Some important points to remember when planning and organizing special event fundraisers for your charity.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
I wish everyone and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving. Although the Pandemic is preventing many of us from enjoying a traditional celebration with our loved ones, we should all try to make the best of the situation.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise during this second wave, please wear a mask and practice social distancing to help curb the spread and keep us all safe. Getting through this crisis together will make next year’s feast all the more special.
Stay well,
Mike
HAPPY LABOUR DAY 2020!!!
I hope everyone enjoys a safe and memorable Labour Day 2020!! I also want to extend my warmest wishes to parents and guardians everywhere for a safe and healthy return to school for all their children.
Please do bear in mind that the Pandemic is still very prevalent among us, so remember to continue social distancing practices and wear a mask if you venture in public.
Stay well,
Mike
WE Charity Scandal Is A Huge Setback For Public Trust In The Non-Profit Sector
HAPPY CANADA DAY 2020!!!
Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Canada Day 2020!!! I hope everyone enjoys some treasured time with their loves ones in their personal bubbles or virtually with friends and family.
Remember to continue social distancing practices and wear a mask if you venture in public. Things will be much better and happier in 2021, I promise! But we cannot let our guard down in the process.
Stay well,
Mike
Starting the Stewardship Conversation With Donors During The Pandemic
Board Members Should Always Be Stewarded First
Reminder To Register For Our Free Online Workshops
You still have time to sign up for our free virtual workshops - “Engaging Board Members In Fundraising Activities” - on Friday, May 8th, 2020 and Wednesday, June 10th, 2020. Both sessions are from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm EST. You can register for the May 8th workshop by clicking here and for the June 10th session by clicking here.
Please share this with your staff, board, volunteers and colleagues.
Here Is A Facebook Post Of Mine From Earlier This Month I'd Like To Share
Since the Covid-19 Crisis still requires most of us to remain in our homes in the collective effort to flatten the curve, I thought that I would share something below that I posted on Facebook earlier this month:
"Despite all the tragedy, pessimism and uncertainty the Covid-19 Crisis has caused, there have been a lot of incredible things happening about which we do not hear. Stories of companies coming together to mass produce desperately needed items like masks, gloves, scarves, and manufacturing anything that will keep us safe. Widespread understanding and acceptabce of the fact that a second or third wave is forthcoming, but one that we will actually be prepared for. Families and friends everywhere who respect and embrace social distancing even though they do not enjoy it. Scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical companies internationally coming together and cranking up efforts to discover not only a vaccine, but a treatment or some therapy that can slow the spread of th virus. All these events are sources of optimism that this entire horror movie may get behind us sooner as opposed to later. It is amazing what happens when we work together as opposed to separately."
Enjoy and Stay Well,
Mike Paquet
Covid-19 Has Knocked Many Organizations Down, But Not Out
As much as I wish I could begin creating blog entries on an endless array of fundraising topics, it is impossible to evade the framing of any posts outside the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Oh how I yearn to embark on an information-sharing quest that covers crucial subjects like major gifts, stewarding donors, corporate philanthropy, monthly giving, donor data management, peer-to-peer only appeals, case statement development and campaign cabinet recruitment.
Yet the pervasive nature of the coronavirus prevents me from doing this. Much like the private sector, charities have been devastated by the prevalent risk and the fallout from the mitigation efforts imposed to contain the spread of this horrific disease. Social distancing and self-isolation practices has forced organizations to close their offices, layoff staff, cancel fundraising events and postpone Annual General Meetings. Tight restrictions on programming have greatly reduced the ability of non-profits and charitable groups to serve and create positive change in their communities.
The financial and social capital health for Canadian organizations is also in peril as the anticipated revenue they were expecting from project grants, spring galas, walkathons, Easter appeals, user fees and facility rentals will not be arriving. Current donors are rechannelling their gifts towards Covid-19 relief projects and prospective supporters are electing also to send their contributions in that direction. Some organizations are even losing the investments of time and talents from their volunteer forces to the urgently needed backup support for regional healthcare and front-line workers.
Like the business sector, however, charities are adapting to sustain their service capacity and make what progress they can towards achieving their mandates. Organizations are using video conferencing to hold board meetings, enable staff to work from home, deliver community outreach webinars, hold peer counselling sessions and provide literacy tutoring. Social media apps like Zoom and Skype are even moving traditional fundraisers from live to virtual events where participants can traverse five to ten kilometres in the safety of their own living rooms. Despite so much upheaval, many organizations are finding a way.
Resilience is also limited. At some point even organizations that are creatively robust must emerge to address the mounting need for their services or face the crushing possibility of closing their doors for good. Important issues like mental health, adult literacy, youth leadership development and environmental conservation persist. The urgency to solve them will not disappear after the discovery of a coronavirus vaccine. Rather they may likely worsen.
Anticipating such an outcome and preparing for it is crucial for organizations to serve their communities effectively. A major preparatory component of any post-Covid-19 fundraising plan is safeguarding the balance between generating immediate income to pay the bills with the long-term need of building a sustainable donor base. To that end using this time to reconnect with long-time and even lapsed donors and volunteers is a huge step towards fulfilling this objective.
During normal times the volume of programming and administrative matters prevent staff and board from devoting much attention to advancing donor and stakeholder relations. So let us capitalize on this surplus time to bring our major donors up to speed on the impact that their gifts have made on the well-being of the people who are served, make sure they are keeping well during this crisis, hear their impressions of your organization’s progress, and to clarify any misconceptions they may have regarding how your programs are meeting the community’s needs. You can also share any exciting news about upcoming events, emerging partnerships, anticipated grant approvals or approaching organizational milestones. Most importantly, they must be reminded that because of their involvement you are closer to realizing your mission and vision.
Resurrecting ties with lapsed or neglected supporters is another invaluable usage of lockdown time that can significantly enhance your organization’s sustainability. Since they already are familiar with your work and have already demonstrated affinity for your mission, considerably less time and energy are required to engage them. Your aim is to help them rediscover their passion for the cause. Bear in mind there may be a highly sensitive reason why they withdrew their support. Be extremely tactful at first and strongly assure them your purpose in contacting them is not to solicit donations. Instead provide them with a platform to air any grievances or negativity they may have harboured for years. Odds are they will appreciate the gesture and consequently may wish to “catch up” with your organization on all fronts.
Creating a dialogue with fresh or prospective supporters is also time well spent during a Pandemic lockdown. Although not yet acquainted with the impact of your programs, they can develop a strong affinity for your mission in a short timeframe when properly stewarded. You have an opportunity to help new supporters find the causes with which they will align themselves for life.
Whether the medium is social media, video conferencing, email or telephone, when advancing ties during the Covid-19 lockdowns the objective remains the same – help supporters gain a heightened sense of ownership in the quest for fulfilling your mandate. Steering your organization through crises is easier and its future viability is protected when this perspective is adopted.
Everyone hopes a Covid-19 vaccine is found sooner than later so we can put this terrible period behind us. However, we must all continue to practice social distancing, wash our hands regularly and stay home in the interests of saving lives and eradicating this virus. As the curve flattens we look forward to sharing the above-mentioned bounty of fundraising topics with you.
All the Best and Stay Well,
Mike Paquet
Greetings and Welcome to the Opening Entry in Our New Sustainable Solutions Blog
Wow! What a time to be launching the inaugural post of Sustainable Solutions – the official blog of People First Fundraising Solutions. Nearly every country on Earth is embracing social distancing and encouraging their citizens to hunker down in their homes in solidarity to combat the novel coronavirus and ‘flatten the curve’. At the time of this post, the virus has infected more than 1.3 million people with close to 75,000 deaths worldwide.
Although some progress in containing the spread of the illness has been achieved in places like China, South Korea and Italy, the exponential growth of new cases continues for most nations. Populations are scared, schools and businesses are closed, economies are in peril and regular life has screeched to a grinding halt. People are scared for their futures and are desperately turning to their leaders for answers.
We have not confronted a crisis of the magnitude since 9/11 and many of us recall how the fear of that horrific chapter in our world’s history gripped us so tightly, executing simple daily activities became a challenge. As they are doing now, people turned to their leaders for solutions and thankfully many responded to unify their populace and commence the war on terrorism.
However, not all leaders have been as responsive or dependable during this pandemic as evidenced by the inexcusable shortages of testing kits for suspected cases, ventilators for severely infected patients and Personal Protective Equipment for the courageous doctors and health care workers battling to contain the disease. In spite of a lack of support, many communities have taken ownership and are finding ways themselves of acquiring the resources they need to save the lives of their citizens. Rather than wait and hope for government assistance that is likely not forthcoming, many key people of influence have stepped up, galvanized their communities and discovered ways of getting what they need to ‘flatten the curve’.
True leaders do not wait or place their hopes on exogenous forces to obtain the resources they need to help the people they pledged to serve. They do not defer responsibility or allow petty disagreements with others interfere with their duties. Listening to their people and fully understanding their needs before formulating plans is a step that true leaders never fail to take. Real leaders foster collaboration and team chemistry. In short, real leaders find a way to solve problems optimizing every asset at their disposal to get the job done.
We in the fund development profession must espouse these tenets when helping organizations establish sustainable bases of support so they may achieve their missions. It is our duty to ensure that the change that the organizations with whom we work are striving to create not rest upon factors outside of their control like government grants. We must step up as leaders to do all we can to help organizations devise sustainable fundraising strategies so they can take ownership of their quests to fulfill their missions.
Chief among our obligations is introducing organizations to new sources of ongoing revenue such as third-party fundraising, peer-to-peer appeals, special events and major gifts so they may diversify their bases of support. Equally crucial is ensuring that organizations safeguard the functionality of their fund development infrastructure items including their fundraising volunteer teams, donor database software, gift processing systems and effective stewardship practices. Ultimately, fundraising leaders must ensure that their organizations focus on nurturing a solid and loyal donor base that positions them to respond proactively to the evolving needs of their communities.
In the entries ahead our aim is that you will discover new insights, perspectives and strategies to enhance your organization’s, community’s or enterprise’s ability to acquire the resources to create positive change. We urge you to bookmark and visit our Upcoming Workshops page regularly to hear about our scheduled Online and In-Person Grant Writing and Fundraising Workshops that we have planned. Whether you are a fund development professional, volunteer, staff or board member, your fundraising knowledge will be enriched through these reading experiences. We are grateful to have you and we look forward to sharing them with you.
Times are scary, so please continue to embrace social distancing and stay well.
All the best,
Mike
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People want to believe that the pandemic is over when it is still very prevalent. -
Good Morning Everyone! Get Your Week Off To A Flying Start!!🦋🛸🥏🪁🪰
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RT @CathyJMann: Agree or disagree? https://t.co/JPosrE4dZm
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Good Morning Everyone! Make It A Magnificient Monday!!🖤🤍🧡💛🌞😄😀🤡🥳🧐
