power Steering: Nonprofits at Work
May 2008
- New Routes to Fundraising
- Building Your Resume during Graduate School
- Market Research: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
- Meet Angie Adams, Greenlights' New CFO!
- Nonprofit of the Month: Foundation Communities
New Routes to Fundraising
By Christie D. Horne, Board Member, GENaustin
Many of us drive the same route to work, the store, a friend's house and so forth. Why? It's predictable—we won't get lost and we know exactly how long it'll take. Tthe result can be boredom, but every so often an accident or a road repair will send us a new way leaving us feeling rushed or anxious—or possibly, with a new and more efficient route of traveling.
Fundraising has similar tendencies. Year after year, organizations create their signature gala events—often booking the same venue, a hip band, and serving more or less the same kind of food—all with the hopes that a changing theme will attract its donor base and new sponsors. While creating a legacy is key for continued support, offering a fresh direction keeps the intrigue alive.
This spring, GENaustin, Girls Empowerment Network, decided on a new vehicle all-together for their annual gala. While previous galas have been successful, the nonprofit sought out the unfamiliar in the virtual world with its unique and unprecedented "Gala in a Box."
The decision to take a detour came about after several brainstorming sessions about how to create a meaningful gala and be "green" at the same time. At last, the virtual concept immerged, and GENaustin planned its new route.
Depending upon sponsorship level ($1,000 to $20,000), a donor's "Gala in a Box" will include all the makings of a real gala plus a few extras thanks to the generosity of in-kind sponsors: the event's signature "Greenteani" drink featuring Tito's Vodka and Sweet Leaf Tea, wine or champagne from Austin Wine Merchant, dinner reservations at key restaurants such as Uchi where the wait list can be up to two hours, a CD of music compiled by Austin's famed Trish Murphy, tickets to another hip gala, a relaxing massage from Austin Deep, discounts or gifts from premiere Austin shopping boutiques like Neiman Marcus, chocolate from Fifth Avenue Chocolatiers, a crystal bowl from Tiffany's, a centerpiece designed by Bella Flora Creative, GENaustin's media message, and lots of other goodies. And to insure a gala feel, each box will be delivered on the same date to donors and their guests, thereby allowing them to recreate an intimate gala experience at home from the contents of their boxes.
While donors have expressed that they'll miss the excitement of seeing friends and dancing to the band, they're also relishing in a night off during peak gala season. They don't have to fill a table, buy a gown, and best of all, they're delighted in knowing that around 90, as opposed to 60-70 percent of their donation will directly benefit GENaustin girls! Plus, since many donors are seeking to be more "green" themselves, they're appreciative of GENaustin taking a lead on this issue as there'll be no wasted food, no paper invitations and programs, no dumped décor, and no extra energy spent on lighting, gas, or sound systems, etc., which are the usual byproducts of a gala.
The decision to detour presented a few risks: Would the box idea be embraced and understood? Would there be enough in-kind support? Luckily, the organization's innovative and trend-setting idea sparked enthusiasm on all fronts and a new route to fundraising has emerged. GENaustin's mission to "foster healthy self-esteem in girls by engaging them to explore and define their personal values and to build skills that empower them with confidence and courage to make wise choices," is sure to continue for years with ingenious fundraising tactics like its "Gala in a Box"!
Building Your Resume during Graduate School
By Jenn Hartner, Consulting Intern, Greenlights
My decision to go back to school for my Masters Degree in Social Work was a long time in the making. Taking myself out of the work force for school and watching my résumé sit on my desk and collect dust was scary business. Two years out of the field meant losing ground on current trends, promotions, and most importantly, money. Was this Master’s degree really going to pay off when I graduated? Or would it be better to just stay at my current job?
Yes, it is true. Obtaining an advanced degree sets you above and beyond those in the working world who do not have one. Your $40,000 investment means that you have the skills and theoretical abilities to work at a higher level than those who didn’t get that higher degree. Then, after quitting your stable job and spending two (or more) years as a student, there comes a time when you have to pick your résumé up, dust it off, and figure out how you are going to find a job.
For me, graduate school provided learning moments both inside and outside of the classroom. I was able to take time to critically examine and think strategically about what I wanted to accomplish with my pending degree. I was able to try new types of work without investing in a full time job, and I was able to test the nonprofit career waters by taking on different roles at a variety of nonprofit organizations. Being a student allowed me to build my résumé in ways that make me stand out as a potential employee – it helped me hone in on skills I can best use to make a impact and test-drive organizations that might be a good match for my work style.
Internships are a great way to sample the different types of nonprofit work. If you want to build experience and connections without all of the duties and responsibilities that come with a full-time job, internships are a great resource. Since most internships are part-time and only last for a semester or a summer, you have the opportunity to get your feet wet and learn about a variety of areas and topics quickly.
Meaningful part-time work is also a great way to build your résumé and get some hands-on practical experience to accompany what you are learning in the classroom. Many organizations employ part-time staff to do a variety of duties from office help to managing volunteers; from drafting policies to conducting outreach.
Volunteering is another way to exhibit commitment to community and an excellent opportunity to get perspective on organizations. Nonprofits are always in need of an extra set of hands that are willing and committed to helping. Volunteering roles can also provide more flexible work arrangements to meet the needs of a demanding graduate school schedule.
All of these out-of-classroom experiences will help you with prospective employers. They show that you have the initiative to do more than what is academically expected of you and that you are committed to going above and beyond. In a Central Texas market that is full of talent and expertise, an internship, part-time job, and/or volunteering will only make you more lucrative and competitive once you leave school.
Market Research: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Contributed by Arbitron Inc./Scarborough Research
Marketing can be like a giant jigsaw puzzle. As each piece comes together, you get a better sense of the picture. Determining just who your target audience is can be the hardest piece to place. How do you find where they live? How do you uncover what makes them tick? How can you make sure your message is seen, heard, or read by them?
These pieces of the puzzle, while they’re important to all marketers, are especially crucial to answer correctly for non-profits. Limited budgets increase the stakes to ensure that your message resonates and that your mission is achieved.
To demonstrate how marketing research is the key to placing that last piece and seeing the whole picture, imagine a hypothetical non-profit, ZIP. This organization provides a service for predominantly Spanish-speaking Hispanics in Central Texas, and it will use market research in the various stages of its operations.
Service plan development
Market research can provide the foundation for a new non-profit during its initial definition and mission phase. Understanding the demographics and geography of a city is critical to the success of a non-profit. Executives should be asking questions like: “Who will we serve? Where do they live and work? How can we better understand their lifestyles to ensure our service is valuable and convenient?”
Using a syndicated marketing research service, executives at ZIP know that 25.6% of the Austin DMA is Hispanic*, of which almost 34.1% prefer to speak Spanish only or Spanish more than English (preferred Spanish speakers). Drilling down to specific counties and zip codes will help ZIP to even more efficiently target its services to the right areas.
Planning and marketing
Now that the service plan is in place, it’s time to start planning and marketing. The next piece of the puzzle will illustrate how ZIP will inform the public about its service. Operationally, it is clear that promotional materials need to be produced in Spanish and staff members must speak Spanish. With market research, ZIP can reveal even more about the people in its target market, such as what media and media outlets are the best choices for reaching them, and use that information in developing a media plan. With this information, ZIP can have confidence in the decisions being made and provide clear justification for budget allocations with real numbers and analysis.
Corporate and media partnerships
Market research is critical to building successful partnerships. ZIP used their marketing research to provide statistics and profiles of its members to corporate partners in making its case for assistance. For example, if ZIP wanted to approach a grocery partner for an event, it would identify stores that best served its demographic. Not only is ZIP able to provide this prospect with a compelling, emotional story about why the partnership is valuable, but it is able to provide the prospect with hard numbers about how the partnership will bring value to the investment. ZIP can tell the grocery store how many of the store’s customers fall into its target market, in addition to lifestyle characteristics about those customers, to justify donations and internal involvement.
ZIP is able to achieve its mission with informed decisions because it can see the entire picture with the pieces of the puzzle supplied by market research. By using research throughout all operations, from designing the service plan to planning and implementing a media buy, you too can have confidence that your budget dollars are being spent efficiently, ensuring that your non-profit is also on course to achieve its mission.
*Source for all statistics quoted: Scarborough Research, Release 2 2007, Austin
Meet Angie Adams, Greenlights' New CFO!
By Angie Adams, CFO and Director of Back Office, Greenlights
For better or worse I am a big fan of home renovation, which usually necessitates months of construction in order to achieve that beautiful finished product I have been envisioning. My most recent construction project has a new twist – it is constructing a stage for my new career path.
I just relocated from Nashville where I worked in the nonprofit sector for the past eighteen years. So now I am constructing a new work life in a new city. Funny enough the first thing I need to construct is a new work wardrobe since the dress code in Austin is much more casual than in Nashville. I have taken a decent amount of grief from my local friends and co-workers for wearing suits to work, but in Nashville, even in the nonprofit sector, management level staff were expected to wear suits on a daily basis – a visual indicator of the more conservative tone of Nashville over Austin.
Next I need to start constructing an Austin professional network. In Nashville I knew the best insurance agent, the best banker, the best audit firm – all who understood the issues and challenges specific to a nonprofit organization. Here I don’t yet have those contacts and I feel at a loss without that support network. I realize that a great deal of my professional success is dependent on having those resources to assist me with business affairs.
And since I had worked in the nonprofit sector in Nashville for so long, I knew virtually every nonprofit organization in town and what they did, whether or not they had strong financial and management practices and staff, which accounting software they used, etc. So I had an extensive peer network I regularly used to ask, “How does your organization (fill in the blank from HR issues, to building maintenance issues, to audit preparation work.) . . . ?” So I have started seeking out lunch dates with some peers in town who can hopefully assist me with building both my peer network and my professional resource network.
As always, I am both energized and exhausted by my latest construction project. The work is exhausting, but the relationships and the knowledge that we are all working together to construct a better community are energizing. And I am certainly happy to stop wearing suits to work!
Nonprofit of the Month: Foundation Communities
Founded in 1989, Foundation Communities creates housing for low to moderate income families and individuals and provides them with on-site services to improve their financial standing and quality of life. They have 11 communities in Austin with nearly 1,500 apartment and duplex units. In addition to this, they also have 3 units in North Texas for a total of more than 2,000 apartments and duplexes. Foundation Communities builds two kinds of properties: supportive housing for single adults at the Terrace locations and family communities with learning centers on site as well as child care and after school programs. This unique nonprofit has an operating revenue of $16.5 and earns 80% of its revenue through rent and other property income. The other 20% comes from earned property fees and fundraising.
Foundation Communities embodies this month’s theme of construction in three significant ways: they strive to build affordable housing, build financial stability, and promote green building. As a national innovator in quality affordable housing, community learning centers, green building, and economic empowerment programs, Foundation Communities is a perfect fit for Greenlights’ Nonprofit of the Month spotlight.
Foundation Communities recently finished construction on their latest supportive housing community for single adults. Skyline Terrace offers 100 efficiency apartments as well as services to help promote individual self-sufficiency. Located at Ben White and Banister, Skyline Terrace is one of three communities of this type, helping low-income adults, retirees, veterans, homeless individuals, and others find affordable housing that empowers them to take care of basic needs and become more self-sufficient. Equipped with a computer lab, several modern lounge areas, and views of downtown Austin, Skyline Terrace reminds its residents of just how far they have come and where they can go.
In their efforts to build financial stability among their residents, Foundation Communities manages nine Community Tax Centers in the Austin area. This year alone, 400+ IRS-certified volunteers prepared and filed more than 17,000 tax returns, returning almost $21 million to the tax community – this was an increase of 28% over tax returns filed last year. One of the primary goals of the Community Tax Centers is to return more of the earned income tax credit to low-income families. Individuals who qualify for the earned income tax credit may be discouraged by high tax preparation fees, causing millions of tax dollars to go unclaimed. The Community Tax Centers are free to anyone who falls within the income restrictions, and they have returned almost $9 million in earned income tax credit. A few other ways Foundation Communities works to build financial stability is through their money management and financial education courses held at various locations, including an individual accounting program offered to residents.
Finally, Foundation Communities puts a high priority on green building in their properties. They work to improve energy efficiency, conserve natural resources, reduce waste by recycling, and promote a healthy living environment. For example, Skyline Terrace uses solar power and energy-efficient air conditioners, and their landscaped courtyard and building materials promote healthy indoor air quality. Foundation Communities’ green building program has won them awards, such as Austin Business Journal’s “Going Green” award and Keep Austin Beautiful’s award for “Neighborhood Beautification.”
Greenlights is pleased to recognize Foundation Communities as its May Nonprofit of the Month. For more information, please visit their website at www.foundcom.org. The Grand Opening of Skyline Terrace will be celebrated on-site on June 25th from 10 am – 12 pm.