Brady Josephson

The Far Side of Fundraising Tip of the Week Transactional fundraising leads to high rates of donor loss. Most organizations lose 4 out of 5 first-time donors. The more rapidly and impersonally we secure support, the more we sub-optimize giving potential and the more rapidly donors depart. High rates of donor attrition, coupled with the continue contraction of giving households, spell long-term disaster for most nonprofits. Don't follow the transactional lemmings as they plunged into the sea. Adopt sustainable practices. You may be in the minority but you will help your organization survive and eventually thrive. This one requires that you closely to see who stands out in adopting sustainable practices.

130

31 Comments

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy talks about the need for a "whole-of-society approach" to advancing social connection. We've tried to heed that call in our work at Einhorn Collaborative, supporting a broader range of efforts that engage actors across sectors. That includes: Projects like Team Up to enlist large national civic organizations with a presence in local communities to help people build connection across difference through service. Research groups like Building H to measure the impact of products on consumers’ health and urge companies to do better to improve social connection and other health outcomes. Initiatives like Human Connections AI to bring together social connection experts with technologists to puzzle through how AI companions can be designed to enhance and not degrade human relationships. Another project that has helped us explore a facet of the whole-of-society approach is the Connective Tissue Framework, which puts forward a range of recommendations for how government – especially at the local level – can create the structural conditions and everyday opportunities for people to experience healthy connection. I've learned a lot from Sam Pressler, lead author of Connective Tissue. In this piece, I asked Sam to share more about the story behind the framework and a few highlights. https://lnkd.in/esayJU3b

94

14 Comments

Much of the work we do at Building Impact Partners is about helping donors get more money moving to where it’s most needed. My first book, Money with Meaning (https://bit.ly/3CHmwtv) is part of that effort. It's written as a DIY guide for donors looking for more meaningful giving--where social impact and personal fulfillment come together. I launched the book back in June 2023, I am so grateful for all the help, support and encouragement from friends and colleagues, helping the book hit #1 in the Philanthropy, Charity and Nonprofit Fundraising categories on Amazon, not only in launch week but a couple times since then. One of the best parts has been hearing stories directly from readers about how it has made a difference in their lives and helped them gear up their giving. So why am I posting about this now? Because the end of year giving season is upon us and there is still so much untapped potential in philanthropy--literally trillions of dollars on the sidelines. This is the unique time of year when many donors who’ve been putting off their giving start to give it more attention. This giving season feels all the more pivotal because over the past year or so many of us who work in the philanthropy and fundraising space have been hearing from amazing leaders and organizations that they have started to hit a wall in their fundraising efforts. Even as many organizations are doing their best work in a world that is literally and figuratively on fire, many are growing beyond their base of existing donors and running out of folks to ask. I know from what readers have already shared that this book can really make a difference. But one of the challenges with a niche book like this is that conventional marketing isn’t a great way to reach the book’s core audience of wealthy individuals and their advisors. This is an audience for whom personal recommendations and word of mouth go a particularly long way.    So, if you’re game to help boost this book, please help spread the word--whether by sharing this post, buying a copy, gifting a copy, writing a review or recommending it to someone you know. I’ve created a simple 30-second form (https://bit.ly/4fWsc1L) with options for how to help (plenty of which don’t require you to have a rolodex full of wealthy would-be donors!) If you complete the form we’ll follow up with you directly to make next steps fast and easy. Asking for help isn’t always easy, but I definitely feel more comfortable doing so because I believe that getting this book into more people’s hands has potential benefits not only for those who read it--but also for extraordinary social entrepreneurs who will benefit from the resources that flow when more people begin taking action to gear up their giving.   With much gratitude! --Alex

61

2 Comments

“What do LPs want to see from a GP offering an impact fund?”   In this New Private Markets article, featuring insights from Monument Group, Toby Mitchenall lays out some best practice recommendations for fundraising success in the impact space, ranging from a detailed theory of change to incorporating sustainability objectives into performance reviews. #PrivateEquity #ImpactInvesting #Fundraising

4

The National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG) and 21/64 are partnering on a survey to assess the practice of philanthropy by understanding the behavior and attitudes of grantmakers and the consultants and advisors who serve them. If you are a donor, staff at a grantmaking institute, or a consultant or advisor who works in the field of philanthropy, take this survey and share your insights on the role of consultants and advisors in helping Grantmakers advance their philanthropy:

5

1 Comment

The National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG) and 21/64 are partnering on a survey to assess the practice of philanthropy by understanding the behavior and attitudes of grantmakers and the consultants and advisors who serve them. If you are a donor, staff at a grantmaking institute, or a consultant or advisor who works in the field of philanthropy, take this survey and share your insights on the role of consultants and advisors in helping Grantmakers advance their philanthropy:

6

1 Comment

Foundations and corporate donors must reimagine their role, not just as funders but as partners in nonprofit innovation. With the proper support, nonprofits can create transformative change, ensuring communities survive and thrive in an ever-changing world. At the intersection of social innovation, trust-based philanthropy, and capacity building... there's this 👇

3

CMAC's Adam Compton does a really nice job summarizing NextAfter's digital-first fundraising benchmarking work in this post. Point 4 is so critical and so often overlooked. In the rush to acquire, how do we retain our donors? Downloadable resources and personalized thank-yous are often just a little extra effort for terrific return. What's working for you? -KI

8

Many #nonprofit CEOs find themselves in this tricky spot… Their organization is ready to get to the next level in their #fundraising success, but they need funding to get there. I usually meet with three CEOs per week, and at least one of them is faced with this challenge. In those meetings, I often suggest researching foundations that provide capacity building grants that can support their work on enhancing their fundraising operations. While I wish I had time to guide everyone through this one-on-one, I don’t… so I wrote an article that outlines how the conversation often goes! If you’re a charity leader who is thinking about investing in your organization’s fundraising abilities but the funding isn’t available yet, I hope this is helpful. 💰 😁 https://lnkd.in/eEt9wN8w

19

Nonprofits and professional advisors should be leveraging National Estate Planning Awareness Week. What an impact it can make in our communities!

3

📚 HCD Reads 📚: The Power of Place-Based Partnerships 🌟 This impactful article from Inside Philanthropy talks about the power of place-based partnerships in advancing equity. This piece explores how strategic collaborations and localized efforts can drive meaningful change and tackle systemic inequities. Discover how place-based partnerships are transforming communities, and learn about the innovative approaches being used to create more equitable opportunities. #PlaceBasedPartnerships #CommunityTransformation #inclusivecommunities Full article here: https://ow.ly/8vtM50SXQB0 🚀

3

Flagging this call for articles, creative writing, and art from the Nonprofit Quarterly Magazine on "A Social Justice Lens for Health Innovation" - Deadline is September 30th. "Our upcoming issue will delve into how technological innovations have, at times, exacerbated and deepened health inequities. Importantly, it will also discuss the significant potential of these innovations to enhance health and wellbeing when applied effectively and responsibly. We are seeking articles written by movement leaders and practitioners in the field that lay out the current state of health innovations, concerns of those working in the field of health, and visions for a socially just, ethical, and responsible direction forward. We also welcome creative approaches to these topics. Questions we would like you to consider: How can we use innovation as a tool to advance resilience, justice, and love? How can we ensure that technological innovations, which are often framed as good for humankind, are not in fact being used to further racist, sexist, capitalist, and/or authoritarian agendas?" https://lnkd.in/eviTX37c

9

I’ve written about year-end planning a lot, including messaging tips and strategies to leverage matching gifts and prioritize your major donors. All of those recommendations still apply this year, but 2024 is likely to be very different because of the election. Whether your work is steeped in advocacy and the outcome of the election is pivotal to your mission or you’re further removed from policies or government, your donors are likely to be distracted and preoccupied this fall. What does this mean for you? It’s more important than ever that you have a clear strategy and solid plan in place for year-end fundraising this year. Read more here. Also, as a bonus, we have a complimentary end-of-year planning template. To get your copy, please comment below. https://lnkd.in/gb-_jaQx

7

It’s always good to remind yourself of the fundamentals before writing a fundraising appeal. Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE shares an “8-Step Annual Fundraising Appeal Self-Test” to guide you in producing more effective fundraising appeal writing. Simple practices such as the “you test” and the “Flesh-Kincaid grade level test” can help ensure your letters are getting read and are significantly impacting your readers. https://lnkd.in/e4vPnAxM #fundraising #nonprofits

3

2 Comments