Issue 17
August 14, 2003

NEWSNOTES is a monthly email newsletter published by Nonprofit Enterprise at Work. It includes items of interest to the nonprofit community in Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas, as well as resources available at NEW. Encourage your friends and colleagues to join 260 other NEWSNOTES subscribers!

NEW would like to recognize the generous support of its partners:

IN THIS ISSUE

LEAD STORY

Fundraising: How to Beat the Competition

Nonprofits come to Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) with all types of information needs. What is often at the top of the list? You can probably guess… fundraising! Where can we find funders willing to finance our programs? How can we improve our fundraising strategies? NEW can help with these questions, but first let's look at the current fundraising environment.

Professional fundraiser Chip Grizzard summed up the fundraising scene in a recent article at www.onphilanthropy.com: Three Fundraising Trends that Really Matter.

A concise summary:

1. The overall charitable giving trend shows that philanthropy in America remains strong and resilient despite economic uncertainty and world events.
2. An organization's fundraising success depends more on its strategy and execution than external market conditions.
3. It simply gets harder each year to raise money. . . . Not only is there more competition, the competition is better.

So the question is this: How do we get better than the competition? Training and implementation!

Training

NEW is offering an extensive range of fundraising topics in its Managing for Nonprofit Excellence Series this fall. Take advantage of one or several to enhance your skills and pump new life into your development program. There's something offered for staff, board members and volunteers at all expertise levels. A sampling:

• Wed., Nov. 12 Back to Basics: Fundraising 101 is designed for people new to fund development work and those who wish to get a basic refresher.
• Thurs. Oct 16 Fundraising with Finesse for Boards will help board members and staff overcome the fear of fundraising, learn the basics of campaign organization, and develop the skills for successful personal solicitations.
• Tues. Dec. 2. Roadmap for Annual Giving is the best way to start this all-important type of appeal. Annual giving is typically an organization's best source for unrestricted operating funds.
• Thurs. Nov. 13 Stellar Special Events will focus on how to create achievable, memorable and creative events that build awareness of your mission.
• Successful Grants Series includes four workshops.

Online registration for workshops is available. Scholarship applications will be accepted through end of business Monday, August 18.

Implementation

So you've attended selected workshops to ensure future fundraising success. Now, to make it money well spent, you've got to put it into practice! Here are some suggestions for implementing the workshop learning as soon as you've left the NEW Center parking lot:

• Network with another workshop attendee; suggest a future discussion over coffee to talk about how the workshop ideas have changed your practice and outlook on fundraising. Keep each other accountable to development goals and have a laugh over the trials of fundraising.
• Share what you've learned. Before the workshop, designate at least one staff member to be your student on your return. You'll reinforce your new knowledge and they will get a free workshop!
• Brainstorm about fundraising strategies with other staff members as soon as you get back to the office. Pull the brainstorming list out a week later and keep those ideas that are manageable, feasible and cost-effective.
• Evaluate your donor cultivation process and record-keeping systems. So many people, ideas, numbers! Is lack of organization keeping you from the success you deserve?
• Revisit your plan for recognizing donors. Are they feeling appreciated? Are they getting news about your accomplishments as well as accurate receipts for their records?

It's your passion for your mission that is the key to your success - and you have that! Some planning and strategizing is all you need to keep you ahead of the competition.

Nonprofit Enterprise at Work is here to help with other resources.

• Previous NEWSNOTES articles on fundraising:
  Laying a Foundation for Fundraising: Resources to Get You Started
  Take Time to Understand the Real Revenue Problem
  Can You Find Foundation Grants to Compensate for Government Budget Cuts?
  


• Nonprofit Reference Library
  Online Bookstore:
  
  • Fundraising
  • Grant Writing
  
  The library staff can help you with additional information on the Web, in periodicals, or in the vertical files. FC Search is the Foundation Center's searchable database of foundation and corporate grantmakers. Call for an appointment to use this valuable tool - orientation is provided free of charge. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, or by appointment. Contact Ann Gladwin, 734-998-0160.

FEATURED ITEMS

Education and Training: Scholarship Deadline August 18!

NEW is accepting applications for scholarships to attend Fall 2003 Managing for Nonprofit Excellence workshops. These training sessions are designed specifically for nonprofits and cover topics including fundraising, board governance, executive leadership, human resources, financial management, marketing, and Web technology. Scholarship applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations located in Washtenaw County. Applications must be received online or delivered to NEW, 1100 N Main St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48014, by close of business on Monday, August 18, 2003.

For more information, visit NEW's Web site or call 734-998-0160. Scholarships are funded through the generosity of the City of Ann Arbor, the Junior League of Ann Arbor, and Washtenaw County.

See the whole range of workshop offerings, including ten free trainings. Please plan to register online two weeks before a session or use the form in the back of the printed catalog. Call 734-998-0160 if you would like a catalog sent to you.

Technology: Free Tech Toolkit

TechSoup has published a free CD-ROM created just for nonprofits: "Nonprofit Necessities." Produced by NPower and made possible by a generous grant from the SBC Foundation's SBC Excelerator program, it's packed with helpful information such as technology tips, resources, and tools. All content comes from a consortium of nonprofits that are committed to providing technology assistance to the nonprofit sector, including TechSoup! This free resource is available to nonprofits in SBC service areas. To check your eligibility and order your CD, visit TechSoup.

Leadership2Go Executive Director Forum

If you have not yet registered for access to the Executive Director Forum, do so today! August's forum topics include questions regarding "Annual Reports and Newsletters" and "Database Programs to Manage Mailing Lists." Add your own question or start a discussion on a topic of burning interest to you and your organization. Free, easy to use, and convenient!

Talk online about these topics and more with your executive director peer group. Login now!

Mark your calendar for Get the Word Out, a Leadership2Go Executive Director session on marketing and fundraising. Roundtables will further explore topics such as marketing venues, branding, finding your marketing niche, and more. Friday, October 3, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. at the NEW Center. Register online.

Arts Minigrant Program

The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) offers minigrants of up to $4,000 to Michigan nonprofit organizations for locally developed, high-quality arts and cultural projects that increase public access to art and culture. NEW administers the MCACA Minigrant program for Washtenaw, Livingston and Monroe counties. Minigrant applications and guidelines are available on the NEW Web site.

NEW will host free grant assistance workshops in preparation for the next application deadline of OCTOBER 1, 2003 (for projects taking place between February 1, 2004 and September 30, 2004). Register for an orientation workshop online.

For more information, contact Andrew Steck (734-998-0160).

Nonprofit Day 2003

The Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) will host its fourth annual Nonprofit Day on September 24 in Lansing. This one-day conference provides a venue for nonprofit leaders to learn about the public policy topics impacting all nonprofits and how the nonprofit sector can work together to address these concerns.

The theme for this year's conference is "Government and Nonprofits - Partners in Trying Times." Sessions during the conference will focus on: government and nonprofits working together effectively, state and federal policy issues impacting all Michigan nonprofits, forecasts for this legislative session in terms of what's ahead for public policymaking in Lansing; and workshops on the Michigan budget crisis, effective advocacy, rules and regulations for lobbying, grants and contracting process in Michigan.

Registration Costs: MNA Members - $35, Non-Members - $45, Students - $15. Register on line at the MNA Web site. For more information contact Lisa Keefer at 517-492-2400.

United Way Day of Caring

Washtenaw United Way Day of Caring is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9. Organizers for this ninth annual county-wide volunteer day are expecting 1900 volunteers from companies and unions to participate in a variety of day-long projects at local nonprofit organizations.

Agencies interested in submitting a project application, or companies interested in registering a volunteer team, may call the United Way office at 971-8200 or register online. Applications will be accepted until August 22.

Washtenaw United Way funds 37 agencies as well as community affiliates in Dexter, Milan and Saline.

Grants Available: Academic Service Learning Project

The American Humanics Program at Eastern Michigan University is administering grant money from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and EMU's Office of Research and Development, awarding it as four $1,000 mini-grants to local nonprofits. This is a great chance for four agencies to earn unrestricted grant revenue in return for working with an EMU faculty member to design and implement an Academic Service-Learning project. Application materials will be available at NEW's Nonprofit Reference Library, as well as online, on Monday, August 18. The application deadline is September 22. Contact Nora Curiel, (734-487-1612).

Indiana University Fund Raising School

This fall, the Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA) will again sponsor the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy Fundraising School in Michigan. These intensive sessions, ranging from two to five days, teach the art and the strategy of fundraising and philanthropy. All seminars will be held at Laurel Manor in Livonia, Michigan.

• September 23-25, 2003: Developing Leadership for Major Gifts
• November 3-7, 2003: Principles and Techniques of Fundraising
• December 3-4, 2003: Preparing Successful Grant Proposals

For more information on these seminars, contact Mike Corbin, 888-242-7075, Ext. 2412.

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