Don’t lie to meToday I opened an appeal from an organization in Winnipeg that I was sure I had no ties to. It was addressed to me and my husband, with my sister’s address on it. It was the second time I’d received a mailing like this from them. If that wasn’t annoying enough, the opening line of the letter inside thanked me for my previous gift to their campaign. Well, I thought, maybe I did give them a gift and forgot about it. So I went through our tax returns for the past couple of years and no, we hadn’t given. So I called the organization and asked them to look up our record and let me know about the previous gift. The woman on the phone found the record, but there was no evidence we had given any amount. To her credit, she said, “Maybe I should just remove you from our list.” I agreed! This leads me to believe that we were added to their database without our knowledge or permission. It was a deliberate act, and not from the phone book records. We have no relationship with the organization, and now, more than ever, have no plans to. Organizations do themselves no favours by adding people without their permission. It violates the spirit and the letter of privacy legislation, and if it annoys the recipient, nothing is gained and much is lost. Julie Mikuska · One sure-fire way to annoy your donorsI received receipts for income tax purposes from three organizations last week. Hardly surprising at this time of year, right? End of year fundraising is rampant. Except that in two of these cases, I made donations in May and July. The other donation was made in person, in cash, at the front desk. What impressed me there was the receipt I received on the spot. Not the official one, which will be sent to me later, but a temporary one written by a volunteer empowered with this task. Receipts are not about the organization. They are about the donor. I had completely forgotten about my earlier donations and consequently about the organizations themselves. I won’t forget about my last donation, especially since I already have a receipt in hand. If you’re a charity that waits until the end of the year to provide receipts, think about changing this strategy. It’s annoying your donors, and even worse, making them forget about you. Laura Mikuska · Spam, Spam, Spam! Get ready for new legislationI attended an informative session recently sponsored by the Canadian Society of Association Executives (Manitoba Chapter) about Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. Brian Bowman, partner with Pitblado LLP, and an expert in privacy and social media law, outlined what the new legislation will mean for organizations who send electronic messages of “commercial character.” He said the rules are changing regarding consent obligations (both express and implied), and senders will be bound to give more and very clear information about themselves including contact details and an easy way for recipients to unsubscribe. Bowman said the new regulations will include text, sound, voice or image messages, on smartphones as well, and will apply to social media content (Facebook in particular). The legislation has not yet come into force, but it is expected sometime in the new year. What does that mean for non-profit organizations? Bowman said to avoid penalties, any organization need to pay attention to the following:
Make sure you are informed, and modify your policies and practices accordingly. Your donors, staff and volunteers will appreciate it. Julie Mikuska · The power of celebrating philanthropyAFP Manitoba recently held its annual celebration of philanthropy at the National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon, attended by over 300 community members, fundraisers, donors and honourees. The stories told by the award nominators and their respective recipients were touching and emotional. But most of all, they were powerful examples of how gifts of time and funds can change things for the better. Mark Evans, the Outstanding Philanthropist Award recipient, told the story of his own cancer treatments at CancerCare Manitoba. Then he invited three young boys to share the stage, and related how each of them struggled with childhood leukaemia. He moved everyone to tears when he said that 20 years ago, they would not have been standing with him, as the success rate for treatment was very low. Donations to cancer research have resulted in new treatments and a 90% success rate today. This story moved one audience member to action. She went home that Friday evening, hugged her boys of the same age more than usual, and on Monday called CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and became a monthly donor. That is the power of celebrating philanthropy. Laura Mikuska · Philanthropy, the bedrock of our communitiesHappy National Philanthropy Day! Canada now leads all nations in celebrating donors, volunteers and fundraisers by proclaiming November 15 as permanent National Philanthropy Day. Bravo to parliamentarians for recognizing the importance of philanthropy to health and well-being of our communities. Tomorrow at the Fort Garry Hotel, over 325 people will gather at the annual National Philanthropy Day Luncheon to honour three inspiring individuals and one organization for their dedication to philanthropy:
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (Manitoba Chapter) organizes the luncheon as part of a day-long educational session for development staff and volunteers. The work that these staff and volunteers do is critical for our community. They are instrumental in creating cultures of philanthropy, where donors, staff and volunteers are engaged together in advancing their organizations’ missions. They enable donors to invest in what their organizations do – and that’s inspiring, too. So take a moment today to thank the donors and fundraisers you know. And celebrate philanthropy as the bedrock of our communities. Julie Mikuska · We Day: The Power of the FewI had the privilege of attending We Day Manitoba yesterday, put on by Free the Children. It was quite inspiring to be embedded in a crowd of 18,000 young people who had to demonstrate their commitment to community just to get a seat at the event. The organizers brought a program that was guaranteed to elicit response, and it did – whether it was a rapt crowd listening to Mikhail Gorbachev talk about how he and Ronald Reagan initiated nuclear disarmament or rocking with Craig and Marc Kielburger as they encouraged the students to Be the Change, or climbing step-by-step up Mount Kilimanjaro with Spencer West, who lost his legs at age five. One of the more powerful images came through a story illustrating The Power of the Few. Craig told the story that his grandfather told to him, and Marc acted it out for the crowd. Craig said that Marc was a strong guy and he could likely break a pencil in half, which he proceeded to do. Craig then said Marc, a former rugby player, could probably break two pencils in half, which he then did. Craig then asked if Marc could break 24 pencils in half – which of course wasn’t possible. Look at the power of only 24, said Craig – the power of the few. A simple story, yet a perfect and lasting example. Throughout the day, the power of storytelling shone through. The messages were simple, consistent and memorable. Take lessons from these master storytellers, and you can engage your audiences to act for you. Julie Mikuska · Culture of engagement – part 4Fourth in a series about the culture of engagement. Today – the development budget. Many organizations view the development budget as an expense, and proudly report to donors and others that they have the lowest cost per dollar raised. In my experience, this measurement is a false economy and an disingenuous use of numbers. The development budget should be viewed as an investment. It should be scrupulously managed to maximize the return on that investment. But senior managers and boards should not shy away from spending money. Not putting funds toward fundraising programs, especially major gift programs, usually means a lot of money being left on the table. If you can’t reach donors or steward their gifts properly or communicate the impact of their donations, you haven’t invested enough in your program. Fundraising is a long-term endeavour, and a successful organization ensures it is underpinned by a solid development office infrastructure, professional development, and marketing and communications support. Julie Mikuska. · The difference a phone call can makeRecently I made a donation to the Grateful Patient Program at St. Boniface Hospital Foundation. I was surprised and very pleased to receive a phone call the following week, thanking me for my donation and telling me how much it was appreciated. It was the first time I had ever received a phone call from any organization to say thank you without soliciting me for another donation. It made me feel special! This was my first gift to the foundation, and it certainly won’t be my last. They are to be commended for investing in their donor engagement and stewardship program. We work with organizations of many sizes and one thing that is universal across the sector is that most don’t invest in stewardship or engagement. Will you make a donor’s day by picking up the phone to say thank you? Laura Mikuska · Culture of engagement – part 3Third in a series about what a culture of engagement looks like. In an engaged organization, it’s common for a donor to have relationships with multiple people, including development staff. Think about it – donors are attracted to your organization because of the work you do and the impact you have in the community, not because you are raising money. It’s important for development staff to have knowledge of who potential donors can meet with, and who donors are meeting with, and keep track of the interactions. This will build a record in your database that will help determine future engagement. Remind staff and volunteers of the necessity of letting you know about meetings, phone calls and email transactions with donors. And in turn, keep them in the loop. Donors will appreciate that you are all on the same page. Julie Mikuska. · Culture of engagement – part 2Second in a series exploring what a culture of engagement looks like. Engagement starts at home, with your staff, board and volunteers. And not just among those doing fundraising, but everyone. Don’t assume that because they are working or volunteering for you that they feel engaged. Start by explaining how fundraising supports what the staff and volunteers do. Talk to them about the committed donors and the difference they make to the organization. Introduce them to passionate donors who can tell their own story about why they support the mission. Give some examples of how, even in their jam-packed work lives, they can contribute to an environment of engagement:
Think of your staff, board and volunteers as constituents that you are cultivating. Find out what more about why they are involved and what’s important to them about the organization. In a culture of engagement, asking those closest to you only makes sense. Julie Mikuska. · |
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