Education Mostly

WASB Wisconsin State Education Convention 2012

2012-02-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Lots of Innovation Happening in Small Communities

When I submitted my proposal to present a seminar aboutsustainability through community engagement at this year’s WASB State Education Convention, I didn’t really expect to get an invitation.

The reason? Whilethere is no shortage of small groups of people and individual schools doingcreative and successful things to raise the bar for student achievement, youusually don’t see that type of passion and enthusiasm for change at the schooldistrict level.

I was asked to be prepared for 75 attendees; I broughtenough materials for 100 and it wasn’t enough. There weren’t even enough chairs for the more than 110 people whoattended my seminar titled Sustainabilitythrough Community Engagement. Notonly that, more than 30 people bought my book *The Secret to Better Schools; a New Mindset for Engaging the Community,and 24 schools requested a free consultation to learn about how alinea can helpthem secure community support to achieve their amazing visions for theirschools.

The energy in theroom was hopeful, exciting and contagious. One of the attendees, a school board member in one of these amazingcommunities hurried up to me after the seminar exclaiming, “I want to join yourteam and do this amazing work!” And guess what? This past week she joined alinea, LLC for her first team meeting. Stay tuned for more developments!

Shortlyafter, we headed back to the booth, where a steady stream of principals,superintendents and school board members proudly shared the excitinginitiatives and public-private partnerships they were already forming. It was so exciting, and even hugs were shared.

My team and I have always enjoyed working with schools insmaller communities. It doesn’t takelong to experience the unique personality of a community, nor does it take longfor people to step up once there is a clear vision. We talked with education leaders from the topof the state like Bayfield, Washburn, Drummond and Manitowish to the tip ofDoor County like Oconto, Gibralter, Little Chute, Seymour and Crandon to thewest of Milwaukee like Wisconsin Dells and Montello.

The passion and optimism of these school leaders was so refreshing! All they need is a little confidence to knowthat the community will be there for them if they can learn how to ask forsupport. That’s were alinea comesin. We love helping schools attractresources by teaching them how to inspire people with their stories, be clearerabout what they need and how people can help, and strategically cultivaterelationships.

We’reso excited to hit the road and bring our proven model to school districts allover the state!

*P.S. Following the conference, "The Secret to Better Schools" made it onto Bobby Tanzilo's OnMilwaukee.com blog! What a great way to start 2012.

Stay tuned for more developments, we have a lot to share!

A Shift in Mindset about What’s Possible

2012-01-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

by Guest Blogger Shemagne O'Keefe

Say hello to 2012! Wehave started a new year and reached the time where the expectation is we willresolve to change specific things in our lives. For many, including myself, itappears to be all about weight, health and wellness goals. Notice how the gym’s start to crowd withnew-years “resolutioners” until their resolve is broken and the crowds taperback to pre-new years levels for another year.

What causes thatphenomenon? I think it’s because change ishard and the new habits that support change are hard to develop. And lets face it: losing weight is hard. Why so hard? Because I, among so many others, focus too much on the losing. We focus on the problem instead of thesolutions. This is SO not motivating and certainly not inspiring.

So what’s thesolution to this dilemma? I think it’snew mindset that focuses on gaining…yep, even though my resolve is to “lose”weight? In other words, if I am wildlysuccessful at achieving my ideal weight, what will I gain with that? Hmmmm….

· Confidence in myself

· New Knowledge about foods, cooking and fitness andwhat works for me and my body

· New Strategies for being healthy, fit and well forthe long haul

· Results Achieving my ideal weight!

If I am wildlysuccessful, I will be achieving more than just my ideal weight. My family, friends, co-workers will also beaffected in some way. My confidence willbe reflected in my work, lifestyle habits and outlook, which will definitely havean impact on those around me.

So what will thesechanges look like? What choices do Ineed to make today and what do I need right now in order to move toward thisvision for my wellness and future health? What if I had help (a coach) tostart moving me toward this vision for success?

A New Mindset = New Possibilities

Transformation beginswhen we are able to see, believe and work toward what is possible instead ofwhat seems impossible. My personal journey of transformationtoward good health is similar to what alinea’s nonprofit and school clientsbegin when they come to us for help.

You see, schools and nonprofits have a scarcitymentality and for good reason. They too, are focused on the losing instead ofthe gaining just like most of us, and frankly our entire culture.

It seems in thiseconomy we are constantly engaged in losing, cutting, slashing, reducing andchopping. We are cutting taxes, slashingthe budget, reducing the deficit, canceling benefits, spending less, and eliminatingprograms. All of this, cutting, slashing,cancelling, chopping and spending less, is holding schools and organizationsback from truly meeting student and client needs.

alinea challengesclients to change their perspective. Instead of thinking about the problem, they are challenged to think anddream of gaining…increasing, giving, sharing, inviting and attracting. Theyare challenged to focus on solutions and visions for the future. This shift to a mindset of possibilities iswhere transformation begins!

Transformationhappens when our clients see, believe, and start working toward their visions -from a place of abundance –knowing that all the money, resources and partnersneeded are out there!

It is a mindbender, Iknow! But this shift in mindset is what makes it possible foralinea clients succeed. Solutions are thekey to innovation, results and long-term sustainability.

Ask our client CoreyNavis at Sheboygan Christian School and Sheboygan Christian High School, “This stuff works!Call me and I’ll tell you all about it!”

So what does it looklike if your school or nonprofit is wildly successful? What is happeningfor the students, staff, teachers, board members, school families andneighborhood if your organization is achieving its mission? In 2012, commit togaining! Focus on solutions and picture what’s possible. Startworking toward your big visions. Free your mind of a losing mentality becauseyou’ve really got everything to gain!

Shemagne O’Keefe is VicePresident of Relationship Strategy for alinea, LLC. She has been with the company since 2006 and worked with our Founder and President Deb Lukovich to develop alinea’sunique approach to Community Engagement Coaching. Having worked for over 20 years in the areasof fund development, marketing and special events for large nonprofitsincluding United Way, United Performing Arts Fund, Milwaukee Public Museum and MilwaukeeSymphony Orchestra, Shemagne is an expert at scaling what the large nonprofitorganizations do regarding relationship based fundraising for small nonprofits,churches and schools.

Shemagne recommends you keep “bendingyour mind” in the New Year! Come back for our weekly blog and also plan to visit:

Odewire.com - News for Intelligent Optimists

Wouldn’t it make sense to readthe latest about promising news developments and success stories? Don’t you love knowing about what is workingin the world? That’s what OdeWire is for. Your news source for stories on solutions instead of problems. Research suggests a positive news dietsupports your health in this challenging world. You've got everything to gain! Enjoying my favoritediscovery of 2011! Odewire.com

A Personal Story

2012-01-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

As I excitedly get ready to launch our plans for 2012, Ithought I’d take a moment to share some the motivation and passion behind thework my company does.

I never anticipated building a company full of people thatlove helping schools and nonprofits attract resources and achieve more thanthey think possible. But here we are atthe beginning of a new year and after eight years of creating a model thatworks and a reputation of results for almost 100 schools and nonprofits.

They say that when you find the work that results from yourpassion intersecting with your talents, it doesn’t feel like work – it feelslike play. That is how I feel about thework of alinea.

I want to share a story about my journey. Three things happened at about the same timethat put me on my path.

Three Gifts From the Universe

As I look back I realize that the challenges on my lifejourney have been gifts from the universe that have allowed me to combine mypassion to have a positive impact on the world with my talent to inspire andempower people and organizations to achieve more than they think they can.

The First Gift – My Son Billy

Within four weeks after my son Billy started kindergarten ata school in one of the top two schools districts in the state, we got our firstcall from his teacher. During group timedown on the carpet, Billy couldn’t sit still; he would do a somersaults. When standing in line Billy would be the oneto swing his backpack around and inadvertently hit another child. That was the start of what has become a verylong journey of two parents trying to meet the needs of their child within aneducation environment that values its systems over meeting the education needsof individual students.

The most important thing I learned was to trust my instinctsabout whether my child’s needs were being met and if I hit a road block to moveup the chain of decision makers. Forfive years we battled against language like “this is our system,” “Billy ismaking poor choices,” and “bad behavior.” Until this year, none of his teachers took much time to get to knowBilly as an individual. Billy wasevaluated by the school system, outside of the school system, never finding anytype of definite diagnosis. Billy has alittle sensory integration issue, is very verbal and likes to use hishands. All his teachers agree he’sbright, but he’s awkward with his peers. We’ve seen child psychologists to help him with his behavior inschool. Having an IEP (individualizededucation plan) was a disaster, doing more harm than good because of its focuson special education versus individual needs.

After all these years, today Billy has the best teacherever. She focuses on finding ways tokeep Billy engaged, and she helped us discover that anxiety drove many ofBilly’s distracting behaviors. The loveand creativity of his teacher, our unwavering message to Billy that he isunique and wonderful, and a very low dose of medication to help with hisanxiety has changed his life. He’smaking friends, focusing in school and most important, he doesn’t start the daywith a stomach ache anymore.

The Second Gift –Launching a New School

About the same time my son entered kindergarten, I was askedto be the first founding board member of a new charter school located in theinner City of Milwaukee and serving low-income families. During my interview with the founder, I asked“Why me? I don’t have any experiencewith schools or education policy.” Iadded, “I’m just a parent with children who go to school in a top performingschool district.” But the founder ofthis school said, “That’s why I want you on my board.” She didn’t want an insider. She wanted someone who wasn’t tied to thestatus quo, as well as someone who would know how to secure resources for theschool and build community support. Thisexperience taught me a lot about education reform, how charter schools getapproved, the extent to which politics impacts and gets in the way of makingdecisions that are in the best interest of children.

The Third Gift – Charter Schools Ask for Our Help

In about 2000 the City of Milwaukee was blessed with an $18million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the SmallSchool Initiative. An organization wascreated to facilitate the creation of ultimately about 40 new charterschools. In about 2005, one of thesecharter schools came to us feeling very nervous about their ability to keeptheir new school sustainable over the long term. The group of teachers who designed an amazingcurriculum realized they didn’t have expertise to build community support. For nine months, we worked with this schoolto help them tell their story, build community awareness, communicate withparents and recruit professionals to sit on committees to help them withmarketing. Soon after, we were asked byanother charter school to help them build community support, and then another. We became sponges for education reform, and webegan to make observations about a very important gap not being address inschools, namely sustainability through community engagement. This experience became the seed for what isnow our proven model for securing community support and resources.

In a way, I was personally led to this work, this way ofhaving a positive impact on the world. And it has not been difficult to attract people to the alinea team whoalso have a passion for education. People want to help, but they don’t know what to do. When a school hires alinea, they learn how toinspire people with their story, be clearer about what they need and how peoplecan help, and strategically cultivate relationships in order to build communitysupport and resources.

The overwhelming response I get from people who attend mypresentations is “You give us hope that we can do this?” You see, the issue isn’t money; there’splenty of money in the world. The issueis doing what’s in the best interest of children and then learning how toeffectively engage the community in your mission.

Every day, my son William is a constant inspiration andreminder of the importance of the work that alinea does and the need to bringour message of focusing on what’s possible to communities everywhere.

I hope you will join the alinea team and me on our journeyto provide education to children that engages and inspires them to bring theirpassion and talents to others so they may fulfill their unique purpose.

How You Can Help

Here are four easy ways you can contribute to the reach ofour work:

1. Become a follower of my blog andpass it along to others, and join our email list.

2. Refer us to a school or nonprofitthat could benefit by alinea’s unique community engagement program.

3. Purchase my book, The Secret to Better Schools; A New MindsetFor Engaging the Community, and give it as a gift.

4. Make a donation to the alineaFoundation in order to empower organizations with few resources to benefit byour community engagement program. Please email me for more information.

The 2011 alinea Holiday Giving Guide

2011-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

During this busy time ofyear, while you are enjoying family and friends and counting your blessings,you might be planning year-end gifts to charities as well.

We wanted to take this timeto make you aware of all the amazing schools and nonprofits we have worked withthat could benefit by your donation.

Enjoy skimming our list andclick on the link to learn more about any that interest or inspire you. Feel free to contact me if you would like to receive a case statement for anyof them or schedule a tour.

Deb and the alinea teamwish you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Schools and Education

A2Accelerated AcademicsCharter and Jackson Elementary School Jackson Elementary School promotes high expectations, personalresponsibility, independence and life-long learning. Students develop academic aptitude, socialskills, creative talent and their personal best.

A² (Accelerated Academics) CharterElementary School utilizesstate of the art technology and innovative curriculum to promote creative,imaginative and critical thinking through personalized small group andproject-based experiences. Students are self directed, embrace challenges andare intellectually curious, willing to lead and accepting of others andthemselves.

As part of the Sheboygan Area School District, Jacksonand A² embrace all students, providing a comprehensive education model thatensures that each child is educated based on their unique skills and talents.

BHK Child DevelopmentBoard To ensure quality early childhoodeducation and family support by creating positive community involvement and byraising and distributing funds to support excellence and innovation ineducation.

Christthe King Palm Coast Christ the King iscommitted to serving, children, family, and community. Though there have beenmany blessings and successes so far, there are also big dreams for the future!

Oostburg Christian School The mission of OostburgChristian School is to provide distinctly Christian, quality education, whichwill equip God's children to function as Christians in society, church, andhome.

The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship empowers young people ages 9-24to see themselves as the CEO of me as they experience personal and professionalgrowth through programs and coaching related to financial literacy andentrepreneurship.

Divine Savior Lutheran Academy Divine Savior Academy will continuously integrate the wisdom of God's Wordwith the best pedagogical practices to offer a holistic education that allowsher students to grow in mind, body, and soul. DSA's faculty will continue togrow professionally by means of seminars, workshops, and advanced studies inorder to provide the students of our church and community a challenging,developmentally appropriate and balanced curriculum.

Janus College Preparatory and ArtsAcademies (JCPAA) isa not-for-profit organization designed to prepare students for apost-secondary education and a career.

KingsAcademy Mission: To motivate, educate and elevate all students to becomeproductive citizens through a curriculum that promotes academic excellence.

Lutheran Urban MissionInitiative (LUMIN) is setting a new standard for effective, Christ-centered,results oriented urban education in Milwaukee. Under God's provision, we havedeveloped a network of Lutheran schools that shares resources and expertise tocreate safe, high-quality Lutheran schools focused on educational success,leadership development and spiritual growth.

Mt. Lebanon Empowering studentsto excel in their academic life, Inspiring students toact as Christians, Equipping families to walk the path to heaven

NE WI Montessori CharterSchool is a parent- and teacher-initiated, community-supported school offeringauthentic Montessori education beyond the already existing private schoolswhich serve ages 3 through kindergarten. The school enrolls students in grades1-6.

Red Cedar EnvironmentalInstitute To givestudents the opportunity to take ownership of their education by developing 21^stCentury skills in a challenging, comprehensive, project-based learningenvironment with a focus on the Earth system.

Roosevelt I.D.E.A. School (Instructional Differentiation for Education Achievement) Schoolvalues the unique strengths and talents of each child. We are committed to creating a path ofinstruction best suited to meet individual student needs. We accomplish this by setting high expectations for each student, offering diverse learning materials, encouraging student ownership of learning, providing opportunities to community resources, fostering character development, engaging learning opportunities, every child finds success in the classrooms, sense of belonging, contributing members/role in community, and a nurturing environment.

SCCHS Sheboygan CountyChristian High School partners with parents to help students develop theBiblical understanding, tools and proper heart necessary to serve God in hisworld.

Sheboygan Christian Schoolpartners withfamilies and the community to provide an excellent education rooted in Biblicaltruth. Our students grow in their knowledge of God and His creation and respondin service to Him.

Shiocton InternationalLeadership Academy empowers studentsin grades 6-11 to become confident, caring and engaged citizens of the world.

St. Marcus Lutheran School and Church We seek to make the compassionate love of God visible andtangible through our church, school and community outreach programs, byreaching out and inviting everyone to celebrate God’s love, strengthen theirfaith, lead positive lives and share their gifts with others.

St. Patrick ParishSchool, beingfaithful to the Gospel of Jesus, provides a strong academic foundation whileteaching the beliefs and traditions of our faith.

Wauwatosa School of the Tradesprepares students for success in college and a career in the tradesprofessions. Students in grades 11 and 12 experience a rigorous collegeprep curriculum while learning the technical skills needed to pursue alucrative career in the trades. Students who thrive at our school areself motivated and have an intense interest in building. They are seriousabout pursuing a career in the trades or seek an innovative hands-on approach tolearning as they prepare for college.

At-Risk Youth

Above the Clouds, IncIncorporated in 2001, Above the Clouds, Inc. is a non-profit, faith-based,free, creative arts program, which originated to reach disadvantaged childrenages 5-17 years old in the Milwaukee area who would otherwise not have themeans, or opportunity to participate in such programs.

House of Love Youth Homes, Inc. is a Christian-basedorganization, which prepares youth to lead self-sufficient lives by providingthe loving family environment that is missing in their lives. We do thisthrough our group homes and independent living support programs.

Kingdom PrincessSociety Our mission is to assist daughters of God who've moved theirpermanent residence from the World to theKingdom in order to firmly establish their dignity, destiny and duty asPrincesses.

New Beginings are PossibleChristian Youth Center providesurban youth exposed to at-risk conditions in Milwaukee with a Biblically-basedmoral foundation needed to make healthy choices to become contributing membersof the community.

Servant Manor Ourvision is achieved through our mission to improve family reunification andpermanency rates, utilize the least restrictive environmental treatment approach,deliver youth behavioral treatment in residential and non-residential settings,and offer family support services. To this extend we have createdpartnerships with leading community care providers, social services agencies,businesses, foundations, parents, mentors, and religious leaders who enable usto produce concrete results in the lives of our children and their families.

Tessa’s Black Entertainment and YouthCenter (TBEY) strengthens youth and young adults through exposure tothe arts and opportunities for creative expression. Youth and youngadults ages 6-19 receive professional arts instruction, enjoy performances andexhibits, and receive tutoring, mentoring and coaching to achieve academicallyand pursue their interest in the arts.

Arts and Culture

Community Arts and FunkFestival In addition to offering a lively, end of the summer culturaland artistic experience in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, the Community Arts& Funk Festival will offer its guests a multi-media artistic visualexperience of music and original art in a festival setting.

Cream City Baseball TheCream City Baseball Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to preserving and promotingthe game of base ball as it was played in its formative years of the 19^thcentury. This interactive style brings the game to life for the kids,families and communities we invite to share and participate in the uniqueexperience of a vintage base ball game.

OlderAdults

Interfaith Older AdultPrograms Since 1975, Interfaith has established many otherprograms focusing on quality services, social opportunities, and valuableresources to enhance the welfare of older adults and family caregivers whosupport them. Our Mission: Linking older adults with a caringcommunity.

Community

The Alma Center works tomotivate peaceful change through education in intimate relationships, familyand community. The Alma Center provides gender specific training, education andmentorship to men who have a history of perpetrating violence or abuse towardtheir partner.

Nehemiah rebuildswalls of our community one brick at a time through personal transformation.Like a caterpillar that surrounds itself by a cocoon and emerges as acompletely different insect, shedding its old skin, individuals emerge from thedifficult internal work required to address root causes of self-limitingbehavior, shedding their self- limiting beliefs and able to better respond totheir environment. We achieve our mission by combining personaltransformation with these four ministries: Prison After-Care support; Housing;Summer Learning Camp; Low-Cost Incubator Space.

Sheboygan Neighborhood Pride is a community resource empowering citizens to work together to improve theirneighborhoods, reduce crime and enhance the quality of life in the community.

Foundations andAssociations

National Christian Foundation isthe largest Christian grant-making foundation in the world. Our innovative,tax-smart solutions help you simplify your giving, multiply your impact, andglorify God. Since 1982, we have received over $4 billion in contributions andmade over $3 billion in grants to thousands of churches, ministries, andnon-profits.

WCCAAWisconsinChildcare Administrators Association To Support Each Other As ChildCare Administrators in Providing Quality Programming for Wisconsin's Families.

An Angel at the SOS Center

2011-12-06T23:17:00.001-08:00

Just after sharingthe last story about SOS Center, I received yet another testimonial from Jodi.I’ve written over and over about the power of telling your story in acompelling manner, and shared many of my clients’ successes. I was was so pleased with her testimonial, I just had to share this email These are her exact words, and hertestimonial speaks about the power of this new mindset.

Hello Everyone ~

Just wanted to share a story of an angel at the SOS Center. I metwith a member of Faith Lutheran in Germantown yesterday. She hadvolunteered at Faith to organize an activity between them and us to get somevolunteers to the Center. She lives in Milwaukee and has been aneducator for over 20 years, most of them in MPS. She is currently on theMPS Response to Intervention Service and Support Team. We spent most ofthe hour and a half talking about her experiences in MPS and shereaffirmed that what we are doing at the Center is a huge support toMPS schools and students.

At the end of our tour she happened to leave at the same time as therepairman. (The furnace in the upstairs back was at 43 degrees onWednesday morning). She had heard my conversation with him thatit wasn't major and he fixed it right away. She stopped him at his vanand paid our bill! It is not even so much the $90.82 she saved us, butthe fact that she thinks enough of the SOS Center and what we aredoing here to do that for us!! I called her a few minutes later to thankher immediately.

This is exactly what alinea is talking about!! We'velearned to tell our story in a more compelling manner and I learned about herand her interests first and I never asked her for anything! She is going toorganize a day to get a group from Faith here to volunteer, and use hercontacts to try and get us some After School tutors through MPS!

This is a wonderful testament to all of us and the work we aredoing at the Center. We are so blessed! Thank you all forcontinuing to work and support the SOS Center, it is worth it!

Peace and Grace,

JodiKessel Lyon
Executive Director
SOS Center, Inc.

The SOS Center - Finding the Sustainability to Continue to Touch Lives

2011-11-23T12:16:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today I am sharing with you the story of one of my clients, the SOS Center, a non-profit that has worked in the community of Milwaukee for 30 years.

The SOS Center of Milwaukee

For nearly 30 years, SOS Center has been empowering childrenand adults to overcome poverty through their education programs.

Thirty percent of households in the surrounding area earnless than $15,000 a year. Neighborhoodstudents are part of the MPS school district, where overall proficiency/advancedrates reach only 62% in reading at the 8^th grade level and only 50%in Math in 8^th grade.

Through its GED Preparation Classes, After School HomeworkProgram, Adult Basic Education, Youth Summer Camp, English as a Second Languageand Sewing Classes, the SOS Center touches the lives of each child and adultthey connect with and support.

Just ask Darlene, who dropped out of school in the 10^thgrade and by the age of 16 was pregnant and married. After raising two childrenas well as grandchildren and working as a housekeeper for over 20 years, she signedup for free GED classes at the SOS Center at the age of 52. Though she felt at times she felt like givingup, she completed her GED, and scored a rare perfect 800 on her Reading Test,where only a score of 410 was required to pass.

But as with any non-profitorganization, the key to continuing to touch the lives of people like Darleneis financial sustainability. With thisunderstanding, Jodi Kessel Lyon, the Executive Director of the SOS Center,signed up for Deb Lukovich’s alinea seminar, “Learn the Secret toSustainability.” After attending, Jodi learned that the key to financialsustainability was relationship fundraising and that her board members neededto adopt this new mindset. She knew her board and staff needed to find a betterway of telling the story of SOS Center’s hard and dedicated work.

“While we knew we were doing good work, we were stuck on howto share our story,” Jodi said. “We would meet someone and be so focused on ‘weneed money.’ We needed to build relationships, but struggled with theconversations we needed to have. We didn’t know how to get there.”

After selling this idea to her board, alinea was hired towork with SOS Center on strategic relationship cultivation as well as to createa compelling professional case statement to use to inspire people with theirstory. As soon as the case statement was created and presented to the board,Jodi already saw a renewed sense of engagement among them.

“I think they’re getting it. In August, one of the board members immediately contacted an old familyfriend and brought her in as a new board member. One of our committed boardmembers felt uncomfortable asking for anything. After she learned how to talk about SOS Center, she was able to getdonations and now feels very comfortable talking about the Center. Her husband became involved and after helearned how to tell our story, solicited a number of auction items for ourfundraiser,” continued Jodi.

Jodi saw by September that board members were more engagedin identifying relationships and positive where they hadn’t ever beenbefore. “Shemagne from alinea kept us ontask and truly got to know us. We even found the process fun. Everyone came up with contacts they had,thinking outside the box. The more theytalked the more excited they got. One idea led to another. Being this engagedin the positive at a board meeting hadn’t happened in a year,” Jodi exclaimed. “Thiswas exciting!”

With a renewed passion from her board and a new approach oftelling stories, Jodi feels excited and knows that SOS Center is on the righttrack. While SOS will always befundraising, in the future Jodi plans to find more sustainable fundraising toget beyond a critical point to allow SOS to concentrate more on programming. In2012, SOS Center would like to expand the Adult Basic Education Program,recruit more board members and volunteers as well as secure resources forongoing capital improvements.

“After working with alinea, we learned that we need theknowledge, and the commitment. We need the tools and skills,” Jodi said. “And we need to keep a relationship withalinea because this is just a tip of the iceberg of what we are capable of!”

How to Attract and Keep AWESOME Volunteers! Part I

2011-11-20T14:51:00.001-08:00

Are You Treating Your Volunteers Like MAJOR DONORS?

You should be! Alittle inspiration and genuine relationship building goes a long way!

Does any of the following sound familiar to you?

“After I learned about a XYZ organization, Icalled right away to find out how I could volunteer. I left a voicemail for someone, but I nevergot a call back.”

“WhileI was at an event, I met someone who worked for XYZ organization. I was really impressed, but when I asked howI could help, the person wasn’t sure.”

“Iwas really excited about volunteering for XYZ organization, but I thought Iwould get to do more than stuff envelopes.”

Howabout these comments?

“Wedon’t have enough volunteers.”

“Wehave lots of volunteers, but they don’t want to do what we need them to do.”

“Ican’t believe that when volunteers sign up to do something that they show uplate or not at all.”

Ifthis is what’s happening in your organization, you are not seeing people as thepotential gold mine they could be for your organization.

Ifyou’ve read my other blog postings, you will be familiar with my philosophy oflong-term sustainability for nonprofits and schools being dependent oneffective community engagement. Sustainability is not just about dollars, but also about people,partnerships, materials, internships and other kinds of resources.

Thatmeans the process of attracting and keeping volunteers is just like the processof attracting and building financial donations. The formula for effective community engagement = Story + Direction +Relationships.

Let’sapply this same formula to volunteers and see what it looks like.

Step #1 – Story – You need tobe able to tell your story in a way that inspires people to want to help.

Step #2 –Direction– You need to be able to answer the question, “What are your top threepriorities, what do you need to achieve them, and how can people help?”

Step #3 –Relationships – You need to build a genuine and mutually beneficialrelationship with each individual volunteer.

8Steps to attracting and keeping awesome volunteers (Part I)

Get out of the office. If you’re hoping to recruit the best volunteers from the comfort of your office, you’ve got it all wrong. Begin to see that every moment of every day is an opportunity to share your organization’s story, make a connection and identify an opportunity to bring volunteer talent to your organization.

Forexample, one day our client was paging through M Magazine when he cameupon an article about a local TV reporter and her quote, “Ilove Jesus and laughing children.”

Ourclient immediately felt a connection and wrote her a personal letter suggesting thatthey both had this in common. Thisprincipal of a school asked the TVreporter in his letter if she would be willing to tour his school. After coming on a tour andbecoming inspired about what this school was doing for children, the TVreporter dida two-part TV story on its students and has been volunteering ever since.

Imagine that every possible volunteer could make a donation of $10,000. You just never know.

Oneof my favorite people is Pat Molter! She’s helped start two nonprofit organizations and is one of the best outreach people I’ve ever met because she treats volunteers like they are the most critical part of the organization.

Infact, my team member Shemagne met Pat while working out at a local Curves. She immediately becamegenuinely interested in Shemagne’s life and what she did for a living.

Thenshe went on to inspire Shemagne with the stories of about three oganizationsdoing amazing things in Milwaukee.

Patrecently shared this story with me. House of Love, her organization serving teen girlsin foster care who need a group home environment, had just purchased a four apartment building that has now become a transition program for teen girls who become 18 and age out of the foster care system.

Afterthey purchased it, they found out that they needed to replace the roof in addition tomaking many, many repairs. Theapartment building had previously been inhabited by drugusers as well as a hoarder. “It was justdisgusting,” Pat remarked.

Onthis particular day, Pat was cleaning inside while an older group of menvolunteers were busy buildingshelves in the garage. Pat is veryadamant about always taking the time to meetwith the volunteers to share the House of Love story and ensure they understandhow important they are to the success of the organization. Well, Pat was feelingpretty disgusted after cleaning the inside of the apartment building and just wantedto go home and shower. But one of theorganization’s staff people reminded her thatshe needed to go talk to the volunteers first. Pat went out to greet thegroup of volunteers,share the House of Love story and shared her appreciation for their contribution before returning home to shower.

Twoweeks later, Pat got a call from one of the gentlemen. He told her, “I haven’t been ableto sleep for two weeks, until finally I received a message from God that I wasto helpHouse of Love.” Pat got excited thinking, “Maybe thismeans a $1,000 donation,” which would be a major gift. But to her surprise, her jaw dropped when he told her, “Pat,God has even given me an amount - $50,000.”

As you can see, the House of Love story really resonated with this man and hiswife, who had been abandoned themselves aschildren.

Be genuinely interested in people (without an agenda). People volunteer and make donations to organizations because it fills a need for them. While some people feel they have been blessed and compelled to give back to the community, for others, a specific issues they have personally been impacted by are what resonate. In addition, others are looking for an organization that currently needs their talents. In order to attract the volunteer that is a match for your organization, you need to know a lot about the other person.

WhenI was asked to run for president of The Park People, I immediately knew that theywere a match for my talents, and that I would really blossom professionallythrough this experience. However, I wasn't sure if they were readyfor me. Before I allowed them to vote meinto this position, I laid out myphilosophy, plans and my expectations of them in the process I was about totake them through. Only after theiragreement did I accept the challenge.

Inmy position as President of the organization, I actively sought out new people tosit on the board. I wasn’t as interestedin their resume as I was in their desire touse specific skills and talents, and how they saw themselves contributing. The first thing I did was ask them to talk about themselves. Then I shared The Park People story, our plans for the future and howtheir specific talents, skills and desires fit into achieving our goals.

IfI thought they would have a meaningful experience AND would contribute toward achievingthe organization’s goals, then I would recommend to the board that we considervoting them onas a board member.

It’s not about asking . . . for anything. It’s about being clear about your priorities, what is needed to achieve them and how people can help. The purpose of sharing your story is to inspire people to want to help. But if you stop there, the person doesn’t know how to help, so they may walk away and you lost an opportunity. Your story needs to also lay out your organization’s top priorities, what needs to happen to achieve them and how they can help.

Didyou know that there are more people volunteering than ever right now? Some people are looking for an opportunity tomake a meaningful contribution. Othersare looking for ways to keep their skills fresh or learn new skills that couldlead to a change in career. And many collegeage students and young professionals are looking for a chance to develop theirleadership skills. If volunteers can clearly match their skills to your opportunities, the relationship will prove mutually beneficial.

Let me know how your organization recruits and retains volunteers, what you have found successful and if you have you tried any of the above steps. Stay tuned for Part II of this and in the meantime, tell me a little about your experiences!

How to Recruit Ambassadors for Your Organization in 5 Steps

2011-10-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

I thought today I’d talk about what it means to be anambassador for your organization and how you inspire people to play that rolefor you.

The dictionary provides some insight into how important therole of ambassador is to an organization. Here are a couple entries from the Miriam-Webster online dictionary:

“an official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agentof the highest rank accredited to a foreign

government or sovereign as theresident representative of his or her own government or

sovereign or appointed for a specialand often temporary diplomatic assignment

a: an authorized representative or messenger b: an unofficialrepresentative

ambassadors of goodwill>”

Consequently, the recruitment ofpeople who you would like to be an ambassador for your organization should beviewed as a very important process. Every staff person should be expected to act as an ambassador for yourorganization assuming they have been provided the proper training to doso. Likewise, the number one role ofyour board members is to be an ambassador by tirelessly promoting theorganization in the community at the very least.

By the way, this is where the casestatement fits in. Once you haverecruited enthusiastic ambassadors, you want them to share your organization’sstory in a way that is compelling, concise and consistent so that all thatpromotion results in increased awareness and building a brand.

So, here are the steps to recruitingand putting your ambassadors to work:

Step #1 – Inspire people with your story.

Shemagne, who is my VP ofRelationship Strategy is a walking billboard for Alverno College. Why?

§ Passion. The most importantreason is because she feels that her education at Alverno changed her life andtherefore her future possibilities. Shemagnestarts by sharing her own story about how Alverno changed her life. People are really moved by what moves someoneelse.

§ Story. But the secondreason is that Alverno is so clear on its unique educational philosophy thatall their students talk their language when they’re talking to anyone aboutAlverno. So, first comes inspiration,then comes the communication tool to empower people to promote theorganization.

§ Vision. The fourth piece ishaving your story be driven by a vision for the future. While the day-to-day work of yourorganization is very important, it’s not what inspires people. People are inspired by what the world lookslike because of your work; what a child’s future looks like because of yourwork.

Step #2 – Be able to answer the question, “What do youneed?”

I cannot believe how many times Iwitness this scenario. I’ll be at anevent and be part of a conversation between the director of an organization orprincipal of a school and someone who expresses interest in what they’redoing. In fact, the prospectivesupporter even asks, “What do you need, or what are your top priorities?” My jaw just drops when the organizationleader responds, “We’re doing okay,” or “We need money.” The conversation just kind of endsthere. Wow! What a lost opportunity. Don’t do that.

If everyone on staff and at leastyour board members doesn’t know how to answer the question, “What do you needand how can I help?” then you are leaving so many opportunities on thetable. Let me share a story toillustrate the point. I was theco-founding board member of a charter school in Milwaukee’s inner city. After three years of planning, we were readyto open the doors in about three months. My board colleague and I decided that it was the right time to bring oneof our relationships to the table. Thiswas a very influential and busy person in the community. We invited him to a compelling tour of theschool and then sat down for lunch. Hequickly got to the point and asked the founder, “what are your top threepriorities?” We were prepared for thatquestion. The founder went on to answer,“We can’t open our doors in three months without a new HVAC system, and thatwill cost $75,000. Our gym is disgustingand cleaning and painting will cost $20,000.” She was about to go on to the third priority when the guest stopped herand said, “Consider those two things done,” and he arrived the next day with acheck for $75,000. That is the power ofstory and being clear about where you’re going, what you need and how peoplecan help.

Step #3 – Cultivate the relationship

Recruiting ambassadors or raisingmoney isn’t about asking for anything. You can do that and you will get donations, but the really magical stuffhappens when the process is more genuine and organic. When you inspire people and then you’re clearabout what you need and how people can help, then people choose what resonateswith them and in turn what piece they want to own.

After inspiring and clarity comescultivating. But I don’t meancultivating with an agenda. I meangenuinely being interested in people and what they care about. Now, this is a radical notion. I’m not talking about generating a list ofpeople with lots of money and then figuring out how to get to them. We sometimes do that, but that’s not wherethe magic happens. I’m talking aboutdoing something really innovative – listening to people talk aboutthemselves.

So, how does this happen? To illustrate the point, I’m going to share atrue story about what this DOESN’T look like but is what you’ll see inorganizations. I was facilitating a workshop, and we were doing a role play. The attendees were to pretend they were at afamily wedding or other event, and someone asked them about what they do. In this case, the attendee of my workshopshared that they shared something about the organization they worked for. So far so good. Then she shared that the person she wastalking with very solemnly shared the story of her relative that was dealingwith this disease. Instead of askingquestions about how this disease affected her family member and her family, theorganization’s staff person went on to promote the programs and otherinformation about the organization. Ihope you can see the absolute missed opportunity. This person was actually impacted be theissue the organization works on.

Here’s what you do instead. When you are at an event, plan to have acouple high quality conversations instead of gathering the business cards of asmany people as possible. This is wherequality over quantity is absolutely true. When you introduce yourself to someone, be the first to ask aboutthem. Go beyond the usual, “What do youdo,” and ask something like “Where did you take your last vacation,” or “Whatare your hobbies?” Now, just listen, askmore clarifying questions, listen, ask more questions, and listen. Something will probably speak to you and youwill feel connected to the other person. At some point this person will ask you something. Now’s your chance to share the work you’repassionate about. But just share yourelevator speech (10 to 60 seconds). Nowsay, “What do you think?” Let themrespond. You will be amazed at howpeople will immediately share a story about how this issue has impacted someonethey know. Don’t go on to talk aboutstatistics or programs. Ask them moreabout the experience and talk to them like a human being, not a prospectivedonor.

If they express a lot of interest,you may want to share the top priorities of the organization and what is neededto make those happen. If they’re reallyinterested, you may want to ask if they see themselves getting involved, and ifyes, offering to schedule a tour or special time to share success stories. You may want to ask them who else they thinkshould know about the work of your organization and if they would be willing toconnect you to them.

Let’s say they respond favorably butoffer that they are very involved with another organization. Please do not see this as rejection. There’s no such thing as rejection in thiswork. You have just had the opportunityto promote your organization, and if you did it well they will likely sharethat with someone else who may be interested.

From now on, you will continue tostay in touch and build this relationship by sharing success stories and beingclear about what the organization needs and how people can help. If you do this well, people will choose howthey want to make a difference.

Step #4 – Empower people with tools and track theserelationships

When it’s clear that this person isvery inspired by the work of your organization and wants to help, they can bean effective ambassador. You will wantto provide them with a tool though so they are helping you build awareness anda brand. Providing your volunteers withyour case statement makes them feel important and empowers them to confidentlyshare your story. Even most boardmembers, based on my informal surveys, often don’t feel confident sharing thestory in the community, but they won’t admit it. The case statement helps them talk about theorganization.

Also providing sessions onrelationship cultivation vs. asking helps people to feel more comfortable. Most people, even board members, are notcomfortable asking people for money or other items. When you can help them change their mindsetand see that their role is to share something they’re passionate about and beclear about the vision and what’s needed to get there, they often do a completeturnaround. Executive directors haveshared this with me over and over again. How they had a board member that had many connections but was adamantthat they would not approach them. Afterseeing their role in a different way, they often become the biggestfundraisers.

Make it easy for your ambassadors tobring opportunities to you. If they wereable to inspire someone over the weekend, provide a way for them to share whathappened with you via email and then talk with them about what to do next.

Step #5 – Value the relationship with your ambassadors

You can never say thank you enoughtimes to your volunteers! I don’t careif you’ve got volunteers that don’t show up when they say they will or startsomething and then don’t finish. Ifyou’re not happy with your volunteers, it’s the organization’s fault, not thatof the volunteers.

People intend to volunteer becauseit helps them feel valued as a contributor to the world. Finding the right place to contribute theirenergy, talents and connections is difficult, and there should be a class or aprocess on how to help people find the right place to make their meaningfulcontributions. If you don’t turn out tobe the right place, you didn’t do something right.

In most cases, if board members orvolunteers are not doing what you think they should do, it’s because of a lackof direction. Volunteers usually have ajob, a family, a busy life, and they need almost a shopping list of specificways you want them to contribute. It’snot their job to figure out how they can help you. I didn’t say this was easy, but if you wantto build a huge pool of ambassadors, you need to understand that it’s your jobto cultivate the relationship, not the volunteers.

I know a woman who does this betterthan I’ve ever seen. Pat has beeninvolved in starting multiple nonprofits and she’s the consummate relationshipperson. In fact, she met Shemagne atCurves four years ago, and her organization has been a client of ours eversince. Pat always prioritizes thevolunteers. In fact, recently she foundherself really tired at the end of a day where she and a group of volunteerswas cleaning up the four-plex the organization purchased to use as a transitionhome for young women who have aged out of the foster care system. This place was really disgusting, and by theend of the day the only thing Pat wanted to do was take a shower. But one of the staff people reminded her thatshe needed to talk to the volunteers before she went home. She shrugged her shoulders and admitted, “ofcourse.” She went on to inspire five menin their 50’s and 60’s about her organization. Then she went home.

Two weeks later, she got a call fromone of these gentlemen, who said, “I haven’t been able to sleep in twoweeks. Until last night, when I realizedI just have to do something for this organization. Pat was thinking, “Great, a $1,000 donationwould be awesome right now!” The manshared that he event felt compelled to make a donation of a certain dollaramount.” He came to see Pat with a$50,000 donation. Pat later learned thathe and his wife had felt abandoned during their child hood and they saw theircontribution to this organization as a way of helping young people who may befeeling the same way. That’s one of themost powerful stories I’ve heard.

If you follow all these steps youtoo can inspire people with your story, recruit ambassadors and engage yourcommunity in ways you haven’t before. And once this happens, always remember to tell them thank you again andagain!

Let me know if you’ve got stories toshare about what happens when you inspire people about your organization!

Upcoming Seminars: Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

2011-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone now in the non-profit and education fields focuson raising money. It makes sense. For years, most of us depended on governmentgrants or funds. But now we have come toa point where this mindset is just not sustainable anymore. Government funds to organizations andeducation are being cut, despite the fact that money is needed to fund all thegreat work our schools and non-profits are doing. We are at a crossroads where we can eithercontinue to depend on funds that are dwindling or take a new direction towardslong-term sustainability that begins with inspiring people to help. At first this might seem scary or risky, butrest assured this does NOT mean asking for money or anything else for thatmatter. You only need to inspire peopleto want to help by showing them all the great work that you do. This is where the case statement comes in, and it is the first part of the formulafor effective community engagement.

Story + Direction + Relationship = Effective Community Engagement

The purpose of the case statement is to articulate theessence of your organization in a compelling, concise and consistentmanner. It’s the gathering place foryour official story, and it’s a helpful tool for staff, board members, donorsand volunteers in raising awareness of your organization. Finally, our format is strategicallydesigned to answer all the questions a prospective supporter would have beforedeciding he/she would want to learn more.

I was wondering if any of you have taken a stab atdeveloping your own professional case statement. I’d love to see what you came up with. If you’re stuck, don’t feel bad, because ittook me six months to develop the alinea case statement, and it takes us a full10 hours to develop one for our clients. And that’s after doing about 100 of them over the past seven years.

I have also received some questions about how you go aboutdeveloping “ambassadors” for your organization. Guess what? The answer is thesame one. It all starts with being ableto inspire people to want to help.

In this blog, I thought I’d highlight two seminars thatcover both these topics.

Upcoming Seminars – Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

First, I will be facilitating a FREE workshop sponsored byPNC Bank and Reilly, Penner & Benton accounting firm on Wednesday, November2^nd, 7:30-9am in Milwaukee (details at www.alineaconnect.com). During this workshop, we will walk throughhow to develop a professional case statement. If you’ve already started your case statement, but you need to take itto the next level, or if you haven’t started one yet, you won’t want to missthis opportunity. If you’re not in town,join us via skype or other technology.

Second,I will be facilitating a workshop for the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee titled“Engaging Volunteers in What You Do,” where you will learn about giving the inspiration and direction necessary tofully engage volunteers in your organization? We’ll focus on using your story to recruit and retain more volunteers,inspire ambassadors for your organization and develop support for volunteerswithin your organization. Thisseminar costs $40-60 and will be held on Thursday, November 10, 9-11:30am atthe Volunteer Center of Milwaukee. (details at www.alineaconnect.com).

Part III: #1 Fundraising Tool, Your Professional Case Statement

2011-10-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Writing YourSuccess Stories, Goals, How You Can Help, and Credibility Text Box

Yourcase statement is almost ready! In myprevious two posts, you learned how to write your Did You Know, Mission, Visionand Unique Approach Sections. Now I will show you have to complete your case statement through writing a compelling success story, articulating specific and measurable goals, how people can help your organization and what you need to include in your credibility text box located on the left hand side of your page.

Section #5 –Success Stories

Thepurpose of your professional case statement is to inspire people to want tohelp. Nothing inspires people more thanbringing your mission to life through stories. Your case statement should include at least one success story thatillustrates the magic of your unique approach. The formula for an effective success story is: What was the situation or challenges beforethis person came to your school or organization + What happened at your schoolor organization + What does the future look like now and what are the person’sgoals after benefiting by your organization’s mission.

Example –SOS Center www.soscenterinc.org

“I dropped out of schoolwhen I was in the 10^th grade. By 16, I was pregnant and married. I raised two children who finished school and some college. I took care of my grandchildren so that mychildren could work. I’ve been a housekeeper for over 20 years.

Now I find myself at 52,divorced and no more children to care for. One day I passed the SOS Center and saw a sign on the lawn, Free GEDClasses. I went in and signed up. I’ve been going to the classes three days aweek, for a year. The classes are noteasy; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just give up, but I keepcoming back because I’m doing this for me, and I want a victory!

I’m so grateful for thislab; I have this opportunity to achieve something that I passed up a long timeago. I’m sure everyone here feels thesame way. Thank you for your continuedsupport of the lab.”

Darlene has since earnedher GED in June 2011. But the big newsis that she scored a perfect 800 on her Reading Test where a score of 410 isall that is required to pass!

Example– Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School

Twins, Miguel and Tito, came to Mt. Lebanon for 4^thgrade barely reading at a 2^nd grade level, way behind in math andnot engaged in school. Being prematurebabies, tragically, their family was told not to expect high academicsuccess. Immersed in a culture of highexpectations and nurturing support they needed from teachers, today in 8^thgrade, Miquel and Tito are internally motivated to succeed, and Tito will makethe honor role this quarter. Miguel andTito plan to attend WI Lutheran H.S.

Example– Victory Christian Academy www.vcaschool.org

Naomiarrived at VCA in 4^th grade illiterateand with severe discipline and emotional issues. A well mannered and respected student of herpeers and teachers, as well as scoring proficientin reading, language arts, math, science and social studies (WKCE 2009), she will graduate in just a few days andattend WI Lutheran High School. Naomiplans to study criminal justice.

Section#6 – Achievements

I’m always surprised at how difficult it is fornonprofits and schools to identify their successes and accomplishments. They are always focused on doing a betterjob, which is a good thing, but people want to support an organization that hasshown it can be successful. It doesn’tmatter if you’re not as far along as you would like. Share your successes to get people excitedabout what your organization is capable of. Here are some examples of client successes.

Example– Day Care Services for Children, Inc. – www.daycareservicesforchildren.com

Ninety percent of our children are determined to be “ready for school” according to the Chicago Early Assessment and child developmental assessment administered five times during the school year.

Collaborate with more than 60 partners, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists and the Milwaukee Health Department to provide immunizations, physical and dental exams and support services to 100% of our children at our sites.

Staff people are among the most qualified in the field. One Hundred percent of center managers and administrative staff have bachelor’s degrees; more than 70% have associate degrees, and of that 40% are working toward bachelor’s degrees; one-third have worked at DCSC for more than 15 years.

Example –Connecting Youth, Inc.

§ Served more than 150 young men since founding in 2002.

§ 99% of thesemensuccessfully achieved their program goals and were reunited with theirfamilies.

§ Tens of young men continue their relationshipwith our staff, reporting education andemployment success and seeking guidance in overcoming challenges

§ 100% ofstaffpeople have at least three years experienceworking with at-risk youth, are enrolled in the Youth Professional DevelopmentProgram (School of Continuing Education at UW-Milwaukee) and complete 50continuing education hours yearly.

Example – A2Charter and Jackson Elementary Schools

Jackson’s Magic Tree House Reading Center Project featured on the August of 2008 cover of “Teaching Today” magazine.
2008 Recipient of Sheboygan County Green Scene Grant Award.
Known for strong education programming and extensive free-of-charge after-school enrichment activities. Only elementary school in the Sheboygan Area School District with a student-run newspaper and Yearbook Club.
98% parent and student satisfaction for 2007-2008 school year.

Section #7 –Goals

Rememberthe formula for sustainability through effective community engagement? Story + Direction + Strategic RelationshipCultivation. Direction means being clearabout what your organization needs and how people can help. Everyone inside your building plus yourambassadors must be able to articulate your top three priorities when it comesto recourses. If not, you will surelymiss some opportunities when someone at the next cocktail party says, “How canI help?” Some client examples.

Example –TBEY (Tessas’ Black Entertainment & Youth Center) www.tbey.org

Provide a $3,000 annual stipend to every instructor, totaling $60,000.
Increase our scholarship fund by $14,400 to allow 40 additional students to attend TBEY.
Grow annual revenue to $200,000 in 2012/2013.

Example –Wauwatosa School of the Trades

Educate the public about trades as a true profession and trades unions as community partners
Increase enrollment by 60% by eventually adding freshman and sophomore classes
Increase trades instructor teaching days by 20 – $15,000
Recruit Co-op Placement Partners to provide more opportunities to work while in school
Transportation for students to trades training centers - $5,000
Library renovation including trades books and journals and full library- $10,000
Consumable materials and technology upgrades annually - $15,000
CAD program and the training certification for teachers to teach it - $7,000

Section #8 –How You Can Help

Whenpeople finish skimming your case statement and they become inspired, theyshould know exactly what they can do to help. This section should contain specific items that people can help withimmediately. Here are some clientexamples.

Example –Divine Savior Academy – www.divinesavioracademy.com

Visit! Tour our school and witness excellent education and student success in person.
Donate! Help expand our science and music programs.
Serve! Contribute your talents by joining our Marketing or Fund Development Committees.
Sponsor! Connect with our students, families, faculty and supporters by sponsoring one of our events, like Winter Festival or one of our Parent Sharing Nights.

Example –Shiocton International Leadership Academy

§ Visit! See hands-on learning and global awareness inaction.

§ Give! Your time, money and talent can make a hugedifference.

§ Volunteer! Offer your home to a foreign exchangestudent.

Example– BHK Child Development Board www.bhkfirst.org

AmeriCorps: Make a difference by serving in a school, child care center or community agency in the western Upper Peninsula and receive a $12,700 living allowance and a $4,725 education award for one year of service. For more information contact Chrissy Karry at (906) 482-3663.

Volunteer: Assist in the classroom, extend school activities at home, participate in home visits, be a bus monitor, attend parent meetings or share your talents and gifts in other ways. For more information contact Lisa Schmierer at (906) 482-3663.

Donate: The BHK Foundation was founded in 2006 by community leaders and parents to meet the need for excellent early childhood programs and educational support in our community. Your gift will directly support local children's services and scholarships for area students. Please send your tax deductible contribution to: BHK Foundation, 700 Park Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931.

Section #9 –Credibility Text Box

Yourcase statement should include a text box on the left side of the front page,which lists the leadership, board members, major donors and supporters andcontact information. People like to seewhat other people they respect are supporting. For example, if you have received a grant from the Walton FamilyFoundation, that fact adds credibility to your case for a lot of potentialsupporters.

Youare now finished! Make sure you presentthis document to your organization’s board for feedback, input andagreement. Once approved it is time toput this document in the hands of as many people as possible so that they inturn learn how to speak of your organization, just as I described in the firstposting of this series.

Ifyou would like to see examples of some case statements, please email me at Deborah@alineaconnect.com.

Ilook forward to hearing from you!

Part II: #1 Fundraising Tool: Your Professional Case Statement

2011-10-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Writing Your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach

In my previous post,Howto Build the 10 Sections of Your Case Statement, I discussed withyou why it is so important for your story to be clearly articulated by as manypeople as possible in order to cultivate the relationships you need in order toattract resources. With a compelling andconcise case statement to put in the hands of as many people as possible, youwill be on the path of attracting resources in places you might never evenexpect. So many of my clients have beensurprised by the resources they have attracted once they learned to tell theirstory. If you haven’t already, check outmy blog, MakingRelationship Fundraising Work for your Non-Profit or School, formore inspiration!

I also discussed thekeys to grabbing your reader’s attention in the beginning of your document witha “Did you know?” section that also emphasizes the need for the work yourschool or organization does. Now it istime to discuss the next 3 sections of your case statement:

Yourmission and how you achieve your mission
Yourvision for the future
Yourunique approach

Let’s get started!

Section #2 – Mission and how you achieve yourmission

Your mission shouldbe short and sweet and clearly describe why your nonprofit exists. It is extremely important though that yourmission statement never says you do more than three things. As much as we wouldlike, people will never be able to remember more. You should also use language that everyonecan understand. The language we usewithin our field could sound completely foreign to someone outside of it.

Next, following yourmission statement should be no more than three bullets that describe how youachieve your mission. Here are someexamples from our clients’ case statements to give you a better idea.

Example– Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association www.wccaa.org

TheWisconsin Child Care Administrators Association (WCCAA) collaborates withgovernment, individuals, agencies and companies to increase access to qualityearly care and education for all families. We achieve our mission in three ways:

WCCAA influences public policy to increase standards, quality and access to early care and education for all families.
WCCAA provides professional development on early care and education to strengthen best practices and increase quality.
WCCAA supports its members via access to a network of center administrators.

Example– Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship www.ceoofme.biz

The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE)empowers young people ages 9-24 to see themselves as the CEO of Me as theyexperience personal and professional growth through programs and coachingrelated to financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

We accomplish our mission through:

Personaland professional enrichment experiences that allow young people to see themselves in avariety of roles and build personal character traits like self-discipline,business etiquette and perseverance.
Entrepreneurshipand financial literacy programs that teach young people how to launch smallbusinesses, manage and invest money and develop critical thinking skills.
Individualizedcoaching toprepare young people for success as entrepreneurs and professionals incontemporary business settings.

Example– BHK Child Development Board – www.bhkfirst.org

BHKChild Development Board serves children and families through innovation,collaboration and comprehensive services that set high standards of excellence.

We accomplish our mission through:

Bay

Child Development and Education Programs for Children that are research-based best practices taking place in a caring and nurturing environment in order to build a solid foundation for each child's success.

Programs for Families that transform ordinary interactions with their child into extraordinary learning experiences!

Health and Wellness Programs that help families, staff and health professionals overcome barriers that prevent families and children from receiving needed health services.

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute

Through a hands-on learning communityfocused on understanding the Earth’s systems, Red Cedar Environmental Instituteprovides middle school students with an academic experience tailored to inspireand challenge every single student.

How we achieve our mission:

Engaged students – We tailor our curriculum to students who learn better through hands-on projects and scientific inquiry. No matter a student’s starting point, they will be challenged accordingly and be free to maximize their progress according to their ability.

Project-based learning – Projects related to natural resources in the Chetek area will act as the vehicle to learn core subjects like math, reading and language arts as well as 21^st Century skills of collaboration, problem solving and communication.

Earth’s systems – Focusing on the natural resources of the Chetek area inspires projects that will benefit our local community and allowing students to deeply research projects empowers them to make their own conclusion.

Section#3 – Vision for the Future

Peopleare much more inspired by your vision for what the world looks like because ofyour nonprofit that what you actually do. Your work is important, but often nonprofits lose sight of what theirultimate goal is. Your vision for thefuture should paint a colorful picture of the impact you hope your organizationwill have. Ideally, your stakeholders(people and organizations that are impacted by your organization) shouldcontribute to this vision. If they do,they will feel like they have ownership of helping make it happen.

Here aresome examples of compelling vision statements:

Example– Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association www.wccaa.org

Allchildren are prepared for personal and educational success

WCCAA is a global model for collaboration to influence public policy and professional development to impact best practices for early care and education.

WCCAA inspires a family-friendly philosophy empowering early care and education centers to care for children and assist businesses to achieve goals through secure and productive employees.

Example– St. Marcus Lutheran School & Church www.stmarcus.org

St. Marcus isa nationally recognized leader in urban educational reform and a welcoming andinviting force of transformation for the Milwaukee Community.

Example– CAPITA Productions, Inc. www.capitalproductions.org

Throughworld-wide support of its endowment and scholarship fund, CAPITA offers unlimited opportunities for peopleseeking to grow as performers and as members of diverse communities.

CAPITA’sunique inclusive approach to unitingcommunities through meaningful theatre experiences is a model adopted bycommunities around the world.

Throughits quality productions, mentoring and touring opportunities, CAPITA is a pipeline of talented performers forprofessional performing arts companies around the world.

Section#4 – Unique Approach

Fundersdon’t like duplication. If yournonprofit is addressing a similar issue as others, it will be very important todistinguish your organization from others. What is special about your approach to the same issue? For example, St. Marcus Lutheran Schoolemphasizes a “no-excuses” philosophy, and if a child is not succeeding it meansthat St. Marcus is not succeeding. Theydon’t care what the background of the child is, and once that student entersthe building their focus is on educating that child. Bottom line, they focus on the students insidethe building. Mt. Lebanon LutheranSchool requires that its teachers and staff appreciate how poverty impacts thestudents they service, and offers programs to families in order to increase thelikelihood that students receive support at home. They focus on students inside the school butalso try to impact the support they receive at home for their education.

Here aresome other examples of how our clients describe their unique approach.

Example– Shiocton International Learning Academy www.silacharter.com

Our learning model takes personalized learningto a whole new level. There are threekey components of our model that ensure students are maximizing their learning:

Project-based learning allowsstudents to explore areas of personal interest deeply and use a variety oflearning styles to master core subjects key abilities. Community partnerships provide mentors andopportunities to take learning out of the classroom to engages students andoffer opportunities to apply knowledge to real-life scenarios.
Additional support isoffered immediately when it becomes apparent that students lack a particularskill. For example, a short-termseminar may be used to teach a specific skill. Or a web-based computer program, partneredwith standardized testing, will identify remaining knowledge gaps to be used tofurther tailor learning for that student.
Accountability: Five-year student achievement goals are included on our website. Progress toward achievement goals will bepublished on the website and updated annually.

Example– House of Love www.house-of-love.org

Loving Family Environment + PersonalDevelopment Plans = Successful Independent Living:

A safe and loving family environment full ofpositive encouragement, clear expectations and immediate feedback allow ouryouth to gain confidence and preparation for adulthood.
Self sufficiency is achieved through individualpersonal development plans and rigorous support services in the areas of

o life skills

o education

o holistic health

Take some time to review your Mission, Vision and UniqueApproach to make sure they fit within these guidelines and are agreed upon withyour board. Once again, all sections should be compelling,concise and communicate the essence of your organization. Please feel free to contact me for advice or even shareyour work here! I’d love to learn moreabout your organization!

In my next post I will be discussing the final sections ofyour case statement. You are well onyour way to begin relationship fundraising!

#1 Fundraising Tool – Your Professional Case Statement

2011-09-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

How to Build the 10 Sections of Your Nonprofit's Professional Case Statement

Building a brand happens when your story is heard by many people told in a similar fashion. In order to cultivate relationships to attract the resources you need, you need to grow a following of ambassadors that are compelled relate your story to others. In order to do that you must first be able to tell your own story. What you need is a professional case statement for your school or organization.

Your professional case statement is essentially the gathering place for your official story. This is a document that should be put in the hands of as many people as possible. It contains all of the vital information that a prospective supporter would want to know in order to decide whether they wanted to learn more.

Over the next few blog posts I am going to demonstrate for you how to build a professional case statement that is:

Compelling: Your story should resonate with people who are not familiar with your organization
Concise: The themes should be limited and not repeated throughout the 2 page document that is no greater than 1 sheet of paper with lots of white space. The goal should be to say a lot with as few words as possible. The font size should be no smaller than 11 point.
Consistently told by your ambassadors, board members, staff people, families, volunteers, etc.

Now that you know what a case statement is and why every organization needs to have one, I am going to start out showing you how to grab your reader’s attention right from the start, simply by asking a question.

Section #1 – “Did You Know . . .”

Your professional case statement should begin by getting people’s attention with some very compelling questions that pique people’s interest. This way, they want to continue reading. Here are some examples from our clients’ case statements.

Example – Wauwatosa School of the Trades

Did you know . . .

97% of college graduates will make less than people who work in the trades?

The average apprentice will earn $250,000 in wages and benefits during the 4-5 year apprenticeship program?

Apprentice trained trades professionals have a greater income potential than 96% of four-year college graduates?

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute

Did you know...

Increased demand for green products and clean energy means the need for more environmentally- based businesses leading to economic growth and employment opportunities?

The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser School District contains six school forests totaling 380 acres filled with lakes, rivers, wetlands and environmental areas?

The Red Cedar Environmental Institute will act as an important stepping stone to careers in sustainability?

Example – Shiocton International Leadership Academy

Did you know . . .

All learners benefit by personalized education plans and by being in groups with students of different ages and abilities.

Special-needs, at-risk, average, and gifted students who have personalized education plans are more engaged, motivated and build self-respect and confidence. They are challenged to achieve their potential without traditional limitations.

How did you feel after reading each of these intro’s? By starting out with a “Did you know?” section, you not only are attracting the attention of the reader but also reinforcing why your organization is needed. Think about your service and your readers. Post your intro below or send me an email and I will be happy to discuss.

Next week I will continue this series with how to include your Mission and Vision in your professional case statement.

Your Organization’s Banker Should be One of Your Biggest Cheerleaders!

2011-08-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

5 Steps to Making this Happen:

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about how nonprofits and schools can strategically cultivate relationships in order to secure the resources they depend on for long-term sustainability and I hope you have been inspired through the real-life stories I illustrated for you of many of my other clients who have successfully implemented this strategy. Today, I’m going to share with you some more examples of how you can grow another relationship with a specific type of stakeholder – your bank.

When you think about it, your organization’s bank has a big stake in your success. Why?

1. When your organization is financially stable, you are less of a risk to them.

2. As your organization grows its revenue, your bank benefits because their assets grow.

3. Your bank serves a neighborhood or community just like your organization does. When your organization is strong and has a positive impact on the community, you have more clients who need a bank to save money with.

4. Having nonprofits like yours as clients offers the bank an opportunity to say they support community organizations that help make the community a better place for everyone.

Clearly, banks benefit when they have you as a client. But the benefits to your organization of banking with a certain bank should go way beyond the ability to have a checking and savings account. Let me show you how:

1. Your banker should offer solutions. Your banker should be sitting down with you, quarterly, to review your situation to offer solutions that help you better manage your cash flow. If you contract with a county government to provide group home services to teens that are in the foster care system and receive large chunks of money at a time for expenses over a three or six month period, your checkbook is likely not paying interest on all that extra money it’s sitting on. When all’s said and done, all that excess money could be doing something other than just sitting stagnant for a month. Shouldn’t your banker suggest transferring a big chunk of that money into a special savings account or money market fund that pays some interest? Depending on the interest rate, this could be a significant amount. This happened to me once. As my business grew, I found myself spending a lot of time making trips to the bank to make deposits. I wanted to deposit my client payments so efficiently that I found myself making trips to the bank the second the mailman walked up my steps with my check. I got to the point where I was making 10 trips to the bank a month. Out of curiosity, I calculated this out and found I was spending five hours every month driving to the bank instead of using this time to help more clients. Ridiculous, right? When this finally dawned on me, I called my banker and asked what I could do about it. Within a week I received a remote deposit scanner and software that allowed me to make deposits literally, from my desk. After six free months, the cost was only $50 a month. Seriously, $50 is just a fraction of the value of my time working for my clients or connecting with new clients.

2. Your banker should be your cheerleader. Your banker should have an interest in your organization’s mission because you are their client. While your mission probably resonates with them, it’s up to you to empower them with the knowledge about how to talk about your organization and your needs. Bankers are relationship people out in the community, and great bankers should constantly look for connections and opportunities for their clients. Your bank probably has a foundation that’s a match for your mission. Great bankers guide you through the process of educating the right foundation about your organization and perhaps submitting a grant application.

Do you see what I mean? It’s extremely important to find the right bank and/or banker to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with. Why? It’s all about relationship cultivation. Let me show you.

I met my current business banker with PNC Bank in Milwaukee while working for an alinea client. My banker fell in love with our client and facilitated a major sponsorship donation for their annual event. She constantly talked about the school (still does) and connected the school to people who could help. At some point, she sat down with the decision makers of this school to talk about their current banking relationship and gained an understanding of this school’s needs. She presented a proposal that showed she could significantly reduce banking fees, and that PNC Bank could also offer some kind of financing for the organization’s expansion project. I literally watched her become a cheerleader for my client.

After observing what alinea was doing for this client, she sat down with us and admitted she was so inspired by our work that she immediately became our cheerleader. She told us, “When I’m meeting with a prospective client that happens to be working with alinea, they get extra points, because I know they’re looking outside their four walls.” From here on, she was always referring me to nonprofits. At this point she hadn’t even asked about my current banking relationship. After knowing her for almost a year, she asked to sit down with my husband and me to talk about my business and personal needs. She immediately found a way to help us consolidate some debt, secure a short-term loan, open a business line of credit, and save money on fees. I was sold, and I haven’t looked back since. I banked with my past bank for 25 years, and in all that time no one suggested I sit down with a business banker to review my business needs. I’m now a cheerleader for PNC Bank because I feel like I’m my business banker’s only client.

Whenever I sit down with a prospective client, I now always ask them about their current banking relationship. Sometimes nonprofits look at me funny because they’re not sure what a banking relationship is supposed to look like. Recently I sat down with a nonprofit that had a small budget of $150,000. They were paying $90 per month in fees. I told them I thought that seemed high and I connected them with my business banker who immediately saved them fees. I worked with a larger organization that had $300,000 sitting in an account earning no money. It was a kind of endowment. When I asked them how often their banker came to see them to talk about their account, they laughed. I connected them with my business banker, they moved their money and they were also encouraged to apply for a significant grant from the PNC Foundation because their interest in serving children from birth to five matched the organization’s mission to provide early child care and education to low-income families.

Real relationship cultivation takes time and thought. Here are the steps you should take beginning today so your bank can become your cheerleader:

Steps

1. Start by assessing your relationship with your current bank. If you’re not happy, you could start by asking for a meeting with someone who is supposed to serve your account and ask them to meet with you to review your financial situation and make recommendations about how you could be doing things better. If you decide your current bank is not a match, go to another bank branch in your neighborhood or try to get a referral from another nonprofit that is excited about their bank.

2. Once you find a bank you’re interested in, call them and ask to schedule a meeting with a business banker who specializes in nonprofits. Tell them you’re checking out some new banks because you’re not happy with your current bank. At the meeting, educate the banker about your organization and its financial situation. Tell them you’re looking for a banker that will be interested in your organization’s success and will be willing to spend the time to work with you to do a better job with your finances. You’re interviewing them.

3. Once you choose a bank, remember strategic relationship cultivation is not about asking for money or other things. Reach out to your banker and offer to take some time to share your story through a tour. Remember to tell your story in a compelling, concise and consistent manner and be clear about where you want the organization to go and what you need to get there. Ask them what they think and don’t forget to ask them, “Who else needs to know about us?” They likely will think of five other people who will be interested in your organization’s mission. They might even ask, “How can I help?” That’s it. That’s all you ask for except to put them on your mailing list to stay in touch.

4. Remember to send a hand written thank you note to your banker after your meeting.

5. Mark in your calendar that you need to do some kind of follow-up in about a month. That could be an email to your banker sharing a success story, it could be a personal invitation from one of your board members to an event, or it could be you noticed the banker was written up in the local business journal because of an award they received. Just reach out.

6. Begin to reach out to the other people your banker thought would be interested in your organization. Call them, mention the connection and ask if they would be interested in learning about your organization or taking a tour. If not, no worries. Ask them if you could just put them on the email list. If not, no worries. Thank them for the opportunity to spread the word about your mission.

7. If you do this right, and you’ve inspired people and been clear about where you want to go and how to get there, the people who are inspired will offer to help in ways that are meaningful to them, which could result in millions of dollars like it did for one of our clients.

If you’ve got stories, please share them with us. Let me know if this posting has been helpful and how you plan to leverage what you’ve learned.

Starting New Nonprofits: 5 things to do before you file for your 501(c)(3) status

2011-07-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

There are so many amazing people who want to make the world a better place. These people are so generous and giving and often see their nonprofit idea as a ministry, the purpose to their lives. Usually motivated by passion for delivering a program, they are typically are not focusing on the tasks that will make them successful.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’VE GOT THAT AMAZING IDEA FOR A NEW NONPROFIT!

1. Research your idea. You may think you’ve got a new idea, but chances are someone else has thought of the same thing. Find out who else in your community is doing something similar. That doesn’t mean you should give up on your idea, but it does mean you will have to do it in a way that is different and unique from others. Funders hate duplication.

For example, I met with a woman who started an organization that serves at-risk teen girls. After listening to her mission and the services she would offer, I explained that there are already so many programs for girls and many of the services she was offering were already being provided. As we continued to talk though, she identified the one thing that she wanted to do that I had never heard before. She required the girls to participate in a weekly reading circle. They read books out loud, discussed them and also participated in writing projects. I thought that was such a powerful way to empower these girls and told her that should be her main focus.

The other reason you need to research is to find best practices and learn from others’ mistakes. People love to talk about their own organizations and are usually more than willing to share their successes and failures.

2. Get clear on your story. From day one, you need to see every moment of every day as an opportunity to inspire people with how you want to change the world. Each person you talk with is a potential ambassador and resource for you. Your “story” needs to be compelling, concise and consistent. It also needs to be driven by a vision for the future – how the world will be better because of your organization. Potential supporters and donors invest in your vision for the future, not your mission or what you’re going to be doing day to day.

You also will need to develop a professional case statement (one piece of paper with two sides of content) that includes your mission, vision for the future, unique approach, motivation for your idea, any past success that shows you can be successful in this venture, your goals for the next 12 months, and how people can help you. Now test it. When you quickly share your story, your answer to the question, “Tell me about your idea,” should not be more than 10 seconds long, or you’ll lose them. If they say, “WOW, how do you do that,” you’re on the right track. If you have to clarify, you need to work on your story more.

For example, I worked with an organization that had been around for 20 years and had just stagnated. When I looked at their mission, it said it did about 20 different things. I asked the founder if they really did do all of those things, and the answer was no. I asked her which of those 20 things they are great at, and it came down to three. You should never say you do more than three things or people won’t remember any. We helped the organization get clear on their purpose, facilitated a community visioning session to create a compelling vision for the future and developed a professional case statement. One of the board members raved about the case statement who previously didn’t know how to talk about the organization. The clarity in their story led to him having more confidence in inspiring others with the work of the organization.

3. Figure out who and what you need before you apply for nonprofit status. In too many cases, founders rush and are not strategic when they put their board of directors together. Some founders want to control everything so they ask people to sit on the board who will act as “yes people,” or they recruit people of influence who do not have the time to help. New organizations need working boards, and you need to be very clear on expectations and what you need them to do before you recruit.

For example, we work with a woman who is working to open her 2^nd charter school. She has a professional case statement and a committed board. Unfortunately, everyone on the board works for other struggling nonprofits or agencies that are in related fields. No one on the board works in the private sector, no one has the connections to potential donors they need, no one has a marketing/PR background, and no one has expertise in finance or law. Now she will need to reorganize her board to get the people and talent she needs to be able to secure resources and get connected to the people who can help her be sustainable.

4. Role of the founding board should focus on three things:

· Developing or fine tuning the program and putting a system in place to track impact and results

· Tirelessly promoting the organization in the community in the same compelling, concise and consistent manner

· Making connections, opening doors, inviting people to understand the power of your mission and identifying opportunities for resources (dollars, people, partners, etc.).

Yes, that means fundraising, and it begins with the board. From day one, board members should be required to make a meaningful financial contribution to the organization and help secure the dollars needed to file your nonprofit status and other start-up costs.

For example, I worked with a small group home for teen boys who are not a match for regular foster care. The board lacked the direction they needed to know how to contribute their talents and connections. After working with them to better articulate who they are and set clear goals, we helped them facilitate an information session for prospective volunteers. Only five people came, but I told them it’s never about quantity, it’s about the quality of the interaction with people. One of the five people was a 25 year old man who had stayed at the group home, and he was doing well. Another one of the guests was a connection of the president of the board; he had never invited her to learn about the organization before. Well, four out of the five people joined a committee and the other person sent a check for $1,000 (their largest donation) and recruited her daughter, who had expertise in marketing.

5. Cultivate relationships. Again, don’t rush to get your IRS paperwork done. With your board, brainstorm a big list of people and organizations that may be interested in your idea or could give you valuable feedback. For example, when I wanted to start Friends of Bradford Beach, I immediately went to The Park People, the Milwaukee County Parks Department and the county supervisor to share my idea and ask for feedback. In every case, referred me to another resource I needed to move my idea forward. ASK FOR HELP! The purpose of meeting with these people is NOT TO ASK THEM FOR MONEY. It’s to inspire them with something you’re passionate about, ask them what they think, if they see themselves getting involved, who else needs to know and if they would be willing to connect you to others who might be interested. NO ASKING FOR MONEY right now.

For example, our new client is an organization that’s been around for 30 years providing GED and adult education to people in their community. We’re going to help them do a better job of telling their story and inspire and empower their board members to focus on making connections and inviting people in to the organization to experience their mission. Currently, the board members are very uncomfortable about doing this. When I explained that relationship fundraising isn’t about asking for money, they looked at me kind of funny. I explained, that relationship fundraising is about inspiring people with something you’re passionate about and inviting them to experience the magic that goes on inside the organization. The next step is not to ask for money, but to ask people what they think, if they see themselves getting involved, who else do they think needs to know about the organization and whether they would be willing to make a connection. One of the board members, who happened to have wealth in her family and know a lot of people, happily said, “I can do that!”

5 Biggest Foundation Fundraising Mistakes

2011-07-08T15:21:00.001-07:00

Are you focusing on the right things when it comes to foundation fundraising? Here are some common mistakes:

Submitting a grant application without a relationship with the foundation. Did you know that only 1-2% of grant applications get funded? If the foundation can afford to fund 25 grants, 75 will not get funded. So if you were the decision maker how would you choose which organizations to fund? Well, if it was me, I would start with the organizations that I know something about or have some sort of relationship with rather than one I’ve never heard of. What it all comes down to is that you should never send a grant in without having some sort of relationship with the foundation you are applying to.

What to do: Before submitting an application, visit the foundation’s website and find out who the staff people and board members are. Ask your own staff and volunteers if anyone has a connection to any of those people. Even a call from a volunteer to the foundation asking for clarification on whether you would be a match followed by an invitation to tour your organization or other opportunity to meet with someone from the foundation is a great first step.

2. Hiring a grant writer. Most organizations begin foundation fundraising by hiring a grant writer. But that’s focusing on the wrong thing. But honestly, it’s not the writing of the grant that makes a difference, it’s the mission and effectiveness of the organization, as well as a compelling picture of what the future looks like because of the organization’s work. And how do you help a foundation experience the power of your mission? By inviting them in to hear your story, see your mission in action, having the people you serve share how your programs have changed their lives, and share your plans for the future. Relationships come first, then writing.

What to do: If you’re in the position to hire someone, don’t hire a grant writer. Hire someone who can help you identify and prioritize prospective foundations and then work with your staff and board to reach out to those people and foundations and invite them to tour your organization. The goal here is to inspire them with your story and share your future plans.

3. Not following up. If you’ve been lucky enough to have a staff person or board member from a foundation visit your organization or school, and they invite you to submit a letter of intent, then you better do that right away! Ideally, you want to be invited to apply for a grant, and when you get the opportunity, this is your chance to impress the foundation.

What to do: Once you’ve submitted the letter or application, you will want to follow up to make sure they received your documents, ask if there is anything else they need or if anyone else would be interested in a tour of your organization. Many organizations require a follow-up report to show how their grant made a difference. Every interaction is an opportunity to show your gratitude and continue to build your relationship with the foundation. Get this done on time!

4. Not learning from rejection. Many organizations get rejected because they haven’t done their homework; they may not have been a match. If they had developed a relationship with the foundation ahead of time, they would have received feedback on whether or not they were a good match for the foundation. Others may have a great application, but because the foundation cannot fund every great application, in the end they will probably fund those they have some experience with.

Either way, if you get a rejection letter, this is also an opportunity to build a relationship with the foundation, and it’s a learning opportunity too. Whether the foundation is able to fund you one time or many times, your relationship could lead to many other connections or resources. For example, while the foundation may have decided not to fund your grant application, one of the foundation officers or board members may have really been inspired and may decide to support you as an individual.

What to do: When you get a rejection letter, make a call to the person who sent the letter and tell them you would like to learn from the experience and see if you can get some feedback on how you could do a better job on your next application. Ask if it would make sense to apply in the future, and then see if it would be possible to invite someone from the foundation to tour your organization. Ask what they think your weaknesses are and even if they could connect you to resources to help you improve in those areas.

5. Not continuing to cultivate the relationship once a gift is received. Many organizations think their job is done once they receive a grant from a foundation. Really, your job has only just begun when it comes to building a long-term relationship. This foundation could lead you to many other individuals who could find your story to be very inspirational. Rejection is a message to you that you need to do something different.

What to do: First, make sure you put staff and board members of the foundation on your mailing lists to receive newsletters, event invitations and annual reports. If you have any major events, make sure one of your board members personally invites people from the foundation to attend. If you have a fantastic success story, send a quick email off to someone at the foundation sharing how their donation has made a difference in your ability to deliver on your mission. Invite them in for another tour and be sure to ask them, “Who else needs to know about us?” This is one of the most powerful questions you can ask a supporter. One supporter could lead you to one or even ten prospective supporters.

Let us know what you think!

Putting Relationship Fund-raising to Work

2011-06-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

10 Steps To Get You Started

Being able to attract resources and consistently engage your relationships requires the right mindset and the right formula for engagement. In the first two blog posts of this series I took you on a journey through the stories of some of my clients.

Now it is time to make the vision for your school or organization a reality. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get started. Follow these 10 steps and in no time you will be experiencing your own success story!

How to Get Started

Step #1 – If you don't have a professional case statement that articulates the "essence" of your organization, at least begin by developing an elevator speech that all of your staff and volunteers are comfortable using.

Step #2 – Come together as an organization and have everyone brainstorm five people that might be interested in the work your organization does. Let them know that no one will be asking them for money or taking any action without their permission. They will be involved in any strategy of reaching out to them.

Step #3 – Prioritize those relationships and together determine the best first step (i.e., inviting them for a tour, the spring concert or open house). Again, there is no asking for money going on here.

Step #4 – Strategize a "compelling" experience for them. Don't point out the obvious (i.e., here’s the cafeteria, here’s the gym). Talk about your unique approach and allow them to experience it. Are your teachers more experienced that others? Do you teach based on the latest brain research? Highlight what's special, amazing or unique about your organization.

Step #5 – After the tour, sit down with the person, ask them what they think and "be quiet" as they share their impression and perhaps something personal about themselves. Ask them how they see themselves getting involved. Ask them "Who else needs to know about what we're doing here?" If they offer names, ask them if they could be willing to make a connection.

Step #6 – Provide a packet for them to take home, ask them if you can put them on your list in order to update them with success stories or invite them to another event. Even if they are not interested, they may pass it along to someone else.

Step #7 – Send a personal hand-written thank you note.

Step #8 – If the meeting went well, follow up in one month via phone or email to share something exciting about your organization and to see if they would like to attend an event.

Step #10 – Keep track of everything in a spreadsheet. All relationships need to have a next step and due date. Each week sort the spreadsheet by due date. All of the above should be done in partnership with board members and staff people/teachers.

We Love Success Stories

If you decide to try this, let us know what happens. We love success stories!

Attracting Resources Doesn't Happen By Accident

2011-06-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

In last week's blog post, “Making Relationship Fund-raising Work for your Non-profit or School,” I took you on a journey to a new mindset about the ability to attract resources. I discussed the stories of three different organizations that benefited from this mindset.

Within each of these stories there was an organization that was able to attract resources without even asking. What did they have in common?

They consistently and successfully engaged people. And how does one do that? There are three steps to this process.

The Formula for Consistent and Successful Engagement

First, you must be able to inspire people with your story. This means your story must be compelling, concise and consistently told, as well as be driven by a vision for the future. You must be able to depict a clear picture of what the world will look like because of your school or nonprofit.

Second, you must be able to articulate what you need and how people can help. Let's say you're out at a cocktail party, and a couple asks you about your school. You did a great job of inspiring the couple with your unique approach to educating children. But now, when they ask you what your top priorities are, do you have an answer? Would your board members have the same answer? This happens all the time, and if you are not prepared to answer this question, you may miss out on an opportunity. Below is a great testimonial of a client who without any hesitation, had the answer to this question.

"I'm a co-founder of a charter school, and while I was on the board, another board member and I decided it was the right time to invite one of our relationships, a very influential community member, for a tour."

"During the tour and the lunch meeting, the school's founder did what many founders do - offered passionate stories about the children. At one point during the lunch, the gentleman asked, "What are your top three priorities?" She was ready for this question, and offered, "We need a new HVAC system or in three months we won't be able to open our doors. This is going to cost $75,000. We also need to clean and paint the gym, which will cost $20,000, and . . ." This gentleman stopped her and told her that she should consider#1 and #2 done. The next day he dropped off a check for $75,000."

Third, you must be strategic about cultivating relationships over a long time period. What does this entail?

Really getting to know what people care about
Asking people how they think they fit in
Being clear about what you need and how people can help
Saying thank you over and over and over again
Continuing to connect and reach out to people.

This is a huge undertaking and some infrastructure is required to do it successfully. This is also not the job of "a fund-raiser." A fund-raiser's job is to drive the strategy and empower board members, staff people and ambassadors to confidently see every moment of the day as an opportunity to tell your organization's story, make connections, identify opportunities and bring those back to the organization to determine follow-up steps.

We Love Success Stories

If you decide to try this, let us know what happens. We love success stories!

Making Relationship Fund-raising Work for Your Nonprofit or School

2011-05-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

What's Relationship Fund-raising?

I want to take you on a journey to a new mindset about fund-raising and relationships. It's a mindset where the issue is never a lack of resources or competition for a limited amount of dollars. It's a mindset about abundance vs. scarcity. In fact, this mindset is about the ability to attract resources rather than chase or beg for them. Let me show you.

What Relationship Fund-raising "is" and "is not"

It's not about asking for money . . . at least not yet.

Relationship fund-raising is about welcoming people into your organization and inspiring them with your mission and how your work improves the futures of children or strengthens families for example.

One day, a woman showed up at our client's location – a school that serves low-income families in the inner city. This older woman arrived dressed in very messy clothes (she had been volunteering earlier that day). Apparently, no one was expecting her. It turned out that she was there to do a site visit for a foundation to which the school had applied. The principal graciously took the woman on a tour, allowing her to experience their unique approach to educating at-risk children. She didn't have many questions, but she was apparently blown away. She went home and told her husband, who happened to be the Vice President of a bank, about her experience, and then asked him to make a $5,000 donation to the school in lieu of giving her a birthday gift.

It’s not something you do only when you’re at the office or participating in a work event.

Relationship Fundraising is about seeing every moment of every day as an opportunity to “tell your story,” make a connection, build a relationship and identify opportunities that could result in resources for your school or organization.

This happens to us all the time. One of my team members was working out at Curves. She struck up a conversation (she’s an amazing relationship person) with a woman who had founded and volunteered for at least two separate nonprofit organizations. After being inspired by the woman’s passion for these causes, the conversation turned to what our company does. She excitedly said, “We need you!” In the past four years of knowing this amazing and generous woman, she has introduced us to countless organizations that have benefited by our services. It all started at Curves.

It's not about generating a "hit list" of people that have capacity to make a large donation.

Relationship Fundraising is about taking a genuine interested in people and recognizing that "you just never know." Listen to people talk about their interests rather than pushing your organization's story out.

At a recent seminar we asked attendees to think about people they had not connected with recently, that have similar values and might be interested in the work they do at their school or nonprofit. It didn’t matter if they could afford or want to give a donation. We just asked them to think about people that would find the work they do interesting and impressive. Right after that seminar we were asked to present the same seminar to 30 board members of three schools. When we arrived to present our seminar, one of the school's development people ran up to me and excitedly told me she took action on one of the people on her list (she had attended our seminar) – a man who had sponsored an event the year before for $500. She called him and said thank you again for his generous gift and invited him to tour the school. He was pleased to be asked and during the tour expressed his interest in the computer lab. By the end of the tour (which happened on the same day as our presentation), he shared that he was a financial planner and had a client that looked to him for ideas on charities that she might want to support. He thought this older woman would really be interested in making a donation to the school that could be as much as $18,000.

Next Time – How to Get Started

I hope I’ve convinced you that there’s plenty of money out there for good programs and schools. But it’s your job to welcome people in, inspire them with your story and vision for the future, be clear about what you need and how people can help and then genuinely and strategically cultivate relationships over time. The results will amaze you!

Next time, I’ll tell you how to get started, or email me for our handout titled The 10 Steps to Strategic Relationship Cultivation or the 7 Steps to Designing a Compelling Tour.

Also, share your success stories with us by commenting on my blog!

Should Public Schools Have to Raise Money?

2011-05-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Should Public Schools Have to Raise Money?

About a year ago I was explaining to an educator how my firm helps schools attract more resources. We were both attending a President Obama private event at a charter school in Madison, Wisconsin. She responded, "Schools shouldn't have to do that!" I've thought about her response many times since then.

Today I would have to say that it doesn't really matter if she or anyone else thinks schools should not have to raise money. The fact is that school budgets are shrinking all over the country, and at the same time people are less satisfied with our education system. Add to that a struggling economy and overall distrust of how government at the federal and state level uses tax dollars, and the writing is clearly on the wall.

The sooner public schools realize that they need to diversify their revenue sources, and that in order to secure new sources of revenue they will need to strategically cultivate relationships with community members, companies and organizations, the sooner they will have more control over their future sustainability.

You see there is no shortage of money or resources for good schools. It's just going to come from places other than government. And I think that's actually a good thing.

Is There a Downside to a Purely Government Funded Education System?

I think there have been two consequences of public schools being solely funded by government.

First, I think many schools have developed a mindset of scarcity and survival versus vision for the future. Every year they find out how much money they will get and then they budget accordingly, laying off valuable teachers and assistants if they have to. Instead, what they should be doing is thinking about what kind of school they want to be for children, figuring out how much that costs and then going out and finding the money to pay for it.

Second, many schools have developed a kind of entitlement mindset. They don't really have to be accountable in the truest sense, because they will continue to receive some amount of money to run the school. It could be a school that performs well, but there is no incentive to be cutting edge or really innovative.

So being dependent on one source of revenue results in schools being vulnerable when it comes to ensuring the quality of their programs, and it also causes schools to be insular and closed to real community engagement.

I believe if individul schools had to go to the residents and businesses in their neighborhoods and inspire people to support them, we'd see a lot more innovation and excellence.

So whether or not you believe public schools should have to raise money is sort of irrelevant at this point. If they don't, they might not be around for long.

Send me your thoughts.

Does Cutting the Budget for Education Create Opportunity?

2011-04-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Like many people, I was initially shocked, disappointed and even angered at the news that almost $1 billion was going to be cut from Wisconsin's education system. Isn't it hypocritical to argue that investing in our future is important, and then turn around and drastically reduce resources for schools?

As a school leader, aren't you sick of somebody offering you a budget only then to find you must cut good teachers, services for children with special needs, professional development for your staff and even the light bulb needed for your Interactive Smartboard to engage your students in the classroom? No wonder schools feel helpless.

After my initial reaction to the news about the budget, I realized that this in fact is a real opportunity to foster a new mindset about how WE can build the BEST education system in the world. When our politicians have failed at providing any leadership on budget policy we can kiss goodbye any notion of obtaining government funding for our schools. If we want better schools and a better education system for our children, we must attract the funding from somewhere else.

So who is responsible?

There's a realignment going on right now, and it's time we embrace it. Schools are now responsible for their own long-term sustainability. While this may seem like a steep expectation for an already stressed system, it is necessary if you don't want others dictating your school's budget. When schools are 100% dependent on government dollars for their existence, they are in a very vulnerable position. They're not in control of their future.

Do you believe me when I say there's plenty of money out there? The solution to this predicament is not a question of money. Schools need to know how to attract resources.

Attracting resources does not mean fund-raising though.

My team at alinea believes that the formula for sustainability for schools comes down to effective community engagement, which in no way means just pushing information and requests for money out into the community. Community engagement really is all about inviting and welcoming the community in, which may seem very scary for some schools. So what's the formula for effective community engagement?

Story + Direction + Relationships

Story - Your story must inspire people to want to help. It should be compelling and concise so that it is consistently told by lots of people who act as your ambassadors. Your story must also be driven by a vision of what the future looks like because of your school. What will be the future of the child who attends your school's program?

Direction - You must be able to articulate clear and measurable goals that will drive you to your vision. Your staff, families, board members and volunteers must be able to answer the question, "What does your school need and how can people help?"

Relationships – The first step to fostering strategic relationships is reaching out and inviting people in to witness your mission. By this, I don't mean taking people on a tour of your school and pointing out the obvious (here's our cafeteria, here's our music room.) You need to develop a compelling tour so people may experience what's unique and special about your school. The next step then is to be strategic about how you develop a relationship with each of these individuals over time.

If you implement this formula you will attract the right resources. Implementing this process will not be easy, but it will enable schools to survive and thrive in the future.

I'd love to know what you think. Do you agree? Do you have a vision for your school? How has the latest budget affected your school and what challenges do you think you will face as you strive to achieve your vision?

Deb Lukovich's Very First Blog Entry

2009-08-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my brand new blog!

This is a blog about education. Well, mostly. Why do we need a blog discussing our schools and education system? Simple. We have enough blogs about celebrities and food and music. What would you say is the most important resource for the future of our planet? It’s not oil. Or water. Or wind. It’s our children.

And our education system is in trouble. Which means our children are in trouble. We should pay as much attention to the education of our kids as we do to the economy, the environment and certainly more than we give to all those tabloid and celebrity gossip stories. We should be horrified by the statistics. The dropouts. The failures. The closings. It should be unacceptable to us.

So, this will be a blog about helping to make our schools and non-profit organizations work so well that our children all have the opportunity to learn and grow into individuals who will go to college and become the people that will eventually make our world a better place.

You may ask, who am I? What makes me an expert? And why would I care enough to write a blog on the topic?

It’s a question I would ask myself. And, to be honest, it’s the surprise of my life. I never imagined myself as a person that would dedicate herself and her company so passionately to the mission of improving schools and education. I’ve had other issues and causes I’ve been an activist for, like reproductive rights, women and politics, young women as leaders and entrepreneurship. At this stage in my life, my priorities have changed.

In the Beginning

Here’s what happened. First, I was shocked and disappointed by my own children’s experience in school. And I live in a pretty wealthy school district. If my children were not receiving the highest quality education, what did that mean for children in the other districts? Then, as coincidence (or not) would have it, my consulting firm stumbled onto an opportunity to work with an MPS (Milwaukee Public School) charter school about to launch. They were having many issues and hired us to determine what their shortcomings were and ultimately to fix them.

We worked with them for twelve months and learned so much, most of it horrifying, about how new schools are formed. Interest groups often focus on what’s best for them, not the children. We made it our mission to help this school be a wild success. And so it began…

I realized that it doesn’t matter if a school is public or private, voucher, religious, Montessori or Waldorf. If a school does a good job helping children prepare for success in life, we support them.

A Lack of Vision

A huge issue we were confronted with was that many schools really have no vision for what successful education looks like. With no vision, there is no direction. And every day another child graduates without even learning to read.

It’s Personal

For my company, and me it became very personal. I even became a founding board member for another charter school, Milwaukee Renaissance Academy, chartered by the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. All of this experience gave me vast insight into what a school needs to not only survive, but to thrive.

I will nutshell it for you. It all comes down to two words: Community Engagement. It’s what makes or breaks a school.

What is it and why is it so important? My website, www.alineaconnect.com defines it for you in detail, but in simple terms it means communities and school must form a partnership to create and secure the resources needed for every child to achieve success.

The Community FEELS responsible for and ACTS accountable for their school’s success.

It may sound easy. I guarantee it isn’t. But for the many schools we’ve worked with since—we’ve developed a plan that works. And I’ll share it with you in this blog. We’ll visit the steps and the principles behind them in future blogs. Note that the plan works best with professionals leading you through it, but there are things everyone can do to make small changes now with big results down the line.

This will be a two-way conversation. You can ask me questions as we go along… You can make comments. You can give us all the benefit of your own experience and wisdom. Hopefully, we will grow together. The goal is to determine the best way to help our communities to help our schools to help our kids.

And that’s what this blog is about.