Blog

As of June 1, 2020

 COVID-19 has affected and probably changed our lives all over the world, Here are a few of past items still very pertinent today. PSI wants to wish all of you the best of health and fortitude to handle these changes.

• Tune in to the weekly podcast on how to continue fundraising during this period, presented by Dr. Tim Seiler, former director of The Fund Raising School.  https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/professional-development/podcast/index.html.
• Here is valuable information for private and parochial schools:  Council for American Private Education (CAPE) announced that the US Senate Passed COVID-19 relief bill.  Check their website for more information.
• Also check on the Federal CARES Act.
• Above all, keep in touch with your donors, let them know how much you value them, inform them on how your organization is doing, and in general, remain proactive in communication.

It’s always good to look ahead and plan accordingly.  A great resource is the Philanthropic Outlook for 2020-2021, published by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy–https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/research/current-research/index.html.  If you peruse their website you will find much valuable information from the various schools or institutes, as well as their research.

Here are reminders of the many ways PSI can serve you:

PSI NETWORK CONNECT–PSI’s mentoring program has experienced great success since the 2018 Conference on Philanthropy in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Twenty mentorship partners have completed the one-year program and others are still ongoing. Our knowledgeable, talented mentors have expressed their desire to assist others to grow and flourish in their positions. No matter your position — college president, VP for Advancement, non-profit leaders, development director, alumni director, and so many more — we have mentors who have successfully walked in your shoes and are eager to help you navigate your journey. It’s a time-honored practice that has served society well. Visit our website for more information http://philanthropicservice.com/resources/mentoring/ or contact Charlotte Henderson, PSI Network Connect Manager at mentoringprogram@nadadventist.org

ALUMNI HANDBOOK–PSI now has produced a volume that will be helpful for academy personnel, especially fundraisers, on managing an alumni program.  Thanks to Charlotte Henderson, author of this guide, we now have materials to assist you in reaching out to your alumni, particularly in doing fundraising.  Our appreciation to Charlotte for undertaking this task on behalf of PSI.  You can purchase this from AdventSource.org.

Although specifically designed for academies, there are materials in this handbook that could be useful for higher ed as well, which is why we’ve included you in this announcement.

SOON TO COME—a French translation of Successful Fundraising, which joins the set of handbooks provided by PSI on fundraising.  We have a version suitable for churches and church organizations, one for general use such as by academies, a Canadian version, and a Spanish language translation.

DON’T FORGET—especially as you might be housebound, PSI has two ways you can learn via the Internet.  First, check out our webinars on PSI’s website under Resources.  Second, visit the Adventist Learning Community and take the course– Open the ALC website (www.AdventistLearningcommunity.com) and search PSI to find the courses: Understanding and Implementing Fundraising: PSI Essential Principles and Practical Applications, Courses 1-5.

SEARCHING FOR FUNDERS—PSI has the capability to assist you in finding foundation resources, and thanks to Bev Habada, now has a compilation of donors who might be interested in Adventist causes.  Write oksanawetmore@nadadventist.org.

DON’T FORGET—to view our website periodically where you will find additional materials, such as Your Future in Fundraising and other information.  Thanks to Mark Lindemann, the site is kept active and up to date.

Due to budget constraints, we have to cut some programs that PSI has offered.  The Career Opportunities program is closed down, and for now we are not able to take any new MAP applicants.  If you have questions, please contact Randy Fox at PSI.

PSI has prepared two documents about fundraising strategies that may be of interest to you. One is a summary of a webinar on monthly giving, presented by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The other is a compilation of text-to-give platforms. If you’re interested in these please send me an e-mail. Thanks to Oksana Wetmore-Martinez for preparing these items. According to an expert in social media, Nathan Hand, “it’s still widely believed that texting campaigns are best for urgent needs, disasters, etc. and they are not seeing a lot of success outside of that area. That said, some churches are having success leveraging it as a ‘digital offering plate’ and sending a scheduled text during the service that people can reply to – as fewer and fewer people are carrying cash/checks.”

The NonProfit Times published an article on three things to watch in nonprofit finance and fundraising. In the December 2019 issue Brian Mittendorf wrote about “Following the Money,” and the three important points he listed are:

The Full Effect of the Tax Law Constraints on Donor-Advised Funds Giving Around the 2020 Election

If you don’t get this useful newspaper, we can share a copy of this article with you.

Along the same themes, Cynthia M. Lewin wrote in The NonProfit Times, also in the December 2019 issue, about “The Winds of Change,” and stated that regulation, taxes and donors are all in the danger zone. While some predictions may not happen or might be mild, as I’ve seen in my long experience, it’s always good to be aware and be prepared.

Given these issues and possibly challenges to our work, it would be good to review a survey prepared by Penelope Burk on what donors want, and published in the February 2020 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy. “What Donors Are Thinking” comes from the Cygnus Applied Research and contains concise bits of information that can help us assess how we reach out to prospects and donors.

As we anticipate the information from “Giving USA,” we can also learn from a report issued by the Blackbaud Institute, which stated that overall giving was flat in 2019, while online fundraising jumped 6.8%. As published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy Daily Update, reporter Emily Haynes wrote, “Overall giving grew the most at midsize nonprofits, which saw an increase of 3.2 percent, according to a study conducted by the Blackbaud Institute, the research arm of the software company.” https://institute.blackbaud.com/resources/

PSI now offers a new service and handbook to our academies! Thanks to Charlotte Henderson, a PSI consultant, we have a hot-off-the-press handbook for academies on how to manage alumni programs. Find out more about this new edition to PSI’s helpful group of books by clicking on this special link to AdventSource. The volume is Adventist Academy Alumni Guide. We know this will be helpful to all academies, and other educational institutions can also benefit from the counsel.

There was positive news for education fundraisers. This was reported in the February 6, 2020, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Daily Update, “Giving to Universities Grows 6.1% as Grant Makers Lead the Way.”

Sooner or later any one of us might wish to see “What’s out there” and consider a job change. Just a reminder that we post jobs and resumes on PSI’s website, and we’re happy to help you think about your next step. Check out Our free book which you can download from our website, Your Future in Fundraising.” There are also many useful sites if you want to conduct a broader search, such as ANA Nonprofit Careers. Published every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. ET, employment listings are limited to those in or directly supporting the nonprofit sector. Posting is complimentary for ANA member nonprofit organizations. Access the latest edition of ANA Nonprofit Careers here.

To end on a light note, do you ever feel like you’re out of step, like this student? Enjoy the month!

For archived messages click here.

As of February 3, 2020

We are already in February and many of us have been battling the elements—blizzards, rainstorms, cold spells, gloom and much else. If you’ve enjoyed sunny and at least fairly warm climates, we’re glad for you! It’s also a good time of the year to forge ahead with our fundraising plans and activities and to remind ourselves what a difference we make. As PSI has been making follow-up calls or sending e-mails to the organizations and people we’ve worked with, we want to thank those of you who sent complimentary or grateful notes. We all need to know that we’re significant in bettering the human condition, and also realize we’re likely to be criticized since what we do isn’t easy, and there are many elements in our success that we need to consider and handle. In that light, I thought the following would be a good reminder to all of us:

Some of our challenges are perennial, such as board activity. The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy’s journal published a helpful article on “Ten Things Your Board Should Know About Philanthropy,” by Bill Littlejohn. You can find this article at www.ahp.org/connect, Spring 2019. As always, if you can’t pull these up or don’t get the journals referenced, write to me for a copy.

Donor-Advised Funds are a resource about which we frequently get questions. Please write us for how-to and advice articles that can help you understand how this tool works and how you can also explain this to your volunteers and colleagues.

Do you get questions from donors as to what the Church does with tithe and offerings? Here is a good article that is referenced in a useful document that explains this issue quite thoroughly– An official statement of guidelines on the use of tithe can be found on the North American Division’s (NAD) website by clicking this link. Principles regarding the use of tithe, policies regarding the use of tithe: functions for which tithe may be used and shall not be used, and an administration of tithe funds position statement can be found in this article. Feel free to write for the rest of this document if you need this resource in answering questions. The reason this comes up is because donors sometimes wonder why Conferences, Unions and churches can’t just get projects done with the money members give.

EveryAction (https://www.everyaction.com/about) has published a document about 2020 fundraising trends to watch. In fact, if you Google “2020 fundraising trends” you’ll find some interesting suggestions and analyses. Of course, given the proliferation and abundance of information, consultants, documents and more about fundraising, be careful about what you take time to read and believe. Use your judgment and make sure the information is solid and not the product of charlatans, which regrettably we have in our profession!

There are many more “hot topics” we could address in this short newsletter and some of the latest are mid-level donors, the challenges of being a fundraiser, how donors choose to give or choose to leave us, the on-going importance of telling donors what their gifts do, and items about nonprofits in general. One of is a truly helpful article in NonProfitPRO.com, “The New Nonprofit Model—Organizational Sustainability Through Leadership and Mission.” For any topics that you need, questions you need answered, concerns you have, and latest trends, write to us since one of the ways PSI serves is to have many resources available.

And since we’ve referenced nonprofits, it would be useful to peruse an article in the January 2020 The Chronicle of Philanthropy on “The Trust Crisis” which addresses how the public’s declining regard for nonprofits may hurt fundraising and related activities. It’s better to be proactive and aware, and take recommended steps, than to go into decline.

To end on a happy note, remember that Valentine’s Day is coming and it’s a good time to not just thank donors but also our volunteers and staff, and be grateful that we have the opportunity to work in such a worthwhile profession!

Happy New Year!  We hope you had a well-deserved break and ended the year in high spirits!  A useful article was published by The NonProfit Times late in 2019 recapping the year and giving an outlook for 2020.  This was in the September 1, 2019 issue, www.thenonprofittimes.com.  There’s no doubt that 2020 will provide us with many challenges, but I have no doubt we can turn them into opportunities, at least for the most part!

A sobering article appeared on this website: CLICK HERE.  We know that a person’s faith values guide almost all giving, so it’s highly significant that we explain the values our causes represent, since fundraising, as no doubt you already know, is an exchange of values.

Also on that topic, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Daily Update published an article about which types of organizations have been or will be most affected—

“Youth, Education, and Health Groups Hit Hardest by the Sharp Decline in Americans Who Give,” by Emily Haynes.  “Some 20 million Americans who gave to charity in 2000 had stopped giving by 2016, a new study shows.”  This certainly is a serious matter for many of the NAD organizations!

The NonProfit Times published a practical item in November of 2019 about privacy laws, “January is Coming Soon—Complying With New Consumer Privacy Laws in 2020.”  Privacy issues are increasingly problematic today, so it’s best to review these regulations and be conversant with them.

Since all of PSI’s friends, clients and constituents are faith-based and many are closely church-related, here is a study that is most credible, published by the Lake Institute for Faith and Giving, based at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy:   The National Study of Congregations’ Economic Practices.  This is available at the following website, along with many other helpful items–CLICK HERE.

No doubt our readers are familiar with www.give.org, because we refer to this a great deal, not just for the charity ratings but also to be aware of what donors expect today (these are listed in the qualifications for approval).  Now there is additional information available of which we should be aware as our donors become more savvy.  Even if your organization isn’t listed on either site, we should comply with these qualifications and expectations.  Chronicle of Philanthropy Daily update, November 22, 2019, “New Ratings Site Measures Charity Impact, Goes Beyond Financial Data”, by Michael Theis.  While the Fundraising Fitness Test and related tools are truly valuable, we can’t forget the less-quantifiable aspects of our work.

Don’t forget the many ways PSI can help you in 2020, via our materials such as books or on-line resources, through phone consulting, on-site visits by PSI and astute and experienced consultants, and more.  Please peruse our website so you are aware of how PSI can assist you and also remember what no-cost or low-cost help is available.  We are here to serve YOU!  In that vein…