August 18, 2009 ADVERTISEMENT Are you using the right tools for the job? Try WealthEngine's donor screening services or our fast, online research center for the best prospect research available. More than 25 databases, detailed profiles and handy reports...use it for all of your development efforts. Visit www.wealthengine.com or call (301) 215-5980 for a FREE trial. In This Edition: Cause Marketing Still Bringing In Big Bucks Online ... 6 ways to prepare donors for a big ask Donors ... 5 way for leveraging corporate gifts Faith-Based Fundraising ... Defining the culture of giving by your donors ADVERTISEMENT    ResultsPlus fundraising software supports the way you work, from planning your day to interacting with donors, tracking dollars and reporting your results. ResultsPlus helps maximize your time and that of your staff and volunteers. Focus on what matters most: furthering donor relations and supporting the mission. Visit www.ResultsplusSoftware.com for more information. NPT Jobs NPT Resource Directory Subscribe to NPT NPT Latest Edition NPT Advertising Contact Us      Please forward NPT Instant Fundraising to your colleagues so that they can also subscribe. Tell-a-friend! Editor's Note: Do you work for the best nonprofit on the planet? We are looking for the best nonprofits where people love to work. They actually show up early and stay late. If your organization has at least 10 employees, we want to know why you're great. Please go to http://bestnonprofitstoworkfor.com/ Cause Marketing Still Bringing In Big Bucks Despite the ailing U.S. economy, companies in North America are expected to spend $1.55 billion on cause partnerships during 2009, a 2.2 percent increase from the $1.52 billion invested in those programs during 2008, according to Chicago-based IEG, LLC. The amount spent in 2007 was $1.44 billion, according to IEG. Cause-related programs still remain popular among corporate marketers due to their ability to support worthwhile organizations while also driving sales.  To read the complete article click here...   ADVERTISEMENT How will you meet the new IRS form 990 documentation requirements for your organization's top executives? Find exactly the comparable data you need in the new NonProfit Times 2009 Nonprofit Organizations Compensation & Benefits Report. Order your subscription today! Click here. Online ... 6 ways to prepare donors for a big ask Nonprofits can’t afford to put the same effort into soliciting a $5 million gift as they do a $50 gift. Face-to-face solicitation might be the gold standard, but strategic online efforts are making it easier to create personal and engaging asks, according to Nancy Withbroe, director of integrated consulting services at CDR Fundraising Group, and Laura Zylstra, managing consultant, New England at Skystone Ryan. Withbroe and Zylstra explained how online tactics could make your $50 donor feel like a major donor during the recent Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference, in National Harbor, Md. Here are their thoughts: It’s like they are there. Major donors are usually given the special treatment, such as a private tour of a construction site. Allow your other donors to get that personal feel by updating them about campaign progress with blogs, photos or Web videos. Don’t let your homepage do all the work. Your main page donation button can only do so much. Consider building microsites for certain campaigns or special events. Get your direct mail donors online. Include dedicated URLs or personalized landing pages into direct mail pieces. Utilize email. Share campaign stories via email with periodic e-newsletters. Make the stories dynamic with video or pictures, but be aware that some email programs will suppress that digital information – so your copy has to stand on its own. Try to engage your email list with surveys or polls. Get more email addresses. Create email only invitations, such as a conference call with the CEO or online tours. People will willingly give their email if they are getting something of added value. Hit the social networks. Donors on sites such as Facebook or MySpace need to accept your “friend” invitation and allow the organization into their personal network. Treat them like friends by inviting them to events and send reminders about fundraising milestones. Donors ... 5 way for leveraging corporate gifts Reading is Fundamental (RIF) received almost 80 percent of its private funds from corporate entities during the past three years. While having corporate funders is great, the Washington, D.C.-based organization shared how it’s using those company relationships to leverage individual giving. Laura Goodman, strategist and practice leader at Chicago-based Social Capital Partnerships, and Lynn Croneberger, vice president of development at RIF, explained why engaging corporate employees could help your organization at the recent Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference, in National Harbor, Md. Here are their thoughts: Sponsorship shifts. Nonprofits should foster relationships with companies beyond sponsoring a golf tournament or other event. That relationship will grow from event driven to cause marketing. Hopefully the affiliation will reach philanthropic marketing, where the company and nonprofit work together to build a strong philanthropic culture between the two.  Employee mindset changes. First a company will encourage event participation, such as a walkathon. Then employees might want to volunteer. Cultivate those volunteers to become activists and donors to the organization by creating relationships separate from their workplace. Individual giving. According to Giving USA, individual giving takes the lion’s share of donations -- 75 percent. Compare that to the 5 percent of giving corporations contribute to overall giving and you can see why the power is in the people. Acquisition. Finding new people to add to your list is getting harder by the day. Working with a company will give you access to people who might not have engaged with your organization on their own. Leverage the company’s money. A partnership between Nestle USA and RIF averages approximately $200,000 per year – half employee giving and half corporate match. See if your partnering company will make a match to encourage employees to give. Faith-Based Fundraising ... Defining the culture of giving by your donors Don’t think that fundraising is fundraising, no matter for which nonprofit you work. Each genre of nonprofit, from environmental to health services to the arts, will each have their subtle nuances. And religious fundraising is no different, according to Sr. Kathleen Lunsmann, director of development at the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scranton, Penn. She discussed some components of religious fundraising during the recent Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference, in National Harbor, Md., hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Washington DC Metro Area Chapter and the Direct Marketing Association of Washington. Here’s what you should know: Culture of giving. Catholic organizations may not have tithes, but parishioners still consider monetary contributions a part of their religious stewardship. And collecting money at masses cultivates a weekly giving mindset. Find the connection. Sr. Kathleen said that many donors find the Sisters themselves. Usually there is some existing connection to the religious organization, perhaps a recently deceased relative was a parishioner or the donor went to the religious grammar school. Try to find out what in the past brought them to the organization to help develop a future relationship. Ask for pledges. Religious pledge fulfillments are usually high. And even though a missed pledge may not technically affect a person’s eternal resting place, Sr. Kathleen said, “People don’t want to take a chance.” Invite to religious events. But don’t tie the event attendance in with a gift. Offer religious significance. Most come to religious organizations because of an affiliation and strong belief. One way to connect to donors is by offering prayer intentions, saying masses in the name of a loved one and even lighting candles. Donors will appreciate the actions. “A museum couldn’t offer that,” said Sr. Kathleen. Don't Forget Us! Changing positions? Or have you moved to another organization? 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