In This Edition:

• Cooperating On Events Boosts Revenue
  
  
• Donors ...
  8 connections to young donors
  
  
• Online ...
  5 ways to beat donor abandonment
  
  
• Grants ...
  5 things to think about
  

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Cooperating On Events Boosts Revenue

By Michele Donohue

It pays knowing some people. For City Harvest, it was more about the savings.

A co-chair for the New York City-based hunger relief organization was friendly with someone at another organization, Food Allergy Initiative Northwest. Both organizations were having events at the same location on the same day in April and decided to cut down their budgets by sharing décor and flower costs.

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Donors ...
8 connections to young donors

Young donors in the 20 to 40 age demographic are unique. Some have never lived in a household without a computer. Many are on at least one social networking site. Some actually think reality T.V. is normal.

Whatever you might learn about these young donors, it seems as though stages of cultivation, solicitation and stewardship still ring true, according to Derrick Feldmann, CEO of Indianapolis-based Achieve.

Feldmann explained how to break into the young demographic at the 46th annual Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) international fundraising conference in New Orleans. He outlined steps for building relationships with these young, social-savvy donors:

• Engage potential young donors. Let them experience programs and reach out to young professional networks.
• Engage potential young donors -- again. Don’t ask for a gift just yet. Let them show more interest and include their inner circle of friends and family.
• Network. Social networks aren’t limited to the Web. Introduce them to organizational leaders and peers within the nonprofit to build relationships.
• Build trust. Be proactive in your transparency. Tell them how donations are used and what programs the donations fund.
• Seek non-financial support. Asking first for help, such as volunteer opportunities, instead of a donation. It will show that they are important to the organization and get their hands dirty.
• Seek support financially. Now you can finally make a donation ask. Try to ask in person or on the phone first since the donor should have a relationship.
• Steward. That doesn’t mean just continue to ask for donations. Keep the donor engaged in the programs and mission. Remind the donor – the more, the merrier. Encourage your donor to involve friends and family in the organization’s efforts.
• Steward again. Keep connecting with the donor with volunteer opportunities. Ask your donors for permission to contact them in other ways, such as your email communications and social networks.
  

Online ...
5 ways to beat donor abandonment

How many times have you ditched an online purchase because of the information form? Retailers call the ditch consumers make between the item interest and credit card information submission “abandoned shopping carts,” partly due to bulky information forms.

But there are ways to minimize donation abandonment for your organization, according to Valerie Lambert, assistant director of development at Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth in Baltimore. Lambert presented how to design a great online donor form at the 46th annual Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) international fundraising conference in New Orleans. She explains that a donation form should make giving a breeze:

• Know your place. Place required information fields higher on the form than optional questions. That lets you secure the important information early on the form.
• Get the digits. Your donor is more likely to seal the deal once committing the donation amount and credit card information. Try to position those fields high on the donation form to minimize the chance they will just give up.
• Mistakes happen. Allow donors to clear fields of information without resetting the whole form. Starting from scratch might frustrate the donor and they might go somewhere else.
• Tell me more. You want to know more about your potential online donor, but keep it to information you can actually use. Too many questions may turn a person off. Stick to the bare minimum to help you with future communication, such as geographic location or what programs interest the donor.
• Remember online attention spans. Minimize the amount of clicking and scrolling donors have to do. You want to make it as easy as possible to make a donation.

Grants ...
5 things to think about

Grant writing doesn’t begin when your pen touches paper or fingers tap away at the keyboard, according to Bret L. Heinrich, director of advancement at The OASIS Institute based in St. Louis, Mo.

Heinrich explained that a lot of work goes into grant writing before you even begin to write at the 46th annual Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) international fundraising conference in New Orleans. Here’s how to start:

• Make your case. Align what you want to do with the foundation’s priorities. First step? Find out what those priorities are.
• Every grant isn’t for you. It takes too much time to chase after every grant opportunity. Narrow your options down to the ones that fit best with your organization.
• Do you have the right stuff? Look at the foundation’s mission, current funding, assets and what support they gave in the past. That will help you assess if you should go after the grant.
• Do your homework. Make sure you read all guidelines before sitting down to write.
• Who you gonna call? Call if you have any questions to clarify anything you may be unsure about. It’s better to call and get everything right than mess up. But call after you read through everything. A call every 12 minutes can get annoying – fast.
  

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