ROUSE YOUR BOARD TO RAISE $

Hank Rosso, fundraising guru and founder of the Fund Raising School at the University of Indiana, said “Fund raisers must take the wisdom of leadership (art) and apply it to management and administration (science).” He described major gift fundraising as the right leader asking the right prospect for the right amount for the right organization at the right time. The hard reality for nonprofit organizations is the endless need for the board to participate in fundraising solicitations. However aloof, unwilling or unenthusiastic they may be toward supporting the organization beyond their own gifts, ultimately, they must participate. If not the leadership, then who?

How does a development officer convince board members to be involved?

1. Empower them through training, systemization and accountability.
2. Teach them how to take the fear out of asking for the gift.
3. Show them the benefit of leveraging their relationships.
4. Assure peer accountability with leaders who model behavior.
5. Motivate and persuade with grace.

Each Board is unique and has its own idiosyncrasies. If you need help, call us: 847.227.7174.

REFOCUSING AT FORD

Luis Ubinas is shaking things up at the Ford Foundation. He’s been President for 16 months and he’s initiated new strategies to ensure that the Foundation's grantmaking will address the challenges of “the next generation,” while drawing upon Ford's 50+ years on the frontlines of social change around the world, fighting for social justice focused on marginalized members of society.

After a year-long evaluation process in which Ford obtained feedback from some 2,000 individuals and organizations across the many regions it serves, they plan to focus grantmaking in eight areas: access to education; democratic, accountable government; economic fairness and opportunity; freedom of expression; human rights; natural resources and sustainable development; sexuality and reproductive health and rights; and social justice.

“We believe that the next generation of Ford's work has the potential to help achieve the lasting social change in which we all believe. But it will not be easy. The challenges of discrimination, economic inequity and lack of access to opportunity are real and growing. In many areas where our past support contributed to significant gains, ground is being lost. More immediately, all of us are feeling the pain of the global economic crisis, and this year will likely be harder than last,” Ubinas said.

At a tough economic time, we seem to have ushered in an atmosphere of serious consideration for the human condition.

DISRUPTION

Sometimes great volunteers get away from us, go to law school, move to a warmer climate, write books. In appreciation for technifying me, I’m going to recommend Larry Downes’ new book: The Laws of Disruption, which will be published in October by Basic Books. Larry explores the “accident-prone intersection of innovation and the legal system, and why the crashes are getting more numerous and more deadly all the time.” You can read part one of Inc.'s interview with Larry at www.inc.com. In October you’ll find an autographed copy in the “Books by People I Know” section of my bookcase.

VOLUNTEER IMPACT

The 2009 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey findings are amazing -- 24% of nonprofit executives said they have no plans to use skilled volunteers or pro bono support in any capacity. I love volunteers for many reasons, but especially because their work is for free. Free is my favorite four-letter word! In addition to all of the outstanding Board volunteers I have worked with, there is a special place in my heart for the remarkable, immensely accomplished "office" volunteers who have populated my life: Diane Citrino, Larry Downes, Jerry Lehrman, Dede Pascal, Kathy Roin, Dan Sheridan, Chris Smith, Marge Sondler, Jane Tougas and the list goes on and on.

The Deloitte Survey suggests that the slow embrace of skilled volunteer services has been due in part to a widespread lack of knowledge of how to find volunteers. Some organizations have a hard time balancing need vs. risk. You know the old saying about teaching a man to fish, well, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 65-page "Guidebook for Working with Volunteers" can teach anyone how to recruit, screen, train, supervise, support, evaluate and account for volunteers. Available at www.fws.gov/policy/volunteer_guidebook.pdf, it's valuable currency in this economy!

FY 2010 - LEGAL SERVICES

I have been reminded of something Studs Terkel once said when I hear about the job cuts and furloughs being taken at my favorite nonprofit organizations: “I can’t survive the day unless everyone else survives it, too. I live in a community, and if the community isn’t in good shape, neither am I.”

My sentiments exactly as I heard Pres. Obama’s proposals to the fiscal 2010 $3.5 trillion federal budget. Some of this is good news; some of it bad. I will outline several in following blogs.

First, I am overjoyed by the fact President Obama's request includes $435 million for the Legal Services Corporation ($45 million over last year) AND, further, the end of the long harmful restrictions on non-LSC funds imposed by previous Republican administrations, including the restrictions on attorney's fees and participation in class action lawsuits.

A March 14 Washington Post editorial pointed out that, “Legal Services is also barred from using public or private funds to engage in a range of activities…. none should limit what local legal-aid clinics can do with money they raise privately. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is spearheading an effort to address many of these issues…. Such reforms are long overdue.”

I can’t begin to describe what this will do for social justice! Let’s make it happen!

GOOD NEWS

Not all the news is gloom and doom. Have you heard this?

South Dakota philanthropist Denny Sanford completed the $400 million commitment he made to health care in 2007 -- five years ahead of schedule with the final installment of his gift on April 3.

CA philanthropist Eli Broad, best known for his support of the arts, announced that he is giving $2.5 million to two public charter school management organizations to open and support existing charter schools in New York City. He is also committing hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the Detroit Public Schools’ efforts to turn that city's faltering school system around.

Sanford Weill, former chairman of Citigroup, and his wife, Joan, have agreed to provide $170 million of a nine-figure pledge they made in 2007 to Weill Cornell Medical College that they had intended would be a bequest. Instead, the cash payment, made to the university in December and January, will be used to underwrite a challenge designed to boost the medical college's $4 billion capital campaign. The timing couldn't be better. The university's endowment lost roughly a third of its value over the last year and, with donations down, its $2.9 billion budget has an 8 percent shortfall. Weill himself has lost a huge portion of his personal fortune, but he told the New York Times he wanted to send a message about giving in times of need.

Michigan’s Kresge Foundation has announced nearly $73 million in first-quarter grants – the largest quarterly commitment in its 85-year history!