A FUND RAISER'S NEWSYLETTER FROM JOYAUX ASSOCIATES
A periodic bulletin featuring fund raising, management, and board information.
December 1994

Want to win back past donors? Here's how Planned Parenthood of Orange and Durham Counties, NC did it. Instead of sending a typical computer generated letter to donors who once gave $100 or more, this Planned parenthood chapter sent a two-page handwritten letter. The letters are composed and signed by volunteers at letter writing parties held at the home of one of Planned Parenthood's staff or board members.

Volunteers produced a total of 163 handwritten letters last year and Planned Parenthood received gifts from 102 of the recipients. That's a 62% response rate!

For more information, contact Mercer Tyson, Director of Development, Planned Parenthood of Orange and Durham Counties, 93 South Elliot Road, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27514; (919) 929-5402.

[Source: 'Handwritten Notes Win Back Donors for Planned Parenthood Chapter.' Holy Hall. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 28, 1994.]

Charity raffle raised $17,000 with no expenses and little staff time. The Women's Center in Vienna, VA signed up 15 contractors to donate their labor and $8,000 worth of materials to construct an eight-by-ten foot children's playhouse. The playhouse was decorated with wood trim, curtains, and painting by local artists. The center's staff and volunteers sold $10 raffle tickets. In addition to raising money, organizers say the raffle provided good publicity for the work of the Women's Center.

For more information, contact Jan Schar, Fund-Raising Chair, Women's Center, 133 Park Street, N.E., Vienna, Va. 22180; (703) 281-2657.

[Source: "Charity Raffles a Children's Playhouse." Michael Stoll. The Chronicle of Philanthropy,June 28, 1994.]

Don't forget to ask your donors for matching gifts. More and more employers will match a gift made by your donors. You can increase your charitable contributions by reminding your donors to ask their employers for a matching gift. 99% of companies match employee gifts to educational institutions and 40% (up from 38% in 1991) match to non-educational not-for-profit organizations.

[Source: Matching Gift Details. CASE, 11 Dupont Circle, Suite 400, Washington DC 20036-1261. $67 prepaid for members; $93 for non-members. Reported in Trends That Count, September 1994. (703) 683-4100.]

Do your volunteers feel uncomfortable soliciting gifts from affluent prospects? Boost solicitor confidence by suggesting they think of their own gift amount -- not in dollars -- but as days of work or percentage of income. Using this tactic during a solicitation will help wealthier prospects give proportionately to their income.

[Source: "FACE TO FACE: How to Get Bigger Donations from Very Generous People". Ken Wyman. (416) 362-2926. Reported in Trends That Count, September 1994.]

Does your message standout from the crowd? Chances are you are competing with information overload. Consider these statistics. 62% of homes have cable TV with an average of 51 channels per home. There are over 2,400 consumer magazine titles. Over 30 million homes have a personal computer. Over 70% of individuals have shopped by phone or mail. Timemagazine now produces over 100 versions each week.

[Source: Beyond 2000: The Future of Direct Marketing, Jerry I. Reitman, NTC Business Books. Reported in Trends That Count, September 1994.]

Want to know what will entice people to open your direct mail appeal? Put your offer on the envelope. Change the color of the envelope. Put your return address on the back and sell on the front. Suggest that the contents are valuable. Be reader- friendly.

[Source: DM News, May 1994. Reported in Trends That Count, September 1994.]

60-Second Writing Clinic: Sick Sentence: "The members of the committee have taken into consideration every one of the factors that has the capacity to affect the plan."

Cure: Eliminate members of the committee, taken into consideration, every one of and has the capacity to.

Result: "The committee members have considered all the factors that can affect the plan."

[Source: Communication Briefings, Volume XII, Number IV. (800) 888-2084.]

Here's one secret of success: avoid being against anything. Instead, be for something. For example: Instead of being against illiteracy, be for literacy. Then you will help to improve literacy.

Whatever you are against works against you. You begin fighting it and become a part of the problem. But when you state what you are for, you begin focusing on the potential for positive change.

[Source: Communication Briefings, Volume XII, Number IV. (800) 888-2084.]

Want to increase your volunteer base? Involve "families" as volunteers. 36% of Americans normally volunteer with a family member. America's big corporations encourage employees to include family members in company-sponsored volunteer projects.

[Source: Points of Light Foundation. (202) 223-9186. Reported in Successful Fund Raising, Volume II, No. 7, (712) 239-3010.]

Do you struggle writing proposals? Here are a few tips: Review your draft with a critical eye. Anticipate the strongest objections and counter them. Demonstrate that your request is serious by describing the specific program activities. Clearly state the purpose and financial request of the proposal in your cover letter. Be confident in your approach. Don't be apologetic.

[Source: Successful Fund Raising,Volume II, No. 7.]

Does your organization help disadvantaged women? Avon products and Gifts In Kind America have announced a joint program to enhance women's self-esteem. Avon is donating an extensive variety of products-cosmetics, personal care items and fashion jewelry-to not-for-profit agencies across the country that provide job skills training for disadvantaged women. Contact: Gifts In Kind America, 700 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314. (703) 836-2121.

Want to talk to your colleagues through your computer? All you need is a computer and a modem. Then you can talk through the Internet. The Internet is a network of computerized information services. These information services sponsor discussion groups which allow you to talk to your colleagues about issues and trends specific to your professional concerns.

An easy route for you to communicate on the Internet is to send electronic mail through commercial on-line or CompuServe. Some organizations may be able to gain free or low-cost access through nearby colleges or local companies that offer hook-ups to Internet.

To access the specific discussion group, type the group's electronic mail address in the "To" field that appears on the electronic mail screen.

Discussion Groups That May Be of Interest
To Fund Raisers

USNONPROFIT-L Talk about issues facing not-for-profit organizations and the people these organizations serve. (To subscribe: Type MAJORDOMO@RAIN.ORG in the "To" field that appears on the electronic mail screen. In the body of the letter type SUBSCRIBE USNONPROFIT-L.)

FUNDLIST A discussion group that started as a place for university fund raisers to share ideas. Now it has grown to include a wide range of fund-raising issues for all not-for- profits. (To subscribe: Type LISTSERV@JHUVM.HCFJHU.EDU in the "To" field. In the body of the letter, type SUBSCRIBE FUNDLIST followed by your name.)

GIFT-PL Talk to fund raisers who specialize in seeking bequests or other planned gifts. (To subscribe: Type LISTSERV@VMI.SPCS.UMN.EDU in the "To" field. In the letter section, type SUBSCRIBE GIFT-PL followed by your name.)

PRSPCT-L Learn how fund raisers collect data on wealthy people whom they hope to convert to donors. (To subscribe: Type LISTSERV@UCI.EDU in the "To" field. In the body of the letter, type SUBSCRIBE PRSPCT-L followed by your name.)

CFRNET-L Talk to your colleagues who focus exclusively on foundation and corporation grant making. (To subscribe: Type MAJORDOMO@MTU.EDU in the "To" field. In the body of the letter type subscribe CFRNET-L followed by your electronic mail address.)

[Source: "Mailing Lists for Fund Raisers: What's on the Internet." Reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 14, 1994.]

The Most Popular Commercial On-line Services
Used by Not-for-Profits

[Source: "On-Line Systems: Matching Your Network Needs." Barbara Gersh. Reported in The NonProfit Times, September 1994.]

More information ...

The Health Insurance Crisis for America's Children. Research paper from the Children's Defense Fund details how the decline in employer-provided insurance has left children uninsured. Data by state. 30 pages. Contact CDF Publications, 25 E. St. N.W., Washington, DC 20001. (202) 628-8787. $4.50 prepaid plus $2 shipping and handling.

Organizing Special Events and Conferences. 125-page practical guide for planning special events. Includes instructions, checklists, schedules, and lists of resources, addresses, and publications to help both volunteers and paid staff. Order from Pineapple Press Inc., P.O. Box 16008, Southside Sta., Sarasota, FL 34239. (813) 952-1085. $18.95 prepaid plus $2 shipping and handling.

Planned Giving for the One Person Development Office. Manual for those development professionals who are responsible for all the fund raising and want to add planned giving to their development mix. Contact: Deferred Giving Services, 614 S. Hale St., Wheaton IL 60187. (708) 682-4301. Written form in a three-ring binder, $42 prepaid; electronic version, $94 prepaid.

Available from Joyaux Associates:

  • What is Fund Development? Description of tasks ... skills and knowledge needed ... salaries ... failures ... and hints for success. Excerpted from Giving RI: 1992 Charitable Giving in RI. $10 prepaid.

  • Fund-raising Guidelines for the New Tax Laws. $10 prepaid.

  • Gift Management Systems and Information Needs for Fund Development. $20 prepaid.

    To order, contact Joyaux Associates, 10 Johnson Road, Foster, RI 02825; 401-397-2535.

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