Power Steering: Be Deliberate, Achieve More
October 2009
- Deliberate Service Provision in an Outcomes Framework
- The Case for Board Service
- Make CRM Software Work for You
- Nonprofit of the Month: SIMS Foundation
Deliberate Service Provision in an Outcomes Framework
By Kathryn Engelhardt-Cronk, Community TechKnowledge
Carefully designed and executed performance evaluation can transform service provision from a scattershot, catch-as-catch-can process to an intentional, replicable, deliberate progression toward effecting social change.
Nonprofit service providers in the Greater Austin Area make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Our communities are better places to live and work for all of our citizens – rich, poor and middle class, because of the efforts of over 3,000 nonprofit organizations to increase quality of life across all sectors, whether in human services, the arts, environmental defense, animal rights, or faith-based organizations.
That reality notwithstanding, public perceptions about nonprofit service providers and charities are a study in contrasts. On one hand, nonprofits are clearly and positively perceived as providing critical services to the poor and under-served in our communities and in overall serving the public “good.” This view is illustrated by the fact that, despite the recent and steep economic downturn, personal and foundation giving has remained relatively steady: US charitable giving exceeded $300 billion in both 2007 and 2008 and looks to remain stable for 2009(1).
Conversely, the public – and especially for-profit businesses, perceive nonprofit charities as “soft”; providing good works, but with an un-businesslike approach to strategic planning, marketing, funds utilizations and the bottom line (2). Any nonprofit professional knows that there is at least a little bit of truth in this perception; however, the good news is that nonprofits are rapidly changing the way that they do business. External pressure from competing nonprofits, funders and policy makers and internal pressure from board members and young, differently educated service providers are all moving nonprofits toward results-oriented accountability – in both service provision and in effecting broader social change.
Countless outcome and impact models have been developed as nonprofit templates in achieving a more deliberate, replicable model of creating and sustaining effective and positive social impact. Technology that can provide secure and accessible real-time data collection and reporting tools – essential to the maintenance of these result-based models, is more available, less expensive and easier to use then ever before.
Smart nonprofits are seizing the opportunity to turn public perception of charitable organizations from a “hand out,” sideline player to an important participant in providing a higher quality of life for our society as a whole. Today’s nonprofits want to be recognized as providing a “hand up” for those in need and as an essential thread in the fabric of a highly functioning community. Utilization of appropriate outcome modeling and information management technology provides the prospect for a true shift in how nonprofits do business and the way in which nonprofit value is measured by all sectors of our community.
1Charitable Giving Outlook for 2009; “Forefield Forum,” January 8, 2009 by Lisa Hartman
2 Managing Nonprofits.org: Dynamic Management for the Digital Age…2002 John Wiley and Sons, Inc. NY, NY by Ben Hecht, Bennett L. Hecht and Ray Ramsey
Kathryn Engelhardt-Cronk is the Founder and CEO of Community TechKnowledge, a leading provider of flexible, affordable, HIPAA-compliant web-based software that simplifies tracking and reporting for human service providers and funding organizations. For more information about the company's products and offerings, visit their web site.
The Case for Board Service
(and for Greenlights' Board Summit on October 22nd)
By Matt Kouri, Greenlights for NonProfit Success
This community needs board members. Really good board members. Individuals who understand (or are willing to learn) the importance of a nonprofit board. Those who are not afraid to ask their friends and family to support an organization for which they are passionate. Board members strong enough to exhibit real leadership, yet humble enough to put the interests of the organization above their own. People willing to ask hard questions and to hold their organizations accountable to superior performance.
Central Texas has (more than) our fair share of nonprofits. And just as nonprofits often struggle for sufficient financial resources, most also struggle for talented board resources. In our work with dozens of nonprofit boards each year, Greenlights is often surprised by the difficulty many nonprofits have in attracting and retaining good board members. And because Austin is a relatively young community (last I heard our average age was around 29), the pool of seasoned board members is somewhat shallow – just ask your favorite law partner how many board requests she has turned down recently.
The good news is that really good board members can take many forms. To start with, they don’t have to be wealthy – just willing to give a meaningful gift and open to asking others to do the same. And they don’t have to be corporate executives – just able to demonstrate a unique form of servant-leadership needed on most boards. Heck, they don’t even need to be business people – nonprofit staff can often make wonderful, empathetic board members of other nonprofits. Really good board member don’t need grey hair– some of the best boards I know have a healthy mix of older and younger members who bring diverse views and learn from each other. And they don’t even have to know a whole lot about nonprofit governance – Greenlights can teach them that part!
Next week’s Greenlights Board Summit is the perfect opportunity to add a little water to this community’s board pool. The evening event will feature 23 diverse nonprofits looking for new board members – it’s part “speed-dating”, part board member “job fair”. We invite you to join us to explore whether board service might be in your future.
And if you want a to get a leg up equipping board members to become successful fundraisers (something all nonprofits need!), sign up for Greenlights upcoming workshop on this topic led by Ballet Austin ED Cookie Ruiz.
Make CRM Software Work for You
By Brian Pritchett, Strategic CRM Solutions
By its very name, software for Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) should be the “holiest of holy” tools for building and maintaining a strong community of supporters, volunteers, donors and clients. Yet many organizations struggle to leverage this tool beyond being a glorified Rolodex.
Lots of Systems, Lots of Promises
Most organizations have a CRM system whether it is a homegrown database or one of the many commercial products ranging in price from a couple hundred to tens of thousands of dollars.
For an individual organization, it is likely the purchase was made to pursue many of the promises of better management of constituent relationships with CRM software. Such promises might be:
- Streamlined workflow
- Improved supporter / donor relationships
- Larger and more frequent gifts
- A better brand, reputation and greater sense of community
- Relevant data with which to make more informed decisions
- More donors
The strategies that work to accomplish these goals vary from organization to organization. What works for an international humanitarian organization is not the same strategy that works for a regional arts & culture institution. In fact, similar organizations in the same sector may use CRM differently to capture the promises above. With CRM Software configuration, is required and therein lays trouble.
Many organizations make the mistake of selecting a CRM system based on the activities they do now, essentially automating their current efforts. Yet, a good CRM system brings new power to the table, akin to hiring an additional key staff member. At times like these it pays to reconnect with the development department’s overall vision, goals, objectives and tactics prior to putting the new resource to work.
When selecting or re-vamping a CRM system the starting point is a discussion on how things should get done.
Strategic CRM
With a strategic approach to CRM every click leads to measurable progress on strategic objectives. That’s a bit of an overstatement, certainly, but the point is that the main features of the CRM software should directly and clearly support the strategies set forth for the department and organization.
Simple questions that need to be answered are:
- What is your Vision for the development department?
- How are you going to get there?
- What milestones will you hit along the way?
- How will you know you’re making progress towards milestones?
- What activities will enable your progress?
- What other tools and technology are being engaged (think Website, email, etc)
The questions above will provide a great starting point with the ultimate goal of gaining context for how exactly CRM will benefit the organization and how the benefits can be measured.
Take for example the development department of an Animal Welfare Organization. Let’s assume the organization has made the following choices:
Vision: Sustainable, cost-effective growth
Strategy: Build and nurture strong donor relationships
Objectives: Engage constituency based on specific animal & issue interests
Tactics: Regular & relevant email, phone and mail communications.
Milestones: Success is measured by # of givers, # of renewal donors, and improvement in perceived effectiveness of organization
The CRM software can do a number of things to support these strategic objectives, outside of the standard keeping of contact information and donation history. For example:
- Online surveys can capture and automatically populate the CRM system with the specific animal interests of constituents (are they a cat person or a dog person?)
- Phone, email and mailing campaigns can run with messages specific to supporter’s interests (“An Update for our Dog Lovers…”)
- Reports monitor how the tailored messages are affecting supporter’s propensity to give.
- Other features could be engaged to facilitate teamwork and manage staff activities around pursuing these strategies.
In this particular case study, the results expected are larger and more frequent donations and a more engaged supporter base.
Taking a Strategic approach to CRM not only allows an organization to select the right CRM program for its specific needs and budget, but it also paves the way to having stronger constituent relationships and greater fundraising income. Simply tracking contacts and donations with CRM leaves this great opportunity untouched.
Brian Pickett assists nonprofits with strategic CRM, website, and email technology solutions to achieve fundraising goals. For more information on Strategic CRM Solutions please visit PickettCRM.com.
Nonprofit of the Month: SIMS Foundation
Austin is hailed as “The Live Music Capitol of the World” for good reason. With over 200 live music venues and internationally recognized music festivals such as SXSW and ACL, thousands of musicians make this city their home. And while Austin-area musicians are fortunate to have many opportunities for creative expression, they often also face extraordinary financial and emotional obstacles.
Irregular working hours, demanding travel schedules, financial insecurity and a proximity to alcohol and drugs can take their toll on musicians and their families, sometimes resulting in depression, anxiety, relationship problems, and alcohol and drug abuse. Professional musicians are often uninsured or underinsured and cannot always pay out of pocket for expensive counseling and addiction treatment. That is why the SIMS Foundation exists.
SIMS was founded in 1995 by the friends and family of Sims Ellison, a talented young Austin musician, after his battle with depression ended in suicide. Their mission is to provide access to and financial support for mental health and addiction recovery services for Austin-area musicians and their families.
Over the past year, the SIMS Foundation has actively sought ways to strengthen its services and grow as an organization so that it can meet the needs of the ever-increasing number of musicians who make Austin their home. SIMS completed a Greenlights organizational assessment, significantly expanded and engaged their Board of Directors, filled a temporary leadership gap with an Interim Executive Director and then hired a stellar new Executive Director and Clinical Director who were quickly able to expand and improve services and outreach.
Now approaching 15 years of service to Central Texas musicians and their families, SIMS serves over 600 clients each year and leverages over $320,000 annually of in-kind psychiatric, counseling and addition recovery services from its extensive network of providers. “SIMS saved my life” is a quote that the organization often hears from clients who volunteer to share their experiences.
Greenlights for NonProfit Success is pleased to recognize the SIMS Foundation as the October Nonprofit of the Month for the important work they do to support and nurture the musicians who give so much of themselves to our community. Congratulations to the SIMS Foundation!