Many of my readers and clients have taken great care to name their fundraising campaigns, events or your organization may have created a special tag line that’s helped to provide visibility. And as you may remember, I’m a big fan of “six word stories” which are often used as tag lines.

Since your taglines are among the most powerful marketing tools you have to promote your organization, program, fundraising campaign or event…why not get recognition for your hard work by entering the third annual Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards Program?

Just for entering you’ll receive a free copy of the 2010 NonProfit Tagline Report. Don’t wait to enter. It takes less than three minutes. Really! The deadline is July 28.

Nancy Schwartz, president of Nancy Schwartz & Company and blogger at Getting Attention, is the award program’s organizer and a messging guru for nonprofit organizations. You can follow Nancy on Twitter . I do. It’s how we met.

Good luck everyone!

I was recently visiting a friend and as she was sitting in the living room talking with me she sent her son a text IN THE NEXT ROOM. For me, that’s taking this whole social media thing a bit too far.

I happen to love social media. I use Twitter and Facebook regularly. I post videos on YouTube. I send out monthly eNewseltters and I often read and comment on postings on the web. This isn’t a slam on social media. I believe it has value, it’s fun and I’ve gotten to know some amazing people from around the world thanks to social media.

This is my plea for some sanity around using more personal methods of communication with the most cherished people in our lives. And if you are in the social profit sector that means your financial supporters and volunteers.

A few months ago, after I had sent out my monthly eNewsletter I received an email reply from Gary asking me a question. I did what I like to do: I picked up the phone and called Gary, whom I’d met once, to thank him for reading my newsletter and proceeded to answer the question. The response I got was: “Oh, you’re calling me! I didn’t want to bother you. I just wanted a quick answer on email.”

I explained that the phone call was much faster and it wasn’t a bother. I made an effort to explain that it felt more personal to me to actually make the call. I attempted to make sure Gary knew that his question was important to me. I’m still not sure he’d recovered by the end of the call.

I’m concerned the trend is to rely on email and eNewsletters to lure ourselves into thinking we are staying in touch with people in a compelling and personal way.

I receive more than 100 emails most days. Some of which are very impersonal and most days the total unread messages can be overwhelming.

While I don’t advocate phoning every donor monthly, an annual, meaningful phone call from the very right person, has huge value. The side benefit is the person knows for just a minute or two that they are special to your organization. And a face-to-face interaction – well that packs an ever more powerful punch for building a deeper relationship.

I believe there is still room for personal communication in our work and in our lives. Live or voice mail. It’s still good. Warm, authentic messages to say hello, thank you or ask for some quick advice from a long-time donor.

My request: If I phone you, please, please don’t send me an email reply. Just pick up the phone and let’s talk, voice to voice, for a minute or five to get our “thing” handled or scheduled and then move on with our day.

Whew. I feel better!

Just because they aren’t as easily accessible doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the effort to stay in touch with them. In fact, 46% of donors stop giving for reasons connected to a “failure to communicate” according to Penelope Burk’s book, Donor Centered Fundraising.

I suggest year-round communication that ensures supporters know you are thinking about them and their gifts matter. Make a plan for keeping donors and volunteers “in the loop” and stick to it, even this summer. Here are a few quick suggestions:

• Maintain a monthly schedule of donor thank you calls as financial and in-kind contributions arrive. Ideally these are made by a volunteer within about 48 hours of receiving the gift. Leaving a voice mail message can have as much impact as speaking directly with the person. And now they know for sure you noticed their gift and it matters to you that they made a contribution.
• Stay in touch via electronic monthly email newsletter updates that are 250 words or less. These short, compelling messages should generate some “feeling” about your work while also providing some factual information. Less is more in length.
  Format to use:
  - Share a short story or quote from a client
  - Tell what’s working – briefly
  - Give at least one example of what’s missing (i.e what you need more of to serve more people)
• Make a phone call to invite a selected group of financial supporters to participate in a summer event. Invite them to your client picnic, a special day at camp or to stop by for a short visit in the morning when people are lined up to be served by your foodbank.
  It’s the personal invitation that counts. Keep the amount of time short for them to participate in your event and allow the donor to bring their family or a colleague. Most importantly make sure the time spent is meaningful. Have a client shake their hand and thank them for their support or have them arrive just in time to see the kids get their end of camp awards.
  Remember: The donor doesn’t have to attend the event to have the invitation be of value. The phone call inviting them keeps you on their radar and reminded them of how important they are to your organization.
• Have some of your clients create handwritten thank you notes to send to selected supporters.This is a great exercise in teaching youth about the value of thanking others or giving elderly clients a feeling of “helping out.” The note reminds your supporters that there are real people being touched by their contributions.

Creating connections that keep your mission on your supporters minds will impact the effectiveness of your year-end appeal.

The radio story really struck a chord for me because I love the idea of telling a lot with so few words. Now I often have board members and staff create short stories like these in the workshops and fundraising action planning sessions I deliver. I’ve found that people are amazed what can be learned from such a small number of words.

Six-word stories can be used as a headline in a newsletter article, in the subject line for an email you really want read, as the first line of a direct mail letter, on websites, you name it. And yes, less really is more.

Last summer at a Volunteers of America conference in Denver, Jim White from the Colorado affiliate office showed me his collection of six word stories. Here is one of them:

If you remember that when people read something about your organization you want them to want to know MORE. . . then these stories are perfect and packed with lots of emotional connection for readers.

I encourage organizations to create a list of six word stories as a team building exercise at a planning meeting or board meeting. You’ll be amazed at how creative your team can be.

Here are a few more to get your creative juices going:
First Ernest Hemingway’s famous story:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

From Life House in Duluth, MN an awesome organization serving homeless teens:
Homeless doesn’t have to be hopeless.

From the Ely, MN winter festival:
Shhhh! Winter in Ely is fabulous!

My own:
Creates compelling stories to raise millions.

What’s your six-word story that will cause people to want to learn more about you? Let me know!

Priest. Someone who listens with discretion. It’s important when talking with people about money that information learned be held close to the vest due to all the important and private things that may be shared.

CEO. The person with the vision who creates an amazing plan. In this case it’s the annual development plan. This is the take-charge attitude. Development officers exhibiting CEO-type behavior motivate others to help them reach the agency fundraising goals.

Entrepreneur.  Great development officers are self motivated with a drive for results. They don’t need someone looking over their shoulder to meet their goals and often exceed by using new, outside the box strategies.

Ringmaster.  This one is really important. They get in the limelight when it’s important to do so. And then they take themselves out of the limelight to shine the light on others: donors, staff & volunteers.

As Chad explained to me, awesome development officers are all of these at some point in their day. And sometimes they are all of these in the same meeting. Which are you today?

I’ve got a great example that hopefully will spark some good conversation and action at your organization:

Last week I had the great honor of being invited to The Whole Learning School in Plymouth, MN. I was invited to participate in their Drop Everything and Read program which meant I got to spend 20 minutes and read a short book to children in one of the classrooms. I have to tell you it was the most fun I’ve had awhile!

As I entered the classroom, young Mr. Parker greeted me and promptly moved the rocking chair to the front of the reading area so it was situated in just the perfect spot.

Precocious Stephanie told me they had been waiting for me ALL day.

And then we began. I read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. We laughed and giggled and the whole experience lasted about 10 minutes. I stayed in the classroom and chatted for another few minutes and then was on my way. What I got from those 20 minutes was invaluable. I was reminded why this school is extraordinary and why those kids are amazing and why I gave my time and dollars in the first place.

There is literally nothing else they could have asked me to do that would have had so much impact.

My short visit reminded me that they need more dollars – before we joined the classroom a staff person took the time to show me a few things that they need, but didn’t ask me for anything. I’m now ready to make a gift when they do ask.

So, I challenge YOU.

What meaningful experience do YOU have at your organization that will impact a special donor or two or ten? It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Something you are already doing that connects them with the faces of the amazing people you serve. Watching children take their first swimming lesson. Seeing as people pack the containers for lunch deliver of Meals on Wheels. Or maybe seeing your staff greet clients as they arrive scared or hungry at the front door.

Make the phone call, invite a special person in and watch the magic unfold. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Day after day I see that the organizations faring the best have a high level of “social capital” — meaning they have a vast and committed network of relationships built with people inside and outside the organization. Why this is so important is that the success of the organization doesn’t rely just on a charismatic engaging board chair or executive director but on the value of the whole organization and their networks’ willingness to be involved.

Here’s an excerpt and recap from a great read: “Social Capital” is a Charity’s Best Investment by Shirley Sagawa and Deborah Jospin published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, November 27, 2009:

Social capital matters because it leads to all other forms of capital that nonprofit groups need to make a difference, including financial, political, and human capital. Attracting resources is far easier if a nonprofit group has a strong network of dependable relationships at the ready.

To build their social capital, charismatic organizations do several things. Study after study finds that people who support nonprofit organizations, whether as donors, volunteers, or staff members, do so because they want to make a difference. Therefore organizations that want to build their social capital must not only work hard to carry out their charitable goals but also be prepared to show their results with hard numbers and engaging stories. Becoming more focused on results and data makes a nonprofit group more, not less, peoplefocused. Telling their stories compellingly makes them all the more attractive.

Second, people want to be part of a community, and they feel a greater sense of community when they are asked to participate in multiple ways. Charismatic organizations build an appealing culture and make it easy for people to become engaged in their cause, not just as donors but also as volunteers, advisers, and advocates.

Nonprofit groups that want to survive the downturn should:

• Ask for something other than money.
• Keep in mind that while donor dollars may be limited, volunteers may offer an embarrassment of riches.
• Make sure they’re getting results.
• Keep a can-do culture.
• Figure out social networking and other new technologies.
• Collaborate with other organizations to expand a charity’s reach and stretch every dollar
• Invest in people.

I recommend using this list to have meaningful discussions with board and staff about how you are not only striving to raise more dollars, but increasing your level of social capital so that the next time you invite your community to take action they do.

“The organization that I work for has a great base of donors but the top of our pyramid only has 3 donors that we heavily rely on for support. How can we move some of our donors up the donor pyramid?” – from Sacha.

The easy answer is: Ask. Ask more of your donors to increase their gift size at in person meetings AFTER you have spent time with them one-on-one to learn more about WHY they give in the first place.

And, there is more to it than that.

Getting donors to give MORE once they start supporting and investing in your organization is part of what I call the “fun” of development work. Here are a few suggestions on how to create a system to always be working on this:

1. Take a look at your donor list and identify who has given faithfully over a few years, at a significant level, which might be $100 for some organizations or $500 in others and even $1000+ in others. Choose a group of 15 or 20 to start with.

2. Review this list with key leadership (board & staff and even former board members). Identify who would be the very best person to approach each donor to get to know them more deeply and engage them in the work of your organization.

3. Do some donor research next. Either use a firm who handles this or use this list of sites that I identified awhile back to help you dig around and learn more about capacity to give and their interests. Digging For Gold

4. Armed with that data and information, set a goal for what size give you want to invite from each person on the list.

5. Simultaneously, make sure the written messages on your newsletter, website and print materials is very, very clear about what you need the money for…and why more dollars are needed. Don’t ask, but share the facts about cost of your services, waiting lists, and so on.

6. Begin to set visits or phone calls with those identified on your list. Most important in those meetings is to LISTEN to them. Learn more about them. Learn what it is about your work that gets them excited and feeling connected.

7. I’m a big fan of letting the person know that I’d like to ask them to increase their gift, but that I believe they are not ready to do that yet, so I’ll be asking them to do that later, when we’ve spent some time together and I’m certain they ARE ready.

8. Always, on each visit, phone call, email and thank you letter or note, let them know about the waiting list for your services or what you are not able to do today due to limited resources.

9. Keep in touch with these special people gently, so as not to annoy them. Have a board member put a personal note on their thank you letter for their next contribution. Have someone phone them personally to invite them to see the graduation ceremony of your students or volunteers. Expect that only 20-25% will ever attend such functions, but that the phone call alone is doing the work to keep this person connected and engaged.

10. When you KNOW for certain that this person really does love your organization and has the means to say yes to what you want them to do: ASK. But WHO asks is key. It must be the very person they can’t say no to. That could be a client, a former board member, a friend of theirs or you.

11. When they do say yes, for whatever amount they agree to, acknowledge them quickly and personally. AND keep in touch all year long after the gift is given. Don’t forget them and ignore their investment.

This is a short list with lots more I could share about moving people up the donor pyramid. Check out these books for more great tips and strategies about both retaining donors and inviting gifts:

Donor Centered Fundraising, Penelope Burk
Yours For the Asking, Reginald Levy
Asking: A 59 Minute Guide, Jerold Panas

His answer: It’s a process, not an event.

And further he went on to say: “Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.”

I’d say the same about fundraising v. fund development. Often organizations I work with or encounter are looking for the “quick fix.” They invest in the transaction to obtain contributions. They send a letter in the mail and assume I’m going to keep giving forever, no matter how much they do or do not tell me about their work. No matter if they keep me “in the loop” or not about what’s going on with increases in demand for service or the cost of providing their amazing service.

I’m often asked at a 1^st or 2^nd meeting with an organization to make a financial contribution. There often hasn’t been any thought put into the invitation. They have simply decided they like me and THEY want my support. The “ask” almost feels like now that I know more about them – I OWE them or something. Hmmm. That may be the wrong thing for me to feel, but it’s true.

Development efforts are about the process. My definition of development: Gentle conversations (in person, on the phone, via email or printed mailings) over time that allow both parties to feel as though it’s a mutually beneficial thing to be connected via contributions of time, dollars, advice, in-kind services and so on.

In an effort to “get the job done” and show the board or CEO that we are good at increasing the number of or size of gifts, the development process is often shortened or ignored.

As you set your plans for this new year, I encourage ALL organizations seeking to raise solid, ongoing financial or other kinds of support to invest in the development process. The “getting to know our investors” kind of work that will ensure support in good times and bad.

Fund development takes longer, has a plan and engages more of the staff and board to produce better long-term results.

Oh, and yes, invest in the process of social media too. Combined, both social media and true fund development work provide astounding results.

“Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up.

Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around. I hope a new ebook I’ve organized will get you started on that path. It took months, but I think you’ll find it worth it the effort.

Here are more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O’Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here. The ebook includes Tom Peters, Jackie Huba and Jason Fried, along with Gina Trapani, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber.

Here’s the deal: it’s free. Download it here.”

I hope you’ll take the time to download Seth’s ebook and read each page. It’s a fast, fun read and a great conversation starter. Share it with others and start a chain reaction of excited, fresh thinking.

In my work I’m committed to providing a new lens to view all that we do to raise awareness and dollars for great social causes. Thank you to each of you who have worked harder and smarter this year than ever before. I’m proud to be a part of the social sector and I look forward to 2010 when together we will find more ways to challenge our thinking and more useful ways to focus our time and energy.

I welcome hearing your comments and feedback about Seth’s ebook.

Happy holidays!