The inaugural GROW Philanthropy Summit held July 29 at Lindenwood University was a tremendous success!  A sell-out crowd of 145 people from business and non-profit sectors both large and small were in attendance.

The day kicked off with an inspirational address given by Rev. Jerry Paul from the Deaconess Foundation.  He encouraged partnerships amongst the sectors and shared valuable information with both insight and humor.

Shanna Schiavon from More Marketing addressed the entire crowd about the research and data behind how Cause Marketing is Good Business.  Art of Film Studio produced a video highlighting local partnerships between non-profits and businesses.  It was a great showcase of what a successful, mutually-beneficial partnership looks like.

Morning and afternoon breakout sessions were held that included the following:

• How to Create Meaningful Corporate / Nonprofit Partnerships – for Nonprofits and Businesses, presented by Jennifer Maher, President, The Cause Academy and Shanna Schiavon, President, More Marketing
• Partnering with the Community to Grow New Revenue Streams, presented by Chris Miller, CEO at the Mission Center, L3C Youthbridge and Professional Associates
• Understanding Social Media, presented by Kate Kromann, E-Communications Director at United Way of Greater St. Louis
• Understanding the Media, moderated by Lauren Kolbe, Kolbe Co. with Debbie Monterrey, KMOX; Virginia Kerr, KMOV; Jeremy Nulik, St. Louis Small Business Monthly; Shane Anthony, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Tom Hannegan, Streetscape Magazine
• Creating Beneficial Workplace Volunteer Programs, presented by Melinda McAliney, Lutheran Foundation and Randy Weller, Citi Community Development

The day ended with a Best Practices in Philanthropy panel with key funders, business leaders and philanthropists.  This panel consisted of the following expert participants, mediated by Victoria Schmitt Babb of Paradigm Shift Studio:

• Grace Harmon – Co-Chair of Harmon Family Foundation
• Melinda McAliney, Program Officer/Communications Director, Lutheran Foundation
• Billy Collier, President and CEO, United Services for the Handicapped
• Sandy Furuya, Warmhoff Accounting and Financial Services
• Kathy Reeves, Corporate Community Relations Manager, Enterprise Holdings
• Jim Bafaro, Senior Manager, Global Corporate Citizenship, Boeing

Our response from the audience was overwhelmingly positive.  One participant wrote:

“It was not like any typical non-profit conference.  The conversations and sharing between the two sectors were amazing.  This Summit was long overdue for our community.”

Details are being worked on now by our Planning Committee for organizing our second Summit, which is scheduled for Thursday, July 28th, 2011 at Lindenwood University.

Branding…it’s one of those buzz words these days that everyone is focused on.  According to the American Marketing Association, a brand is a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers”.

Larry Checco, who has written a book entitled, Branding for Success: A Roadmap for Raising the Visibility and Value of Your Nonprofit Organization, shares that organizations can create visibility by using branding effectively and knowing the message they want their brand to convey.  It’s important to remember that your highest goal is to be of service, but in order to do that with more than just a modicum of impact, you have to serve notice or remind people that you are around!  Because not-for-profits don’t always have huge marketing budgets, using promotional items can provide an economical way to raise awareness and keep your organization in front of donors and volunteers.

For the purpose of this blog post, we’re going to assume you do have a brand, inclusive of a logo, tagline, mission statement, etc.   What we want to do is give you, perhaps, some new ideas and resources for the items mentioned or, if nothing else, motivate you to revisit how you’re currently creating that visibility that Checco speaks of.  Maybe you’ll be spurred to try something different than what is in your bag of tricks right now.

In the arsenal of promotional items, there are always the tried and true:

• Magnets
• Pens and Pencils
• Note pads and note cards
• Paperclip holders

Although not extremely creative, they are pretty useful and do tend to hang around for a very long time.

Then there are items that aren’t quite as common, but still seen routinely sporting logos:

• Calendars
• Bookmarks
• Lapel pins (good for gifts to board members and volunteers)

A very popular giveaway right now is wristbands.  They’re fun and appeal to all ages and men and women alike.

Another very fun item, especially if your not-for-profit involves children, is the peel and stick tattoos.  I must admit I even wore one to a Cardinals game this season!

Stress toys are rather fun, also.  One of my favorites I saw advertised is the “Mood Dude” who comes in Happy, Anxious or Shocked.  Perhaps you can find one in the shape of items that have to do with your NFP’s cause.

If you’re looking for specialty items that are a little higher cost to promote to special donors or for special occasions and recognition, there are many on the market that are very useful and long lasting, sure to keep your not-for-profit’s name out there for all the world to see for quite a long time.  These include:

• Promotional umbrellas –  one of the most practical and functional promotional items that can be given
• Cell Phone Cases
• Blankets (fleece) – These are terrific for concerts and picnics, especially when they have handles for carrying!  If an NFP offers one as a thank you for a donation, I’m all over it!
• Reuseable grocery/tote bags – Not only are you promoting your not-for-profit, but you’re helping the environment at the same time!
• Laptop covers/carriers – These are for a serious promotional campaign, not large-volume giveaways, or as a thank you to your more serious contributors.

One of the most interesting promotional tools I found is one called “Mix It Up With“.  It’s an app for iPhones that includes your not-for-profit logo when downloaded, and the fees for the app are donated to the not-for-profit organization.  The app enables you to incorporate photos with backgrounds associated with your cause or just for fun!  You can read all about it at the site.

Hopefully, a couple of these ideas will strike a spark or you may find something else of interest as you browse the sites when you follow the links I’ve included.  If you are using a promotional item that is fun and effective, why don’t you send a comment and share it with us!

Have you recently received a fundraising letter in your mail?  When you opened it up, did the greeting say, “Dear Friend”?  If so, what was your reaction?

In this day and age of tech-savvy people and information overload, an appeal for contributions for your not-for-profit agency or organization that begins with a generic opening such as “Dear Friend” may very well fall on deaf ears, so to speak.  These days, your past donors and potential donors want to see their names in the salutation (spelled correctly, by the way).  This is a very easy extra step to take when working on your fundraising letters, which can be accomplished with the merge function on your computers.  You can pass on the job to a mail house by providing them an Excel spreadsheet with your mailing list on it.

It should go without saying, but before using your mailing list information to send out your fundraising letters, double-check the names and addresses!  If there is a name that is interchangeable (male or female), be sure to KNOW what the person’s gender is and make a note of it for future reference.  One of Dale Carnegie’s main philosophies was that a person’s name is of utmost importance to him or her, so getting it incorrect or misspelling it does not score points.  We want to build relationships, not turn people off!

When considering the content of your letters, keep in the forefront of your mind that the reasons people give are, for the most part, emotional ones.  Maybe once they’ve made the decision, they tend to support it with logical reasons; but the initial, knee-jerk reaction is going to come from their hearts.

I don’t know about you, but when I read a fundraising letter, I don’t like to feel as though I am on the phone with a telemarketer…only the written version.  I would prefer it to feel as though I’m having a conversation with a friend of mine who is telling me about something she is passionate about and thinks I would be really interested in knowing.  I will “listen” as I’m told compelling stories about why I would be interested in this cause.  If I feel warm and fuzzy when I’m reading it, you’ve got me at least 50% of the way there.  Don’t use a “canned” letter or rhetoric that is written almost by rote.  Can’t you always tell when a telemarketer is reading a script?  Don’t you just end up hearing “blah, blah, blah, blah blah”? How do you feel when you hear it?  Do you feel like giving?

Also, when composing your letter, is it really necessary to drag it on for numerous pages?  Although we’re “friends” at this point, I don’t want to get bored or irritated by too much unnecessary information; because then I will shut down…stop “listening”… and the letter just might get tossed aside as something to come back to.  We all know the likelihood of that is slim.

In the end, of course, you know you need to make things as easy as possible for those of us with too much on our task list left at the end of our day.  Self-addressed, stamped envelopes are a must; and if you forget to give a sincere “thank you” as your letter comes to an end, shame on you!  That’s Fundraising 101!

So be sure you put some serious thought into your future fundraising letters.  Have fun with them…address people by name…write with the passion you feel for your organization and your cause…and the results will, hopefully, be extremely gratifying.  If you’ve recently had some great success with a fundraising letter campaign, send a comment back to us and let us know what you did!

The reality of social media and how it is impacting our daily lives is undeniable.  More and more businesses have blogs and Facebook fan pages, as well as followers on Twitter.  The question now becomes:  How does one measure the Return On Investment (ROI) made by your staff in terms of their efforts to build awareness, recruit, and promote fundraising through these social media “channels”?

It was only a matter of time before the question was asked and, just as expected, a negligible amount of time before it was answered.   At a site called frogloop.com, you will find an “ROI Calculator for Social Network Campaigns”, an innovative little tool that could provide some insights on how effective your social media efforts are.

The site also points out a few areas to consider when assessing social media and your not-for-profit’s participation:

• “Viral Benefits”
• “Investing in the Future”
• “Opportunity Cost”

Depending upon the number of “friends” you have garnered through social media sites, reaching out for help in a serious time of need can be of great benefit to your NFP, thus the “viral benefits” cannot be minimized.

In a past blog post, we’ve discussed attracting the up and coming generations to philanthropic causes and volunteering for not-for-profit organizations.  Social media is where you will find the younger generations hanging out, so there is definitely a great opportunity here for attracting their attention.

As regards “opportunity cost”, if you’re able to calculate how effective it is to assign man hours to social media, you might be able to determine if that time might be better spent doing something else during a fundraising campaign.  Of course, that’s assuming you’re aware of the ROI of other activities involved in the operations of your non-profit.

If you’re curious to know how you might measure up to other not-for-profits or at least how you can gauge what you’re doing compared to others, K.D. Paine & Partners, (“an NH-based company that provides customized research that measures public relationships and brand image”) released a report in 20009 entitled, “Standards and Benchmarks for Social Media in the Not-for-Profit Market”.   As quoted on their blog site, this report:

…compiles the social media activities and results for half a dozen not-for-profit organizations to provide benchmark numbers by which professional communicators can judge the effectiveness of their social media programs going forward.

While social media is important and shouldn’t be ignored, what also needs to be kept in mind, while in the thick of all the tweeting and status updates, is that these sites are intended to give “friends” and “followers” a true sense of who you are.  They are intended to be interactive, which means you also should be listening and responding in order to build relationships, not just inform others about what you’re doing.  Whether your NFP is effective with its social media efforts depends upon how well you engage others.

Using Facebook, Twitter and others to enhance your marketing and PR plans will most certainly pay off for you more so than a one-dimensional approach.  In the end, although social media can be extremely effective and is here to stay, it should be a key element in your marketing strategies, not a stand-alone tool.

Give us some insights as to how you’ve measured the success of your social media campaigns and interactions in recent months.

Whether volunteers flock to your not-for-profit organization to help or you spend a lot of time recruiting them, hanging on to good volunteers is a high priority.  Although there is actually a National Volunteer Week (this year it was April 18-24), it’s really important to celebrate your volunteers all during the year!  Naturally, these “celebrations” don’t have to be elaborate or expensive…just sincere and timely!

Think Individuals

When thanking or celebrating your volunteers, be sure to do it on an individual basis, not just in a group.  Many times individuals don’t always work at the same level of intensity or as often, so be sure you know the individual contributions made.  Celebrate their specific actions, including things they did that were above and beyond what was expected.  Also, remember to thank your individual volunteers as soon as possible after the fact; don’t wait for group opportunities, such as a meeting.

Public Recognition

If you’re going to publicly celebrate your volunteer(s), be sure to pay attention to the actions taken, how people or your cause were impacted, and what the outcomes were.  Public recognition isn’t restricted to addressing a crowd of people at an event; your volunteers can also be written about in publications (such as a local business journal) and/or recognized on a local radio or TV talk show.

Dozens of Ideas

Finding ways to celebrate your volunteers is really only limited by your imagination and resourcefulness.  To help get your creative juices flowing, we’ve included a list of a dozen “celebration” ideas, along with links to websites that can also be fun to investigate.

1. Ask someone in the “upper level” of the organization (think CEO) to write a personal note of thanks.
2. Start a Volunteer Support Group
3. Send letters of recognition to the volunteers’ families
4. Present certificates or awards for special service or anniversaries
5. Create a Volunteer Recognition Board that is hung in a very visible location in order to post words of praise, thank you notes, photos, etc.
6. Take photos of your volunteers in action and frame them, along with a thank you message; give them as a token of appreciation.
7. Hold a special function (dinner, lunch, etc.) where testimonials are given about the volunteer(s) by the people who were helped.
8. Collaborate with local retail shops and restaurants to get discounts for your volunteers
9. Create a yearbook to be placed on display in the lobby celebrating all the great accomplishments of your volunteers; work on it throughout the year.
10. Trace hands on heavy paper, cut them out, then label each with the words “A pat on the back for ___________________.  Thank you for ________________________________.”  Hang them all from the ceiling or on a large wall to make a huge impact.
11. Implement ideas within your organization brought to the table by volunteers either through the use of a Volunteer Suggestion Box or by including them in brainstorming meetings.
12. Celebrate volunteers each month with seasonally relevant recognition (i.e. Valentines in February …“Thanks for the Heart Work You Do”, May baskets, summer picnics, holiday wreaths in December)

For more fun ideas from National Volunteer Week, follow this link.  Also, for more help with volunteer recognition, see the links under Volunteerism.

Have you celebrated your volunteers in a way you’d like to share??  We’d welcome your comments and ideas.

In May we looked at the “health” of volunteerism and found encouragement in the number of volunteers coming from the millennial generation.  But how are those numbers going to continue to grow for more generations to come?

It certainly can’t be left to chance!  There are many innovative, focused programs out there offering the encouragement, mentoring, and role models for young people of all ages.

As with most values with which children are raised, it’s important that exposure to philanthropy begins at home with the family.  Family workshops promoting philanthropy can be found offered by not-for-profit agencies, including visits to projects that can be supported by the contributions of parents AND children.  Within this context, families are encouraged to consider the following when guiding younger family members toward philanthropic endeavors:

• What family values contribute to how they make donations and support causes
• Determine what inspires and motivates the younger generations
• How can the younger generation get involved in the decisions on how to contribute
• Make a plan together as a family

The Council on Foundations holds annual Family Philanthropy Conferences for families with the means to start their own family foundations or contribute on a large monetary scale to a cause in the name of the family.

The Council on Foundations is also courting the next generation by setting up a task force charged with giving guidance on what the Next Generation wants to support and how.

A report published by the Council (Trading Power) includes interviews with veteran philanthropists, as well as next generation members, to discuss how the transfer of power will take place as time goes on.

They even have a Facebook group you can join:  COF Next Generation Leaders

Then there is the creative effort that Charles Schwab (yes, the investment company) has come up with that gives tips for involving kids in philanthropy AND saving!

• Let the kids choose what they want to contribute their money to
• Check out organizations they can support to see first-hand how they work
• Support organizations in your area so they can actually observe how their contributions help
• Match their donations dollar for dollar
• Do philanthropic activities as a family…volunteer and choose places to contribute

Grab the Torch is an organization that teaches the “art of philanthropy”.  They actually offer camps, for which you must submit an application.  Although the camps are not free (about $900), scholarships are available.

The League and its curriculum division called Learning to Give, has a very expansive amount of resources available.  The information included at the website is extremely in-depth for parents, teachers, and students alike, not to mention faith-based groups and independent schools.

If your not-for-profit organization is looking for ways to promote philanthropy to the younger generation, you might consider holding your own workshop, camp or teleseminar.  The resources discussed above are a great place to start for modeling a program of your own to build awareness in the future generations and, in the process, continue to build awareness across all age groups…especially families where the most consistent influence can be felt and nurtured.

Although we’ve blogged about sponsorships and their place in your fundraising strategies repertoire, there is fast becoming an important offshoot of this partnership between businesses and not-for-profits.  There is a strong trend permeating the non-profit world that incorporates the help of businesses in a much more long-term…and mutually profitable…way.  No doubt you see it happening all around as you, personally, purchase products you use every day, knowing that the company selling the product donates a portion of the sales toward a good cause!  Even if it costs you a little more, that’s okay; you’re helping support the non-profit designated.

With this blog post, we have exciting news to share!!  Paradigm Shift Studio (parent to Framework for Success) has aligned itself with Lindenwood University and More Marketing to organize and present the first GROW Philanthropy Summit for the St. Louis/St. Charles Metro areas!  Our goal is to bring together business leaders and non-profits in an atmosphere of sharing and learning.  As our promotional materials outline, the Summit’s purpose is to “Learn Proven Strategies to Partner for Passion, Purpose, and Profit”.   By bringing together these members of profit and not-for-profit, we hope to highlight how philanthropy in the community actually helps businesses in the community.

The businesses attending will learn about strategies for giving to the community while increasing sales, customer loyalty, employee morale and media attention.  Non-profits will learn what businesses need and want from a “strategic partnership”, as well as what tools to use for building these programs in order to increase revenues, visibility and media attention.  These are tools and strategies that can even be utilized by smaller companies and non-profits.

At the Summit, a panel of business professionals will share their models, how they were started, their effectiveness and benefits.  Rev. Jerry Paul of the Deaconess Foundation will be our keynote speaker.  Breakout sessions will be held in the morning and afternoon addressing cause marketing, how to create meaningful partnerships, and understanding social media.

Current sponsors for this groundbreaking event are:

St. Charles City-County Library District

Community Council of St. Charles County

KolbeCo Marketing Resources LLC

Brendensteiner & Associates P.C.

YouthBridge

Streetscapes Magazine

St. Louis Small Business Monthly

If you are interested in attending the GROW Philanthropy Summit, here are the particulars:

Location:  Lindenwood University, Spellman Center

Date:  Thursday, July 29^th

Time:  8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Cost:  $99/Person (includes lunch, beverage, and afternoon snack)

Attendance is limited to 140, so if interested, please register as soon as possible at:

www.lindenwood.edu/growphilanthropy

If you’re interested in sponsorship, contact Victoria Schmitt at:  Victoria@increaseimpact.com.  Sponsorship benefits are:

• Display table at the Summit
• Name in promotional materials before and on the day of the Summit
• Signage at the Summit
• Honorable Mention during the Keynote
• Admission for one

Should you have further questions regarding the Summit, email them to:

communityservice@lindenwood.edu.

We hope you will be able to join us for this exciting event!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; it’s the only thing that ever has.”  Margaret Mead

In our last post about volunteerism, we talked about the history of how it got started in this country and the positive outlook ahead for organizations that rely on volunteers.  What we didn’t talk about is how important these volunteers are and why!

In recent years, it seems, natural disasters (tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes) have been occurring with more regularity.  Maybe the actual facts don’t show that to be true; maybe it’s just how media covers it these days.  Nevertheless, imagine huge natural disasters and the devastation they cause.  Now imagine those disasters without volunteers to help. Dealing with the disasters without the aid of volunteers could be almost as crippling as the disasters themselves.

Although having volunteers for the aforementioned disasters is imperative, the importance of volunteers is even more basic to the success and growth of the organizations behind the scenes in community and humanitarian efforts.

Volunteers come in all shapes, sizes, and responsibilities.  As the foundation of not-for-profit organizations, many boards are composed of volunteers, as are the committee chairmen and committee members. These are the people responsible for setting policies, overseeing budgets, and being representatives of the group in the community.

Another category of volunteer is the project volunteer or worker.  These are the folks who are in the “trenches” performing the tasks assigned to the committees.  Just as we don’t stop to consider the “what ifs” of natural disasters, we also rarely step back long enough to ponder how events that we participate in on a routine basis would take place without volunteers, i.e. marathons and walks for a cause and fundraising galas.  How about food banks…not only is obtaining food important, but what would happen without volunteers to hand out that food?!  Consider environmental cleanup (i.e. Sierra Club) and coaches who volunteer their time to local teams in your community.  So many diverse needs, yet so many of them are being met by volunteers.

Through the dedication of volunteers, awareness is increased in our communities, which in turn can lead to a community rallying behind an organization.

In addition, because of volunteer loyalty, non-profit organizations are able to funnel their cash funds to other areas of need.    

Last, but not least, to consider is the fact that, even though volunteers are vitally important to the recipients of the goods and services provided by an NFP and to the not-for-profit itself, the importance of what being a volunteer does FOR the volunteers themselves, is priceless!

Coming up with the monetary support for your next fundraising event can often times be a challenge, especially if you’re starting from scratch looking for new partners to share the costs.

Before you begin approaching potential sponsors for money or materials to fund the event, it’s important to target sponsors who you think might or who do care about your not-for-profit and its mission.  Take time to consider whether the sponsor is a company or individual that is compatible with your event and its participants.  Is this sponsor going to add something special to the event or could its sponsorship somehow detract from it by lending its support?

Garnering sponsors for an event is not much different than selling a product or service to potential customers.  Just as with sales, building relationships is the name of the game.  You need to get to know those you’re targeting as potential sponsors and gain their trust.  They need to be treated as something special as you get to know them, as well as during and after the event, should they decide to come on board.

Once you’ve established exactly who would be a good fit as an event sponsor, your next step is to determine what benefits of sponsorship will be appealing to them.  If you’re working on building a relationship with this corporation or individual, one of the things you should be sure to learn about them is what they NEED in exchange for their support.  There are several perks that can be offered, including the following:

• Media attention; be specific about what radio, TV or print media will be covering the event

• Improved corporate image (if needed); cause-related marketing is extremely popular with companies these days.  Not only can sponsorship improve their image, it can add credibility.

• Advertising in programs, on tickets, and signage can provide increased visibility

• Increased traffic at stores or building awareness of something new the company is offering (new products); help make it measurable, perhaps, by offering coupons at the event.  Know their audience, and show them proof (past history, database, etc.) that the people attending will fall within their target market (demographic).

• Improved product image and/or emphasize sponsorship can help differentiate them from their competition

• Exclusivity – let them be the only event sponsor or, at least, the only sponsor within their marketplace

Another great way of helping the sponsor experience something positive as a result of lending its support is by extending the benefits to include employees.  Fostering feelings of satisfaction, involvement, and motivation within a company’s ranks can be a by-product of sponsoring a worthy cause.  Providing tickets to the event for a set number or select group of employees is always a great idea.  It can also make a difference if you have a special time separate from the event where executives and employees alike can meet with important customers or board members from your non-profit organization.

Once you have determined who it is you will target as your event sponsor(s), you should have no trouble discovering what will be a definite “win-win” scenario for both of you.  Have you provided a benefit to sponsors of your event(s) that we didn’t cover? Let us know by leaving a “Comment”!

When people think about social issues and needs in our world and how those needs are met, most of the time our thoughts turn to the not-for-profit organizations we have grown to know and love.  Whatever cause donors may feel passionate about, chances are there is a non-profit in place trying to solve the problems of those affected.

What is not often thought about are “social ventures” that are taken on in a “for-profit” way, still with the goal of “doing good”, but turning a profit as well!  This new “model” of philanthropy is beginning to change the face of how the world’s inequities are being balanced.

As with any “new way of doing things” (change), there are pros and cons that define both options for serving society’s ills and shortfalls.

As a not-for-profit, an organization starts out with an advantage in that the general public usually will have the perception that it (the NFP) is “good”.  After all, that is what non-profits are all about, right…doing good?  Donors are drawn to them (NFPs), as well, because of the tax breaks involved with contributions.

For companies begun as social ventures, investors who want to help “the cause” can actually get a return on their investments by becoming shareholders.  With growing the business as a major goal of for-profit operations, expansion will most usually happen much more quickly than a not-for-profit, depending on how well fundraising is going.  When looking for staffing, here again, a for-profit social venture could have the upper hand strictly from the respect that they may be able to pay better salaries and offer benefits.

Of huge importance, however, is the mission of the organization and what its goals are for serving the recipients of its products and services.  This is where the “do good” question could arise.  Obviously, not-for-profits (in the end) answer to their donors, needing to deliver on what they promise to do with the contributors’ dollars in order to have repeat donations from week to week, month to month, and year to year.  But this may not be quite as challenging as it is when for-profit companies involved in social ventures have to answer to venture capitalists and their stockholders.  This could make it more difficult to strictly adhere to the original mission they started out with.

In addition to these separate social-serving models, there are also partnerships being forged…hybrids, if you will…that are attempting to join the business expertise of for-profit corporations with the social conscience and giving natures of the not-for-profit organizations.

These hybrids don’t all look alike, although all have the potential of making an impact.  The joining together of a for-profit pharma company with an NFP working to train farmers in Africa is one example of this model.

In models such as this, the drawback for those used to more immediate results from their hard work, could be the years it might take to turn a profit, when one considers the where, what, and with whom they could be partnering.

Another very interesting model is one put in place by Social Venture Partners, “… an innovative organization that combines contributions of many sizes from individual philanthropist partners into larger, venture-capital type gifts”.  This unique organization provides not only the funding of its “partners”, but also their business expertise in exchange for “inspiration, connection, and experience” from the not-for-profit entity which they are supporting.   It’s a great win-win model!

As the world’s philanthropists continue to heed the call of the world’s needy and social/environmental causes, we can expect that the models through which that happens will not always look the same; but hopefully, the results will, more than not, be very positive.