From the category archives:
Fundraising
Ethics in Fundraising was the topic for last night’s #Fundchat. (#Fundchat is a Twitter chat that takes place every Wednesday night 9:00e.) Given that participants are limited to 140 characters or less – it was a lively discussion. Here were the 8 questions that the group discussed:
- Does your organization embrace the Donor Bill of Rights (or similar)? How do you underscore its importance with your fundraisers?
- What checks are in place at your organization to ensure ethical decision-making in fundraising?
- Are ethics discussed regularly within your team, senior management, board, with donors?
- If your organization has a Gift Acceptance Committee, who sits on it and how often does it meet?
- “What’s the big deal if I take a personal gift from a donor? Isn’t it rude, and harmful to the relationship, to say ‘no’?”
- Why shouldn’t fundraisers work on commission?
- What does your team do to share and learn from potentially ethical issues?
- When confronted with an ethical dilemma in fundraising, what is your decision-making process and who is at the table? Is this guided by a formal policy or an informal practice?
These are all great questions for your management team – everyone should be on the same page as to where the organization stands and how to best deal with situations that fall into the gray area.
The Donor Bill of Rights states:
PHILANTHROPY is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
- To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
- To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
- To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
- To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
- To receive appropriate acknowledge and recognition.
- To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
- To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
- To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
- To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
- To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.
The Donor Bill of Rights was developed by:
- Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
- Association for Healthcare Professionals (AHP)
- Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
- Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits
It’s more than a traditional donor database. It’s a common ground for information about all of your constituents – donors, volunteers, new contact and just about anyone who helps support your mission.
Common Ground is a cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that you can access anywhere, anytime, from any web-enabled device. Offering all the benefits of cloud computing, with Common Ground there is no hardware to purchase and maintain. No software to upgrade. And, no limit to the amount of data you can store.
No matter where your fundraising strategy is headed, Common Ground can meet your evolving needs. Manage your direct mail program better. Integrate you online fundraising with you database. Incorporate social media into your marketing activities. Boost your major gift program. Track grants. Common Ground can help you with all of this, and more.
Not a JMT customer and interested in Common Ground? Contact Andrew Harleman at 314-735-0753.
Already working with JMT Consulting? Please call your CAM at 888-368-2463 or email cam@jmtconsulting.com. We’d be happy to discuss in more detail.
JMT Consulting Group announced today a special Solution Spotlight track for nonprofit organizations attending JMT’s annual conference INNOVATE 2011.
One of the Solution Spotlight sessions will be “Saving Money for Nonprofits Through Hosted Solutions” and will be presented by Stanley Kania, CEO of Software Link, Inc. In addition to the insights shared at the session, INNOVATE attendees have the opportunity to access Sage MIP Fund Accounting in a hosted environment during the conference.
“Software Link and JMT will offer INNOVATE attendees a chance to work with hosted software while at the conference,” explains JMT Consulting Group CEO and Founder Jacqueline M. Tiso. “The software used during the Sage MIP Fund Accounting training sessions at INNOVATE will be hosted and available for attendees to access via their laptops.”
The INNOVATE Solution Spotlight track includes:
- Web-based Expense Management with RestEasy
- Saving Money for Nonprofits Through Hosted Solutions
- Maximize Funding with Sage Grant Management
- Increased Giving, Participation and Support with Sage Fundraising Online
- Build and Manage Benefits and Deduction with Sage Human Resources Module
- Strategic Insight Into Your Business Planning with Sage Active Planner
The 7th annual INNOVATE conference will be at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut April 27-28. INNOVATE is a two-day conference for nonprofit and public sector organizations interested in improving their working knowledge of popular software Sage MIP Fund Accounting and Sage Fundraising 50.
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“INNOVATE 2010 was a great experience and I learned a lot. It was my first time attending and I’m looking forward to coming next year.” Alyssa Mulllen, RCAP Solutions
Join roughly 130 professionals from a variety of nonprofit organizations who are part of the JMT family for INNOVATE 2011. In the past we’ve typically had between 100 and 150 committed nonprofit professionals attend INNOVATE to learn more about Sage Fund Accounting, Sage Fundraising 50, complementary solutions and technology. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to learn from one another.
Choose from 13 different sessions on Sage Fund Accounting, including Financial Formats, Reporting, Cost Allocations, Data Imports, Payroll Processing and more.
There will be an entire track dedicated to Sage Fundraising 50 on both days with a total of 7 sessions.
We have 7 spotlight sessions on some solutions that have impressed us and open the door on exciting new opportunities for nonprofits to achieve their mission.
Back by popular demand, our computer lab will be open for 2 full days to give you an opportunity to meet 1:1 with our consultants.
All of this under 1 welcoming roof of Mohegan Sun hotel and casino which features shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
Early bird registration ends March 28, so please register now. We hope to see you there!
“JMT Consulting Group is a valuable partner for us at the Central Wyoming College Foundation. The opportunities for support and training are easily accessible and (most importantly) cost effective. This is the 5th INNOVATE conference I’ve attended and I always come away with new ideas and knowledge to improve my workflow and efficiency. This year when we went to our board for permission and funds to attend, we had already decided to offer to pay a portion of our cost of attendance due to the current budget constraints. Our board was impressed that we were that committed to attendance and the quality of training. Thank you for another solid learning experience.” Lynette Jeffres, Central Wyoming College Foundation
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We’re busy getting ready for INNOVATE 2011 – working with the hotel, updating the website, pulling together four tracks worth of sessions to make this a great conference.
INNOVATE 2011 is for nonprofits using Sage Fund Accounting and Sage FR 50. We hold the conference twice a year in the spring and the fall. Coming up in April the conference will be hosted at Mohegan Sun – a popular location and a site we’ve used in the past. In the fall, we will be hosting the conference in Las Vegas.
We’re ready to accept your registration and additional information on conference tracks will be added to our website as they are finalized.
We love INNOVATE mostly because we get to see you in person and renew friendship, but we also enjoy bringing information that will make you more effective in managing your nonprofit. In addition to a variety of subject matter, we will have a variety of learning formats both presentation and hands on labs. You may want to think about bringing your laptop and so that you may review and learn with your own set up and data.
We hope to see you there!
“INNOVATE is the best seminar ever! The training is excellent and very informational. I like the instructors, their knowledge is great. The lab one-on-one time is the best. This really helps! Thank you so much!”
-Codelia Young, Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Centers
When you read the headline, did you finish the sentence with “State Farm is there” without even really thinking about it?
The TV commercials depict a home owner or car owner in a pinch, and when they utter the motto “and like a good neighbor State Farm is there!” an insurance representative pops on the scene ready to handle the problem they are facing.
The ad appeals to our desire to have peace of mind regarding some of our largest personal investments – home and automobile. It removes a lot of stress knowing that a skilled professional has your back.
We recognized that nonprofit management teams wanted that same kind of peace of mind when it came to their investment in nonprofit accounting systems and donor databases. And that is why we created Extended Value Plans (EVP).
With a JMT EVP you have a knowledgeable support person that you may call or email with a guaranteed response time for your inquiry (based on the plan level you select) – a real, live, experienced JMT professional to help you get your problem solved.
In addition to a veteran resource to help you work through any challenges, the plan provides opportunities for you to proactively address challenges before they become bigger issues. Plan members have access to an annual system review and JMT virtual office hours. You can also take advantage of unlimited access to EVP web training – perfect for refreshing system knowledge or addressing knowledge gaps that may come with employee turnover or the shifting of responsibilities.
And, we offer a variety of discounts on products, services and our annual conference to make enhancing your system and proficiency of the system less strenuous on the budget.
You may sign up for EVP at any time – for a more detailed explanation of the plans click here.
If you have any questions please call us at 1-888-368-2463 and ask for a JMT customer account manager or email us at cam@jmtconsulting.com.
It’s our hope that you will take advantage of this program and when in need find yourself saying “And like a good partner, JMT is there!”
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For more information click here.
