Social Media - You’re Not Herding Sheep, You’re Tending a Garden

This article is featured in the Association of Fundraising Professionals Resource Center. 

Jim Anderson at GoalBusters Consulting shares key differences between social media and traditional marketing. Here’s a preview of the topic he and Alice Ferris, ACFRE, will explore in depth at AFP’s TechKnow Conference this June in Orlando, Fla.

As we integrate social media into our organizational plans, I think it's important to always remember the word “social” is more important than the word “media.”

Social media is a powerful communication and engagement tool. But successful implementation of these diverse tools requires as much art as science. The tried and true techniques and concepts of marketing, promotion and communication still apply. Of course we need to understand who our fans and followers are (demographics) and why they care about us (interests and values).  But we also want to know why they first made contact online (motivations and lifestyles) so that we might continue to provide them satisfying and meaningful content and the richest possible experience. Understanding who they are and what motivates them allows us to communicate with them more effectively, which empowers us to more successfully predict, encourage and guide action.

But with social media, traditional one-way “push” marketing will never be as effective as interactive, consumer driven “pull” marketing can be. If we only treat fans and followers as a remote audience or a target market we’ll never maximize the potential of social media as a conduit to create and deepen relationships between our online communities and our causes, services and organizations.

Traditional marketing primarily served “us.” Social media marketing requires that we serve our community first. If we serve them in a meaningful way, they’ll become more engaged and deeply connected to us. If they feel as though they are connected, then they care more. If they care more, they will be more likely to take action. And if they’re willing to take action on our behalf, they become more aligned with our issues and interests, which helps achieve our organizational goals and deepen their lifetime connection with us. At this point, we’re no longer a cause they give to. We become a “personal value” that informs who they are.

We’re not wranglers trying to manipulate and prod our “herds.” We don’t “own” our social media. We’re more like gardeners. And we’re trying to grow a social media community which will never sprout if we fail to provide fertile ground and nourishment. It will never thrive, blossom, nor bear fruit if we fail to actively respond to and tend to its unique needs. As responsible social media gardeners, our most important responsibilities are watering the flowers and plucking the weeds.

Jim Anderson and Alice Ferris, ACFRE are partners in GoalBusters Consulting. They’ll co-present “Plug In! Hard-wiring Social Media Relationships” at the AFP TechKnow Conference  in Orlando, Florida (June 4-5, 2012). Register Now for this exceptional education and professional development experience. You’ll learn from industry experts and peer practitioners what the potential offered by new technologies can do to supercharge your fundraising! The early bird deadline for TechKnow is March 13. Act Now for the greatest savings and to secure your seat at this cutting edge conference.

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Connect with GoalBusters     

Alice Ferris, ACFRE      alice.ferris
Jim Anderson      GoalBustersJim

AFP TechKnow Event Highlights

Don’t miss general session presenter Carlos Dominguez, senior vice president, office of chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems, and also the following distinguished speakers…

Laura Howe, vice president, public relations, American National Red Cross will present “Tale of the Tweet-Using Social Media to Build Motivated Supporters”

Penelope Burk, president, Cygnus Applied Research, Inc., will present “Performance Metrics in Donor-Centered Fundraising”

Adrian Sargeant, Ph.D., international fundraising consultant, will present “Building Donor Loyalty”

Plus, click here to see all the great education sessions that you can attend at TechKnow.

Special Event Makeover: The Velvet Rope: Creating a VIP Experience

At the GoalBusters "Special Event Makeover" workshop, we discussed how to make your special event "special." Here is a repost of a blog from 2008 with highlights from "The Velvet Rope."
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Is your special event truly “special?” Are your VIP’s truly “very important?”


Maybe you’ve been to an event where you thought, “This is truly spectacular!” But you’ve also probably been to an event where you thought, “I will never come to this thing again!”


What made the good event so good and the bad event so bad? It was connected to your personal experience. Did you feel special or did you feel like just another cog in the machine?


To make a lasting connection to an event participant, you need to create an unforgettable experience that they believe delivered more value than they paid for.


When designing your event’s experience, think about these points:

• Exclusivity. It’s not “VIP” if everyone can have it. And this does not just apply to high end concerts or galas. Even at picnics or family gatherings, it can be as simple as providing a t-shirt that’s only available at your event. Exclusive is about providing access that other people don’t have.
• Participant focused. Depending on your event, you’ll have different personality types of participants. If your participant wants recognition, then make sure you have some way to publicly appreciate them. If they would rather learn more about the organization, make sure there’s plenty of information available.
• Shared history. Your VIP’s develop a connection to each other and to your organization when you give them stories in common. Provide unique opportunities for the VIP’s to interact.

You can design the highest value experience for your donor without necessarily spending a lot of money. Logo cups, a separate buffet or food and beverage services, toys, and other gifts are easy and usually inexpensive to provide.

Whatever you do for your participants, always think creatively and think from the perspective of your donor. Your next event will be spectacular!

For more on this topic, contact GoalBusters about “The Velvet Rope.”#####


Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Fundraising Tips: A Snapshot of Rural Donors - Press - AFP

From the Association of Fundraising Professionals

Fundraising Tips: A Snapshot of Rural Donors - Press - AFP

(April 6, 2010) Although people from rural communities are less likely to donate to charity, those that do give donate a higher percentage of their income than urban donors, according to a recent study by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The research, funded by a grant from AFP, found that all else held constant, rural respondents were almost 5.2 percentage points less likely to be a charitable donor, and donated less, on average, than urban donors, after controlling for human and social capital variables, such as education level, income level, health status, religious affiliation, family composition, and others.

Rural respondents were significantly less likely to be donors to secular charities, and gave less on average to secular causes overall.

However, rural donors donated a statistically significantly higher percentage of their income to charity than did urban donors. Also, rural donors are more likely to donate to religious causes than secular causes. Frequent religious attendance is associated with a higher probability of giving for rural residents, as is itemization of deductions on income tax returns.

Researchers found that rural donors give $122 less, on average, after controls. However, for both urban and rural residents, the amount contributed is closely related to some of the same factors that are associated with the probability of giving: being a college graduate, being married, frequency of religious attendance, level of wealth, level of income and itemizing charitable deductions.

Note: The researchers defined "rural" as those living in small towns with a population of less than 20,000. In this study, approximately 18 percent to 21 percent of respondents lived in rural areas.

College Educated Give More

The researchers offered several suggestions for fundraising in rural areas. Because college education is a factor associated with giving, engage college educated people in your work, researchers recommend. Rural residents who have gone to college give more than those who had not had that opportunity, even after taking income differences into account. Especially for secular causes, it is important to cultivate the interest of people with a college education, and people likely to be itemizing deductions (people who have recently purchased a home, for example).

Segment potential donors by income in order to structure appeal amounts matched to different areas. Values expressed most frequently by rural donors include:

• Those with more should help those with less (equity of responsibility);
• Giving is a form of reciprocity for benefits received;
• Giving is a way to express religious beliefs; and
• Nonprofit organizations are perceived to be more effective in delivering services than government agencies.

Even with attention to fundraising in rural areas, the total amount of charitable giving from rural areas will naturally be smaller than the total gifts from urban areas, because fewer people live in rural areas.

Urban Communities

Urban residents donate almost 85.4 percent of total charitable giving, according to the study. Average and median giving amounts, whether for overall giving, religious or secular causes, from urban donors were always higher than the averages from rural donors.

Suggestions for fundraising in urban communities based on the findings of this study include:

• Ask couples to give to charity, not simply the men in the household. Men report lower giving and lower probability of giving to secular causes, compared with women. Married people report giving more than unmarried people of either gender.

• Segment on income but expect lower rates of return in lower income areas. Structure appeal amounts matched to different income levels. Income is associated with the probability of giving (higher income means higher probability of making a charitable gift) and with higher gift amounts.

• Structure requests to highlight connections to the prospective donor's friends and family, in addition to the appealing to broader concerns for equity and reciprocity. Urban donors were more likely than rural donors to say they gave to support the efforts of their friends and family.

To visit the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University's website, go to www.philanthropy.iupui.edu.

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Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Fundraising for Small Shops

How do you create a successful fundraising program with a small development staff? It's not impossible, but requires resourcefulness, creativity, and, of course, hard work! In this session, we'll address "mission critical" tasks for your development program, how to recruit volunteers to extend your resources, and how to prioritize your many responsibilities to be efficient and effective. This presentation was originally presented for Stevenson Inc. in 2009.

Fundraising for Small Shops

View more presentations from GoalBusters LLC.

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Grants Step By Step

We've been getting a lot of requests for information about grant proposal writing. Given the economy, we expect that funding from foundations and corporations will be flat at best, and more likely at lower levels this year. Therefore, you must have as strong a proposal as possible! This presentation, presented to the AFP Greater Houston Ask the Experts Conference, gives you a brief overview on things to look for in grant writing to make your proposal the best it can be.

Grants Step By Step

View more presentations from GoalBusters LLC.

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Building the House of Philanthropy

Traditional philanthropic models spend a lot of time focusing on the donor pyramid. While this model is a fundamental illustration of how donors deepen their relationships with nonprofit organizations, the pyramid doesn't fully illustrate how philanthropy progresses in rural communities. As we have worked with a variety of Native American and rural organizations, we have added to the donor pyramid, creating "The House of Philanthropy."

At the foundation of the house is a culture of philanthropy, a tradition of giving that exists in every culture. In the Hopi culture, these concepts are articulated as "sumi'nangwa" and "nami'nangwa" which have been explained to us as the concepts of working together for the common good, and the helping each other without being asked. In every community, you can identify this fundamental need to help one another!


Building on that foundation are three pillars of non-cash support: donations of time (volunteerism), donations of services, and donations of goods. You will often see this demonstrated with community members helping out where needed, even without a formal "ask." Not only will people show up to work, but they will also donate tamales for a sale, soaps and shampoos to a shelter, items for a rummage sale, or clothing to a thrift store! There are so many ways for people to support organizations and causes without cash contributions, and these are often the "entry points" for philanthropy. In addition, charities as they are created frequently start with these types of donations before any cash is received.


After there is an established need and some degree of stability in an organization, cash contributions may start coming in as donors reach a point where they realize that they can't help with their skills or items, but they can provide financial support. A good example of this is a cooperative preschool that I volunteer for--parents are supposed to put in "helper hours" every month, but some parents choose to pay a little bit more for their childcare since they don't have the time available during the day. These gifts will likely start off small, but gradually progress through the traditional donor pyramid, potentially to the level of intergenerational giving, where the donor helps ensure services to the next generation!


The House of Philanthropy demonstrates that the donor pyramid is only as stable as its foundation and supporting pillars. If there are challenges with moving your donors through the pyramid, check that your foundation is secure.


Additional information on this topic was presented as part of The Hopi Foundation's nonprofit capacity building training, funded by the The Rockefeller Philanthropic Advisors Cultures of Giving Fund. Expanded information will be presented at the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference on Fundraising in April 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Supplemental Materials Available for "The Velvet Rope: Creating a VIP Experience"

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Hello, and thanks again to those of you who attended AFP's International conference in New Orleans last week. We appreciate you choosing our workshop, "The Velvet Rope: Creating a VIP Experience" as one of your educational opportunities.

The webpage with supplemental information is now available by clicking here: "Velvet Rope" If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me (Alice Ferris) or Jim Anderson.

We always like to present at meetings and conferences too, so if your organization or AFP chapter is interested in a program, let us know. In addition to "The Velvet Rope," other workshop topics are available on our website at "Workshops & Presentations"

We invite you to connect with us on LinkedIn: Alice Ferris and Jim Anderson

If you're Tweeting, you can follow GoalBusters on Twitter at @GoalBusters
You can follow the AFP Northern Arizona Chapter Tweets at @AFPNAZ

We also hope you'll subscribe her to the GoalBusters Blog.

Thanks again for your investment in your personal professional development at AFP 46th International Conferernce in New Orleans and for helping advance philanthropy with your membership in our association!

Best wishes for a productive 2009.

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Communicating Your Mission with Infectious Passion

It has been said that no one ever gave to an organization because of a Power Point presentation. Or a case statement.

Fundraisers talk about case statements a lot. It’s a document that outlines the history, mission and vision of the organization, plus gives the detail of the project that is the center of the fundraising campaign. Sometimes the documents are long, and sometimes they can be a bit dry.

The question becomes, “Will the donor even read it?” Maybe not.

So, turn your case statement into a “bedtime story.”

First, you have once upon a time. What was the situation that caused your organization to come into being?

Next, introduce your hero or heroine. This might be a founder, or a current leader, or a person your organization serves. Highlight the quest or mission—what do they want or need to accomplish?

Then, put obstacles in the way. Why can’t our hero succeed in the current state?

But don’t leave it at that. Describe what happily ever after looks like. Show how the world can be a better place if the hero accomplishes his or her goals.

Finally, put the donor in the story. Show how the donor can be your “deus ex machina” or “god from the machine.” Demonstrate that your donor can help make the happily ever after, happen.

It’s very easy to fall into the habit of putting together slides and charts to communicate your cause. While valid data is still critical to support your case, if you can develop a short “once upon a time” tale, you have a great way to immediately connect with a potential contributor.

This Tip is excerpted from “Storytelling: Communicating Your Mission with Infectious Passion,” soon to be presented in Tucson, Arizona. For more information on this workshop, contact GoalBusters or check our Workshops and Presentations page.

Also, for a great article on storytelling in fundraising by Alessandra Bianchi, visit Stanford Social Innovation Review.
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Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Diversifying Your Donor Base

In a personal portfolio, you may have some money in stocks, some invested in bonds, and other resources in cash or checking. You may even have collections like art or coins that you are holding. Some tools provide regular cash flow, others provide long-term equity. The reason you have all these tools at your disposal is to even out risk.

Likewise, your organization’s philanthropic portfolio should be diverse. Foundations and corporations might be able to provide generous grants, but they are also highly sensitive to economic conditions. Special events great for a quick boost to your contributions, but are hard to rely on for a long-term base. Individuals and their estate plans are wonderful for long term equity building.

By not becoming over-reliant on any one contribution source, your organization can survive the ebbs and flows of our economy. This is critically important, because many nonprofit organizations have been asking lately, “Will donors still give during an economic downturn?” Historically, yes!

According to Giving USA, people in the United States gave $306 billion in 2007 to charitable causes. While we may not see enormous, record-setting gifts this year, we will probably see more people getting involved. Often people think, “If I’m having a tough time, others must be too.” The contributions may not be as large, but there will be more of them!

So if your organization has a solid, diverse base of support, you too can weather the economic storm. And, you can continue to do great things for your community!

This Tip is excerpted from “Fundraising Boot Camp: Diversifying Your Donor Base,” soon to be presented in Yuma, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information on this workshop, contact GoalBusters or check our Workshops and Presentations page.
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Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Keeping Your Goals on Target

It’s February. Are your New Year’s resolutions long gone by now?

It’s easy to lose sight of your goals, personally or as an organization, when you’re not keeping track of them on a regular basis.

This is particularly true when it comes to strategic planning. How many times have you written lots of ideas on flipcharts at an annual retreat, and then went back to your daily routine without giving those ideas another thought?

A more effective approach is to breathe life into your plan. Make it something you can use every day.

Here’s the start of a process to develop a tactical plan from your strategic plan:

List all the strategic goals that impact this year. Some of these should be “stretch” goals that may not be achievable this year, because reaching too far and making it half way is better than reaching too low.

Put your goals on a master timeline. Some goals will require multiple steps, like starting a new program. List the steps you will need to take and the estimated time for each. Add those to the timeline, starting with the end and working backwards.

Next to each item on the timeline, put ONE person’s name. This is the person who is ultimately responsible for the goal. Don’t put more than one name—that means no one will do it!

For the goals under your responsibility:
Pick a focus area for every month. That doesn’t mean you ignore everything else, but it gives you one goal area to emphasize.

Each week, pick specific goals to concentrate your efforts and list the tasks required to move toward your goal.

As you plan your week, ask, “How can I make progress toward one of our strategic goals this week?”

Keep your goals in sight, and your organization will achieve great things!

GoalBusters’ note: Thank you to Alice’s personal coach, Kristin Taliaferro, for inspiring this Tip. To find out more about personal coaching, go to KristinCoach.com.

For more on this topic, contact GoalBusters about “Choose Your Own Adventure” or about custom retreat facilitation.
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Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Fundraising and Dating Angst

Have you ever had someone try to ask you out who seemed a little, well...desperate?

"I know you're probably busy on Saturday, and you'd probably never want to go out with someone like me, but I really need a date on Saturday and I was hoping that maybe you might be available?"

What was your reaction?

If you're like most people, you probably tried really hard not to hurt the person's feelings, but you did NOT want to go out with him or her.

They were too desperate!

Fundraising is like that too.

Sometimes nonprofit organizations will present a request that sounds like...

"We know that everyone asks you for money, but we were wondering if maybe you could give us something because we REALLY need this money. Whatever you can spare would be fine..."

They sound desperate.

When asking for a contribution, remember to speak with sincerity and a modest level of pride. It's all about connection and providing donors with a worthwhile experience.

For more on this topic, contact Goalbusters about "The Dating Game: Creating Lasting Relationships with Your Donors"
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Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace