http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?content_item_id=24814&folder_id=914

Take the number of associate board officers, management staff, support staff, and core volunteers that make up your nonprofit organization, and multiply that number by FIVE.

The result of this simple math exercise is the minimum number of people you should expect to show up at ANY given event – presuming the event content, offer, messaging, promotion, etc. is on-point and in place to connect with target attendees.

Respectfully, anyone who can’t get five people to show up for a fundraiser may (A) need to seek professional guidance in how to promote an event or (B) may want to rethink the true nature of their commitment to the cause itself.

More support for your organization is likely necessary and (yet) elusive. Effective relationship building and well-attended events are critical to advancing goals for more recruitment and donations. In a world where any event “advocate” can use a minimum of TEN FREE MEDIUMS to promote the event – expectations should be at least as high as ever – in spite of the recession – if not higher.

What are the ten free mediums to promote a fundraising event?

1. Facebook Profiles – post on your “wall”, temporarily change your primary photo to the organization’s logo, etc.
2. Facebook Event Postings – create unique event listings.
3. Facebook Groups – find groups whose genre itself and/or whose members correlate with your cause.
4. Twitter posts – a great way to “storyboard” the event planning progress in real time.
5. LinkedIn messaging and invitations – a great way to (also) engage in networking, job hunting, etc.
6. E-mails to friends, family, coworkers, vendors, etc. from Outlook or web-base accounts.
7. Text messages to friends, family, coworkers, vendors, etc.
8. TALK to friends, family, coworkers, vendors, etc. – during meals, business, working out, etc.
9. Post the event on local media web sites that offer free posting/listing services for fundraising events.
10. Blog about the event in upcoming entries and provide links to the event’s online RSVP page.

If these exercises are completed earnestly – you will high FIVE each other after the event when you realize how much more money was raised.

The event marketing partnerships are specifically designed for both groups to share resources and collaborate on promotional efforts to drive as much traffic and revenue to the event as possible, and to generate as much publicity, participation, and attendee donations as possible for the partner nonprofit organization.

CMP services also include helping individual volunteers and participants with existing fundraising commitments – such as runners looking to host an event to raise money for a walk-a-thon.

CMP is becoming the central source in the Chicago area for developing relationships with nonprofit organizations that are actively looking for event opportunities to cultivate awareness, volunteers and donors. CMP leverages relationships with dozens of Chicagoland businesses and nonprofits, as well as twelve years of event planning experience, to create programs uniquely suited to each organization’s needs.

As a component of overall event planning services, CMP offers a complimentary brand assessment of participating businesses. This assessment is used to help identify potential partners and ensuing promotional best practices for the charity events as well as for future marketing endeavors.

Additional benefits to nonprofit organizations include:

• Negotiation of event amenities and services
• Guidance in event marketing best practices
• Exposure to promotional resources of business partners
• Cultivation of volunteers, donors and sponsors for other events and programs

If your business is interested in collaborating with a matching nonprofit organization to help generate exposure, traffic, revenues, and good will – CMP will then help initiate the event planning and event marketing processes.

Please e-mail marc@causemp.com to begin discussing how CMP may be able to increase traffic and revenues for your business while expanding good will for your brand.

Coming Soon: The official CMP web site and blog!

Excerpts:

“We tend to get caught up in trying to implement the next new whiz-bang, quick-win fundraising tactic. In doing that, we neglect old-fashioned relationship-building with those in our community. It’s imperative to take the time to get out from behind our computer, and in front of business owners, service groups, and like-minded individuals who might be able to help keep our organizations strong, and our missions moving forward.”

“Businesses provide much-needed resources to the nonprofit sector in terms of volunteers, monetary support, pro-bono services, and in-kind donations. Business networking organizations, such as Business Networking International (BNI) or your local Chamber of Commerce, can help you tap into your area’s local businesses, resulting in increased awareness for your cause, and the development of key relationships with local business influencers in your community.”

It’s essential to developing a true partnership that helps both the business and your organization. When approaching possible new business partners, find out what they need to do to “move the needle” and foster inter-organizational trust by developing a two-way street for communication. Demonstrate how their involvement in your organization will help them accomplish one of their goals, like reaching new customers.”

Another logical, compelling case for live experiences that drive cultivation of funds, volunteers and more.

Marc Portugal

Inspired by social networking functionality, ActOfGood is a GREAT looking site, and one with lots of tools and resources to help nonprofits more proactively connect and advance their missions, needs and opportunities.

Marc Portugal

Nonprofits face three “intrinsic” challenges: never enough time, never enough money (from donors and/or sponsors), and never enough resources (from volunteers and/or sponsors). In spite of these challenges (all of which may now be exacerbated due to the recession) nonprofits must still find effective ways to continue cultivating donors, volunteers, sponsors, advocates, etc.

While some cultivation activities can effectively occur online and even through electronic and/or snail mail, truly productive relationship building can only take place in person. This means more events. Specifically, understanding the habits, emotions, aspirations and rituals of prospective donors, volunteers, sponsors, and advocates should be used to plan more affordable, effective cultivation events. Nonprofits can overcome fundamental challenges by way of free event planning resources.

Some nonprofits may argue that hosting too many events is simply asking too much of a given support base’s time and commitment, and may even annoy them to the point of diluting their commitment. This may be true, but I would also counter that there are multiple bases to be addressed, and doing so is most effective via formalized “environments” or “experiences” most akin to their interests and most likely to capture their attention.

Hoping a prospect reads a piece of direct mail, or notices a “wall posting” on Facebook – and in turn decides to respond to the call to action – is simply not as reliable as an in-person dialog. Creating occasions to focus relationship building, sponsorship solicitation, and overall messaging efforts is critical if nonprofits hope to realize ROI from their (inherently challenged) development endeavors.

Some nonprofits only host one major event per year, and only look for support for that single event. Why can’t they host smaller sponsor cultivation events? Why can’t they host smaller volunteer cultivation events? What if this networking activity at events like these lead to the identification and acquisition of resources in other areas? Examples:

• What if a volunteer cultivation event results in a guest – initially in attendance because of their volunteer interest – offering up sponsorship support from their company?

• What if a sponsor cultivation event results in a prospect offering more than originally discussed because they are compelled by the energy, emotion, and engagement activity at the event – that can only truly manifest face-to-face?

Bottom line: Events are affordable, measurable, and again crucial components to the advancement of nonprofit objectives. Nonprofits with more frequent event activity will enjoy greater success on all fronts. Again, nonprofits can overcome fundamental challenges by way of free event planning resources. For more information on these resources, please e-mail fundraising20@gmail.com

Marc-Portugal

Friendraising Through Swine Flu

Nothing like an imported flu epidemic to interfere with conducting the business of fundraising (and the business of business.)

Unfortunately, consumer money that might otherwise be earmarked for fundraising events (or just a night out to eat) is being spent on gallons and gallons of Purell and boxes and boxes of surgical masks.

The cost of consumer apprehension presents a new layer of difficulty for both nonprofits and businesses. While timetables for containment are unknown, nonprofits and businesses can work on other Fundraising 2.0 efforts in the mean time. The easiest activity to work on is Friendraising. Plus – it’s free!

As described in the previous blog entry, Friendraising can immediately begin by creating a Friendlist. The development of this list requires no cost or time commitment – just a focus and “analysis” on understanding the habits, emotions, aspirations and rituals of prospective donors, volunteers and customers.

The more people in an organization or business that can be involved in Friendraising and “Friendlisting” exercises – the better. Why? Two key reasons:

1.     More heads are better than one. Input from more people will inevitably result in more thorough results – even if it occurs by ruling out external input generated in Friendlisting sessions.

2.     Organizations and businesses can better ensure that team members truly understand their respective brands, messages, needs, opportunities, etc. such that their ensuing, independent Friendraising activity is as effective/productive as possible.

While this latest crisis only further delays recovery and returns to growth for both nonprofits and businesses, there is no reason not to be as productive as possible in the mean time so that Brandraising and Fundraising can take place as opportunities present themselves and as crises finally begin to resolve.

Marc-Portugal

The Friendlist

An easy way for nonprofits to immediately begin participating in Fundraising 2.0 is to create something called the Friendlist.

This is not a replication of an existing donor, volunteer, or other in-house database. The Friendlist is a list of Habits, Emotions, Aspirations, and Rituals that a nonprofit feels is most accurately representative of their prospects. A Friendlist may change based on corresponding changes in nonprofit campaigns, shifts in economies, new trends in pop culture or social media, etc. Having said that, it is a great exercise in ensuring an accurate understanding of prospects such that ensuing Brandraising and Friendraising activities are as effective as possible.

Habits are “live” activities that prospects engage in on a regular basis outside of their home and workplace. The outcome of this exercise is to categorically identify potential host venues and activities that can be affordably engaged for Brandraising and Fundraising on a regular basis. Examples:

·        Eating out

·        Watching sports

·        Playing sports

·        Getting manicures

·        Working out

·        Attending networking events

Emotions, in this context of making a Friendlist, represent the manners in which the core commitment of the nonprofit may be articulated by prospects. It will be these keywords, or variations of articulating emotions, that facilitate online social networking (online Friendraising). Examples:

·        Fight against Breast Cancer

·        Mom and Breast Cancer

·        Walk for Breast Cancer

·        Help Breast Cancer

·        Stay Healthy Breast Cancer

Aspirations are activities that prospects do NOT engage in on a regular basis, but wish they could. These activities are ones that the added layer of a call-to-action from a nonprofit might compel prospects to engage. The point of this exercise is to identify potential venues and content for F20 events. Examples:

·        Test driving luxury cars

·        Spa services

·        Food tasting

·        Cooking class

·        Meet a celebrity

Rituals, in this context, are professional and social communication activities that prospects engage in on a regular basis. Listing these mediums will identify where Brandraising and Friendraising may be most productive. Examples:

·        Facebook

·        Twitter

·        LinkedIn

·        YouTube

·        MySpace

·        Blogging

·        Bookmarking

·        Mobile Messaging (SMS, MMS, etc.)

·        Proximity Messaging

Once a Friendlist is created, it will serve as a great roadmap for nonprofits and/or complimentary Fundraising 2.0 event planning resources in expediting and negotiating live events for nonprofits to help them raise money sooner than later.