Ask For Advice and Reap the Benefits

Here's a little fundraising maxim for you to think about: As for money, you'll get advice. As for advice, you'll get money.

There's a great deal of truth in this statement. Given that most organizations aspire to build relationship-based development programs rather than short-term-transactional fundraising campaigns, engaging prospective and current donors is an essential element of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. But how do we engage? Ask for money, then involve donors? I think not.

When building relationship-based programs with donors, we have to take our cues from the donors. Some want to be on the sidelines, and some want to get their hands dirty. Just as we gauge their interest in becoming a financial partner in our organizations, we also gauge their interest in involvement.

I know what you're thinking, "What does advice have to do with involvement? Anyone can have an opinion." Spot on! Whether your donors are passive or active, the more involved they are in giving (be that involvement increasing in number of gifts or in amount of regular gifts), the more invested your donors will be in your mission and operations.

If you ask for a gift from an invested, cultivated donor, you'll likely get some advice on how the organization could improve its programming or make its operations more efficient.

But if you seek advice from an invested, cultivated donor on how to achieve organizational goals, serve your public, and execute your mission, a purposeful conversation will likely lead to a financial contribution.

Donors are intelligent and experience individuals, many also being knowledgable philanthropists and experienced nonprofit board members. Giving them the opportunity share their desire to be involved and to share their opinions might just be the golden ticket necessary for building donor loyalty.

Leaving Charitable Deductions Unscathed

In this morning's top story, the Chronicle of Philanthropy labeled the recently fiscal cliff legislation as a victory to nonprofits. I couldn't agree more! Over the past year, especially, there have been several calls for capping charitable tax deductions. While the January legislation leaves charitable deduction rates unscathed, politicians remain committed to capping deductions.

Haven't read the story yet? Check it here: http://philanthropy.com/article/Nonprofits-Call-Cliff-Deal-a/136429/?cid=pt&utm_source=pt&utm_medium=en.

Whether someone is upper-middle class with an annual income of $300,000 or in wealthier seven-figure circumstances, capping deductions affects the discretionary income. Such deceases in deduction benefits will cause for other discretionary spending deceases. While most donors give primarily because they are passionate about their respective organizations' missions, we cannot deny that a great many donors, of all economic circumstances, also give because of their tax benefits, the benefits being both a motivation and a reality for their ability. Look at your donor base, and consider how capping deductions will affect 1) your annual campaign goals, and 2) your donors' ability to give. When assessing your donors' ability to give, consider not just your top 10, but even those at the bottom of the giving pyramid who are beginning their philanthropic relationships with your organization.

From my point of view, capping charitable deductions has the potential to have adverse affects within nonprofit fundraising. Our communities, who depend on many nonprofit social services already, will only suffer as a result.

As charitable deduction capping will remain on the political agenda, I encourage everyone to share your feelings with your elected legislative representatives, particularly of how caps will affect your organization and the public it serves.

Giving Tuesday

First we had Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now...we have Giving Tuesday! Read more about it here in this NPR story. This is an absolutely brilliant invention. Each year, we are reminded to consider the "reason for the season." Putting a focus back on giving is a great way to remember those truer meanings of the holidays.

Proofreading: 5 Easy Steps to Professional Results

"Proofread?" a former colleague questioned me, "I'm a professional writer, why should I proofread my pieces?" I was stunned, especially seeing how many errors this particular PR pro's writing contained. But unfortunately, this is a common scenario among public relations and marketing writers.

Can we afford to be casual and relaxed about our writing? I say no, not in the slightest. Your writing reflects your brand, reputation, and relationship with any given stakeholder public. Here's a five-step proofreading strategy designed to help you get the maximum advantage out of each piece you publish, from press releases and tip sheets to feature articles and website text.

1. Read your piece aloud. Brilliant thoughts easily make sense to us when we're speedily typing on the computer. But as our typing becomes faster, those thoughts don't always ring with clarity, nor fully make it from brain to computer screen. Regardless of whether your writing ends up in a brochure or a blog, it should read clearly and smoothly. If it's not easily flowing off the tongue, rewrite. 
2. Use another pair of eyes. The writing I do for my clients contains specialist content. While I'm the writer and strategist, my clients are the researchers and opinion leaders of their respective fields. Solicit an extra pair of eyes to ensure that your writing represents your industry correctly, that your piece flows smoothly, and that spelling and grammar are up to par. 
3. Read your story backwards. Start from the last sentence and move your way backward. It's amazing how many grammatical and spelling errors you'll find (and fix!) when you're focusing on the words and sentence structure rather than the flow of your story. 
4. Focus on the numbers. Readers love numbers...they provide a wonderful sense of accountability. But numbers can also get you into trouble. While proofreading, take a few minutes to review your numbers. Double and triple check that your statistics are current, and be sure to cite sources of statistics and the timing in which they were produced. 
5. Print it out to and walk away. Do you ever get bogged down with your computer? Starring at the same thing over and over again may cause you to lose attention to what you're reading and proofing. Take a lesson from my old journo buddies: print out your story, and take it for a walk to literally see it in a new light. 

Whether you are writing with an hour's notice or weeks ahead of publication, always make time to proofread. Mistakes and inaccuracy cause journalists to trash your press releases and your audience to lose interest in your brand. It really is that important. 

Tax-Deductions and Gift Acknowledgements

Take a look inside your nonprofit organization, and ask yourself why your donors give. Perhaps they agree with your mission? Maybe they're a former product/service user and want to help others like they were helped? Possibly they're your school's alumni and want to give a student an opportunity? These are some of the many reasons people give to different organizations. While most give from the heart, don't forget that secondary or tertiary motive often include tax deductions.

The Planned Giving Design Center Network reminds us of the six following stipulations for successful tax deductibility:

• Tax-exempt status: This is pretty simple - for a donor to claim a charitable tax deduction, their gifts must be given to a registered, tax-exempt organization with a 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 status. This should also be clearly stated on any tax documentation (gift receipts) given to donors. 
• Itemizing: Donors can only claim a charitable tax deduction when they itemize using a 1040 Form, Schedule A. For donors new to philanthropic giving, be sure to remind them of this helpful tax preparation hint. 
• Record keeping: ANY gift, regardless of size, that qualifies as a tax deduction must be documented with a receipt, cancelled check, bank statements, etc. Gift acknowledgements and receipts from the organization are preferable. 
• Fair market value: Are your donors receiving anything of monetary value in exchange for their gift? The "fair market value," or reasonable value, of the benefit should be 1) recognized on the gift receipt and 2) deducted from total gift to produce a tax-deductable value. 
• Large donations: While an organization issued gift receipt or gift acknowledgement is preferable for all gifts, it is required for any gift of $250 or higher to be tax-deductible. These acknowledgements/receipts must include total gift received, any fair market value for premiums, maximum deductibility of gift, and a description with fair market value of any in-kind gifts donated. 
• Timing of pledges and gifts: Gifts and pledges are two different things. Though a donor's pledge might be higher, they can only claim a tax-deduction for donations given in one year. As such, acknowledgements and receipts should reflect the amount donated. 

Many of these points refer to a gift acknowledgement or a gift receipt. Take a look at what you send your donors, and check off the different elements to make sure your statements have the important information. And while a gift receipt isn't a substitute thank-you letter, you cannot use a thank-you letter as a gift receipt. (Read more about thanking your donors here.)

Very important points to remember when properly cultivating relationships with potential donors and stewarding your donors. Nothing turns off a donor quicker than believing that their gift is tax-deductible, and finding that the organization failed at providing documentation or important details about their gift. Don't let that happen to you.

Are You Sharing Your Donors' Stories?

Being a development, or fundraising, professional is a hat that I am proud to wear. Seeing the difference that can be made in the lives of individuals, families, and communities made possible through the programs I raise money for is a truly amazing feeling. The truly incredible story, though, is that of the people who make it all possible: the donors.

I've had the opportunity to spend the summer researching donors and writing their biographies for a university's website. Researching through newspaper archives, gift agreements, and other sources, I've found more than deceased donor names and dates, but tales of the illustrious lives they lived, but sadly forgotten over time. Political activists, accomplished musicians, hardworking humanitarians, educators, and altruists.

Father of Philanthropy, Andrew Carnegie. Did you know
that he gave a large portion of his vast wealth to
libraries because his uncle introduced him to the written
works of Robert Burns, which is said to have changed
Carnegie's life? Everyone has a story, and a reason.

But beyond the roles they played in financing higher education, there were their reasons. Why they chose to support a particular program. Why they chose to have a building named after them. What their desired social impact was. The answers are what fascinated me the most. Everyone has a story to tell, and learning about those who contribute to our surroundings will only enrich our experience.

Donor generosity enriches our communities by funding projects, buildings, and programs. But their stories, the reasons they have for giving, are what build communities and encourage the ongoing tradition of philanthropy. Their tales give us a deeper reason to be grateful for what we have, and give others a reason to also give.

Take a look in your own organization, and ask yourself how you are telling your donors' stories. Profiles on your website, features in your newsletter, and clips in your campaign videos, among countless other methods, are great opportunities to share your mission with others, strengthen relationships with donors and volunteers, and encourage the tradition of philanthropy in our communities.

Public relations and development are about building relationships and sharing those stories. Making this a priority in your nonprofit will certainly pay off in the future. For both your organization and your community.

The Face Behind the Story

Several years ago, while working at the Idaho State Journal, I'd anxiously await the Sunday morning edition during my early morning weekend vigil at the office. My excitement wasn't for the advertisements nor for the sports page; rather, I was excited to read the lifestyle section featuring a "from the desk of..." type of editorial. How valuable, I thought, these columns were to my newspaper's health.

You know these types of editorials...showcasing the writer and spotlighting their life and background; a face behind the story. I loved these articles because it showed me a side of the reporters I worked side by side with, but didn't really know. I learned why they became journalists, why they came to the Idaho State Journal, and what their background was.

But this reader intrigue wasn't unique to me, rather the bulk of the readership. Why? One word describes their importance: credibility. By learning more about the reporters and editors personally, such as why they became journalists and why they're dedicated to their community, readers begin to trust those bylines. The relationship between the readers (and advertisers) and the newspaper as a whole grows successfully.

This same credibility is built in the community through public appearances. While radio personalities and television journalists MC local events and make appearances in the community, most of the newspapers I've worked with have sadly left community events to advertising and subscriber service staff. Networking is vital for advertising and subscription revenue growth, but journalists connecting with the people they serve is, by far, most important. Sadly, these opportunities are foregone in favor of salesmen.

The Idaho State Journal's "from the desk of..." columns were short lived, and subscriber service calls began to once again reflect that the readers felt the writers were strangers. Each newspaper can (and should!) implement strategic tactics to build that reader-journalist trust. What's your publication doing? BOLD PR can help.