By Kris Kindelsperger

August marks the practical beginning of the fundraising year for education institutions and others that are on a fiscal year beginning in June or July.

So what does the coming year look like from a fundraising perspective?

We don’t hear many development staff believing that 2011-2012 is going to be dramatically better. A slower than expected economic recovery, continued high unemployment, and the remaining uncertainty around a whole range of fiscal policy issues don’t do much to suggest that this will be a banner year in fundraising, at least based on donor confidence.

In our observation many annual fund programs have been holding their own and, in some cases, growing modestly.

Donors are not abandoning the organizations that they have funded over time.

Attracting new donors is a challenge, and our research on millennial donors suggests ever more sophisticated strategies will be required to secure them as donors.

Designated giving continues to be popular. Giving online, and the use of social media are all growing though not at the rate some had projected just a few years ago. Most institutions find they need to “do it all” – mail, phonathon, social media, online giving, and personal visitation to get the job done.

Major gifts are a bit trickier. Donor confidence continues to wax and wane, and a gift officers continue to hear some variance of:  “I’m not sure this is the best time; I’m waiting to see if my business recovers; I’m waiting to see what the market will do, My broker is cautioning me to go slow.”

I’m not sure you would define this phenomenon as exactly “stalling techniques” but the decision making that goes into making major gifts -particularly lead and large major gifts – is definitely impacting the timelines of campaigns and other time-sensitive fundraising projects.

Capital fundraising, especially for new buildings, seems to have lost much of its luster with more and more individuals and foundations focusing on programs and endowment.

Planned gifts are an increasing part of the mix of larger commitments.  Extended payment schedules (up to 10 years or more) as well as structured gifts that don’t mature until the donor’s death are frequently negotiated to reach high 6 figure and 7 figure gifts.

These realities do not seem to be dampening the expectations of nonprofit leaders or boards.  The pressure to raise more and more remains strong. 

Our advice is to take a deep breath, plan well, be assertive, try new techniques, and continue to build personal relationships with your organization. 

People and organizations are still giving and still giving generously.  But staff and volunteers alike need to be prepared that minus a “lightening strike,” geometric growth in fundraising results may not be in the cards for 2011-12.

by Ted Grossnickle

The Millennial Donor Summit (MDS11) has just concluded and what a fantastic day it has been.

Hundreds of participants, wonderful partners and sponsors and stimulating speakers combined to create an energy and dynamism around the topic of engaging Millennials which I modestly would suggest has never occurred nationally – until now.

The twittersphere was alive with tweets about #millennialdonors and #MDS11. It is estimated in excess of 400,000 twitter message impressions were shared today about this event.

More importantly, there was sharing of ideas and expertise between people who are both knowledgeable and passionate about making good things happen for people around the world— and harnessing the volunteerism and philanthropy of people between the ages of 20 and 35.

To quote Henry Ford: “we have seen the future and it works.”

Today’s event was also notable for another reason. The teams at JGA and Achieve started the day at “a run” and didn’t slow down until the virtual summit hall closed at 6pm EST. And despite- or perhaps because of this- a sense of fun and inspiration pervaded the team and made the day fly by.

We know there are good lessons here for us if we turn out to be smart enough to pay attention to them…

To each of you who participated, we thank you!

For those of you who missed the day, you can still see the speakers and other aspects of the day at a bargain price by visiting www.mdsummit11.com and following the instructions to access all of the archived presentations, chat and exhibitor materials.

We extend special thanks to the Case Foundation who were terrific sponsors and partners!  And, also a heartfelt thanks to those that helped us spread the word about this thought-provoking day – AFP, NTEN, The Chronicle on Philanthropy. 

To learn more about what was covered, scan the coverage of  our official blogger correspondents Katya Andresen, Amy Sample Ward, Kivi Leroux Miller, Beth Kanter and Nathan Hand.

Have a great summer!!

by Andy Canada

Spend the day at your desk (or your favorite wireless hotspot) learning LIVE and interacting with leaders who are helping nonprofits engage the next generation. 

Can’t spend the whole day with us, don’t worry, your registration gives you access to the archived presentations for a full year.

This virtual conference will explore how to engage Millennials beyond the donation with real examples of activation, engagement and innovation; see fresh new uses of technology - from social media to mobile; and hear honest cross-generational dialogue about what works and doesn’t in organizations big and small.

Speakers include:

• Angela White, JGA
• Heidi Adams, LIVESTRONG
• Geoff Livingston, Zoetica
• Jacob Colker, Sparked.com
• Wendy Harman, American Red Cross
• George Weiner, DoSomething.org
• Erica Smith, Society By Design

And many more!

Our closing speaker Barbara Pierce Bush shares how she and her team at the Global Health Corps are leveraging the unique characteristics of Millennials across all sectors to address the global health crisis.

Click here to view the full agenda and read speaker bios.

Register Today! For only $75 per individual or $300 for an organization (up to 5 individual logins) your pass allows you to attend the summit, view the conference speakers online live, participate in conversations, and download the presentations anytime for the next 12 months.

by Ted Grossnickle

Corporate leader and philanthropist Bill Cook died late last week. He had what may have been the perfect “wake” or memorial service in the next two days when hundreds gathered at his most recent project: The Indiana Landmarks Center. What a stunning transformation he helped to lead and fund there. The facility is a bright renewed (and adapted) addition to Indiana’s collection of very special places— and that collection of places itself is in part Cook’s legacy.

Yet what may well be even more enduring than the places he helped to save with his wife Gayle and son Carl is the change in how we think in this State of Indiana.

Cook made all of us realize that great works in physical space, tremendous restorations and readapted use are not really about the buildings. They are about people. When Cook, his family and colleagues— and all the talented designers, architects, craftsmen, engineers and others worked on a project like Landmarks Center or West Baden – or many others- they help all of us rethink what we all can be. What we might be. 

Most restoration and preservation work gets attention because of how nice the restored facility looks — often transforming what had been an eyesore or place about which neighbors worried. What gets overlooked is how many people come together to work and change and improve a place. Projects a hundred times smaller than West Baden or Landmarks Center all across Indiana engage and activate citizens, get them involved in their towns and help turn them into leaders. The people themselves are transformed- because they come together to remake something in their midst.

Cook was a huge force for good in this way— and that force may well last way beyond the buildings he helped restore.

For donors ages 20-35, celebrity endorsements offer little sway and personal asks trump technology

INDIANAPOLIS (April 7, 2011) – While the Millennial generation has often been characterized as a self-centered, technologically plugged-in and personally disconnected group, a new survey reveals that people ages 20 to 35 are in fact diverse, human and ready to give.

The second annual Millennial Donors Study conducted by Achieve and Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates (JGA) finds that of the 3,000 people ages 20 to 35 who responded to the survey, 93 percent gave to nonprofit organizations in 2010, with 10 percent giving $1,000 or more.

One of the key factors contributing to that generosity is an organization’s trustworthiness. Nearly 85 percent of respondents said they would be very or somewhat interested in giving to organizations they can fully trust; on the other hand, nine out of 10 donors said they would stop giving to an organization if it somehow lost their trust.

This year’s survey echoed a number of questions from last year’s but also delved into new areas and offered more detail in an effort to provide new insights into the giving habits of Millennials.

To download the complete study, learn more about Millennials and register to participate in a free Webinar on April 21, visit www.MillennialDonors.com.

To further explore the next generation of donors, join us on June 22, as JGA and Achieve partner with the CASE Foundation to present a virtual summit you can attend right from your desk.  MDS11 will feature national speakers challenging the traditional modes of fundraising and engagement. Watch for registration information soon at MillennialDonors.com.

by Meg Gammage- Tucker

Fundraising is now recognized by many as a “noble profession.” 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu recognized it in his plenary session at last year’s AFP International Conference, we were reminded by Paulette Maehara, retiring President and CEO of AFP International (of 13 years).  And, Queen Latifah renewed the topic at Monday’s plenary presentation in Chicago: fundraising is a “noble” profession. 

I have to admit, when I hear these accolades for the fundraising profession, I am pleasantly reminded of how far we have come. 

When I was growing up—people who asked for money were considered odd or—at times—offensive.   Even when I became a member of AFP (when it was NSFRE in 1991), we were often called “professional beggars” or “nonprofit salesmen.”

Not so in 2011.  Fundraising as the promotion of philanthropy (or voluntary support for the public good) is now considered a noble calling…

Queen Latifah put philanthropy and her commitment to giving so well in today’s session:  “in the giving, there is no ego….doing good becomes infectious”. 

And then she complimented those in the room and the thousands of others who do this good work for a living:  “you are changing lives….and you do what needs to be done—just do it with honor…”you are part of a noble profession—but with it comes the responsibility to build trust and great moral and ethical responsibility…”

People who raise funds and support for nonprofits are not compensated at a high level financially.  Rather, they are compensated by helping the organizations and causes that they are passionate about.  And, while a good living is always appreciated—in this writer’s opinion, it is better compensation than ultimately is achieved financially.

It is a joy to listen to someone like Queen Latifah who honors those in her life—family and friends—by giving back….by “being blessed and wanting to bless others.” 

It reminds us all of why we are here and what impact we can have through the wonderful work that is philanthropy.  We are truly doing good work.

We must remember—and honor those who help us to be successful like Queen Latifah and Archbishop Tutu—we must do it to the best of our ability.  Millions of lives, people, and causes are depending on us—let’s keep doing it well and maintain the highest ethical and moral standards possible…

by Angela E. White

Chief Shoe Giver is the title of Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS shoes. Blake was the opening speaker at the AFP International Conference in Chicago on March 20, 2011.

Blake’s interesting title reflects his entrepreneurial spirit – creating a for profit company that makes giving back the core concept of the company.

His story of creating TOMS Shoes is fascinating, including the role of women in test marketing the concept of marrying consumer purchasing and philanthropy and the powerful impact of storytelling.

Get online and read about Blake and the story of TOMS Shoes. TOMS gave away their one millionth shoe this year – amazing!

Blake’s title got me thinking of how we might re-title ourselves in the work that we do in philanthropy.

Perhaps instead of our common titles of Director of Development or Major Gift Officer, we might adopt the titles of Director of Making a Difference or Chief Life Changer.

Thinking about what our titles might be causes us to peel back our work to the core of what we do – the foundation of why we are engaged in this work of philanthropy.

Ponder your real title and the impact that you make in the world and how you can implement TOMS Shoes’ “one for one” concept in your work.

By “one-to-one”, I encourage you to think about how you can make certain that you incorporate giving into your for-profit partnerships.  While you ponder, I am on my way out to buy some TOMS Shoes!

P.S.     April 5th is TOMS One Day Without Shoes  – a day for you to go barefoot to experience what is like to go barefoot and for the hundreds of thousands of people who have to go barefoot everyday because they have no choice. April 5th also happens to be my birthday, and I ask you to join me in raising awareness for the health and safety needs of those children around the world who have no shoes. Who knows, maybe all of JGA will be barefoot that day!

by Angela E. White

Having just returned from the Center on Philanthropy’s Symposium entitled “Women World Wide – Leading through Philanthropy”, I was struck by this proverb shared at the conference by Elaine Lyerly, National Co-Chair of the American Red Cross’ Tiffany Circle, a society of women leaders.

If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go farther, go together.

– African proverb

In just 5 years, the Tiffany Circle has engaged more than 700 women making annual contributions of at least $10,000 per year, raising over $30 million for the mission of the Red Cross. The Tiffany Circle is now expanding the concept internationally.

At the Symposium, the transformational women philanthropists focused on changing the global philanthropic landscape. And, if there ever was a group of women who could change the global landscape, this was it!

We learned from an amazing group of speakers, including Maya Ajmera who founded the Global Fund for Children 16 years ago, at age 24. Maya spoke eloquently about her experience on the train platform in India 16 years ago when she encountered one woman teaching a circle of 50 children who were orphans living and begging at the train station platform. From this experience, Maya created an international organization that has supported innovative change for women and children across the globe.

This is just one example of many. Check the Symposium website in the coming weeks for recorded sessions of the speakers’ presentations to be posted. I encourage you to listen to these presentations and to reflect upon how you can go farther by engaging women in causes in which you are involved.

One more thought – there were more than 200 participants at the Symposium representing 13 different countries. Among this diverse group, there were only about 25 men in the audience.

If we are going to make global change through women’s philanthropy, we need a greater gender balance at these conversations. I challenge you to strive for balance in these conversations around your tables.

by Ted Grossnickle

Sometimes the best conversations in a consulting practice happen when you have a group of colleagues together and a topic arises unexpectedly— and it causes all of us to think about an issue facing a client.

This certainly provides a glimpse into what values drive our practice and it also makes us realize we are often hearing or dealing with the same issues across a wide range of non-profit clients.

Recently at JGA, one of those issues popped up. We have a client near the end of a significant capital campaign. The campaign leadership faces a set of big challenges in terms of building a strong volunteer and staff team and a big goal in terms of dollars to be raised. They also face the challenge of creating a sense of ownership and participation among their constituents and the community.

As they celebrate the success of the campaign and near the dollar goal ahead of schedule, many campaign volunteers have suggested they should immediately “declare victory” and end the campaign early.

After all, they reasoned, “we will have raised the initial dollar goal we set out to achieve, that is what we told everyone for this phase and why should we go on after that?”

There was just one problem. The amount to raise wasn’t the only goal. Another critical goal was to make everyone feel a part of this very public effort — and to help everyone see that they could play a role in making something very important in the region happen. And not everyone had been given a chance to make a gift.

We often make the case to our clients that philanthropy is about more than just raising money – it is an opportunity for us to allow others to become involved and demonstrate support. Donors want to feel that they have a role in accomplishing something for the organization. They want a chance to participate.

Holding true to those values, our counsel to the client was to continue to conduct the campaign and to make clear that everyone should be given an opportunity to make a gift.

Campaigns are about more than a goal; if we believe in the common work we do in philanthropy, we surely believe that gifts at the lower end of the gift table are just as important as those at the top — and that those donors need to express their generosity as well.

I’m proud of my colleagues and proud of our client for upholding those values so well.