#11ntc: NTEN's 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference

NTEN's 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference (#11ntc) is March 17-19, 2011 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton. I thought it was more than worthwhile to dedicate a post to promoting the event.

What you need to know:

• Registration will open November 1st, 2010.
• If you aren't an NTEN member, now is a good time to join (Membership costs: $60-$85; Member savings on registration: $200). More on registration costs here.
• There will be a number of people worth seeing at the event, including @kanter, @rosettathurman and @richmintz
• I plan to attend and look forward to meeting many of you in person!
• Still not sure? Checkout last year's slides at Slideshare here.

Per NTEN's website, Email Anna at anna@nten.org with any questions.

Interesting, Unexpected Appeal

When getting my groceries at a local grocery store while vacationing in Northern Michigan earlier this summer (Northport, to be exact... it's heavenly), I found a surprise appeal in my grocery bag. I do not know how successful the piece is at raising funds, but I imagine it does well at building community awareness and the case for support for Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Have you ever tried one like this? How well did it work at raising money? Awareness?

Since the image quality is low, here is the text:

This little bag could change a life.

Dear Friend,

Sam is deaf due to his parents' medical neglect. Crystal's mom is drug addicted and cannot parent or maintain a safe home for her children. Jake was sexually abused by a family member he trusted.

These are just three of the children in our community who were abused or neglected. They deserve better. They deserve to be safe, and happy.

In the last year, more than 400 children were served by Child and Family Services' foster care program. Many arrive on our doorstep with their belongings - the few they have - in a brown or plastic bag.

Children shouldn't have to live with abuse and neglect. Please help us provide them with all the services they need by taking three easy steps:

1. Place a check, payable to "Child and Family Services" in this bag.
2. Fold the open end of the bag on the dotted line and tape or staple closed.
3. Place a stamp on the bag and mail.

Child and Family Services is a private, nonprofit organization that has been serving children in need in northern Michigan since 1937. Your contribution stays in our community.

Learn more about us: 1.800.538.9984 www.cfsnwmi.org

Be Our Guest: Maya Enista

Our latest guest in the Be Our Guest series is Maya Enista, CEO of Mobilize.org. Mobilize.org is an amazing organization that makes democracy work better by investing in Millennial-driven solutions. She's been with Mobilize.org for 5 years, the first half of her tenure as Chief Operating Officer and as CEO for the past 2.5 years. Previously, Enista served as National Field Director for the Hip Hop Civic Engagement Project and as East Coast Coordinator for Rock The Vote. She attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. On the personal side, Mays is almost 27 years of age and is marrying "a wonderful man named David Smith" in 2011. She lives in Washington, DC with Dave their two black labs, Hudson and Zinny.

Maya is another busy professional who has been kind enough to give some time to our readers and share her knowledge. Please use the comment section to offer your thoughts on her answers and to answer her question for the group. Many thanks, Maya!

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts (or those you consult) currently face?

My current challenge is working to ensure a balance between our funds raised for program-related and general operating support. Although there have been great developments in this area, general operating support or capacity-building are still terms that Foundations are hesitant to include in their grant agreements. However, these funds are essential to an organization’s ability to be sustainable, to thrive and to focus on developing our leaders, at all levels and both inside and outside of our organizations. I just spent several days with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, who I believe to be a leader in this field and will set a powerful example to the philanthropic community moving forward on how to support and develop the talent within our sector.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

We’re working to cultivate our individual donor network and increase our online fundraising efforts in order to become less reliant on foundation grants; diversifying our donors. We’re proud to have over 500 individual donors who give between $10 and $10,000 to support our work to improve democracy by investing in Millennial-driven solutions. We offer our donors various methods to stay engaged in our organization, including our monthly newsletters, blogs on our website, reports from our Summits, regular e-mail communication, tweets, Facebook updates and Mobilize.org events in their local communities. In turn, we hope to increase their commitment to Mobilize.org.

What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role (or as a consultant to others)

I’ve begun to be really intentional about the amount of time I spend working reactively (to funding requests, to media opportunities, to Board Members, etc.) and the amount of time I spent working proactively (measuring our work against the impact we hope to have on the Millennial Generation, engaging my staff in visioning exercises and re-visiting and refining our theory of change and logic model). It’s important that a CEO function in both arenas and I’ve struggled with that balance, so I’ve found it helpful to block “Big Think” times and then participate in detailed planning meeting with my talented and independent staff. There’s a huge difference between talking about the work that your organization is doing and actively participating in the work that improves the lives of the people you’re working for and I want to make sure I’m doing the latter to strengthen the former.

Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?

Social-media is another way to build relationships with donors, potential donors or people who know people that know people. I strongly believe that social-media should be incorporated into all development plans and not viewed as something “extra,” that your already over-worked staff doesn’t have time for. Social-media is just the next form of communication (and not only for my generation) and it should be treated as such; I’m not sure we had email and fax experts 10 years ago the way we have social-media experts today. One of the most useful tools that I’ve found for cultivating our online network is the Causes application in Facebook. For more information on how to use it, check out this helpful fact sheet.

What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to in order to further develop their skills?

I’m constantly on the Foundation Center’s website and reading the Chronicle of Philanthropy, both phenomenal research tools, but I do most of my prospecting and research courtesy of the social networks, particularly Twitter. There are so many great ones, here are some of my favorites:

Sean Stannard-Stockton (@tactphil): CEO of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors has some of the most thoughtful (and thought provoking) pieces about philanthropy’s role in social innovation.

Kari Dunn Saratovsky (@socialcitizen): From the Case Foundation shares her insight on social entrepreneurship and the role of Millennials in shaping the future of our democracy and her insights on new technologies are always right on.

Venture Philanthropy Partners (@vppartners): I've been learning a great deal about measuring impact and effectively scaling my efforts from their important work.

My favorite former fundraiser is Rosetta Thurman (@rosettathurman) who recently launched her own consulting firm and shares her provocative and inspiring thoughts on new technology, the Millennial Generation and the need to build a more diverse sector.

I’d be remisce if I didn’t mention the amazing organization that I have the honor of leading, Mobilize.org. You can stay tuned to @mob_org to learn more about our funding opportunities, work on Millennial innovation and best practices for engaging and empowering this generation. You can also follow our team individually:

@menista / @Ngongang / @emilyblaylock / @atillema / @ayofemi / @peterhhart

What question would you find most useful for the readers to answer?

The best part of my job is serving as a resource for our partner organizations, and change-makers who want to have an impact on the issues that they care most about. So, I welcome your thoughts on what’s worked, what hasn’t worked and any advice you have for the Mobilize.org team on engaging and empowering the Millennial Generation. Please connect with us on Twitter, on Facebook and join the Mobilize.org network here.

Sharing a post from @MadelynTeresa

I have never flat-out copied another blogger's post... but there's a time for everything and that time is now. (Wow, that read like a movie-trailer for this post, didn't it?)

A blog you should follow, @MadelynTeresa's My Nonprofit Experience, recently responded to Rush Limbaugh's claim that:

“(Nonprofit employees are a)... bunch of lazy idiots. Many of them don’t want to really work. Non-profits siphon contributions, as their salaries and so forth, and think of themselves as good people, charitable people. I mean, these people are rapists, in terms of finance and economy.”

Here is her response:

According to Rush Limbaugh, as a nonprofit employee, I’m a lazy idiot and a rapist of the economy… and I don’t want to really work.

Is he serious? Unfortunately, yes.

Am I taking his comments personally? Yes, I am.

The nonprofit field is driven by dedicated, mission-driven individuals who work to help, advocate, educate, and advance those who cannot do it for themselves. It is a personal field. I put my whole being (heart, mind, and body) into my work each and every day.

By making those statements, Rush Limbaugh is making a personal attack on everyone involved in the nonprofit field, including professionals, volunteers, donors, supporters, and clients. We should ALL take his comments personally.

Watch the You Tube video where Robert Egger, Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, author, speaker, blogger, and one of the “50 Most Important and Influential Nonprofit Leaders”, responds to Rush’s unfounded and outrageous attack on the nonprofit community.

Kudos Madelyn - well said. Sign my name to that post/letter any day!

Devin

Be Our Guest: Sam Davidson

Sam Davidson from Cool People Care is the latest Be Our Guest participant. Sam is a Samford University alum who previously worked with the Oasis Center in Nashville. Part of his role with the Oasis Center was teaching leadership to high school students through hands-on community service. This experience, coupled with his time working in the for-profit sector led him to found Cool People Care, a media and lifestyle company that seeks to pair people who want to save the world with local opportunities to do so. Since forming in 2006, CPC has helped over 2,500 non-profits advertise their opportunities to our loyal audience of socially-motivated young people.

I thank Sam for founding CPC and for taking part in the Be Our Guest series. Enjoy his answers and provide your thoughts on his comments and question for the group.

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

Many nonprofits want a quick strike. They want to be able to say something quickly online, whether it's through social media or email, and reap huge donations. Very few understand that it takes time because people want a relationship. (DTM note: Amen Sam!)

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

We're helping nonprofits craft social media and digital branding strategies in order to reach a younger audience with their message. We teach and then implement these plans so that nonprofits can see themselves as having a story to tell via specific tools, especially if they want to reach Gen Y.

What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?

Cool People Care has seen a lot of success with our own campaigns - our daily reach is well over 10,000 people at the moment. All of our nonprofit partners reap the benefits of this reach as we actively promote their work through our channels.

Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?

Social media is best for storytelling. People - particularly young people - won't give you money if they don't know you. Because it's low-cost, social media is a great place to start telling a story, attract a new audience, and then over time, develop a relationship with this audience.

CPC on: Twitter / Facebook / MySpace / YouTube / LinkedIn

What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to?

Beth Kanter's blog, Rosetta Thurman's blog and Kivi Leroux Miller's book, The Nonprofit Marketing Guide.

What question would you find most useful for readers to answer?

What's the first nonprofit you donated to? (DTM: I remember donating time to Daffodil Days as a little kid, because the pic ended up in the local newspaper. The first for money was likely something like Penn State's Dance Marathon.)

Editor's side note:

CPC organized some great efforts to help people in Nashville after the recent floods. One of my favorites was the "We Are Nashville" campaign and associated t-shirts, etc. Click here for more.

Be Our Guest: Debbie Bresette

Please welcome Debbie Bresette as our latest Be Our Guest participant willing to share her expertise. Debbie is president of the United Way Capital Area in Austin, Texas. She has worked with UWCA since 2003, having served as the interim president and chief professional officer for nine months before becoming president in Dec. 2009.

Among the efforts directed by Debbie during her tenure at UWCA are expansion of the United Way 2-1-1 Texas and a redesign of the Volunteer Center into a civic engagement model now called Hands on Central Texas. Bresette was a 2009 finalist for the Austin Business Journal’s Profiles in Power and Women of Influence award. Prior to UWCA, Debbie was a founding member of the Family Crisis Center in 1981 and the Executive Director of the non-profit for 22 years. During her tenure, Debbie created emergency shelter and a wide variety of critical services specifically for women and children in four rural counties in Central Texas. Under her leadership, 21 transitional housing units were developed, built and funded along with support services for battered women and their children. This effort increased affordable housing by 10 percent in the community.

Debbie has clearly had an impact on the capital area and I thank her and her team for providing the following expertise. Enjoy her answers and provide your thoughts on her comments and her question for the group.

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

Many of our donors have told us that they are feeling a strain on their finances, and maybe can't give as much as they'd like to right now. At the same time, our 2-1-1 Texas call center continues to report an increased need for health and human services.

Our challenge is to continue to inform our donors about this increased need and show them that now is the best time to give, when demand for services is so high. A gift to United Way Capital Area is appreciated more than ever as thousands of Central Texans and many nonprofit agencies depend on us to meet community needs.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

As an organization, United Way Capital Area continues to find innovative ways to reduce operational expenses. We also rely on the expertise of executive professionals in our community who give of their time as volunteers. This has enabled us to renew our commitment to our nonprofit partners. Early this year, we announced an award of $3.4 million in grants to the Central Texas nonprofit community. This funding remains constant even as the economy has brought a dip in donation levels and an increase in the demand for health and human services.

What is the most successful change/program implementation you have made in your current role?

No significant change or program is implemented without the tireless efforts of hundreds of individuals and groups in the community. I'm especially proud of the work my team at United Way Capital Area has done to create Bank On Central Texas. This is an innovative program that helps unbanked Central Texans keep more of their hard-earned money by opening a checking, savings or debit card account.

Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising?

United Way Capital Area puts community first in everything we do. We see our role as that of a catalyst for measurable change in the community. Social media and the application of it is a digital extension of the physical community in which we live.

Just as we rely on the people we meet in our neighborhoods, schools, churches and offices to make our world better, we extend these networks into social media spaces, and seek to empower individuals to affect change in these spaces, too.

UWCA on: Facebook / Twitter / Blogspot / YouTube / LinkedIn / Flickr

What book / blog / twitter feed would you suggest fundraisers pay attention to?

Of course, every nonprofit professional should be reading Beth Kanter's blog and gaining new insights from her latest book (with Allison Fine), The Networked Nonprofit.

I'd also like to mention two of our friends in the nonprofit community, The Capital Area Food Bank and Mobile Loaves and Fishes, as being outstanding examples of nonprofits using social media for fundraising. The CAFB has created an impressive iPhone app, and MLF recently integrated billboard advertising and texting to raise money. (Video from CNN below)

What question would you find most useful for readers to answer?

How do you envision your community five to ten years from now, and what can you do as an individual to make this happen? I think every single one of us wants to feel as if we are making a difference when we give back to our communities, but I urge everyone to also demand to see the change they are making when giving back.