Welcome to the Nonprofit Partnership E-News

In this Issue

	June, 2010
	Erie Delegation Action Alert
	Charitable Giving Falls Again in 2009
	Don’t Under-Estimate the Power of the Gift Acknowledgement
	Upcoming from The Nonprofit Partnership
	Putting Your Organizational Video to Work
	Giving to (and Teaching) Your Kids

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Robert Wooler,
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June, 2010

This edition of The Nonprofit Partnership e-news is sponsored by Malin, Bergquist & Co.

Erie Delegation Action Alert

The pressure is on the Erie House Delegation to avoid more severe cuts to area nonprofits-

This week the PA State House is scheduled to vote on a revenue package that if passed will lessen forthcoming budget cuts in services and contracts from a projected $450 million to around $100 million. A key component of that package is an amended version of HB 325, a tax-generating measure that focuses on smokeless tobacco and other special sect sources. According to the PA Budget and Policy Center, key are State Representatives John Evans, John Hornaman and Curtis Sonney (all part of the Erie delegation). Passage of this package is vital. If no further deep state cuts are important to you TODAY contact Reps. Evans, Hornaman and Sonney and urge them to "support the passage of the revenue package before them."

John Evans - 814-734-2793 -  jevans@pahousegop.com

John Hornaman - 814-835-2880 - jhornaman@pahouse.net

Curtis Sonney - 814-897-2080 -  csonney@pahousegop.com

Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center- www.pennbpc.org

This information and Action Request are offered as a service of The Nonprofit Partnership, keeping the nonprofit sector informed, engaged and heard.

Charitable Giving Falls Again in 2009

According to figures just released by the Giving USA Foundation, charitable giving in the U.S. fell by 3.6% in 2009 to a level of $303.75 billion. Giving levels by individuals saw the smallest decline at 0.4%, while bequests and foundation giving were down 23% and 8% respectively, and corporate giving rose by 5.5%. Human services, health, international aid, the environment, and animals all saw giving increases, consistent with high profile media-enhanced causes, disasters, and recession-related giving which clusters around basic human needs. To access the full report, visit http://www.givingusa2010.org/.

Don’t Under-Estimate the Power of the Gift Acknowledgement

It is a very personal, emotional choice to give away money to something you care about. You as the organization these donors support want to handle those strong feelings of your donor with care. They have acted in a way that is deeply meaningful to them. If the only way we react to their gift is with a tax receipt, we're not only being rude, we're being disrespectful.
Not only is the choice to give emotional, in many cases it also represents a real risk by the donor. There have been enough charity scandals and scams that many people are afraid their gifts will be squandered, misused, or outright stolen. It takes courage to be a donor! That's why these very common acknowledgement practices are so harmful to donor relationships:
• Taking a long time to acknowledge a gift. When weeks or months go by before a donor gets acknowledged for a gift, the suspicion grows that her gift wasn't appreciated or didn't matter.
• Acknowledging in a generic way. The ask was clear and strong, specific and full of emotion. The acknowledgement has the warmth and humanity of a tax form from a totalitarian nation. The message is clear: We got your dough; that's all that matters.
• Failing to adequately report back on the impact of the gift. If you're putting donor dollars to good use, let the donors know. Don't hammer them with all the other things you do that they didn't give to -- thank them for what they did. Show them they made a difference. That gives them reason to give again.
Taking care with the thank you is a key to keeping your donors. For more advice on writing and managing appeals, see Jeff Brooks’ blog at www.futurefundraisingnow.com

Upcoming from The Nonprofit Partnership

Grantwriting training in two forms:

A one-day comprehensive look at all aspects of grant-finding and grant-writing - *Effective Grant Writing*
with Robert Wooler, Director, The Nonprofit Partnership

Tuesday, June 22, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at Manufacturers and Business Association, 2171 West 38th St., Erie

In today’s high-need, low-revenue environment, organizations need to sharpen their grantwriting skills and maximize that revenue stream! This one-day workshop builds the core skills you will need to polish your grantfinding and grantwriting abilities. With updated materials and examples, this workshop will help you:
1. Find grant sources and match grant opportunities with your needs.
2. Fine-tune a narrative logic model that tells the story of your work.
3. Craft compelling narratives that build the case for your request.
4. Develop goals, objectives, and outcomes that follow from your logic model.
5. Budget effectively with an eye toward sustainability.
6. Assemble collaboratives that bring the right resources to the table.
This fast-moving, practical session offers real insight into the world of public and private grants, gives you opportunities to work on your own requests, and provides a wealth of exemplary successful grants that can provide templates for your work.

From August 16-20, The Nonprofit Partnership will host the world-renowned Grantwriting Training from The Grantsmanship Center in Los Angeles . This in-depth clinic will immerse you and a team of peers in the process of proposal planning and grantwriting, the outcome of which will be an actual completed and ready-to-submit proposal. This training is the class of the filed and has been attended by legions of development and management leaders over the years. The cost for members of NPP of the intensive week-long training which will be held at the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies on Erie’s bayfront (in the summer!) is $495. Seats are limited and only ten remain, so register today at www.tgci.com.
 

Putting Your Organizational Video to Work

At our workshop on June 3, The Nonprofit Partnership and Image Trinity / ErieAlity TV demonstrated the power of a short, focused video to accomplish a specific purpose for your organization – raise funds, recruit volunteers, or mobilize for action. This is part of a mini-grant program being offered by NPP for organizations that want to produce these “campaign” videos to accomplish a specific goal. Details are available on the NPP website . Proposals are due on July 16.

Giving to (and Teaching) Your Kids

Simone Joyaux’s June newsletter features a moving idea for giving to your kids/grandkids that models good values and accountability. A great idea to pass along. Here is the text of a letter that is becoming virally famous.

Enclosed is a holiday gift for you from the both of us...By now you are old enough to know that no matter how much money you have, there are others who have a lot less. By now, you are old enough to know that there is a lot in this world that needs fixing. By now, you are old enough to know how good it can feel to actually help someone else by giving them something - like your time or your skills or your money. By now, your parents have tried to teach you how important it is to share what we have in this world.
So the $100 gift enclosed comes with this deal.....
-- You need to give 1/4 of it - or $25 - back to the world. It is up to you whether to donate it to some organization, or to use it in some other way to help make this planet a better place.
-- In order to receive any birthday money next year, you need to tell us how you used the $25 well before your birthday.
-- And, if you do that, for your next birthday, you'll receive $125 from us. In other words, we'll give you more money next time if you follow the deal. (But we'll also ask you to give away 1/4 of that, too.)
So in the spirit of sharing this holiday season, here's a gift from us. We love you lots. And we look forward to hearing back from you.

And so ends the letter.  I know that some people ask children to save and give, not just spend. There are piggybanks divided into 3, just for that purpose. I like how this letter says -- tell us how you spend the money; tell us how you make the world a better place. Our own donors want to know that. This is modeling of the best kind. Try it or pass around the idea.