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What Nonprofits Can Learn From Las Vegas

1/27/2020

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I was in Las Vegas not long ago and boy has it changed. 

Vegas started out as the gambling capital of America. However, as Indian casinos have become more ubiquitous and states have moved to loosen restrictions on betting and gambling, Vegas has been forced to rebrand.

Today, Las Vegas is the center of nightlife. It’s where all the hottest parties are day or night. Celebrities are paid to show up at various events and venues, their mere presence elevating the party to a whole new level.

It doesn’t take long to see what makes Vegas so unique. It’s all about the way they treat you when you’re there. They make you feel special, like a queen; the most important person in the room. 

Nonprofits everywhere should take note. Most of the things that Las Vegas does to make you happy and keep you coming back can be translated to nonprofit fundraising and donor cultivation.

1. They don’t say no. No one says no. Ever. If you are in Vegas and you want something, someone will make it happen. In the nonprofit world, when things are hard or the request is strange, most of us say no. Stop doing that. Start saying, “Sure, I’ll see what I can do.”

2. They make you offers you can’t refuse. Vegas attracts you with a clever use of the fear of missing out, or FOMO. They send you emails raving about the cool new thing happening, emails filled with images and videos of people having the time of their lives. 

Nonprofits, on the other hand, communicate mostly in dire terms. We write our donors about lost funding, saving kittens, or emergency appeals. 

It’s so easy to ignore an email from a nonprofit. Do you know who it’s not easy to ignore an email from? Vegas. They grab your attention, they personalize communications. They go out of the way to make you feel important.

Many nonprofits have stopped using the phone. They’ll send a handful, or bagful, of emails each year, but they won’t call, they won’t text, and they certainly won’t swing by. If Vegas wants to get ahold of you, they are going to reach out through every available channel. And they aren’t going to stop.

So many nonprofits have more information than they can fit into a weekly or monthly newsletter. They’ll keep pushing things back to the next edition, unwilling to accept that the information is never going to make any edition. Stop doing this! Send out a second email, send a text, push the information out over social media. Communicate with your donors.

3. They take care of you. When you are in Las Vegas, they take care of you really well. Insanely well. You never want for anything. If you have money to spend in Vegas, they will get it out of you. Heck, even if you don’t have money to spend, they will get it out of you.

Nonprofits are essentially doing the same thing. We want to get money out of people. The only difference is that people tend to feel better after making a donation to a nonprofit than they do after a weekend in Vegas. So, in theory, it should be even easier to convince people to give. But it’s not, because Vegas does a better job of making people feel good.

Nonprofits should ask themselves what they can do to take care of their donors. The answer is probably an increase in personalized communication.

4. They excel at fostering a specific feeling. I started clubbing when I turned sixteen. I’ve been in and out of my fair share of nightclubs. And I can tell you that Vegas excels at selling a very specific feeling. The feeling that you are important, a rockstar, a big shot. Vegas celebrates every single purchase you make. All the nightclubs have scantily clad men and women on staff serving drinks and talking to patrons. Why? Because it makes us feel good to think we have a shot at impressing these incredibly attractive, magnetic people. 

When you make a big purchase, like a bottle, they throw a party. There might be an announcement, a song and dance, or a parade. An attractive man or woman will be assigned to sit with your group and serve you all night. If you’re with a group of guys who perhaps look a bit dorky, a bit like you struggle in the dating department, they will send a gaggle of women to sit at your table so you feel amazing. Now I’m certainly not suggesting we have our development professionals dress in revealing clothes and hand out drinks, but I am suggesting that there’s a lesson in the Vegas experience. 

Nonprofits must go out of their way to make each and every donor feel like the most integral part of the entire nonprofit machine. We should be celebrating our donors for everything they do; every donation, every volunteer hour, every promotion at work, every time they are honored by another organization. 

Communications should be personalized at every opportunity, with more than just the donor’s name. Send out birthday cards, make phone calls just to chat about something they’re interested in. Invest in your donors as human beings, not just as bank accounts. Feeling good is what keeps people engaged in Vegas night after night, it will keep your donors engaged year after year. 

5. They keep very detailed notes on you. This isn’t unique to Las Vegas, all the major high-end establishments do it. This is something that very high-networth individuals are used to, but for the rest of us it’s another detail that makes us feel special. 

From the moment you check in to a hotel in Vegas they are keeping an eye on you. They record what you drink, what you eat, where you go, etc. They keep notes on everything. They do this so that when you come back the next time they can be like, “Oh Mrs. Annes, it’s nice to see you again. Here is your favorite iced tea.” That attention to detail, anticipating wants and needs, makes people feel incredibly important. 

Let me tell you a little story about someone I know. This lady is super fancy. Twenty years ago she stayed at the Four Seasons on Hawai’i. During her stay she ordered a particular iced tea. She went back the next year, they remembered her and brought her that same iced tea before she even asked. She has been a loyal customer of theirs for twenty years because of this one action.

High-end establishments and companies in Las Vegas keep track of your information using high-tech software. I’m not suggesting you do it this way. You just need to take notes about your donors. Keep track of their names, family members they talk about, interests, their birthday, etc. You can do this on your phone, in Google Docs, in Excel, whatever works best for you. Nonprofits must care enough to take a real interest in their donor’s lives, to take notes, and to prepare before seeing them again.

6. They know what you like and use it to reel you back in. If you spend a night at a club drinking Fireball, you can bet they will remember that’s what you were drinking. At some point in the future, they will send you an email advertising a special deal on Fireball just for you next time you’re in town. They know what you like and they aren’t afraid of using it against you. 

When you think about it, this practice is just email segmentation. Nonprofits can easily do this using any email list software that allows you to segment your lists. Sort people by birthday, giving anniversary, personal interests, whatever you like. Make as many lists as you like. This will only help you to precisely target your communications.

7. Vegas has changed with the generations. The Vegas of yesteryear is long gone, replaced with a younger, hipper, more vibrant, nightlife focused Vegas. They changed with the time in order to not get left behind. Nonprofits must do the same thing. 

We need to embrace technology and trends as they come. We need to get comfortable with social media because that’s where our future donors are. Your donor base may not be primarily made up of millennials today, but before long it will be. We millennials love technology and social media. Get comfortable with these things now so you don’t get left behind as your older donors phase out.

Capitalize on things younger generations love, like Instagram. Vegas does an excellent job of creating Instagram worthy moments: Burgers you have to wear a lab coat to eat, milkshakes as big as your head, photo locations perfectly arranged to suit that Insta lifestyle. Get out of your comfort zone and work on incorporating Instagram worthy moments into your events.

This really all boils down to one thing: Treating donors like people, not like bank accounts. Nonprofits must invest in their donors as human beings. We should communicate with them regularly, not just to share updates and ask for donations, but just to say, “Hi.” Communications should be personalized as much as possible. Think of it as building a community and tending to friendships. Donors should feel like they are an integral part of the community that supports the nonprofit. They should feel special and they should feel valued.
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Inside My Business: Events Aren’t Always What They Seem

1/20/2020

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There’s a surprising amount of jealousy in the nonprofit world, especially when it comes to events. 

Fundraising events and galas can be flashy, star-studded affairs. The coverage of which can make it seem like every nonprofit around is more successful than yours. But, that’s just not true.

People almost always exaggerate. If you read a press release stating that the local animal shelter raised a staggering $1.6 million at their latest event, pay attention to the information that isn’t included in that press release. 

You don’t know where that revenue came from. Was it strictly donations, or are they factoring in ticket sales, sponsorships, underwriting, etc? 

You don’t know what their goal was. Yes, $1.6 million is absolutely an impressive, staggering amount of money. But if their goal for the evening was $3 million, it wasn’t a fundraising success. They did not meet their goal and will now have to rethink their budgetary priorities.

In American culture we are trained to look up at the wealthier, more successful, more beautiful people around us. We see this everywhere online. Social media has certainly exacerbated the issue, but celebrity culture has always existed.

What we forget to do is look around us at the people doing the work. We overlook the small nonprofits doing amazing work on a shoestring budget with two full-time employees. We overlook the nonprofits who would love to be able to host a fundraising event or throw a party.

Always be grateful for the donors who support your nonprofit, no matter what. They believe in you and the work you are doing enough to give you some of their hard-earned dollars. It doesn’t matter what the nonprofit down the street is working on or how much they raised last quarter. What matters is the work you are doing today.  
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Do You Need a Charity Auctioneer When Using Giving Technology?

1/13/2020

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Giving technology comes up frequently with a number of my clients. It’s remains one of the newest trends in fundraising, and it’s worth looking into how you can best utilize it at your next event. 

Today, we’re going to talk about technology that allows nonprofits to use apps, tablets, and cell phones to facilitate their Fund-A-Need.

You can use technology to run your Fund-A-Need in two ways:
  1. Go through the Fund-A-Need levels just as you normally would, asking people to raise their paddles and pausing at each level to have them enter their gift into tablets at their tables.
  2. The person leading your Fund-A-Need stands on stage and says, “Ready. Set. Give.” Everyone uses the tablets at their table to give and you’re done in just a few minutes. 

Giving technology always recommends that you hire a charity auctioneer to facilitate the technology at your event. But, is that really necessary?

No. It’s not.

The truth is, if you are using technology to facilitate your Fund-A-Need, you don’t need a charity auctioneer. Your Fund-A-Need will run just fine without one. 

Here’s why: 

First, technology like this can make your Fund-A-Need go a million times faster. You’re done in just a few minutes. 

Second, there’s nothing a charity auctioneer can say on stage during this time, that a staff member or volunteer can’t say. You need a cheerleader to stand on stage for the few minutes the Fund-A-Need will last and say things like:
  • We’re looking for 100% participation. If you haven’t given yet, please take out your tablet, click the link, and make your gift.
  • Wow! Look at this generosity. Thank you so much.
  • We’re going to make a huge impact with these donations
  • Wow! Look at that thermometer jump up!

Anyone can do that, for far less money than a charity auctioneer costs. Where I live, nonprofits can expect to pay at least $3,000 for a charity auctioneer. With a Fund-A-Need like this, that’s $1,000 a minute! Save your money and use an enthusiastic staff member or volunteer.

Why I Don’t Do Technology-Based Fund-A-Needs
Two clients recently asked me to assist with Fund-A-Needs using giving technology. I went over their numbers with them and we had a conversation about what they could expect from this type of Fund-A-Need. The truth is, running a Fund-A-Need like this is not going to bring in a lot of money. You might match your total from the year before, but you certainly won’t see an increase and you may very well raise less.

This is the reason I personally don’t take jobs that include a technology-based Fund-A-Need. I used to, until I realized that it’s not the best thing for the nonprofit or for my business. I can’t confidently guarantee that I can raise your nonprofit more money. And, my services are not inexpensive. My services are an investment. It doesn’t make sense for nonprofits to pay both my fee and the price of using the technology.

Professionally, it’s not worth it for me to take these jobs either, because every single time I am in front of an audience I am in front of new potential clients. Fund-A-Needs with giving technology do not allow me to best showcase my skills. Any business owner interested in growing their business will tell you that they must do their very best for every single client. Auctions like this don’t allow me to do my very best. 

If you want an increase in your Fund-A-Need revenue, you need a charity auctioneer on stage to manipulate the energy in the room and get people to give. People don’t give as much to their phone as they do to a person.

Technology can certainly help your nonprofit save time on the Fund-A-Need. However, you are going to make less money and you’re going to pay more to hire an auctioneer and use the technology than you would just hiring a charity auctioneer to run a full Fund-A-Need at your next event.

I’m not saying that giving technology can’t have a positive impact on your fundraising. It can be incredibly effective at increasing the revenue and reach of silent auctions, for example. I just don’t think the Fund-A-Need is the right place to use this technology.

Does your nonprofit use technology to facilitate the Fund-A-Need? What do you see as the pros and cons of this approach? Let me know in the comments.
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Fund-A-Need in Ten Minutes or Less

1/10/2020

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It’s not uncommon for clients to ask me how they can speed up their Fund-A-Need.

I always recommend that nonprofits do a full Fund-A-Need at their event. It’s the absolute best way to raise the most money in the least amount of time. However, a full Fund-A-Need can take some time. More time than some nonprofits want to allocate to it. 

A full Fund-A-Need with between six and eight giving levels, in a full room of motivated donors can take up to 25 minutes to complete. But, that 25 minutes can potentially generate up to $500k (depending on the size of the room, giving capacity of the donors, nonprofit engagement, etc). 

It really is worth your time.

What happens though, if your nonprofit has already front-loaded your fundraising? If you’ve already approached your major donors individually and they’ve made large donations or are sponsoring the event in some capacity?

In cases like this, while I still recommend a full Fund-A-Need, you can make the choice to take a faster approach.

Let’s talk about how you can do a Fund-A-Need in ten minutes or less?

Giving Technology 
Technology is hands-down the fastest way to run a Fund-A-Need. You can be done with the entire Fund-A-Need in three minutes.

The main downside to this approach is that when people pull out their phone or tablet at an event, there’s really no way to know what they are doing. Sure, they say they’re making a donation, but how do you know they aren’t checking their email or texting their friends? 

Bidding technology also undercuts the communal nature of the Fund-A-Need. What’s designed as a communal moment of giving to a shared cause becomes a moment of solitary screen time. 

You also won’t get big gifts in a text-to-give situation. People give money to people, not to screens. I’ve written before about the invisible ingredients of a Fund-A-Need, having a charity auctioneer who knows how to manipulate those ingredients will always make your nonprofit more money.

A Three-Level Fund-A-Need 

Restrict your Fund-A-Need to just three giving levels. Set your levels at $1,000, $500, and $5, or something similar. 

This approach has the benefit of momentum, energy, and participation. You’ll get a ton of participation because the giving levels during this type of Fund-A-Need tend to be lower, but you won’t make as much money. However, if all your major donors have already made a donation, then it really doesn’t matter. 

This approach takes about ten minutes, but I don’t recommend it unless all your major donors have already donated at a high level.

A Paddle Pick Up 
This is another modified Fund-A-Need that is super speedy. Set five giving levels for a larger range of giving opportunities. You’ll need volunteers to go around the room with boxes, clearly labelled with each giving level. 

Your auctioneer announces a giving level and then pauses so that everyone who wants to give at that level can put their paddle in the air. The room cheers and says thank you, then those people drop their paddles into the corresponding bin. 

What I love about this approach is that it’s very fast, but it does kill the energy and participation levels. No one really feels appreciated. There’s also not as much pressure to give because things are moving so fast. 

This Fund-A-Need can be done in about eight minutes.

Centerpiece Fund-A-Need
This is a Fund-A-Need that I created for a client of mine who had a very specific request. They wanted to do a Fund-A-Need that would feel equal for every donor at every level. I call this method the Centerpiece Fund-A-Need. 

For this one, get a large bucket or container that you can fill with dirt, sand, gravel, glass pebbles, etc. Then collect a bunch of small dowels or sticks and top them with an image that connects to your nonprofit. On this image there should be space for your donors to write their names and donation amounts. 

When you do the Fund-A-Need you only make one ask. You ask everyone to write their donation on their mini-paddle and come up and plant their paddle in the container. 

The great thing about this approach is that you can do it at any point in the evening. You can even ask multiple times. The display of mini-paddles gives the room a visual manifestation of their giving. There are no set levels with this approach which also opens it up to everyone, no matter their giving capacity. It’s very low pressure and allows everyone to feel good about participating.

A faster Fund-A-Need is possible, but your nonprofit will have to make a trade off. You’ll very likely raise less money than you would with a full Fund-A-Need. If you are looking to save time on your next Fund-A-Need, consider approaching all of your major donors ahead of the event and securing their donations ahead of time to mitigate the drop in Fund-A-Need donations.   
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A Day in the Life of a Charity Auctioneer

1/6/2020

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I’m always curious to hear how other people run their businesses; what a typical day looks like and how they stay on top of everything. I find the different ways of doing things endlessly fascinating and sometimes I learn new strategies that I can incorporate into my life. 

I hope I’m not the only one who finds this interesting because today I’m going to give you a look at my typical day when I don’t have an auction in the evening.

My day starts bright and early at 6:30 a.m. I get the baby up and then go wake my two older kids. Our mornings are pretty busy, so I try to make breakfast the night before when I can. 

As an aside: I LOVE MAKING BREAKFAST FOOD. My love for breakfast food is deep and unyielding. Pancakes, waffles, banana bread, fancy breakfast pastries. I make it all. 

At 7:45 a.m. I do the morning school run. That’s the latest we can leave if there’s any hope of being at school on time.

At 9:00 a.m. the nanny arrives and I am free to start my work day. From 9:00 a.m. to noon you’ll find me in my home office, sitting in front of the computer with headphones on. I slog through emails and notifications, put work together for clients, and sometimes have a client call or two.

At noon I try to exercise for at least 45 minutes. I hate cardio, so I don’t do it. Instead you’ll find me doing a combination of weight training, pilates, and yoga.

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. is reserved for new client calls, working with my assistant, writing contracts, doing billing, etc. By 3:00 p.m. I am out the door to pick the kids up from school.

3:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. is family time. I don’t look at my phone, check email, or do anything for my business. Instead I’m helping with homework and playing with my kids. I’m lucky to have the privilege of arranging my life this way. I am able to run my business and be with my kids every day. That’s not something I take for granted. 

At 6:00 p.m. we do kid dinner and then the kids get ready for bed. I would love nothing more than to sit down with my kids and enjoy a meal, but they are not enjoyable to eat with. They are three tiny, tyrannical customers and I am their short order cook.

Sometime after the kids are in bed I’ll eat dinner. I do intermittent fasting. It’s something I’ve done since my early twenties, before I knew it had a name. Most days I only eat one meal in the evening, though I do consume coffee and tea throughout the day. 

From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. I’m back in front of my computer tying up any loose ends from the day. There are some days where I don’t have any work left to do, when that happens I’m cleaning the kitchen, listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video, and making breakfast for the next day. These podcasts and videos are never work related. If I’m listening to a nonprofit podcast, I’m driving in the car to an event. My favorite podcasts to listen to for pleasure are story-based podcasts. Two of my current favorites are Ear Hustle and Armchair Expert. As you know if you’ve read Ten Things You Don’t Know About Me, I’m obsessed with skincare. If I’m watching YouTube videos, they’re probably about skincare.

After all that is done, I’ll sit down to watch some TV. And I love me some TV. My current favorite show, my guilty pleasure, is Alone. I watch Glow, The Handmaid’s Tale, and all that popular stuff too, but my absolute favorite right now is Alone.

Then, I go to bed. 

And that’s it, that’s my day if I don’t have an auction to go to in the evening. It’s busy, but I’m grateful that I’m able to do what I love while taking care of my family.
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Online Raffles: Prizeo and Omaze

1/3/2020

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A client recently asked me:

We have a lot of people in our community who cannot afford to come to our event, but would like an opportunity to participate from home for a very low price point. What can we do?

I told them about Prizeo and Omaze. Two very similar services that allow you to run an online raffle for a very reasonable price.

Here’s how it works.

Your nonprofit works with the site to set up a raffle for an amazing prize. Your supporters, and people from all over the world, donate as little as $10 for a chance to win the prize. 

It’s that easy.

This is a great option for nonprofits who have a lot of donors who cannot attend their annual events. It’s also an amazing opportunity to reach philanthropic-minded people around the world who may not hear about your nonprofit any other way.

Next time you’re looking for a way to engage supporters who can’t attend your event, check out Prizeo and Omaze.
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