A Bigger Pie

Perspective

If you believe what you read in the papers and hear on the TV "news" every day, there's pretty much nothing good going on.  Everybody is going to get fired, we're all going to be homeless, and everything you eat is still bad for you.

Or, maybe it's not really that bad.  Maybe we just need a bit of perspective?

Maybe things are pretty good for most of us....maybe, if you're reading this blog, you have a roof over your head, your health needs are being met, and you have enough food to make it through today, as well as tomorrow (perhaps too much)?

There are many people out there that are not so fortunate.  It's true that thinking about the enormity of the problems of the world can be paralyzing (whether those problems are yours, or those of billions of people 10,000 miles away).  It's also true that, when a bit of perspective is needed, reflecting on the situations that others face can help us keep our heads on straight, and keep moving forward. 

The Power Of You (and Us)

Each of us has the power to impact the world around us.  Through our words and actions we can create change.  When we are aware of this impact, we can use it, but often we forget how much influence we really have.

This is a time of year when charity is at its height (at least in terms of dollars and cents).  If you are a registered "giver", if you're on the list of one or more chartities, you can expect many solicitations in the next few weeks...in fact, if you're on "the list", the solicitations might have already started rolling in.

With that in mind, there are two things I made sure to remind myself this morning:

First, in light of the current economic climate, be sure to give ANYWAY.  If times feel tough, and you feel you need to give less than you might otherwise, then give less.  Even if it's just a small fraction of what you might have given last year, five years ago, or what other people tell you is the "right amount".  Just give. 

Regardless of how you feel about the economy, the fear that we might otherwise allow to spread through our collective psyche can make any situation seem worse, and as a result, get worse.  On the other hand, making a donation is said to make us happier, and support our belief that our basic survival needs are being met.  So, give, in amounts small or large, and get an emotional boost.

The next thing I wanted to take note of this morning is a point that was made today by Seth Godin in his daily blog post.  Use your power to influence what these charitible organizations are doing.  Whehter it's in regard to the work they are doing in the field, or in their communications with you.

If you don't want to keep getting those costly direct mail pieces every quarter, don't just toss them in the garbage.  Contact the organization, and let them know to stop sending them.  You may choose to continue to give, or not, but at least the direct mail pieces will stop, perhaps allowing them to spend that extra dollar in the field?

If it's something deeper, let them know that too.  Maybe you've decided to stop giving to a group becuase you feel they are being inefficient with funds, or maybe you feel they are no longer doing important work, and your funds are better given elsewhere, let them know that as well.

These groups need our feedback to continue to improve and get better.

A charitible organization is like a business in that respect.  Donations, like sales, need to be earned.  And, if you decide to "spend" your money elsewhere, let the group know why you're making a shift.  that way, they'll at least have the opportunity to act on it if they choose to.  In that case, you can consider the feedback your donation!

Happy Thanksgiving

Year End Fundraising

Is it that time already????

That was my reaction.

It's a shame, really, that anybody would feel that way when asked for a donation to a cause they obviously believe in. But that was my reaction last week when 2 of my favorite charitable organizations contacted me in their "year end" fundraising drives.  Probably the first of many solicitations to come this year, a good portion of which are likely to reference the economy in their pleas for more funds.

I had just given to one of the organizations less than 2 months ago, and now they were asking for more.  It's a shame that the status quo is what it is.  I really don't like being asked to give, and from what I gather, I'm not alone.  Besides, giving in response to a request never quite feels as powerful to me as when I just give for the sake of giving.  And, as I write this it occurs to me that I feel the same way about gift-giving.  Something given "just for the hell of it" feels better and more impactful than the obligatory Christmas or Birthday gift.

Until these organizations are presented with a better way, this pattern of giving and then being asked again is not likely to change.  I don't know that any individual organization can tackle this on their own...that would be like an individual friend of yours developing Facebook just so they can stay in touch with their buddies.

However, when the right platform emerges, both consumers and organizations will flock to it, and we'll start to wonder how they ever got by doing it "the old way".

Fund Raising Competition And Seth Godin

Seth Godin is one of the leading thinkers of our time.  When I heard he was to be the special guest on the latest Network For Good NonProfit 911 call, I was sure to listen in.  I've read just about all of his books, and have signed up in advance for his next book, Tribes, and am part of his Triiibes community.  His insights will no doubt play a critical role, as I rapidly turn my vision into reality

Godin never disappoints with his unique and interesting ways to look at things.  If you're not familiar with his work, then read his blog.  It will open your eyes, and help you see things in a new way.

This call was no exception, in that many of the ideas Seth communicated were surely radical to many of the folks listening in.  Most of the call attendees, I believe are individuals working in the non-profit sector.  More specifically, I think it's likely that the majority of them were in fundraising roles.

As always, Godin helped us take a step back, and see the issue from a different angle.  Good work there.  However, in this case, I don't think just one step back was enough.  I must admit, I was surprised.  Had he zoomed out just a bit further, he would have touched on the concept of A Bigger Pie.

Perhaps he took ONLY one step back on purpose.  Or, perhaps not.  We'll have to ask him.

His focus was on getting these fundraisers to help "Flip The Funnel", and allow their existing supporters and donors to start doing much of the fundraising work for the organization, rather than having the organization do it themselves.  It makes perfect sense if your perspective is from that of an individual organization. 

But, from a macro perspective, who really cares if the American Cancer Soceity or the American Heart Association is doing a better job of fundraising?  I mean, other than the employees, who cares?

Are we better off with more money going to ACS or AHA?  I don't know that there's an answer to that, unless you have a horse in the race.  If you're more at risk for cancer, perhaps you feel strongly about that.  Or, maybe you had a relative that recently died of a heart attack, or that issue is particularly important to you for some other reason.  But, for soceity as a whole, there is no right or wrong place to donate between those two, is there?  Assuming they are operating at similar organizational efficiency, there is not.

As Godin says, donating to the American Cancer Soceity is safe...it's hard to criticize somebody for it.  But, by the same token, if that person put their donation towards the American Heart Association, could you possibly call that a "bad decision"?

By encouraging groups to do something remarkable to get attention, and build relationships, which ultimately turn into more donations, Godin is giving each organization info they can use.  And, it's very likely that if enough organizations implement these ideas effectively, the pie WILL get bigger, but only as a SIDE EFFECT.

Zooming out one click further, we can see that if we can increase the size of the pie, then the rewards to the companies that are doing a good job will be even greater.  Plus, on a macro level, we will undoubtedly be better off if BOTH organizations raise more funds.  this doesn't have to be a zero-sum game.

Let's shift our perspective from that of a non-profit fundraising employee to that of our soceity.  If we do that, the main effect and side effect will also shift.  From our new perspective, we can see that the pie is growing.

And, if the ACS or AHA get whooped in the fundraising marketplace by the Komen Breast Cancer Fund, or Habitat for Humanity, then so be it.  If some groups don't catch on, let them lose out to the groups that "get it".  Over time, there is no better way for an organization to grow and adapt (or die, if they cannot) than when they are forced to do so by competition.

My vision is to create the "portal" that will allow us to both:

• increase the size of the pie
• make it easier and more efficient for non-profits to get the message out, and fight for their share of pie

Remember here people, I'm not suggesting we create this competition, it already exists.  We might as well recognize it. 

What we need to do is level the playing field, make it easier and more efficient for groups large and small to compete, create more transparacy for donors, and most importantly, raise the sum level of incoming donations.  If we can do all these things, we will end up with A BIGGER PIE.

And, that is good for everybody, regardless of which nonprofit you work for.

Give At Your Own Speed

Each of us will soon come to the question of “How Much Should I Give”?

Should you:

·         Give as much as you can afford?

·         Give until it hurts?

·         Give a fixed percentage?

·         Not give at all?

·         Try to give “whatever everybody else is giving”?

I could have probably come up with another 10 bullet points if I really tried, all of which would seem like pretty good answers depending on where each of us is in our lives and our perspective.

I come from the school that says the main thing is that we all give consistently, and give in an amount that is “more than trivial”.  While that will be different amounts to different people, the concept is the same:  Optimally, give an amount that might cause you the slightest “inconvenience” or “adjustment”.

If you say to yourself, “man, I could easily afford to give $10 a month”, then maybe you should think about giving $11.  When starting, try to just touch that point where you might have to stretch yourself a tiny little bit, as it will deepen the experience.

One thing not to worry about is how much those around you are giving.  The last thing we should try to do in anything is to measure ourselves against others.  The late, great comedian, George Carlin pointed this out in his own way when he observed:

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot,
and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

What a brilliant thought.  I use it to help myself stay centered in a variety of life situations.  And, it is tremendously pertinent here.

Don’t feel like your donations are not meaningful when you hear of a Howard Stern at a $10,000 a plate dinner, or Oprah spent $40,000,000 on her school for girls in South Africa.  And, on the flipside, if you were planning on pledging $3 per mile for the latest walk-a-thon and then hear the boss in your office, who makes twice as much than you do pledged $1, don’t judge him as being cheap or a jerk.  What any of those other people chooses to give is their business, and should have no impact on what you choose to do.

When measuring against others, there is too much input, and all of it is out of your control anyway.  Everybody has different circumstances and thresholds. Find what works best for you, and commit to it.

What If I Don't Have Enough Money To Give?

As we each think about giving, whether it’s $10 a month, or $100, or $1000 or more, let’s put the idea of making financial donations in proper perspective.

You shouldn’t have to change your life to make this work.  This is not about joining the Peace Corps, and flying off to Tanzania.  Doing something like that is extremely incredibly noble, honorable, and selfless, and if that is your inclination, go for it.  It’s not mine, that’s why I’m here, at the computer.  The world needs more people doing those things on the front lines.  But, that is not the topic of THIS blog.

What this blog is about is us finding a way to make the charitable donations that fund the efforts of those guys on the front lines.  There are already millions people out there doing the hard work.  But more funds are always welcome.  In many cases, programs are greatly restricted by lack of funds, as much as by a lack of qualified volunteers.

I want to be perfectly clear here, more volunteers will always be needed, and I’m not trying to discount the contributions those volunteers provide, or impress upon people that volunteering is not important.  Far from it, it is critical, and, without people out there doing the work, all the funding in the world won’t make a difference.   But volunteers without funding are not as valuable as volunteers with funding, and again, the purpose of our blog is to encourage donations.

So, this is the point where it’s my responsibility to show how easy it is to give $10 a month.  You’ve all heard this one before, right:  If you just cut out your Starbucks every day, and stop going to the movies, and eat beans out of a can every day for dinner, you’d be able to donate thousands. 

It’s easy for somebody else to say, right?  Simply downgrade from a Vente to a Grande, or play golf once a week instead of twice, or get the basic cable package rather than the one that has Showtime, and you’ll have more money for everything in your life. 

While that’s technically true, for many people the thing in our lives we’d want more money for is EXACLTY that Vente Mocha Frap, a movie on cable once or twice a week, and a couple of rounds of golf.  Some of us don’t want to change THOSE things.  So, what do we do?

Give anyway.

That’s right, give anyway.  The money won’t be missed by you, and it WILL make a difference.  Even if it’s just $1 a month, save it up and donate $12 at the end of the year.  It can and will make a difference.  And, what you’ll find over time is that, if donated properly, you may enjoy the results of your gift enough that you don’t mind downgrading from a Vente to a Grande.  More on that to come…..

Why "A BIGGER PIE"?

Why Me, Why This???

I’ve given this question so much thought over the last few months, if I were to write it all out here, it might be the world’s longest blog entry.  So, let’s just start with the basics, and that will get our blog started off on the right foot, with more to come.

I hadn’t ever really done much for charity.  One of my next entries will cover my limited involvement up until this year, but suffice it to say that I had pretty much been an “every man for himself” kind of guy until recently.

I had an epiphany a few months back.  It wasn’t while meditating or from some mystical visit from a divine being or anything cool like that…it was at a money management seminar.  The suggestion was made that you should give 5% - 10% of your post-tax income to charity.  “FIVE PERCENT???”

Notice, I didn’t even process the 10% part in my brain?

To some people, their first reaction is no reaction at all.  Many people already give that much to the church in tithing.  But, to me, having never given much of anything, 5% was a pretty radical idea.

I listened to their reasoning, and I went home, and I thought about it.  I processed it very logically, within the context of how it was presented…the spiritual and financial benefits of giving.  The idea being that you feel better when you give, and, giving promotes a feeling of abundance.  On top of that, the more money you earn, the more you have available to give to help others, and the more you also get for yourself (which, at the time, was the whole reason I was at the seminar in the first place, or so I thought). 

I made my first donations to The Smile Train and Vitamin Angels …but lately, I’ve been thinking on a much deeper level about the concept of charity in our society, why some people give and others don’t, and the role giving plays in our lives.  That’s the subject of this blog, and this is the first entry.What made me take the leap to create a blog about a subject I had never even thought about 4 months ago?  Patience…that entry will come in a couple of days.

For now, if you’re not already actively giving on a regular basis, give it some thought.  Why not?  What would it be like if you were to give?  Maybe not 5%...maybe just 1%.  What kind of a difference might that make?  How might you feel different?

Feel free to check out either of the 2 organizations I mentioned above, or research from a million or so at The Network For Good.