April 6, 2011

 Twitter for nonprofit jobs

Fund Development Manager-
Girl Scouts Of Kentuck-Lexington, Ky

The Fund Development Manager will direct the Council's fund raising efforts, including: • Cultivating major donors • Endowments • Planned Giving • Grant Writing • Events Planning The fund development manager position is a full-time, exempt position currently based in Lexington.

Click for full detail & to apply

See More Jobs from nonprofitjobseeker.com

.  

200+ NONPROFITS prospect with Time Inc. and American Express Publishing lists
to build a strong, generous and loyal support base.
Over 18MM Actives -  5MM Active Email Addresses
Donor types, demographics, interests, source, geography and Canadian addresses selectable.
NEW Democrats, Republicans, and AmEx Brands Masterfiles!
Modeling available for Wiland members.
Competitive Nonprofit Rates!

Contact Direct Media Millard: Chris Goodwin, 402.836.5120

Two Blueprints For Successful Donor Retention

By Mark Hrywna

Retention programs are designed to keep supporters engaged on an annualized basis, and some such programs can be the most effective strategy to improve lifetime value of donors, with the ultimate goal to grow the donor file, maximizing revenue and building long-term value.

Some organizations have specific renewal programs, which include a series of cost-effective contact strategies. There are two models of retention programs -- anniversary-based or calendar-based -- and charities must determine which is more productive for their organizations, according to Jim Emlet, co-founder and principal of Integral, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm.

An anniversary-based approach tends to provide cash flow consistency but a calendar-based might be easier to implement. Testing can be more robust with an anniversary model so it's important to consider how aggressive your contract strategy is outside of the renewal program, he said. "Understand the messages that resonate most to keep donors engaged," Emlet said. Some organizations have multiple renewals/retention series, including low-dollar, high-dollar, anniversary and calendar.

Two organizations presented their recent successes at a panel discussion titled, "Fundamentals of Retention: The Types of Programs and Associated Creative Offerings to Effectively Retain Donors," during the DMA Nonprofit Federation's Washington, D.C., conference at the Capital Hilton.

This year's programme will showcase the very best in digital and online fundraising advice, giving you valuable information to take back and use in your organisation. 

You will learn how to make the social media work for you, understand how to develop an effective fundraising strategy using mobile phones, generate income through new media, and much, much more.

For a full programme or to register now, visit www.fundraisingonline.com

Ethnic Marketing...
Tips for acquiring Hispanic donors

Hispanics continue to be one of the fastest growing segments of the United States population. Recent 2010 Census estimates reflect a 29 percent increase in population for this group. On the flip sides, Non-Hispanic Caucasians are expected to contribute less to population growth.

According to Britt Fouks, director, client services, at Paradysz in New York City, developing a diversified marketing strategy to identify and communicate effectively with the Hispanic market is critical to a nonprofit's current and future donor acquisitions.

Use the tools you already have, such as:

* Understand the penetration you already have within the Hispanic market using key criteria: ethnicity, age, gender and geography;

* Help define your marketing strategy with list-to-package testing;

* Ask the question, "What works for my current donor base, but might not resonate with my Hispanic audience?;"

* Including overlays of acculturation and integration into American culture will help identify differences and similarities within the Hispanic demographic and allow for more strategic outreach and more relevant communication to differing groups: Recently emigrated to the United States (0-5 years) and 5-plus years living in the United States

* Once an organization understands its existing donor make-up and penetration in the market, prospecting strategies such as language, behavior of mailers, ethnic overlay data, and the combination of all of the above can be helpful in communicating effectively with Hispanic donors.

"It's what you do with what you got." That bit of wisdom, often used to encourage youth to reach for their full potential, can also be of use to nonprofit organizations regarding the donor information they collect and store.

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Conference on Fundraising, James K. Phelps, development director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon, spoke about the use that nonprofits make of confidential information they collect about their donors.
There are many considerations about donor information, not just collecting and storing it but also passing it along to development officers or selling it to lists.
Phelps said nonprofits should ask themselves questions about donor files.
For the use of confidential information:
• What do you do if a donors asks to see their file?
• Do you share your mailing lists?
• How do you publicize donors? Do you ask them if they want to be recognized?
• Do you have an opt-in or opt-out system?
For the conveying of requested information:
• Do you send any confidential information by email?
• Do you use an STP or FTP site?
• Do you use ZIP and password encryption? What system do you use?
For the disposing of confidential information:
• Are you shredding documents? What do you shred?
• Do you have an archiving system?
• What happens to information sent to someone else when they are done using it?

Hiring at any level can be a hit-or-miss proposition, regardless of how much care and research go into the process. And, the higher the level of the person hired, the more risk of problems throughout the organization. This can be especially important for the position of director of development, because so much depends on this individual's success in the job.

Herschell Gordon Lewis, who consults with nonprofits and writes direct response copy, maintains that there are certain questions that can help answer the big question of "What is the most effective way to recruit the right person?" when looking to hire a development director. His suggested questions:

* Where do you advertise the availability for this position? (Answer: Where fundraising professionals will see the ad.)

* Do you mention a salary range? Specify a salary?

* How specific are you in describing what the job entails? (It helps to be specific, rather than asking for a "self-starter" or "good communicator.")

* What background and experience do you demand? (Specifics can also help bypass beginners.)

* Do you assign the title "Director of Development" immediately or use "Development Officer" to prevent an assumption of total control? (It's a good idea to specify
"Fundraising professional.")

* Do you offer incentives based on total monies raised?

* Who is qualified to evaluate candidates for this position?