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In This Issue
Interesting Thoughts To Ponder
Self-Care Comes Before Helping Others
Who's Doing What
Lessons from Kim Kline at the NC Philanthropy Conference
Focus on Your First Time Givers

Interesting Thought To Ponder

"What do we live for, if it is not to make
life less difficult for each other.".

-George Eliot-

Self-Care Comes Before Helping Others
One of the greatest pleasures of living in the mountains of North Carolina is being minutes from a place where you can experience the natural world. Hiking to the top of a local mountain is my way of re-charging after a long week. Self-care is a critical part of working in the nonprofit community. It seems that in the nonprofit world there is always too much to do and too little time or people to do it. The staffs of most organizations are there to make a difference and not just for the job. Good management will be watching for employee burn-out but it is the responsibility of each person to care for themselves. Caregivers often allow their love of helping others turn their energetic enthusiasm into a tired, unhappy person.

Everyday I talk with people from directors to even volunteers who are concerned with or experiencing "burn-out" from just trying to do too much. Here are a few simple suggestions on self-care to help prevent "burn-out":

• Take morning and afternoon breaks where you are up and away from your desk. A fifteen minuet break in the morning and afternoon where you step outside to breathe and stretch can relieve a lot of stress.
• Get away for lunch and try to take a short walk. Eating lunch at your desk while you work is a path to disaster. Lunch time is your time. You will be much more productive and creative after a one hour break with a short walk.
• Cut yourself some slack. Caregivers are hardest on themselves. Be aware of the inner voice that is telling you that there is no time for a break or lunch.
• Find a support group of other office mates to support each other in self-care. Group support is one of the best ways to encourage each other to care for themselves.

Recovering from "burn out" is a much harder road than preventing it. Smart nonprofit directors understand the need for self-care program and encourage their employees to care for themselves so that they can care for others.

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Who's Doing What
This month we are highlighting an event a little closer to home. Every June the Watauga County Red Cross sponsors the annual Blood, Sweat and Gears Bike Race that raises over $40,000.00 annually. Cyclists from all across the Southeastern US come to test their grit in a race that features a 100 mile loop through the mountains around Boone, NC. It was these very same roads that Lance Armstrong chose to train on for his epic return to cycling after his battle with cancer.

"It's a great area for riding, very hilly, but I'd say it's the best area for training in the whole of the United States."
-- Lance Armstrong on Boone, NC - Cycle Sport (June 1998)--

The Blood, Sweat and Gears Bike Race also has a 50 mile loop for those want to enjoy this beautiful area with a little less pain. The event sold out for 2009 with 1500 riders lined up at the start line for what was a beautiful day for the event. Proceeds from the ride will benefit the Jeremy Dale Fisher Fund and The Russell Fund, established by the Watauga County Chapter of the American Red Cross, which provides assistance to local families that are displaced by fire, flood or similar disasters. 100% of the money raised stays in Watauga County

The race would not be possible without the volunteer support from the community. Volunteers are everywhere around the registration area to help with directing traffic. parking cars, concession areas and registration. During the race volunteers are at all the aid stations helping riders with snacks and drinks. Every intersection has several volunteers to make sure each rider stays on course. Bike mechanics from the local bike shops patrol the course to help with flat tires and mechanical problem or to pick up riders that have had problems.

FYI: The winner of the 100 mile race finished in an amazing 4 hours and 49 minuets which is an average speed of over 20 miles per hour in the mountains.

Tell Us About Your Events

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Lessons from Kim Kline at the NC Philanthropy Conference
Readers of the DonorExpress Newsline know that we feel continuing education is a very important part of the personal development of each of us. This education can come in many forms but state and local conferences are a great way network with other nonprofits and receive new information on the changing climate of the Nonprofit World. This past month I had the pleasure to hear and meet Kim Kline from the Grassroots Fundraising Journal at the North Carolina Philanthropy Conference. I have been a subscriber of the journal for many years and recommend this to all people in the nonprofit community.

Ms Kline spoke on many topics but there were two points that seem to be repeated by different speakers at the conference. The first point was that the landscape for fundraising has changes and may never go back to what it was. Second, that the fundraising dollars are still out there and in play but nonprofits will have to work harder to attract them.

Kim points out that the nonprofit industry has been through economic hard times and survived before. Each time there seems to be a shift in the landscape that forces the nonprofit to adjust or fail. With this shift, there are many nonprofits who now find themselves in financial trouble. As the economy stalls, the public needs are greater now but the nonprofit resources are less. In the wake of budget cuts, the Government is looking more toward the nonprofit organizations to pick up the slack

Organizations must recognize that life as they have known it has changed. They must adapt to the new landscape. Kim's second point is one of hope as she explains that people give through their income and while unemployment may be 10%, the other 90% are still employed and earning income. The catch is that people are holding on to their money a little tighter and organizations will have to make a stronger case for the donor letting go of their money for your cause. Charitable giving has risen steadily over the years and living individuals make up 75% of this amount.

As things change, traditional fundraising techniques may not be as effective. Nonprofit organizations must quickly realize that they must work harder to retain current donors and to attract young donors. Any nonprofit that does not have planned giving program must takes steps to create one now. Above all, nonprofit organizations must inspire confidence in general public as to the strength and direction of the nonprofit.

Historically the nonprofit community has faced and dealt with challenging times and emerged stronger but forever changed. Today's times are no different. Organizations that can adapt will not only survive but will prosper.
Learn more about Kim Kline

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Focus on Your First Time Givers
In several different publications I have seen the statement that "nonprofit organizations will lose between 40% and 50% of their first time donors before the second gift". These kinds of loses are truly unacceptable but most organizations act like it is not happening to them. Today is the time to reverse this trend with your organization but the question is how.

In the latest version of DonorExpress Software we address this very problem with a report and export that identifies new donors during a date period. OK we have the tool we need but first we must have a procedure or plan on how we are going to handle our first time givers. I suggest that once a month or at least once a quarter the new donors for that period are sent a second letter thanking them for their recent gift and explaining how their donation is making a difference. Remember that this letter is just an appreciation letter so resist the urge to slip in a "passive ask" by including a return envelop.

To create the procedure, first decide on how often you want to re-mail your first time donors. If it is monthly, then set your procedure so that on the 15th or 20th of each month a list of first time donors from the previous month will be sent the second thank you letter. By waiting to the middle of the next month, donors at the end of the month will have some time between the first and second letter. This principle applies also if you are doing quarterly first time thank you letters.

Showing your first time donors that you appreciate them and their gift will go a long way toward insuring their second gift.

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Thank you for your time and interest in DonorExpress Software.
Bob Holder
DonorExpress Software
PO Box 1126
Boone, NC 28607
828.264.2577
info@donorexpress.com
www.donorexpress.com