Now is the time to be strategic and proactive. It’s one thing to be reactive at the beginning of a crisis. It’s the normal human response. But this is no longer the beginning. And ‘busy’ is often not the most effective modus operandi. It’s like checking your email endlessly throughout the day, while avoiding the priority work that’s a bit more difficult. You were working, but were you productive?

Planning and leadership around communications and crisis communication strategies will be key to your survival. Because communication is how we build authentic relationships. And without relationships, your mission is doomed. Because no one will know enough about what you’re doing, and why, to care to engage with you.

What was relevant yesterday isn’t necessarily relevant today. Or, if you’re in the business of emergency response, it may be more relevant. The point is this: You’ve got to actively communicate your current relevance.

Now is the time to double down on your integrated marketing and fundraising communications strategy. The key reasons people stop engaging with a nonprofit all have to do with communications failures. This happens, sadly, all the time. It’s why donor retention rates are abysmal in the best of times. And we’re certainly not in those right now.

People want to help. People need to help. If you’ve got a way for people to help, it’s your obligation to communicate this fact. This is your unique gift to those who are searching for a way, especially in crisis, to bring meaning and purpose to their lives.

Sadly, I see too many nonprofits failing at their job as ‘philanthropy facilitator.’ They’re failing to communicate appropriately with their audiences. Why? I’m not sure. But one thing I’m observing is the lack of vision, planning and leadership.

Worst Types of Crisis Communication Strategies

1. The worst is NO communication. 

Beware of assuming people don’t want to hear from you because you’re not their top concern right now. You know what folks say about the word “ass-u-me,” right? Never, ever make assumptions about when, where, what, why and how your constituents want to hear from you.  The only way you’ll know is by asking them directly.

Would you suddenly stop talking to your family and friends because we’re in the middle of a crisis? Of course not. They loved you yesterday, they love you today, and they’ll love you tomorrow – unless you cut them off. They want to know how you’re doing. They want you to ask them how they’re doing. Relationships are a two-way street.

Figure out your supporters’ preferred methods of communication by testing (today we’re seeing a lot of email, phone calls, Zoom, Facebook Live, Google Hangout, Instagram and YouTube); then… go for it. There are plenty of communication options. If you do nothing (perhaps because you lay off your development and marketing staff), you’ll be sorry. Make those folks the last you lay off. Or hire them back first. They’re truly ‘essential workers.’ Because out of sight is out of mind.

2. The second worst is TONE-DEAF communication.

In the face of the ‘new abnormal’ in which we’re living, acting as if this is business as usual will make you look out of touch. Take a good look at your website; some of your language may need to be updated. That spring or summer fundraising appeal you’d planned to send pre-pandemic may seem completely out of touch right now. As may your pitch to purchase a membership, subscription, tickets, courses, or anything else you generally sell to generate revenue. That’s not to say you can’t still seek to generate new revenue. You can, and you should. You just must do so in an authentic, relevant and innovative manner tailored to today’s circumstances.

3. The third worst is IGNORING THE FACT YOU NEED FUNDRAISING income now (assuming you do).

If you’re staring at a deficit, it’s your responsibility to ask for specific additional help to get you through this crisis. While it’s tempting to hunker down, focus on cutting expenses, and go into hibernation mode, you do need to consider how easy it will be to wake up again. Balancing your budget and staunching the bleeding for the short term may seem sensible. But, if you do this, what will you be waking to? Will your staff have scattered to the winds? Will your donors have moved elsewhere?

What will happen to your mission, and those who rely on you – not just today, but for the long term – if you don’t generate the income necessary to fulfill your promises? Whatever your mission, if you don’t want to let folks down you must focus on increasing revenues.

Since many nonprofits can no longer count on earned income, contributed income will be your savior. If… you ask. When you don’t ask, you don’t get. And since other nonprofits are asking, your constituents may switch their loyalties to those who gave them a ‘feel good’ pay-off at a time they really needed one.

Best Types of Crisis Communication Strategies

1. The best communication is easy to understand. 

Get to the point right away. Don’t make the reader scroll through three paragraphs of introductory text before they know why you’re writing to them. This is a situation where facts matter. Maybe followed by a brief, illustrative, compelling story. If you’re used to leading with the story, in a crisis you probably want to lead with the realities of the situation you’re facing.

Try to resist editorial and opinion. It may make you feel good, but the fact that you’re worried or optimistic is not as meaningful to your constituents right now as the reason you’re writing to them.

Begin with the SMIT – ‘single most important thing’). TIP: Anytime you write an appeal letter, read through your top paragraphs. Keep reading until you get to the point. The real point. Cross out the beginning paragraphs.

2. The best communication is specific – both in terms of purpose and amount. 

Be transparent about why you need help right now, and how you’ll use that help. Make a clear case for support and/or action. This will seem timely and urgent; therefore, more compelling than “In these trying times, we need money now.” Consider, instead, establishing some type of “Coronavirus Response/Resiliency Fund.”

3. The best communication is easy to respond to. 

Be guided by the mantra of ‘user-friendly.’ Some folks won’t want to go to the mailbox now. Or they won’t have stamps in their home. So if you’re snail mailing appeals, include a URL they can use should they prefer to give online.

Dedicated donation landing pages are important. They reassure would-be donors to your emergency appeal that they’ve landed in the right place. If you’re emailing appeals, be sure the donate link doesn’t send folks to a generic donation form with pre-crisis language. It will confuse them and stop many dead in their tracks.

If staff make phone calls make sure they’re set up to take credit card payments over the phone. This ensures you get the gift right away, and relieves donors of the obligation to go online or dig out a checkbook.

Closing Thoughts

You are a conduit for enabling people to act on their most cherished values. As a philanthropy facilitator, your job is to offer people the opportunity to find joy, meaning, and purpose.

Now is your golden moment. Donors are an integral part of your mission; you serve them as much as they serve you. If you fall short right now, you’ll short-change those who count on you to find fulfillment.

Be transparent and authentic and reinvent your relevance. Reshape your case for support to incorporate today’s challenges. Name the elephant in the room rather than sticking your head in the sand. Show your best, not worst, self. And invite your supporters to do the same.

NOTE: These crisis communication strategies are fundraising and marketing 101 basics. They hold true in good times and bad. You cannot go wrong if you adhere to this advice.

• Be Clear. 
• Be Specific. 
• Be Relevant. 
• Make Giving Easy.

This advice just happens to be more important than ever in times folks are stressed. Don’t make people work too hard in order to understand what you’re asking of them – and how it will make them feel good.

Are you ready to enact your fully developed crisis communication strategies? You can download our free nonprofit crisis communications plan template to get started.

The post Best and Worst Nonprofit Coronavirus Crisis Communication Strategies appeared first on Bloomerang.

Or should they go the other way and promote legacy giving aggressively, seeking to get into donors’ wills before they succumb to COVID-19?

There’s no doubt about the fact that people fear death. Which makes it somewhat of a taboo subject for many. No doubt this contributes to the fact most media about COVID-19 deaths stick to numbers, not stories.

In fact, there’s a field of experimental psychology, “Terror Management Theory,” focusing on how people react when you remind them about death. There are hundreds of experiment results and many books and papers on the subject. Suffice it to say death is a problem. Seasoned planned giving experts Michael Rosen and Dr. Russell James break the results down in their recent whitepaper: Legacy Fundraising: The Best or Worst of Times?

What happens when you promote legacy giving, reminding people of their own mortality?

It turns out there are two principle ways folks respond when confronted with their own mortality. It’s essentially either ‘approach’ or ‘avoidance.’

1. Avoidance

If you send a legacy giving appeal to folks who don’t want to think about death (it’s not happening to me any time soon), they will simply ignore it.

GOOD NEWS: These folks won’t pay a lot of attention to your appeal. They’ll delete it or toss it. It’s highly unlikely they’ll stop giving to you during their lifetimes because you had the temerity to reach out to them about legacy giving. This is a LOW-RISK strategy.

2. Approach

If you send a legacy giving appeal to folks who are comfortable confronting their inevitable death (it happens to everyone), they may see this as an opportunity to assure their values live on. It’s a form of assuring their immortality.

GOOD NEWS: Just as these folks may leave a legacy for a friend or family member, assuring their memory lives on, they may just as willingly consider a legacy gift that memorializes other parts of their identity. Like the values your organization enacts, which values they share. This is a HIGH-REWARD strategy.

What happens differently when you promote legacy giving when folks people know are dying?

1. More Avoidance

In the fear of death experiments, social scientists found the more personal death reminders people received the more avoidance they exhibited. Many folks today know someone who has contracted or succumbed to the virus. It feels personal. And the confrontation with a death reminder is daily. So the fact that COVID news is layered on top of any legacy giving messaging you may send means more people may react with an avoidance response. Add to this the fact the times in which were living diminish the sense of emotional wellbeing people have; when folks feel a sense of diminished blessings they exhibit less generosity towards others.

GOOD NEWS: Even if people react this way, they’re still unlikely to stop giving to you otherwise simply because you broached the subject of legacy giving. You may get fewer folks opening your emails or letters, so you’ll want to adapt your strategies and expectations accordingly. This is still a LOW-RISK strategy.

2. Enhanced Approach

Because people have a more heightened sense of impending mortality than usual, many are doing whatever they can to increase their sense of autonomy and wellbeing. They can’t control the virus but can control how they live with the virus by taking preventive measures. Besides wearing masks, socially distancing, and/or even trying out untested treatments, people can connect with like-minded individuals and organizations to try to make a difference and enhance their sense of wellbeing.

GOOD NEWS: When you offer people the opportunity to take some control over their situation by making a meaningful philanthropic gift you also offer them the opportunity to feel better emotionally and psychologically. This may be perceived as especially significant during times like these when people feel loss of control in so many aspects of their lives. Layer on this the fact that people feel isolated and disconnected from others, and the opportunity to connect with your cause may strike a particularly resonant chord. The people who do take the approach response may actually approach with more receptivity because all these things are top of mind. This is still a HIGH-REWARD strategy.

When people feel a diminished sense of wellbeing they’ll seek to do something to feel better.

There are many factors affecting well-being. If a doctor can help you feel better, you’ll likely feel grateful to that doctor. In fact, this is a foundation of hospital ‘grateful patient’ fundraising. If a religious congregation can help you feel connected and supported, you’ll likely feel grateful to that congregation. In fact, this is a key tenet of faith-based fundraising. But you don’t need to be a healthcare or religious charity to help people feel better.

One key contributor to wellbeing is a sense of meaning. If you can help a donor develop a sense of purpose, agency, and significance, they’ll likely feel grateful to you. That gratitude may be expressed in the form of a legacy gift.

GOOD NEWS: By now you’re likely familiar with the MRI experiments showing when people even contemplate giving they receive a dopamine rush that lights up the pleasure center of their brains. Giving offers people a ‘warm glow’ feeling. This is something legacy giving can offer to folks.

It’s increasingly understood: giving is good for people.

All giving, whether to friends, family or even strangers is experienced as pleasurable. Non-charitable or charitable, legacy giving included. The same feel-good chemicals of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine – known as the “Happy Trifecta” — and endorphins are released.

When folks are feeling powerless – as is the case today – giving can give them back their power. I, for one, have never thought more about the importance of safeguarding democracy and civil liberties. I am so grateful for the organizations fighting on this front, and for the people who left past legacy gifts to assure these institutions would live to fight another day. Would this be a bad time for one of these organizations to approach me for a legacy gift? Or a particularly good time?

“All it takes for me to move from defeat to victory is to give away some money. It’s the best deal I can think of.”

— Jeff Brooks, writing for Moceanic

Ask aggressively, but don’t hit folks over the head with a hammer.

Success in fundraising is all about how you frame what you’re doing. Legacy fundraising should always be respectful. In fact, all fundraising should.

Is your ask suffused with joy or clothed in apology?  When you understand giving is good for people, then ideas like “sorry, I need to twist your arm” or “it’s time to hit you up” naturally fall away. And these are the regretful approaches that seem particularly odious right now when there’s a surfeit of bald aggression on display.

Don’t begin your appeal with “Worried you may die soon?” Of course, that seems obvious. But if you dig for the reasons folks in your organization may feel uncomfortable asking for legacy gifts right now, you’ll find that’s how they view any such appeals. Their own discomfort with death – their personal ‘avoidance’ attitude — is seeping in. And, naturally, that’s not what you’re going to do. It’s okay to be direct, just not crude. Some folks might call that “aggressive,” but this doesn’t mean hostile or antagonistic. It’s simply being assertive. In a way that’s helpful for everyone.

Remember, you’re not begging, nor are you taking something away. You are giving something by offering a way for people to make a meaningful, ‘feel good’ transfer from their financial portfolio to their social portfolio.

People are making wills right now more than ever.

People visit their attorneys when “death becomes real.” Usually, it’s difficult to persuade folks, even those willing to consider a legacy gift, to visit their attorney during times they’re not thinking about death. Most folks consider writing or changing, a will during life cycle transitions, such as birth, marriage, divorce, widowhood, or illness diagnosis. Sometimes it happens as people are about to engage in something risky, like flying overseas, climbing a mountain, or parachute jumping. Right now we’re living in one of those transitional cycles.

No matter what you do or don’t do, a lot of folks are calling on their attorneys. Now is different. Google search results for “will planning” are higher than they’ve ever been. Essential workers are writing wills in droves, and attorneys are even volunteering to help them. Mostly these folks are thinking about protecting their family and loved ones. But… some of them love your cause too! And most good attorneys will ask clients if they wish to make a charitable bequest.

What happens when they get to the subject of legacy giving and your donor goes online searching for charitable beneficiaries? If you’re not actively promoting legacy giving, people may not know you’re set up to accept and manage bequests. So, at the very least, make sure you’ve got this information on your website. And don’t bury it! Go to your website and pretend you want to leave a bequest to your organization. Can you figure out how to do so? How many clicks does it take to find what you’re looking for? Do you offer useful information like suggested language to include your charity in their will? Or how to name you as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or insurance policy? If it’s a difficult process, now is a good time to make the experience more user-friendly.

It’s better to be active than passive. Your goal is always to be top of mind so folks think of you when charitable giving comes to mind. Donors need to know you make an impact. They need to know you’ve been around a while (10 years is enough), and will continue to serve. They need to know other folks like them do this sort of thing – which is why telling legacy donors’ stories are so powerful. More than once I’ve had a donor call me to say: “I saw Joe and Mary made a bequest/set up a memorial, and I want to do that too.” Similarly, I’ve received calls saying: “I had no idea the Loans and Grants Program was established by a 1948 bequest that grew to today’s size; I’d love to do something similar.” Here are some simple ways to promote legacy giving.

Here’s why you should promote legacy giving – at ALL times.

People are always dying. Sometimes more than other times, but no one is immune to death. Not every one of your supporters will choose to look it in the face at any point in time, but it’s not for you to decide on others’ behalf whether they may or may not wish to consider the ramifications of their own mortality. Any more than it should be your decision whether to ask your constituents for an outright gift or not.

When you make excuses on behalf of others you do no one any favors. It’s presumptuous at best. And, arguably, downright stingy. Dr. Adrian Sargeant and Dr. Elaine Jay found 88.7% of donors indicated they believe it is appropriate for nonprofits to ask for legacy gifts. In fact, donors encourage organizations they care about to communicate with them regularly and through different communication channels. They understand their attention spans are short, and what interests them today may not be what interested them yesterday or tomorrow.

Don’t be shy about asking for legacy gifts!

My Mom always said, “You can’t take it with you.” There are others who subscribe to that same philosophy, and who may be looking for places to leave a piece of their legacy. Would you deny them this opportunity?

Legacy giving seizes victory from the jaws of defeat. Whether folks close to you have passed away, or you’re confronted with death and dying on a global scale, or you’re simply afraid of dying yourself, legacy giving can:

• Create happiness
• Promote wellbeing
• Instill a sense of autonomy and power
• Offer purpose and meaning
• Provide tax benefits

I’ll leave you with another beautiful quote from Jeff Brooks, who writes about the numerous ways giving yields financial, emotional, psychological and physical health benefits, not to mention creating habits of virtue:

“Giving makes the whole world just a bit better…

Think for a moment about the impact charity has on society. Not just because of the important causes it funds, but because of the millions of healthier, happier, more involved donor-citizens it empowers. The whole world is better because of those donors and the way they live. If charitable giving weren’t happening, our world would be darker and bleaker, more broken and brutal.”

Help your donors to eat the stars.

The post Should You Aggressively Promote Legacy Giving When People Are Dying? appeared first on Bloomerang.

It’s too early to think we are out of the storm completely. But as the Coronavirus appears on the back foot, it’s a good moment to take stock of the damage it’s done and consider the financial opportunities of volunteer re-engagement and new funding currently available.

The challenge of human resources: volunteer re-engagement

A recent study by Fidelity Charitable – the USA’s biggest grantmaking public charity – reported that two out of three volunteers had reduced or halted their participation at a nonprofit to which before COVID-19 , they’d previously offered their time.

The good news was that the survey indicated seventy-five percent of those questioned who stated they had pulled away from their pre-pandemic volunteering roles, were aiming to get back to the grindstone, once life returned to normality.

A renewed focus on wellbeing and retention for volunteer re-engagement

A pre-pandemic study by the Urban Institute – a research center based in Washington DC – also found eighty percent of nonprofits relied on volunteers, but did not have the knowledge to engage and adequately manage them effectively.

This shortfall of volunteer management is an area worth attention now, especially in light of the two-thirds of volunteers having stepped away from their previous nonprofit duties. I’ve added an extra few cost-free ideas to help manage volunteer re-engagement at this critical time:

• Formal volunteer retraining: Having a system created to help guide the volunteer into the ways and methods of your nonprofit. A booklet or PDF created to help inform the volunteer on the general background and vision of your organization. Plus giving them an idea of where volunteers can constantly make the most impact.
• Being specific about the individual: Sending the volunteer general emails about donor drives that go out to everyone, undermines the personal relationship between your nonprofit and those working within it. Make sure the volunteer communications are something unique and personalized to them, avoiding the generic. A small personal touch is an appropriate reminder of how valued they are.
• Teamwork and vision: Giving the volunteer a chance to feel fully engaged as part of something bigger.

Renewed efforts should be taken to keep individual volunteers included and valued within the whole team now. Try implementing paid/non-paid staff brainstorming meetings/Zoom calls. They offer the volunteer a sense of friendship alongside their service. This is a great way to ensure long-term volunteer re-engagement and loyalty to the nonprofit’s vision.

Rebuilding the financial base: resource opportunities for post-pandemic grants

The pain of the pandemic has been crippling to many. Reading the headlines it seems that the government has stepped in to help the nonprofit sector survive. But many cross-state surveys indicate governmental funding has been no more than one-fifth of overall need.

A typical example comes from Calnonprofits, the association for Californian nonprofits.

Their survey reported that only thirteen percent of charities they contacted had raised twenty percent or more from government pandemic aid during this difficult period. That’s barely one in ten.

Fortunately, there are other multiple opportunities for support both inside and outside the US to explore. Here’s a useful list of resources and access points to help your nonprofit today.

Grant opportunities for U.S. based nonprofits

• The Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative
  Offering a state-by-state guide to community foundation grant programs.
• (CARES) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security Act
  Initiative for nonprofits and businesses both at federal and state levels.
• The Chronicle Of Philanthropy
  Detailing funding for pandemic relief grants.
• National Center For Family Philanthropy
  Recovery and emergency financial resources for projects and nonprofits with a focus on community or with a social justice angle

Global funding (including USA)

• Global Entrepreneurship Network
  A major aid hub for business and go-getting nonprofit leaders, detailing help available depending on location.
• Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
  Useful information for grants and assistance for female-led businesses and nonprofits.
• Grantstation
  Hundreds of emergency aid resources for nonprofits and businesses.
• United Way
  International support for communities and organizations that are affected by the pandemic.

Although there is some light at the end of the tunnel, there is still a way to go. So maximizing our support networks now – in both human and financial terms – is crucial.

It is my belief, that the post-pandemic landscape may well be as difficult as the current one, regardless of how relieved we all feel upon seeing those sunlit uplands, coming into view.

The post Post-Pandemic: Rebuilding Your Volunteer and Financial Base appeared first on Bloomerang.

“Being the good” doesn’t mean that you’re a perpetual volunteer stuck in the same position forever. As a professional in the nonprofit sector, you can absolutely still work to be the best you can be, developing your personal and professional skills and advancing your career along the way. In fact, many individuals just like yourself are actively looking for new opportunities to enhance their skills and become better versions of themselves.

Here at the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, we’ve dedicated ourselves to professional development in the nonprofit sector. We have helped over 11,000 people become Certified Nonprofit Professionals and more than 15,000 other leaders in the sector to advance specific skills with virtual training resources. With this experience, we’ve compiled a few key suggestions for nonprofit professionals looking to advance their careers in the sector:

• Actively look for new learning opportunities.
• Discuss on-the-job opportunities with managers.
• Explore potential new responsibilities in the office.

Ready to dive deeper into these three skills for furthering your nonprofit career? Let’s get started.

1. Actively Look for New Learning Opportunities

If you’re waiting for a learning opportunity to jump out and hit you in the face, you’ll likely be waiting for a long time. Too many professionals express interest in learning new skills, but never take action to really find and embrace new training opportunities.

This is a mistake!

Investing in your own training not only helps your personal career, but it can also help advance the mission you’re so passionate about as well. When you invest in your own training, you may see benefits like: 

• Higher job satisfaction. When you enjoy your job, you’ll be less likely to leave and find a new position somewhere else. This simple act saves your organization a lot of funds that would’ve otherwise been spent on replacing you. You hold a lot of value for the organization and they want to keep you around for the long haul.
• Stronger donor relationships. When you learn more about effective communication with your supporters, you’ll be the source of more effective and efficient relationship-building at the organization. This can help you steward supporters for larger contributions and a higher lifetime value for your mission.
• Better fundraising ROI. When you focus your attention on better fundraising, you’ll be able to lead the way in your organization raising more and using your funds more efficiently. This increases ROI, helping you accomplish your goals and get that much closer to achieving your mission.

The benefits of learning more information specific to the nonprofit sector speak for themselves. But the question so many people ask is how to actually learn new skills so that those benefits become possible.

It used to be that you needed to enroll at a local school or spend hours in the library to learn new skills. Now, however, in the age of the internet, we have new learning opportunities emerging everywhere we look! Instead of having to search for sparse sources of information, we’re now left with the opposite issue—sifting through ample resources to find the most trustworthy and impactful information.

To start your search, you need to understand the different options available to you. Some of the best options at your fingertips include: 

• Online courses. Online courses are professionally structured and guided opportunities that simultaneously provide flexibility and convenience for students. The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance guide on the subject explains that you have an option to choose between open-source and paid courses. While open-source can be tempting due to the inexpensive price, they often only offer a limited amount of information before requiring payment or they simply lack high-quality content. According to the guide, subscription-based course services often provide the most value for professionals.
• Books. You don’t need to spend hours searching the library for the best books to learn about specific topics anymore. Now, you can read reviews online, search library catalogs, and sometimes even have the book shipped directly to your home. Consider the skills you want to develop before searching for a new book because there are a seemingly infinite number of books available covering any number of topics. Narrowing your search from the beginning will help you pick the book that will most help you achieve your goals.
• Journals and blogs. If you’re looking for an opportunity to keep up with the newest trends, you might consider subscribing to various journals or blogs for reading material in the nonprofit sector. Be sure to check on the source to be sure it’s trusted or peer-reviewed before you subscribe to these materials.

The learning materials you choose have a lot to do with the learning style that most appeals to you. For instance, some people learn better when they have a guided and structured course. However, others prefer a more independent learning style such as those offered by a book or journal.

Consider how much structure you need in your own education before investing in various professional development resources.

2. Discuss On-the-Job Opportunities with Managers

While it may seem like a paradox, when many people consider their professional development opportunities, they fail to consult the one place where the skills will be most applicable: work.

If you have a manager at the nonprofit where you work, open a discussion about your opportunities for improvement and ask for any resources or recommendations the organization can offer. Often, if you’re finding that you have a weakness in a particular skill set, someone else has also encountered the same challenge, meaning someone else has probably already asked for help too.

Your organization might have a learning resource system of its own that you can use to grow. The first step is simply to ask. Coaching, while often associated with a negative connotation, can actually be incredibly useful for nonprofit professionals who know what it is that they want to learn.

The other advantage to asking for help within your organization is that you can see how the skills apply to your daily position right off the bat. 

While there are a whole host of skills out there that you might ask for coaching on from your own organization, some common options include: 

• Public speaking. From cutting out filler words to maintaining eye contact, your manager can give specific tips after various presentations for a period of time.
• Communication. Ask for help when it comes to communicating with supporters or collaborating with coworkers, then get feedback about specifics to improve.
• Decision-making. Discuss the mindset behind various decisions made by the leaders at your organization so that you can emulate their process in your own choices.

When you embark on a training relationship with someone else at your organization, it’s important to find a metric for tracking your progress moving forward. This will help you show that you’ve improved when it comes time for reviews, promotions, and raises. This Astron Solutions guide explains that a tool to track growth and progress is necessary for effective performance management systems. If you don’t have one of these tools built into a software solution at your organization, you can simply compile your own metric for tracking and share it with your manager.

You might be saying, “This all sounds great, but I’m in charge at my organization, so I’m the most experienced and can’t grow like others.” That’s a dangerous mindset to fall in. We all have room to grow and there is always something more to learn. If you are the manager or executive member of your team, find someone else on the team who seems to have mastered the skill you’re working to develop. Then, humble yourself to ask them for tips, feedback, and accountability as you work to develop yourself.

3. Explore Potential New Responsibilities in the Office

Tips and advice are a great place to start when it comes to learning specific skills and getting advice to improve within your current position. However, if you want to develop a certain skill, but can’t see how it applies to your current position, you might ask to explore different responsibilities as well.

There’s nothing like hands-on learning to enhance your current skill sets!

Nonprofits have many short-term initiatives that provide new opportunities that you can get your feet wet with. For instance, you might ask to help plan a virtual event, researching with guides like this one to learn more about the concepts behind effective planning strategies. Then, practice those concepts by working directly with your event planner to set up the technology, choose speakers, and strategize to raise funds.

Short-term opportunities like these make for great ways to try something without making a full commitment to add to your daily responsibilities. After all, you’d hate to be stuck doing something you don’t like if you just wanted to test it out to get some experience under your belt. Then, if you find you enjoy the opportunity, you can ask to continue your development by maintaining those responsibilities in the future.

Furthering your nonprofit career with professional development requires you to learn new information and skills, then find a way to incorporate those skills at your organization. Your professional development doesn’t only help your personal ambitions, but also helps your organization become more efficient and effective in the long run.

Don’t underestimate the power and importance of continuing education in the nonprofit sector! Use the tips in this guide to continue developing your skills as a nonprofit professional.

The post Furthering Your Nonprofit Career: 3 Tips for Development appeared first on Bloomerang.

Agility and Stability

The topic of agility, an organization’s ability to adapt and respond to environmental changes and evolving needs, is extremely timely. During this article’s writing, the world faces a global pandemic, and no sector is immune to its effects on staff, clients, finances, and daily operations. COVID-19 has turned our organizations upside down and shaken them out.

For many, the situation feels anything but stable. However, agile leaders are always looking for the opportunity hidden in adversity. In that spirit, we should consider that the fallout from COVID presents a chance for organizational leaders to look closely at the pieces on the floor and figure out how to put everything back together to equip us for challenging times and opportunities during “normal” times. One way to do that is by focusing on establishing stability now in our organizations to be more agile in the future.

Four ways to create stability for agility in challenging times

Pulakos’ and Kaiser’s research shows that stability creates a solid foundation upon which change can occur. In this sense, stability refers to a psychological state where employees trust their leadership and the organization and feel safe in their jobs. The research indicates that there are specific measures leaders can take to instill stability in their organizations. Four of them are: developing and communicating concrete plans, ensuring that adequate resources are available, reassuring staff about the security of their jobs, and letting employees experiment.

1. Develop and share clear plans for the path forward.

When leadership isn’t communicating plans in disruptive times, employees tend to assume the worst. To combat this, Pulakos & Kaiser suggest consistent, frequent communication of status, goals, and progress. Doing so will instill faith that managers are competently leading everyone toward a light at the end of the uncertainty tunnel.

2. Get everyone what they need to do their jobs.

When employees are already stressed out and overwhelmed, a lack of adequate resources adds fuel to the fire. The researchers recommend decreasing staff demands and increasing resources (time, energy, stuff, and money) wherever possible. This one might not seem likely for nonprofits that regularly struggle with resources. However, replacing burned-out nonprofit staff will be costlier in the end than finding creative ways to cut costs and direct more resources to employees.

3. Reassure your staff that their jobs are safe (but be honest).

Leaders can’t expect employees to focus on hitting their performance measures if they’re unsure they’ll have a paycheck soon. Pulakos and Kaiser say to affirm job security during uncertain times when you can but to be realistic. Managers must dance between telling the truth and encouraging optimism about the future. If leaders overpromise and underdeliver, trust—an essential aspect of stability—will diminish. Hard truths are more stabilizing than false promises, and over-communication is better than saying nothing at all.

4. Let employees experiment—and even fail.

Finally, leaders would benefit from a bit more flexibility amid uncertainty. During challenging times, the inclination might be to become more rigid and constricted—to go into survival mode. On the contrary, trying times are a chance to let employees exercise a little creative freedom and try some things. The innovation that results might help the organization level up out of a rough patch. On the other hand, the experiment might fail too, and managers need to be okay with that. Employees feel safe to take intentional risks when they know they won’t be punished if it doesn’t work out.

COVID will end, but nonprofits will always face pressures. We are, after all, attempting to solve many of society’s most significant problems. So, rather than resisting challenging times, we can aim to be more agile in preparation for them. Research published in a 2018 McKinsey Quarterly Report shows that when agile organizations experience pressure, performance not only sustains but improves. Even during challenging times, striving for stability is undoubtedly a worthy endeavor for nonprofit leaders and their organizations’ future.

Article Referenced:

Pulakos, E. D., Kantrowitz, T., & Schneider, B. (2019). What leads to organizational agility: It’s not what you think. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 71(4), 305-320. doi:10.1037/cpb0000150

The post 4 Ways to Use Stability to Achieve Organizational Agility in Challenging Times appeared first on Bloomerang.

But, to pull off a successful online or virtual event you will need to do more than string together a series of webinars or host a Zoom free for all.

Aside from respecting the safety protocols put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, online events provide event planners and attendees with several incredible benefits including reduced costs, ease of access, greater leads, and improved networking opportunities.

To maximize revenues and ensure value for your attendees, here’s our list of tips and tricks for a successful online event!

15 Tips and Tricks for Hosting a Successful Online Event

1. Know your target audience

The easiest way to find success in hosting an event in any format is to know who is likely to attend.

Think about it, you don’t want to market a conference about advancements in dental technology to a bunch of real estate professionals.

By taking time in advance to narrow down who the event is for, you will be able to create content to suit.

Ask yourself:

• Who is the event for?
• What challenges or obstacles do they face in their industry or daily life?
• Is this a professional industry event or one targeted to a lifestyle or entertainment market?
• What are the personal goals of your ideal attendee?

2. Define event goals

Hand in hand with identifying your target audience is defining your event goals. As an event organizer, what is it that you hope to achieve?

Knowing what you want your event “to do” will help you direct a path toward that end.

Begin by defining your event type. If you want to host a virtual networking event, for example, you will need to set up and market your event in a way that is different from a virtual trade show or exhibition. One requires robust chat and connect tools, while the other requires virtual exhibit booths, a show floor, AND robust chat tools. A virtual conference will likely require live streaming capabilities or at least some type of video production.

From there, think about what defines success for you. Do you want to generate ticket revenue, do you want to grow brand awareness? Are you hoping to raise funds and awareness for a specific cause or charity?

Knowing where you want to go will help you get there.

3. Create an event brand

To make sure that your event marketing efforts speak to your target audience, create an event brand.

This means creating a logo, a slogan, possibly a hashtag, and a clear brand message. The message and the branding should be reinforced through your marketing channels.

Build an event website that includes detailed information about the event, who you are, and why people should attend. This site will be where people can learn more about each session, review speakers and exhibitors, purchase tickets, and complete registration.

Beyond the website, promote your virtual event on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Social media posts are an effective way to grow your event brand and generate early audience engagement. Write and share relative blog posts, push video teasers, and create an environment where virtual attendees will come to trust and value what your brand is doing and saying.

You must be consistent with your branding. You want people to have a seamless experience and much of that comes with recognition. Use the same colors, fonts, and logos in all of your materials so people can easily tell that the post or message is coming from you.

4. Choose an appealing topic

Sure, you can choose to host a virtual or hybrid event on the aesthetics of drying paint, but don’t expect a flourish of ticket purchases.

Depending on the nature of the event and the industry you are targeting, you may have to get creative in your approach to the event theme or topic. Certainly, by nature, some event topics will be a little drier than others. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t spin it into something more interesting.

Many times, people attend large scale events and conferences to learn something. Think about your target audience and consider what information and material could be valuable to them.

Don’t be too general or vague. Build your content around specific pieces that relate to the overall theme. If your topic is the aesthetics of drying paint, have sessions around paint application, brush types, drying speeds, etc.

While you don’t want to be too general, you also don’t want to be too specific. When choosing a theme, specificity can limit your options. If you are hosting a single virtual meeting or webinar, specificity is great, but if you are planning a multi-day digital affair, you will need more room.

If your target audience includes novices and experts, be sure there is enough content to keep both ends of the audience spectrum actively engaged and interested.

5. Put together a team

Physical events often have event staff and volunteer teams in place to help things run as smoothly as possible. You will want something similar for your digital event.

For starters, you will need a tech support team on hand. These individuals can help presenters navigate event technology and mitigate any trouble faced by event attendees. Be sure to include contact information for tech support in your registration package and any pre-event communication.

Put a person (or two) in charge of making sure each presenter is ready and able to go at the scheduled time. A virtual event needs to be on time. At a physical event, some interactions can take place if there is a slight delay. With a virtual event, people are more apt to just log off and never return. Keep things going as planned!

You will want to have people moderating chat rooms, as well. This will keep abusive behavior to a minimum but also enable the virtual audience to ask questions of the keynote speaker or presenter.

Finally, depending on the nature and scope of the event, you may want to implement a virtual emcee to facilitate engagement and interactions in real-time. A video production crew, including a videographer, may also be a wise choice.

6. Land a great speaker

One way to succeed with your online event is to land a coveted speaker. Do some research and find a popular voice that relates to your topic. This person should have enough authority and expertise to make them a draw for the audience.

Be sure to explore social media pages to see if their following aligns with your target audience. This overlap is likely to lead to greater interest in your event and increased ticket sales.

7. Choose date and time wisely

Online events give people plenty of freedom when it comes to attendance. They can attend from any location in the world that has an internet connection. But, this doesn’t mean that you don’t have to put careful thought into the date and time of your event.

For a target audience that includes working professionals, scheduling your event to run early in the week and during normal working hours is unlikely to work. Planning the event for a weekend is helpful, but people want and deserve their downtime as well. In this instance, scheduling your event for a Thursday or Friday can be appealing. It can be used as a professional development tool and provides attendees with what feels like an extended weekend.

Additionally, try to avoid scheduling your virtual event around major holidays. People tend to be preoccupied with their personal plans at these times and attendance is likely to suffer.

8. Choose a virtual event platform

A virtual event can benefit from the use of a virtual event platform. If you’re hosting a small virtual meet up, using a platform like Zoom or Google Hangouts may be all you need. But for larger, more detailed events, you need an online event platform that supports your unique needs.

Look for software that allows you to:

• Sell tickets and support online registration
• Enable live text and video chat
• Live stream video
• Designate breakout sessions and networking opportunities
• Market via social media and email campaigns through integrations
• Set up a virtual lobby and/or “cocktail lounge”
• Create customizable virtual exhibit booths

The right virtual event platform will create an interactive virtual experience that fosters participant engagement.

9. Create specific networking opportunities

One of the biggest concerns people have before registering for a virtual event is that they won’t have access to the same networking opportunities they would have at a physical event.

Fortunately, networking can be worked into your event agenda. Facilitate networking by:

• Using live chat
• Creating networking events within the event
• Leveraging social media engagement
• Using live video streams
• Using event gamification
• Creating virtual spaces for people to gather

10. Test all tech

Before you launch your event, you need to check to make sure that all your technology works properly.

Check video cameras and lighting and test wifi functionality for all speakers and presenters. Make sure that your event platform works as it should. Get a team together and collect opinions on audio and video quality and speaker backdrops.

Testing these elements well in advance means that you can get it right before attendees start tuning in.

11. Send event email invitations

Email campaigns are one of the most effective marketing tools available today.

If you have a list of past attendees, be sure to invite them to your upcoming event. These individuals are likely to be more familiar with your brand and are more likely to register.

Send email reminders to anyone that has already registered. Include details on how to get the most out of the event platform, tips for networking in the virtual space, and contact information for tech support.

12. Prepare all presenters

Once you have lined up your speakers and presenters, make sure they have everything they need to succeed.

Check-in on their access to the appropriate technologies but also help them understand how their contributions fit into the event as a whole. By understanding the greater context, the presenter will be able to tailor their message to be more appropriate to the event and the target audience.

Presenters should be made aware of their exact start time and their expected run time. For a successful event, things must run as close to on time as possible. If there are delays, make sure presenters know so they aren’t sitting and waiting to start.

13. Provide More Content

When the event is over, send attendees more content to keep the conversations going and attendee satisfaction rates high.

Some presenters may be willing to share their slideshows or provide downloadable content to support the points made.

Repurpose event videos or create a blog post that addresses some of what emerged from discussions at your event.

The more you can provide attendees, the more value that will see, and the more likely they are to attend and recommend in the future.

14. Send out a post-event survey

The only way to improve your events is to get honest feedback on them. Send a post-event survey to all attendees, presenters, and sponsors.

The responses will tell you where your event succeeded, where it came up short, and help you decide where to go in the future. You can even use this survey to crowdsource ideas for future events.

15. Tabulate the results

A virtual event provides event organizers with a treasure trove of data.

How many people registered for your event? How many actually attended? How many people stayed for the entire thing? Were there sessions that were less popular than others? Where did attendees go when on the showroom floor?

This information, combined with the survey results, will help you better understand your event and plan even better ones in the future!

Hosting a successful online or virtual event requires careful planning and consideration. You need to work to ensure that you are providing content that the audience wants and that the presentation of that content is interesting and appealing enough to keep the audience engaged. Remember, there are lots of other ways people can spend their time when tuning in from home, the competition for attention is real.

Employ the 15 tips and tricks listed above and you are sure to see results across all of your performance indicators! Need some additional inspiration? Dive into the Big Book of Hybrid and Virtual Event Ideas—it’s bound to spark your creativity!

The post 15 Tips And Tricks For Hosting A Successful Online Event appeared first on Bloomerang.

If you have been hesitant to attend a virtual event, or did but felt like it was missing something, here are my tips for getting the most out of attending a virtual conference.

Before the Event

Just as you would for an in-person event, you’ll want to make sure you are prepared before the conference starts. For a virtual fundraising event, things are a little easier… for example, you don’t have to decide which pairs of shoes to pack!

1. Block off your calendar. If you were going to be away from the office at a conference center, you would have your out of office message up on your email and would be present at the event. (Okay, maybe you would check in a little between sessions, but you’d try really hard not to!) Just because your office is now your living room and you’ll be attending the conference from there doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put the same boundary on it. Tell your coworkers you’ll be focusing on the conference and be ready to hold your coworkers and yourself to that commitment. (Consider adding a day or a half day after the conference ends to give yourself time to review your notes before re-entering work.)
2. Review the agenda and decide what sessions you want to attend. You’ll want to be ready to head into the right Zoom room when the time comes; you don’t want to miss the start of a session because you were reading the descriptions just as the session began.
3. Familiarize yourself with the online platform early. Just as you would want the layout of the conference center so you would know how to find the right room for that afternoon session you were looking forward to, you’ll want to know how to navigate the online platform to get to the sessions you’ve chosen. (And no matter how the website is set up, you won’t get blisters because it’s a longer walk than you thought and you packed the wrong shoes!)
4. Download the conference app. If the conference is using an app, I can’t stress enough how much you’ll be missing out on if you don’t use it! Many in-person events use a conference app, and my experience has been that it’s a wonderful tool that facilitates deeper engagement and connection. At a virtual event, this is even more important. You will probably be using a computer or tablet to attend the conference; download the app on your phone even if they have a web version. Many of the apps have at least some functionality that only works on mobile, and you’ll want to be able to fully utilize the tool.

During the Event

5. Take notes – just like you would have in person! If you normally carry a notebook to take notes on, do that during the virtual conference. I generally tweet my favorite takeaways during a conference and then compile those into notes after the fact, so I also do that during a virtual event. However you prefer to do it, make sure you capture the information you’re learning!
6. Network, network, network. For many attendees at conferences, the networking is at least as important as the educational sessions. And this is the part that looks the most different in a virtual setting. There are opportunities to do some quality networking, though! First and foremost, if the conference provides an app, use it. Post a picture of your dog watching a session with you, share your favorite takeaway from a session, start a thread where everyone can share their story of how they got into fundraising. Other places to engage include the chat feature if the conference organizers have it enabled and social media. If the event has a hashtag, you can tweet or post using it and share your experience. You can also search for the hashtag to see what others are saying and comment on their posts. Some conferences create a Facebook or LinkedIn group; if they do, join it! One of my favorite ways to network during a virtual event is with a Zoom coffee or happy hour. If the event organizers don’t have these built in, you can create it yourself and invite attendees using the app and/or social media!

After the Event

The “after” steps are the same for a virtual conference as they would have been for an in-person conference.

7. Review the notes you took during the sessions you attended. There are two things I do when I review my conference notes. First, for each session I identify one action that I can implement within the next month. Second, I type up a summary of the things I learned and questions that came up and share it with my team at work. A bonus of virtual events is that you will oftentimes get access to a recording after the event, which will let you review your favorite sessions again if you think you may have missed capturing a key point.
8. Follow up with your favorite speakers. Send them an email or message them on LinkedIn and let them know why you enjoyed their session and what you learned from it. (As someone who frequently speaks at conferences, I can confirm we love when people do this!) This is also an opportunity to ask a follow-up question if you didn’t get a chance to live, or if you’ve thought of something after the session ended.
9. Take the event networking an extra step! If you met people during the conference, reach out to them to schedule a Zoom or phone call. The goal of networking is to build relationships, so whether you interacted in a conference app or spent a few minutes chatting at an in-person happy hour, this is a great step to take after the event.

So the next time you see a new virtual conference advertised or realize one you wanted to attend in person is going virtual instead, go ahead and sign up. With a bit of creativity and intentionality, you can make it worth it!

The post 9 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of A Virtual Conference appeared first on Bloomerang.

In the weeks following the start of the pandemic, organizations had to react quickly with their response to COVID. As a consultant I saw clients and organizations react in three ways:

1. Play it safe: There are a lot of unknowns. Let’s lay low and see how things play out. In the meantime we need to furlough staff and let everyone know things are on hold. Let’s regroup with our board and get some back burner projects done.
2. Steady goes-it: Things are changing, yet we can’t stop. We still have a mission to fulfill. With stay-at-home orders in place, we must adapt to meet our existing obligations. Let’s explore options for moving our existing programs online or through social-distance measures.
3. Responsive innovation: What’s happening is unprecedented. We can’t just do more of the same. We must reach out to who we serve and adjust our offerings to meet current needs. The question isn’t can we, but how do we offer relevant online or socially-distanced programs as quickly as possible.

Pause and Assess Approach

Having worked with organizations for the past 20 years, I’ve seen it all. “Quick to take action” leadership and “pause and think” leadership. In those early weeks, I admit it. I was judgmental. I described the first group, “play it safe” as paralyzed. They seemed so shocked by changes happening around them, they decided to hunker down and do nothing. As their consultant, I gently showed them what other organizations are doing, and planted seeds for them to consider options for moving forward. I’m happy to report that the paralysis only lasted a few weeks, and in fact quickly turned into “assess and react.” This rare pause and pivot organizations were experiencing was allowing them to come up with a cohesive game plan.

This said, there was still a lot of anxiety. Many were not ready to make big program changes — hoping things would go back to normal soon. Despite this, as long as they made thoughtful moves forward and communicated well with staff, clients, and funders, they still found success.

Here are some of the measured steps you can take:

1. Pause and assess: Take a moment to understand what’s needed in this new environment. Instead of creating new programs, share supportive messaging and/or existing resources (either yours or of other organizations) with clients, funders, and partners. This shows you’re there in a supportive capacity in their greatest time of need.
2. Pilot programming: Starting with scaled back and/or temporary programs was a way to offer quicker solutions when learning how to deliver programs during a pandemic. With the initial response to COVID this took the form of webinars or zoom calls for many. These early programs allowed organizations to gauge the capacity and interest of those they serve online or social-distanced.
3. Launch programming: With some learning under your belt and good rapport maintained with staff, clients, and funders, now you are ready to formally launch your updated programs. Some programs were essentially the same as previous programs, just brought online or in social distanced ways. For other organizations the process has revealed some innovative opportunities. Either way, the measured changes meant offering more relevant solutions and gave organizations a chance to bring staff and funders along.

It should be noted however, organizations who took a bit longer, did lose out on some early opportunities (with clients and funders) but they ended up with a great program and those who are now participating are extremely loyal and grateful — both important foundations for future success.

Responsive Innovation

Then on the flip side were organizations who saw opportunity in crisis. They dove in with both feet and were able to make a 180 degree pivot. These organizations didn’t skip a beat. They were able to quickly leverage their existing knowledge and resources to launch new offerings to meet current needs. In comparison to the “pause and assess” approach, this seems much more exciting and impactful, but it did have its own set of issues. It created pretty stressful, fast-paced environments, where organizations had to make decisions quickly and staff had to adjust on a dime.

Organizations who took this route endured much more pressure but some saw some big and unconventional wins. The question is now, will these wins have lasting results? May they change the course of the organization? For many organizations, this has been an opportunity to expedite change. Many say it is unlikely they will return 100% to their old way of doing business.

The “responsive innovation” organizations leapt to the challenge and went through the following phases:

1. Emergency response: Go into emergency mode and reach out to key staff, clients, funders, and partners. This early communication allowed them to gain real-time understanding of needs and interests. This helped them make decisions quickly and gain buy-in.
2. Re-design: Based on the new plan, teams had to quickly adjust by breaking down hierarchies and re-establishing job roles to best meet the needs of the new direction. Some staff were furloughed, while others (volunteers and/or contractors) with certain skills sets were brought in.
3. Build, launch, and amplify: With new, responsive programming, these organizations were equipped with a great opportunity to connect with clients, partners, and funders.

Organizations with these bolder program adjustments were able to gain more funder and media attention, which helped many access new monies to fund their work.

Though the above outlines the process for organizations who play it safe or are ready to innovate, many organizations fall somewhere in the middle. As leaders it is important to take time to assess then react. The key thing for both was communication across all stakeholders. Those that neglected communication found it harder to re-engage staff, clients, and funders.

Below are a few examples of organizations that represent a range of responses to the pandemic and their results:

Las Fotos Project

Mission: Las Fotos Project inspires teenage girls through photography, mentorship, and self-expression.

Problem: All in-person programs had to be cancelled. Programs would have to move online or be cancelled. Also, not all students had access to the photography equipment needed.

Reaction: Steady goes-it.

Solution: Create and deliver photography kits to student’s doorsteps. Then offer live-zoom instruction to students.

Result: Las Fotos Project was able to preserve the essence of their programs and effectively work with students online. They even underwent a successful Founder/Executive Transition and were able to host a virtual exhibition, featuring student work and stories.

CongaKids

Mission: CongaKids promotes social-emotional wellness through partner-dance with 10,000 elementary students across Los Angeles County.

Problem: All programs were abruptly halted when schools had to move online. How were they to provide relevant social-emotional wellness support to students through partner-dance?

Reaction: Responsive innovation.

Solution: They immediately reached out to staff, schools, and funders. With broad support, they shifted all resources to producing a series of high-quality video lessons. They were also able to access some new funding to support the work.

Result: The organization was not only able to release the video series, they were also able to offer their program to students of all Los Angeles County schools — which grew their reach exponentially, almost overnight.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater

Mission: Bob Baker Marionette Theater provides unique theatrical experiences to educate, to celebrate, to rejuvenate puppetry and the allied arts.

Problem: Since 1963 the organization was rooted in live experiences — an intimacy between actors, puppets, and audiences. How were they to honor that with social distance orders in place?

Reaction: Play it safe, then responsive innovation.

Solution: With the response to COVID when it hit, the organization shuttered its doors and waited. After a few weeks, they realized things would not open soon. Not yet ready to bring full programming online, they launched “At Home Happiness” videos to help all of us weather this pandemic.

Result: The organization has gone through a rebirth online, with an endearing presence complete with free videos and lessons. They’ve even launched a few social enterprises, including customizable birthday party solutions and even an elopement pop-up for couples looking for an enchanting space to say “I-do”.

Leaders, as you reflect on how yours and other organizations responded to the pandemic, note how there is no single right path. Now that we are more than six months in, take a moment to connect with your board, staff, clients, funders, etc. to check-in on how things are going and what we all learned in the process. Having these de-briefs on a quarterly or bi-annual basis can help you build a more agile and strategic organization. One that is ready as the world continues to throw new challenges our way.

Want to learn more about strategic leadership through uncertainty?

• Join a networking group with other leaders to hear and share with one another.
• Sign-up for a webinar on strategic planning and/or innovation, especially one that takes in our current times into account.
• Speak with a strategy consultant to discuss how your organization is fairing and what you can do today to better position your organization for success, even through a pandemic.

What approach have you taken as your response to COVID? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Nonprofit Sector Response to COVID Varies: Many Find Opportunities to Innovate appeared first on Bloomerang.

As generators of key revenue for nonprofits, fundraisers typically feel job security. There’s always more than enough work to be done, and the sense of juggling the work of what could be spread among two or three professionals may be overwhelming, but soothing in that your role feels critical.

However, the pandemic has upended the economy, and business is not as usual. What do laid-off fundraisers do if they find themselves furloughed, or their position permanently eliminated?

It happened to me earlier this year, after nearly 20 years in the profession, having fundraised through crises before (Post-9/11, the 2008 recession). To be honest, it was a complete shock and I had a little more than a week’s notice to prepare for no longer receiving a regular salary. Mere weeks after that, I learned my and several other development positions in the organization would be permanently eliminated, which also meant the end of critical benefits such as health insurance.

So where should laid-off fundraisers start when you receive this challenging news?

1. Assess finances: Immediately, take stock of your personal income and expenses. Are you eligible for unemployment benefits? If so, you may also be eligible for Medicaid health coverage (in the U.S., www.healthcare.gov will help you assess this and route you through the process for your state).

Next, review your monthly expenses. What must be paid, and what might be postponed or cut back? For example, many credit card lenders have allowed for a few months’ suspension of payments to allow those furloughed or laid off time to regroup. Take a close look at all those recurring charges on your credit cards or debited from your bank account and determine if you can live without some of them for a short period of time (though you may find after cutting back, you may not resume some of them).

Once you have a picture of any temporary income opportunities (whether unemployment or part-time/side hustles) and your revised expenses, then review the shape of your savings. How many months can this help meet the gap? Additionally, in the U.S. thanks to the CARES Act, you may take a distribution from your retirement account without paying the 10% penalty (but you’ll still pay income tax). Build a plan for the months ahead, and continue to review it as you go to adjust as needed to meet your goals.

2. Allow time to experience emotions: The loss of a job is exactly that … a loss, and this brings many emotions. Allow yourself the time and space to grieve, be angry, even be relieved at no longer dealing with aspects of your position which annoyed you. Reach out to friends or family for support to chat (voice, video, or safely distanced in person). Consider journaling your thoughts during this transitional time for reflection.

3. Ponder your next step: Personally, I took a few weeks between receiving the news of my coming layoff and its actual effective date to decide what I wanted next. I knew once I shared that news, my networks would ask what I was considering and how they could help. I had to decide: did I wish to continue in philanthropic development? What kind of role was I seeking? Did I want to continue living in my city? Having the answers to these questions made seeking opportunities easier to discern.

4. Network, network, network: Once you’ve set your goals and plans, it’s time to share these widely and ask for help. Fundraisers (and now laid-off fundraisers) are used to asking for help to benefit others, so it can be uncomfortable at first to ask for help for yourself. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get! As when seeking a job change while still employed, you never know where a connection will lead. In fact, it’s a little less of a nervous process as you don’t have an employer to worry about … even if you are simply furloughed, you have the right to seek other work if your employer hasn’t given you specific return expectations.

5. Try to find joy in the journey: While an experience no one hopes for, there is much opportunity for personal growth on the other side of losing your job. It provides an opportunity for reflection on where you’d like your life to go. It may give you additional time with your family or friends (or pets!)  that you’ve been wanting. It may propel you towards an even better career situation in the long run. While the process of searching for a new position can be time-consuming, try to find sources of enjoyment to distract yourself from the wait. Maybe it’s reading books that have piled up on your shelf, maybe it’s focusing more on eating well and being physically active. Maybe it’s just being sure you get a good night’s sleep more often! Find the small victories, and celebrate them.

Someday, you’ll look back on this time and see how it shaped your career and your life. A furlough or layoff can be challenging, but it also provides a new layer in the storytelling of you.

What other tips for laid-off fundraisers would you share?

The post Now What? 5 Tips for Furloughed or Laid-Off Fundraisers appeared first on Bloomerang.

What will the world look like for nonprofits when COVID-19 is just a bad memory?

This COVID-19 nonprofit sector will be smaller, at least temporarily, by about 20-25%, consisting largely of smaller organizations which have closed, compared to the normal 10% we normally lose annually. That means approximately 10% of the nonprofit work force will still be unemployed, at least for a time. The competitive mix will be different in two ways: the surviving larger organizations will dominate the marketplace in terms of larger share and hold on resources, while competition from for-profits, B-Corps and other forms of organizations focused on social benefit will increase five-fold. Survival of nonprofits of any size will depend on their creative response to the new forces in the economy, e.g. the so-called new normal. The need for societal services of all kinds will be ever-present and the demand will exceed pre-COVID-19 nonprofit levels.

Charitable support for provision of these services will be dependent on impact, scalability of response and even monetization of any process to determine return on investment.

Here is what we think it will take to have significant survival and success in this environment to meet and exceed the expectations of constituents, both clients and supporters:

1. Renew, Restore and Reimagine Our Work. The new normal will be very different from operating in a society lockdown. Only some elements of the previous methods of operation will work and may be restored. Change will be determined by empirical efforts, surveys, statistical analysis—a much larger involvement of those served and those providing resources. Differences between for-profit and nonprofits will lessen, with nonprofits fielding for-profit subs to take advantage of impact investments and warding off competition.
2. Digital interaction and Direct Delivery of Goods and Services. We will hear more from our constituents, with a significant amount of this communication being digital. Expectations for positive response will also grow as well as the need for rapidity in that response. This will require nonprofits to increase their investment, training and personnel in digital service and delivery.
3. Data and Its Understanding. Such interactions will bring large amounts of information about constituents, requiring enlarged capacity to understand and better serve the needs and values of these individuals and groups. Constituent and donor segmentation will play a major role in the ability to improve this service. Organizations will increase their ability to store, analyze and use this data to inform policy and program though more sophisticated hardware, software and people.
4. Analytics and AI. Beyond segmentation, analytics and the use of AI to combine disparate elements of this data will enable nonprofits to increase their impact, not only helping deal with problems but, perhaps, actually solving them.
5. Continuous Up-skilling of Personnel. Operational demands will require greater training, from graduate degrees to continuous in-service instruction. The above complexity will demand this continuous training of our staffs, re-skilling and up-skilling them to enable the services that will be required for desired positive results and impact.
6. Lifetime Value of Donors will Guide Development. The increasing levels of information, analytics, use of AI and segmentation will result in better understanding and prediction of lifetime value of donors. This will be the major focus of increased funding for the development department, complete with sophisticated stewardship of existing donors and the building of new constituencies using these tools.
7. Reorganization from the Bottom Up. Combining and crossing skills and expertise will result in what are called “agile tribes”, those groups of the varied talents needed to produce the high impact areas that produce the successful programs and attract additional resources leading to organizational stability and growth. Informal leaders will often replace chain of command in this world of digital communication and virtual services. Organizations will flatten out and aspire to have as few levels of organization as possible. Results, impact will rule.

As we all begin this work together in an environment that none of us anticipated just six months ago, we encourage organizations to rise to the challenges, assisted by the many resources available to both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. The demands are greater, the resources needed are larger, the needs continue to grow, and we in this current COVID-19 nonprofit sector must be best equipped and trained to achieve success in this demanding environment.

What other COVID-19 nonprofit success factors would you add to the list?

This post was co-written by Dania Toscano Miwa and James V. Toscano; the Principals of Toscano Advisors, a National Nonprofit Consulting firm based in Portland OR. They consult primarily in the areas of fundraising strategy, board training and capital campaign management.

Jim has over 55 years of experience in nonprofit management. His expertise includes: strategic planning, governance, outcomes measurement, feasibility studies and resource development in nonprofit organizations. He is a past chair of the Minnesota Charities Review Council and served on over fifty boards and commissions during his career, including the Minnesota Health Care Commission and as Chair of the Medical Education and Research Committee of the State Health Department. A chair and co-chair of the committees that produced the three editions of Minnesota Council of Nonprofit’s “Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence,” he has taught management at the Wharton School, University of Chicago, University of Saint Thomas and Hamline University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a graduate of Rutgers College and Yale University.

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