#1 Fundraising Success Tip: Find donors willing to GIVE the most, not just who HAVE the most

from 30 Days to Successful Fundraising by Dr. Stephen L. Goldstein, the perfect way to get your board members, staff (newbies & pros), & volunteers "on the same page"--RAISING ALL THE MONEY YOU NEED. Use it as your "corporate" fundraising manual! Order it today in paperback or on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_21?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=30+days+to+successful+fundraising&sprefix=30+days+to+successful%2Caps%2C257

       "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and ye shall

find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

--Matthew VI:7

1. There is NO END of money to be had for worthwhile purposes. The challenge is SIMPlY to find the right match between donor and recipient. The BEST fundraising is the ART of making that connection.

2. The SECRET to successful fundraising is to know where the money is BEFORE you ask for it--not just how much there is. You need to find the people who are willing to GIVE the most, not who HAVE the most.

3. Fundraising is not a science. At a time when people are becoming increasingly dependent upon computers and software to do their work, it is crucial to remember that NO amount of technology will EVER be able to fundraise. It is a human process that takes place between people--people who want something and others who have something. When done successfully, it can be exhilarating and highly rewarding--for both donors and fundraisers.

Follow the 30 days of 30 Days to Successful Fundraising and, before you know it, you'll have board members, staff, and volunteers working together to support your worthy goals--and "on the same page."

National Bestselling Fundraising book/ebook

Now available--as a book & an ebook: 30 Days to Successful Fundraising can improve every nonprofit's fundraising strategies. Increase your effectiveness. Get ALL your board members and staff literally "on the same page." More than a book, 30 Days to Successful Fundraising is every nonprofit's fundraising training manual.

Order your standard book version now!

Don't wait! Order your Kindle edition--this minute!

Nonprofits: When to tell donors to go to hell

Nonprofits: Don't get shafted!
Sometimes a gift ain't worth the grief
by Stephen L. Goldstein, email: trendsman@aol.com

Forewarned is forearmed: Fundraisers are in the business of raising money. But you should never put yourself or your nonprofit at risk of being taken in by a donor. Everyone salivates at the prospect of any contribution. There's nothing like the thrill of telling your boss that you've landed a major contribution--or announcing one at a board meeting. So naturally, you never want to say No to a gift or discourage a potential donor--except when you have to.

Here are some tips to follow so you don't wind up with the short end of the stick:

1. Never take a verbal promise for any gift, especially if an amount is pledged over time. You must have legally binding documents to support your claims to a funder's contribution. If an amount is to be paid after a donor's death, you will be in major trouble if you haven't dotted ever i and crossed every t in your favor.

2. Never publicize a gift until you have received it in full or until you have an unshakable agreement for it's being paid--and I mean UNSHAKABLE. Resist the temptation to talk about or formally publicize a gift until it has been signed, sealed, and delivered. It is only natural for you to want to shout about receiving a gift--particularly a major one. But don't make the potentially fatal mistake of rushing into publicity.

3. Never accept a gift that costs your nonprofit more than its worth. For example, the restrictions that a donor may place on a contribution or the liabilities that may come with it may make it necessary for you to incur expenses that you would not have had otherwise. A gift of a collection of ancient coins to a historical museum may be interesting but impractial to receive because of prohibitive insurance costs. Sometimes, you must say No.

4. When a donation clearly benefits the donor more than your nonprofit, sometimes a simple NO isn't the answer. If someone tries to pressure you, someone higher up in your organization, or a board member, sometimes, you've got to tell them to go to hell. People who would try to use a nonprofit for their financial advantage don't deserve better.

Fundraising is hell! Donors can be DEVILS!

Put "donors from hell" through hell
by Stephen L. Goldstein

It was December, the time of year when “donors from hell” look around for every piece of junk they can find to dump on nonprofits and turn into tax deductions solely for their benefit. They are officially called gifts-in-kind and may really be anything—even good stuff from truly generous and caring people, a far cry from junk. But too often, they are the philanthropic equivalent of road-kill and a rip-off on the IRS.

The phone call, one of several in an unusually busy year for end-of-year garbage donations, came from a long-time friend and supporter of the university for which I was working. The prominent entrepreneur told me that his company could no longer use one of its computers and he wanted to donate it to us.

I immediately knew what he was up to, of course, and I wasn’t in the mood to indulge him or anybody else. We needed all the help we could get and I was offended that he was playing us for suckers.

So, I decided to jerk him around. I asked him if we were talking about giving us a relatively new, usable piece of equipment. He replied euphemistically that it was “vintage.” “Oh, well then, does it have historic value?” I continued, tightening the noose around his tight-wad neck. “Not really,” he answered, sheepishly.

I then told him that the only way we could accept an old (forget vintage) computer was if it had historic value—one of the first PCs, for example. But even then, I added, we didn’t have a technology museum and, from the sound of it, even if we did, it didn’t have exhibit value.

Then, like a bullfighter leveling a mortal blow, I said, “Old equipment is of no value to an educational institution. We need state-of-the-art computers on which to teach students.” But then I told him that if he were willing to write a check so that we could buy at least one new computer for our computer lab, I would be happy to take his old one. As I expected, he said that he wasn’t interested.

I handled this dumper ad hoc. But nonprofit boards need to have clear policies on the acceptance of gifts, especially gifts-in-kind. They need to make abundantly clear that they are not in the garbage business—unless they are—and that the only gifts they will accept are those that are legitimate. Unless they do, they are party to a fraud—no less culpable than self-serving donors.
Labels: board policies, donor fraud, gifts-in-kind

Most board members fail nonprofits as fundraisers!

Train your board members in how to be successful fundraisers. Don't fall into the trap of letting your board members off the hook when it comes to supporting your nonprofit. The need to Give and GET the moneys you need to accomplish your mission.

Do your board members a favor and TRAIN them in fundraising. Get them ALL on the SAME page by ordering a copy of the nationwide bestseller 30 Days to Successful Fundraising for each of them: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=30+days+to+successful+fundraising.

Then, proceed through the program TOGETHER to increase your fundraising success! Order right now!

Fundraising is hell! Donors can be DEVILS!

Put "donors from hell" through hell
by Stephen L. Goldstein

It was December, the time of year when “donors from hell” look around for every piece of junk they can find to dump on nonprofits and turn into tax deductions solely for their benefit. They are officially called gifts-in-kind and may really be anything—even good stuff from truly generous and caring people, a far cry from junk. But too often, they are the philanthropic equivalent of road-kill and a rip-off on the IRS.

The phone call, one of several in an unusually busy year for end-of-year garbage donations, came from a long-time friend and supporter of the university for which I was working. The prominent entrepreneur told me that his company could no longer use one of its computers and he wanted to donate it to us.

I immediately knew what he was up to, of course, and I wasn’t in the mood to indulge him or anybody else. We needed all the help we could get and I was offended that he was playing us for suckers.

So, I decided to jerk him around. I asked him if we were talking about giving us a relatively new, usable piece of equipment. He replied euphemistically that it was “vintage.” “Oh, well then, does it have historic value?” I continued, tightening the noose around his tight-wad neck. “Not really,” he answered, sheepishly.

I then told him that the only way we could accept an old (forget vintage) computer was if it had historic value—one of the first PCs, for example. But even then, I added, we didn’t have a technology museum and, from the sound of it, even if we did, it didn’t have exhibit value.

Then, like a bullfighter leveling a mortal blow, I said, “Old equipment is of no value to an educational institution. We need state-of-the-art computers on which to teach students.” But then I told him that if he were willing to write a check so that we could buy at least one new computer for our computer lab, I would be happy to take his old one. As I expected, he said that he wasn’t interested.

I handled this dumper ad hoc. But nonprofit boards need to have clear policies on the acceptance of gifts, especially gifts-in-kind. They need to make abundantly clear that they are not in the garbage business—unless they are—and that the only gifts they will accept are those that are legitimate. Unless they do, they are party to a fraud—no less culpable than self-serving donors.

Nonprofits: When to tell donors to go to hell

Nonprofits: Don't get shafted!
Sometimes a gift ain't worth the grief
by Stephen L. Goldstein, email: trendsman@aol.com

Forewarned is forearmed: Fundraisers are in the business of raising money. But you should never put yourself or your nonprofit at risk of being taken in by a donor. Everyone salivates at the prospect of any contribution. There's nothing like the thrill of telling your boss that you've landed a major contribution--or announcing one at a board meeting. So naturally, you never want to say No to a gift or discourage a potential donor--except when you have to.

Here are some tips to follow so you don't wind up with the short end of the stick:

1. Never take a verbal promise for any gift, especially if an amount is pledged over time. You must have legally binding documents to support your claims to a funder's contribution. If an amount is to be paid after a donor's death, you will be in major trouble if you haven't dotted ever i and crossed every t in your favor.

2. Never publicize a gift until you have received it in full or until you have an unshakable agreement for it's being paid--and I mean UNSHAKABLE. Resist the temptation to talk about or formally publicize a gift until it has been signed, sealed, and delivered. It is only natural for you to want to shout about receiving a gift--particularly a major one. But don't make the potentially fatal mistake of rushing into publicity.

3. Never accept a gift that costs your nonprofit more than its worth. For example, the restrictions that a donor may place on a contribution or the liabilities that may come with it may make it necessary for you to incur expenses that you would not have had otherwise. A gift of a collection of ancient coins to a historical museum may be interesting but impractial to receive because of prohibitive insurance costs. Sometimes, you must say No.

4. When a donation clearly benefits the donor more than your nonprofit, sometimes a simple NO isn't the answer. If someone tries to pressure you, someone higher up in your organization, or a board member, sometimes, you've got to tell them to go to hell. People who would try to use a nonprofit for their financial advantage don't deserve better.

Fundraising without Words

Who could say No to a face like this?

It's your visuals, stupid!

by Stephen L. Goldstein

1. The biggest mistake fundraisers make is to depend upon words to get their message across.

2. Do you want to inspire, intrigue, and motivate your donors? Say it in pictures!

3. Try this exercise. Find 3 visuals that sum up your fundraising message.

4. Next, ask 5 different people what they "say" to them.

5. If their perceptions of the visuals match what you're trying to "say," put their, and your, thoughts into words to go with the visuals.

6. If they don't, find other visuals and repeat the process until the visuals suggest what you want them to.

Self-Taught/Fundraising™

The 5 Formulas
for Fundraising Success

Level I-1

A “patented,” self-paced program
specially designed for
nonprofit board members,
fundraising staff,
& volunteers

by Dr. Stephen L. Goldstein
The Nonprofit Fundraising Institute
Educational Marketing Services, Inc.

Copyright, 2008, Dr. Stephen L. Goldstein
All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced
in any form without the written consent of the copyright holder.

e-mail: trendsman@aol.com


Self-Taught/Fundraising™:
The Concept


I.1 Self-Taught/Fundraising™ meets the unique needs of nonprofit fundraisers.

I.2 It saves you time and money. Your board, staff, and volunteers get “on the same page” cost-effectively.

I.3 The program pinpoints proven formulas, strategies, and tactics for nonprofit success.

I.4 You will find down-to-earth, practical advice.

I.5 Self-Taught/Fundraising™ is 100% interactive.

I.6 You master the material at your own pace.

I.7 To ensure your success, you benchmark yourself and your nonprofit through constructive self-assessments.

I.8 Self-Taught/Fundraising™ consists of guided experiences intended to lead to concrete action-plans—specifically to benefit you and your nonprofit.

I.9 You can tailor the material to your unique situation and needs.

I.10 Self-Taught/Fundraising™ is designed to help nonprofits implement positive change—on their terms.

II. Introduction:
Use the 5 formulas to power
your fundraising success

II.1 Don’t let anybody kid you. Fundraising is an art, but it is also a “science.” The most successful fundraisers follow powerful formulas—consciously or unconsciously.

II.2 People who aren’t “clued in” think of fundraising primarily as activities. They fall into 3 categories: “scribes,” “orchestrators,” and “friend-makers.” Mistakenly, all of them just DO fundraising. They make their jobs harder by not consciously using the 5 formulas to make their “doing” wildly successful.

II.3 For example, “scribe” fundraisers “do” fundraising by looking for “the right” words.

II.4 “Scribes” spend countless hours racking their brains for the phrase or phrases to convince others to make contributions to their favored cause.

II.5 At other times, they believe their “open sesame,” magic phrase, visited them in a moment of inspired illumination.

II.6 Either way, once they find their words, they test them out on others.

II.7 You know the process. Together, everyone involved drafts and redrafts “the” message.

II.8 “Orchestrator” fundraisers look for the perfect event.

II.9 Orchestrators spend their time debating whether a golf tournament or a tennis match will raise the most money.

II.10 Other orchestrators opt to hold ambitious galas. For them, doing/finding the right combination of hotel, invitation, honoree, and food is the key to raising the most money.

II.11 “Friend-maker” fundraisers insist that fundraising is about relationships.

II.12 Friend-makers spend their time getting to know as many people as they can personally, building a network of potential contributors—one by one.

II.13 Scribes, orchestrators, and friend-makers are all correct: At the secondary level, successful fundraising is based upon activities: words, events, and personal relationships.

II.14 But at the primary, or “foundational” level, 5 powerful formulas make it easier to find the right words, events, and personal relationships.

II.15 Just as there is a formula for calculating the circumference of a circle and another for gravitational pull, there are numerical formulas for successful fundraising.

II.16 Master the 5 power formulas and your words, events, and personal relationships will achieve the greatest power.

Power Formula 1: B x 10 = FT

“Never be involved in a cause that has weak leaders.”
--Dr. David Salten

“A nonprofit will only be as successful as its board.”
--Dr. Stephen L. Goldstein

Question: “What are the 5 traits of effective nonprofit leaders?”
1________________________________________________________

2________________________________________________________

3________________________________________________________

4________________________________________________________

5________________________________________________________

Power Formula 1: B x 10 = FT
Create a board that “tens”!

1.1 Ask (too) many people associated with (too) many nonprofits how much money they think they can raise in a fundraising cycle and usually they’ll smile and answer, “As much as we can.” How silly!

1.2 Typically, nonprofits operate on a wing-and-a-prayer and live out of hope—that “the money will somehow come.” After all, they think, “we’re doing good so somehow good things should happen to us.” Right!

1.3 In addition, my guess is that even if they know better, most nonprofit boards resist anything to do with establishing realistic goals for fear of under-motivating paid staff—or boxing themselves in.

1.4 Even worse, too often, when boards put a number on how much they need or want to raise, they set an unrealistic, “stretch” goal.

1.5 Then, having set pie-in-the-sky parameters for their success, they give marching orders to paid staff to meet it. And staff are afraid to challenge their board’s unrealistic expectations.

1.6 In other words, fundraising is typically based upon unrealistic assumptions and expectations. No one thinks that there may actually be a formula to apply to answer the question, “How much money CAN we raise?”
.7 So here is a standard against which every nonprofit can set a realistic yearly fundraising goal: An organization’s “Fundraising Threshold” (FT) is equal to the amount of money its board personally donates annually times 10.

1.8 In other words, if the board of nonprofit X collectively contributes $100,000, it is reasonable to expect that it can raise $1.1 million yearly.

1.9 Of course, in some years, an organization may have a windfall—a major gift from an estate, for example. That’s always good, just not predictable. By contrast, an organization’s FT establishes the parameters of its ongoing activities, putting it on a reliable, solid footing.

1.10 The FT formula is based upon two important assumptions.

1.11 First, the board of every nonprofit must understand that IT is the key to the organization’s successful fundraising. The buck and the bucks start and stop with them.

1.12 As fiduciaries, board members are responsible for their nonprofit’s financial health and well-being. They are its prime fundraisers. Paid staff guide and assist them in their fundraising role; they cannot and should not replace board members as prime fundraisers.

1.13 Second, board members “worth” anything should be able to get at least 10 others to donate as much as they do.

1.14 Of course, they may have to approach many more than 10 people to reach their goal, so they have to be willing to pull out the stops. They agreed to be on the board presumably because they were committed to the mission and goals of the organization. So what’s the big deal?

1.15 Before even considering making a major gift, potential donors should ask the board member asking them how much he or she gives, how much the board donates as a whole, and at what levels board members give, without naming names.

1.16 Before approaching a major gift prospect, representatives of a nonprofit should be armed with the giving history of the board.

1.17 The reason is simple: Why should a potential donor bankroll an organization if the people who are supposed to be committed enough to it to be on the board don’t ante up?

1.18 Effective board members exhibit five traits that are gauges of their ability to multiply themselves by 10: (1) knowledge of their nonprofit’s purpose, (2) commitment to that purpose, (3) willingness to make financial contributions, (4) willingness to get others to contribute, (5) willingness to be held accountable.

1.19 So, to increase your fundraising goal, determine your current FT, motivate your board to give more—then score a perfect 10!

1.20 Formula 1: Fundraiser’s Self-Assessment
From 0 (Not at all) to 10 (I’m gung-ho!), how willing are you to use Formula 1:

1.21 I am willing to determine board members’ knowledge of my nonprofit’s purpose…………………...……..0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.21.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.21.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.22 I am willing to determine their commitment to that purpose…………………………………….…0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.22.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.22.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.23 I am willing to get them to commit in writing to their personal “contract” for support
of my organization…………………………. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.23.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.23.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.24 I am willing to determine their willingness to get others to make similar commitments…………......…0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.24.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.24.b How willing are you to improve it?.........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.25 I am willing to hold board members accountable for their leadership of my nonprofit…………..…….…0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.25.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.25.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Your TOTAL Score: _______ out of 100
1.26 Formula 1: Board Member’s Self-Assessment
From 0 (Not at all) to 10 (I’m gung-ho!), how willing are you to use Formula 1:

1.27 This is how I would assess my knowledge of my nonprofit’s purpose…………………...…………………..0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.27.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.27.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.28 This is how I would assess my commitment to that purpose…………………………………….…0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.28.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.28.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.29 I am willing to put in writing my commitment for my personal support of my organization………. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.29.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.29.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.30 I am willing to determine the willingness of others to make similar commitments……………….........…0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.30.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.30.b How willing are you to improve it?.........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1.31 I am willing to hold other board members accountable for their leadership of our profit……………....…0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1.31.a What would it take to improve your score? _______________________________
1.31.b How willing are you to improve it?..........................................0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Your TOTAL Score: _______ out of 100

Swift-kick your nonprofit board into action--or fail!

“The Fundraising Guru”
Nonprofit Board x 10 = “Your Fundraising Threshold”
by Stephen L. Goldstein

Ask (too) many people associated with (too) many nonprofits how much money they think they can raise in a fundraising cycle and usually they’ll smile and answer, “As much as we can.” How silly!

Typically, nonprofits operate on a wing-and-a-prayer and live out of hope—that “the money will somehow come.” After all, they think, “we’re doing good so somehow good things should happen to us.” Right!

In addition, my guess is that even if they know better, most nonprofit boards resist anything to do with establishing realistic goals for fear of under-motivating paid staff. Even worse, too often, when boards put a number on how much they need or want to raise, they set an unrealistic, “stretch” goal. Then, having set pie-in-the-sky parameters for their success, they give marching orders to paid staff to meet it. And staff are afraid to challenge their board’s unrealistic expectations.

In other words, fundraising is typically based upon unrealistic assumptions and expectations. No one thinks that there may actually be a formula to apply to answer the question, “How much money can we raise?”

So here is a standard against which every nonprofit can set a realistic yearly fundraising goal. An organization’s “Fundraising Threshold” (FT) is equal to the amount of money its board personally donates annually times 10. In other words, if the board of nonprofit X collectively contributes $100,000, it is reasonable to expect that it can raise $1 million yearly.
Of course, in some years, an organization may have a windfall—a major gift from an estate, for example. That’s always good, just not predictable. By contrast, an organization’s FT establishes the parameters of its ongoing activities, putting it on a reliable, solid footing.

The FT formula is based upon two important assumptions. First, the board of every nonprofit must understand that it is the key the organization’s successful fundraising. The bucks begin and end with them. As fiduciaries, board members are responsible for their nonprofit’s financial health and well-being. They are its prime fundraisers. Paid staff guide and assist them in their fundraising role; they cannot and should not replace board members as prime fundraisers.

Second, board members “worth” anything should be able to get at least 10 others to donate as much as they do. Of course, they may have to approach many more than 10 people to reach their goal, so they have to be willing to pull out the stops. They agreed to be on the board presumably because they were committed to the mission and goals of the organization. So what’s the big deal?

Before even considering making a major gift, potential donors should ask the board member asking them how much he or she gives, how much the board donates as a whole, and at what levels board members give, without naming names. The reason is simple: Why should a potential donor bankroll an organization, when the people who are supposed to be committed enough to it to be on the board don’t ante up?

So, to increase your fundraising goal, determine your current FT, motivate your board to give more—then score a perfect 10!

E-mail your questions and comments to Stephen Goldstein at trendsman@aol.com. Buy your copy of his national bestseller, 30 Days to Successful Fundraising, at www.amazon.