The dire consequences of Sept. 11 for nonprofit fundraising have been a favorite topic for the mainstream press in recent months. And most nonprofit organizations - like their
counterparts in the corporate world - are feeling the squeeze of the recession. But the tight economy means new opportunities for nonprofit communicators as fundraising support
becomes their top priority.
Morgan Roth is VP of public affairs for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), an organization that offers textbooks on tape for students who are blind or severely
dyslexic. Not only does Roth spend around 60 percent of her time on fundraising-related efforts, she answers to the SVP of the financial development department.
"We prepare all of the collateral material our development officers use, and we're also a part of the annual strategy and planning. We're in the first loop of plans so we can
shape and strategize," Roth says. Her team "shapes and strategizes" the messages the development staff needs to win over donors.
Educational Outreach Can Be Cash Cow
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has also found that its most powerful PR messages can provide compelling outreach to donors and sponsors. GLAAD's annual Media
Awards honor gay and mainstream media outlets, celebrities and other figures for their contributions to a better understanding of the homosexual and bisexual communities. The
awards, held annually in three cities, provide GLAAD with about $2.5 million, which translates to 40 percent of the organization's annual budget.
But execs at GLAAD are divided on whether the Media Awards should be considered primarily fundraising or educational outreach/public relations. "When I first got to GLAAD in
1997, I asked the board what's more important about the awards, the ability to raise funds or the ability to raise awareness," says Joan Garry, GLAAD executive director. Garry
didn't get a consensus that day, and she still considers the awards program a unique blend of educational and fundraising opportunities. "I think they're the perfect illustration
of how development and [education] can work together."
GLAAD considers the events so important that it hires an outside PR counselor to work specifically on the awards. Robert Shuter, senior account executive with Bragman Nyman
Cafarelli in New York, devotes about two months to the awards and aims for media placements in gay publications as well as in the mainstream press like "Entertainment Tonight" and
"Access Hollywood" to promote ticket sales. But Shuter's efforts go beyond outreach to the gay community and other potential ticket buyers: "What the fundraising unit does without
me is they sell to corporate sponsors. But something on `Entertainment Tonight' or in InStyle will increase our profile with those corporate sponsors."
Doing the Homework
That inherent support of fundraising goals provided by strong PR can make all the difference for a nonprofit. But finding the right fit between PR and fundraising means not
just interacting with the development department, but also doing research on where donors are, what they want and what vehicles can provide it.
It's not unusual for Roth to go on donor calls and visits with development staff. "We know firsthand if we're meeting their needs," she says. The homework has paid off for Roth
and RFB&D. "We just wrapped up a three-year 50th anniversary campaign that [public affairs] was involved in integrally. Our goal was $35 million and our result was $40
million."
(Morgan Roth, 609/520-8095, [email protected]; Joan Garry, 212/629-3322 ext. 105, [email protected]; Robert Shuter, 212/682-7700 ext. 306, [email protected])
Girl Scouts Capital Campaign: It Beats Cookies
The Girl Scouts of the Glowing Embers Council, the oldest council in Michigan, has a crew of 6,500 girls peddling its cookies across southwest Michigan. But the council, along
with the national organization, has decided in recent years that it needs more than cookies to keep up with the girls' needs.
"Up until 10 years ago, we didn't have a fund development department, and it wasn't expected that anything beyond cookies and a few grants would be needed," says Kathy Mills,
an associate executive director who until recently served as PR director. Mills is now responsible for both fundraising and PR and sees PR as a means to build the 57 percent of
the council's income that does not come from Thin Mints and Samoas.
The council has launched a capital campaign geared at adults. "We needed to promote the Girl Scouts, not to little girls. We needed to have more adult-generated income." In
keeping with that goal, the council has launched a PR campaign focusing on successful women who were Girl Scouts. Stay tuned for results ...
(Mills: 616/343-1516)