Non-Profit Chas

I believe that strategic plans (like business plans, college educations, and road trips) have more value in the journey than in the destination. The end result of your strategic planning process might be two pages or 20 pages. It might be loaded with all kinds of optimistic goals and lofty ambitions. It may even help you win grants or land new donors.

But those three (or 20) pages represent more than the text on the paper. The plan represents your organization’s heart and soul. Built by of board members and staff, volunteers and donors, community members and experts, a strategic plan brings many perspectives together and puts them on the same team. Many people driving hard, optimistic, and committed to the future.

Hard questions and hard answers. New ideas and revelations. Many a-ha moments. And a lot of expectations.

This isn’t to say that the end result isn’t valuable; it’s just not the whole picture. You can’t ask one person (or five people) to simply sit down and create your strategic plan. Not if you want it to mean anything. Not if you want it to hold up.

Next post: planning your strategic planning.

I read a lot. I’m currently reading “Beyond Fundraising” by Kay Sprinkel Grace and “Making Library Web Sites Usable” by Tom Lehman and Terry Nikkel. I’ve nearly exhausted our small collection of non-profit resources at the Camp Fire office.

Amber just discovered an amazing resource: Indiana Youth Institute has a free library that you can use via mail.

Once you have requested materials, IYI will mail your materials to you by priority mail. In your package, we will include a postage-paid return envelope. Just place the items in the envelope, seal it and add your return address, and pop it in with your regular mail.

Check it out at IYI Library

I’m definitely going to sign up.

When we face seemingly insurmountable odds, it is easy to seek a silver bullet to magically solve your problems. We see this in desperate fundraising appeals to wealthy donors, last ditch (and very expensive!) advertising campaigns, and so on.

There is no silver bullet.

Sure, you might win the heart of some fantastically rich and generous donor who bails you out. Of course your ad campaign might catch the right person at the right time and land you tons of clients.

Or you could buy a lottery ticket to pay your bills.

In the real world (where you live when you’re not working for your non-profit of choice), we know better. We save money and make frugal decisions. We build our resumes through hard work and incrementally successful projects. We take life slow and build on the results we’ve achieved.

Momentum takes a lot of work to build. It’s hard. It’s even harder to reverse it. So don’t think you can do it overnight, with a silver bullet that never was.

From FundRaising Success comes the article, Treat your best donors right

A couple of gems:

...that’s what a lot of fundraisers do: They hand-pick the donors who are most responsive to their fundraising programs — and put them in a radically different program. And it’s probably costing them significant revenue.

[Major donors] give more money. Duh. But this fact should inform what you ask them for. Are you asking folks who routinely write you checks for $500 to give you $20? If you are, you’re not only leaving money on the table, you’re saying loud and clear, “We don’t really know you!”

They are a more valuable asset to your organization. It helps to approach them with investment thinking. The dollars you spend on them can trigger a much better return.

They get more personal touches, like thank-you phone calls or handwritten cards, birthday cards, special reports on your work, invitations to see your work firsthand, and other appreciative touches.

Earlier this week, I met Andrew Lynn from Make a Difference Michiana, an organization that provides resources and connections for non-profits in the northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan community. He offered a lot of excellent suggestions for partnering with other groups.

Today, Andrew wrote about the effects of recession on non-profits, increased demand, and the fascinating increase in donor activity. He also offers plenty of links to other great sites. Check out his blog.

Here’s to making connections.