Quick Links: Message From The Executive Director

Volume 1 Issue 12 Todays Nonprofit Leader
newsletter specifically targets nonprofit organizations that serve the African-American community and in addition have a governing board of at least 50% African Americans. The intention of this newsletter is to inspire, educate & unify a community that has been historically underrepresented in both for-profit & nonprofit ventures.
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear Friends, As we enter the Holiday season, its that time again to take stock of the year passed, reflect on the events that shaped our lives and prepare to enter the New Year with renewed resolve and optimism. We can agree that there was a lot to worry about in 2011. For some, it may seem harder than ever to recall all the good, the inspiring and the joyful occasions that touched each one of us this year. And yet there is a lot to be thankful for: our families, our friends, the birthdays, seeing our children grow or overcoming the many adversities inherent in life. Like many non-profits, Helping Others Provide Excellence (HOPE) is cognizant of the troublesome economy, declining revenue and budget reductions. While we all look forward to the eventual turnaround, HOPE is aggressively taking the necessary steps to ensure the organizations continued stability. To our many friends who support us financially, I extend my deepest thanks and humbly ask for your continued commitment. Its through your generosity that we can groom and prepare the next generation of African American nonprofit leaders. Its through your generosity that we can strengthen the nonprofit sector. To our many volunteers, I thank you. Your selfless contribution of time has helped to ensure that future generations are able to continue their commitment to service. If youve never had the opportunity to volunteer with us, I invite you to spend some time with young leaders who need you. Whether you have an hour or an hour a week, wed love to have you join us. And, lastly, I encourage you to contact your legislators and urge them to improve policymaking relating to nonprofits. Through your voice, the voice of the nonprofit sector can be heard. Thank you for all you do in support of Chicagos nonprofit sector. I look forward to working together in 2012 to change even more lives in our community. Terrance Harrington
Quick Links
www.facebook.com/hopeinchicago
www.twitter.com/hopeinchicago
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2 How to: Choose & Approach a Corporate Partner for your Nonprofit 4 Nonprofits could benefit from Facebook changes
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HOW TO: Choose & Approach a Corporate Partner for Your Non-Profit
Corporations are looking for ways to bring giving into their business because it works. A 2008 Cone Corporate Citizenship study claimed 85% of Americans had a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about. Nearly 90% of Americans said it is important that business, government and non-profits collaborate to solve pressing social issues. And 79% of Americans said they would likely switch from one brand to another if the other brand is associated with a good cause. Businesses in turn want to give back for a variety of reasons, and your non-profit could be exactly what theyre looking for. An effective partnership is critical in building momentum for funding and brand awareness, for both the non-profit and the corporation. But similar to dating, you need to find a corporate partner that is the perfect match for your organization. And were not talking about a one-night stand here were talking the one you want to spend the rest of your fundraising life with. Find the Perfect Corporate Partner Have you ever laid your eyes on a company whose mission was perfectly aligned with yours, was incredibly successful, and had all this money it wanted to donate to support your cause? Tragically, that kind of true love partner doesnt exist without some investment on your end. In order to find your true love you need to start by building a list of 15 to 30 companies, large and small, that you would like to work with. Just like with dating, choose companies that have a similar vision of how to be innovative in the world as you do. Once you have your match list, do your research. Check out each companys corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement. If they dont have one, do your detective work and see what qualities the company values based on their corporate culture. Research the companys non-profit history. Which causes and nonContinuned on page 3
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How to Make the Pitch Third Date Rule: Making your actual pitch is the magical third date. When it comes to building a relationship with a corporate partner, dont leave any doubts that youre the right fit. This is where youll learn if its meant-to-be or not. For your pitch, outline exactly what youre looking for in your relationship. Briefly introduce your organization and your mission, then get right into the juicy bits about the campaign or cause marketing opportunity you need sponsorship for. Detail what youre asking of the corporation, including funding, promotion, employee evangelizing, branding opportunities, joint media outreach, etc.
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profits have they supported in the past? Look into the philanthropic habits of their founder, CEO, and executive leadership team. See if you can find what causes they support outside of the company. True Love What does true love look like between a non-profit and a corporation? Take a look at Pampers, which is improving the lives of babies and their families by donating one tetanus vaccine through UNICEF for every package of diapers purchased. Or look at Penny Arcade, which leverages its community of gamers to give money, toys, and games to children at local hospitals through the charity Childs Play. Making the First Move Now that you have a list of corporations who would make a perfect match for your non-profit, its time to ask them out on the first date. Even though youll be dating the entire company, youll want to start with anyone who can get you in Todays Nonprofit Leader
the door. Think of your first point of contact as your matchmaker. First Date Rule: Keep it causal. Share with your matchmaker what youre working on and why his company would be a good fit to sponsor your campaign and partner with your nonprofit. Woo them. Second Date Rule: If your matchmaker is interested and sparks fly, ask him for an introduction to the decision makers at the company and set up a formal meeting. If your matchmaker is truly passionate about your idea, invite him to be a part of this meeting as an advocate for the partnership. Again, woo them. Advocates are key. Bryan Pape is an entrepreneur and an advocate for clean water. While creating his company, MiiR Bottles, he learned that nearly one billion people dont have access to clean water, and dedicated his entire company to helping alleviate that cause. For every bottle MiiR sells, they donate $1 to give one person clean water for one year through water partnerships at One Days Wages.
For example, take a look at what Microsoft has been doing with the Boys and Girls Club since 1998. In this partnership, Microsoft donates their money, software, and volunteer hours. If you are looking for a corporate partner to go beyond writing you a check, make sure you let them know that. Finally, explain what you will bring to the table. Outline success metrics that align with the partners business goals. Speak their talk and show them how you will calculate the ROI of their philanthropic dollars and how that will make an impact on your campaign and your work. The purpose of this meeting is to deviate from the traditional dating ritual. Stop playing games and put all your cards on the table so you can both decide if this partnership is a match made in heaven or not. Its also important to listen and take counter offers into consideration. If the chemistry is off, its okay to walk away. Remember there are other corporate funding fish in the sea.
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in the nonprofit sector. Facebook announced this week that the way the newsfeed and postings are organized will soon undergo transformation. Instead of presenting a chronological order of updates from friends and liked pages, Facebook will soon integrate a system based on algorithms. This will involve grouping similar posts into reports while putting less important items in a separate feed. This is all good news for nonprofits, because it will allow them to stand out more. Facebook is also integrating applications like Causes, which is a fundraising tool many nonprofits use. In the future, when a user donates to a charity through Causes, new features will make that action stand out for a longer period of time. Nonprofits Could Benefit from Facebook Changes Sometimes change can be unsettling, but it sounds like Facebooks plans to make some dramatic platform changes could serve as an advantage for those Facebook will also be adding new recommendation terms to the allpurpose like in order to encourage users to share and promote links to friends. These new terms will include watch and listen along with donate or support.
These updates sound like steps in the right direction for nonprofit organizations looking to expand their Facebook outreach. Facebook has not made any comments on how pages for organizations or companies would be affected. Lets hope that the site doesnt decide to make any drastic changes to their pages feature, or we could see some of the similar outrages that occurred when all organizations had to switch from profiles to pageslosing many of their fans or friends from previous profiles in the process. What do you think of these new changes? Is Facebook moving in the right direction?Aine Creedon
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Volume 1 Issue 12 Todays Nonprofit Leader

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Feature Your Nonprofit

Todays Nonprofit Leader

Is there something missing?

Todays Nonprofit Leader

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