Citi and CNM… A Winning Partnership!

For more than 15 years (over half the Center’s lifespan), Citi has been a wonderful ally and advocate for the Center. Again and again, Citi has invested in our work to bring best practices and state of the art tools to the North Texas nonprofit community to help expand financial inclusion and economic empowerment.

Citi is committed to achieving economic empowerment and growth for underserved individuals, families and communities by expanding access to financial products and services, building sustainable business solutions and developing innovative partnerships.

Last year, we received a $50,000 grant from the Citi Foundation to help fund the operation of our new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Loan Fund. Through the Fund, nonprofits that received federal stimulus money have access to working capital to launch programs that provide access to housing, education, increased unemployment benefits and new job opportunities.

We are proud to share that the ARRA Loan Fund partnership has been highlighted on Citi’s new, interactive Community Development @ Citi website.

To view the full story, please visit http://citicommunitydevelopment.com/citi/citizen/community/community
_initiatives.html?article=66&?utm_campaign=20110321PartnerOutreachCNMTX

Be sure to check out Citi’s innovative initiatives that are also highlighted on the site. Thank you, Citi, for your partnership, leadership and innovation on behalf of our communities!

Sara L. Kite
Vice President of Development

Making Social Media Work: A Talk With Hope Cottage’ s Leslie Clay

Editors Note: Join me, Greg Allbright for a discussion about successful nonprofit social media efforts at our 501 club, April 6th, 7:30am, at Its A Grind.  Bring your success stories and questions for the group discussion.

Given the challenges presented by the current economic downturn, awareness for non-profits and not-for-profits is more important than ever. Leslie Clay, Chief Development Officer for Hope Cottage, uses social media to promote the brand she has created for Dallas' oldest nonprofit, nonsectarian adoption agency.

Hope Cottage has Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube accounts, and a blog to engage and inform their supporters and donors. Leslie is particularly active on her blog and Twitter, which is how I became aware of her. After seeing the work she has done via social media, I wanted to hear more about her efforts. We sat down recently and the following is a portion of our conversation.

So Leslie, what are the goals of your social media efforts?
Leslie Clay: Relationships and awareness. You can bring in money when you
have relationships established and awareness raised. People have to know
you and know what you do, before they give the organization money. The
relationships you establish are important because they have friends and
family as well. They may not be able to donate but may know other people
who can.

Have you seen any tangible results from your efforts?
Leslie Clay: Our golf tournament revenue tripled last year when compared to the previous year and we attribute a large portion of that increase to our social networking. Also, one of the Hope Cottage Twitter followers who recommend nonprofits to follow tweeted out to his list that they should follow Hope Cottage as well and we saw a measurable jump in followers as a result. Just like in networking, you give before you get, and the same is true in social media. You should give with no expectation of getting.

How do you know what to write?
Leslie Clay: Jump in and start doing it. Know your audience and decide what
should you be talking to them about? For example, Thursday is resource day
for parents on our blog. Whether they are adopting or not, the purpose is
to be a resource to all parents. The content for that blog comes from the
people we follow on Twitter who share parent-related information or ideas
that will be researched further and made into blogs.

Last November was Adoption Awareness month. We tweeted out the name of a famous adopted person and the name of a famous adoptive parent. It’s a small but very informative and powerful way of getting our message out.  On YouTube we are addressing common adoption questions such as "Why is it so expensive", "Why is so much parent training required". We have staff interviewed to answer some of these questions and share stories from families who have adopted.

How much time do you spend doing this?
Leslie Clay: I will state upfront that both of my children are out of the
house and my husband works 24/7 just like me. That said, I spend up
to two hours a night on writing the blog, and updating Twitter and
Facebook.

That sounds like a lot! How do you save time using social media?
Leslie Clay: I use Hootsuite to schedule many of my tweets in advance since
you can set the date and time a tweet is posted. I only check Twitter once
a day and can see everything from the day all at one time. I write many
blog posts at a time and schedule them to post at different times throughout
the week and month.

For more information about Hope Cottage and to follow their social media efforts click on the links below.

http://www.hopecottage.org/
http://www.hopecottagepregnancyandadoptioncenter.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/HopeCottageFamily
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#%21/pages/Hope-Cottage/139033456135040
http://twitter.com/LeslieatHope

Greg Allbright
CEO/Digital Marketing Director
ChangeDFW.org

Mrs. Sprat Never Worked in Nonprofit

“Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean.” Clearly Mrs. Sprat never worked for a nonprofit! We live, breath and eat lean! And with the coming legislative cuts; the promise of even leaner times are ahead.

The state is experiencing an unprecedented budget shortfall, and one of the solutions to eliminate the deficit is to cut spending significantly. In past years, government budget cutters have looked to the nonprofit sector to fill the gaps left where government has withdrawn programs and funding, and given these uncertain economic times, how will you prepare your organization to navigate these challenges?

We can take a lesson from our old friends the Sprats… “And so between them both, you see, they licked the platter clean.” Jack and his wife (like any good married couple) understood the value of collaboration and partnership. If you are going to survive in the nonprofit world of today, you need to embrace this concept. Think beyond the boundaries of your walls – who are the natural partners in your cause? How do you combine resources to stretch beyond your means and serve your mission? What do you do better than any other organization? What is your Achilles heel? What organizations can fill the gap so you don’t have to try and be all things?

I recently had a conversation with someone who was doing just that; asking all the right questions to find a new way to make a way. The path is no longer straight or paved, but it is most definitely a path we can travel together. Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. And so between them both, you see, they partnered and collaborated and forged new paths unseen!

Stacey Bruenning
Director of Education

Rainy Day Fund

Dear Friends,

All of us have been sitting on the edges of our seats regarding the impact that state funding cuts could have on service delivery in the North Texas area and around Texas.  You have advocated, and some have lobbied, with State Legislators to encourage the Governor to use the rainy day funds to decrease the negative impact of cuts for services that are critical to our community.  Well, it worked.  The Governor has recently relented and agreed to use some of the Rainy Day Funds to soften the blow. 

Read this letter from the President of Dallas Regional Chamber for details: http://tinyurl.com/479g3mf

The message here is that advocating for what we believe in is an important and impactful way for having our voices heard.  It also serves to move our legislators and officials to take actions that support our work in the nonprofit sector which is all about being there to support the people in our communities who need and deserve our help. 

Let’s keep it up!

Cynthia B. Nunn
President

Nonprofit Compensation: What's Fair?

Hello Nonprofit Friends,

I was reading through an article from the National Council of Nonprofits and thought you might be interested in it.  It speaks about the board's role in executive compensation: the process and the policy.  It is an easy read with helpful links. I especially appreciated the focus on paying nonprofit employees 'fairly and reasonably.'  And, if you do not have a written policy for board approval of compensation, this just might be your ticket.

Nonprofit Compensation: What is too much? …and who decides?
Posted: March 10, 2011 

Are you tired of hearing, "That nonprofit pays its employees too much!" If every nonprofit board followed IRS guidance on setting the compensation of its key staff leaders, perhaps we wouldn’t hear that refrain as often. So board members, please do your part by embracing your role as defenders of the nonprofit sector’s right to pay its employees reasonably and fairly. Help us change the conversation from, "What compensation is excessive?" to "What compensation levels will help our organization build its capacity by hiring and retaining terrific staff?"

First, know the process for reviewing the annual compensation of the executive director. Second, be aware of the downside of NOT engaging in an annual compensation review. (Bad press, lack of donor confidence, and potentially IRS penalties….need we say more?)

Background: Under federal law, a charity may not pay more than "reasonable" compensation for services rendered. Although the Internal Revenue Code does not require charities to follow a particular process for determining the appropriate level of salary and benefits, it is clear that compensation for board members, officers, key employees (and others in a position to exercise substantial influence over the affairs of the nonprofit) should be determined by persons who are informed about what comparable nonprofits pay their employees, and who have no financial interest themselves in approving the compensation. (Source: IRS, Governance and Related Topics - 501(c)(3) Organizations 3-4 (2008)). These are the general guidelines offered by the IRS – but the IRS Form 990 offers specifics.

Read the full article at: http://tinyurl.com/4e5ggg5.
Source: National Council of Nonprofits

Cynthia B. Nunn
President

Networking done right

At 501 (c)offee club yesterday morning (a free monthly networking session aimed at nonprofit staff, board and volunteers), the discussion was centered on effective networking.  As nonprofiteers, sometimes the temptation is to view networking in terms of what we can gain from it.  We want to size people up immediately to see whether they could be our next volunteer, advocate or million dollar donor.  If we don't see potential then we’re inclined to move on quickly.

This ‘meat market’ approach is entirely the wrong way to network!  Instead of thinking about what others can do for us and our organization, we should be thinking about what we can do for others.  Cheesy but true.

This made me think of a recent blog entry by Leo Notenboom, calling for a change of terminology in the nonprofit world.

I Am Not A Prospect

Don’t get me wrong. I could very well be a potential supporter of your organization.  Maybe even an ardent one.  Heck, I may eventually someday become a financial supporter.  But, please don’t call me a prospect.

In fact, it would be best if you didn’t even use the word privately.  Simply avoiding a term doesn’t change the way you think about it; you need to change your thinking as well.  To me, the word “prospect” minimizes my potential contribution to your organization by narrowing it to a single concern.  It implies a one-dimensional relationship that, at its worst, just involves the “prospect” of a donation.

I realize that you may work in the fundraising arm of your organization and, from your point-of-view, that prospective donation might be your most important concern.  But, to be honest, it’s not mine.  And I’m the person you want to engage.  Each time I read the term “prospect” in non-profit-related literature, I wince a little… and feel somewhat objectified.  I am more than my wallet.  Much more.

To read the entire entry, click here.


Katy Spicer
Associate Director of Marketing