Good News for 2011: Donor Intentions

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Recently, Cygnus Research and Penelope Burk completed their Cygnus Donor Survey...Where Philanthropy is Headed in 2011 study of more than 22,000 donors. Their survey was conducted in February 2011. 

The study generated several pieces of good news, including:

1. 79% plan to give the same or more in 2011 as they gave in 2010 to charitable causes.

2. 33% plan to give more in 2011 to charitable causes.

3. Donors with the highest incomes, at least one post-secondary degree in the family and those who define themselves as "actively religious" are among those most likely to give more to charitable causes this year.

4. 39% of respondents under the age of 35 plan to give more to charitable causes in 2011, compared with only 20% of older donors.


Among the valuable donor insight shared in this survey was this comment:

My wallet opens up for specific projects that excite me. I guess that means I'm more inclined to be generous for specific projects; when it comes to regular unrestricted giving, I'm consistent -- but I don't break the bank.

What lessons might you take back to your departments from this survey?

1. Donors of every age matter. Promptly thank every donor personally and share the impact their support has on your efforts to keep your community safe.

2. If you're not already doing so, start tracking the names, contact info and giving history of those who are supporting your department through verifiable means (known to you, writing a check, etc.). If you are doing so, congratulations! Your efforts to check the accuracy of this information at least once a year will be worthwhile.

3.When you host fundraising meals and ask for your community support, provide specific information on what you plan to do with the community support you receive. 


What do you think? 
Share your comments below.

Annual Reports: An Opportunity to Demonstrate the Value of Investments with Your Department

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Although full-color, expensive reports mailed out to the world aren't commonplace anymore, the information in an annual report is still relevant to your taxpayers and donors. In a world of limited resources, think of an annual report as a way to demonstrate how effective you and your fellow members are at maximizing community safety through your department's budget.

An online example of an annual report from the Iowa City Fire Department may be found here. It breaks down operational areas and quantifies information for taxpayers. One such example may be found in the Training and Equipment section from Iowa City Fire. 

For volunteer departments, you may find more information on how to quantify the value of volunteers' time here. 

How promptly an annual report is made available is as important as the exact content that goes into it. What are some baselines to consider including in your annual report? 

• Number and types of calls and time involved 
• Training time completed
• Community and education time completed (event support, fire prevention, etc.)
• Member certification levels
• One to two stories from the year from members and/or grateful victims/service recipients

Before finalizing your annual report, take these steps:

1. Review your statistics and consider how you could make them more relevant to the general reader. For example, the 2958 hours of training cited in the Iowa City Fire Department annual report may "hit home" more when expressed as "more than 120 continuous days of training" or "1/3 of a year." This was determined by taking 2958 hours and dividing by 24).
2. Make sure your appreciation for taxpayer and donor support shines through.
3. Ask yourself: What are the three most relevant statistics or stories included in your report? Use this information in your community conversations throughout the year. 

Your annual report may be posted online and/or in a brief printed version. If you're tracking the contact info of your donors, consider notifying them when your annual report is available.  

Want to get into more detail? Visit Tom Ahearn's Better Annual Reports blog here. 


Does your department produce an annual report? If so, how do you share it?

Preparing for Your Department's Raffle

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Is your department or association planning a raffle with your next community meal or as a stand alone fundraiser?

In Iowa, to make sure your raffle is compliant with state laws, you will need:
1. A sales tax permit
2. A gambling license

A full explanation of the details involved may be found on the Iowa Department of Revenue website. These rules apply equally whether the raffle is being conducted through your city, fire board, or 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization/association. Your group will also be responsible for withholding for any prizes of more than $600. 

Most organizations include the Iowa sales tax in the cost of the raffle ticket. If your locality has a local option sales tax, that must be planned for as well. The details of how frequently you will have to file the sales tax from your raffle program can be found here.  

More information on raffle regulations for the state of Missouri may be found here. 


A link to the permit application for the state of Nebraska may be found here. Additional information may be found at this link.


What have your experiences been with raffles as fundraisers for your department? Share your thoughts and questions below.

A Primer for Getting Your Department on Facebook

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Recently, an Iowa Volunteer Fire Chief's Workshop was hosted by the Iowa Fire Chiefs Association and the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau. 


A survey of the audience yielded many hands from department leadership across Iowa in response to the question, "How many of you have no online presence at this time due to lack of resources, etc.?" 


Future FlashPoint blogs will provide information and options for setting up a website. In the meantime, as discussed at the Chief's Conference, creating a Facebook page for your department can be a great place to get started with sharing more information with your community. 

FlashPoint recommends starting with Facebook for an online presence due to sheer numbers. No other social media platform is being used by more people. 




If you don't currently have a Facebook account, you may sign up at www.Facebook.com. With a little time and effort, you can ensure your privacy settings are high. Games and other activities available on the site can be blocked from your news updates. 


To start the process of creating a Facebook page for your department:
1. Visit this link on Facebook. 

2. Select Company, Organization or Institution from the box in the middle, top row.

3. From the Choose a Category drop down, click on the arrow and select either Government Organization or Non-Profit Organization (if you are setup as a 501 (c) (3) from the options.

4. Enter in your organization's name exactly as you want it to appear and check the box next to Facebook pages terms and conditions. You will have to type in some letters that appear on the screen to authenticate your login. 


5. At the next screen, you will be given an option to create a Facebook account or use your existing account. 


6. On the next screen, you will see steps 1 through 6 in terms of options for your new page. Select the option(s) that work(s) best for you.

7. Click on the Info option on the left hand side of the page to enter basic information about your department.


8. Once you start establishing fans for your page, create at least one additional Administrator for the page by clicking on the list of fans and selecting the Make Admin option from the right hand side of the screen. This will ensure the responsibility for the page is easily shared.


9. Set a goal to update your page with information, photos, videos or whatever is available from your department at least once a week. This could be specific to your operations or general safety tips. Ask for feedback and input from those who Like your page whenever possible.

10. FYI, once you have your Facebook page setup, there is now an option to Use Facebook as Page that may be accessed from the account drop down of your personal account on the far right hand side. This will allow you to comment and have most of the Facebook functionality you have with your personal account.

Want to take a look at other departments that are using Facebook effectively? Visit the links below:
Denmark Fire & Rescue
Montrose Fire & Rescue


What ideas and experiences do you have to share with Facebook and your department's website?