Christine Sculati's blog » Fundraising

San Francisco’s beloved philanthropist was a problem solver, igniter and a catalyst

christine — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:15:50 +0000

One of San Francisco’s most beloved philanthropists, Warren Hellman, died this past Sunday from complications due to leukemia at the age of 77.

In The Bay Citizen article, “The Billionaire Who Loved Bluegrass,” Jane Ganahl describes how the Renaissance man, known mostly widely for the annual music festival that he bankrolled in Golden Gate Park, “spent as much energy distributing his wealth as he did acquiring it.”

As an active philanthropist, Warren Hellman also spent a great deal of his time reaching out to friends and business colleagues to make the case for causes he cared about and to ask for their support.

In these challenging times, nonprofit organizations that fight poverty and support arts, culture, youth, education, parks and the environment are dealing with unprecedented changes. Warren Hellman offered his time, funds, connections and influence to help many of these causes. He was problem solver, igniter and a catalyst.

Volunteer board members and other close champions of a particular cause or organization are the ones that help nonprofits make the critical connections they need, with major donors and foundations, to raise sustainable resources for their causes. Those volunteers invest their free time to reach out to friends and business associates, through events, personal meetings, phone calls and letters (or sometimes all four), to raise funds.

It is the ardent support of volunteers that influences friends and business colleagues to become backers. Then, the circle continues to grow.

In lieu of flowers, the Hellman family requests that donations be made to:

San Francisco Free Clinic

The Bay Citizen

San Francisco School Alliance

Nonprofit launches campaign to save Castle Rock and Portola Redwoods State Parks

christine — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:44:31 +0000

Castle Rock State Park, photo by Scott Haefner at scotthaefner.com

Today, the nonprofit Portola and Castle Rock Foundation launched a campaign to save Portola Redwoods State Park and Castle Rock State Park. The parks are hiking distance to California’s oldest state park: Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where the near obliteration of ancient redwoods south of San Francisco by the year 1900 led to an outcry and movement to save old growth forests as public parks.

Portola Redwoods and Castle Rock are among 18 state parks in the Bay Area and 70 across the state identified in May 2011 for closure by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as “California State Parks.”

At 2,800 acres, Portola Redwoods features a deep canyon filled with first- and second-growth coast redwoods and creeks flowing along fault lines to form waterfalls and small pools. Castle Rock spans 5,400 acres, saddling one of the highest ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains and creating a rock wonderland for geologists and rock climbers. The park’s namesake is a sandstone formation rising 80 feet above the ridgetop.

Portola Redwoods State Park, Panoramio photo by Bruce da Moose

Among park champions across the state, stepping up to save the parks, are nonprofit groups that have worked side-by-side with state parks in local communities for decades to support education programs and stewardship.

As an official cooperating association of the state parks, the Portola and Castle Rock Foundation’s imperative now is to protect the parks they have supported since 1991. Their status as a 501(c)3 charitable organization allows them to raise tax-deductible donations from the public.

Fundraising to save the parks using Coe park as a model

The foundation’s goal is to raise funds to negotiate a deal with the Parks Department in the same way park advocates are working out an agreement to fund Henry W. Coe State Park – earmarking donations for the parks and keeping park staff in their positions.

It was the campaign at Coe that inspired the Portola Redwoods and Castle Rock Foundation to take action. “We were motivated by Coe’s success,” said Andy Vought, a board member and spokesperson for the foundation. “We want to follow their model since it is something the state appears to be OK with, and it provides us a manageable scope.” They are expecting Coe to announce a final deal with the Parks Department any day now.

To keep the parks open and staffed for one year, the foundation needs to raise a minimum of $500,000, in a very narrow window of time. Beyond this initial goal, they will continue to raise funds since the foundation believes that the state’s current budget crisis is unlikely to end any time soon. The group estimates that keeping Portola and Castle Rock Parks open for three years will require more than $1,500,000.

Although these are challenging goals, the foundation believes that Bay Area corporations, foundations and citizens will step up. Judy Grote, President of the Portola and Castle Rock Foundation, said: “I encourage everyone who has ever enjoyed these wonderful parks to join this campaign now. We need to raise funds in the next few months or we will lose these park jewels forever.”

Climber at Castle Rock State Park, Flickr photo by Raul Diaz

State’s oldest conservation groups and climbing guides join coalition to save parks

Sempervirens Fund and Save the Redwoods League also joined the campaign. These nonprofits have raised funds and pursued the acquisition of lands to be preserved for the public in perpetuity – adding thousands of acres to the state park system.

Preserving endangered redwoods was one of the first motives for establishing the first few state parks in California.

Sempervirens Fund, originally established in 1900 as Sempervirens Club, organized the movement to preserve the old-growth forest that became Big Basin Redwoods State Park in 1902, before the establishment of the state park system. The Fund also helped establish Castle Rock State Park in 1968. Since 1968, Sempervirens Fund has completed 35 transactions, funded by public, adding over 4,000 acres within the Castle Rock’s planning area.

Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has led the effort to protect the coast redwoods and giant sequoias. To date the League has completed the purchase of more than 189,000 acres of redwood forest and associated land. In 1927 a coalition of citizens, led by the Save-the-Redwoods League, campaigned for a state park bill. With unanimous approval by the legislature, Governor C.C. Young signed the bill into law in the same year.

The fourth partner in the coalition is Adventure Out, a state park authorized climbing guide at Castle Rock whose business will suffer if Castle Rock State Park closes.

If people don’t stand up, the parks will close

The state of California has already started to lock the gates on state parks slated for closure due to budget cutbacks – possibly closing them permanently. The Parks Department does not think many on the list of 70 will make it. Regions like the Bay Area have the advantage of being close to a large population, many with a passion for the outdoors and our parks.

Parks on the closure list can only survive if “people stand up and put their money and time” behind saving them, said Vought.

The Portola and Castle Rock Foundation needs donations and volunteers to get the word out through a public outreach campaign. You can find them online at www.portolaandcastlerockfound.org and on Facebook at Save Portola Redwoods and Castle Rock State Parks.

Blog series
This is the 16th article in a series on threats to California State Parks and the search for sustainable funding.

Short-term funding solutions for state parks emerging, one by one

christine — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:12:38 +0000

View from Mt. Burdell, Olompali State Historic Park (slated for closure)

On October 4, 2011, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 42 (authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael) to allow nonprofits to help run up to 20 state parks.

Now that AB 42 presents a new tool for saving state parks on the closure list, on Wednesday I spoke with Roy Stearns, spokesperson for California State Parks, to find out if nonprofits have come forward with proposals. He said that groups have stepped up for three North Bay parks.

The Valley of the Moon Natural History Association is proposing to run the Jack London State Historic Park near Glen Ellen in Sonoma County. This all-volunteer nonprofit recently held a successful fundraiser and has more ideas for revenue generation.

In Napa, a county agency and a nonprofit are partnering up to save Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park. The Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District and the Napa Valley State Parks Association are proposing a plan to make these parks operationally self-supporting. They will need donations of money and in-kind services to get things started and to take care of the most serious deferred maintenance issues.

The parks department expects to see many other proposals in the coming weeks. District park supervisors have been in talks with nonprofit state park cooperating associations since January. Around the state, 85 cooperating associations are members of the California League of Park Associations. Many of these groups have been nonprofit partners to state parks for decades, offering volunteers and education services.

Funding for state parks will become more localized

Before the parks crisis of today, the state parks department turned to regional public agencies and businesses to help run parks because, in some cases, nonprofits and private local companies can do a “better job than the state can,” said Stearns. In all cases, state rules apply, and the parks department provides some oversight. An earlier California law authorized the parks department to enter into operating agreements with government agencies.

The state currently holds contracts with 32 public agencies to run parks. The East Bay Regional Parks District runs Eastshore State Park, Lake Del Valle State Recreation Area and Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve. According to Stearns, 12 public agencies (city and county governments) have entered talks to operate parks on the closure list.

The parks department also holds 200 contracts with local private companies to run concessions like kayak rentals, snack bars, camping stores and cabins rentals.

Two nonprofits already have operating agreements for parks based on specific pieces of legislation. The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation runs the El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park in Southern California. Near Tomales Bay north of San Francisco, California State Parks runs the Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park as a nonprofit unit.

One by one, a few parks saved

One by one, short-term solutions are emerging for at least some of the state parks on the closure list. The National Park Service rescued three Northern California parks. Philanthropists who love Henry Coe State Park will save that South Bay park in a unique agreement. While not final yet, a few nonprofits and public agencies are in various stages of developing proposals to run parks in their communities.

Blog series
This is the eighth article in a series on threats to California State Parks and the search for sustainable funding.

Rethinking and reinventing state park financing

christine — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 19:09:32 +0000

In “We’re Rich! (In Nature.)” New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote, “Our national lands are a rare space of utter democracy: the poorest citizen gets resplendent views that even a billionaire is not allowed to buy.”

Yet, here in California, caretakers for 70 of these valuable public assets are withdrawing services as we move toward a $22 million funding cut for the state park system by July 2012.

The California State Parks Foundation is leading the “Save Our State Parks Campaign” to urge the public to speak out, visit state parks, volunteer and spread the word. This past weekend, I found one of the campaign’s flyers (right) at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, a 4,020-acre park in the Mayacamas Mountains east of Santa Rosa. Here, I discovered the lush source of Sonoma Creek (still springing water in October) as I hiked through madrone, fir and oak forests to a sweeping 360-degree view on top of Bald Mountain. This park is one of the 70 on the closure list.

Origins of the state park system

Preserving endangered redwoods was one of the first motives for establishing the first few state parks in California. In 1927 a coalition of citizens, led by the nonprofit Save-the-Redwoods League, campaigned for a state park bill. With unanimous approval by the legislature, Governor C.C. Young signed the bill into law in the same year. Then in 1928, while working for the newly established California State Park Commission, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., surveyed lands across the state, ultimately recommending a list 79 parcels that the state should acquire for state parks. Many of those “iconic signature landscapes” identified by Olmsted were spared from the budget axe, said Ruth Coleman, Director of the California State Parks in an interview with Capitol Public Radio last week.

The new park system first raised $6 million with a successful park bond act in 1928. Later in the 1964, the public again approved a $150 million bond act to allow the state to acquire new state park lands threatened with development. Then, in 1974 the people of California approved a $250 million state park bond. By 1980, the wealth of the California state park system included 200 miles of coastline, 14,000 campsites and 1,500 miles of riding and hiking trails and historical sites including Jack London’s home in Sonoma County.

In a departure from the park systems earlier support, voters turned down a statewide ballot initiative in November 2010 that would have provided ongoing dedicated funding for state parks through a vehicle license surcharge. Now with budget cuts to the state parks department, “The system of parks is bigger now than the Department of Parks and Recreation,” said Coleman on the Capitol Public radio while adding:

It is a sad statement that we can no longer afford to run these parks.”

How will the parks close?

On the Capitol Public Radio show, “The Future of California’s Parks,” Coleman told listeners that since this is the first time in the history of the state park system that they are being forced to cut off funds and close parks, this is a “really grand experiment.” She was advised by parks directors in other states to not send a message to the public that the parks would be fenced and padlocked. This approach would only attract “illicit activities.” Rather, using an approach called “adaptive management” the gates would stay open and the public would keep an eye on park activities to make sure that the parks are not overrun by illegal activities. “We hope the public will be willing to respect public safety, the environment of parks and clean up after themselves,” said Coleman.

You will be welcome to hike but you will find no rangers, locked bathrooms and no trash services.

How can parks be saved?

The budget mandates that the state parks department save $22 million. It is a done deal. Unless we rethink and reinvent park financing, the parks will close. The only way around this is if philanthropic groups, nonprofits, concessionaires and other entities come in and run the parks at least at a partial level. For example, Ruth Coleman is “cautiously optimistic” that they will be able to keep Henry Coe State Park open with backing from local philanthropists. With this approach, the concern here is that parks in poor and remote areas may not get such a lifeline. Coleman agreed:

It is a real struggle, not having entities to infuse energy and money into those parks.”

The search for creative ways to finance parks

The state park operations and funding model of yesteryear clearly is not working today. Around the state, park advocates are looking for creative solutions to keep the beloved parks in their communities open. On the state level, Ruth Coleman’s department is analyzing visitor services that will create and generate revenue, knowing that some might call this commercialization of the parks. “We are going to need a different mindset … a new paradigm.”

We are going to have to figure out other ways to fund these parks and some of them will be unconventional.”

Blog series
This is the sixth article in a series on threats to California State Parks and the search for sustainable funding as park systems are forced to reinvent.

Five simple questions every nonprofit should answer

christine — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 23:12:19 +0000

Does everyone in your nonprofit know the answers to these five questions about your work?

What is your organization aiming to accomplish?

What are your strategies for making this happen?

What are your organization’s capabilities for doing this?

How will your organization know if you are making progress?

What have and haven’t you accomplished so far?

These five questions form the foundation of Charting Impact, a new initiative of BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Guidestar USA and Independent Sector funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. In this article, Hewlett’s Program Officer Jacob Harold discusses their support for Charting Impact.

If you have been through a strategic planning process before or if you have built a comprehensive case for support, it is likely that you have thought about these questions already.

By encouraging nonprofits to go through a process to answer these five questions, the project’s leaders hope to promote strategic thinking and the open sharing of ideas, strategies and results through standardized reports, available on the website.

Since many foundations already look at a prospective grantee’s Guidestar profile during the due diligence process, particularly 990 tax returns, this report could help nonprofits share their impact beyond those financials – to potential funders and donors.

You can download a Discussion Copy of Charting Impact to use in your conversations and development process. The guide suggests that you consider selecting one person to champion the process and manage the writing while involving the perspectives of multiple people from across the organization. Charting Impact’s pilot with 39 organizations suggests that the most successful reports will include input from five to six individuals over a period of two weeks.

As of this writing, 62 nonprofits are participating in Charting Impact and have submitted reports to the website. I was curious to find out how many of those participants are California or Bay Area-based organizations, but the Charting Impact search function seems to need a fix. Manually scanning the list of 62, I spotted a few Bay Area-based organizations: Women’s Funding Network, GreatNonprofits and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (the funder). All three participated in the 2010 pilot of this project.

Writing tips
When writing responses to the five questions, the Charting Impact project offers these tips:

Use simple declarative sentences.
Be clear. Don’t ask the reader to guess what you mean (This is a great tip because confusion does not lead to persuasion!).
Be concise. Include only necessary supporting information.
Be specific. Use numbers and examples where possible.
Use commonly understood language. Avoid jargon.

Successful grant seeking relies on research, connecting and learning

christine — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:24:31 +0000

Writing grant proposals is only one step in the process of building successful grant funding partnerships with foundations.

To illuminate the path, today The Chronicle of Philanthropy posted a video for grant seekers on The Giveaway blog titled, “Common Mistakes Made by Grant Applicants.” Follow this blog for news and analysis on how people and foundations are donating their money.

The video features short clips of interviews with grant makers and consultants who attended the April 2011 Council on Foundations Annual Conference in Philadelphia. They highlighted common mistakes and offered tips:

Grant maker tips to avoid common mistakes

Do no over promise, exaggerate or propose unrealistic ideas.
When foundations encourage it, take advantage of calling to find out what they are really interested in.
Do not miss strong opportunities (e.g., if a grant maker selects your nonprofit as a potentially good parnter, don’t fail to follow up!)

Read the post’s comments for additional tips offered by other readers. Some include:

Avoid careless typos such as the misspelling of a foundation’s name or company name.
Do your homework: Research the proper way to apply and the appropriate contact name and title.
Find out what an appropriate ask amount would be for a particular foundation. Do your research and make contact with the foundation.

Over the years, I have attended many presentations and panels organized to give grant seekers a chance to hear directly from the representatives of foundations and institutional funders. Oftentimes, I hear that they receive a large number of applications that have no alignment with their interests. Worse, sometimes letters are addressed to the wrong foundation.

The bottom line is that successful grant seeking relies on research, connecting and learning. It is not a numbers game.

Outward Bound invites you to the top of the world with mountaineer Luis Benitez

christine — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:35:27 +0000

IF YOU have ever felt discouraged from pursuing a dream because of perceived limitations, then hearing how one legendary mountaineer climbs the world’s tallest mountains, despite a lifelong battle with asthma, might inspire you to believe anything is possible.

In that spirit, my colleagues over at Outward Bound Bay Area hope you will join Outward Bound supporters, partners and the local climbing community for a special free event, thanks to the generosity of local sponsors.

In a special visit to the Bay Area, mountain guide and Outward Bound instructor Luis Benitez will share stories of his climbs to some of the highest peaks in the world. The six-time Mount Everest summiter will also show images from his ascents, including his 2001 Everest summit with blind athlete Erik Weihenmayer.

THE DETAILS:

Friday May 20th, 2011
7pm – 8:30pm at Planet Granite San Francisco

$10 suggested donation to support the Outward Bound Bay Area scholarships for local students.

Event-goers will be entered into a raffle to win prizes from the event’s sponsors: Marmot, Sports Basement, Spencer & Daniel’s wine & spirits and Planet Granite.

REGISTER FOR FREE ONLINE at outwardbound.org/bayarea.

Space is limited!

3 California foundations offer guidance to grant seekers

christine — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:32:38 +0000

THE WORDS, “if you know one foundation, you know one foundation,” rang true for three panelists who spoke at the Foundation Center in San Francisco last week during Funding for Health and Human Services Month. Local foundation representatives advised grant seekers on what they like and what they don’t like when it comes to grant funding requests. And guess what?

If you know one foundation, you know one foundation

The Panelists:

Mary L. Gregory, Executive Director, Bella Vista Foundation
Fatima Angeles, Director of Evaluation and Organizational Learning, The California Wellness Foundation
Carrie Varoquiers, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and President, McKesson Foundation

**Guidance from Three Unique California Foundations**
Key insights	Bella Vista Foundation	The California Wellness Foundation	McKesson Foundation
Type of Foundation	Family	Healthcare conversion	Corporate
Geographic focus	Varies by focus area	Statewide	Nationwide with HQ in San Francisco
What are your funding priorities?	Early Childhood Ecosystem Restoration	8 Health Areas and a Special Projects fund	Community Health Centers (by invitation only through National Association of CHCs) Mobile health research
How can a grantseeker cultivate a relationship?	Review the website carefully; call with questions regarding a possible "fit."	Go to the website: "Everything is there." Mail in a 1-2 page letter of inquiry (10% chance of receiving invitation to write full proposal).	Go to the website for next chance to submit a letter of intent for mobile health research projects.
What are you looking for in a proposal?	Show evidence of your expertise.	Describe your organization’s target population, not the merits of your executive director. What does your organization do and why are you the one to do it? What is your voice in the policy arena?	Promising research to find out what works in mobile health. Evidence does not exist today.
What are red flags?	Don’t "parrot back" our words from the guidelines.	Will disqualify your letter of inquiry if it exceeds 2 pages.	Letters addressed to the wrong name
Tips for funded programs	Write thoughtful progress reports.	Write thoughtful progress reports.	Write thoughtful progress reports.

12 tips for nonprofits seeking grant money

christine — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:06:57 +0000

Are you wondering how to connect with grant makers in today’s increasingly competitive environment?

The key is to understand what motivates funders to connect with your cause and how your project’s fit in to their funding priorities and initiatives. The Foundation Center, a nonprofit resource for grant seekers, offers a valuable way for nonprofits to gain these critical insights. They offer classes and access to databases through their San Francisco library as well as cooperating collections, like the Berkeley Public Library.

The main library in downtown Berkeley was the venue for a recent Foundation Center event. As part of Health and Human Services month, the Foundation Center invited representatives from three East Bay funding organizations to speak to nonprofit grant seekers. They described their funding guidelines, how to introduce your organization’s work to them and tips on submitting your proposal, if there is a fit.

The Panelists:
The panelists came from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives: one from a government agency, one from a corporate giving program and one from a nonprofit health organization.

Mark Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of First 5 Alameda County
Susan Houghton, Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations for the Northern California Division of Safeway, Inc. and Safeway Foundation
Angela Jenkins, Community Benefit Manager for Kaiser Permanente’s East Bay Community Benefit Program

12 tips for nonprofits seeking grant money
I created a list of tips shared by the panelists.

When you apply for a grant, a real person is reviewing your application. If you address it “Dear Recipient,” it will go into the trash.
Funders might have more than one giving mechanism (foundation grants, employee giving program, corporate charitable giving, event sponsorships, etc.). Figure out the best point of entry for your project or program.
When contacting a funder, be sure to find out what method they prefer. For example, a funder might prefer initial contact by phone, email, letter or online inquiry.
Before you contact a funder, do your homework. All of the panelists pointed to their websites for guidance on grantmaking and giving priorities.
After you receive a grant, be sure to stay connected with your funders. After your last grant or contribution, did you send an update? Send a photo? Invite the funder to an event? Involve employees (in the case of a corporate giving program) to be involved in your work?
Does the funder require that your program follow evidenced-based approaches (i.e., informed by scientific research) or have measurable results? Or are they more interested in you trying something innovative and new to solve a problem?
Does your program’s objectives or goals align with the strategic plans of the funder?
Have you asked your current funders for introductions to other potential contributors? Will they consider co-hosting a funder briefing?
Is your GuideStar.org listing up-to-date?
Choose your board members wisely.
Don’t be shy about developing relationships with local government officials and their staff. Advocate for how your services are important to the community they were elected to serve.
Are you marketing your programs to build visibility for your issue and organization?

Meet health grantmakers at the Foundation Center in April

christine — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:50:06 +0000

In my last post I wrote about “Park Prescriptions” and “Healthy Parks Healthy People,” campaigns organized by the Institutes at the Golden Gate and the National Park Service to strengthen the connections between the healthcare system and public lands.

If your organization or agency is behind the movement, then you might want to know that April is Health and Human Services Month at the Foundation Center, a nonprofit resource center on philanthropy.

This month they are hosting three “Meet the Grantmaker” panels – two in downtown San Francisco and one in Berkeley. Funders will discuss their organizations’ guidelines, how to introduce your organization’s work to them, tips on submitting your proposal and trends in health and human services grantmaking.

Several other programs will present resources, tips and tools for strengthening your chances of succeeding with grants. To register, visit the Foundation Center’s website. All events are free, but they typically fill up early.

Meet the Grantmakers: Funding for East Bay Health & Human Service Organizations

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in Berkeley.

Panelists:

Safeway Inc. Corporate Giving Program
Kaiser Permanente-East Bay
First 5 Alameda County
Y & H Soda Foundation

Meet the Grantmakers for the Bay Area: A Program for Health & Human Service Organizations

Thursday, April 28, 2011 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in San Francisco

Panelists:

Fatima Angeles, Director of Evaluation and Organizational Learning, The California Wellness Foundation
Mary L. Gregory, Executive Director, Bella Vista Foundation
Christine Tran, Program Officer, Blue Shield of California Foundation
Carrie Varoquiers, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and President, McKesson Foundation

More April Events

Securing Corporate Support for Health & Human Services
Thursday, April 21, 10:00 am-12:00 pm in San Francisco
Explore best practices in gaining corporate support and meet local corporate funders.

10 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid for Health and Human Service Organizations
Monday, April 25, 2:00-3:30 pm in San Francisco
Learn best practices in marketing for health and human service organizations.

Think Sustainable: Earning Income for Your Health and Human Service Nonprofit
Tuesday, April 26, 10:00-11:30 am in San Francisco
Discover how to develop an earned income strategy.

What’s Our Value? Using Evaluation to Make the Case for Health and Human Services in Tight Times
Wednesday, April 27, 1:00-2:30 pm in San Francisco
Gain knowledge of the latest thinking in program evaluation and receive tools that will help you initiate internal evaluation efforts.

Visit the Foundation Center’s website to see a full list of opportunities.

Bird illustrations by 11-year old inspire giving for Gulf Coast disaster

christine — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:09:02 +0000

Olivia Bouler, an 11-year old girl living in New York state, dreams of being an ornithologist when she grows up. Devastated by the BP Gulf Oil Spill, the largest oil spill in U.S. history, she was determined to help. Her talented illustrations of birds have now raised over $100,000 from donors giving to support wildlife recovery efforts.

Right now, she has 23,750 followers and counting on her Facebook page titled, “Save the Gulf: Olivia’s Bird Illustrations” and the attention of multiple media outlets. AOL made a $25,000 donation in her name and offered to host her portfolio of illustrations.

The donor involvement Olivia has catalyzed comes at a time when the full toll of the disaster’s impact on wildlife and people will require philanthropic dollars. According to a recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article, donors gave $4-million during the first two months of the disaster. This is “far less than will ultimately be needed,” writes the Chronicle.

The Bay Area-based International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) is working with Tri-State Bird Rescue, the lead oiled wildlife organization on the ground, to set up and staff rehabilitation centers in Louisiana, Alabama Mississippi and Florida, where the growing oil slick is severely impacting birds. Although BP is paying for IBRRC’s wildlife rescue work, they welcome support for their ongoing programs and to cover the cost of future rescue efforts.

Photo credit: IBRRC

Links and Resources:

Save the Gulf: Olivia’s Bird Illustrations Facebook Page
Olivia Bouler – AOL Artists portfolio
Audubon Magazine Article
National Audubon Society
The Thin Green Line Blog (SFGate) How you can help the Gulf and 11-year-old raises $100,000 for Gulf cleanup efforts
International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) blog updates
Gifts for Oil Spill Total $4-Million, but More Is Needed – Chronicle of Philanthropy (summary only, subscription required)
Volunteer Opportunities Scarce in Wake of Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill – Philanthropy News Digest
The Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors BP Oil Drilling Disaster Emergency Response Fund
The New York Times Times Topics – Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (2010)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site for Deepwater Horizon spill

Is your nonprofit newsworthy?

christine — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:59:49 +0000

If you have not discovered the Live Chats with The Chronicle of Philanthropy, you will not want to miss checking out some of their informative expert-led discussions on many subjects of interest to nonprofits – from fundraising and marketing to social media and media outreach.

The next topic is: Getting Good News Coverage: How to Persuade Journalists to Cover Your Cause on December 1, 9 a.m. Pacific Time.

For many nonprofits, a good way to get the attention of prospective donors, volunteers, public officials, clients and constituents is by building visibility through the media.

The moderator, Peter Panepento, and experts plan to cover:

How to get the attention of journalists in a competitive landscape
The most effective pitches
The most common errors nonprofit groups make when they approach reporters and editors
How to build productive relationships with reporters and editors

For the chats you can submit your questions in advance or follow along on with the conversation.

The Chronicle also maintains transcripts of past discussions. A few of my favorites include:

Creating Effective Marketing Messages with Nancy E. Schwartz, author of the Getting Attention blog
The Philosophy of Giving with Karen Ansara, co-founder of The Ansara Family Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Boston Foundation, and Anne Ellinger, co-director of Bolder Giving
Building Meaningful Alliances With Other Nonprofit Groups with Clara Miller and Thomas A. McLaughlin of the Nonprofit Finance Fund and Elizabeth Boone, artistic and executive director of Miami Light Project
Foundation Giving: What Might the Future Hold? with Bradford K. Smith, president of the Foundation Center
Shaking Up Journalism and Philanthropy with Alberto Ibargüen, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
What’s the Payoff? How Charities Can Figure Out How Much Time and Money to Invest in Social Networking with Beth Kanter, social media guru

Fundraising: It’s all about relationships

christine — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:02:52 +0000

Last Friday I attended “Relationship Building: What We Can Learn from Alumni Groups.” Co-sponsored by Development Executives Roundtable (DER) and the Foundation Center in San Francisco, three panelists from Bay Area educational institutions talked about how they cultivated longtime donors through relationship building with program alumni. The insights they shared could apply to many nonprofits seeking to build a stronger funding base and support, especially those with alumni groups or memberships.

Moderated by Kelli Nakayama, a DER board member and grants manager for Children’s Hospital and Research Center Foundation, the panelists represented a diversity of Bay Area organizations:

Sue Merrill, Annual Giving Manager, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) - a large public educational and research institution
June Thompson, Executive Director of California Association of Student Councils (CASC) – a student-led nonprofit for youth leadership training with a staff of two
Patricia Cavagnaro, Director of Development, Immaculate Conception Academy – a 126-year old Catholic high school for girls in the Mission District of San Francisco

10 Tips for Building Relationships

Give program alumni, members and other supporters (volunteers, donors) multiple ways to get together because they will want to meet each other and see each other.
Send a regular e-newsletter and ask your constituents what articles they want.
Tell potential donors where their dollars will go. What will their contributions support? Be specific.
Ask beneficiaries of your programs or services to write thank you letters to donors, telling them how their support made a difference in their lives
Give beneficiaries multiple ways to “give back.” If you maintain relationships with beneficiaries, such as program alumni, oftentimes they will want to give back in the future.
Acknowledge donors to thank them for their generosity. Donor walls are a great way to do that. You can also think of creative ways to build and expand the wall over time (Immaculate Conception Academy came up with an innovative and creative solution).
Explore social media as part of your communications strategy, especially if you are building connections among supporters.
Manage donor/volunteer/alumni information effectively with constituent databases (Idealware article).
Use tools to capture best practices and manage institutional knowledge, especially if your organization relies on a large number of volunteers, peer-to-peer training or high turnover. CASC set up a wiki to support their elaborate transition process for volunteers. For help with wikis, Idealware published a how-to article called “Using Wikis for Internal Documentation.”
Thank and acknowledge. Thank and acknowledge.

How nonprofits can use storytelling to engage supporters

christine — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:28:08 +0000

Better Online Storytelling from NTEN's 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference

View more presentations from Roger Burks.

Follow the economic stimulus money to your community

christine — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:25:20 +0000

Yesterday San Francisco launched RecoverySF.org to highlight the progress of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in the City and County of San Francisco. The idea is to build transparency so communities can track grants that San Francisco has applied for and won, view official correspondence with federal and state agencies and learn about upcoming public meetings.

While it might appear that the City has received awards of close to $300 million for projects ranging from transportation to work force development, these are only projections. The City must apply for and win the competitive grant awards before the money can be channeled to local projects.

The City promises to post announcements when ARRA funds have been fully awarded and obligated to San Francisco.

California and the federal government have also set up Web sites to track stimulus dollars.

The federal site is: www.recovery.gov.

The state site is recovery.ca.gov

For a complete list of all Recovery Act programs, visit Grants.gov.

See my previous blog post on the Recovery Act for more resources.

Nonprofit Strategies for Tough Times: Economic Stimulus Act FAQ (Philanthropy News Digest blog- PhilanTopic)

Updates:
5/21/09: Recovery.org, run by a private company, might make searching and tracking federal stimulus projects easier to follow than the federal government site Recovery.gov, as recently reported in the Washington Post.

5/22/09: The City of Oakland recently set up www.oaklandstimulus.com for tracking the status of the city’s requests for federal stimulus funds.