FP #11 - H > O + P – E (a new civic math)
Ideas & opportunities for future focused civic leaders...
Hi all,
This edition is coming to you from the folks that gave you the weekend! Yes, today is Labor Day in the U.S. and a chance to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States. With the evolving nature of how we work (and due to the pandemic, where we work), I wanted to share a quick excerpt from Beth Kanter’s Afterword from my upcoming book which was a complement to her recent publication ‘The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit’.
“Technology can be an agent of distraction or calm. Emerging technology tools and apps can monitor our health, show us how to improve our happiness, and even teach us to meditate. But apps can’t do the work required to maintain our work-life balance and well-being or reduce our stress levels when we overwork. Humans actually need to change their behaviors within organizations if they are to create a robust culture of resilience.
Workplace culture is the environment that you create for your people whether you work in an office together or as a remote distributed team. It is a mix of your organization’s leadership, values, traditions, beliefs, interactions, behaviors, and attitudes that contribute to the emotional and relational conditions of your workplace. While some may view culture as “fluff,” it has a significant impact on productivity, achieving results, and collective well-being.
The pandemic prompted the largest global work-from-home experiment. Many nonprofit staff were suddenly prevented from working face-to-face together in their physical offices. Many nonprofits had to abruptly pivot to virtual distributed teams while quickly adapting the delivery of their programs and services amid spikes in demand. They were not simply working from home—they were working from home during a global health crisis.”
So take some time today to reflect on your own work/life balance and share a moment of gratitude for the movement that have marched, protested and participated in strikes in order to create fairer, more equitable labor laws and workplaces – and still do today.
RG
What I’m Writing
My HOPE Equation & How It Can Apply To Your Work (11 min read)
"The overarching premise of my civic math is that you can’t transform our politics unless people who invest in it get a sense they can change it. Yet I always found myself stuck in translating that notion, that was until I started looking at civic engagement at a quantitative measure. I started realizing there wasn’t an app for everything and there was never a silver bullet to solve issues of civic participation."
Hope is something that gives you a reason to engage in your community for the better. Civic engagement can be seen as a quantitative measure & the HOPE equation is the civic math which can guide you actions & ideas.
Investing in the Foundations of Fundraisers (7 min read)
I recently partnered with Do More Good, the Nonprofit Hub & the Fundraising Academy to write an article highlighting the challenges & opportunities for fundraisers in the coming years.
Fundraisers are without a doubt one of the most underrated and underappreciated positions in nonprofits so lets invest in them. They are equal parts storytellers, connectors, and strategists. They play a critical role in an organization’s success & help to empower all levels of the organization to operate in a development mindset.
This piece calls for the building of a healthy foundation and long-lasting partnership with your lead development staff. Try to realize that an investment in them is something that can take your fundraising to the next level.
What I’m Sharing
CFRE Study Group: As you know, I have steadily been calling for more professionalism in the fundraising space, and with a lack of specialized education at the tertiary level, encourage credentialing to keep up to date with current trends while concurrently refreshing your knowledge of best practice. I mentioned in a recent interview with AFP that the CFRE was an important part of that mix.
For those interested in obtaining this accreditation, I wanted to recommend joining a study group led by Jack Alotto. Jack is a real legend, personally challenging himself to help over 1,000 fundraisers worldwide to pass their CFRE. I was lucky to be one of them. Jack is going to be hosting 2 study groups beginning in September.
The groups begin September 18th and ends October 30th. These are an hour and ½ each session on Zoom. The agenda will follow the 6 domains that are in the AFP CFRE Refresher Course. Please get that book by borrowing or via the AFP website
Jack also sends out a quick pointers every morning which keep you on track, and equipped with the skills to pass the test, not just master the content. If you are interested please reach out to him on alottojack@gmail.com.
Fundraising Webinar: I’ll be presenting virtually at the Fundraising Academy on September 15 @ 11am - 12:30pm (PDT) on ‘Nonprofit Moneyball — Identifying the New Tech, Trends, Talent, and Tools to Hit Your Fundraising Goals’. It’s free to register with participants walking away with the following key takeaways:
Discuss why further professionalization of the sector is essential to attracting and retaining the best, brightest, and most motivated individuals.
Explore the tools and skillsets that will make emerging fundraisers stand out.
Learn key steps in the Cause Selling Cycle to future-proof your fundraising approach and more confidently seek and secure larger monetary gifts for your cause.
CASE Scholarships: The Council for Advancement & Support of Education (CASE) offers several scholarships to help advancement professionals take advantage of training opportunities - the application cycle for this years awards are now open. Also, in response to the unique challenges CASE members face due to the global pandemic, CASE has dramatically expanded the number of Scholarships it will award to individuals who demonstrate considerable promise and potential as educational advancement professionals.
What I’m Reading
Getting started with AI-driven fundraising: crash course. by Tim Paris (4 min read)
This article is a good 101 for demystifying AI platforms in fundraising. The bottom line is that AI makes data-driven predictions for you, taking the guesswork out of developing lists for campaigns and outreach. This makes it a valuable tool in all kinds of contexts, from day-to-day fundraising to the quiet phases of capital campaigns to ongoing donor engagement programs.
Most nonprofits are highly effective. Check the data. by Elijah Goldberg (4 min read)
Over 6 years of research at nonprofit evaluators ImpactMatters and Charity Navigator, the author and his team analyzed the effectiveness - in terms of results and cost - of more than 1,000 direct-service nonprofits and came away with a clear conclusion: Most nonprofits are highly successful (& cost effective) at improving the lives of those they serve. At least that’s what the data shows.
Missouri mayor suggests giving residents up to $1k in Bitcoin by Turner Wright (2 min read)
I found this article intriguing especially after writing recently about philanthropy funding a guaranteed income & buying debt. In a recent interview with St. Louis news outlet KSDK, Mayor Jayson Stewart said he wanted to see “every single household in my city receive some level of Bitcoin.” Stewart said the funds would likely come from some “very supportive donors” but did not rule out using money from the government’s pandemic relief response to launch the venture.