“I watch television programs when I want, why can’t I be able to engage with a charity when I want to?”  This was a question posed to me recently by a benefactor of numerous charities and since then I have been thinking about this challenge because 1) I don’t disagree with this goal, 2) how do we define meaningful donor contact for an organization, 3) what resources need to be deployed to make this engagement possible and, 4) what is the desired outcome of opening up multiple channels of contacts?  We have a keen desire to stay connected with the things we care about and even organizations with limited resources have to adapt their approaches in communicating their unique mission and vision.  Most charities can’t dream of competing with the likes of TimeWarner in providing programs on demand.   That may not be the point.

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

In the past few months, New Yorkers have been getting used to a great new service, courtesy of the New York City Transit Authority (every once in a while they surprise us).   Most stations now have signs telling us the estimated arrival of the next train.  It is amazing how such a minor improvement has made my commute less stressful.  I feel like I have better control of my time.  Does this idea translate on how we communicate with our donors and subscribers?  Will our relationship with them improve if we spend more time thinking of ways to make their interaction with us more predictable?

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

As the summer ends the headlines are still puzzling. Some say that the economy is steadily improving, then the next set of data tells us “not so fast,” in fact forget recovery the economic outlook is far from certain. We’ve always lived in uncertain times, but these headlines are paralyzing us. The trick is to simply move forward and make the best decision while confronting the following anxieties: fear, lack of confidence, anger, caution, worry, spend less, don’t hire. I’ll stop here -- it can be a long list. Yet, in spite of all this, the principles of good fundamental fundraising management have not changed and here is a quick reminder.

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

In 2006, Time magazine chose as its Person of the Year the millions of anonymous contributors of user-generated content to Wikipedia, You Tube, MySpace, Facebook, Second Life, the Linux operating system, and the multitudes of other websites featuring user contribution. The choice was personified simply as You.
Not-for-profit organizations have responded to this movement and now most websites have social network links to promote their events and services, and raise money. But in my daily contacts few organizations have figured out in concrete terms what they aim to accomplish with these tools and how to collect the data.

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

The daily headlines continue to paralyze us as we watch dreams evaporate and fear of dark times ahead. However, I take the point of view that even in a downturn economy there are opportunities for most organizations if we stay focus on mission and start planning for better times today.

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

A simple act of courage is all that is needed to start your fundraising plan. Once an early version of a budget is created, most members of the development team know what they are responsible for raising in the next fiscal year.

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

A question that I am often asked is “what is the value of a fundraising plan?” Isn’t it another task that requires a lot of time and efforts and those are always scarce? I believe that having a comprehensive development plan is the best investment that a development staff can make at the beginning of a fiscal year. It adds value to your organization because it becomes the central nervous system of your activities.

By Carl Sylvestre, Carl Sylvestre Consulting

A new fiscal year is full of hope and uncertainties and as usual the big question is “will we have the funding to achieve the goals over the next twelve months?” For many organizations this maybe the only time until the frantic closing months of the fiscal year that these questions are seriously considered, unless there is an unforeseen major catastrophe. In good or bad times, vigilance is delegated to the finance office. The development staff is usually asked to supply up to date fundraising information as needed, when it is required in a grant application, or just before a board meeting. Is this the most efficient way to make sure that the resources are in place to accomplish the important services that we have to deliver?