May 4, 2011

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Director of Operations & Finance - PHI, Bronx, NY
The Director of Operations and Finance is a key senior level position that reports directly to the Vice President. The Director is responsible for providing administrative leadership through the management of PHI's Operations, Finance, Human Resources and Management Information Systems.

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104,000 Last 12 Month Donors • 64,000 Active Catholic Donors

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Team Captains Worth More Than Leadership

Fundraising team captains account for only 13 percent of the participant population, yet provide an average of one-third of overall revenue. Multi-year captains are able to raise two to three times more than new captains and snare an average of nine gifts compared to team members and individuals who collected an average of three.

These are among the findings of three studies surveys by Charleston, S.C., software firm Blackbaud and the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council highlighting the effective techniques and practices in peer-to-peer fundraising.

Through an online survey of individuals who actively participated in peer-to-peer fundraising activities, the survey showed:

* 69 percent were motivated by a personal affinity or connection to a cause;

* 72 percent were motivated to exceed their fundraising goals because of a personal commitment to the cause;

* 73 percent liked being part of a team either as captain (23 percent) or a team member (50 percent);

* 95 percent of team members were likely to set fundraising goals compared to only 77 percent of non-team members; and,

* 40 percent of team members exceeded their fundraising goals compared to only 29 percent of non-team participants.

Donors...
Calculating the real costs of a lead

Because nonprofit leaders must disburse money wisely, they must have some awareness of where the dough is going. In addition to everything else, they must consider bang for the buck. And in this endeavor, as in many, there are lies, damned lies and statistics.

Speaking during the DMA 2011 Washington Nonprofit Conference, Yvonne Garrett of OMP in Washington, D.C., Vinay Bhagat of Convio in Austin, Texas, and Randy Paynter of Redwood City, Calif.-based Care2.com, offered a scenario to gauge the true cost of a lead.

For example: You I spent $1,000 to acquire 1,000 new leads, it looks like $1 per lead. That's a great price.

But what if:

* 100 leads have bad addresses, and 200 leads unsubscribe within the first three months. Now you've only got 700 leads, so the real cost per lead increases to 1,000/700 = $1.42.

And what if:

* Only 30 percent are opening my message. Now you've only got 210 active leads, and the cost per lead is 1,000/210 = $4.76.

And what if:

* Only 10 percent of these people click through, and only 10 percent of those people wind up donating? Then you paid $1,000 to buy two whole donors, and the true cost (or Investment) was $500 per donor.

To ensure fiscal health for a nonprofit, fundraisers simply have to ask, as in making the “ask.” Jill A. Pranger of Pranger Philanthropic in Rochester, N.Y., discussed how to revamp your annual giving program during a session called “Annual Giving: Changing Lives Through Loyal Donors,” during the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Conference in Chicago, Ill.

When preparing your materials to send out to your potential donors, Pranger said, close attention need to be paid to the actual writing of the “asking device.” Some general guidelines to follow include: Make sure the copy is readable to your audience by reading it out loud; Pretend you're writing your copy for a friend; and, try to tell a story with your materials.

It is also important to be explicit in the ask. When developing marketing materials, make sure you ask early and often for a donation, make a direct ask, create urgency, assume a “yes” is coming from the potential donor and thank the donor in advance for their donation.

After you have hopefully gained these donors, fold them into your annual giving program, your nonprofit should be constantly engaged with these donors on what your organization is accomplishing. Pranger advocated including an average gift, non-financial goals/progress, comparisons to last years and national/sector benchmarks in these reports that will be distributed to supporters.

As corporate donations account for $17.2 billion of contribution dollars in 2009, Peter H. Hanson, vice president of development for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, offered suggestions on how to best capitalize in these opportunities during a session called “Leveraging Corporate Sponsorships: Stop Leaving Money on the Table,” during the Association of Fundraising Professional's (AFP) International Conference in Chicago.

When envisioning the right fit your nonprofit and a corporate sponsor, Hanson said it's important to get inside the sponsors mindset, about what they want out of the partnership. Some things to keep in mind are: Thinking about added value from your partnership; Understanding and leveraging demand for marketing benefits by corporations; and evaluate if your nonprofit would be best served by a “partnership or relationship” or using a transactional campaign.

In addition, nonprofits must have a plan for targeting the best prospects for a relationship. It is important to remember when selecting corporations to understand who you are, by conceptualizing place/positioning and brand positioning of corporations. Also, set sights based on market, property and trends. Hanson advised the Fortune 500 companies might not always be the best option, adding that nonprofits need to know their audience and look for brand alignment in these relationships.