What’s Up with Fairfield County, CT?

There is no question that we love living in Fairfield County, CT. Close to New York City yet with access to beaches, beautiful hiking trails and world class shopping, it is a great place to live. Connecticut has the highest per capita income of any state in the country at $36,775 and our median home prices hover 60% above the national average at $80,000. That is great news for anyone who is trying to sell a home in this real estate market. 

Yet, just under the surface the picture is not so rosy.

Connecticut is home to the largest income gap in the country. The disparity between the haves and the have-nots is staggering. The average income in the top ten percent of earners was $114,000 (2008 study) versus the bottom ten percent at $7,800. That is a14:1 ratio, an increase from a 10:1 ratio in the mid-1980’s! Governor Dannel Malloy recognized this imbalance and instituted a tax plan with a luxury goods tax and earned income tax credit.

However, income disparity is not the only troubling statistic in Connecticut. In an area with such a wide income gap, I would assume that there would be a high rate of volunteerism to help those less fortunate. This is not the case in Connecticut. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recently issued a report that stated that volunteerism in Connecticut had fallen. Just under one third of residents in Fairfield County volunteer and devote an average of 31 hours a year. That ranks Fairfield County 30^th among the 125 municipal areas in the survey. Further, the state barely made it into the top third of residents who volunteer, and trailed Vermont and Maine in the Northeast.

As individuals we can make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. If you can, help those in need by volunteering your time or donating to an organization. Ask your employer if they would consider instituting a volunteer program or offer pro-bono services to a nonprofit organization. There are many ways to give back. 

Economic inequality is a hot button issue from the Occupy Wall Street movement to the 2012 Presidential campaign. Consider a new twist on the ‘Occupy’ movement and turn ‘Occupy Wall Street’ into ‘Occupy Volunteerism’. Let’s help all of our residents take advantage of the many aspects of Connecticut. Do Well By Doing Good.

Give Donors What they Really Want

There is something about the onset of Thanksgiving and the holidays (end of year donations perhaps?) that have bloggers and consultants writing feverishly about unique and compelling ways to thank donors. I have recently contributed to the onslaught myself (http://mfgrants.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-say-thank-you-in-chinese.html).

But maybe it is time to temporarily shelve the ‘thank you’s’ and give the donors what they really want-ROI.

Why do donors give? To satisfy an internal need, to perpetuate a family culture of giving, to satisfy a pressing need, or any of a thousand different reasons. Giving is a wonderful experience. It releases serotonin in the brain and makes us feel good!

But after the moment of giving and the serotonin has faded donors really want to know that their hard earned, net-income gift has gone to good use. A well-used gift creates pride of ownership and reinforces the donor’s good decision to contribute to your organization. A well-spent gift produces a donor that is an ambassador for your organization making your job easier.

Measurement and evaluation are not nearly as thoughtful as a handwritten card or as sexy as an exclusive invitation-only event, but are critical for donor retention. If a donor feels that his gift has been used well, he will continue to give and can be moved through the ‘pipeline’ to larger gifts and possibly a planned giving strategy or a bequest.

So, how best to consider measurement and evaluation? Every program will have measurements that have unique characteristics however; there are constants from which all organizations can benefit.

  

Start by making some lists-nothing fancy, just a few words, in the subsets of the following categories:

(These categories were derived from countless grant proposals over the past five years)

Category #1: Determine Your Outcomes:

-List Your Programs

-Resources Used by the Program (i.e. staff, budget, sites, accreditations/licenses)

-Activities Associated with the Program that make the Program Run

-Outputs (count your activities i.e. how many people enrolled, where enrolled, hours of operation, number of scholarships, etc.)

-Long-Term Outcomes-always client focused (i.e. students have an understanding about the importance of good nutrition)

Now that you have identified what resources you have, the elements of your programs and your outcome goals you are ready to put some measurement metrics into place.

Measurement Metrics: (Measure against your Long-Term Outcomes)

-Indicators-Information that shows if your outcome has been achieved (i.e. # of students who made healthier food choices at lunch)

-Where did you get the Data for your Indicators? (i.e. lunchtime questionnaire)

-Benchmarks

Benchmark Goal: What actual number or percentage do you wish to attain

(i.e. 90% of students make healthier choices at lunch)

Benchmark Source: Where did Benchmark goal come from? (i.e. internal survey)

Actual Benchmark: What was the Actual result of the Program (i.e. 80% of students chose a healthier lunch)

-Influencing Factors: What influenced the results (i.e. nutrition information was not placed prominently enough in the cafeteria or the cafeteria did not verbally offer the healthy option)

-How You Would Change the Program as a Result: (i.e. place nutrition cards on each lunch table or have nutrition information prominently displayed or discussed as lunch choices are being made)

-Net Outcome: this is a big one. It can be difficult to gather data for a net outcome. Can you prove the long-term effect of your program (i.e. two years later, 60% of the students were still making healthy choices). These should be listed with a data source

You can set these headings up on a spreadsheet and fill in the columns.

For donors, think about including a small chart with your long-term outcomes, benchmarks (goal and actual) and influencing factors in a thank you letter. If you are making changes to your program as a result of your data collection donors will be grateful for your transparency and inclusion in the process. Your donors will feel that their gifts were well stewarded and that they have made a sound investment. A well-informed donor is a happy, and a most important, a repeat donor.

The Economist-'The World in 2012 Festival': Predictions from really smart people. Why you should care

The Economist Magazine hosts this wonderful conference every year in New York highlighting predictions from market leaders in a ‘festival of the trends, issues, and ideas that will shape the future’. Each editor leads a panel ensuring a diverse group of participants and ideas. Some of the most notable panelists this year were Robert Rubin, Former Treasury Secretary, Arianne Huffington, Editor of the Huffington Post, Robert Frank, author of ‘The High-Beta Rich’, DJ Spooky and Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare.

As you may have guessed there were some very insightful and funny forecasts, but a few stood out that relate directly to us in the nonprofit world.

We are in a giving climate that is sluggish to say the least. The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s recent study with the Nonprofit Research Collaborative

(Full study at www.guidestar.org) found that giving was largely flat. The organizations that showed the most improvement were the larger ones and those that spent money on fundraising efforts- interesting. So how can we combine some of the predictions of the best and the brightest to increase our fundraising success rates in 2102?

Tell More Stories: The Huffington Post (www.huffingtonpost.com) is a reliable arbiter of our country’s trends and predispositions. Arianna Huffington pointed to the public’s general lack of trust in our institutions from banking to politics. She predicted that to restore that trust we should use more storytelling and rely a bit less on statistics and numbers. Consider including your organization in the Huffington Post’s ‘Inspirationists Series’ or having a key volunteer or donor showcased on ‘The Greatest Person of the Day’ series.

The Huffington Post is expanding into European and South American markets. Their expansion strategy is to partner with existing media organizations in the market to ensure that they are addressing the country’s needs and that their content and format is relevant to the culture. This is a great reminder for us in the nonprofit sector to assess our recipient market and partner when necessary to make sure that we are continuing to be relevant and meet our client’s needs.

The Year to Refine Your Methods: OK this may be crazy, but Susan Miller, founder of the Astrology Zone (www.astrologyzone.com), which by the way gets over 18,000 hits a month, enlightened us that 2012 is the ‘year to refine your methods’. Dust off your best practices documents and start refining.

The Really Rich are Getting More Low-Key: We would all love a cache of really wealthy donors. According to Robert Frank, author of ‘The High-Beta Rich’ the tax debate, the Occupy Wall Street movements and other political and social unrest, will make the rich feel more under siege and they will keep a lower profile.

Here is the seminal quote from an unnamed billionaire, “Rather than a return on my assets, I would like to see my assets returned.” So be prepared to make your best and most compelling case to capture these donors.

The good news is that because of the visible work done in philanthropy by Warrren Buffett and Bill Gates, more of the wealthy will be seeking causes in which to invest their fortunes. Accountability and transparency will be key factors in these donations.

The other news is that the number of millionaires/billionaires will increase from 38.5% to 40% over the next year. However, this increase will come primarily from emerging markets. Look to the hedge fund guys in the U.S. as the next frontier of philanthropy.

I Want Something I Can Hold: DJ Spooky and John Wesley Harding led the music panel. There is a trend back to vinyl. People want something that they can touch, look at, and keep. The message for nonprofit organizations- keep those site visits going. Seeing is believing.

The last predictions came from the technology panel. Kati London of the gamer Zynga and Dennis Crowley of Foursquare both spoke about new developments hitting the street in force in 2012.

Technology That Learns Preferences and Real World Gaming Applications: Google Wallet and Mastercard (www.google.com/wallet) have teamed up to create a virtual currency network. This is not new, but the advancement is that in the upcoming year software will be introduced that learns the owner’s spending preferences. Consider using technology such as this for donations and for monthly givers.

Also on the horizon is a big push in real world gaming. This has wonderful applications for nonprofits. Zygna worked with the John and James L. Knight Foundation in Macon, GA to combat segregation and racial inequality in the city (www.maconmoney.org). Zygna developed a game where participants were given half of a bond and had to find the other half through offline social events and online social media sites. Not until the bond was complete did the participants get the cash reward. The game promoted interracial connections and was very successful. By the way, consider attending the Games for Change conference in 2012 (www.gamesforchange.org) for more gaming ideas.

OK, now you have heard the experts-what predictions can you make for your organization, and what will YOU do to make 2012 more successful?