Opportunties

“When we truly focus on the common good, service is a privilege—not a chore but a remarkable opportunity.”
Frances Hesselbein, President & CEO, Leader to Leader Institute

At Partnership in Philanthropy we’ve had some remarkable opportunities in the past twenty years. We’ve collaborated and partnered with funders, corporations, and individual donors to bring capacity building services to the nonprofits who need us.

And because much of that work has met with success, PIP has been asked to continue to serve as advisors, mentors, board members, and on-going consultants to continue and sustain our relationship with those nonprofits.

At times service can seem less than a privilege especially when the economic news continues to be uncertain, when individual donors are scarce, and corporations and foundations remain conservative with their funding.

I believe that opportunities come in all shapes and sizes and present themselves at the most inopportune moments. A good leader and more importantly a good leadership team will be driven by results and will seek out the creative, the innovative and the different to have solid results. And that’s where PIP can help.

Our capacity building programs help nonprofit leaders and nonprofit boards create results. PIP assesses, PIP plans, PIP works with an organization to create results from implementing an ongoing successful annual appeal to role play for major donor asks.

Recently a PIP client asked a major donor for a $100,000 major gift. She had done her prospect research and the PIP consultant had helped her role play an ask scenario. The major donor turned down the request but said I have $25,000 for you, would that be OK? To date, it’s the largest individual contribution received by this organization. The executive director said to me, she never knew how to ask for money and get a positive result, but that PIP and her consultant had made it possible.

But we at PIP know it was more than that. This executive director had passionately presented the donor with a remarkable opportunity, and she took it!

Milestones

Fall is that time of year when we all talk about milestones. Children going to their first day of school, young adults leaving for college, election of our public officials and the ever forward creeping start to the holidays.

In the nonprofit world this is the time of year when we evaluate the year behind us and look to the year ahead. It’s time for audits, annual appeals and annual reports, webinars and workshops. A time to show those who care about our missions most, exactly what we’ve accomplished and where we see ourselves going.

For PIP, we’ve reached a VERY big milestone; we will celebrate our 20^th anniversary in 2011. PIP will celebrate 20 years of capacity building in the New Jersey nonprofit community. Since 1991, PIP has helped 300 nonprofits and close to 500,000 people involved with and served by those nonprofits. In our 20 years, PIP has raised over $3 million dollars and our fundraising consultants have donated approximately 10,000 hours of their time to our clients.

We hope at PIP that what all these numbers mean is IMPACT. That we’ve had impact, that we’ve helped many nonprofits turn the corner to sustainability, that we’ve guided our clients in diversifying their funding sources, recruit better and more highly trained volunteers and become better leaders. And most importantly, that they’ve done all this while continuing to focus on their important missions: feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, employing the jobless, caring for the environment, championing the underserved.

In effect, after 20 years, PIP continues to fulfill its mission by helping nonprofits go from good to great. At PIP, we are so incredibly proud and privileged to be on this journey with our funders and clients. We hope to be given the opportunity to keep moving capacity building forward for another 20 years.

What milestone has your organization reached? And what milestones lay ahead?

Listening

I had the privilege in June of hosting a retirement party for my outgoing boss and PIP’s executive director, Becky Dembo. It was a fun filled evening with lots of laughter, good friends, fond memories and great conversations.

We all wished Becky well as she eloquently said goodbye to us all,
“One door does not close without another opening wide, so thanks for the memories….I’m off on a new ride.”

So here I am on a new ride of my own wondering what to do next? As I begin and lead the charge, where will I take PIP? And what can I do to complement the great work that has already been done before?

Of this I am certain, capacity building is never done and there is always a new ride, a new wave cresting, another window to open. So I begin this new day by listening. Listening to all of you who have worked with PIP, funded PIP, donated to PIP, volunteered for PIP, and supported PIP. Listening to your needs and wants, your desires and dreams for yourselves, your families, your organizations and finally for PIP. As I listen, what remains clear is that there is still work to be done; nonprofits are as busy as ever with fewer resources than ever. And what I know for certain, PIP is here to help. So please call us, we'll listen.

PIP: Producing a Ripple Effect that Goes On and On and On

Drop a pebble in the water: Just a splash and it is gone;
But there's a half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on,
Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea.
And there is no way of telling where the end is going to be.
Anonymous

We often describe Partnership in Philanthropy as the pebble that produces a continuous ripple effect for the organizations we serve. PIP’s board leadership training motivates trustees to become stronger advocates for their cause, more involved custodians of the by-laws, policies and procedures of the organization and more invested fundraisers. All of these can bring long-term positive changes. PIP’s program analysis enables organizations to re-assess their programs’ viability in addressing needs and targeting clients. PIP’s assistance with budgeting oversight, helps stabilize the finances of a nonprofit. PIP’s strategic planning process provides a viable, realistic blueprint for a productive future. And the more secure the nonprofit, the more it can provide needed services for its neighborhood and its community. Each of the skill sets above can be the pebble that sends ripples circling on and on and on.

Fortunately, PIP has been making waves in New Jersey for nearly twenty years, and there’s “no way of telling where the end is going to be.”

Putting “Success” in Succession

If there is one thing this country is good at, it’s smooth transfer of power. We do it every four years and with our free enterprise system we often do it in both the public and private sector as well. But, as often as we do it, and as integral as it is to our culture, transition can be difficult…for the country, for individuals, for businesses and for nonprofits alike. The key ingredient for good transition is planning. That means putting together a step by step action plan and getting buy-in from all the major stakeholders. And it means remaining supple and alert when things don’t always go as anticipated.

Few nonprofits have the luxury of planning a transition a year in advance. Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP), a 501 (c)(3) that provides consulting for New Jersey nonprofits, had the good fortune of learning that its executive director was planning retirement an entire year before the retirement date. It also had a person on staff that had the experience and the qualifications to step into the role of executive director. So the steps leading up to what might have been a challenging event, have been predictable and controllable.

What helps to put success in succession?
First and foremost, transparency; open and honest discussions between the CEO, the board president, the executive committee, and the board.

Next, a well-articulated plan that has the buy in of all the major stakeholders, particularly funders; periodic assessments to see if the plan is still viable and working.

Next, a schedule for the transition of responsibilities so that nothing falls through the cracks.
Training of all the day to day tasks and coordinating of calendars so that the new face has exposure and the old face begins to be seen less and less.

Finally, a pr plan so that the public learns of the change in an upbeat and positive fashion; putting out a message that assures consistency and continuity.

So, it is with total confidence that Partnership in Philanthropy announces that Heather Robinson will assume the role of executive director of PIP on June 30, 2010, upon the retirement of Becky Dembo, ending a ten-year tenure at the helm of the 20-year old PIP.

Fishing

Give a man a fish; Feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish; Feed him for a lifetime.

This old Chinese proverb is the tag line that PIP has used for years to describe the benefits of nonprofit mentoring and training that we offer through our capacity building programs. But I recently heard a new twist to it and I think it is worth some thought.

Give a man a fish; Feed him for a day.
Teach a man to give; He will be a giver for a lifetime.

In other word, if people receive the gift of giving early on, and understand the impact their gift can have on others, they will be more inclined to give more and more meaningful gifts as they are able through out their lifetime.

I remember when I first graduated from high school and received my very first solicitation a few weeks later. I was so infuriated that I threw it into the trash and went into a rant about how ridiculous it was that they were asking me for money. My father was quick to teach me that it ought to be my pleasure now more than ever to give back to a community that had been so meaningful in my life. He said, “Sweetie, we have to give something back to each community we are part of. That way others will have the same opportunities that we have had. It doesn’t matter how much you give, it matters that you give something.” I will never forget that conversation.

We are not born philanthropists but hopefully, we all learn at some point in our lives to give back. And when we do, it’s something that is hard to un-learn. Philanthropy is a good habit to get into; giving as we are able to those causes and crises that pull at our heartstrings for all sorts of reasons. It’s good to be a “giver”.

Five frogs

"Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off.
How many are left?
There are still five - because there's a difference between deciding and doing."

"Five Frogs On A Log" by Mark L Feldman & Michael F Spratt

At this time of year we all resolve to change the status quo and move ourselves or our business in a different direction. All indications are that this will be a positive change and, after all, what have we got to lose? The Pros far outweigh the cons. So, yes, why not? Then several months later we look around and time has gotten away from us, we are just as mired in the old ways as we were and nothing has changed.

We, at Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP), firmly believe in change. In fact, we are agents of change. We have a blueprint for making “good nonprofits better” that has been tried and truly effective for over 15 years now. We invite you and your nonprofit to be part of this change.

PIP is currently looking for the nonprofit organization that has some or all of the following red flags

1. The organization does not have a committed and well-educated board.
2. The board does not represent the constituency it serves.
3. The organization’s funding sources are not diversified.
4. There are no well-defined job descriptions for board and staff.
5. The bylaws are not reviewed and updated regularly.
6. A Strategic Plan and a Fundraising plan are not in place and re-visited.
7. The organization is not a team at work, but a “one-man-show.”
8. There is no clear and consistent mission; it gets off track chasing the $.
9. There is no financial oversight by the board.
10. There are internal tensions that polarize the key players.
11. There are no clear outcomes and evaluation tools.
12. The public’s awareness and image of the organization is not positive.

Call PIP and discuss ways to address some of your issues and stumbling blocks. You may want to apply for a 165 hour/two year PIP consultancy, our application deadline is March 15th. You may prefer to bring PIP in-house for a planning session or a retreat. Whatever it is you need, we want to help you “jump off the log” and move your nonprofit ahead swimmingly.

Best Practices for Weathering the Storm

I sometimes catch a glimpse of the now famous “Dr. Phil” as he asks a tearful guest, in his sarcastic manner, “Yeah, and how’s that working for you?”

Right now we might very well ask the nonprofit community, when inquiring about their ability to effectively fundraise, “And how’s that working for you?” And if they answer, “It’s not” then offer the following:

· Make sure you have the most effective, educated and committed board you can get. Make them your chief advocates, your cheerleaders, and send them out to interact with their friends and colleagues and deliver your nonprofit’s message loud and clear.

· Put your nonprofit in front of corporate philanthropists and heads of big and small foundations. Tell them what you do best, what sets you apart from the others and what difference you make in the lives of those you serve.

· Take this time to verify that your organization has all the up to date requirements in place; updated by-laws and policies. Review your internal job descriptions and risk management procedures.

· Assess your program effectiveness. Review your data for trends and statistics and incorporate them into your case for support.

· And plan! Plan for when the economy starts to rebound so that you can hit the ground running. The government calls it being “shovel ready.” Look over your strategic plan to make sure it is relevant. Create a fund development plan that is current and realistic in today’s market. Train your staff and board to be the best that they can be!

And remember to express hope every day. Nonprofits are nothing if they are not hopeful. Set the example; be leaders in the “Hope Building Brigade.”

I’d wish you “good luck” but it isn’t luck that will get us all through this……it’s best practices.