Does crowdfunding work for nonprofits?

By Brittany Alba

Nobody wants to be the old curmudgeon: the parent who thought The Beatles' hair was too shaggy or the Scooby Doo villain who shakes his fist at all the meddling kids.

But embracing a new way of raising money like crowdfunding can be a risky proposition for nonprofits. It means taking a leap of faith into methods with which your organization has no proven track record for success and it means betting that you’ll be able to do it well.

However, all nonprofits that do make crowdfunding work have one thing in common: They take the leap with both feet.

Too many nonprofits think they understand the concept of crowdfunding, but don't commit the resources to properly execute it. They'll develop an idea for a campaign, but fail to spend the money on an engaging online landing page, or neglect to create a compelling marketing campaign that is essential for success.

While crowdfunding can attract donors of all ages (with last summer's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge being the perfect example), the demographic usually is weighted toward Millenials. And younger donors like their crowdfunding campaigns like the rest of their Internet: with thoughtful, sleek design, use of multimedia, and copy that speaks to them.

If you don't have the capability to generate eye-catching landing pages within your organization, you'll need to commit resources to get outside help to run a successful crowdfunding campaign.

A successful campaign also will need to generate crowdfunding ideas that will connect with the target demographic. This is best done by going to the source: By asking your younger employees or even 20-something family members for ideas they would find compelling or amusing.

There's no way to ensure a campaign will find the audience that San Francisco's Batkid did, for example, but younger audiences are often drawn to stories about their peers. And if your 20-something niece or nephew finds a story or idea compelling, it's a good bet dozens of their friends will, too.

As the Internet continues to grow in influence, and Millenials more significant in nonprofit demographics, crowdfunding will grow in importance as well. Every nonprofit will sooner or later have to take the leap, and enthusiastic and early adopters will find themselves ahead of the curve.

About the author: Brittany Alba is a Project Manager with Dunleavy & Associates, and has worked with clients across the education, human services, and community development sectors. She specializes in media relations, graphic design, market research, and event planning, and has embraced her role helping the firm and its clients find new ways to raise funds in the digital age.

A Tribute to David Letterman: The Dunleavy Top 10

Say it ain’t so, Dave!

After a nearly 22-year run, David Letterman will be making his final sign-off on the Late Show tonight on CBS. It’s been an incredible run: Combined with his previous time spent on Late Night, Letterman’s more than 30 years as a talk show host surpasses even that of Johnny Carson.

The Dunleavy & Associates team has many big-time Letterman fans among its ranks, and we couldn’t let this occasion pass without notice. In honor of David’s signature Top Ten List, we created a list of our own to highlight the “Top Ten Ways that Dunleavy Makes a Difference.”

We may not have the side-splitting writers of the Late Show, but the Dunleavy & Associates team is still very proud of the work that we do to support all of our fantastic clients and their missions. So without further ado…

The Top Ten Ways that Dunleavy Makes a Difference

10. We’re professionals with experience

Dunleavy & Associates’ 14 team members have more than 150 years of combined experience working in the nonprofit sector (that’s as many as five Lettermans!). This includes positions in organizations large and small, for profit and nonprofit, with a variety of missions and services. We love matching the experience of our team members with the needs of our clients.

9. We’re professionals who care

At Dunleavy & Associates, we mean it when we say “Our Mission Is Your Mission.” Some people finish the 9-to-5 workday and forget about their job while watching … ahem, late night television. But our employees are passionate about the nonprofit clients they serve, always going the extra mile, even after typical working hours.

8. We’re professionals who teach

In many cases, our clients hire us to fill a knowledge or skills gap that exists in their organization. We see it as our job not to just fill that gap temporarily, but to pass along our know-how to the client so that their nonprofit is stronger after our relationship ends. To use the old saying, we don’t just bring the fish, we teach you to fish, too!

7. We’re professionals who learn

We’re happy that Letterman will retire on his terms and get to relax after a successful career. But Dunleavy & Associates never rests on its laurels! Just as we teach our clients, we also know the value of learning new methods and strategies from them. Our employees also pursue continuing education opportunities to make sure they stay on top of what it takes for nonprofits to succeed in 2015.

6. We’re professionals who are honest

When a client hires Dunleavy & Associates, they’re getting more than just an extra employee. They also get a strategic partner who will be honest in her analysis and help you make the important decisions.

5. Our clients get capacity There’s no better feeling than taking a bit of burden off your shoulders. When capacity is stretched thin, it can be difficult to find an individual with the exact skill set needed to help with the load. The multi-talented Dunleavy roster can handle any responsibility, giving clients the confidence to tackle bigger problems.

4. Our clients get talent Letterman is one of the all time greats of late night. Our goal is to be the all-time great of nonprofit services. Our team members wear many hats and are flexible, mobile, and responsive. We may not get the glamour of showbiz, but we get the reward of making a difference, and that’s plenty.

3. Our clients get change Our clients don’t just get short-term solutions. Dunleavy & Associates team members help to institute meaningful change so that clients are stronger organizations after our services are completed. We do upgrades, not band-aids.

2. Our clients get commitment and connections The Dunleavy team is proud of our activities outside the office: Our average employee donates $1,000 and 100 hours of her time each year to nonprofit causes, and many team members hold leadership positions in a variety of regional organizations. It’s a reflection of how much we care, and has the added benefit of growing our professional networks and experience, which we pass on to our clients.

And the number one way that Dunleavy makes a difference for our clients…

Drum roll please…

1. WE ARE FUN TO WORK WITH!

This is an idea Letterman could certainly get on board with.

At the end of the day, the nonprofit industry is one that’s all about passion. But stress and budgets and reviews can suck the joy out of the job. Our team members love helping to make a difference, not only for a client’s constituents, but also for its employees. We’re all in this together, and nothing makes us feel better than using our time, energy and abilities to relieve the burdens of our clients and seeing them get them excited about changing the world again.

David Letterman has truly made a difference in the lives of the tens of millions he’s entertained over three decades on the air. We’re not at those numbers just yet, but with the help of our current and future clients, we’ll get there.

Thanks for your support and don’t forget to watch David Letterman in action one last time, tonight on CBS at 11:35 p.m.

How can our nonprofit leverage the social media networks of volunteers?

By Brittany Alba

The word “exponential” sure gets tossed around a lot these days. It seems to have become a favorite catchword of companies and businesses looking to generate excitement around a particular product or growth opportunity, regardless of whether the math actually checks out.

On social media, there’s no denying the exponential potential for nonprofits to grow their support base. And that’s because every volunteer plugged into social media has the ability to introduce dozens, even hundreds of their own followers to your organization with the click of a mouse. The only question is, how to make it happen?

Best practices are a bit of a mix between old and new techniques. One golden rule certainly holds true: “People give to people, not to organizations.” But networks like Facebook and Twitter advance this one step further: People give even more to people they know.

One of the best tactics a nonprofit can use on social media is to promote a story or blog post about a volunteer in their organization. Dunleavy client Angel Flight East, a nonprofit that provides free flights for those who need distant medical treatments, has done this to great effect. The organization’s Facebook page is full of posts about its volunteer pilots and constituents, and the unique relationships they share.

While such volunteer spotlights have long been a staple of nonprofit print communications, posting them on social media offers the unique benefit of tagging the individuals involved, so that they can easily share the story with their network. Privacy should be respected wherever necessary — especially in cases involving medical issues — but a nonprofit’s communications manager can help volunteers feel more at ease taking the spotlight by prompting them to follow the organization’s social media accounts well before ever asking them to be featured on it.

Social media also opens the door to new, creative ways to highlight the work of volunteers. A great example of this occurred at Community Partnership School, a nonprofit school with a mission to provide high-quality education to low-income families in North Philadelphia. A longtime classroom volunteer overheard a Pre-K teacher remark about how she wished she had more booster seats, so that more children could participate in field trips.

Amazingly, the volunteer went right out and bought twelve new booster seats for the teacher, and a short Facebook post documenting the act performed incredibly well on Facebook. This was a perfect example of how a single photo and a few words about one individual introduced hundreds of new people to the good work of the school and its volunteers. And it doesn’t just have to be volunteers: A brief introduction of a new board member can quickly circulate around that individual’s well-connected circle.

Even if your organization’s social media pages are still fledgling, you should not be deterred in implementing new social media efforts. By spotlighting volunteers or even constituents, you can rapidly introduce the people in their networks to your organization and grow your following.

This was recently the case after our firm helped bolster the social media efforts of CORA Services, a nonprofit that helps youth and families overcome a variety of life challenges. By posting several times a week and tagging volunteers, the page’s following grew nearly 25 percent in just a few months. And while that’s not quite exponential growth just yet, it’s certainly a meaningful advance toward the organization’s full potential reach.

About the author: Brittany Alba is a Project Manager with Dunleavy & Associates, and has worked with clients across the education, human services, and community development sectors. She specializes in media relations, graphic design, market research, and event planning, and has embraced her role helping the firm and its clients find new ways to raise funds in the digital age.

Stewardship strategies for turning volunteers into donors

By Debi Hoxter

Stewarding your nonprofit’s volunteers with the intention of eventually converting them into donors can be an intimidating responsibility. You may have a collection of people who are giving hours, even days out of their busy lives for your organization’s cause, and then you’re tasked with also asking them to make a monetary donation. As a result, some nonprofits tend to shy away from approaching this important group of stakeholders altogether.

Fortunately, the process isn’t nearly as ominous as it may seem. And that’s because when done properly, stewardship is an organic and even inviting process that turns a somewhat uncomfortable situation into a winning one for both the nonprofit and the individual.

Facilitating such a relationship starts at the very beginning, when the individual first becomes a volunteer. At that point, it’s important to roll out the red carpet and make sure the volunteer immediately feels valued within your organization.

One way to make your volunteer feel welcome is to plan a tour of your nonprofit’s headquarters. But make sure it's well-planned and intentional: Introduce the volunteer to your organization’s executive director, staff, or constituents, and have personalized materials prepared, such as a press kit or annual report. Having these items ready will show the volunteer you went out of your way to plan for their visit.

Be sure to also conduct research into the individual ahead of time to determine his or her capacity. Having knowledge upfront about your volunteer's ability to give or solicit others allows you to steer the relationship in that direction from the beginning.

Once the volunteer feels like a valued part of your organization, make sure he or she stays that way. The key here remains personalization. The more you make an individual feel personally valued by the organization, the more he or she will be compelled to give.

For volunteers who came for a single day of service or who worked on a particular project, write a personalized thank you note and ask to put him or her on the mailing list. For individuals who volunteer on a regular basis, check in from time to time, reminding them how much you appreciate their time and asking how they feel about their experience.

Personalization is a critical component for a successful appeal. Just as you would with a non-volunteer donor, take the time to include a letter to individual volunteers, thanking them for their efforts and asking if they would consider financially supporting the organization.

Finally, never give up on a volunteer. Even if an individual is not yet ready or capable of making a donation, don’t be afraid to ask if there is anyone in his or her personal network who is. Perhaps a friend works for a company looking to expand its philanthropy, or a family member might also be interested in volunteering (studies show that households in which more than one individual volunteers for the same cause are also more likely to donate).

If your organization wants to improve its volunteer stewardship strategies, a firm such as Dunleavy & Associates can provide powerful insights and expertise. Our firm works closely with nonprofits to craft customized stewardship plans that help build lasting relationships with volunteers, existing donors, and new prospects alike, resulting in increased revenue for your organization.

About the author: Debi Hoxter is Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations at Dunleavy & Associates. Pulling from her prior experience as Executive Director, Corporate Underwriting at WHYY, Debi works with clients to build donor and corporate relationships and create strategies for meeting revenue goals. She began her career in advertising, working first at Ted Bates and Grey advertising agencies in New York before serving as Advertising Sales Manager at Philadelphia Magazine.

How can nonprofits plan successful endurance events?

By Cheryl Pompeo

America seems to be going fitness crazy. In the past decade, the popularity of 5Ks, half-marathons, and Spartan races has exploded. And many nonprofits have hitched their wagon to the train, looking to endurance events as a way to fundraise and gain exposure.

But like a newbie runner encountering shin splints for the first time, nonprofits discover that organizing an endurance event is not as simple as just racing out of the door. With events seemingly scheduled every weekend between Easter and Thanksgiving, many nonprofits find out the hard way that just organizing a race does not mean the runners will come. So how can an organization ensure a successful position in a crowded field?

For starters, don’t race. And we’re not talking about your employees participating in the race (that’s highly encouraged). We’re saying give your nonprofit plenty of time to plan. In most cases, you’ll need at least a year to successfully organize an event, particularly since finding and reserving a course is a process that requires significant lead time.

As with any large project, you’ll want to assemble the right team to organize an endurance event. It’s ideal to have a planning committee of volunteers who will work with a staff member on race recruitment, logistics, fundraising, and promotion. Of course, having beneficiaries of your organization and any individuals with connection to the running community on the committee will increase the chances of success.

Once you have the right people in place, the decision-making and planning process can begin. And perhaps the most important decision is what kind of race to hold, and when to hold it. This decision is best informed by the goals of your own organization: A nonprofit looking to reinvigorate an established donor community may benefit from a low-key race in its own back yard, while an organization seeking a new donor base may want to expand to different niches or geographic areas.

It’s also important to clear major logistical hurdles first. By working to secure a race location, date, and corporate sponsor, the committee can then turn its attention to promotion and planning. Ultimately, it shouldn’t be a nonprofit’s goal to win the gold with their first race. We actually recommend planning endurance events in three-year phases and emphasize growth over huge financial success in the first year.

But that’s not to say inaugural endurance events can’t be a hit on the first go-around. Dunleavy & Associates recently helped a client plan a new race that drew 350 participants and buoyed its constituent base. If your organization is considering holding an endurance event but is unsure of its capacity to successfully plan, it may be beneficial to seek out a planning partner to help make your event successful.

About the author: Cheryl Pompeo is Senior Project Manager at Dunleavy & Associates and brings nearly a decade of experience in special event and volunteer management experience to the firm. Formerly a Senior Director of Special Events and a Regional Director for a Philadelphia area healthcare nonprofit, Cheryl also specializes in campaign fundraising, corporate development, donor cultivation, board and committee development, and program delivery. Cheryl uses her knowledge to help Dunleavy’s Clients strategically plan and implement endurance events, including walks, runs, and marathon campaigns.