#Nonprofit leaders: Communicating #impact is one of the most important things you need to do in #raisingfunds. #Infographics might just be the tool you need.
#Infographics provide a visual representation of complex information. They are often more effective than a narrative, or at least complementary.
Think about #infographics in a three-part storytelling structure.
1. The magnitude and urgency of the problem
2. What your organization is doing to respond
3. The impact your work is having
You will need a graphic designer, a data visualization expert, access to your data, and access to statistics from the field.
See the example below.
Now you: Have you ever used an #infographic to convey your #impact?
For support in securing more #funding by communicating your impact effectively, contact lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com
#datavisualization
#fundraising
#nonprofts
#nonprofitleadership
Should Nonprofits Feel Optomistic About Their Fiscal Health This Year?
Should #nonprofits feel optimistic about their fiscal health this year?
There are signs that the economy is improving.
According to #DanParks of the #ChronicleofPhilanthropy, there are six economic indicators for nonprofits to watch that right now are showing mostly positive gains.
*Consumer sentiment index rose in March to its highest level in a year.
* Gross Domestic Product rose by 4.3% this quarter.
* Regional economic indicators may be more relevant to local non-profits. This has varied significantly, by region. For instance, the South and Midwest shut down less of their economy which may make donors feel more confident in the economy than in regions experiencing massive shutdowns.
* Unemployment is down from a high of 15% to 6.2%, which may reduce demand for some social services. But not all communities have experienced the same level of employment resiliency.
* #Stockmarket which took a hit at the beginning of the Pandemic has roared back stronger and saw record increases in the Fall.
* #Federalstimulus of $1.9 trillion includes $350 billion to states and localities who will in turn pay nonprofits what they owe and continue to contract for services.
$50,000 million will go to nonprofits to boost hiring and meet increased demand for services.
#fundraising
Storytelling is Worth a Thousand Words
A story is worth a thousand words.
As a #nonprofit, it is vital to communicate your impact in a compelling way.
#Storytelling should be a part of every nonprofit’s toolkit.
How you use stories can make or break the message.
Although compelling, extraordinary examples may not be representative of the larger work you do.
Consider using #casestories, stories that combine a representative and compelling example of a person or community you have impacted, with empathy, strong emotional resonance, and data.
According to Sue Holloway, case stories a great way to show your beneficiaries' successes—you can show how they felt about the problem you helped them to solve, outline your solution, and show results in easy-to-digest ways including graphs or images.
By combining data with emotional elements, the story can carry the larger picture and context of what you do without losing touch with the main character of the story. End the case story with a powerful call to action.
Now You: Have you ever been moved to act, through a case story you read?
To elevate your #fundraising efforts, contact lpoller@agilefundraisingfundraising.com
#fundraising #nonprofits
Critical Friends
Today is the first Advisory meeting of our #socialimpact startup. It is very important to me to have “critical friends.”
We have drawn our #advisors from a range of sectors that we touch, with varied expertise in #venturecapital, #postsecondaryeducation, #workforcedevelopment, #neurodiversity, and #instructionaldesign.
It is my hope that they will offer a constructive critique on our first product, particularly...
🔹The product-market fit --whether our product really meets the pain point for consumers that we intended. What would elevate the product so that it is an essential one for the consumer?
🔹Design—Is the product intuitive, appealing, appropriate for our target audience, and accessible for individuals with disabilities? How can we make the design better in the next version?
🔹Business Model— are our proposed markets within higher education and workforce training compelling? Is our “go-to-market strategy” effective?
🔹Partnerships—Who else should we be working with to amplify our impact?
🔹Funding—who might be a good prospect for #philanthropic and other forms of #startupcapital?
These are just a few of the ways to use #AdvisoryBoards as “critical friends” and also great ambassadors for your work.
Now You: Have you considered using an Advisory Board?
Starting With Their Why
Do you start with their Why? This may be the secret to developing a new relationship with a potential #funder.
Enter these conversations with curiosity.
What motivated them to get into this work?
What power do they see in solving this societal problem?
Listen closely.
Come with empathy.
Then share your story of your Why.
This will create a shared sense of purpose and help you align to the foundation’s efforts.
Most of all express gratitude in the moment.
Now You: Do you begin your conversations with their Why?
Does your #nonprofit need to develop new #funding relationships?
Contact lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com for a guide and a 15-minute discovery call.
#fundraising #nonprofits
What Do You Wish You Were Taught When You First Started Fundraising?
What do you wish someone had taught you when you first started in fundraising?
For me, it was how to begin a donor relationship when it is essentially a "cold call".
Now you: What do you wish you had been taught?
If you need to build your pipeline of donor relationships to increase funding contact me at lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com for a guide and for a 15-minute discovery call.
#fundraising #fundraisingtraining #nonprofit #professionaldevelopment
#donorcultivation
Abundance Mindset and Fundraising Leadership
How do you bring an #abundancemindset into your #fundraising leadership?
Consider…
practicing gratitude;
that there are plenty of resources available;
that you and your funders are peers with overlapping missions;
that your competitors are really potential partners;
that your team are collaborators to create a larger impact;
that you are enough; with abundant energy, and talent.
Stay open to learning from challenges, and open to what is possible.
Now you: How do you bring an abundance mindset to your leadership?
To raise more money using an abundance mindset, contact me at lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com for
1. Resources including New Foundation Relationship Accelerator guide.
2. 15-minute discovery call
#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #fundraising #gratitude #abundancemindset #nonprofitleadership
Don't Quit Your Practice, Remember How Far You Have Come
Nonprofit leaders: How do you continue your practice when you are not getting the outcomes you want?
“When our commitment is wavering, the best way to stay on track is to consider the progress we’ve already made. As we recognize what we’ve invested and attained, it seems like a waste to give up, and our confidence and commitment surge.” #adamgrant, #Originals
Sometimes we don’t get the outward signals to know that we are progressing. But looking at how far we have come reinforces our work from an internal perspective.
If we look at the “gain” rather than the “gap” we shift our #mindset.
Now you: Have you ever decided not to give up when you considered how far you have come?
#success #nonprofit #successstrategies #leadership #growth, #mindset
Raytheon Announces $500 Million Social Impact Initiative
This week #raytheontechnologies announced a 10-year $500 million #socialimpact initiative that will bring significant resources to the #nonprofit field.
Their #corporatesocialresponsibility program called #ConnectUp will fund organizations that advance equitable lifelong learning opportunities in #STEM, #careerdevelopment, #military personnel, and their families, and #communitywellbeing.
#raytheontech brings to the table its long history of engineering and science innovation and its global reach to its work with nonprofits and social impact organizations on our most pressing societal challenges.
Raytheon will also challenge its 180,000 #employees to provide one million #volunteer acts of service.
#coporategiving #nonprofits #stemeducation #fundraising
Cultivating Professional Generosity
I try to approach my professional life with generosity. What I know intuitively has been reinforced by the #GoGiver movement.
Here is how I interpret professional generosity.
🌟Generosity is possible when I have an abundance mindset. I do not have to hoard my relationships, my resources, or my knowledge.
🌟When I give, I add value to others. This, in turn, creates personal value.
🌟I work hard to bring my authentic self into my professional and personal relationships.
🌟My influence is determined by how abundantly I put the interests of others first.
🌟What I ultimately get back is dependent on giving more value than I receive.
🌟Generosity is reciprocal. If I want others to accept my giving, I must also be open to receiving.
Now You: How do you express your professional generosity?
#leadership #success #abundancemindset
Communicating to Funders When There is a Bump in the Road
A #nonprofit secured a $150,000 grant to create Makers Spaces in two public schools in their region, but six months into the grant there was a serious problem. One of the schools had a leadership transition, and could not start the project. How does the nonprofit deal with the #funder so that the #grant is not in jeopardy?
If your organization is pushing its #innovation edge, then this is a likely scenario. Communicating with funders in an open and transparent way is key. Two mindsets are critical to the way you handle this communication...
a Design Thinking mindset and Funder-Partner mindset.
#DesignThinking is about creating a learning culture that works deeply with its intended beneficiaries-- conducting cycles of brainstorming, prototyping, implementing in real-world contexts, evaluating, and refining.
The #FunderPartner mindset enables a nonprofit to bring their funder into the project design work, share your learnings including the challenges and draw on the funder’s expertise to work on adapting your solution.
#Funders appreciate your honest assessment of the risks and challenges. Being part of your design process helps create a new collaborative space to work through the hiccups.
Now You: How have you communicated a bump in the road to a funder or client?
The Side Door for Cultivating Foundation Relationships
#Nonproits how do you get introduced to new foundations and begin cultivating these relationships?
Use the “Side Door” to start a relationship with a new foundation prospect.
Foundations are inundated with hundreds of proposals for every single proposal that they fund.
Developing relationships with foundations can be challenging.
Regional and national foundations can be purposely inaccessible and have strong gatekeeping.
Many family foundations fund preselected organizations or are by invitation only.
Use the Side Door--A strategic approach that will get you into a conversation faster.
If you would like to learn how to implement this strategy to gain better traction with new foundation relationships ..
1. Download your free Power-Up New Foundation Relationships
Guide https://lnkd.in/eRseW2E
2. Contact lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com for additional resources and a 15-minute discovery call.
A Catalyst for Education Technology and Education Innovation
As I hoped but did not expect, the impact of the pandemic crisis on #education has acted as a catalyst and accelerator for #edtech and #educationinnovation.
Education reformers like #TranscendEducation, #TheLearningAccelerator, #TurnAroundforChildren, #IThriveGames, #FacingHistoryandOurselves, #Understood and many others stepped up to the moment with new work this year.
In the entrepreneurial sector, the #LearnLaunchAccelerator reported that between 2020 and 2021, they saw the largest surge in edtech startups, ideas, and innovations than they had seen since their inception. As a result, they just launched #EdInno, a learning community designed to help the next generation of edtech innovators persist and build impactful businesses.
Let’s keep the momentum going and out of tragedy make real strides in #educationinnovation for all.
Venturing Into New Fundraising Sectors
#Nonprofit leaders: Are you worried about your current #funding picture? It may be counterintuitive, but venturing out into a new funding sector, maybe just the right move…
Diversification is the key to thriving during periods of uncertainty.
Here are three ways to begin to add new funding sectors
1. Move to an adjacent market. ie: use your strength in foundation funding, to expand to corporate foundations.
2. Pursue joint funding opportunities with partners who are strong in sectors that you are not.
I worked with a nonprofit education organization that did not have a track record in federal grants. By partnering with a significant R& D organization that had millions in federal funding, we were able to elevate our reputation.
3. Bring in external fundraising support with expertise in other sectors to help make connections and increase your capacity.
I worked with a nonprofit healthcare provider who had a small individual donor base, to build an annual appeal system, and begin a major gifts program.
Now you: How are you diversifying your revenue opportunities?
To raise more money
Download your free guide “Power-Up New Foundation Relationships” https://lnkd.in/eRseW2E
Or contact lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com for a 15-minute discovery call.
Boston Arts Scene Shows Some Resiliance
The current crisis has had devastating impacts on #Bostonartsscene. and many others nationwide. According to a recent study commissioned by the #BostonMayor’sOffice the crisis has also exacerbated existing fault lines between various communities. However, there are a few notable bright spots that #The Boston Foundation recently highlighted- four new arts spaces in development with new and underserved audiences in mind.
💢 #TheRecordCo a community music workspace that provides low-cost access for community members to rehearsal, writing, and recording studios, meeting, training, and performance spaces.
💢 #TheTheaterOffensive’s Black Box Theater, Boylston, designed with a campy modern aesthetic, will be the largest theater in the world owned and operated by LGBTQ people of color for all LGBTQ people, their allies, families, and friends.
💢 #GrubStreet’s first permanent home in the Seaport District will be a home for its renowned literacy and storytelling programs and a showcase of emerging talent, artists too often unheard, and bring well-known thinkers from around the globe.
💢 #RevolvingTestKitchen is turning a failed retail space in Lawrence, Massachusetts into a food and culture incubator for entrepreneurial efforts in the region.
6d
For more information on these organizations and their arts new development projects see the following links: https://www.therecordco.org/about/space/ https://thetheateroffensive.org/blackboxtheater https://grubstreet.org/about/grubstreets-new-home/ https://www.lawrencepartnership.org/rtk
Committing to Fundraising as a Practice
“Our commitment to the process is the only alternative to the lottery mindset of hoping for the good luck of getting picked by the universe”. #SethGodin, #ThePractice.
#Fundraising is a practice, a process, a set of daily habits and efforts, repeated over time, regardless of the outcome.
Fundraising requires persistence and effort in the face of constant rejections.
So how do we sustain that level of effort, knowing that we will be rejected 4 out of the five times we ask?
We commit to the practice of fundraising.
A Practice builds in both the actions and the persistence mindset.
Godin says “Good processes, repeated over time, lead to good outcomes, more often than lazy processes do. Focus on short-term outcomes forces us to make choices that are banal, short-term, or selfish. It takes our focus away from the journey and encourages us to give up too early.´
Approaching fundraising as a practice means that you apply your skills and actions, daily and regularly in order to improve. Without a practice, you will not get sustainable funding outcomes.
Now you: Do you have a daily work practice?
To create a #fundraising practice,
Download Power Up New Foundation Relationships https://lnkd.in/eRseW2E
Book your discovery call. lpoller@agilefundraisingstrategy.com
Fundrasing as a Practice-- Simply Begin
The only choice that we have is to begin. And the only place to begin is where we are. Simply begin” #SethGodin, #ThePractice.
You can begin your #fundraising effort, from just where you are. Just begin. If you have a few individual donors, extend your practice to create a systematic #majorgifts program. The way you do this is by establishing the practices of the major gifts program.
A practice is built by having daily habits and taking action, consistently over a period of time. “Action creates habits, and habits are part of a practice, and a practice is the single best way to get to where you seek to go. (Godin)
You create a major gifts program, by doing the prospecting, cultivating, communicating, soliciting, and stewarding—long before you have the major gift as an outcome.
Start where you are. The commitment is completely under your control, even when the end results cant be.
Now You: What action are you committing to today that will begin your practice?
#fundraising #nonprofit #leadership
Fundraising as a Practice -It’s not working yet.
It’s not working yet. That’s the only reassurance you truly need.” (Seth Godin)
This is true for anything creative, anything difficult, any change effort.
I find #SethGodin’s focus on the practice, comforting and true for nonprofit leadership and fundraising—both are difficult, important and a process with no guaranteed outcome.
Godin says “There’s a practice. The practice is proven, and you’ve embraced it. Now, all that’s needed is more. More time, more cycles, more bravery, more process. More of you. Much more of you. More idiosyncrasy, more genre, more seeing, more generosity more learning. It's just not working yet…”
Understanding our work in nonprofits as a practice that involves cycles of implementation and learning, can really fuel our forward motion. Embracing the “not yet” means that it continues to be a work in process, one that we commit to every day to get to the yes.
Now you: Do you embrace your “not yet”?
#fundraising #nonprofits #nonprofitleadership #leadership #success #change #sethgodin
Diversity as an Innovation Imperative
It is a moral imperative to advance #diversityequityinclusion, in our work. Diversity is also an #innovation imperative.
“Solvable problems are usually solved by surprising, non-trivial alternatives. …Instead, it is the unlikely approaches the odd combinations that come from diversity – that often win the day.” #SethGodin, #ThePractice
We must strive for #diversity in our #teams across all dimensions—race, ethnicity, background, gender, age, sexual identity and orientation, socio-economic, neurodiversity, and diversity of thought.
Empathy is the first step in #DesignThinking, that is to experience a challenge from the perspectives of someone else in order to design solutions with them that are deeply embedded in their own experience.
As Godin notes “It’s not helpful to only make things for yourself unless your are fortunate enough that what you want is precisely what your audience wants.
Having diverse teams creates the conditions for empathy. #Empathy is not only the mark of a generous person, it is also the root of creativity.
Now you: How have you harnessed diversity on your team?
Applying Universal Design for Learning to design of fundraising materials
When you are designing organizational or fundraising materials, how do you make them accessible and effective for all of your constituents?
Our constituents have different ways of understanding, expressing, communicating, and engaging. Modern brain science has highlighted how individual variability in the three systems of the brain – the strategic network, the recognition network, and the affective network-- determine how we learn. In response, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides design principles for responding to individual differences. Consider when designing materials:
The Why: provide multiple means of engagement— vary ways that you communicate goals, relevance, value, authenticity, choice, opportunities for reflection.
The What: provide multiple means of representing information – give users a choice of different forms ie: audio, visual, textual.
The How: Multiple means of action and expression—provide users with many ways to engage with your materials, vary how they respond and navigate, provide different ways for the user to communicate.
How do you currently apply these principles in your work?