Nearly one third of all giving to non-profit organizations occurs in the month of December. This provides a unique opportunity to invite end of the year gifts. We will discuss what motivates these gifts (hint: it’s not your budget).

"We don't offer that here." Expanding services doesn't always mean adding more to your own organization's programs. Sometimes it's as easy as finding another organization who already has the knowledge, training, experience, facility, etc. to partner with you. In this way, both organizations can thrive. Many nonprofit organizations are seeing a growing need for partnerships to meet the needs of their service population. Building relationships with strategic partners can provide access to new services, new funding opportunities and, ultimately, provide better support from your organization. During this Roundtable, we'll look at ways to identify new partners in your work and discuss ways to cultivate those relationships.

Board members need to know their responsibilities and when they are a board member and when they are not. What are their duties and obligations?

Organizations are what we present them to be. How we talk about our organization through intentional marketing and through unintentional day-to-day conversation (by staff and clients) will create the true perception of the organization. If we aren't telling the story, we are at the mercy of those who are...and if we aren't telling the story, and no one else is, it is as if we don't exist or matter. Controlling the narrative of your organization must be intentional, planned, and everyone on staff must see themselves as a development office regardless of their job title. During this workshop, we will talk about how to train all staff and develop key narrative points.

Every congregation has been impacted by the COVID shut downs. As the new normal returns, and the church begins to gather in person, discover steps to take to re-engage people and inspire them to get off the couch, change out of pajamas, and gather in person.

Use something like this to invite your non-donors in the congregation to make an end of year gift.

It would seem counter-intuitive to view a crisis as a blessing. Yet we hear of many examples where people take a tragedy and use it as a platform for good going forward. Organizations have the same opportunity when they have experienced a crisis. How do they make the future better because of this experience? How can they leverage what they learned for their good and for the over-all good of many? During this roundtable we will discuss not only how to manage through a crisis but also how to leverage it for better outcomes going forward.

Giving Tuesday may serve as a primary giving day for some nonprofits. In order to capitalize on that momentum, you need a strong annual fund plan to keep that generosity going and build relationships with donors.

There’s a strong likelihood that your organization has some kind of fundraising event. From From auctions to golf outings, 5K races and fancy dinners, what’s the point of these events that soak up lots of time and energies while yielding modest financial return? Participation in events has shifted during the Covid era. Are fundraising events still worth doing? During this roundtable, we’ll talk about how to leverage events to strengthen your fundraising program and when to call it quits on a fundraising event.

When you have an event, acquire new donors should be a tangible outcome. Setting goals ahead of time and having a plan are critical in making this a useful part of your annual plan.

An honor/memorial program is a great way to acquire new donors and build the foundation to be remembered in the long-term planning of your closest donors. These gifts can become very fruitful and can be counted on over the long-term.

When giving is down, even if it is part of an annual cycle like summer vacations, anxiety rises. The temptations is to write a letter announcing the deep crisis, and the need for an influx of cash NOW. Learn why this approach is ultimately self-defeating, and what to do instead.

Effective meetings build energy and engagement in organizations by ensuring leaders gifts are used in impactful ways. In this session we will explore practical steps you can implement today to ensure fiduciary responsibilities are met, while increasing engagement and impact.

Whether you call them planned gifts, legacy gifts, or estate gifts, they don't just fall out of the sky. They take a great deal of thought, intentionality, and follow-through to ensure not only that they are done, but that they are done correctly. Did you know that 70% of estate plans fail to pay out the way the donor intended? So, if you aren't communicating with your donors about leaving gifts and leaving them correctly, you may not want, or be able to actually receive those that fall out of the sky. In addition, most donors simply think about leaving a church or charity "in their Will." During this roundtable, we will learn how your communication is critical to sparking their creativity and maximizing gift ideas and options.

Congregations need to take a more institutional approach to congregational stewardship than they have in previous decades. For us, this means that we begin with case development. Rather than asking people to tell us what they will give and then figuring out what ministry we will do, we need to inform and motivate the congregation around the ministry that we strive to do and need their increased gifts to support. This cultivation needs to happen during the stewardship appeal, but also year-round. Year-round cultivation happens as we share outcome stories of the impact that our ministry is having on our members and across the community and world.

The next step in your strategic planning work is to form the actionable portion of your plan. The leveling of the plan from the Macro through the Micro, will help you to better communicate the plan to constituents, and better manage the plan internally. We suggest the plan have three levels.

“The reason we came to Epworth was because my mother wasn’t financially secure and we constantly moved and missed school. One day we stopped moving from house to house and began moving from hotels to motels. My mother sat me down one day and told me that we were going to live without her for awhile until she got back on her feet. My mother didn’t tell me she was taking us to a group home though.”

Donors fall into three categories: Annual Fund, Capital Gifts, and Legacy. The biggest bang for their buck comes in one of these categories. Legacy or Planned Giving donors are a special kind of person. They can see into the future and they have truly caught your vision, but knowing who they are and "where" to find them can be difficult. It is critical to add components to your program that help you identify them, while also allowing them to self-identify. During this roundtable, we will discuss these components.

Every organization’s fundraising donor base has a threshold of giving. Commons threshold are $100 and $1,000, but those certainly aren’t the only ones. Whether you set a level yourself as part of a first-time donor marketing strategy or because donors naturally gravitate toward a certain level, there’s no doubt thresholds exist (and, once you start looking, there is likely more than one threshold level in your donor base). During this roundtable, we’ll talk through reasons why donors find thresholds so comfortable and outline ways to encourage givers to reach beyond those levels to grow their giving. From messaging strategies to timely appeals, upgrading donors to new giving levels deepens their engagement, strengthens their retention, and increases your organization’s financial support. This session is the third in a four-week series on Annual Funds.

Healthy and effective organizations start at the board level. Taking the next warm body on the board that says, “I guess I will do it,” will only serve to weaken the organization. Implementing a system for identifying and recruiting strong, passionate, knowledgeable, and generous board members must be a priority for any organization wanting to raise more money and advance their mission. During this roundtable you will receive the steps and an annual calendar for getting this work going well.