Blogging 2.0

Per my last blog, I've noticed it's been impossible to blog with any regularity since: a) Harper was born, b) I joined the Center for Nonprofit Management. The former is understandable, and the latter is due mostly to my intense love for distracting myself with the wonderful work of our 1,300+ nonprofit partners.

So, in an attempt to blog more often, I'll be Blogging via text (as in last post) and via email (as in this post). I've been known to write too much anyway, so hopefully this new format will keep it more brief and hopefully more effective as a tool.

Here is a question that needs more exploration: how do tools like Twitter, email blogs and other 'quick hit' communications contribute to your mission, and how do they actually take away from it?

On the latter, I hope to explore how these revolutions in communications can actually pull us away from building genuine relationships -- the core of any strong development effort -- and more towards processing transactions.

Would love any feedback on the concept.

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Jeremy Gregg, CFRE
Vice President of Development
www.CNMDallas.org

Sent from my phone; please excuse brevity and typos.

Pondering my Decision

I just completed my second month here at the Center for Nonprofit Management. It's been a fantastic journey of self-discovery and, in some surprising ways, renewal. My eyes have been opened to an entirely different perspective on the work that I've been doing for the past eight years.

I won't lie: it's been a great struggle at times. I miss my friends at CDM. I miss going to work every day above the busiest food pantry in North Texas. Strangely, I miss wondering whether I'll be able to make payroll every two weeks.

OK, well, maybe I don't miss everything...

The Center has been incredible. I've had the opportunity to meet some of the most dynamic organizations in our community, and have been able to share in some powerful conversations with people who are dedicated to changing the world. I've especially enjoyed the opportunities that I've had to sit across the table from full-time philanthropists and say,

"I am not here to ask you for a gift. I want you to see me and the Center as a partner in your effort to change the world. You give money to organizations so that they will be better and stronger. We do the same thing, only we do it through training and consulting. We want you to see us not as a grant recipient, but a mission partner."

Mission partner.

I've been thinking a lot about what that means.

I've especially been thinking about what it means for me on a personal level.

What is my mission? Why did I decide to make this move over to the Center? What is it that I am trying to do over here?

I put some thoughts together over on my ListenTheGift.com blog:
http://www.listenthegift.com/2008/12/what-is-this-all-about.html

I have no final answer. But this line from Jim Wallis is about as close as I've come to understanding why I am here:

"Where your gifts coincide with the crushing needs of the world, there lies your vocation."

Shoulder against the wheel,

Jeremy

How to Raise Money like Obama

How Obama had the last laugh

MSNBC's Howard Fineman put together a brilliant analysis of what he calls The 'Obama Way'.

Regardless of your politics, you need to read the full article to understand where fundraising is headed.

How would you adapt your organization to implement the Seven Steps of the Obama Way?

1. Be decisive
   
2. Have a tight circle
   
3. Stick with the plan
   
4. Sweat the details
   
5. Understand your brand
   
6. Go digital
   
7. Use caution

Read the full article here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27523773/from/ET/

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Ultimate Orientation for Young Nonprofit Professionals

Nancy Barry will lead the "Ultimate Orientation for Young Nonprofit Professionals" on Wednesday

Thanks to the Dallas Morning News' Robert Miller for the following coverage:

Dallas seminar targets young nonprofit professionals

12:00 AM CDT on Monday, October 20, 2008
ROBERT MILLER

The Communities Foundation of Texas and Exxon Mobil Corp. have joined the Center for Nonprofit Management in hosting the Ultimate Orientation for Young Nonprofit Professionals, a seminar for the new generation of nonprofit professionals, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The session will be held at the Communities Foundation of Texas office at 5500 Caruth Haven Lane.

Nancy Barry, speaker, author and Gen Y expert, will lead the seminar, which will be tailored to help recent college grads and nonprofit professionals with five or fewer years experience succeed in the workplace.

Topics will include: why soft skills are important in the workplace; communicating on a professional level; things that drive bosses crazy and how to avoid them; and the importance of building relationships.

Each participant will receive a copy of Ms. Barry's book, When Reality Hits: What Employers Want Recent College Graduates to Know.

"To succeed, young professionals must learn the essential skills of working with people and navigating office expectations," said Cynthia B. Nunn, president of the Center for Nonprofit Management.

The fee is $50, which includes lunch and a copy of Ms. Barry's book. For more information or to register, visit www.cnmdallas.org or call 214-826-3470, ext. 239.

See the full article here:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/columnists/rmiller/stories/DN-p2miller_20bus.ART.State.Edition1.4aa3e37.html

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To be or not to be a Rockefeller?

EXPOSED Clark Rockefeller, a k a Christopher Chichester, but actually Christian Gerhartsreiter, now in custody.

When I was getting married, my wife decided to change her last name to mine despite her successful law career built under her maiden name.

I told her that, while we were at it, we should just change our name to Rockefeller so that I could energize my career in philanthropy.

Turns out I was not the first person to think of that:
Ready-Made Rockefeller - NYTimes.com

Amazing.

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Question of the day... what makes a person become a fundraiser?

Is there such a thing as a Natural Born Fundraiser?

Love of neighbor? Desire for money? Excessive guilt? Fear of hell?

What drives a person to become a fundraiser?

Are there natural traits that lend themselves to the task? Is there a gene that drives a person on in pursuit of wealth for others?

What went wrong in our childhood that made us decide to pursue this path???

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Question for the Day

Did you choose to be in your job, or did it choose you?

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

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Changes to ACFRE Certification Process

For those of us who don't even have our CFRE (Certifed Fundraising Executive designation) yet, this is likely a lifetime of planning away... but it's good to know.

For those of you who DO have your CFRE and would be interested in the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive designation, this likely comes as great news:

Philanthropy.com reports in their article What Senior Fund Raisers Need to Know:

The Association of Fundraising Professionals this month announced that it is revising the certification examination for its highest credential, known as the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive designation.No longer will fund raisers seeking advanced certification be expected to answer questions on the exam about federal tax laws or bequests and other types of planned gifts.

For those of you who are in Dallas and who are interested in taking the CFRE, a few of us are organizing a regular study group for a few Tuesdays prior to the AFP DFW Philanthropy Conference 2008 and the CFRE Review Course. We're meeting at the Center for Nonprofit Management from 5:30 - 7:00 on Tuesday June 3 and Tuesday June 10. Let me know if you're interested in joining us!

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The Gift Whisperer

Today, I had the wonderful privilege of hearing veteran fundraiser Jerold Panas deliver the keynote address at the AFP Greater Dallas Chapter's monthly luncheon. The speech followed his morning workshop session, which focused on "Making the Ask." All of this was prefaced with a powerful introduction speech by Mr. Panas during our breakfast, which began at 7:00 a.m.

Somehow, by 1:30, Dr. Panas was still smiling!

Dr. Panas has been raising funds for over forty years. He is Executive Partner of Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners as well as the founder & chairman of the board of the Institute for Charitable Giving.

Some of the key thoughts from the day:

• Language is important -- do not use the word "prospect" or "suspect" in reference to donors; use the words "probable donor" and "possible donor." Your whole perspective on them will change.
  
• Similarly, consider replacing the words "Development" and "Advancement" with "Philanthropy." Wouldn't you prefer to introduce yourself to a probable donor as the Director of Philanthropy than the Director of Development?
  
• When making calls on donors, travel in pairs (and try to bring a volunteer or client instead of another staff member).
  
• Thank your donors seven times: send a receipt from Finance, followed by a hand-written note from Development, followed by a hand-written note from program officer, followed by report from development on the impact of their gift, followed by thank you call from client, recognize them in an annual report, etc.
  
• Fundraising is more art than science. But there are some helpful formulas to determine gift range for a major gift ... such as 10-25 times their annual gift size. However, the best way to determine possible gift size is to find out what other gifts they have given.
  
• There are three basic things that motivate donors in relation to your organization: PIE -- Performance, Image and Exposure. Of these, more than 68% report that Exposure is the dominant influence... so be sure that you are getting in front of donors as often as possible. He recommended considering a one-page, front-and-back letter from CEO every 4 weeks that had a simple story in it that showed impact of your work.
  
• The day after you talk with a donor, they remember less than 1/3 of what you said but more than 2/3 of what they said. Your goal, therefore, is to get them talking.

This last point really resonated with me. One of the first things that I realized after joining the Church of Phil Cubeta was that I am not a marketer. I am not even a fundraiser. I am a liaison between a donor and an organization; I am a counselor; I am a coach; I am a pastor; I am, above all, an advocate for the donor's dreams.

I cannot talk someone into donating... at least, not into donating substantially and for a long time. I might be able to hoodwink a few fools into parting with small cash, but I cannot fake a person into a transformational gift.

This is something that only they can talk themselves into.

My job is to be there to hear them do so.

Thank you to AFP for organizing the event, and to Dr. Panas for illuminating the obvious with just the right balance of humor and passionate sincerity.

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Grant Central Station for North Texas

Thanks to Murray L. Covens, Principle, and Sherri Barrett, Associate, at Dallas Nonprofit Resources for joining the development team at Central Dallas Ministries. I look forward to working with you over the coming months!

Looking to hire a contract grantwriting team? Check out Dallas Nonprofit Resources:
http://www.dallasnonprofitresources.org/aboutusservices.html

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The Wages of Vice and Virtue

If the wages of vice is death, then the wages of virtue -- in the form of community service -- is apparently a better life. A new study finds the following:

Alumni of AmeriCorps are more civically engaged, more likely to pursue public service careers in government and the nonprofit sector, and more likely to be happy and satisfied with their lives than those who do not serve in AmeriCorps, a new report from the Corporation for National and Community Service finds.

The full article is here.

FYI, Central Dallas Ministries runs its own AmeriCorps program (the largest in Dallas). More info on that here:
http://www.CDMAmeriCorps.org/

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Do fundraisers have friends?

I have frequently joked with my peers that we no longer have any friends because the world is divided into peers, prospects and donors. For example, none of my high school friends answer my calls anymore since I volunteer to lead the school's alumni fundraising efforts for my class!

These quotes, courtesy of AFP Dallas, brought me some hope....

"Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty."
- Sicilian Proverb

"The friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you." - Elbert Hubbard, The Notebook, 1927

"A good friend is cheaper than therapy." - Author Unknown

"A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails." - Donna Roberts

"You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job."
- Laurence J. Peter

"Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer." - Author Unknown

"There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship." - Author Unknown

"A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked." - Author Unknown

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Job Opening: Exec Dir for NTBHA

The North Texas Behavioral Health Authority (NTBHA) is accepting applications for its Executive Director (ED). NTHBA is the local authority for public mental health and substance abuse treatment services in the seven county NorthSTAR service delivery area. The ED position requires a master’s degree or equivalent work experience. Applicants must be able to demonstrate positive work experience that includes: managing an office staff, developing and monitoring budgets, working with a public board, producing complex work within deadlines, and public speaking/presentation skills. The salary is commensurate with education and experience. A resume and cover letter that lists salary requirements can be submitted electronically to Alice Watson, NTBHA executive assistant, at awatson@ntbha.org. No telephone inquires please.



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Job Opening to work with Foster Care youth

Central Dallas Ministries has an immediate opening for the Site Coordinator for TRAC, the regional transition center for teens aging out of foster care. The successful candidate will supervise case management services, program implementation & reporting, and will coordinate the continuum of TRAC services that move former foster youth to independent living. TRAC uses a comprehensive case planning approach, maintaining a high degree of external contact with community resources. Qualified candidates will have at least 3 years experience in or in close collaboration with CPS, other child-placing agency and/or juvenile services; at least 5 years of exemplary organizational management experience; broad knowledge of mental/behavioral health, educational, and clinical theory. MSW preferred; entrepreneurial and creative energy required. Please send inquiries and a list of professional references to smccomb@centraldallasministries.org

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Calling all Hunger Justice Leaders, ages 18-35!

Join me in applying to become one of Bread for the World's Hunger Justice Leaders. The award is an all-expense paid leadership training from June 14-17 in Washington, DC. The application is very brief, and mostly involves a 500-750 word personal statement. Mine is pasted below.

Every day, I go to work above the largest food pantry in North Texas. The path to my office is often packed shoulder-to-shoulder with hard working men whose wages are too low to cover both the rent and the grocery bill; young mothers whose only wish is to keep their babies healthy and well; seniors who go hungry rather than forego their life-sustaining medication.

These are not people whose bad choices landed them on the other side of the bread line. These are my neighbors. These are my brothers and sisters: fellow children of God who, like me, yearn for nothing more than a chance to use their talents to care for themselves and their families.

I grew up in the church. I went to religious schools my entire life, from kindergarten through college. I have studied the holy books of all the world’s religions, and seen my own brother stand before the altar to pledge his commitment to Christ as a priest of the Cistercian Order. God’s hand has guided much of my life.

Yet I have never seen His face more clearly than when I pass through the halls of my organization’s food pantry.

His voice speaks through the silence of those who come to us in need, whom we invite in not as “clients” but as partners in a shared effort to build community in this city that we love. The Holy Spirit’s presence is palpable when I wrap my arms around my neighbor whose bed is a box behind our building.

I am the Director of Development for Central Dallas Ministries. In some ways, my job is to raise funds for my organization’s efforts to end hunger in our community. In that role, I’ve had the privilege of seeing my organization’s revenues nearly double over the past three years.

Yet this is no achievement.

This is a testament to our failure as a community. Why should the area’s largest food pantry continue to grow each year for more than two decades? Why should neighbor after neighbor need to stand in line to receive food from our resource center? Why, above all, are there more churches in my community than homeless people – and yet so many of my friends continue to have no home? Night after night, they fight for sleep as a brief respite from the reminder that their situation could be solved if only each church in our town would take one of them into their care as did the Samaritan who did not even know of the glory that is our Jesus.

I will confess, I have occasionally left my office in tears because of our “success.” Every gift I secure for my organization helps us to feed more families, but these gifts alone will never solve the problems faced by my neighbors who rely on Central Dallas Ministries for support.

Our success can only be measured in our ability to put ourselves out of business.

We are yet many years away from that ambitious goal. With your help, I will use the 2008 Hunger Justice Leaders training to drive my organization closer to the day when no one qualifies for its services. I will take the knowledge gained from this event and apply it not only to my work as a fundraiser, but to my calling as a community organizer and to my daily life as a neighbor to those who suffer from chronic hunger.

I will use this opportunity to strengthen the network of committed Christians whose lives are similarly dedicated to capitalizing on this unique moment in the history of the world . . . when we finally have the knowledge and capacity to change the policies that perpetuate chronic hunger and generational poverty.

With your support, I will more firmly plant my feet in the ground and my shoulder more squarely against the wheel of change.

Together, as neighbors and friends, we can end hunger. Thank you for considering my application.



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Who in the world would be an Executive Director?!?!

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that "A study released today shows that many potential charity managers are not inclined to pursue leadership posts, demonstrating how hard it could be to replace the baby boomers now retiring from top nonprofit jobs."

The findings -- cited in the image below (click here to enlarge -- are fairly alarming:When asked, "Do you want to be an executive director of a nonprofit someday?" two-thirds of respondents had either a negative opinion or an indecisive one.

The full report, "Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out," is available free for downloading on the Meyer foundation Web site at http://www.meyerfoundation.org.




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a prayer for my fellow fundraisers

Thanks to Larry James' Urban Daily for the following:

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships
so that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

--a Franciscan Benediction

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So, you want to be a consultant?

I have never had a very positive view of fundraising consultants.

Even today, I remain a bit skeptical about their capacity to deliver meaningful results to clients. Fundraising is a business driven by long-term relationships -- something that short-term consultants can rarely improve.

Most non-profits could achieve the same results by simply doing some internal reorganization of priorities and business practices.

(And here I will say that I am deeply thankful to Karen Larabee Waller and the Dini Partners for their work at driving such changes at Central Dallas Ministries in preparation for our current capital campaign)

Using the expertise and perspective of consultants to reassess strategies and realign priorities can be an effective way to improve your organization's work. Hiring contract grant writers to build important proposals can also have some significant impact, as long as they work closely with the staff who will be in charge of implementing the program upon receipt of the proposal.

But engaging consultants to do the work of full-time employees is likely a mistake for both parties.

I can say this now with slightly more credibility, having recently served in such a consulting role to a non-profit organization. It was quite a thrill to enter a circle of accomplished fundraising executives and to have my opinions valued more highly merely because I was: a) from the outside, b) charging them by the hour.

Amazing how those two facts alone can increase someone's perceived value.

When I began the venture, I asked for advice from one of my friends and mentors, Janet C. Davis of Davis Interventures (and, of course, Janet Davis and the Velvet Living Room). Here is some of what she offered:

• It is really all about scope.
  
• Make sure that you are very clear in your contract (and get a signed agreement if you have not already) about what you will deliver and what they will deliver, and hold the line. It is easy to be in a meeting where you collectively discover an additional task that needs to be done for the project and for you to say “I’ll take care of that."
• Make sure that you add it to your fees if it is significant.
  
• Charge what you are worth.
  
• Track your hours so that you know your actual hourly recovery.
  
• Try to communicate with the client every day at least once so that they know that they are top of mind for you.
  
• Make sure to reflect back to the client what you think they need so that their expectations are very clear.
  
• Have a good time!

Janet is very good at her job. Her advice is incredibly valuable -- simple though it may seem, it is incredibly difficult to set boundaries with clients (particularly when you feel incredibly connected to their mission). For example, in my recent venture, I quickly found myself being attracted to the usual 50-60 hours of work despite my 8-hour weekly contract.

My congratulations to the non-profits and the individual consultants who are able to successfully navigate these treacherous waters.

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To volunteer, or to manage volunteers? This is the question.

Advice from my friend Celeste Sauls-Marks, CVA, who serves as the Agency Relations Director for Dallas County and ServiceWorks! at the Volunteer Center of North Texas, on the topic of "resources for those who are looking to pursue a career in volunteer resources":

If you are looking to pursue a career in volunteer resources management, there are several resources locally that can be helpful. The local professional association of volunteer resources managers (VRMs) is the Dallas Association of Directors of Volunteers. On their website, www.dadv.org, they list current available positions. They will also be a great resource for you. They meet once a month on the second Tuesday at 12 pm at the Volunteer Center of North Texas. Also, they host the local Volunteer Management Conference each year on the first Friday in March. This year, it will be held at the SPCA. Information will be posted at www.vmcdfw.org when it becomes available.

Another resources for jobs in the area is the Center for Nonprofit Management (www.cnmdallas.org). You might also consider getting your certification in volunteer administration. You can access this at www.ccva.org.

You may also to check out the new national professional association for VRMs at www.avrm.org. While this is an extremely new organization, they will have programming and training that may be beneficial to you. There is also the Volunteer Management Review (www.charitychannel.com) newsletter that provides short newsletters on topics related to volunteer resources management.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Celeste is where she is. Top notch, that woman. Our community is lucky to have her here.

Now, for those who are less inclined to pursue this vocation in a full-time capacity, here is an intereting opportunity for an internship at the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation (CDCDC, a separate 501(c)(3) from Central Dallas Ministries).

Community Development Interns
The Central Dallas Community Development Corporation is seeking highly qualified interns to work directly with the Executive Director on a variety of strategic projects of critical importance to the organization. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students are encouraged to apply. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in the fields of community development, public policy, and social service. It is also suitable for students of economics, accounting, statistics, or business, or those planning a career in commercial real estate, who would like to gain experience in community-based, nonprofit real estate development.

Download the full Internship Posting here.

Passing on the Biggest Baton in Philanthropy

Patty Stonesifer calls her transition out of the role of Chief Executive of Gates Foundation "a tune-up, not a radical change."

I'm not gonna lie, I've applied to about every job ever offered by the Gates Foundation. I could not imagine a better place to work for anyone interested in guiding the direction of our sector.

What do you think will be the ramifications of this transition?

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