." Another friend who is a board member of a nonprofit says they have withdrawn from everything and are just sitting still trying not to spend money. A community foundation colleague says their travel and training budget is totally eliminated.

At the same time, I know 3 executive directors who have all established new nonprofits in the last 3 - 5 years. What a time for launching new concepts! The reality is that they are succeeding when the economy would indicate otherwise. They are in hot pursuit of missions that they each visualized, conceptualized, and wrestle with everyday. They do not consider themselves successful and are surprised when I call them leaders or visionaries.

How can they be so focused on growth - and be growing - when the economy says we're supposed to be contracting and withdrawing? What drives them so fiercely that they don't have time to pause in negativity? What keeps them going when others all around them want to curl up? Interestingly enough, they each talk about curling up...and they don't b/c they're too busy visualizing another opportunity. They each describe financial difficulties....with an attitude almost of humor that another hurdle has had the audacity to present itself in front of them....and then they proceed to skim over it seemingly oblivious that it's what they're doing.

They don't see themselves as leaders. They each talk about a vision. A vision that fills a huge gap in the quality of life we can have. The questions they bring to me are: "Why am I doing this? I'm crazy aren't I?" "How in the world am I going to get this done?" "Where am I going to find the energy, resources, answers to do this?" And the best one of all: "I've never done this before."

I'm baffled every time by their questions. I don't know where or how they're going to do what they do. All I know is that they get it done....and the economy says it shouldn't be happening. Because we're supposed to be in contraction mode, right?

I think the answer is passion. I think each one of them is inspired by a vision larger than life itself. And I think each one of them knows down inside that a force stronger than anything is driving them forward. I believe it's a spiritual journey for them.

They are innovative. Creative. Clear. Poised. Talk to any one of them and their intentions are so well defined that you can see through their eyes an achievable goal. They don't see this and I do. I want to expose it, and share it with others who may have lost their inspiration. Who may be focusing on loss, and dread, and the negative side of "what if". Who may be wondering what they should be doing other than working on a nonprofit mission.

Nonprofit people hear different music playing. It's why they work in the field. I've tried to get off this path several times and I'm always turned back to it. An executive recruiter friend says, "Most people don't come out of college with the goal of a career based on other people's benevolence. There's a reason they choose the nonprofit field."

So for all of the people who choose to listen to the different music.......now's your chance to dance.

What these 3 executive directors have to share is priceless...we'll just have to draw it out of them.

How innovative new nonprofits grow

2009-04-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

"If one advances confidently in the directio of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a succesws unexpected in common hours." Thoreau

Watching founders of new, innovative nonprofits navigate their way from blueprint to start-up, I am constantly amazed at their determination and drive. I think it comes from passion. One founder of an animal sanctuary describes a dream she has whenever she thinks of quitting and in the dream, an animal appears and says, "But if you don't do this, who will?"

Most of these people have no nonprofit training, no experience with donors, and they don't worry about that. They don't worry about formal "Best Practices", choosing to be guided by an ethical standard that comes naturally.

They focus on building their vision and they are different from their counterparts at established organizations. Any hurdles in front of them are just that - hurdles to be crossed over. They can't always tell me how they will manage it, yet they always do and it's on to the next hurdle.

It's more than excitement. It's a drive. Sometimes, it doesn't even seem rational.....it's just very real. They are hear for a purpose - their calling. Thank goodness they are here...we need them.

The future looks good...it's the present that concerns me.

2009-03-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

One nonprofit executive director explains sleepless nights this way: "The future looks good. The present, however, looks impossible."

Year after year this is the concern of nonprofit leaders, even in strong economies. You can change the forecast by changing development priorities. If you do, you'll be the person someone in the future looks back and sees that changed the course of history for the organization.

It's not one thing, like planned giving, that is the answer. It's a blend of several things that mark change.

1. Vision - What is your intention? If you had more than enough resources, what could happen? Pause at some point today and just think about where your nonprofit - and you - are headed. What's the potential?

2. Impact - What difference is your nonprofit making? What would not get done if your group was not around to do it? What is it you do that matters? Remember web-thinking: Your work impacts more than board members, staff, donors, volunteers, and recipients of services. The impact is also felt by family members of all concerned and children (the next generation), and colleagues, and your vendors, and many more that you may not be aware of. They benefit.

3. Relationships - Who are your stakeholders? It may not be your biggest donors at all. Look at consistent givers and disregard amount of gift - what do you know about these people? Why do they give? Approach annual givers as stakeholders and you'll begin to notice a difference in that perspective. They are more than year-to-year givers - they understand what you're doing.

Vision, impact, relationships = sustainability.

Self-evaluation by a nonprofit executive

2009-03-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

My week ends on a good note having received the following feedback from an executive director and nonprofit champion:

“I am slogging through another personnel issue and rather than just lash out and say "Just go away, then," I am trying to weigh options. As a leader I feel it is important to be firm in my convictions - however, I also feel it is important to question them occasionally too. Am I being bullheaded or just a strong leader? Should I consider everyone's opinion, at the risk of "paralysis by analysis," which we just went through? Are there some excellent team members who just won't fit my vision?
So I came up with a list of mentors whose opinions I respect, and the first local call went straight to voicemail. The second one was in a meeting. I decided to call you and was reviewing past emails for your phone number, when I became fascinated by the answers you had given me to this question a year before I faced it. I found myself forwarding old emails to myself again to refresh myself.”

What leader has not faced such questions? It's tough questioning that identifies the true leaders. Job title is irrelevant. Leaders are the ones not afraid to look at the answers. The cost of pioneering any initiative whether it's an innovative approach to a festering community problem or trying to make a difference in the world as an individual when you’re not exactly sure how to do it, is confusing somedays. But not on days with emails like this one.

It’s not the speed at which you run the race but that you get out there and run.

Start with current donors

2009-03-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

If growth means keeping what works and making it better, then nonprofits intent on growing should concentrate on current donors - the people who have already shown their support. As more people give thoughtful attention to the charities they support, give them more reasons to choose you. What do you know about your consistent givers? Is your marketing message clear about what your nonprofit does and where it is headed? How fast it gets there is really not the issue - that it gets there is entirely the point.

Increase the attention you give to your loyal donors and connect with those whose values align with those of your organization. They may be interested in a deeper level of support - a longer-term type of support.

Initiate action with consistent givers. Find out what they think. If you can build a bridge between their heart and a better world through your work, then you'll find all the resources you can handle!

What to do with $100 donors

2009-03-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

Take a look at your donor gift levels. Do you have clusters of gifts around the $100 mark, the $250 mark, or the $500 mark? Where these cluster occur, notice how many of the names you know personally. What do you know about them? Do you know why they give to you? This is where your focus should be now - on the relationships you already have.

Choose a cluster and identify the people who have given 3 years or more consecutively. Why have they given to you for these years? Obviously, there is something that is attracting them to you and if you can find out what that is, then you're closer to your next gift. Do they know the founder? Do they know someone on the board who speaks highly of the work? Is it a staffer? Maybe they know someone who benefitted from your services. Finding that out may mean a visit - maybe several visits. Maybe it's a coffee or maybe you meet them at an event. You may find out right away and it may take several visits. Is there a board member who will help?

This is how you attract givers to maintain and increase their giving. By getting to know them, and learning what matters to them, you'll be better equipped to communicate the work of yiour nonprofit in terms they value.

If you have a lot of names in those clusters, you can get creative with how you contact them since you can only drink so much coffee in a day. Read the article, "Launching your 44 cent cultivation plan" listed on my Free Resources page of my website: www.jeancraiglong.com for hints about low-cost ways to make memorable connections with donors.

If you start this week, and set aside 2 hours on Friday to call people who have written checks in the past, thank them, update them on activities, you're taking a development step in the right direction. Can you ask some board members to take some names? Gratitude is an attractor and this is the time to connect as much as you can with those people who already know and care about your work.

Consider a new perspective in your nonprofit work

2009-03-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Most conversations with nonprofit leaders lately have centered on this economy and its effect on incoming cash gifts. Between gift revenues slowing down and bleak (depressing) media reports about the sad state of world economic world affairs, nonprofit people are feeling vulnerable and lonely and not much like visiting prospects and donors for fear of hearing more of the same.

What if you remember that not all people are affected the same by the economy? What if you turn off the tv and think of the determination & commitment of the individuals that created the 50 and 100 year old institutions we have today? They gave during depressions and other recessions- arent' there people like that around now? Of course there are! Some of them are on your donor list, too.

So, what if you assume that your donors still want to hear from you and learn what's going on with your nonprofit? What if you are honest and say that you're offering a cup of coffee instead of lunch to protect their investment of previous gifts?

What if you visit with no particular agenda (like a solicitation) and simply because you want to stay in touch? What if you phone all donors who do make gifts and personally thank them in addition to the usual acknowledgement letter? Wouldn't that make a positive impression?

What if you focus on the positive impact that your organization is making.. giving people a sense of the important role your nonprofit continues to play in local life -as they are probably making more thoughtful choices about which nonprofits to support this year and why.

People who have cared before don't suddenly stop caring. So instead of thinking that no one will give and that they don't want to see you, assume that they want to hear from you now and that they will do their best to support you. Assume that and yours will be one of those 50 year old institutions future nonprofit leaders admire.

Who says people aren't giving?

2009-03-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

The worst thing you can do right now is assume that people won’t give.

According to The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, 333 gifts of $1 million or more came from individuals in the 2nd half of 2008. While that is a decline compared to the same size gift in the 2nd half of 2007, it indicates that people are still giving.
This shows that the stock market declines and the credit crisis have slowed large gifts but have not stopped them.

Are you spending too much time listening to what the media reports about the economy? That would bring anybody down. Shift your focus.

Sitting at a birthday dinner celebration Saturday night, the woman beside me talked about a charitable gift she had just made. She made the gift in memory of two dear friends to a nonprofit fund that they both would love. She thought about both of her friends, and their lives, and her love for them before making the gift. Her heart led her to make a gift that would serve people now in the memory of ones who had also served.

That's what's behind every gift! That's what endures. Heart. It still is...it always will be.

Focus on that.

Are you ready to give donors choices?

2009-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Donors Need Choices -Are you ready to offer them?

One of the most important things you can do now is to stay in high communication with donors, especially donors who've made gifts consecutively - no matter what size the gift. Focus on the loyalty factor.....look at your donor list in terms of years of consecutive gifts. Have you been in touch with them in 2009?

Loyal donors still believe in your cause and may not be comfortable right now making the same cash gifts as usual. Are you making it easy for them to support you now in other ways? Now is not the time to lay low or hesitate.

These are days when donors need more gift options. Consider loyal donors as your prime stakeholders. What gift options can you offer them?

What about a provision in the will? That doesn't cost the donor anything now. What about being named a beneficiary of someone's retirement plan? That doesn't cost the donor anything now either and when someone tells you that they've made one of these gifts, they've opened a grand window of opportunity for you to continue cultivation for many years. Someone who has included a provision in their will for your nonprofit will always want to see you. They consider themselves long-term investors and they are interested in activities and updates that we may take as mundane. Maybe they will be interested in a cash gift at some soon point. It's worked that way for me.
As long as your mission is relevant and your message of commitment to that mission is clear, loyal donors don’t go away – they may bide their time.

The first planned giving program I established at the art museum resulted in will provisions by volunteers, many of them docents. While not necessarily the biggest donors, these volunteers were first place in proactivity about a role in the museum's future. As they discussed among themselves the possibilities of what could happen in the future if everyone pulled together, their enthusiasm increased and my job of securing planned gifts was fun. I considered this group my self-cultivators!

Are you talking to loyal donors about alternatives to cash gifts? Do you know what to say? Do you know how these basic gift plans work?

If not, you might be interested in one of these complimentary teleclasses. Click here for details and to register. http://www.jeancraiglong.com/teleclasscalendar.htm

All inquiries come from million dollar donors

2009-02-26T05:25:00.000-08:00

I recently emailed a colleague at a community to ask if a donor who sets up a charitable gift annuity at the foundation can change their charitable beneficiary. Can they name more than one charity if the community foundation is managing the gift annuity asset? (This was in preparation for the teleclass I teach on the basics of gift annuities.)

Her response surprised me. Not the information itself, rather the way she answered my question - so that I would see myself as the donor. Her explanation began this way: “For example, you create a charitable gift annuity and name the Jean Craig Long Fund at the foundation as the charitable beneficiary….” She explained the mechanics of the process in a way that got my attention.

My thoughts instantly shifted from my original technical question to the rush of excitement I was feeling in the shoes of the donor. A fund in my own name that would support nonprofits....why not? ....which ones would I choose?

In less than the 10 seconds it took to read the email, my mind shifted from mechanics to the possibilities in front of me and I noticed that my energy soared!

My colleague answered me from a development perspective.....not as technician.

In personalizing her response to my question, she shifted my focus from the options for other donors to the possibilities in front of me and it became very real. I’ve used this approach with donors myself and now on the receiving end of it, I’m reminded of how relevant it really is.

Take a tip from my community foundation colleague: All inquiries come from million dollar donors. You can shift someone’s thinking in an instant.

What a powerful chain of positive energy it creates when we open to possibilities.
Re-reading that email, I still get a good feeling. I’m going to save it….

The next time you receive an inquiry about the mechanics of a planned gift, I hope you follow this example.

Sometimes the best development keeps things the same.

2009-02-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

"You said something brilliant a minute ago when you said....." . This is the way my nonprofit client got my attention this morning. A flash through my mental rolodex came up with nothing that was brilliant. We had been talking about fund raising dilemmas facing conservation minded nonprofit development leaders and how important it is to talk with donors about the possibilities for change, about the difference their support makes, about the long-term vision for the environment and how they can change outcomes with big gifts. That's when I commented that when it comes to clean air and water, mountain vistas, and open spaces - we want them to remain as they are.

With all the changes swirling around us day in and day out, it is nice to go to sleep at night knowing that the moon will shine, the sun will come up, and the mountains will still be there. That's a stabilizing thought.

"Nature is telling us that in these years when we as a nation like to think how great we are, we would do well to remember that the process of life itself is only sustained by inches of topsoil and the fact that it rains every now and then." -Lindsay Pettus, founder, Katawba Valley Land Trust