Tag Archives: Leaders

Over the TOP Fundraising Team

Don’t go alone! How long have we been preaching this to our kids. “Partner up!” It’s that simple.

The V-formation develops and runs your fundraiser successfully. What in the world!? A V-formation is a group of birds, flying in a flock, to get to where they want to go. That’s not me!

Are you sure? Wouldn’t you get further if you led a V-formation (Volunteer Formation)? It’s about managing your time effectively. WE ARE ALL TOO BUSY. Of course, we are. We don’t have time to hover over the nest. There are bigger and better things for fund raisers to be doing. Like…meeting new people and developing relationships.

We recommend building your V-formation first: Assigning roles and managing the process. BE THE LEADER!

SOAR helps people develop roles and manage processes.

V-formation is Everyone who…

Shares the cause and tells the story of how they are connected to your mission
Engages donors and sponsors (increases donations and lower costs)
Answers the following question with yes – “will this decision help us raise more money for our cause?” If the answer is no, spending time on that item is avoided

Sample Roles for your team

1. Event Coordinator

2. Marketing Collaborator

3. Hospitality Chief

Building a strong V-formation depends on communication. There are lots of ways we communicate. People do have preferences. Figure them out!

Learn more about SOAR’s Annual Coaching Program by clicking here.

Wondering about the “800?” Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Coordinating a Process to Recognize Donors

Claire Windsor volunteers with the Heart Start Foundation (“HSF”) and has helped them retain 69% of their donors because of a donor-recognition program they now implement.

21% of donors say they never receive a thank you note. It’s the first step. A thank you lets a person know their donation was received. A simple thank you card, sent within 48 hours, is a good rule of thumb.

Don’t always ask for money. Invite your donors to events that are free and include the people you support. People really enjoy these because they see your work in action and they know you’re not going to ask for money. An example is the popular talent shows we have at HSF. Donors come because the voting is people’s choice. They get to be involved!

Keeping things organized and manageable. We keep an excel spreadsheet of the year’s activities, which includes the activity, date, cost, sponsor, and Volunteer Champion. There’s one Champion per activity. We use online calendars to create tasks. We just started using Trello. It’s an online project management tool. There’s a free version, which allows Champions to share progress with the foundation’s director.

These simple tools are provided “Cause We Care” and value the success of others. Write an article for us too!

Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Why people choose to SOAR & develop a fundraising community.

Increase fundraising because you increase market share. (i.e. 126% in four months and 371% within sixteen months)

“Like” the Facebook Group (free) – check in here

Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Relationships with Grantors – Four Tips

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We love this statement by Amy Clinton, “The overall success of a grant writer should ultimately be measured by whether or not the organization for which that person is writing grants is building relationships and program credibility with funders and achieving incremental increases in grant funding revenues.”

Recently, an organization in our community saw the deletion of a grant they depended on. It was something they had received for years and at the end, the $125,000 they received last year, just went away without warning. That destroys programs and, it did! The program it funded was shut down.

Relationships and program credibility – how are you building them?

Tip #1: Share your message as often as you can with as many people as you can in the most-effective way.

Tip #2: Offer opportunities for people to be involved in your program and even invite the people within the organization/foundation granting money. They are not likely to attend but will appreciate the thought of inclusion to see how their money is being used.

Tip #3: Accept the way people participate in your program. This helps you to keep momentum going and maintains a positive perspective. A happy person says good things and can provide a testimonial for you later on. This looks good on applications.

Tip#4: Respect and appreciate everyone within your community. By this, we mean anyone associated with your mission and your organization. The same is true with those organizations offering similar services. Maintain the feeling of abundance. There’s enough to go around. Be thankful. SOAR (acronym for relationship development, which is outlined above).

Consider the following data, also provided by Amy Clinton (see her full article):

1. If an organization is submitting applications to already-established funders who know them well, they can expect:

a. For existing programs, high success rates, up to 90 percent
b. For expanding existing programs, good success rates, up to 80 percent
c. For new programs, lower success rates, generally 30 to 40 percent

2. If submitting applications to NEW funders, an excellent success rate would be 30 to 40 percent

3. If submitting applications to a combination of existing and new funders, an organization should expect a success rate of between 50 and 60 percent.

#soarwithnetworkfundraising assists organizations and individuals when they are determining the best way to GROW Community among their constituents. Increasing market share and raising money goes hand in hand. It’s easy when you choose to SOAR.

Fundraising Goals – In the Bag!

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Basically, “in the bag” means your fundraising is secured! You know it’s true because you’ve already accomplished the goal. Whew – a sigh of relief.

Last quarter of the year…is it really in the bag or are you kidding yourself?

As a nonprofit, it can be hard to focus on year-end goals when it’s only August. You undoubtably wear many hats in the organization. It can be even harder to decide what you need to do to achieve success when you’re still trying to meet Q2 or Q3 financial goals. Q4 builds powerful momentum for 2019. Speaking of ways to do this:

1. HAVE A CONSISTENT STORY TO SHARE

A story builds trust in your mission. It has the potential to increase donations when the story is one people repeat to others. The same story has time to build momentum, and you’ll also save resources when you avoid creating something new. ALL. THE. TIME.

2. CUSTOMIZE HOW YOU COMMUNICATE

A donor is different than someone new learning about your program. Look at your connections and specifically at your monthly donation amounts. Align the way you communicate with different donor segments. Check your social media accounts to see which posts get the most engagement, and build articles for newsletters and subsequent posts based upon those topics. Share with people donating to your organization (time, money, resources).

Customizing communication increases trust in your organization.

3. APPRECIATE DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS

Connect with highly engaged donors and volunteers, who frequently support your mission. They are your advocates. They share your mission with others in a GOOD way when they feel respected. Now is the time to make sure there’s a program of appreciation in place, which is well-developed within your organization.

4. CONNECT WITH BUSINESSES AND SPONSORS

Increase awareness and revenue for your nonprofit when you grow the awareness of your organization within your community. Meet with people and share your mission. This is not asking people for donations unless they are ready to give.

Get to the top of your market because people have confidence and trust in you. Take the test! Prove it. Here’s a quick way to decipher your trustworthiness:

Do you serve the best interests of others?
(Not your own interests)
Do you communicate all the information people need to be successful?
(Don’t make assumptions about what you think “they can handle”. Leaders who underestimate the intelligence of their teams generally overestimate their own.)
Do you keep your commitments?
(Leaders must watch their words because even a casual comment can be interpreted as a commitment.)

Keeping commitments is very important to establish trust.

SOAR is dedicated to helping businesses, non-profits and donors build community. Email us at iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com with questions.

Raising Money? A Result of Good Choices.

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You have choices to make.
You weigh the options while educating yourself.
You make a choice.

This is an ideal scenario but it’s not always the way it goes.

A corporation growing market share (AKA raising money) often limits their options to what they’ve always done and then expects different results. You’ve probably heard a quote, often attributed to Albert Einstein:

“Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results.”

Insanity is a BAD choice when it comes to building confidence in your community for increasing market share. People wonder why an organization is STILL ASKING for money. Why have they NOT MET their financial goal? Will they ever be sustainable? Are they using their dollars wisely? Many times a development professional at an organization becomes the scapegoat. In reality, it costs more money to replace that professional than to work on building them into the model fundraiser. Most times, an employee challenged with raising money is so lost on what to do, they lose sleep at night, and their health deteriorates. Their self-esteem suffers. They feel they’ve let the organization down. They stop trying because it’s too painful.

Organizations choosing to SOAR lighten the burden on their fundraising professional. SOAR is an acronym for a system. People who have followed the program double awareness within two months. They increase fundraising 126% in four months. The metrics in every scenario are off the charts. SOAR only works with organizations and a fundraising professional who are willing to step outside of their box and see relationship building as a necessary tool for raising money.

CAUTION: Grants and donors seeking tax benefits are NOT guaranteed. Recently, a client lost their $100,000 block grant. It’s something they’d received for many years. Now, GONE with the blink of an eye. Fortunately, they are growing their program with SOAR. They’ve found ways to educate people about their mission. They are developing a culture with people in the community. They will survive.

Your choice is to SOAR for success. Discuss options. Schedule a quick call by clicking here.

Value of Follow up – PRICELESS

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People who follow up in a timely manner achieve greater success. It’s a bold statement. Do you agree? Take a look at someone who is doing well in growing their future. They share their message and then what?

OFFER opportunities to be involved. It’s the “O” in SOAR. First, you share your message and then make an offer. A person must follow up with individuals they shared their message with. The follow up includes an offer for the person contacted to participate in something for free with “no sale” involved. This is required for the next step in developing a solid relationship.

Timelier follow up is best. Meet today, call tomorrow, benefit forever. Does the benefit mean it’s a sale? Benefits arrive in many ways. Consider the basic fact and keep this with you, we feel joy within ourselves when following through on something. The act of contacting someone, preferably via phone because it allows for two-way conversation, brings enlightenment. Again – in many ways.

There’s one thing, which rings true time and time again. You’re encouraged to take notice. Following up gets put on the “low priority list” nine times out of ten. People get too busy with what’s next and forget about what’s happened. Those “easy” leads coming forward lose power over time. The longer we wait the more we lose.

Following up is truly THE KEY for moving forward in growing just about anything. This is a bold statement, in bold lettering, for a reason. People are encouraged to address the underlying reason for why they put less effort into following up when IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP in building trust for relationships.

Take the scenario of follow up calls – Have you been a procrastinator? Hands going up. YES, we all tend to put off for today what we can do tomorrow. The following list has been helpful for people wanting to shake this

Set up a favorite spot to do calls and go there with the intent of ONLY doing calls
Get comfortable with your favorite coffee or tea
Avoid distractions (i.e. when doing calls happens at home, avoid doing laundry at the same time)
Jump right in – the sooner the better (Meet today, call tomorrow, benefit forever)
Always have something to invite people to participate in. This is the next step. This is offering opportunities. This comes in many forms.

SOAR offers 10 – 15 minute calls to anyone interested in talking more about growing market share. This is the next step we offer to you for increasing your market share. Schedule a call through this link and speak with the founder and CEO of SOAR.

Reality Impact for Growing Market Share & Raising Money

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Reality – we impact and are impacted.

Social impact is something we hear a lot about. Businesses are choosing to give time, dollars and resources to organizations who create impact and offer value in return. During your next board meeting – make a list of the ways you’re giving back to the people giving to your organization. This goes for everyone! Every business has other people involved. A client gives any business they frequent their support. This, in turn, raises money.

Everyday reality changes. Let’s talk about how you do business. Stuck in what worked twenty years ago? Stuck in what worked a year ago? You know everything is time sensitive in this ever-changing world, right? You may have noticed what has worked in the past is not working as well any longer. It’s because we’re not in the same space any longer. It’s the impact of reality.

Staying on top of reality takes balance and the ability to move quickly. Stuck doesn’t work anymore. SOAR works with boards to create reality through natural talents and focused directional shifts. Something, which always remains true is the desire for success. The reality is – it’s something we can impact and it will definitely impact us!

Partnering for Social Impact Includes Raising Money

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“87% will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about and 76% will refuse to purchase a company’s products or services upon learning it supported an issue contrary to their beliefs.” Talk about pressure for businesses. This was taken from a communication case study in 2017.

Corporate social responsibility was defined and now businesses must pay attention. How are businesses you know impacting society? People are paying attention to the causes they support and businesses, in turn, are being more strategic with the money they donate. Talk about pressure for non-profits.

Let’s be real. Even SOAR thinks strategically about the best connections when preparing for a Collaborative Networking Event. We offer an opportunity, which puts businesses and non-profits together. Consider it a selection process or a way to support multiple organizations for growing their programs. A Collaborative Networking Event supports leaders in the community, non-profits and businesses. People interested in having these kinds of events have two options to learn how to do them.

There’s the 1:1 with SOAR ($225 per month) for as many months as it takes to develop the program. The organization paying the invoice determines when they are done.
Or, an organization takes part in a virtual workshop ($129 one time).

We encourage clients to pre-plan how they want to engage in the program. A client is a for-profit or non-profit business – period. They can come onboard individually or together.

FAQ – What’s the best way to learn the system? Depends on who’s learning. The visual presentation through the virtual workshop is great. It does include a follow up call. You just don’t get the 1:1 coaching like a person paying the $225 though.

FAQ – Can we purchase both programs and get the coaching calls included with each? Of course. There’s one call with the virtual workshop and two calls with the 1:1. That’s three calls! Sounds like a smart move. The cost for both. Well, you can do the math!

Learn more about workshops HERE and see if this is what you’re interested in. You are also welcome to send an email with specific questions about 1:1 coaching. iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com

Preparing for the ASK – Is fundraising a TREND?

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A trend is the general course of prevailing tendency. If everyone asks for money in the same way is it a trend? Of course it is! Do you think a person you’re asking knows the trend? Of course they do.

Preparing for the ASK is usually a trend. People lean towards:

Researching the person and their circumstances to determine a potential gift
Reviewing patterns of giving history
Examining personal details and developing a strategy
Planning the next move

What if the trend shifted? Do you think the person you’re asking would wonder why? We’re not condoning being your “at-home” self but we are interested in your genuine nature when it comes to producing an effective ask.

Usually, the pattern for an ask begins with small talk, which often sounds very rehearsed. Think of it this way, people are more likely to give to someone they know, like and trust. Building that into the relationship prior to the ask is key. Here’s a short list of tips:

Always do what you say you will
Let people know they are thought about (when an ask doesn’t matter)
Sincerely give back and make it effective
Be genuine

SOAR believes a person is better to resource their natural gifts in every situation and has proven there’s a means to raise more money this way. We are often caught up in the financial goal having to be reached by a certain time and forget we are dealing with people. Human nature takes over in ALL cases. This is a trend that’s sure to last!

SOAR offers services to help you increase the dollars you raise. There are workshops, webinars, 1:1 consultations and team building sessions. email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com to share your interest.