Small Nonprofit: Fundraising Tips, Leadership Strategies, and Community-Centric Solutions for Canadian and American Nonprofits

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Having a “positive” relationship with your donors is a cornerstone of fundraising success. It's the key to building trust and earning loyalty, which is why so many fundraisers and executive directors are afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. But what if you could be completely honest with your donors? What would that look like?

With Rickesh Lakhani, we're discussing the importance of “honest fundraising'' in today's episode. Rickesh has over 15 years of experience in the social good sector, and he is the current  Executive Director at Future Possibilities for Kids. He believes that we are all responsible for each other’s success.

Myths that Rickesh wants us to walk away from:

• Donors should only know about the good things in your organization. Being honest with your donors about the reality of your organization will help them understand how your organization works and how you are spending your funds. It can bring them closer to your organization and help you achieve more of your goals. 
• Donations should only go to programs and services.  Allowing donors to understand unrestricted funds and how they will support your services in the long term will help your organization become more sustainable. 

Rickesh’s tips on starting an honest fundraising  

• Start with your team. Write down everything you wish donors knew about the work you do and tell them the realities of everything that happens within your organization that they aren't aware of.
• Communicate with donors.  Start having an honest conversation about fundraising with board members and annual donors, or with people you feel most comfortable with.
• Make it a practice. Building trust and relationships with donors doesn’t happen overnight, that’s why you need to make sure to include them in the conversation to help them understand how the organization works and how they can help in a more meaningful way. 

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“When I say honest fundraising, it's not that we've been dishonest, but there are specific things that we have been withholding from donors and proactively sharing with them that are keeping things the way they are and what we're wanting all this change we’re wanting donors to invest in the space differently and have a different relationship. And we're holding back on some of these conversations that we're all having amongst ourselves and we're not having with donors. And so I was like,  how are we going to expect them to understand and change what they're doing? If we, as the folks who are living this day-to-day, aren't letting them into that a little bit more?”

“Trust is built through the good times and the bad, to the vulnerability.  ”

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Changes to the charitable sector? Indeed. 

You’ve probably felt those changes over the last few years—nothing like a pandemic to shake things up. You might have some anecdotes or stories of how things have changed, but today we’re diving into some of the research.

In this episode, I’m talking with Jacob O’ Connor, Senior Vice President of Charity Engagement at Canada Helps, to discuss The Giving Report 2022 which highlights insights and generational giving trends facing Canada’s charitable sector that are taking place as charities are still struggling with demands and challenges from the ongoing pandemic, and now significant challenges brought about by historic inflation rates. Don’t worry if you’re not in Canada - guaranteed you will benefit from understanding these trends (because they are likely true where you are too). 

Key findings:

• Donors care about causes over affinity to specific organizations. The younger generation has a greater affinity for cause-based donations and support as opposed to giving to specific organizations. It’s important for nonprofits to know how they position themselves as contributors to these causes. This is a great opportunity for small organizations and underscores the importance of stewardship.
• Digital is here to stay. CanadaHelps saw a 119% increase year over year in giving in year one of the pandemic. Moreover, The Giving Report 2022 highlighted that younger generations find new and strategic ways to give online such as cryptocurrencies and securities. 

Jacob’s Key Insights on Giving Trends 2022

• The giving gap: Donors aged 55+  are actually giving twice the amount of the 25 to 54 age group. This gap is growing and as a sector, we need to think about where we will be when this generation no longer has the capacity to give?
• Cause-based donations: The way you tell your stories and engage with fundamental causes or movements, such as social justice and environmental issues,  will be very important to the next generation of donors. It’s important to know where your organization stands and how are you helping specific causes?
• Leveraging current trends and reports:  Further than just education providing insights, this report serves as a call to action that Canadians need to step up and engage with the sector and support the sector that gives us so much.

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“ Canadian charities have experienced rises in demand throughout the pandemic. In our panel, we saw that 11% of Canadians are accessing charitable services for their basic needs. This number,  if the effects of the inflation pandemic don't change, expects to go up to 26%, which is staggering. Charities are already struggling to meet the demands and then the effects of inflation. We need to do more, we need Canadians to step up.”

“We want to amplify that the sector needs support. Even though the pandemic is coming hopefully to an end, inflation is here and yet it was a big drop over the last few years that we need to help the sector recover from. ”

CanadaHelps.org

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When you’re a small nonprofit, it’s hard to say no to any opportunity that comes your way. After all, you want to make the most out of every single day and help as many people as possible. But if you try to take on too much, it can be a detriment to your effectiveness as an organization. When should you say yes vs. no?

We're talking with Dr. William Clark, founder of Eli Patrick & Co. which provides fundraising consulting to nonprofits. He has over 15 years of experience working in city government, nonprofit administration, and public housing operations. Dr. Clark assists nonprofits with developing sustainable revenue strategies and identifying talent acquisition solutions for growing businesses.

Myths that Dr. Clark wants us to walk away from:

• Saying NO will cost you opportunities: In making important decisions, we need to think about things more intentionally rather than being driven by the need of the moment, which is most likely revenue for small nonprofits.
• You are always in control: If things didn't work out in your favour, remember that there are forces bigger than you that may have contributed to this as well, forces you couldn't and will never be able to control. You must accept the fact that you will not always be in complete control.

Dr. Clark’s Tips on the power of "no"

• Know your capacity. One of the questions you can ask yourself is: Can you do the job? It is a question of skill, talent, money and partnerships and everything that goes into running a successful business, or non-profit. 
•  Communicate.  Communicate consistently with folks that you work with, your consultant, your colleagues, and your board to get different perspectives and advice. 
• When you said no when you should’ve said yes. Every organization has its ups and downs. It's fine to rethink things and reevaluate how we proceed so that we can build up this account of goodwill with the various people with whom we were doing business.

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“Giving yourself space to grieve, grieve in the moment, grieve in potential loss, grieve in potential failure, grieving the fact that your view of yourself is not necessarily consistent with the situation. Grieve in the fact that some people may look at you slightly differently and it might not be favourable because of changes that they may blame you for. So I think a lot of it is just processing through. And as you've worked through that, you don't want to stay in that moment way too long, because there's still work to be done. There are still clients who are looking to you for services and resources and they need you. And so you need to process through these things, but get up, dust yourself off, get back on that horse. Learn from what happened and grow ”

“ When it comes to yes-no, it’s just understanding the moment and living in that moment and responding as best as you can. And lastly being okay with that response. ”

drwilliampclark.com

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We constantly hear that if you don't have a fundraising board, you won't be able to raise funds as an organization. I don't believe that! In fact, I’ve had a lot of fundraising success without board fundraising. I know - call all the “gurus” and report this sacrilegious statement!

How do we build a board that is all the things we require in leadership (subject matter experts, lived experience, community members) AND get them to love and embrace fundraising?

In this episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, we talk to Elizabeth Abel, about how to motivate board members to fundraise. Elizabeth is the Senior Vice President at CCS Fundraising, a global fundraising consulting firm for nonprofits and an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. She has designed, advised, and directed development initiatives and capital campaigns that have collectively raised nearly half a billion dollars, positively impacting tens of thousands of lives.

• Board members can’t be involved in fundraising: Board members can be one of the greatest assets to any nonprofit's fundraising efforts because they champion your mission, engage their networks and provide financial support. 
• Board members should focus on major gifts:  You need to figure out how your board members want to be involved in fundraising, find out what are their strengths? And then how can you create that synergy that allows them to be fantastic multipliers and fundraising ambassadors?
• Corporate giving is better than individual giving: According to  Giving USA 2021: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2020, individuals drove 69% of total giving in the US, which was about $324 billion. Corporations are estimated to have declined by 6.1% in 2020 to only about 17 billion. So there is a huge gap between where people think corporations are and where they are relative to individuals. 

• Fundraising Ambassadors. They bring a diverse set of experiences and skills and talents.  They are multipliers of all that you're doing programmatically, operationally, and of course your philanthropy.
• Recruiting and Engaging Boards. Many people just don't necessarily know what's expected of them so you can begin with setting expectations and educating board members in their role in fundraising. 
• Best practices.  When considering how our board members can support our fundraising efforts, we want to prioritize relationship building. Elizabeth uses small events to engage and connect with donors as an example. 

“It's figuring out the ways in which your board members want to be involved in fundraising, what are their strengths? And then how can we create that synergy that allows them to be fantastic multipliers and fundraising ambassadors? ”

Elizabeth LinkedIn 

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What makes a good leader? If you’re an executive director in a nonprofit, you're probably thinking about how you can be more effective and motivate your team to create a bigger impact. But what are these qualities you should have to inspire others? 

To learn more about what makes a great leader, I sat down with Mathieu Yuill, Founder of Leading with a Nice, consultancy that develops leaders. Mathieu has more than 25 years of experience in the field of communication and marketing, as well as a master's degree in management and leadership. 

Myths that Mathieu wants us to walk away from:

• Leaders only give orders. Leaders who inspire their employees are those who practice empathy, listen, and genuinely care about their employees' well-being rather than just the work.
• Leaders should hide any weaknesses. Honesty and trust are qualities of a good leader that requires being vulnerable, assessing one's own weaknesses, and communicating them to one's team.

Mathieu’s  GET HG: qualities of leaders that inspire

• Gratitude: Checking in with your staff and simply asking how things are going or offering them help is a way to express gratitude because you trust the person to do their job. You're also acknowledging that they're working hard and that you appreciate it.
• Empathy: Stepping into other people’s shoes to understand their circumstances. A leader who shows empathy toward their employees reduces employee absenteeism and has a more productive team. 
• Trust: It is all about intent.  By communicating your desired outcome to your team and trusting them to choose the best path forward.
• Honesty: It is about understanding your own weaknesses and releasing control. 
• Generosity: It is simply a matter of making time to mentor your employees and check in with them.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“So if you have a report who's working on a project often what we do is we'll come by and be like, “Hey, you know, are you done with that yet? Or how far along are you?” That's checking up and that's like a doctor's appointment. Nobody likes it. But instead, check-in and be like, “Hey, how are things going? Is there anything I can help you with?”  That's actually showing gratitude and trust cause you're trusting the person they're doing their job and you're also acknowledging that they're working hard and you recognize like, “Hey, can I help you? Like I get this is a job that might need an extra set of hands.” That's a very simple way to show gratitude.”

”We need to understand how to communicate with each other and that's really the first base, the barrier to entry is do you know how to communicate with each other? ”

Resources from this Episode

Leading with Nice

Crucial Conversations

Culture Code 

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A lot of people think that once they decide they want to start a capital campaign, they can just jump right in and start raising money. But it takes a lot of planning and preparation to make sure your campaign is successful. So, how do you know if your small nonprofit is ready to launch a  capital campaign?

On today's episode, we’re talking all about Capital Campaigns with Sabrina Walker-Hernandez, Certified Consultant, Coach, Facilitator & Best Selling Author helping small nonprofits build relationships that convert into more donations. She's worked for 25 years in our sector from direct services operations all the way to executive leadership, and she took an organization with an annual budget of 750,000 to 2.5 million a year operations and launched a $12 million capital campaign in the US's third poorest county. 

• You can start a capital campaign right away: If you are a small nonprofit, you need to build  your annual campaign before you go into a capital campaign because capital campaigns are all about individuals and relationships. And you want those individuals connected to you and your work before you ask them to dig deep into their pockets.
• You can ask any of your donors to give to your capital campaign: Yes - you can ask each and every donor to give towards your capital campaign (it’s not just about the big gifts), BUT you really need to have a relationship with them before you go and ask them for a special gift. You can't take a person from zero to $250,000.

• Relationships first. Start with individual giving as you build your foundation. You have to have a relationship with people before you go and ask them for the amount of money that you're going to need to complete a capital campaign. 
• Feasibility Study. Have a conversation with the individuals in the community to let them know about what you want to do and share your vision. Seek advice from people who want to be part of the campaign.  
• Identify the key person. The executive director doesn't necessarily have to lead, but you can identify a co-chair to lead the campaign or even hire a consultant that can guide you through the campaign. 
• Phases of the campaign. You can start to secure your top gifts from your top donors and board members first. Depending on your strategy, you can also have mid-level, the corporate approach, and the foundation approach. Lastly, you can also have a community approach to get everyone involved. 

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“People will follow success. When we first launched this capital campaign and we talked about $12 million, people did not think it could be done. So we had to come out strong and so people will follow success, invest upfront in getting those top donors on board. It will break or make your capital campaign.”

Supporting World Hope

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Charity vs. Nonprofit. You may or may not know that those two have different meanings! They both doing amazing, mission-centred work! But there are more rules and regulations for charities (if you’re in the  US, that’s a 501c3) which means it takes a lot more time and resources to get going. 

Many nonprofits have aspirations to become a charity, but one of the biggest questions I get asked along the way is - “how do we fundraise without charitable status?” You see - nonprofits cannot issue tax receipts to donors.

Now - the short answer is that donors are not giving for the receipts.

But the long answer is that there is a formal structure - in Canada called a Shared Platform and in the US Fiscal Sponsorship - that allows emerging nonprofits to issue tax receipts and then some!

There are lots of reasons why this model is growing in popularity. So much so that Mackenzie Scott herself invested in today’s podcast guest’s organization - to the tune of $18.9 million.

Join me for this conversation all about Shared Platforms with Lizzie Howell, Director, Shared Platform at MakeWay. With MakeWay’s shared platform, changemakers share a suite of centralized organizational supports, and coaching when needed, so more time and money can go towards building strong, vibrant, just communities and a healthier planet. 

• Only big organizations can host a Shared Platform. MakeWay is unique in that they are the only Shared Platform host that has gone through an audit - so they have formalized the operations of Shared Platforms in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency. However, there are many smaller charities that also act as a Shared Platform for nonprofits that are aligned with their work.
• It’s just about issuing tax receipts. Established Shared Platforms do much more than allow your nonprofit to issue receipts for donations. They offer structure and support to help grow your impact. 

• Support:  As part of a shared platform, you can have access to a wide range of operational administrative support on the backend including financial management, human resources, grounds administration, charitable compliance, risk management. You get to focus on doing the work that you want to do, and create change in the community. 
• Efficient:  It's a way to operate within the charitable sector that's far more cost and time effective than becoming a new charity.
• Expertise: MakeWay has a great governance structure set up to support projects where they each have a steering committee who are responsible for providing strategic advice and direction for projects.

“We really value the autonomy of projects to be able to make their own decisions around things like compensation, and again, different groups have, different values in terms of who they hire and what that looks like and at MakeWay, overrule, we have a commitment to equity, to economic well being, and we realize that we're in a position where we were providing guidance advice, and of course, with the legal employer.”

MakeWay

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Nonprofit leaders are always trying to do more with less. There never seems to be enough time in the day or enough resources to handle everything that comes along, but you still have to manage and lead your organization effectively.

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about leadership and management with Kishshana Palmer. Kishshana is an international speaker, trainer, and coach with a 20+ year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management. When an organization wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial.

• You can do it all.  As a leader, you don't need to push yourself until you're exhausted because you think you have to. Invest in the systems and people around you that will allow you to let go of things and focus on what you do best.
• You don’t have enough time. Understanding how you work, what time of day it is, what fuels you, and where you busy yourself, so you don't have to do your work, this is everything you need to know if you want to regain control of your calendar.

• Taking rest and break: We have to rethink the way we approach rest. We need to release what used to work. And now start thinking about what is going to satisfy you in your adult life in this new season.The idea of bringing in play into the work is so important in order for us to start to grab those small pieces of reset that we need. 
• You have agency and control:  You are the CEO of your responsibilities within the organization, regardless of your title in your organization. Understanding that you're actually in control of a lot more than you might think is critical when navigating the power dynamics within your organization.
• Leveraging resources: Leveraging tools and systems, developing your people and spending those dollars so that as you continue to grow. As you continue to deepen roots, you'll do so in a way that's healthy, that continues to attract folks who are there for longevity who want to have ties both to their work and ties to the community in a different kind of way, and who are healthy at work. 

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“Let it be the last year that at 2022, that I utter this foolishness because I want to be in a place where if something were to happen to me or if I just wanted to take a darn break that I have hired capable folks who can take on the work that needs to be done, to be able to move the ball down the field.” 

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The pandemic has changed the way that many teams work. More people are working from home, or in a hybrid arrangement. And as we rethink our culture, many of us  wonder how we can cultivate a sense of connection and create a unique and meaningful team culture in this ever-changing world? 

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how to build team culture with Ashlee Livingstone, CEO of Our Forté. She has built her career creating curated and memorable experiences for people, and works collaboratively with leaders in building stronger cultures to help teams thrive. 

• Building  team culture costs a lot of money. Applying humans first approach in teams does not have to cost you money. It just has to cost you time to focus on engaging with your team and making them feel that they matter. 
• Team culture is all about company events. You need to do the foundational work ahead of time to build that team and show ongoing connection with them so that when it's time to have a year end celebration or a halfway point celebration, people are actually excited to go.

• Engagement: Engagement is about connecting with your team and how are they connecting with each other? It is important for leaders to keep their current team members engaged and feeling connected to their colleagues. 
• Development: Development looks like mentorship. It looks like understanding what your team member's goals and future is and what they want, not just what you see in them. 
• Gratitude: To show gratitude you have to really know your team and you can ask them questions such as how do you like to be appreciated? What motivates you? 
• Experience: Experience is about making your team feel empowered and heard. Helping them to enhance their experience at work.  

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“We can easily replace that person, people are replaceable, that mentality, even if you say it a couple of times, or you try and say it jokingly, that seeps into people. And so we guess the work that they're doing matters, but if they think they're replaceable or you can easily replace them, that's where they're not gonna feel connected to what they're doing.”

“At the end of the day, people want to be seen and they want to be heard and they want to know that they matter.”

OurForte.ca

Teams with Edge Podcast

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Working with a consultant can be beneficial for nonprofits. They enable organizations to focus on keeping things running smoothly and efficiently by freeing up time for the bigger picture. But how do you find the right consultant for your organization? 

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about working with consultants with Jess Campbell, Founder and CEO of Out in the Boons and a dear friend of mine. She is a trained nonprofit fundraiser who has worked with big and small organizations and runs a consulting business where she helps organizations to connect with the right consultants to get the help they need. 

• Consultants only develop the plan. Some consultants like Jess, are committed to doing things differently. They are out there to help organizations not only get the plan, but also understand it and have the tools and resources they need to carry it out.
• Nonprofit consultants are always expensive. There is a large range in price for nonprofit consultants. The right consultant will have a pricing structure that works for you and your organization's budget.

• Outsourcing helps you focus on your mission: Wearing multiple hats is common in our sector, but trying to do everything at once can lead you and your team to burnout. Getting help from a consultant allows your organization to do other tasks and focus on what really matters.
• Leveling of expectations: Before you decide to work with a consultant, Jess suggests that it is critical to identify the outcome that you want out of consulting, what your expectations and needs are to make this work effective for your organization. 
• Matchmaking: In her own program, Jess uses matchmaking to match nonprofits with consultants based on their specific needs and areas of expertise. She also stresses the importance of finding the right match between the consultant's personality, working style, and the nonprofit's team.

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“And like you said, your experience working with coaches and consultants when you were in-house, I had a very similar experience. They came in, they wrote a plan, and then they left and I wanted to be more hands on. It's not in my nature to really set it and forget it as they say. And I think what I've learned in doing this for the last five or so years, is that it's so much more than a plan that folks need. It's really the execution. And I know that working with coaches and consultants can be such an investment. And so I've committed myself to doing it differently, which is really helping folks, not just get the plan, but understand the plan and then have the tools and resources to execute the plan.”

outintheboons.me/the-rolodex
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