A Note About Tone in Your Fundraising Communications

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Your fundraising communications includes many forms. Examples include:

• How you verbally present your fundraising efforts to those around you 
• Any written fundraising communications, such as:
• Direct mail letters 
• Flyers promoting a community meal or other event  
• Emails, Facebook posts and other social media outreach
• Thank you and ongoing communications to supporters and key contacts on your list

Gather all the written communications you can into one location. Involve the people who speak most on your organization's fundraising. Spread the written communications out on a table. As yourself:

• What general tone are we communicating in our fundraising? 
• How clearly are we communicating our successes?
• How could our tone become more positive?

 Donors want to invest in success. They want to give to organizations that create and keep building upon successful impact. Communicating a tone of teetering on the edge of oblivion will not inspire donor confidence. Especially in the wake of recent economic challenges, donor want to know your organization will still be pursuing its mission despite any obstacles in your way.

Taking a moment to increase the positive tone of your fundraising communications is a great investment to make towards new and increased donations.

How is the tone in your fundraising communications? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Remember the Special Days

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How's that list creation/foundation stone placement coming for your favorite nonprofit? If you missed it, you can read that post here.

Once you have that list in place, or if you already do, a very effective initial step is to remember the special days.  

In addition to using this list for fundraising asks, make the time to remind those closest to your organization how special they are. Reach out to your volunteers, board members,  donors and service recipients via written note or card, in person or via phone call to acknowledge known dates such as:

• Birthdays
• Wedding anniversaries 
• Anniversaries of when someone became a board member or volunteer
• Anniversaries of major gifts given 
• Anniversaries of when a first donation was received 
• Anniversaries of significant days like when a major service was received (such as a fire was fought), a loved one was lost, or another significant emotional event took place 

Tailor your message as appropriate for the  special days you are celebrating - with a positive tone for birthdays and anniversaries, and a "thinking of you" tone for the more somber occasions.


Don't forget to record this outreach in whatever system, software or online tracking you develop for your list. 

Remembering this special days will build critical goodwill, ensure you are not always asking and remember those closest to your organization in a meaningful way. 

Speaking of special days, today I send out a special Happy Birthday to my husband, Josh Holland. 

The Foundation Stone for Your Organization's Fundraising

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Since 2009, FlashPoint has covered more than 130 fundraising topics in this blog. Today, we take a step back and focus on how you can lay a foundation stone for a fortress of fundraising for your small but passionate nonprofit doing incredible work in your community.

The foundation stone you can lay is simply creating a list from scratch for future fundraising efforts. It will be one of the best long term investments in you can make in the future of your nonprofit. It will be less expensive than list purchase, and likely more accurate. It is the best way to effectively equip yourself for an outstanding structure for your future campaign efforts.

 How do you start laying this foundation stone?

• Create a position to chair such efforts. This person might be called a Relationship Chair. 
• Decide on an electronic means for capturing contact information. Make sure that it is backed up somewhere for redundancy and safekeeping.
• Gather a list of your organization's known contacts. These might include:
• Current and previous volunteers and board members
• Current  and previous donors 
• Grateful service recipients 
• Community members known for their support of philanthropic causes
• As you gather information, work to confirm:
• Current contact information (mailing address, phone, email, etc.)
• Information relevant to those contacts including birthdays, anniversaries, etc. so you might acknowledge these supporters' important dates
• Recruit a group of volunteers willing to brainstorm and discuss this list. The more social and connected these volunteers are, the better. Review, update and add to this list using the benefit of their experiences and ideas.
• Review the list at least quarterly to make critical information updates to reflect any contact information changes, someone passing away, etc. 
• Use the list to start recording a history of support received under each contact.
• Keep the list confidential and do not sell, rent or otherwise share the information with any other person or group.
• Review the list for accuracy with your connected volunteers prior to using it for personal visits, a direct mail campaign or other fundraising efforts.

With the proper time and attention, your list will be the foundation stone for moving your mission forward.

How did your organization create its first fundraising list? What suggestions do you have? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Endow Iowa: A Wonderful Opportunity to Grow Perpetual Commitment to Your Organization

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Do you have an accumulated balance in your account that isn't waiting for an apparatus or other major purchase? 

Do you have a few significant supporters who might be interested in an additional State of Iowa tax break for a gift to your organization?

Does it sound nice to have a gift amount that you could count on year after year? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, and you are an IRS-recognized 501 (c) (3), your organization might be a good candidate for establishing a endowment through your local community foundation to maximize the impact of the Endow Iowa program. A video explanation of the program may be found here. 

Endowment accounts can be opened for less than you might think. Once your endowment is established, you will be able to count on a percentage of that principal supporting your operations every year in perpetuity. Talk about a gift for the future of the community! 

Qualified Endow Iowa gifts receive a 25% State of Iowa tax credit in addition to the normal charitable income tax deductions. Donors with appreciated stock can avoid capital gains tax and receive even greater state benefits through a stock gift to an Endow Iowa qualified account.  These credits make the net cost of a gift significantly smaller than the original amount.

Some of the requirements of the program include:

• Gifts must be made to a permanent endowment fund at a qualified community foundation  
• Endowments must benefit one or more Iowa causes

The State of Iowa Legislature established the Endow Iowa program in the early 2000's. It has resulted in an investment of more than $50 million to benefit great causes in our wonderful state for so many tomorrows.

Ready to start growing your organization's future? Contact your local community foundation to learn more about how Endow Iowa can benefit your donors, your community and your organization.