7 Important Rules for a Successful Annual Appeal Letter – Part I

Are you conducting an end-of-year annual appeal? If so, you need to plan now. Here’s how to get prospective donors to open the envelope, read the contents, and take action.

Mind your mailing list: Is it up-to-date with current information? Did you verify that all names are spelled correctly? Do you update your list regularly?

Make a great first impression: Do you want the addressee to recognize you? Look at the solicitations you receive—what impressions do they leave?

Maximize the P.S.: Believe it or not, 90% of recipients read the P.S. first! Put your most important message in the body of the letter and in the P.S. 

Avoid Eye Strain: Today, a 14 pt. font is the minimum. Don’t make the reader squint.

Ask more than once and make it reader-centric: Don’t wait until the last paragraph to make your request. After all, the ask is why you are writing. Reminders of what their donation will achieve should be sprinkled throughout. Here are some ideas:

·        “you make it possible”

·        “can’t do it without you”

·        “please join me”

Make sure you have defined the “it.”

Write like people talk: Read the letter out loud to someone. Is it coherent and does it flow? You are not writing Moby Dick; you are making a 21^st century appeal for funds.

Follow up: After you write your thank-you notes and send the IRS letter, you need to tell donors what you did with their money. This is part of ongoing cultivation and communication.

We have many specific strategies to help you write a more effective annual appeal letter. Call MacIntyre Associates today at (302) 530-6806 to boost your rate of positive responses. We’re here to help. Visit our website.

Recipes and Cooking Hints: Orzo Salad

This is a great dish for a buffet or as a side dish. Easy to make and fun to prepare with children. The vinaigrette is key to the taste. The flavors are complex so don’t omit the basil and mint.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ c. orzo
• 1 15oz. can garbanzo beans
• 1 ½ cups of mixed grape or teardrop tomatoes, split
• ¾ c. chopped red onion
• ½ c. fresh basil leaves
• ¼ c. fresh mint leaves

1. Bring stock to a boil, cook orzo for about 7 minutes, until done but firm (al dente). Stir frequently. 2. Strain and let cool slightly.
3. Mix in vegetables and herbs.
4. Add vinaigrette to coat lightly.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Vinaigrette:

• ½ c. red wine
• ¼ c. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 c. olive oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• ¾ tsp black pepper

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender adding olive oil last and slowly with machine running on low speed. Check for seasoning.
2. Warm orzo will absorb vinaigrette so reserve some to add before serving if needed.
Salad is best if made several hours before serving.

Guest Blog: Musings of an Interim Executive Director

Late last fall, I accepted a request to serve as interim executive director of a well-known childcare center in our area. The previous director, a highly capable manager who was well-liked and respected by staff, board and parents, was leaving to take on a new challenge and the board decided to bring on an interim for the duration of their search process, which lasted roughly three months. My job was basically to keep the ship sailing roughly west while using my outsider perspective to assess the organization and recommend steps to strengthen it.

According to JR Yeager in the CompassPoint Nonprofit Services blogpost, So You Want to be an Interim Executive Director, the “ultimate goal as an interim executive during a leadership transition is to create the most stable platform possible for the next executive. This means a strong board, a functioning staff, good internal systems, and healthy funder and community relationships.”

Depending on the length of the interim, that’s a pretty tall order. Transitions are a period of tremendous uncertainty when organizational culture is at its most fragile. This is especially true with small nonprofits and notoriously complicated when the transition involves the departure of a founder.

Interim by definition means temporary and unless board and staff are handled with finesse, there can be a lot of pushback, both overt and indirect. Here are a few suggestions for making the most of the interim experience:

1.     Observe, ask questions and listen carefully. Pay attention to the roles that staff members play within the culture, not just those defined by their job title. Take time to learn about the rites, rituals and ceremonies that define the organization. How do people communicate within the organization as well as to their constituents?

2.     Let the staff know that, as far as you are concerned, they are the experts regarding their organization. No matter what your experience related to other organizations, no one knows the organization like the folks in the trenches day to day. Let them know you understand, respect their expertise, and that you will seek the benefit of their knowledge, experience and wisdom as you get to know the organization.

3.     In articles about interim directorship, much is made about the opportunity to clear out the dead wood if someone is underperforming or undermining the culture.  However, the interim also has the opportunity to compliment good work, notice if someone has talents that are not being utilized or would perform betterin a different position and mentor staff members who are growing in their roles.   Making sure that people are utilizing their strengths is just as important for creating a stable platform for the new ED, and it builds morale and loyalty.

4.     The interim’s outsider perspective can be in invaluable in observing the organization’s systems and identifying ways to be more efficient and effective.  However, the truth is people hate change and will be poised to pushback unless they feel they have been invited to collaborate to develop a more effective approach. Listening to board and staff perspectives on what’s not working and asking leading questions about what would work and how it could be made to happen before offering suggestions is more likely to win the interim allies when changing systems.

5.     When it comes to marketing and development, the number of board and staff members who underestimate their value as ambassadors and advocates of the organization is surprising. No matter how long the tenure, one of the best opportunities for any interim director is to help those closest to the organization recognize the value of their own passion and commitment as it applies to making friends and increasing funding for the organization.

So how did the interim experience end for the childcare center? In a surprising turn of events, the new challenge did not work out for the departing executive director. He requested to be included in the list of candidates and the board voted to hire him back, to the general delight of the staff and families.

This interim period provided the director an opportunity to step back and gain a fresh perspective.  Coupled with the insights gained during my tenure, the center is moving forward with renewed energy.

Donna H. Melton, Prinicipal 

Just in Time! Communications

Donna Melton and Just in Time! Communications are collaborative partners of MacIntyre Associates.

Building A Board…with a little help from Tom Okarma

Tom Okarma (www.tomokarma.com)is a recognized development expert. I find his blogs helpful and practical. Recently he wrote about lessons he had learned “the hard way” about building a successful and focus nonprofit Board. He calls the “Tom-isms” and I have adapted them based on my own experiences.

Don’t settle for just anyone simply because you have a vacancy. This may be the #1mistake Boards make in choosing new members. Don’t rush to fill a slot. A solid candidate who adds value is more important than a readily available candidate. If you have a recruitment pipeline you won’t fall into this trap. In addition, you might want to keep a pocket vacancy or two for opportunity candidates who may appear.

Good volunteers and major donors do not automatically make good directors. Promoting someone above their skill or interest level can only lead to heartbreak. A great volunteer event coordinator may only want to be just that! Once again, a good interview with the candidate will determine their level of interest and skills. I’m a great lover of and supporter of opera. It would be a tragic mistake to recruit me to sing.

Always be on the lookout for candidates. This does not mean interviewing customers in the WAWA. But it does mean having a list of persons who have shown interest, to whom you have spoken (enthusiastically) and who seems to understand and support your mission. Maybe they aren’t interested or available right away but cultivation is a wonderful thing.

Strategically recruit to fill specific needs. This is a good time to look at your strategic plan or goals for the next 3-5 years. What support will you require from your Board to lead you there? You might want to do a Treasure Hunt of people you have identified as showing interest as well as individuals in the community who support or have supported similar initiatives. Look for life experiences as well as work and volunteer activity. Travel, language skills, Peace Corps, education are all ways to start.

Be mindful of personalities and styles. I always look to see who has good playground skills. You want strong members but not everyone needs to be Type A. The ability to be a part of the solution, take turns, add to the discussion are all important traits. Being first in line every time doesn’t add value. New members need to strengthen the Board, not cause contention. Creative friction is what you seek.

Diversity comes in all sizes, shapes, ages and colors. Life diversity is as important as demographics. A Board should never been comprised of all close friends. In many cases that is who is on a founding Board and there is good reason for this. However, as an organization matures Board members need to bring a more diverse background of skills thoughts, experiences and backgrounds to your deliberations. Race, ethnicity and age are all important; also look to clients, vendors and others to broaden the field.

In summary, board development is a process. Keep in mind three things.

•    Cultivate individuals to move them form interested to involved to invested.
•    Be mindful of skills and personal qualities needed to make the board fully functional.
•    Diversity will keep your board a true reflection of your community.

Recipes and Cooking Hints: Four-Hour Lamb and Provencal White Beans

    

This recipe may seem difficult at first but it is simple once you have assembled all the ingredients. When friends are invited for dinner this is one dish I’m asked to serve again and again. I have been known to eat it straight from the pot but only before guests arrive. I defend the practice by saying that I’m “correcting the seasonings”.

The Lamb

·      6 to 7 lb. boned leg of lamb

·      Good olive oil

·      1 Tbls. Kosher salt

·      2tsps. fresh ground pepper

·      1 bottle dry white wine

·      2 heads of garlic, broken apart but not peeled

·      15 large sprigs rosemary

·      15 large sprigs fresh thyme

·      6 bay leaves.

Preheat oven to 350.

Rub lamb with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a large oven proof pot or Dutch oven on the stove and brown the lamb on all sides.

Remove the lamb to a plate.

Add all the other ingredients into the pot and replace the lamb. Put the bay leaves on top of the lamb.

Cover and put in the oven for 4 hours.

Remove pot from oven, put lamb on a plate and cove tightly in foil to rest.

Strain the sauce into a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Put lamb on a platter and spoon over with sauce. The lamb will be too tender to slice so don’t be alarmed.

N.B. Make sure measure the pot you will use so that when you buy the lamb you know it will fit!

The Beans

·      1 14oz. pkg. dried great northern or cannellini beans

·      1 qt. chicken stock

·      1 Tbls. Kosher salt

·      ¼ cup good olive oil

·      2 cups chopped yellow onions

·      1 cup medium dices carrots

·      1 cup medium diced celery

·      ¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley

·      3 cloves garlic

·      2 Tbls. Minced fresh rosemary

·      2 Tbls. Minced fresh thyme 

NOTE: if you don’t have fresh herbs in your garden you may substitute dried for the rosemary and thyme

·      1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Soak the beans overnight in cold water.

Drain and place the beans in a large pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender but not mushy.

Add the salt only in the last 10 minutes of cooking or the beans will be tough.

Drain and reserve the stock.

In a large separate pan cook olive oil, onions, carrots and celery over low heat for 10-15 minutes until tender.

Add parsley, garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the beans and 2 cups reserved stock and cook together for 15 minutes. Add water to make the 2 cups if you don’t have enough stock.

Taste to correct the seasonings.

Remove from heat and finish with the Parmesan cheese.

I serve the lamb and beans together on a large platter. You can pass the sauce separately.

Bon Appetit!!!!

NONPROFIT LIFE CYCLES - HYPE OR REALITY?

Lots of the literature now asks you to consider where your organization is in its “life cycle”. Some of the diagrams and descriptions are so dense they give me a headache and my eyes glaze over.

But the reality is that every organism has a life cycle- from a nematode to a human to a business to a non-profit and many more examples along the way. We remember from Biology 101 the great diagrams and we know from our own experience that various parts of our body and mind mature and change at differing rates. We take intervention steps to align these elements in order to remain as healthy and active as possible.

Why should an organization not have a life cycle of its own? There are many moving parts and they don’t all remain in alignment as an agency grows and matures.

I believe in looking at non-profits from a life cycle perspective and here is why:

·      

There are 6 essential stages in any organization

1.    Grass Roots /Invention

2.    Start-Up/Incubation           

3.    Adolescent/Growing

4.    Mature/Sustainability

5.    Stagnation and Renewal

6.    Decline and Shut-Down

·     

There are 7 elements in in the organizational structure that need examination through this prism

1.    Programs and services

2.    Staff Leadership/Management

3.    Staffing

4.    Governance/Board

5.    Operating systems

6.    Finances/Budget/Development

7.    Marketing and communications

Now look at your organization and create a matrix using the above. Where are your stages and elements in alignment? Should they all be at the place? Where do you need intervention in stages 1 through 4 to avoid stages 5 and 6? Where do you need emergency response for elements in stage 5 and potentially 6?

There are key questions to ask at each stage to identify obstacles and opportunities. In addition there are some proven “transition” steps to help you move forward and/or reverse course.

As many of you know my watchword for nonprofits is INTENTION. Examining the places in your organizations life cycle and being “intentional” about positive intervention will allow you to reimagine, regroup and regenerate. 

Think about it.

Life Cycle adapted from and expanded upon “The 5 Life Stages of Non-profits” by Judith Sharken Simon. 

Recipe and cooking hints

SHRIMP SALAD TO DIE FOR

4 lbs. raw shrimp, frozen with tails on

½ c. capers

1 c. marinated artichoke hearts, cut in ½ or 1/3^rds depending on size.

1 c. diced Havarti or Fontina cheese

olive oil, lemon juice and champagne vinegar

I buy all the ingredients at Costco.

Heat Oven to 425.

Place shrimp on baking sheet. Toss lightly with olive oil and herbs de province. Bake for 15-20 minutes and check for doneness; do not overcook.

Peel tails (ugh, messy but baking with tails on adds moisture and flavor.)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix adding olive oil, lemon juice and champagne vinegar to taste.

You may also add salt and pepper but use a light hand with the salt because of the salt in the capers and cheese.

Some people like more or less capers, artichokes and cheese. Please yourself, you’re the cook!

School Days... School Days...

I’ve gone back to school this fall! Villanova University and the Philadelphia AFP chapter are offering a 10 week course in Fundamentals of Fundraising.   I enrolled.

It is taught by leading practitioners in the field and there are almost 50 of us in the class. Experience levels vary widely as do the agencies represented, everything from Eastern State Penitentiary to Hagley Museum. The presentations are comprehensive and the questions and ideas are thought provoking.

We sometimes work in silos and forget how large and varied the nonprofit community is. Even though you may have successful approaches to problems and projects it is good to learn about other approaches that have proven successful too. Having a comprehensive refresher opens your mind and at times pushes you beyond your comfort zone.

Learning is an ongoing process. I am excited to be in a structured learning environment again with such well-informed presenters, interesting topics and engaging and committed classmates. I recommend continuing education to everyone. Workshops, retreats, on-line offerings and classroom programs all give us the opportunity to expand our horizons. Indulge yourself and learn some new tricks. It’s well worth the time.

Now I have to get back to preparing for next week…..Major Gifts is the topic.  But before I go, here is a quick, easy recipe for a fall favorite! 

Baked Apples

When you think of school, an apple for the teacher might be one of the things that comes to mind.  And baked apples are an easy, delicious way to enjoy the taste of autumn.  Pair with ham, roast pork or chicken for a tasty side dish.  Or top with ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce for a comforting dessert.  This is an easy and fast microwave baked apple recipe. 

1 tablespoon granulated sugar or honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons raisins or cranberries (optional)

2 teaspoons butter

2 Granny Smith Apples

1.     Core the apples

2.     Mix the sugar and spices and dried fruit together.  Place the apples in a deep glass or pyrex baking dish.  Spoon the sugar and fruit mixture into the apples.  Place one teaspoon of butter on top of each apple, cover. 

3.     Microwave the apples on high for 5 to 6 minutes or until fork tender.  Let the apples sit for a few minutes before serving.

Hello, hello, is anybody there?

A recent interview in the New York Times was with David Ossip, the C.E.O. of Ceridian, a human resources and payroll firm. In it he discusses the use of e-mails vs. phone calls or direct contact. Since this is one of my pet peeves too I thought I would share his comments.

“There is such a reliance on emails and such an avoidance of phone conversations. Email is an asynchronous form of communication, because a lot of it gets missed. Pick up the phone and have a conversation and you’ll resolve everything quicker. It’s easier and it will develop relationships.” I add to this the use of face to face communications. A bête noir of mine is when someone in the next office sends an email rather than coming to the door…..really!

Ask yourself why you use email rather than directly communicating with someone. Are you afraid? Are you really that busy? Are you playing a game that is intended to score a point? None of these rationales help to move the ball forward.

So next time pick up the phone or walk down the hall. People are people, get to know them. It might be a pleasant surprise and forming relationships is always a good thing.

Pimento Cheese, Please.

Southern food, like southern manners, is steeped in tradition. The only good recipe is one handed down for at least 3 generations. And there are certain do’s and don’ts that must be followed religiously.

For instance:

with fried chicken you must use a combination of bacon grease and Crisco;

only mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish , salt and pepper make a true deviled egg and

no sugar is allowed in pimento cheese.

With that said here is the recipe

South Carolina Low Country Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

4oz. pimentos from the little glass jar

1 ½ c. mayonnaise- Duke’s if you can get it, otherwise any kind will do but I can’t guarantee the results

1 lb. rat cheese, shredded. This is also known as Cheddar and you may use sharp, extra sharp or a combination

Mix in a bowl with a kitchen fork. Do not put in a blender or the texture will be wrong.

Add pepper and salt to taste.

Serve as a sandwich, as a grilled cheese, on celery or crackers or just eat with a spoon. Add a Coca-Cola, sit on your porch and chill out.

Keeps in the refrigerator, but it usually doesn’t last that long.

P.S. There is a brand of pimento cheese made on Pawley’s Island, S.C. Before you buy it check out the ingredients. Do you want to eat that?

Fundraising Effectiveness or Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back!

AFP and The Urban Institute recently published their “2013 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report”. The report summarized data from 2,840 nonprofits covering their fundraising efforts for 2011-2012. It contained some very interesting and compelling facts:

• For every $100 gained through fundraising in 2011-2012, $96 was lost through gift attrition.

• Gains of 866,000 new donors were offset by losses of 909,000 lapsed donors for a negative growth in donors of 44,000.

• Larger organizations fared much better than smaller ones; organizations raising over $500k had an average net gain of 16.6%, organizations in the under $100k group had an average net loss of -13.5%.

• The average donor retention rate for all categories is 41%.

• The retention rate for first time donors is even more dire: 22.9%, but if you can get the second donation it jumps to 60.8%.

• The total of philanthropic giving in the USA has remained at 2.0% of GDP for the past 40 years.

• It costs less to retain and motivate an existing donor than to attract a new one. Taking positive steps to reduce gift and donor losses is the least expensive strategy for increasing net fundraising gains.

It’s not rocket science and for most of us none of this information will be that surprising. The report contains lots of statistics and methodologies. It also has some trenchant advice for those of us looking at it seriously. We work so hard to get donors in the front door; we need to work just as hard to keep them from slipping out the back.So, remembering that what gets measured gets improved upon:

• Do you know your donor retention rate?

• Have you established a donor retention goal?

• Does the retention rate measure by donors and dollars?

• Do you know downgrades as well as no gift at all by donor?

• How often do you communicate with donors directly? (An email doesn’t count.)

• Have you gotten advice from the experts, Clair Axelrad, Dr. Adrian Sargeant and Tom Ahern specifically? Tom was the keynote speaker at last November’s Philanthropy Day in Delaware. Adrian Sargeant will be the 2014 Philanthropy Day (Delaware) keynote.

Think of ways to make net gains instead of always trying to make up lost ground.