CauseWired Book Party- 10 Free Tickets Available

FLiP invites you to join us on Thursday, November 13th at 6PM in east midtown Manhattan to celebrate the publication of CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World, by Tom Watson.

We only have ten (10) free tickets 
available so please sign up
today! The exact location will
be emailed to you to confirm
your registration.

Appetizers will be served
and your first drink is on
us!

CauseWired is available on Amazon.

FLiPs role in Web 2.0 by Elizabeth Miller

FLiP's best friend, Elizabeth Miller, is fast becoming our most published author. At this point our editorial conversations go something like this. Will: Write whatever you want. Elizabeth: Okay, I'll send it to you tomorrow.

This time Elizabeth wanted to write about the philanthropic sector can better use social networking and web 2.0 technology. A huge opportunity exists for non-profits and foundations alike, what do we need to do to take advantage of it?

When I was profiled for the Meet-A-FLiP series last fall, I was asked what I saw as important opportunities facing the philanthropy sector. I responded by saying that philanthropy’s ability to become engaged in Web 2.0, or the social web, would be one of the biggest challenges, and one of the greatest opportunities for our profession.

Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed watching how the issue of technology has come to the forefront of the field. Seeing the ways that nonprofits, and foundations themselves, are engaging technology in their work has set the field abuzz with research and opinion on both the opportunities and the challenges organizations face.

From the perspective of nonprofits – research and advocacy groups alike – one of the biggest challenges is simply a matter of knowing what resources exist and which ones will help them accomplish their work more efficiently. Organizations like The NPower Network, NetSquared, Tech Soup and NTEN all provide assistance to groups struggling with these issues. There’s also a new project called We Are Media, which posits itself as a Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits. We Are Media is particularly interesting because it offers a lot of ways to participate and leave feedback in a wiki workspace. These kinds of resources, and the thinking behind them, will push organizations beyond thinking about using the internet only for fundraising.

As someone who works at a foundation, I can tell you our experience with these issues is exciting. In addition to talking with other foundations about how this technology affects our own work, the conversations we have had with grantees about the challenges they face has helped us to understand their experiences. Along the line of what foundations experience integrating technology into its work, the Communications Network released an interesting report a few weeks ago called “Come On In. The Water’s Fine. An Exploration of Web 2.0 Technology and Its Emerging Impact on Foundation Communications.” The report, written by Cynthia Scheiderer and David Brotherton, was the culmination of a year of research as to how foundations are (or are not) using technology in their work. Its purpose was to urge foundations to make more use of Web 2.0 technologies in order to more effectively engage the public in their work and to increase their programmatic interest. The report shows that Foundations are entering this world, some faster than others, at the same time as giving us a sense of  where the field is headed. To see my more detailed blog post reaction to this report, visit The Overbrook Foundation blog here. 

Aside from understanding the tools and platforms available and how they might be used, we need to pay attention to some generational “issues” too. Since we FLiP readers tend to be younger than a lot of our co-workers, I think it’s easy to forget that some of the skills that seem natural to us aren’t so easily accepted within large-scale institutions or by the older generations. We have an opportunity – some might say an obligation – to educate our colleagues and our bosses about the applicability of these tools, how they can increase communication, foster greater interactivity between audiences, and bring more transparency to our institution. I can well imagine that there might be some resistance about the open sharing of information but the more we push for these kinds of conversations the stronger our institutions will become.

The new technology is exciting, even if at times a tad overwhelming. The more we share our experiences, the more we can learn from each other. Whether you’re a funder for social change, or an activist within a particular social movement, how you use the internet to engage and mobilize your audiences may be the difference in whether or not you will be able to claim success.

Growing a Profession By Erin Hall-Westfall & Naomi Marshall

Our old friends Academic Impressions, and the University of Michigan are joining forces for an event coming up on December 3rd and 4th in Atlanta, Georgia.  The event is for leaders in education development who wish to create a program that mimics the University of Michigan’s Development Summer Internship Program.

In advance of the event, I asked my friend and UM connection Kat Walsh  to recommend someone who could tell us more about the larger problem that Michigan's innovative program solves, the challenge of finding experienced professional fundraisers. She got right on it, and helped developed the following post about the lack of next generation leaders.

Due to a number of growing university development offices and new nonprofits across the country, it is increasingly a challenge to find experienced fundraisers. Development and advancement officers at institutions of higher education in particular struggle to recruit qualified and diverse candidates into the fundraising profession.  Moreover, recent studies and articles have focused on the leadership crisis in the philanthropy sector. Lacking a leadership pipeline, industry professionals worry that there are not enough “next generation leaders” poised to take the places of current leadership reaching retirement age. As a result, many university development offices are creating recruitment programs to specifically address recruitment as well as issues of retention and learning.

Yet the struggle to recruit qualified young people into the profession is not due to a lack of interest in the philanthropy sector. The Millennial Generation (those individuals born between 1980 and 2000) has a higher commitment to civic engagement through community service than previous generations. In 2005 the College Senior Survey, which reports the experiences of over 30,000 college students at 118 four year institutions, found that 70% of respondents said that they performed volunteer work during college and 75.8% view helping others through difficulty as a “very important” or “essential” life goal. These percentages are increasing each year. Moreover, “Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out,” a national study released in 2008 by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Meyer Fund, and Idealist.org, reports that 47 % of “next generation leaders” said that their ideal next job would be in nonprofit sector work, or as it is called in some quarters, philanthropic sector work. Where is the disconnect?

Although the Millennials may seemingly have more of an affinity to philanthropy than older generations, they are often not aware of development as a profession, and even if they are, they likely do not understand the depth and diversity of positions and opportunities within the profession. As industry leaders have struggled to close the recruitment gap, they have had to become more strategic about recruiting and retaining professionals, particularly younger ones.

Q&A - DOW Disaster - What Does This Mean for Philanthropy?

In recent weeks the economic… let’s call it “uncertainty”… has kept my mouse poised over the “refresh” button of the CNN.com homepage. However, like many of you I’m not exactly heavily invested in the market. In other words, the DJIA could lose 20% and unless I read about it, I doubt it would affect my day-to-day life very much. Or will it? As I was watching the DJIA crater and rise (mostly crater), I started to think – okay, but what does this mean for us? Actually, what does this mean for Philanthropy? Are all of my donors losing their year-end gift as we speak?

As I was pondering this economic mystery, my bosses at Changing Our World were finishing up an FAQ about the relationship between the economy and the philanthropic sector. It’s not all good news, but I found the contents both reassuring and helpful.

Questions are asked such as:

What is the Worst Case for Philanthropy?

Answer: In the last 40 years the worst one-year (inflation adjusted) decline in philanthropy was in 1973-74, and it was a decline of 5.4%. If this crisis matches that one, giving in 2008 will be approximately $289.5 billion – or exactly what it was in 2005. In other words a decline may be real, but the only rational reaction is to press forward. After a down year, philanthropic giving always roars back to new record gains within two years.

Has the current market taken away all of the wealth this country has built?

Answer: Try and remember back to 1993 (just 15 years ago) when the Dow’s all-time high was 3700. Times are rough, but there is still plenty of wealth out there. The key to stabilizing your annual fundraising total is invest in diversifying your sources of gifts – rather than relying on a small group of individuals or companys all in one industry, try and get a balance to insulate against an economic rough patch.

Should we postpone our campaign or move forward?

Answer: Obviously this is a case-by-case question, but it almost every case you shouldn’t stop. Slow down? Maybe, but don’t stop. This economic crisis is deep, but it’s not the end of wealth in this country.

Since construction is slow, this could be a good time for capital bids. Also, it’s definitely a good time to do some cultivation and let your donors know they are family in good times and bad times alike.

There are 900,000 public charities in this country. Those who stop will be at a disadvantage next year compared to their competitors who continued to cultivate and solicit.

There are dozens of questions and answers available on the Changing Our World website: http://www.changingourworld.com/site/News2?abbr=abt_&page=NewsArticle&id=6573

Also on the Changing Our World website you can find a letter from our CEO, Michael Hoffman, about the current state of philanthropy. http://www.changingourworld.com/site/News2?abbr=abt_&page=NewsArticle&id=6569

I hope you find this post as helpful as I did. Happy Columbus Day, everyone!

FLiP’s back in NYC: October 7th at Turtle Bay!

What:  Free Networking Happy Hour
Where:  Turtle Bay (987 Second Ave., between 52nd & 53rd Streets)
When:  Tuesday, October 7th, 6-8PM
Why:  Get reacquainted with New York FLiPs, meet new members of the FLiP community or join us for the first time!

As we mentioned in the last post, registration isn’t required but we’d like to get an idea of who’s coming, so please click here to register for the event or RSVP to our Facebook event.  Questions?  Email Lyndsay Reville, at lreville@changingourworld.com.

Hope to see you on the 7th!

What to Expect: Online Fundraising by Beth Pickard

When FLiP was up in Boston a few weeks back, I met Beth Pickard, an intern at Firstgiving.com. Firstgiving.com, “helps people realize the power of online fundraising”. I knew Beth had good taste when she complimented my recent post about being a fundraising consultant, so I asked her to tell us a bit more about what she does.

Online fundraising programs can be a less expensive and more creative way to raise some money, but with every nonprofit in the world launching their own program, how can you break through the clutter?

I used to be an ascetic when it came to using Facebook.  I uploaded my first profile picture and never changed it.  I never updated my “status.”  I rejected hundreds of group invitations, and I posted nothing personal.  I resented the mini-feed. 

But over the past year or so, I started to come around.  There is no denying that Facebook has helped to catalyze a new form of communication, sometimes referred to as “Web 2.0” or the “social media revolution.”  The platform, however, is only as good as how you use it, and it can be used for some very effective endeavors.  Networking rules remain unchanged; what has changed is the medium through which networking is happening. 

The key point here is that communication via social media (i.e., online) is becoming something that can’t be ignored.  This applies directly to philanthropy and fundraising, as online fundraising is transitioning from a niche to a primary source of income for nonprofit organizations.

Here are a few insights for effective online fundraising from our team at Firstgiving:

1) Be creative when you ask - Our most successful fundraisers inspire and get donors excited to give by creating interesting fundraising events.  They compete in endurance sports events, sell body parts (i.e, reserve space for a message on an arm or leg during a race in exchange for a donation), shave their beards, and give up birthday and wedding presents. 

2) Consider asking for small amounts - Sometimes people don’t give because they don’t think giving a small amount will make a difference.  Large donations are nice, but it is quite possible to meet a fundraising goal with small donations from a lot of people.  Ask specifically for $5 donations, for example, or even $1 donations.

3) Make it personal - Make a clear and personal statement about why you are doing what you are doing.  It helps people to get “on board” with you.