27
2011Social Media and Organizational Professionalism
Post by Dania Toscano Miwa Professionalism has been completely redefined as social media, and online networks have changed the way we interact with one another. What is professional and what is personal are now much harder to distinguish. Professional/personal lines are blurred online with both friends and colleagues on professional and personal sites. (See my description on Twin Cities Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Blog, here.)
05
2011
The 39 Steps
Post by James V. Toscano The following is a teaching tool to be used with potential solicitors after research has been done, after ratings have been done by a committee, and after a campaign has been organized. It assumes a team of two persons making the call: a peer volunteer and a professional staff person expert in the substance of the campaign, not often a development officer. Two volunteers could make the call, but it is always better to have one peer and one professional, the president or executive director, and a board member. This is part of a larger…
30
2011
Results, Results, Results
A post by James V. Toscano The director of a start-up nonprofit was livid, “We worked our —— off trying to do something real for AIDS victims, and all the donations still go elsewhere…to the big boys.” What’s going on here? Certainly we’ve all heard it before, but why do, indeed, most of the major gifts go to the brand names? History, tradition, elite boards…sure. Above all is predictability of results, and, even more to the point, the results themselves. Major donors don’t fund need, they fund results, or, sometimes, the strong promise of results. Certainly there must be legitimate societal need. There must also be…
26
2011
The Courage of the Lead Gift
Post by James V. Toscano There’s a special breed of donor, possessing courage, commitment and vision, who is capable of a lead gift in a major campaign. Most donors are not. Often when asked for a major gift, the prospect responds with a question: “Who else has given?” It’s a logical request from the prospect’s point of view. There’s a cascade of implicit questions behind the one we’re asked. Who among her/his peers is leading this campaign? Who else thinks that this is such a good idea that they’re putting good money into it? How many others are on this…