The tyranny of volunteers...

Don't volunteer. Donate. We need your money a lot more than your time.

Preach on, Colonel James:
http://larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com/2008/05/people-always-ask.html

Donor Attention-Deficit Disorder? Phony Press Release Is Joke, Sort Of - New York Times

A mock press release elicits rueful laughter from the global health community, says the New York Times. I can certainly relate, having read enough of Phil Cubeta's charitably satirical blog over the past few years.

Donor Attention-Deficit Disorder? Phony Press Release Is Joke, Sort Of



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It's not about you (It's about the donor, Part III)

Let me begin this article by pointing back humorously to an exchange between me and the now-defamed Holden Karnofsky in the comments on this Give & Take blog, where Holden was ironically arguing that fundraisers should not focus so much on selling their organizations as much as they should focus on trying to help people.

(Ironic, of course, since Holden was caught astroturfing)

Anyway, this is now at least the third article that I've written on this vital idea for fundraisers to understand:

"It's not about you, it's about the donor."

I was reminded of this today when reading Katya Anderson, whose wonderful blog offers some strong advice on how you can improve your fundraising programs, particularly your communications aimed at donors:

Four Questions to Always Answer for Your Donors

1. Why me?


2. Why now?


3. What for?


4. Who says?

Cultivating Donors Online: Becoming Donor-Centric

• Use compelling human interest stories and attach them to donor experience.


• Appeal to values you know your donors have.


• Differentiate yourself and show what will happen if somebody takes action.


• You need to be good at telling your story, the story of those who you have helped and the story of those who have helped you.


• Use large and compelling imagery to connect emotionally with potential donors.


• People can't relate to gigantic numbers and impending global doom. Boil down your message to human faces and stories that people can relate to. Remember, a puppy can outperform a billion people in Africa.

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What Makes People Give? - New York Times

I love this brilliant image from the New York Times' "What Makes People Give?"


For those who prefer words to pictures, go here.

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Partying for a Purpose: The future of fundraising?

In this business, I often find myself needing a drink at the end of the day. It's good to know that I might soon be able to drown my sorrows to the benefit of my organizations, thanks to Party4APurpose.com:

Party4APurpose.com - For the listing of every charitable and purposeful event in the country!

According to the site, "P4AP is the place where anyone can post, promote, invite and RSVP to any social event with purpose in the country."

Some more details....

Making Charity Fun, Free and Easy for Everyone
Party4APurpose.com is a free, user-generated event portal and community for the listing of every charitable and purposeful event in the country. Designed as a philanthropic catalyst for socializing through shared interest, the site allows anyone to easily post, create and explore event information (by price, type, purpose, and distance); promote purposeful activities; send customized event invitations and organically expand both personal and organizational networks - all for free, all the time.

Harnessing the Power of Purpose
4 out of 5 Americans born after 1979 (78 million strong!) feel a personal responsibility for making the world a better place. An astonishing 89% of this generation will even re-consider purchases when offered a comparable alternative that supports a cause they care about. Due to these trends and others, the opportunity for increasing charitable activity is enormous; businesses are paying more attention as well, with corporate donations in 2005 alone rising 18.5% to $13.8 billion.

Shifting the Paradigm and Creating Impact
Any activity from free happy hours to birthdays, poker nights and galas can be infused with an element of purpose, making them even more enjoyable and rewarding. By creating a platform that makes it easy to party with a purpose any day of the week, we believe that over time we can have a significant impact on the traditional paradigm of charitable engagement – both in how individuals socialize and how organizations communicate around their mission.

Working Together To Make a Difference
P4AP is working with a growing list of national charities, senior business leaders, young professional influencers and celebrity spokespeople to ensure maximum impact. Please contact us if you see ways we can work together!

What's YOUR Purpose?

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Critics Say Bono's Business Practices Belie Africa Efforts - Philanthropy.com

The Chronicle of Philanthropy posts a very interesting article called, "Critics Say Bono's Business Practices Belie Africa Efforts." The article cites the apparent hypocrisy within Bono's efforts to increase tax-provided support to Africa on one hand while working to decrease his personal tax burden on the other.

For another perspective, GOOD Magazine put together this interesting video on U2's Bono, calledBono: A Brief History - From Rock Star to Philanthropist. See below.

(Donate) it Forward???

This is one of the more bizarre stories I've read in a long time... some people have too much money. :)

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Anonymous Donor Leaves Money in Bathrooms

Modern Robin Hood (Philanthropic Thievery)

Supporting the argument that modern reinventions are never as great as the originals were in the good ol' days, this story of modern day Robin Hoods is pretty sad....

Trent Stamp's Take: Thieves Welcome Here:

According to Information Week, nearly 20% of the donations made online to the Red Cross last month were by people using stolen credit cards. Seriously. 700 gifts out of the total of 3600 were made by criminals.

Apparently, people who steal credit cards have found that they can make small gifts to charities to test the validity of the cards they've procured illegally. If they bought items instead, they'd either have to go into a store and risk the chance of getting caught, or provide an address to go with the card, if they paid online. So, instead, they just make gifts to charities, generally in the neighborhood of $10.

This is amazing to me. I had no idea credit card theft was so rampant, or that the thieves were making charitable gifts as a way to test the cards. And while I'm no fan of theft or fraud, I do think that this is a growth industry for charities. Why should the Red Cross get all the thieves? There's money to be made here. Look for fundraising consultants nationwide to begin trying to get charities to compete for the criminals' business. "Test your stolen card here, and get a free tote bag with every gift!"

No donation too strange, no gift too quirky....

This article definitely hit home with me... I once received a donated and gently used tanning bed -- for a YOUTH ORGANIZATION!!! What can I say -- I was young, I needed money....
United Press International - NewsTrack - Quirks - Non-profits recieve quirky donations

Thankfully, we were able to put the tanning bed onto eBay. In fact, we sold it for nearly $900: more than its retail value! Plus, the buyer paid for shipping (around $200 or so, if I recall).

DISCUSSION: What is the strangest, quirkiest, weirdest donation that you've ever received?