A great volunteer, George, once told me and a group of young volunteers why he loved to ask people to give. He said when he asks for a gift the organization wins because it can serve more people. The people we are serving win because we can provide better services. Most importantly the people I ask for a gift win because they have an opportunity to participate in their community.

People want to participate in and improve their communities and community development corporations are in an ideal position to provide citizens such opportunities. While fundraising may seem like a foreign skill to learn, you actually already know everything you need to know to solicit contributions.  It is all about communications, human relations, and good manners.

Communications

Think of a circle; once you get on you keep going around.  You want to have a circle of communications with your contributors, so your contributors stay with you from first gift, to thank you, to you keeping your promises, and to their giving again.

From the beginning be clear in your request, whether it is for volunteer time or for a gift.  Let your potential contributors know:

• What problem are you addressing? 
• Why are you the organization to address these problems and needs? 
• What successes can you point to that gives them confidence in your capabilities?
• How will gifts make this happen? 
• Will gifts pave the way for other funding?
• What are all the ways they can be involved? Give them a clear description of volunteer, sponsorship, and giving opportunities, including giving levels. 

Then keep this circle of connection, involvement, and giving intact.  Acknowledge every gift promptly.  Regularly communicate with contributors and prospective contributors to inform them of your accomplishments, new opportunities to participate, and how others are involved as volunteers and contributors.

When I was working with volunteers to solicit gifts for the music program at a church, we established one rule about who to solicit. If the family had an interest in the music program, one of us met with them.  This proved successful when a young couple with very young children came forward and gave the lead gift for the campaign in response to one of our volunteers meeting with them. We would not have asked them for that amount, but graciously accepted their gift. Follow the interest!

Human Relations

It all begins with building relationships with people. You want to make connections and build relationships for the life of your organization.   People like to participate with organizations - as volunteers and contributors - where they feel involved and where they relate well with others involved.  More and more people give to where they volunteer and where they spend their time.  The first steps to the gift and the solicitation are getting people involved in your events and your meetings.

Volunteers are vitally important to cultivating and soliciting prospective contributors. Organizations can expand their reach by encouraging their volunteers to connect with people in their network of friends, neighbors, family, and business. The best cultivation and solicitation calls are made by volunteers; followed by an employee with a volunteer; followed by an employee going solo.

When you meet with prospective contributors, here are a few thoughts to get your discussion started and to lead the conversation as to how they will participate with their gift.

• What is your connection to our work?
• How do you typically decide which organizations to contribute to?
• What do you expect from the organizations you give to?
• Do you have suggestions on how we could improve the information we provide you? 
• Would you encourage others to give to us? 
• What is the greatest joy you have had from a gift you made?  Why?

Good Manners

Do what it takes to make the other person comfortable. Good manners answer all the detail questions we have.  From how many times do I need to meet someone before I ask for a gift? Do I write, call, or meet in person?  Remember, simple courtesies go a long way.  When in doubt ask if this is a good time to speak with the potential contributor about a gift and about getting more involved with your organization.   

And always, always acknowledge every gift.  It is the beginning of a long-term relationship and the next gift.

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Rita Fuerst Adams transforms charitable and philanthropic organizations at the heart of social change into professionally run, better funded, effective organizations.  For more than three decades, and throughout the U.S., Rita has served charitable and philanthropic organizations with operating budgets of $1 million to $1.5 billion and resulting campaigns ranging from $1 million to $450 million.  Her experience includes working with causes in education, youth, the arts, community and economic development, historic preservation, health care, international relations, and professional and civic affairs. http://rita1st.com/

Learn about the Mel King Institute's mission to help organizations better serve their communities and their six years of impact. Featured stories include North Shore CDC's YouthBuild program that grew from a Mel King Institute scholarship and Angela Kelly's story of going from a LISC AmeriCorps Member to Director of Resident Leadership and Services at Madison Park DC, participating in our trainings and programs along the way. VIEW VIDEO

The Mel King Instiute had a wonderful annual breakfast complete with testimonials about their impact, a moving poem from Tufts students about race and the immigrant experience in America, and a insightful keynote speech by DHCD Undersecretary Chrystal Kornegay on thinking about present problems with a mind towards future ones. The program ended with a recited poem by the Institute's namesake, Mel King. 

Thank you again to all our sponsors including our presenting sponsor, Citizens Bank! Our work would not be possible without your support.  

Fenway CDC announced that Leah Camhi is the new Executive Director, starting July 1st. With an extensive background founding, leading and developing nonprofits in Boston, Ms. Camhi will be taking helm of the 42 year old CDC as it looks to continue developing housing and helping lead a community undergoing significant transformation, particularly with the many developments lining Boylston St.

This week, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Mass Smart Growth Alliance (MSGA), and Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) released an extensive report discussing the Boston 2024’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics in Massachusetts. The report does not take a position for or against bringing the Games to Massachusetts, but rather emphasizes the importance of thinking now about the legacy these Games would leave behind. The report details the risks and potential benefits of hosting the games and outlines a number of recommendations for how best to ensure that the Games leave a positive legacy of investment that increases regional equity and economic opportunity. The report also details some of the risks if effective and inclusive planning is not done in advance.

“MACDC is proud to have contributed to the report because it brings to the forefront serious questions about the impact that the Olympics could have on lower income communities and communities of color,” commented MACDC President Joseph Kriesberg. “The report offers specific recommendations for how to mitigate the potential for displacement and gentrification and lays out a vision for leveraging the Olympic Games to pave the way for significant investment in housing that would be affordable to low and moderate income families.”

Check out Andre Leroux, the Mass Smart Growth Alliance Executive Director, discussing Boston 2024 and a series of suggestions to bring about a successful legacy to Boston's hosting the Summer Olympics with NECN's Peter Howe.

In May, 2015, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation’s Division of Banks (DOB) awarded $1.3 Million in grants to 11 regional foreclosure prevention centers and 10 individual first-time homeownership education centers across Massachusetts. For a list of the grantees and the awards, see the Office of Consumer Affairs website.

The awards are made under Chapter 206 of the Acts of 2007, a law enacted as the foreclosure crisis was gaining steam, with MACDC and its members instrumental in drafting and passing the legislation. Among other things, it regulates non-bank mortgage lenders for the first time, and uses the licensing fees from mortgage originators to fund the foreclosure prevention counseling awards. Over the past three years, DOB has provided more than $4 Million for foreclosure prevention counseling and homebuyer education.

MACDC Members are so effective at providing these services that 13 of the 21 awards were made to MACDC Members or to coalitions including MACDC Members. In fact, over a three year period ending in December 2014, MACDC members provided foreclosure prevention counseling to almost 12,000 households, and close to 4,600 of these households achieved a positive outcome.

MACDC continues to engage the Division of Banks, on behalf of our members and their low- and moderate-income constituents who still face challenges in buying and preserving their homes.  We met with DOB in November 2014 to talk about the need for ongoing support for both foreclosure prevention and homebuyer education. Clearly, DOB listened to the concerns of MACDC and other stakeholders as they developed the specifics of the program.

Unfortunately, the foreclosure crisis is not abating as fast as many had hoped.  Foreclosure petitions in the Bay State, the first step in the foreclosure process, continued to climb in March, posting a 68 percent increase compared with March 2014, according to a new report from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. This marked the 13th consecutive month of increases in petition filings.

MACDC will continue to support our members, as they strive to help current homeowners preserve their homes and provide future homeowners with the tools for enjoying sustainable homeownership. MACDC is currently advocating with the Legislature to make sure the program is fully funded again in Fiscal Year 2016.

For more information on this, please contact Don Bianchi at donb@macdc.org.

Steve Britton was surprised and pleased when he found out he was named a Community Bank Hero, but he says he's still trying to figure out just what he did to deserve the honor.That's just like Steve, said Jackie Giordano, the director of external affairs at the North Shore Community Development Coalition (CDC). Giordano, who has known Britton since he joined the organization's board of directors in 2012, nominated him for the distinction. READ MORE

On May 4th, Tom Callahan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (an MACDC associate member) testified at a Federal Reserve hearing discussing unnecessary or burdensome regulations for insured depository institutions. The focus of his presentation was on the importance of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and how its rules should be strengthened in response to changes in the financial services industry. In order to keep pace with changes in the banking industry, Tom testified that a bank’s CRA service area should be based on where it does business – not just on where it has branches. A pointed example highlighted in the presentation was Wells Fargo, which is the third largest mortgage lender in Massachusetts, even though they do not have any branches in the Commonwealth – and therefore no CRA obligations in the Commonwealth. Tom also noted that CRA grade inflation has also weakened the impact of this important law.

MACDC held its first Office Manager Peer Group on May 13. It was an exciting meeting with all in attendance noting how wonderful it was to meet in person. During the course of the meeting, we realized that not everyone who works in an administrative role at a CDC has the opportunity to get out of the office and dedicate time to developing their skills and networking with their counterparts. It is critical that our field’s administrative staff have the same opportunities to develop new skills and connections as any other professional. This is why I have come up with the top three reasons you should encourage your office administrator to attend the office manager peer group.

1. Professional Development: Because this is a working group, we identified critical areas for growth. Each peer group meeting will consist of a mini training. Over the course of the next year, we will be learning about new feature sets in Microsoft Office, with particular focus on Excel and PowerPoint, along with other tools and resources that will further strengthen and broaden the skills of each participant.
2. Building Connections: Networking at annual meetings and other events is not always easy when there aren’t many people in your role in the room. Building your professional network is just as important for administrative staff as it is for executive leadership. It provides a critical resource when feedback or ideas are needed to solve a problem, in addition to developing and expanding an organization’s administrative role and further providing value to a nonprofit’s bottom line and mission.
3. Improved Office Culture: Let’s face it, not every office is an easy place to work. Sometimes having certain issues heard by others who may have similar experiences can be a game changer. It can improve the way we manage the office by taking what was shared and applying it. Having a fresh perspective can also help detach oneself from a situation and gain a new perspective. It’s not uncommon for administrative staff to be a part-time office therapist, so finding better ways to deal with conflict and help bring staff together can dramatically increase the productivity of the organization.

Administrative support staff are critical members of an organization’s team that help connect all the moving parts, programs and departments. If administrative staff learn best practices, they spend less time on trial and error and are better able to save the organization time and money.  We help make all the various components of an organization better. 

Help us spread the word about this new peer group. Please share with your Office Manager or Admin Person.

Our next office manager peer group will be held on June 11, 9:30 AM, at Boston LISC.