On May 13th, a group of professional fundraisers descended upon the Lakeshore Campus of Toronto’s Humber College for a day of learning, lively discussion and interaction. The inaugural Humber Initiative on Philanthropy, organized by graduate students of Humber’s Fundraising and Volunteer Management program, gave attendees an opportunity to explore some of the more compelling issues affecting fundraising and volunteerism in the nonprofit sector today.

Collaborative cooperation

Kicking off the event were graduate students, Stephen Loo and Alex Tindale, who presented the findings of their research project on nonprofit shared space arrangements. The time is especially ripe for collaborative efforts, they argued. Co-location – the sharing of building and office space by two or more organizations – is particularly worthy of exploring, said Loo, calling it “the pinnacle of collaboration.” When organizations share space or resources, the benefits include lower costs, elimination of human resource duplication, and sharing of professional skills and increased visibility. From a non-financial perspective, a nonprofit can even witness improved morale among its staff if the new shared space is bigger, more comfortable and of better quality.

Tindale recounted a recent survey that found 80% of 130 respondents were interested in collaboration. Yet, despite the attraction, Canadian organizations seem to be falling behind their US counterparts. “Canada is lacking an umbrella group that can provide legal, ethical, and practical guidelines or recommendations to help facilitate successful partnerships,” explained Tindale. Similarly, even though the much-hyped Centre for Social Innovation – an example of a “third-party operator” collaborative method – receives requests from organizations worldwide on how to replicate their model, cities in Canada seem to be stalling. “There’s simply not enough dialogue,” claims Loo.

Calling all volunteers!

Next up were Denny Young, ED of Sherbourne Health Centre Project and Dave Kranenburg of Meal Exchange, who shared their perspectives on volunteer recruitment, motivation and retention. While the number of volunteers is reportedly going up, so is the number of those quitting volunteerism, Young pointed out as he started the session off. He then cited a study out of the United States that found a high rate of volunteer mismanagement among organizations, a problem he suggests exists here too. One of the issues, explained Young, is that volunteers need to be managed according to their personality and what type of learners they are. “We all learn and process information differently and that can create challenges,” said Young. For example, “leapers” like to talk and engage, whereas “thinkers” need more time to reflect, and “relaters” appreciate the group process more than the rest. So it would behoove an organization to first determine the type of learners in their room before attempting to manage them. They may notice a real change in their effectiveness and general satisfaction.

You could say Kranenburg knows a thing or two about volunteer satisfaction. After all, the Meal Exchange’s annual Halloween food drive, “Trick of Eat” recruits upward of 6,500 youth volunteers for three hours of door-to-door work across Canada. Their efforts have resulted in $400,000 worth of food and 160,000 meals provided. “We ask everything of youth, it’s entirely youth-led,” says Kranenburg of the yearly event, much like Meal Exchange itself. From recruitment to planning to logistics, media and more, student volunteers are at the heart of the organization.

“Would you entrust the entirety of a campaign to a 17-year-old?” Kranenburg asked his audience. “Our philosophy,” he continued, “is we are successful because our answer is yes.” So while publicly, success is determined by the number of meals generated, internally it’s dictated by things like the number of youth involved, how many will return, and whether they better understand the issue of food security. Youth are more than just bodies, he added. “The more we can do to support that [idea], the better off we are.”

As for retaining youth, it’s important to give them the freedom to create something new, to innovate and try different things, he said. And organizations need to remain relevant and authentic. “Youth are savvy,” Kranenburg added, “they need to feel they are essential, not just a means to an end.”

A numbers game

When it comes to fundraising, nonprofits need to be keeping track of important data. In fact, adopting data-capturing techniques can raise your campaign to a whole new level. So began the session led by Peter Baker, VP of development at Environics Analytics. One of the most important pieces of information that nonprofits should cull from their donors is where they live. “Where I live is a function of who I am,” explained Baker. “And it’s the only way for an organization to understand who’s supporting them.”

For example, by understanding the geographical makeup of regions across Canada, an organization could target specific areas known for residents with a love for technology when promoting a specific campaign for technology. With a good grasp of the intricate composition of regions, actions can be more strategic and effective. Did you know that Barrie, Ontario is experiencing the biggest growth rate among all cities in Canada, while Sudbury, Ontario is experiencing negative growth? A nonprofit equipped with these stats would make a very calculated decision to open an office in Barrie as opposed to Sudbury, avoiding unnecessary heartache.

Another issue with applicable data that nonprofits need to get a handle on is that of immigration and diversity. Approximately 130,000 immigrants come to Ontario each year, representing more than half of all immigrants to Canada. In addition, immigrants currently make up a quarter of the total population in Ontario. Add to that the fact that 43% of people in Toronto have mother tongues that are neither French nor English. Undeniably, these stats can impact a nonprofit’s fundraising efforts in big ways. “If you don’t understand immigration, you have a real problem on your hands,” Baker concluded.

Social media

The next session, co-hosted by Jonathon Grapsas, regional director of Pareto Fundraising, and Sudha Krishna, senior consultant at HJC New Media, touched upon the pros and cons of social media. With tools like Facebook and Twitter ever-growing in popularity, the question becomes whether these applications are actually beneficial. Are they worth your time and energy or simply a distraction?

Grapsas was quick to put his theory forward: Social media can be helpful but its appeal is limited. There are, however, valid arguments for adding social media to your varied tool belt. For one thing, an opportunity to harness donors through additional channels can be helpful. And online recruitment can be a potential boon. But the biggest issue Grapsas has with social media is the lack of evidence that followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook translate into donations. Meanwhile, with lots of money already invested in traditional methods of fundraising, he questions whether it would be smarter to focus on generating the maximum value from those means first. Be wary of “short-termism,” he cautioned, and make sure to always focus on where you will get the biggest impact.

Impact is key, agreed Krishna. And while social media won’t replace traditional tools, we still can’t ignore some eye-opening stats, he said. Online giving, for example, is growing. And tools like Twitter have, in fact, proven to be successful in raising funds, he added, recounting how a charity was able to raise significant sums in 24 hours thanks to the tweets of their fervent followers. If a nonprofit does decide to go the social media route, both Grapsas and Krishna advise to get their house in order first. “It’s not about the amount of money you invest in social media but about the organization itself and the culture of the organization,” said Grapsas. Effective management, knowing your donors, and communicating with them is still key.

Brand it

Of course, if you don’t focus on branding, your organization may still falter, offered Mark Sarner, president of Manifest Communications, at the last session of the day. Branding is the only competitive advantage in a world experiencing exponential growth in need, fierce competition, and innumerable worthy causes. With the high rate of competition, fickleness and fluidity, impact is necessary and having influence is essential to effective fundraising. “If you can convince people you have impact and can influence others, money will flow.” What’s more, money is all about perceived value, a function of one’s brand.

Besides, organizations need to recognize the new donor in their midst and how to cater to their needs. They want hope, engagement, to be part of something. As opposed to nonprofits who are overly focused on services – the means – donors are looking at the ends. They want to know there’s an end to poverty, cancer etc. and want to help find it. New donors are also looking for the “thrill factor;” they want to make contributions that make the world a better place. “There’s a difference between being in the social service business and social change business,” he said. The focus needs to be on the latter.

A nonprofit needs to separate itself from the sea of organizations but they can’t do that by remaining a generic entity, Sarner added. Brands are bridges that create a common cause, affiliation and engagement. To Sarner the answer is clear. “Those doing it are winning, those who aren’t are losing,” he said, adding rhetorically, “Can you afford not to stand out from the crowd?”

Elisa Birnbaum is a freelance journalist, producer and communications consultant living in Toronto. She is also president of Elle Communications and can be reached at: info@ellecommunications.ca.

Please note: While we ensure that all links and e-mail addresses are accurate at their publishing date, the quick-changing nature of the web means that some links to other web sites and e-mail addresses may no longer be accurate.