Holiday Giving–Five Ways to Experience the Spirit of Generosity this Season

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Giving Speaks

The Holiday Season at its best is filled with joyful giving, loving relationships, and spirited celebration. At least this is what our favorite Christmas music, old movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and December TV commercials tell us. We hold onto these warm sounds and images, in part because they inspire hope in our lives and help us adjust our attitudes toward others in positive ways. However, our super-charged consumer culture creates intense pressure to spend, entertain, and give gifts, sometimes heightening our expectations to idealized proportions. This can add stress to our lives and begin to seem out of control and overwhelming for many of us. But, if we can pause for a moment to reflect, we have the opportunity to experience moments of true generosity and the spirit of the season.

Five ways experience the spirit of generosity during the Holidays:

1) Experience Gratitude—Take some time to reflect on the people and things in your life for which you are grateful. This is easier said than done during the busy-ness of holiday preparations, but it can actually help relieve some stress and bring a fresh perspective. Start by taking a deep breath, close your eyes, push the negative, painful thoughts out of the way to focus on the simplest gifts received, then expand from there: a smile, a cheerful greeting, finding a shiny coin or lost item, cuddling with a pet, a hug from a loved one….

2) First Things First—Know who and what is most important to you and adjust your expenditures of time and energy accordingly. Our jobs, homes, and other tasks and responsibilities require our attention, to be sure. However, no amount of time spent shopping, decorating, cooking, or cleaning is more important than time with your loved ones, friends, and time for yourself.

3) Values Giving—Your giving should clearly align and demonstrate your deepest held values in harmony with your gift recipient’s whenever possible. In addition to giving someone a tangible item, think creatively, and have fun connecting values with gift giving.

Is your sister an animal lover? Make a donation to her local humane shelter in her honor.

Does your mother like to reuse and recycle? Get a gift certificate to her local thrift shop.

Is your friend experiencing illness or stressful life circumstances? Offer to do some household chores or make her a cup of tea and visit a while.

Has your father devoted years of service to his church board? Create a book of pictures and mementos and/or make a gift to his church in honor of his years of service.

4) Receive Well—The spirit of generosity is nurtured early in our lives through our experiences of receiving, initially through the love and attention of a trusted caregiver. Our attitudes about giving and generosity are largely shaped by our family culture and religious teachings. These are complex messages and not always positive. It is not uncommon to feel unworthy of someone’s gift, or awkward about receiving a gift with nothing to give in return. In most cases, those giving the gift experience pleasure in doing so. Practice gracious receiving and watch someone’s eyes light up!

5) Thank—Remember to express appreciation and gratitude for the gifts that bless your life, whether they may be simple and small, elaborate and substantial, or somewhere in between.

My wish for you is that, together, we help expand awareness about the power of philanthropy and giving as a means of transforming our world and the lives of its inhabitants. I have found that happens one choice at a time, one act of giving at a time, one person at a time.

May it be so for you and yours this season of giving and light!

Laurel

Giving Speaks volumes about life, love, and community~

Fundraising Events—Money Makers or Energy Drainers?

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Giving Speaks

Do you look forward to your annual fundraising events, or are you exhausted by the thought of them?

Are your event volunteer sign up sheets full of names or blank spaces?

Is your budget so dependent on your fundraising events that if you don’t make the goal you must make serious cuts in expenditures?

Most congregations and charitable organizations conduct at least one major fundraising event annually. A good many hold six or more events every year, sometimes running two or more concurrently. Often these events have been happening for several decades and are considered an essential part of the organization’s funding, no matter what and no matter how much money is raised.

“It’s just what we always do. We depend on this event to make our budget.”

For example, when I am visiting a congregation, it is not unusual for me to hear announcements during the service for the youth group’s fundraising luncheon that afternoon, urgent pleas for donations of goods and services to the auction next week, and requests for support of the local soup kitchen. This may be followed by the offering which will be shared with a worthy cause and a dismal update on the annual pledge campaign. After the service, I go to the fellowship hour, where there is a basket out for contributing to defray the costs of coffee, a table for selling tee shirts or fair trade products, and bulletin boards with posters and appeals for all of the above. These may all be worthy requests for support, but a fundraising culture this diffuse can lead to serious “donor fatigue” on the part of the congregants. The people lose a clear sense of the mission and are overwhelmed with the barrage of requests. No wonder many congregations struggle with stewardship and finding energized people to run their annual stewardship campaigns and pledge drives.

What if fundraising events were focused on mission, the needs of the wider community, and for social justice?

How might your congregation could transform the culture of giving and fundraising activities? Consider the following suggestions…

A master fundraising plan will be developed annually by the Stewardship Team and key staff leaders and approved by the governing board. All funds raised must be handled and accounted for in accordance with the policies established by the board.
Each fundraising activity or event will clearly reflects the mission, vision, goals/ends of the organization—or it won’t happen.
A timeline is created with the activities and events intentionally spread out over the course of the year, allowing ample time for advanced planning and publicity (and recovery time).
Each fundraising event is planned and conducted by a competent team of volunteers who work in collaboration with the appropriate staff, board, and committees. Avoid volunteer burnout by grooming leaders to take the reins after two or three years.
A significant portion—if not all—of the funds raised will be used for the ministries and outreach activities of the congregation that will directly benefit the surrounding community and society at large.
Careful record-keeping should be expected, with timely reports to the financial leaders and administrative staff. All funds should be accounted for and processed through the congregation’s established systems.
Every fundraising activity will be thoroughly evaluated for its qualitative benefits (strengthening relationships, community-building, awareness-raising) and return on the investment of staff/volunteer time, supply and equipment cost, and amount of money raised. If the benefits and dollar amounts do not produce a significant offset to the investments, consider modifying or eliminating it in the future.
Spread the affirmations around as much as the work. Thank everyone involved in the event’s success and share the story of making a difference.
Have fun along the way! Fundraising activities are enjoyable and meaningful at their best.

Let’s use this forum as a way to share your most successful fundraising event experiences and ideas for transforming the fundraising culture in our congregations. You are invited to share your stories as comments here on Giving Speaks, or via email to givingspeaks@gmail.com.

Related Resources:

Renee Herrell’s Blog. Caution: Men in Heels. Oct. 2009. This post features a fun and creative fundraising event and the pros and cons of charitable events for fundraisers to consider. http://reneeherrell.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/hello-world/

Social Networking and Online Giving

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Giving Speaks

Welcome to the social revolution. The world is catapulting towards more connectedness, more interactivity and more community. Change is occurring at exponential speeds we can barely keep pace with. Life it or not, “social”–the instant sharing of content using online technologies— is the new norm, and social media and social technology are the platforms and tools we must embrace if we are to thrive in this new reality.

~Wealth Engine white paper 2012*

Our social networks are expansive, growing wider in scope and density with each click of the mouse and touch of the keyboard. Most people visit an organization’s website before they ever enter the door or attend an event or meeting. Increasingly, donors are comfortable giving online and expect to have that option available for their charitable giving.

Social networks are a dynamic means of communication and being virtually connected with people around the world. Popular social networks and media include: Facebook,Twitter, blogs and microblogs, content curation, geolocation, online communities, and media sharing.

Technological developments are happening quickly, and nonprofit, religious and charitable organizations must be alert to the new trends if they want to be perceived as current and relevant. For example, it is more important than ever for organizations to invest in making their website content adaptable for mobile technology.

Many nonprofit, religious, and charitable organizations have joined the movement, finding the new social media options easy and inexpensive to set up and use for communicating with their existing and prospective constituents. Most social media offer tools for measuring Myriad opportunities and benefits are present for organization actively using social media for networking:

As good as social networking sounds, it is vital that the organization begin at a manageable level for the staff or volunteers involved.

The development of the networks can be tracked with the specialized features that measure and track activity.

Communicating and networking via social media takes time, forethought, and planning for the organization to maximize the benefits. It is worthwhile for leaders to discuss the use of social media, seeking input from other staff, volunteers, and constituents. There must be commitment on the part of organizational leaders. Policies for engaging and training staff to effectively use social media to advance the organization and advance its mission in the world.

Social networking offers an expansive and exciting landscape of opportunity. Most professional fundraisers report using Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, and other social networking venues to learn more about donors and their charitable and political giving patterns. Online surveys provide a means for interacting and inviting valuable feedback. Tracking social networking sites enables organizations to observe behaviors and trends in new and different ways.

Crowd-sourcing and Cause-related Marketing are becoming increasingly popular and are a creative means of promoting individual causes and advancing the missions of organizations. Millions of dollars are raised each year through social media and online giving, whether it be through project funding, online contests, or auctions.

The possibilities are seemingly endless!

Online Fundraising Venues:

Bidding for Good is an online auction site for charitable organizations.

Faithify is a crowdfunding site where passionate people follow, share and fund Unitarian Universalist ministries. This is a fabulous opportunity for UUs to support and enlist support for great projects that extend our principles and values in the world.

Crowdrise is about giving back, raising lots of money for great causes and having the most fun in the world while doing–Crowrise is the world’s #1 fundraising site for medical bills, volunteer trips, and over 1.5. million charities and causes.

HopeMob‘s vision is to “become the largest, most active, effective, innovative community of generosity in the world.”

Network for Good envisions a “world where generosity is unleashed, with compelling opportunities to give back at every person’s fingertips.” The site offers organizations and individuals opportunities to give to charitable causes from its website and a wide array of partner sites.

Research and Information about Online Giving:

About.com. Cause-Related Marketing: What You Need to Know

Charity Navigator. Top 10 Best Practices of Savvy Donors

Mansfield, Heather. Mobile for Good (A How-to Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits). 2014. McGraw-Hill Education. Nonprofit Tech for Good

*Wealth Engine. Trends in Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations white paper. 2012. Fundraising’s Social Revolution: How Social Media is Changing Nonprofit Culture and Practice.