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• President's Message

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Register

Join us for this outstanding educational opportunity!
AFP Mahoning-Shenango Chapter Proudly Presents:

“Keeping Your Donors by Building
Donor-Centered Relationships”

AUDIO CONFERENCE
August 8, 2008
Boardman Park

10 a.m. - Board Meeting
11:30 - Boxed Lunch
12 noon - program
FREE for AFP Members
$15 for non-members

Presented by Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE, author of Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last, now in its second edition, and, with Tom Ahern, author of Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better Communications & Stronger Relationships (AFP Fund Development Series). 

click here to register

Donor-centered relationship building: do this well and you'll significantly improve your donor retention. But where do you start? This audioconference teaches you the essentials of building lasting donor relationships. You will learn how to upgrade your fundraising program from one that is merely "transaction-based" to one that is profitably "relationship-based." You will learn to become truly donor-centric and avoid counter-productive -- yet common -- "donor-indifferent" behaviors. You'll take a guided tour of the eight steps that guarantee good relationships.

President's Message

Fundraising in Tough Economic Times

At a recent Chapter program, a reporter from a local television station asked me how I felt current economic fears would impact fundraising. My quick response was that charities would most likely see a decrease in the number of donors, but an increase in the average gift. In my twenty-eight year career in fundraising, that is what I witnessed. A decrease in discretionary income together with the perception that things are going to get worse will prohibit some from contributing for a year or so. However, those still having the discretionary income to make gifts tend to increase their level of giving knowing that others are hurting. But this phenomenon doesn’t happen magically. We fundraisers have to transform the perceptions of our board members, staff members and potential gift prospects using good leadership skills.

At AFP’s 2008 International Conference on Fundraising held this past March, I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing Dr. Ron Archer. Dr. Archer did a workshop on Transformational Leadership…transforming others to respond because they believe that you believe in the cause or mission. He offered the following traits of Transformational Leaders:

• IQ – Information Quotient – Seek as much knowledge as you can about your vocation. Our local Mahoning/Shenango Chapter along with AFP International together offer numerous opportunities to expand your IQ through programs, conferences, mentoring opportunities and the AFP Resource Center.

• TQ – Talent Quotient – Know the strengths and weaknesses of those with whom you interact. A good leader knows the gifts of those on the team and empowers each person to contribute as best they can. My networking experiences with other AFP members have helped to sharpen my TQ.

• RQ – Resiliency Quotient – Ones ability to bounce back when struck down with adversity. A good leader gets up quickly after falling down and helps others to get back on their feet. The friendships that developed in my twenty-three years as a member of AFP have nurtured a support system that builds a strong RQ.

• CQ – Character Quotient – Our habits and behaviors that clearly demonstrate how we are true to our core values. AFP has a clear mission and a code of ethics to which its members subscribe. Workshops on both are always available. These experiences help to sharpen your CQ.

How successful will you be as a fundraiser in tough economic times? If you’re a Transformational Leader, I am convinced you’ll do very well.

Where do you acquire the tools to sharpen your IQ, TQ, RQ and CQ traits? With AFP, of course.

Upcoming Programs

• Friday, October 10 – AFP Annual Meeting - Members Only
  Ethics and Diversity Programming

  • Holiday Inn – Boardman
    8:00 a.m. - Registration
    8:30 - Breakfast Board and Annual

• Friday, November 7 – AFP/PGC Full Day Program
  “Planning for Fundraising Success - All the Tools you Need to Succeed”

  • Holiday Inn – Boardman

• Friday, December 5 – Luncheon Program
  “Meet the Funders”

  • Youngstown Country Club
    11 a.m. – registration and networking
    11:30 – lunch
    12 noon – program

  • $15 for AFP Members
    $30 for non-members

For more information about any of these upcoming programs, contact JoAnn Stock, CFRE,  at 330-746-8494 or  jstock@ymvunitedway.org

Welcome New Members

A hearty AFP welcome to the following individuals who joined our Chapter between March 1 and July 1, 2008:

• Karen Gray, Foundation Development Director, The Arc of Mercer County Foundation, Hermitage PA

• Kathryn Klem, Executive Secretary/Administrative Assistant, Burdman Group Inc., Youngstown OH

• Wendy Wareham, Director of Development, Sisters of the Humility of Mary, Villa Maria PA

For membership questions and information, please contact Sally Freaney at sfreaney@libraryvisit.org. Dues Assistance grants are available to help with annual membership fees.

 News

• Want Larger Donations? Ask Donors First to Volunteer

(June 9, 2008) A recent study published by the University of California -Berkeley shows people who are asked to give of their time before they are asked to donate will ultimately give more money to that charity. Fundraisers know that building a relationship between a donor and a nonprofit is a key to achieving support. This study shows that your first question probably should not be the “ask.”

 

The researchers propose that different mindsets are prompted when one is asked to volunteer time versus asked to donate money. They write, “Thinking about time activates goals of emotional well-being and beliefs involving personal happiness. In contrast, thinking about money suppresses such emotional goals and instead activates goals of economic utility and beliefs about attainment of such goals.”

 

In one experiment, each participant was told briefly about the mission of a charity and notified of an upcoming event for the cause. Then one group was asked how much time they would volunteer to the cause, followed by how much money they would donate. The second group was only asked how much money they would donate.

 

The experiment found that those who were asked to donate only money pledged to give $24.46 on average, whereas those who were first asked to volunteer their time pledged an average donation of $36.44. Other experiments backed up the hypothesis that asking one for their time as a volunteer before asking them to donate will result in higher overall giving amounts.

 

• Car Donations Declined Sharply Following 2005 IRS Changes

(June 2, 2008) A change in tax law in 2005 has left its mark on the amount of money raised through car donations, according to a recent report issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The number of automobile donations decreased 67%, from about 900,000 in 2004 to 297,000 in 2005, the report says. The number of filers for noncash deductions remained about the same.

 

The tax law changes that took effect Jan. 1, 2005, stipulated that donors of automobiles can, in most cases, only deduct the amount that the charity was able to sell the vehicle for, not the vehicle’s fair market value as in years prior. The amount claimed for car donations dropped 80.6% from $2.4 billion to $0.5 billion from 2004 to 2005.

 

Fair market value can still be deducted when the charity uses the vehicle for its own purposes, if the charity makes material improvements to the vehicle, or if the charity donates or sells the vehicle to a needy individual significantly below market price, notes the IRS.

 

• House Passes IRA Rollover

(May 26, 2008) The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday, May 21, that included an extension of the IRA Rollover provision. The provision would allow donors age 70½ to “roll over” funds (up to $100,000) from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and contribute them tax-free directly to a charity. The provision expired at the end of 2007, but the new provision would extend the bill for one year until Dec. 31, 2008, and make it retroactive to Jan. 1, 2008.

The bill, H.R. 6049, the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act, contains a number of tax incentives that have expired. It is unlikely the Senate will consider H.R. 6049, but instead is working on its own bill of tax extenders. The Senate Finance Committee is currently considering S. 2886, the Alternative Minimum Tax and Extenders Tax Relief Act, which also includes the IRA Rollover provision, although the Senate’s version would extend the provision for two years to the end of 2009.

The Senate is expected to pass S. 2886 or similar legislation in the near future, and then the two bodies of Congress will meet in a conference committee to iron out one final bill of tax extenders.

 

• AFP Opens Doors to Charter Business Members

(July 7, 2008) AFP has recently created the new Charter Business membership, featuring two tiers of involvement for businesses large and small to take an active role in the association. For-profit companies are vital to the work of fundraisers and nonprofit organizations to better reach donors and make effective use of funds. For many years they have expressed their desire to play a more active role in AFP. In response, AFP has opened the door to its business partners with two Charter Business Member categories—the Executive Circle membership and the Endorsers membership.

“For us the value of joining AFP was the opportunity to reach the many markets AFP members represent, from education to health and human services to the arts,” said Brian J. Renda, president of Tackle Marketing Group Inc. in Nashua, N.H., a full-service software, direct-mail and direct-marketing firm. “I find the online forum AFP offers to be particularly helpful in finding out what kinds of questions fundraisers have and what they need.”

AFP Charter Business Members sign their adherence to the AFP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards. “Many organizations asked not only how they could better interact with AFP, but also how they could fall under our code’s standards and principles,” said Paulette V. Maehara, CFRE, CAE, president and CEO of AFP. “Our new Business Membership categories provide companies with exactly those opportunities and will help unify the profession—and those organizations that support it—under a common set of ethical standards.“

 

Business Member Benefits:

• Network and engage with the top fundraisers in North America and worldwide.

• Distinguish your company as one that works to advance philanthropy.

• Show your clients and partners in the nonprofit world that you will work to be effective and ethical in helping to raise funds.

• Endorser Level: may place specific language on their websites, stationery and marketing material that shows they adhere to AFP’s Code of Ethics; receive AFP’s print and electronic publications; have access to AFP’s Fundraising Resource Center and the members-only section of the AFP website; get member discounts to AFP’s educational offerings, including the International Conference on Fundraising; and participate in AFP research and government advocacy. The company also receives a transferable Associate Membership for an individual company representative.

• Executive Circle Level: license to use the AFP business logo on their website, stationery and materials; and receive all the above listed benefits enjoyed by Endorsers. The company receive two transferable Associate Memberships for individuals in the company and are eligible to serve on AFP committees and task forces.