Be Our Guest: Epic Change's Stacey Monk

Please welcome our latest Be Our Guest participant - Stacey Monk (LinkedIn). Stacey is the CEO & Founder of Epic Change, which began in 2008. Her previous work includes owning a boutique consulting firm in San Francisco, working in IT strategy at Genentech, working in welfare reform for Santa Clara County, California, consulting for Deloitte and as an arts administrator at a university theatre in Texas. Stacey has her B.A. in philosophy from Catholic University in D.C. and her M.A. in performing arts management from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy & Management. Stacey's work with Epic Change has been recognized as one of the best social media fundraising efforts. Their projects have included Tweetsgiving, To Mama With Love & Epic Thanks. I am honored to have her take part in the blog - Many thanks Stacey!

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

Creating a sustainable, predictable, stable income source. We also have not had any focus at all on grant writing, so we could probably stand to develop a strategy in that regard.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

It's one of our top priorities for 2011. We plan to involve our community and design engaging opportunities to transform one-time donors into regular supporters.

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

Our investments in Tanzania have been very successful, having built one of the top-performing primary schools in Arusha (the picture above is Stacey with students in Arusha). From a fundraising standpoint, I think our To Mama With Love project was particularly successful. (See blog post on To Mama here)

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

It's constantly evolving. I don't think there are great applications for fundraising, per se. Many tools are great for building communities that eventually generate funds for your cause. Tools and platforms that ask people to invest more than money - to invest their hearts (in the form of personal content, stories & emotion) - will, in my opinion, ultimately have the greatest impact.

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

@kanter, @amyrsward, @womenwhotech, @askdebra, @tactphil

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

We've primarily been successfully funded through grassroots contributions. What ideas do you have to transform one-time contributors into regular supports? If I get two questions (you do, Stacey!), I'd also ask what the best tools are out there for grant research - where's the best place to start? (Stacey - check out @PamelaGrow)

What Lies Ahead For Philanthropy?

I'm putting together a series of super-brief interviews with philanthropic leaders discussing what lies ahead for philanthropy - challenges, opportunities, technological advances, necessary research, social media's place in it all... as well as any other paths that arise from the answers to these questions.

I have a decent list of names to start with, but I would love your suggestions on who to include. Either email me or post your suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

Be Our Guest: Gene Takagi

Please welcome our latest Be Our Guest participant - Gene Takagi. Gene is a lawyer focused on nonprofit organizations and the man behind the Nonprofit Law Blog & @gtak. He is an alum of the University of British Columbia (B.Sc.), the University of San Francisco (Masters in Nonprofit Administration) and UCLA School of Law.

Thank you Gene for taking part! Please add your thoughts and questions in the comment section below.

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts (or those you consult) currently face – from a legal point-of-view?

Compliance with registration requirements, charitable trust laws, and substantiation and disclosure requirements (e.g., written receipts to donors).

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

I provide counsel to managers and boards about their legal duties and responsibilities, certain “best practices” that may fit with their organizations, and how to implement policies and procedures to improve the way their organizations further their missions.

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

Through a series of consultations and an on-site training session, I helped the directors of a nonprofit board understand their legal duties and responsibilities and catalyzed their increased support and participation in the organization. Their heightened involvement created additional connections and opportunities for the organization and helped them come out of a difficult financial situation with a set of solid policies and practices to further strengthen their organization. Unleashing an active, productive board that partners with its executive positively impacted its fundraising, supporter morale, and services.

Where do you see social-media’s best application for fundraising/legal advice for NPOs?

Sharing of valuable resources, best practices, and avoidable/correctable missteps. Educating the public about the NPO’s work, its solid infrastructure, and its commitment to making effective and efficient use of charitable resources.

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

- Fundraising Law Made Easy by Bruce Hopkins.

- IRS Charities & Non-Profits website (frequently updated) and State Attorney Generals websites devoted to charitable organizations.

- AFP Blog

- @AFPIHQ

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

What resources have you allocated to legal compliance and risk management in your organizations, and do they adequately protect and strengthen your organization’s ability to do its valuable work and protect your directors and officers from personal liability?

Be Our Guest: Madelyn Anetrella

The latest expert to join us for the Be Our Guest series is Madelyn Anetrella, Director of Development with Kentucky Habitat for Humanity and the owner of the My Nonprofit Experience blog. Prior to joining Habitat in August, Madelyn worked with The Salvation Army as the Director of Volunteer Services, Grant Administrator, and Angel Tree Program Manager. She is a Western Kentucky University alum and also participated in many philanthropic activities as a student.

Throughout her career, she has worked, interned, or volunteered with organizations such as the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Kentucky Humane Society, Girl Scouts, American Heart Association, USO, and her church. As Madelyn put it "I have been involved in some way, whether I knew it at the time or not, with the nonprofit sector since I was 5 years old!"

After college, Madelyn moved to Louisville, Kentucky to attend graduate school. She had planned to get her Master of Arts in political science and then attend law school. In the last semester of her Master's program, a class in nonprofit management intrigued, challenged and inspired Madelyn. After following the intrigue to an internship with the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, she got hooked on the philanthropic world, withdrew from law school and embarked on her career as a nonprofit professional.

My thanks to Madelyn for taking the time to answer these questions - share your thoughts and insights in the comment section below.

Kentucky Habitat on: Twitter / Facebook / Web

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

When I first read this question, two responses came to mind. Since one is general and the other more specific, I thought I would share them both:

- The recessed economy is definitely the biggest challenge to my fundraising efforts, specifically frozen foundation funding and reduced individual giving.
- I am the first Development Director at my organization, and there is no precedent or structure in place in regard to fundraising. I am building everything from the ground up, which is both challenging and exciting!

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

- In response to the economy, we are trying to be creative in our fundraising by creating new partnerships with similar organizations in the community, exploring new funding streams, and using this time to steward our donors.
- Fortunately, I am a planner. I will spend the next 3-6 months studying the organizational culture, meeting with Board of Directors members and coworkers, developing our development strategy. I do, however, have to keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time and the more time I put into planning on the front end, the more organized, effective, and efficient I will be in the future.

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

I am new to my current position, but I think my careful, thorough, and extensive planning is my most successful contribution. When I am organized and prepared, I feel better equipped to participate in meetings, discussions, and maximize my contributions to the organization.

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

Social media has helped me engage individuals and corporations in the community who have not known about who we are or what we do. I use social media to distribute information, share good news, post pictures, stay in touch with donors and volunteers, and make special requests. I am currently using Facebook to collect ideas/contacts for potential vehicle donors for KyHfH's Sustainable Building Specialist so she can travel throughout KY and work with our affiliate chapters on green building.

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

Book: Currently reading the Networked Nonprofit (Editor's note: So am I - great stuff!). Like I said earlier, the distressed economy is forcing us all to be creative. Social media is one way to engage donors and disseminate information.

Blog: Mine of course :) www.madelynteresa.wordpress.com

Twitter: Definitely The Chronicle of Philanthropy @philanthropy

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

As a young nonprofit professional, many of my peers are in the for-profit sector. I feel that I work harder but make less money. However, I am happy and confident with where I am in my career. I love my organization and what I do, but... Will the pay difference eventually catch up with me? Do we suck it up and accept the difference in compensation between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors? Is it our responsibility to work toward change to keep our fellow nonprofit professionals in the field to maintain the efficience, effectiveness, and future of the nonprofit sector?

Be Our Guest: Tracey Webb

Tracey Webb, founder of BlackGivesBack.com, is our latest guest in the Be Our Guest series. Tracey has been working in the fields of nonprofit administration, grant making, social services, and philanthropy for nearly 20 years. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of the District of Columbia and a Master’s degree in counseling psychology from Howard University.

Tracey is founder of the Black Benefactors, a philanthropic membership network, also known as a giving circle, that provides grants to nonprofit organizations serving the African American community in the Washington, DC region. As I mentioned above, she is also the founder and editor of BlackGivesBack.com, the premier online destination for African American philanthropy.

Thank you to Tracey for sharing her knowledge and opinions!

BlackGivesBack on: Twitter / Facebook / Blogger /Website

The Black Benefactors on: Twitter / Facebook /Website

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

My biggest current challenge with the Black Benefactors is soliciting donations. I know that the economy is a factor, and there are many other nonprofit organizations that are seeking donations as well. Washington, DC is home to more nonprofit organizations than most major cities.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

For people who wish to become a member of the Black Benefactors, we offer an installment plan as an option. The annual donation amount is $250 for individuals/couples and $2,500 for corporate membership. Members can donate their contribution over the course of 6-8 months. We’ll begin to use an e-newsletter highlighting our grantees and our progress that will be sent not just to our members, but to our supporters as well that will begin this fall. This way, people who are thinking about becoming a member or donating will be up to date on our efforts. We’ll host recruitment events so potential members can learn more about what we do and meet current members; and revamp the website. Currently I’m also exploring partnerships with area foundations as another way to address challenges of fundraising.

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

Using social media as a marketing tool! Facebook and Twitter have been very helpful in getting the word out about us, our events, and events in the community that we support. We’ve reached many supporters using social media that I don’t think we would have been able to connect with, such as potential grantees and members, community representatives and future donors.

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

Facebook causes, other online donation tools that make it easier for people to donate, and spread the word encouraging their friends to donate as well.

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

As the Black Benefactors’ mission is to provide grants for organizations serving the African American community, one target population for donations is, of course, African Americans who live and work in the DC region. A subset of this population is the affluent African American consumer, which has an estimated buying power of over 80 billion. Many companies, marketers and even nonprofit organizations have overlooked this segment as a consumer and donor. In the new book, Black Is the New Green, it provides tips for reaching this segment they term as ‘the Royaltons,’ such as what they like, what makes them brand loyal, their philanthropic activities, and most importantly, how to reach them. The book has provided me with valuable tips for building our individual donor base among this segment.

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

I'd like to know what makes a person donate to a cause?

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.

Be Our Guest: Diana Keim

Diana Keim, Senior Director of Development with City of Hope for the previous five years is our latest Be Our Guest participant. Diana is a University of Southern California alum who also spent ten years working in development for her alma mater. She also happens to be a wonderful person, should you get the opportunity to get to know her!

I thank Diana for taking part in the Be Our Guest series. Enjoy her answers and provide your thoughts in the comments

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

Acquiring new donors. 2008 and 2009 were lower fundraising years for everyone, and 2010 has been incredibly good for us, revenue-wise. However, acquiring new donors for the health of our donor file has been increasingly difficult. It's the only area of our annual giving fundraising efforts that hasn't recovered to a level I'm comfortable with. Not being in higher ed fundraising anymore, this is an area that is more difficult to tackle. We don't get new graduates every year. :)

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

Instead of solely relying on direct mail acquisition, we are going to be entering the "digital media" arena. We will begin these efforts, in test capacities, in Fall 2010.

Current Campaign:

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

More mailings hitting our donors, believe it or not. My first full year in FY 2006, we went from 11 mailings per year to 17, including the creation of a donor-focused newsletter. We spent the same amount of money to run the direct mail program, but raised another $600,000+, all net revenue.

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

I truly don't know. I see it as as an advocacy media, instead of true fundraising. But I'd love to be proved wrong.

City of Hope on: Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Flickr / MySpace

And check out the great social media landing page:

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: Archana Sridhar

Our latest Be Our Guest participant is Archana Sridhar, co-founder of the South Asian Philanthropy Project, a forum to inspire increased giving and volunteering among South Asians in North America.

Archana received her B.A. from Bard College and J.D. from Harvard Law School. She currently serves as Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

With a law school classmate, she launched the South Asian Philanthropy Project in April 2008. She also sits on the editorial board of The Philanthropist, a quarterly journal for the nonprofit sector in Canada.

I am grateful for Archana's willingness to share her expertise with the audience. 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?

While South Asians are the wealthiest ethnic group in the United States and one of the most economically stable in Canada, there is virtually no data on the giving patterns of this important community. Without data, it is easy to make assumptions (e.g., that South Asians don't give as much as others), or to focus on messages about fundraising that might not resonate. We just don't know enough about what motivates South Asians to get engaged with philanthropy, so we're trying to fix that through our forum.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

Our goal is to start a conversation about giving in our community - which is quite diverse actually! South Asians give to causes in the US and Canada that impact South Asians as well as to causes that may be broader in terms of national reach or more specific in terms of their local communities. They give to a range of causes abroad in their own homelands and to causes that are more global.

We are raising awareness about generous philanthropists and high-impact nonprofits through our website and blog. We also announce opportunities for jobs, grants, and volunteer positions. We are building a "resources" page with articles, research and commentary about giving by South Asian Americans, Indo-Canadians, and other groups of color. We are profiling individuals who are doing it right with interviews and other features on our website. In the future, we hope to have in-person workshops and events around philanthropy for South Asian participants.

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

Since the initiative is so new, it's hard to say where our greatest success has been. There is no other forum on a national/North American level like ours, since South Asians are spread all over the continent. So, I would say our greatest success so far has simply been raising awareness about South Asians in philanthropy and putting people into virtual conversation with each other in a way that other, more local, organizations have been doing in New York, the Bay Area or Chicago.

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

Our experience has been that social media is most powerful for building a brand and a network to mobilize charitable support. Support that comes through social media may not be in terms of dollars - especially at first - but the "buzz" factor, media contacts, and relationship-building it can provide is immeasurable.

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

Obviously, I would say our site! Beyond that, I love Asian American Giving, The Daily Tell, The Philanthropist, PhilanTopic, and Rosetta Thurman. I would say those are the ones I follow most regularly for my philanthropy sector news.

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

How are your readers reaching out to diverse communities to gain their philanthropic support?

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.

Be Our Guest: Jeff Lindauer

Our latest guest is Jeff Lindauer, Associate Vice President for Development with the Indiana University Foundation. He oversees annual giving for 7 of IU's 8 campuses, development research, data & reporting services, prospect management, events, donor relations & stewardship and the Indiana University Student Foundation.

He is also an IU alum who found the profession as a Telefund student caller and manager. And per Jeff... "If I ever win the lottery, I might go back to Telefund part-time. . . I loved that job!"

Jeff also maintains the Getting Giving blog and provides consulting services to a variety of institutions.

Obviously Jeff has a lot on his plate... so many thanks to him for taking part - enjoy his answers and provide your thoughts on his comments and his question for the group.

What is the biggest challenge your fundraising efforts currently face?

I think our biggest challenge has been the internal effect of the economy on our budget. Our funding structure is based on endowment, which led to a series of budget cuts on the program side over the past few years and then a reduction in force that has us completely rethinking how we allocate our resources. That whole ‘more with less’ thing is a reality for most organizations these days.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

We had to make some tough decisions. Some very talented people at all levels are no longer with us. The rest (also talented) are working hard to fill in for those who were caught in the RIF because we still need to do our very best work. We have big goals, and they didn’t get smaller with our budget cuts.

We’re making the organizational changes we need, we’re being more efficient and where necessary we are reducing or eliminating aspects of our program that aren’t mission critical. This is allowing us to continue to invest in those that are. And we sure are looking forward to the eventual return of better economic conditions.

Our hope is that we can come out of these economic times as a leaner, stronger fundraising program poised to best use any new resources that will become available in the future.

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

We have been combining some of our programs, literature and events to accomplish two goals: cut costs and tell our story more broadly. Whether this is a series of fundraising pieces or several smaller events focused on different giving societies, we are trying whenever it makes sense to combine our efforts.

This does NOT mean we don’t have targeted activities or messaging. It DOES mean that certain aspects of our program had become too entrepreneurial. Think silos. Different logos, different paper stock, different ‘trinkets’- you name it. Whenever we could identify overlap or the potential to realize economies of scale, we looked to see if we could accomplish our goals while combining our efforts. There is still much to be done, but progress is being made and we’re seeing a positive effect.

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

Relationship building. I’ll admit that I read Brian’s post back in April and I couldn’t agree more with his answer to this question. Social media fundraising just isn’t here yet. Email is growing and someday it might eclipse everything else, but we’re still seeing annual giving programs driven by fundamentals.

Online giving is different than social media. Online giving is simply another payment/solicitation method. Much of the success in the online channel comes from other aspects of the program driving people to the web to make payment. Make a pledge? Pay it online. No stamps? Give online. Surfing the web and looking for information about us? While you’re here, make a gift.

Social media can help build the relationship and educate the world about the good work your nonprofit is doing. Making the ask is something different, and often those campaigns that have a root in social media (forward this tweet and go here to give) generate $5 and $10 donors. I’m not sure that’s the best route to a successful fundraising program in the long-term. I could start my usual rant about participation rate being the worst metric ever invented in the fundraising profession, but that just wear me out. (DTM note: Amen, Jeff... amen!)

Whenever possible, I recommend looking to other parts of the organization to run the social media efforts and then get in on the conversation when you can. If your marketing/alumni relations/other areas are running Facebook or Twitter, etc. why duplicate that effort by adding more Twitter and Facebook accounts? Instead, work with those areas to leverage the conversation that is already happening.

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

I think for personal development, I’d recommend almost anything by Seth Godin – but let’s start with his latest, Linchpin.

I’m a Disney fanatic, so I’ll also recommend Be Our Guest. It’s a Disney guide to customer service that everyone should read.

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

With text messaging/fundraising being a current hot topic, I’m looking for examples of institutions who have been able to generate significant gifts via texting while at the same time capturing the donor’s information (name/address/phone/etc.) to build a long-term relationship. I remain skeptical about text giving and won’t enter the texting world until I can figure out how to facilitate long-term loyalty and build that proverbial pipeline of major gift donors. If anyone has concrete examples of a campaign that has been able to effectively capture donor information after an initial text gift, I’d love to know more!