The Annual Giving Exchange

In 2009 we watched our economy hit bottom (we hope), Barack Obama rise, Tiger Woods fall, Bernard Madoff go to jail, the King of Pop pass away, a hot air balloon hoax, two wars, and healthcare reform.

In annual giving, we watched postage costs go up again, phonathon contact rates decline, and online gifts continue to grow.

On a personal note, I recently agreed to join Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), a philanthropic management consulting firm, as Vice President of Annual Giving.  As part of the GG+A team, I will continue to publish this blog and look forward to staying connected with all of its readers.

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Happy New Year!  All the best in 2010!

There are many ways to motivate your phonathon callers including games, raises, bonuses, recognition awards, and priority scheduling.

The phonathon manager at Tufts University celebrated this holiday season by baking cookies for her staff.  The headset is my favorite part.

Sometimes it’s the creative, thoughtful, and simple things that motivate us best of all.

Happy Holidays!

The following email was sent from an alumnus to his alma mater.

“Congratulations! You have succeeded in making your online giving form so difficult to find that I will not be able to make a donation this year.”

Many online retailers (the ones that are still in business after six months) invest great time and resources to create an online experience that makes it simple and easy for customers to buy their products. Shouldn’t nonprofits be doing the same for their donors?

Design matters.

The folks at Amazon.com get it. Fundraisers should too.

DonorBadge is a subscription-based software application that helps nonprofits encourage peer-to-peer fundraising on Facebook and other social media platforms. Here’s how it works:

1. A nonprofit subscribes to DonorBadge and integrates the tool into its existing online giving infrastructure.
2. A donor makes a gift to that nonprofit.
3. A “badge” (which includes the nonprofit’s logo) is displayed on the donor’s Facebook profile.
4. The donor is prompted to share the news of their gift with friends.
5. A message is sent to those friends along with a link to the nonprofit’s online giving form.
6. Tracking and analysis is provided through DonorBadge.

The University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley have already tested DonorBadge.  For more information, contact Shankar Radhakrishnan at shankarr@orbees.com.

1. Recognizes that the devil is in the details, but always keeps an eye on the big picture.
2. Good at delegating, even better at managing-up.
3. Familiar with FCC guidelines on telemarketing to mobile phones.
4. Knows how much (and why) postage has increased over the past decade.
5. Appreciates that social media isn’t just for young people.
6. Expects 100% Annual Fund participation from their board.
7. Has a sense of humor.
8. Starts every donor conversation with two words: thank you.
9. Understands the difference between data mining and predictive modeling.
10. Realizes the #1 reason people give to charity is because they’re asked.