Need Some Inspiration

Need some inspiration?  Here are a few wonderful movies at Simple Truths which have concepts for leadership and helping others:

Every Monday Matters – “This “involvement” guide book provides a straightforward, uncomplicated, and down-to-earth process for getting YOU involved and to help you get OTHERS involved.”

The Essence of Leadership

Rock Solid Leadership

The Dash – “When Linda Ellis wrote her poem, The Dash, in one afternoon 12 years ago, it would change her life forever. In 239 words, she captured the ‘Simple Truths’ of why we were put on this earth.”

Do you have a website, book or poem that provides inspirational or leadership ideas?  We’d like to hear from you – post your ideas and share!

Membership Renewal and Retention

Membership Renewal and Retention
By Bunnie Riedel

The heart of many nonprofits is the membership. For some nonprofits, membership income can be one-third or one-half of all income. How then can nonprofits keep membership from slipping during these delicate times?

Attention must be paid to member renewal and retention. Typically organizations will see a twenty-percent decline in membership each year. Holding that number and trying to reduce it requires extra effort. There are some key things that can be done to ensure that your organization’s “churn” doesn’t get out of control.

Motivation

Take a good long look at your organization. Why do people join? What’s in it for them? Start by asking some of your loyal members to give you the answers. Do they continue to renew because of altruistic reasons? Does the “mission” of the organization fulfill some need they have to be a part of it? Are there certain tangible benefits they derive from their membership, such as discounts on products or services or important networking connections they can’t get anywhere else? Does your organization provide legislative representation at the local, state or federal level? Perhaps you have training programs that are critical to certification or continuing education. Ask: why do people spend their money to belong to this organization?

Services and Programming

Next, look at the services you provide your membership. Particularly focus on what your members need from the organization. Conduct a survey of your members to find out which services they find invaluable and which services they rarely, if ever, use. Also ask your members what they need. I am particularly fond of Question Pro. It’s easy to use and provides terrific analytics on the back-end. They also provide free access to nonprofits and a one-month survey is $15.00.

Are there some services or programs that have become stale? Are there new services or programs that should be introduced to keep up with members needs? Are your programs and services up-to-date with technology? Conversely, are your programs and services too technologically advanced for your membership? Are you giving away services that should be exclusive to the membership?

Communication

It never ceases to amaze me that many nonprofit executives and boards don’t communicate what they are accomplishing to their membership. Communication has to be a priority and it has to be ongoing all year long, not just at renewal time. Not communicating will cause your members to ask “What have they done for me lately?” or to assume that the “national” or “regional” office does nothing. Maybe your organization can’t afford to publish a printed newsletter or journal, but it certainly can afford to publish a newsletter or journal online and it certainly can afford to email a missive to the membership to say “Here’s what we’re doing!” I know of organizations that have excellent listservs used by the membership for peer-to-peer networking and never used by the organization itself to reach out to members!

Lack of regular communication screams to the members that you don’t care about them you only care about getting their money.

Once you’ve looked at these areas: motivation; services and programming; and communication; it’s time to look at your renewal strategy.

I am not a fan of annual dues collected all at once, like in January. They work for some organizations but for many they mean a sudden influx of money and delayed membership projections that cannot be addressed until the annual collection window has closed. In other words, if you only renew once a year in January, you won’t be able to calculate that your membership numbers are off until mid to late February. However, if you do anniversary renewals all year long you get a better sense of renewal rates and can adjust your campaign and your budget as you go.

Start three months in advance of the renewal. Send a personal letter (yes, you can mail merge) telling the member why it is they want to renew. Tell them about all the great things your organization has accomplished this year and why it’s exciting to be a part of such a great endeavor. Send that letter each month until the renewal date (be sure to modify it a bit each time). Once the renewal date has passed and they haven’t renewed, send out a new letter, re-capping how great the organization is and what member benefits they will be missing out on if they don’t renew. Do this for three months, each month.

If the member still has not renewed, send them a special package. Include a “gift” in that package; it can be as simple as your printed journal or 10% off the next conference or a magnet or calendar.

If the organization is small enough, have your board members divide up the non-renewed list and give each of those lapsed members a personal call. Or send your regions or chapters a list of those who did not renew (after a six month lapse) and have them personally contact those members. (A great incentive for regions or chapters is to give them 50% of the lapsed members renewal…half for your organization is better than none).

At some point in the future I’ll provide member renewal letter samples.

But for now, it is critical that membership renewal run like a well-oiled machine and that a lot of thought has gone into why people become members and why they stay members.

Bunnie Riedel – see http://nonprofitconversation.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bunnie_Riedel
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Giving is Good for Your Health

(ARA) – During times of economic downturn, you may have to dig a bit deeper into your pockets to make charitable contributions. However, you can still end up better off. In addition to the tax breaks giving can bring, as it turns out, giving is also good for your health.

“Several studies over the years have found links between altruistic behavior and improved physical and psychological health,” says Dr. Ann Vincent, an internal medicine physician at Mayo Clinic who researches the mind-body connection. “In general, I think altruism makes people feel better about themselves, which often translates into improved physical health. Other benefits that have been attributed to positive emotions include: enhanced creativity and ability to cope with stress and broadened cognition. In essence, thinking positively about ourselves is good for our physical and mental health.”

But the benefits of giving, whether in the form of volunteerism or making a donation, aren’t just a one-time deal. The more you give, the better you may feel, and that means finding ways to give back throughout the year. Generosity is also a wonderful survival skill to help you get through difficult times in your life.

“Recent studies have examined individuals who have survived trauma, natural disasters and being prisoners of war,” says Dr. Edward T. Creagan, an oncologist at Mayo Clinic. According to Creagan, people who seem to thrive in adversity have many characteristics in common, but especially a few:

* A sense of connectedness. The recognition that family and community are crucial to survival.

* A sense of altruism, somehow sharing of themselves to make the lives of others a little bit better.

* An optimistic attitude and sense of humor.

If you have trouble motivating yourself to give time, money or goods, focus on how giving back can benefit you. “There is a ‘helper’s high’ that people sometimes say they feel in connection with altruism/philanthropy,” says Vincent. “But that initial euphoria is also sometimes followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being.”

Philanthropy can also have positive effects that help people maintain or improve their physical and mental health. It often creates broader social networks, which can help people cope with stress and anxiety, and it can provide a sense of purpose and empowerment.

The emotional and physical benefits of philanthropy may be even more significant right now. Nonprofit organizations everywhere are increasingly looking for charitable individuals to partner with them in their goals for the future. Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit organization, is one of the world’s premier medical treatment and research facilities and is currently conducting a campaign to transform patient care, research and education. The gifts Mayo Clinic receives now will help people today, as well as benefit future generations of patients and medical professionals.

For more information on how giving can make a life-changing impact, visit www.mayoclinic.org/campaign.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Volunteering Together Brings Families Closer

(ARA) – From rising energy costs to escalating prices at the grocery store, Americans are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks. Many individuals and families like to set aside money every year to donate to charities, yet some may find it more viable to give of their time right now.

Just 13 percent of Americans who donate to charitable causes expect to increase their giving at the end of the year, according to a recent survey by Grizzard Communications Group. Whether you can make a financial donation or not, there are many opportunities to give from the heart and help those in need.

“For our family, it started with a party we organized for our local nursing home two years ago,” explains John Henris of Washington DC, a volunteer for Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly. “We wanted our children to be aware of people in their community in need and in turn we created a rewarding volunteer experience for our whole family.”

It is important for parents to set an example for their children in making community service a part of their everyday life. Children can see firsthand what it means to take action and learn how satisfying such an experience can be.  In the case of the Henris family, 11-year old Madeline has even involved her friends in their family volunteering activities and they like to brag about how “cool” it is.

Volunteering actually brought Bill and Charron Andrews of North Carolina together more than 25 years ago when they each started providing support at the Chicago chapter of Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly.  They subsequently married and their now-grown daughter recently gave a concert and donated the proceeds to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly.  Dave and Linda Rulison helped organize a holiday party for elders in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula back in the 1980s and have been volunteering ever since, recruiting both their sons and extended family members to assist.

Here are some tips on how to create a worthwhile volunteering experience for your family:

1. Look for organizations and opportunities which will allow you to involve your whole family in the volunteer effort. You can look at it as your “gift” of community service, as well as an opportunity for extended family to bond in a common activity.

2. Don’t rule out volunteer opportunities because you think you are too busy with your own family commitments. There are many social service agencies, like Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, where you can make a difference just through weekly phone calls to a senior or that have activities you can share with other family members or friends. For more information, visit www.littlebrothers.org

3. Use a one-time event, like an annual visit to a shelter or soup kitchen, to investigate other programs that the organization sponsors throughout the year where you can extend your support.

4. Consider creating or tapping into an existing intergenerational program that allows children to interact with seniors in your community. John Henris and his family created a program called “Life Stories” in which they organize a small group of seniors to visit a local school to be interviewed by students in a history class.

5.  Be sure to ask the intended organization about the volunteer opportunities available for all age groups in your family.  Even if there is a recommended age restriction for on-site participation, you might be able to prepare some of the items at home with the help of your children or have them assist in other aspects of the volunteer effort.

Giving the gift of time not only gives to those in need, but it can be a powerful bonding experience for the whole family.

Courtesy of ARAcontent