Each non-profit leader who registers their wishes with GiftingWishes, represents an organization which we become instantly attached. Whether it’s the mission, their beneficiaries, their locations, or their future plans, we (the GiftingWishes team) become attracted as potential donors and voluntary leaders. It’s a “virus” that affects both John from YourVolunteers and Pete from NPcatalyst, but neither of us are looking for a remedy. Instead, we’re actively seeking to infect others with ways to support these organizations.

Here’s a brief sampling of the organizations registered on GiftingWishes and you may quickly recognize our “issue” or, really, opportunity!

• I am Love Farms (San Diego, CA) – a Veteran Equine Assisted Therapy Charity that helps Armed Forces Veterans heal the visible & non-visible wounds of war through the practice of love, equine assisted therapy & good horsemanship.
• Arbor Bay School (San Carlos, CA) – fosters academic and social success for children with learning differences through individualized instruction in a small classroom environment.
• The First Tee of Northern Nevada (Reno, NV) – impacts the lives of young people in northern Nevada by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character-development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

We encourage you to become familiar with these organizations and consider supporting them through your time and/or dollar. Even if you contribute an hour or a $10 donation, your leadership will go a long way toward fulfilling their wishes and helping pave the road to greater sustainability.

For more information about GiftingWishes, YourVolunteers, or NPcatalyst, click on those links or send a note to info@npcatalyst.com or call 775-333-9444.

Working with community leaders to build stronger communities!

The NPcatalyst team is targeting leaders on our college campuses to conduct a study on Greek Life and its impact on philanthropy. As past members and proponents of fraternity and sorority life, we’re seeking input from Greek Life advisors and campus leaders in three primary areas: chapter philanthropy, alumni/ae relations, and fundraising.

The study will help us design effective young professional community leadership models, determine future community involvement, and anticipate the development of future non-profit leaders. Our study will provide insightful data back to Greek Life advisors and staff members as they plan for the growth and development of their own Greek leadership programming.

The responses will generate outstanding information to be used in our upcoming blog (or series of blogs) under the title, “Greek Life as an incubator of future philanthropic leadership.”

To participate in the three-minute survey, please CLICK HERE.

For additional questions, please contact Pete at NPcatalyst at info@npcatalyst.com.

Whether you’re raising funds for a local community-benefit organization or a chapter of a college fraternity, there’s one approach to generating donations that’s sure to prove successful. Consider how much time and effort goes into planning small and major special events.  Now, imagine that same effort strategically targeted toward cultivating a lifetime donor…a fan who loves and supports your organization and its mission over the long term.  This single concept, so often ignored, can make the difference between surviving from event to event and having a steady stream of program-sustaining money coming into your nonprofit.  Nothing will net rewards with your donors like relationship building.

The following Five Rs of Fundraising, was created by Fraternity Management Group, many years ago, and used when managing each of its clients. Its application, however, can be used by all non-profit organizations. While many organizations believe that coordinating special events is the ideal method for raising funds, building relationships with current and prospective donors generates far greater sustainability.

Consider the Five Rs of fundraising:

Research
This forms a solid basis of understanding of your chapter’s or organization’s fundraising endeavors, not to mention its individual alumnus and/or constituent relations. From basic records management to in-depth interviews, information is key to success. With proper research, the interests, needs, charitable backgrounds, professional experiences, personal connections and links to your chapter/organization are identified and recorded.

Recruiting
This phase is going on constantly, but primarily during the same time frame as heavy research. Volunteer leaders, including initiation/graduating class representatives, development committee members, and campaign steering chairpersons play integral roles in successful fundraising campaigns. The amount of work involved and the number of prospective contributors and volunteers connected with the chapter or organization, who must be contacted, requires proper recruitment and management.

Romance
Commonly called cultivation, this is perhaps the most important part of the process. All contact with prospective contributors is a form of cultivation. Every newsletter, email, phone call, tweet or Facebook message, event, and publicity item serves to inform and pique the interest your organization’s potential supporters. Romancing these alumni, parent, volunteer, and community leaders occurs on a regular basis leads to strategic and successful solicitations. The goal is to encourage prospects to become actively engaged and connected. 

Request
This is the good part, where individual prospects are asked, or invited, to invest in the chapter or organization. It’s important to note that the levels of gift size and donor satisfaction are increased with proper romancing or cultivation. Actual soliciting of contributions is carried out by key organization leaders and volunteers who are personally engaged in the organization and connected to the person(s) being solicited. 

Recognition
Early, frequent, and creative ways to thank volunteers and donors will insure that they stay involved and invested in your chapter or organization. It breeds proper stewardship of future donations of time and dollar. It also sets a pattern which other prospects will notice, which be a determining factor when they’re asked to contribute funds.

Every contact, with every individual prospect, involves one or more of the Five R’s. Planning ahead and maximizing the effectiveness of those contacts is what will drive your chapter or organizations closer to its fundraising goal.

This blog was crafted for Fraternity Management Group, a leader in college fraternity alumni/parent relations and fundraising. However, it can easily be integrated into non-profit fund development programs. For more information about Fraternity Management Group, feel free to contact them at 800-228-7326 and info@fmgtucson.com.

A short ten months later, we’ve worked to address the needs of hundreds of non-profit organizations and community events. This occurred by managing projects like KOLOCares, which designs media partnerships to promote community and charitable events; Blue Moon Promotions’ One Community grant program, which awarded $20,000 to four organizations after analyzing the needs of many grant requests; and, Summer Of Service, which promoted volunteerism by linking community residents with volunteer opportunities at non-profit organizations.

Rather than fit a specific mold, the essence of the company was sculpted to offer innovative solutions to its clients so that, through these relationships, it could meet the ever-changing needs of local communities. “With relatively no direct competition, we’re seeing the greatest competition come from misunderstanding…where businesses don’t immediately recognize that they can generate business by effectively supporting local charities,” says Pete Parker, NPcatalyst’s managing partner. “We’re also hearing that we’re “ahead of our time” by thinking out of the box and offering innovative solutions in the charitable landscape, which has traditionally focused solely on the “check-writing” way of making donations.”

While the root of NPcatalyst’s operations and performance is earthed in strong relationships and communications, the firm recognizes that charitable support can be generated in other forms. In fact, the “success model” the firm designed five months ago has naturally morphed into a service model identifying the ways it’s working to meet the needs of today’s charitable organizations and local businesses.

The model illustrates the firm’s desire to service both non-profit organizations and local businesses, separately. The firm also found a niche in creating solutions which connects charitable organizations and potential supporters by designing mutually-beneficial partnerships or collaborations which, ultimately, benefit the larger communities.

Recently, NPcatalyst launched its Community Catalyst program, which features a charitable fund designed for small businesses. Through the Fund, businesses with annual revenues below $500,000 can pool their funds together to make significant, meaningful contributions to specific needs as identified by local charitable organizations. “Now that businesses which might only be able to donate $250 each quarter, can connect with other small business owners to contribute an amount exponentially greater,” according to Parker. “Not only are we creating opportunities for businesses to amplify their donation power, we’re creating new relationships between local businesses, potential customers, and the area’s charities.”

As the holiday season approaches, NPcatalyst is working on two new innovative projects aimed at generating funds for local charities. One project provides donors with specific information relating to their contributions, enabling them to know exactly how their donations will be used and what they’ll pay for. The other connects non-profits with local merchants to increase spending at the businesses and, in turn, drive income directly to specific charities.

“The heart of NPcatalyst is to drive dollars and leaders to charitable organizations…period,” says Parker.

Businesses and non-profit organizations seeking opportunities to ignite growth and financial impact are invited to contact NPcatalyst at 775-333-9444 and info@npcatalyst.com.

Name of Organization Leader: Patti Meals, Executive Director

Contact’s Phone Number: (775) 829-2273

Email of the leader: pmeals@carechest.com

Organization Website: http://www.carechest.org

Identify your leadership needs

• Skills-based volunteer
• Event committee member
• Program committee member

.

Name of Organization: Disabled Sports USA Far West

Name of Organization Leader: Cindy Smith

Contact’s Phone Number: (530) 581-4161

Email of the leader: cindy@disabledsports.net

Organization Website: http://disabledsports.net

Identify your leadership needs

• Event committee member

Event committee(s):

Disabled Sports USA Far West is seeking the following committee chairs for varioius fundraising events throughout the year:

• Steering Committee
• Auction/Raffle Committee
• Ticket/Table Sales
• PR
• Venue Management

Just one year in the northern Nevada area, Umpqua Bank finds itself deeply rooted in community engagement. Whether it’s through gifts of financial and in-kind support, or volunteerism, the bank seeks to understand and meet the needs of its local communities. The bank has aligned its philosophy of community connectedness with its greater mission of being an outstanding financial leader. “We are actively shaping our neighborhoods and engaging with our neighbors through community giving and community action,” according to Rob Humphreys, Senior Vice President of the Reno Commercial Banking Center.

Umpqua Bank looks for programs that create opportunities for early childhood and K-12 youth that fulfill their educational experience, promote their well-being and inspire them to reach their full potential. The bank also supports community-based arts organizations that lend to the diversity and culture of our communities. Contributions are made to organizations that promote wellness and stability in our community, specifically in regard to the affordable housing and financial literacy needs of low-to-moderate income families. 

Community volunteerism is very important to the Umpqua corporate culture. In fact, Umpqua’s Connect Volunteer Network provides full-time associates 40 annual hours – paid and intended to be used during normal work hours – to volunteer with youth and community development organizations and schools. “Through our innovative volunteer network and giving programs we bring assistance to youth development and education, the arts and community development,” says Humphreys.

In the brief six months presence in the local market in 2010, bank officials logged 247 hours of volunteer service in the local area. Total giving for the year, which included the volunteerism, amounted to $61,185 in local support. “Our involvement figures for 2011 have already surpassed all of last year,” claims Cheryl Lord, Loan Assistant in the bank’s Moana location. To enhance its community ties, Umpqua’s local Commercial Banking Center secured the services of NPcatalyst to develop stronger community connections and link its officers to outstanding local nonprofit organizations.

To learn more about Umpqua Bank’s community involvement initiates, visit http://www.umpquabank.com/ or visit any of the three local stores and ask an Umpqua associate.

On the heels of its very successful community engagement campaign, entitled “Summer of Service – Northern Nevada”, NPcatalyst announces that it has added YourVolunteers to its network of preferred vendors. “YourVolunteers is a powerful tool for volunteer management and offers non-profit organizations with an outstanding resource to succeed,” says Pete Parker, managing director of NPcatalyst.

Based in Reno, Nevada, YourVolunteers was created by Primary Key Technologies, Inc. in Reno, Nevada. Primary Key Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2002 to provide software and database development services to organizations of all types and sizes. YourVolunteers provides more than just a well-developed volunteer scheduler. For organizations which manage their volunteers with a spreadsheet, a paper calendar or with just a big stack of paper, YourVolunteers can save countless hours. Most systems just allow you to enter tasks where you’ll need volunteers, and then volunteers select these from a list. The YourVolunteers system helps you to find the right people quickly and without having to go through a big stack of paper.

One step further, the system acts as an assistant by allowing volunteer managers recognize the real-time status of volunteer assignments and it helps select the perfect people for a task. “You’ll be able to give your volunteers a good idea of what they’ll be doing, who they’ll contact, and they’ll always have a place to view their schedules as they change”, says John Wagoner, president of Primary Key Technologies. He adds, “organizations will save a lot of time and staff costs since it’s designed to enable volunteers to input their own contact information, select their availabilities and interest areas, and then choose from a list of tasks that match.”

Non-profit leaders looking to bolster their volunteer management efforts are invited to contact either John at Primary Key Technologies (www.yourvolunteers.com) or Pete from NPcatalyst (www.npcatalyst.com) to learn more.

Click here for a copy of the press release.

• Invest your time to advance an organization’s mission;
• Invest in a future leader by mentoring;
• Invest some money to meet a community need;
• Invest a smile to brighten another’s day;
• Invest your professional skills to complete a critical task;
• Invest your voice to cheer and celebrate;
• Invest a meal to help feed another;
• Invest a little sweat to set up an event;
• Invest an idea to create innovative change;
• Invest compassion to help others;
• Invest an invitation to encourage others to join you;
• Invest a jacket to warm another;
• Invest hands to change the world;

Some of these investments can be measured, others provide intangible results. In all cases, the ROI generated is life changing…for the “investor” and each beneficiary.

If you’re curious or interested or ready to make a charitable investment, give us a call at 775-333-9444 or email us at info@npcatalyst.com. Your friends at NPcatalyst can help you or your company create an empowering charitable investment strategy.

The stats can be found below. In fact, we took the liberty of illustrating the increases in volunteerism over the years.

The two statistics which highlight the grid indicate the growing philanthropic culture in Washoe County.

• The average number of hours served by each volunteer increased from 45 to 60 in just one year.
• The economic impact of our community’s volunteerism jumped to $375,100,000

Click here for the Washoe County volunteerism report

The report painted very promising growth for Washoe County, but there’s still a great deal of work to do. Our state still ranks last at a 20.6% volunteerism rate. With so many local charitable organizations seeking volunteer assistance and leadership, it’s just a matter of linking local residents to community needs.

Projects like Summer Of Service – Northern Nevada and organizations like Nevada Volunteers will continue to promote and inspire volunteerism in our area. Both should be contacted when seeking the many ways of becoming actively engaged in the community.