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Dear
“Managing Stress” Colleague,
Social
profit organizations have been hit economically by a triple whammy!
Donors giving less, rainy day funds’ generating little income
and clients relying on services more! High demand and decreasing
resources are creating increased stress everywhere and especially
in the social profit sector.
This issue is devoted to helping you find ways to preserve both
the health of your organization and yourself, personally. Click
the titles at the right to learn more about…
Conserving Resources
What Savvy Donors Want
12
Stress Relievers
Do
you have questions about managing stress and keeping your project
and organization’s resources intact? Contact us through LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com
for more information. You can still access previous issues of On-the-Go
eTA by clicking on the title at the right.
Conserving
Resources
Social
profit executives are always looking for ways to reduce spending
and especially now. Read below for tips on conserving precious resources
to serve others more.
| Ways
to Conserve |
Cost
cutting measures |
| Involve
your leadership volunteers in planning |
-
In addition to staff, ask organization volunteer leaders
for their ideas in developing strategies to conserve resources.
The same buy-in tactic can also be used at home with your
family.
|
Manage
fundraising costs
Good fiscal management conserves resources and tells potential
donors that you'll use their donations wisely |
- Develop
your 2009 annual giving plan with your leadership volunteers.
Incorporate varied fundraising methodologies – i.e.,
personal visits, personalized mail solicitations, online,
annual giving appeals, fundraising events, etc.
-
Express appreciation at every opportunity for your donors,
leadership volunteers, favorite media contacts, partners
– all stakeholders. Remember that everyone is under
stress and your personal "thank yous" go a long
way to providing a smile and building your good will even
further
- Weed
your donor appeal list to remove undeliverable addresses.
Archive donors who haven’t responded in three years
to conserve costs.
-
Pay personal attention and target your current donors first
– give special attention to $100 and over donors.
-
Seek in-kind donations of people, goods and services.
|
| Use
the web |
- Send
your service updates and newsletters online. Use a brand
heading like the one used for OTG-eTa, to help your communication
stand out.
-
Search the web for the best prices on supplies and commodities.
-
Pay bills on line.
|
| Save
on supplies and services |
- Buying
local has the benefit of saving shipping costs and supporting
local providers.
-
Buy
in bulk to get lower costs.
-
Join with another organization to get bulk discounts.
-
Plan your purchases for the year and then make purchases
no more than once a month. Stick to your purchasing schedule.
-
Negotiate with your key vendors for lower prices. They want
your business and should be more amenable during these difficult
times.
|
| Cut
overhead |
- Consider
moving or negotiating a better lease agreement.
-
Collaborate with another organization. Share space, staff
and equipment.
-
Use free desktop applications like Google Aps and Open Source
to save on expensive licensing fees.
-
Consider changing to a four-day work week or adjusting to
daylight hours to save utilities.
|
Go
green
Save the planet and save your wallet by cutting energy costs.
|
- Trade
your standard candescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs.
They are more energy-efficient, last for years instead of
months, consume little power, etc.
-
Turn down the heat 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees
in summer.
- Turn
off lights not in use.
-
Shut down computers at night and use the energy-saving "sleep"
mode when not in use.
- Join
an energy cooperative.
-
Combine activities to save travel costs.
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What
Savvy Donors Want
In
the competition for fewer dollars, understand that your current donors
are facing similar economic stresses as they decide how to make their
charitable dollars go further with high impact.
Tailor your “asks” to satisfy savvy donors’ goals
to ..
- Affect desired change.
They have targeted outcome goals for their giving and
take time to identify those causes that are most important to
them, their businesses and their families
- Concentrate their giving to a few select organizations.
If they’ve given to your initiative annually for
at least two years in a row, they are likely to choose to give
again and grow in their partnership support of your organization.
Cultivate them well!
- Investigate a charity’s impact and effectiveness
before making a donation.
They pay attention to financial statements. Be prepared
to talk with donors about cost to dollars raised, administrative
vs. program costs, etc. They want accountability with fiscal prowess.
Click
here to read
more about the practices of savvy donors from Charity Navigator.
12
Stress Relievers
Avoid
stress fatigue and serious health issues by applying such stress
reliever tips as shown below.
- Listen to music
Research has shown that music has a profound effect on brain chemistry.
Music can be soothing or inspiring. Choose classical music or
rock music, jazz or country. Whatever suits your fancy.
- Exercise
Exercise increases deep breathing which increases oxygen to your
brain. It also loosens tight muscles.
- Play a game
Play a board game or a team sport with a friend. Complete a crossword
puzzle or Sudoko. Play a computer game. Games provide time to
refocus attention from problem-solving to pleasure.
For the rest of the twelve tips, click
here.
Outside
Ourselves –
Linda in China
Linda Brown Rivelis, President of Campaign
Consultation, Inc., has been invited by the Association of Fundraising
Professionals (AFP) to join President Dwight Eisenhower’s
People to People Foundation’s Fundraising Delegation to
China.
She’ll be blogging and twittering her impressions regarding
volunteering and philanthropy from Taipei, Hong Kong and Beijing
on December 11 – 22. You won’t want to miss these
exciting updates. We will include details on how to follow Linda
in China in the next On-the-Go! eTA issue. Stay tuned! |
Let
us know
Contact
LEADline@CampaignConsultation.com
and share other stress relievers that work
for you.
(LEADline
is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service
through its Resource & Fund Development Initiative.) We would
be happy to answer questions or to give you more support.
Thank you for your interest in On-The-Go eTA. We encourage you to
send this and other issues of OTG
eTA to friends and colleagues who would
benefit from the information. Also, if you’re on information-overload,
you may request email
removal. Otherwise OTG e-TA will be back
soon with another edition.
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IN
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