Aggregated External News

Charity Bank, Senscot and Community Enterprise in Scotland are working together to create a social finance provider dedicated to Scotland's civil society sector. The Scottish Community Bank would start up as a Scottish branch of Charity Bank, becoming independent once sufficiently established.

Civil Society Media news item http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/news/content/13274/.

An article from Compact Voice on NCVO's discussion pages looks at what Payment by Results is, how it relates to the Compact and some of the challenges and opportunities it presents for voluntary and community organisations.

'Getting to grips with Payment by Results'.

Skills - Third Sector, in partnership with the Institute of Fundraising, is undertaking a review of the Fundraising National Occupational Standards to produce a revised set of standards that are up to date and relevant to all those who work in fundraising or who lead fundraising in their organisations.

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Welsh umbrella body WCVA can help organisations access support to cover the first six months of employment when recruiting 16 to 24 year olds, under the Welsh Government's Jobs Growth Wales programme. Contact WCVA Helpdesk on 0800 2888 329 or email: employ@wcva.org.uk.

(From Network Wales issue 451)

Reform of public procurement which could benefit social enterprise has been announced as part of the new Scottish Government programme. See Social Enterprise Scotland news item, http://www.socialenterprisescotland.org.uk/news/1206.

A survey of Volunteer Centres in England has found that over half of those in receipt of funding from the local authority had it cut in the past year. The average cut was 25 per cent, but with up to eighty per cent in cases.

More details in Volunteering England's news release.

A report from Voice4Change England and NAVCA sets out to show that specialist provision is an essential means of delivering both more equitable and more efficient public services, with services designed and delivered by and for the users and communities they aim to serve.

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Well hasnt time passed since my last post And will pass again no doubt before the next one. This is just by way of an apology for such a long absence and also for any disruption as I play around with the website over the next few days or weeks.This is probably a vain hope but could I please ask EVERYONE who uses this website to contact me if they come across a link which no longer works except on the blog page and I will add it to the list of things to be updated. Thank you. Also I may have asked for this before and got no answer cannot remember but if there is anything that you think the site particularly lacks at the moment then please do let me know. Useful resourceslinks especially. If you cannot contact me through the Contact Page which I know is sometimes a bit temperamental then do so through my LinkedIn page. Thanks.EDIT right something has gone wrong with the title page. May take a bit of sorting out...

Senscot, the group for social entrepreneurs in Scotland, has produced a discussion paper 'Social Investment in Scotland'. Senscot believes that the model set out by Big Society Capital, of seeking to involve capital markets in social investment, is fundamentally flawed and could potentially harm the third sector.

The paper gives its own suggestions, http://www.senscot.net/view_art.php?viewid=12660.

The latest edition of Charity Commission News is available from their website, in web (html) or pdf formats, http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/About_us/About_the_Commission/newslist.aspx. For a change, there a few items of possible interest that we haven't already covered here:

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A new guide available from NCVO outlines some of the typical issues that organisations may face when working with public bodies and gives  tips and examples of how other organisations have overcome such problems.

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SPPACE (Selected Projects Promoting Arts and Culture across Europe) is an online database of successful applicants to the EU Culture programme, set up as a resource for UK arts, heritage and culture organisations looking for guidance on applying to the Culture programme, http://www.culturefund.eu/sppace/.

Opening up charity data for wider use is getting some serious attention.

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The bureaucratic procedures of the EU can dissuade many organisations from applying for European funding, especially those beneficiaries outside the member states. Euclid Network and Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations are carrying out an independent consultation to improve the Practical Guide (PRAG), which is the guideline for the funding rules that apply to all EU external aid contracts.

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The online donations website JustGiving has added event registration to its facilities, working in partnership with Active Network, http://blog.justgiving.com/charities/justgiving-activ/.

Civil Society Media reports that Barnardo's, Brighton Marathon and Maggie's Centres were involved in the pilot phase (http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/13091/).

Making Local Food Work has launched 'Trading for success: A practical guide to marketing and financial management for community food enterprises'. The guide was commissioned by Plunkett Foundation to help community enterprises succeed in an increasingly tough market.

Read online or download via news item http://www.makinglocalfoodwork.co.uk/news/news.cfm/newsid/219, or direct link to pdf, 4MB.

Below an article I’m delighted to have co-written with with my friend Sudeshna Mukherjee, Atlas Corps fellow

Many of non-profit professionals may secretly covet the role of a ‘consultant’.

The reasons are diverse – an opportunity to be part of a dynamic problem-solving community, be recognised as a specialist, be our own ‘boss’ or have the flexibility to do several things at one time. The big question is – how do you break into a career in ‘non-profit consulting’? So, here’s a follow-up post to a recently published blog post in The Chronicle of Philanthropy http://bit.ly/LrXVDs “Top 10 traits of a great consultant”, which Sudeshna and I  co-authored

In April Sudeshna and I were at the Association of Fundraising Professional’s conference in Vancouver, BC, jointly running the CEO class.  Over the course of the conference, Sudeshna carried out a number of interviews with fundraising mavens and seasoned consultants, some of them showcasing their expertise at the ‘marketplace’ a.k.a. exhibitor’s paradise. Post our initial chat on the ‘traits’ for the aforementioned article, she went a step further and asked the same target group for advice to those looking to kick-start a career in non-profit consulting. We then edited them. Here are their insights with some additional analysis from us:

1.   Be an apprentice.

There are very few formal education opportunities; the best way to learn the ropes is to start working with more experienced consultants. By this we mean, finding yourself a mentor and being open to coaching. Younger people consulting in technology might have an edge due to the dynamic nature of the sector. Otherwise the rules are pretty simple – do an internship at an established firm providing an entry-level work option with non-profits or assist an expert. George A. Brakely III who went on to become Executive Chair of Brakely Briscoe Inc., a consulting firm for non-profits, came into the company at the request of his father with no prior consulting experience and served as an apprentice for nearly 10 years. He also served as the chairman of the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel (now The Giving Institute) in 1988 and 1989. Drawing from his example, oft times, learning on the job is the best thing that can happen. Campbell & Company, which is headquartered in Chicago and has international clients under its belt including in Canada, provides similar internship opportunities.

2.  Know the risks.

For those starting their own business, know that you have the same risks as any entrepreneur, and need a sustainable source of funding. If you’re planning to work on your own, ‘x’ number of years of experience in a field before venturing into consulting does ensure a better understanding of the field, the client’s need and overall reduced risk. This will also enable you to have a better grip on the opportunities and complexities of the field.

3.   Be willing to go that extra mile.

Consulting isn’t a 9 to 5 job, and being ‘driven’ is key. For a great consultant this can be a calling v/s a job. It involves hard work, dedication and passion since you are retained by the client’s organisation and they will have high expectations. Large consulting firms often require frequent travel and working on multiple accounts side by side. Travelling for days together could be difficult; so you may be away from family and friends. Know what you are getting into from a practical standpoint. This is not for everyone!

4.   Find your ‘niche’.

Instead of working for one particular cause for an extended period of time, consulting offers diversity across sectors. In the initial days, explore options, type of consulting and clients you want. It could be education, health care, art, anything. This is also your chance to identify your niche as you will get to move around a lot depending upon your client’s interest. Eventually become an expert in an area that suits you.

5.   Be adaptable.

While people like to know that they are talking to experts, sometimes being a Jack of all trades comes in handy. Hence the ability to adapt, multi-task and be flexible are also keys to success especially when your client and you are from different backgrounds. You will be expected to wear different hats, be able to provide both generic and customised expertise. The diversity can be challenging and fulfilling at the same time, and you need to be cognizant of that aspect among clients from different backgrounds.

6.   Develop good marketing and client servicing skills.

A go-getter comfortable in talking about their USP is a more potentially attractive hire than a person with an impressive track record waiting to be noticed. To find new business, be in contact with your local chamber of commerce and find ways to meet key-decision makers and potential clients. Adding a word of caution – while procuring clients might be a big challenge in consulting, maintaining that account is even bigger! So, make sure your stewardship and retention strategy is as good an attraction, since reputation often precedes one. One negative word in the market can damage your reputation forever. Keep networking even after you have a bevy of clients.

7.   Don’t make false promises.

It’s important to set expectations before finalising a contract and sticking to your deliverables. A great consultant is always able to objectively share what goals are attainable for them with the client. Quite often the cost of hiring an external consultant is not so much of a problem as the ability to deliver as per the contract.

8.   If the horse is dead, dismount!

A practical consultant knows the distinction between “dead horse” and “sacred cows” and where to focus their energies. As it is in non-profit domain, there aren’t too many consulting firms willing to hire people without much experience or track record of “problem-solving” and “ability to shepherd projects back to logical conclusions”. There’s a very small margin of profit while being retained by a non-profit and therefore, little room for mistake. While a fast learner will do better in a consultancy, someone with the practical wisdom and knack of dealing with the problem and learning to move on will last longer. On a similar vein, proprietors often suffer from “founder syndrome” and even if their project makes no practical sense, they might not be willing to move on. Therefore, if you are starting your consultancy don’t let your “dead horses” weigh you down!

9. Managing money, managing your business.

This one is particularly applicable to folks planning to work for themselves. Pricing is quite often a concern and you should be able to explain why you charge what you charge. Typically, you are expected to remain within the ballpark of your competition. There might be budget cuts as seen during recession and a flexible consultant ensures their business stays afloat. However, one also needs to factor in experience and make a case before the clients’ board, Executive Director and senior management that as a consultant, you are there to help increase capacity and make an organisation more sustainable.

10. Keep up with market trends

Read extensively, follow successful consulting campaigns, be in the know of how to price your services and seek the counsel of other practitioners. Attend conferences and other events where there is an opportunity to meet and interact with key players in the sector who are also there to showcase their work and scout for information and gain knowledge in the developing world and the non-profit market. Last but not the least, never underestimate the potential of a good conversation. It can set the ball rolling in a whole new direction!

 

Sudeshna Mukherjee, Atlas Corps fellow from India currently serves with GlobalGiving’s project team in Washington DC, where she supports its open access initiative to devise strategies for better engagement of social entrepreneurs who host projects and raise funds, through the website. With a Master’s in Social Work from TISS (Mumbai) and nearly 7 years of experience in program management and resource mobilisation, Sudeshna has worked with Indian and global non-profits. During her last assignment at Oxfam India she focused on corporate fundraising. Sudeshna also represents SOFII as its ambassador for India 

 Resources:

1.     Reading:

• Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used - Peter Block
• Getting Started in Consulting – Alan Weiss
• Helping:How to Offer, Give, and Receive Help –Edgar H. Schein
• Managing the Professional Service Firm – David H. Maiste
• Nonprofit Consulting Essentials: What Nonprofits and Consultants need to Know – Penelope Cagney

2.     Consultant associations:

• www.imcusa.org/
• www.apcinc.org/
• http://www.aafrc.org/
• http://www.iconsulting.org.uk/
• http://www.euconsult.org/

Special thanks (for interviews) to

• Tania Little, Second Harvest;
• Alan R. Hutson, the Monument Group;
• Gail Perry, Gail Perry Associates;
• Harvey McKinnon, Harvey McKinnon Associates;
• Tom Wilson, Campbell & Company;
• Rachel A. Schaefer, Bentz Whaley Flessner;
• Marianne Briscoe, Brakeley Briscoe Inc.;
• Jason Pinkstaff & Kelley C. Albanese, CCS Fundraising;
• Penelope Cagney, the Cagney Company.

It’s today- April 14th. The date the Titanic sank.  In case you’ve been living on another planet for the last 100 years you should know that today, on her maiden voyage, the pride of the White Star Line hit an iceberg 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Within two hours and 40 minutes the 46,382-ton liner, with lifeboats for only 50% of her passengers, sank. Only 750 people were saved.

Since the media is full of ‘Titanicana’ I wondered if there were any leadership lessons from the anniversary. Here are my top 5:

1. Avoid hubris: you may think you’re very clever. And you may indeed be very clever. But don’t get carried away with your own hype. No organisation is unsinkable.  UNICEF basically invented, and used to make $40M annually, in the charity cards and gifts business. Today it makes scarcely $10M. It thought it was invincible. Every agency, no matter how powerful, can trip. Hubris- an overweening sense of your own importance and invulnerability- is the catalyst for a chain of mistakes that can bring down the mightiest agency. For more on this try Jim Collins’ latest book ‘How the Mighty Fall’ where he explores the role of hubris as a key driver in organisational failure. And stop believing your own hype!

2 Pay attention: you need to watch out for early signs of challenge or difficulty. On Titanic almost everyone, including the captain, was way too busy partying when young Fredrick Fleet, the junior watchman, spotted the iceberg on Sunday night at 11:35 pm.  The night was clear and free of fog, so really there was no reason to hit the iceberg at all. (Fleet later testified he could have averted the disaster if he had a pair of binoculars to see further.) If you don’t pay attention to what the competition is doing or what’s happening externally you can hit disaster. Poor old Blackberry really didn’t pay proper attention to what was happening at all…and many charities don’t either.

3. Look deeper: A superficial problem may obscure deeper challenges. It wasn’t the top part of the iceberg that doomed the Titanic. The upper structure damage was very limited- so initially no one worried too much. But of course 2/3 of an iceberg is below the surface. And it was that 2/3 that ripped the deadly holes in the hull below the waterline and ultimately sank the ship.  You need to look for early signs that a surface problem may need radical attention. So the Komen Fund may be permanently damaged by its recent failure to deal with the Planned Parenthood fiasco. The initial mishandling simply revealed a whole series of deeper challenges in the governance and leadership.

4. Value values: much of the criticism of the management of the Titanic is that the major death toll took place among the third class passengers. It was reported, perhaps unfairly, that the shipping line saw them as ‘the little people,’ and so not valued as much as first class travellers when it came to rescue. Even then this was an uncomfortable value. If you do have to make tough decisions ensure you treat everyone fairly. Your performance as a manager or leader will be judged on how well you deal with the humblest of your volunteers or staff. And while ‘women and children’ first may seem slightly archaic, the notion of sticking to values or principles no matter what is important.  In the UK many charities pulled out of the Govt’s workfare programme because it was seen as fundamentally unfair- and there was an upsurge in support because they stuck to their principles rather than simply taking the money.

5. Don’t Panic: Having a system to deal with an emergency is important- but you also need to not panic long-term. After the disaster Ismay, the White Star Line chairman, offered to resign and there was great press pressure for him to do so. But the Board backed him, arguing they had to change and learn. So the company didn’t fold after the disaster but continued on to become one of the top freight and passenger lines in the world for the next 25 years. (White Star, interestingly, became a driving force for the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea- SOLAS.)  You can recover from a crisis provided you learn. Five years ago the Kenyan Red Cross was in trouble- performing poorly in fundraising and with a big hole in the accounts. Today it is one of the most successful NGOs in Africa- running everything from hotels to ambulance services- thanks to a steady and sensible response by staff and the Board.

So I know it’s late… and you’re busy… and very clever…and someone else is supposed to be looking after stuff…but isn’t it time you went and had a look out the porthole? I mean… just to check!

Oh George, what have you done? 

It’s all over the news: Mr Osborne is proposing a cap on tax relief from 2013 that will apparently stop rich people from giving to charity – because they’ll lose the tax relief loophole that made it worthwhile.

That’s a funny idea, isn’t it? That people will stop being altruistic… because it’ll no longer be in their self-interest?

The concept of getting something back for your good deed – ‘reciprocal altruism’ – is an interesting one. 
Many people support charities relating to cancer or heart disease or another condition because they have a closeness to the cause. But, perhaps, some people do it as a kind of insurance policy. 
Cancer research for example – support that today and you might be improving the effectiveness of treatments in the future, when you might personally need them.

And what about raffle and prize draw mailings? They can raise lots of money for charities from audiences who don’t respond to cause-led appeals. 
People giving money to a charity… because they might win a larger amount of money for themselves (and I can tell you, winners nearly always choose the money not the car, and they rarely donate their prize back to the charity).

Mind you, those cause-led appeals should be giving the donor something too. Heartfelt thanks. Recognition and appreciation. 
A warm glow from doing something really good to make a positive change in the world.

Unlike that George Osborne, for instance.





From Fecund Fundraising by Ian Atkinson of Tangible (tangible.uk.com)

Fundraising is not all about Facebook, Twitter, blogs and websites. Fundraising is about things like storytelling, engaging, asking and thanking. That’s why I was so relieved to meet AJ Leon, digital problem solver, New Yorker and sometimes fundraiser, at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC ) in the Netherlands last October.

AJ was at IFC sharing the story of his work with Global Hope Network International (GHNI) to raise $72,000 in three hours with a mobile phone and a $250 budget to fund change in the village of Ola Nagale in Kenya.

It sounds simple, and a significant part of the simplicity is that it doesn’t rely on the latest whizz bang technology. I was relieved to hear AJ say that we will never be able to keep up with technology. Instead, he believes that three main concepts – digital storytelling, influencer outreach and the donor experience – will remain a constant when it comes to raising funds online, regardless of the technology at hand. And these are the main tactics in his digital fundraising model.

Digital storytelling

AJ believes future of giving will be at the local project level. A basic fundraising principle is that ‘people give to people’ and so he forecasts that more people will want to give at a project level and feel that they are directly connecting with the people that they help, rather than giving to an big organisation or a brand. Perhaps one day soon, logos could be a thing of the past, because the internet is giving people direct access to the people that organisations help.

The way to get your message across is with stories. “Without stories you raise no money. With no money, no work gets done”. AJ was instrumental in helping the organisation Epic Change develop its “Twitter Kids of Tanzania” campaign, where laptops were provided to kids in a Tanzanian school for which Epic Change was raising money. The kids introduced themselves to the world via Twitter, shared their stories and connected directly with donors. As a result, Epic Change, a relatively unknown organisation, raised $100,000 to fund a library in the school.

Influencer outreach

AJ’s calls his fundraising model ‘unfundraising’. It is all about getting influential people to tell your story for you, and to share it with their communities. He suggests some influencers are simply “geeks with lots of friends” and classes himself this way. In the online world, there are followers, fans and influencers. It is the last category that can incite people to action.

Finding these people is not about how many followers you have, it’s about the type of followers you have. He says, ‘go deep not wide’. Build relationships, rather than focussing on the numbers. Comment on blogs, retweet their news, engage without asking for anything first. And, offer stories that they may want to share.

For the Ola Nagale village in Kenya, GHNI was able to connect with a high profile blogger, who had posted some comments on the GHNI blog. The manager at GHNI picked up the phone and asked for her help. As a result, she visited the village in Kenya and then shared her experience with her subscribers and followers.

Experiential philanthropy

For AJ it is important that donors become part of your story and part of your family. He feels that the ‘donate now’ button is a dreadful invention, and instead, he focuses on the power of ‘joining’. The power is that they become part of you and they can experience the things you do, sometimes even firsthand. He uses three traditional sales techniques to promote this:

• FINALITY – Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Villages like Ola Nagale that are helped by GHNI, are committed to transforming themselves to escape perpetual poverty and dependance. This is a three-five year transformation that donors can experience over time through the photo-story based website/blog, video streaming and facebook.
• SCARCITY – GHNI was looking for just 100 people giving $12 per month. After 100 people had joined – that is,  become monthly givers to this project – the ‘offer’ was closed.
• VALUE ADD – What do people get in return for joining this community? For this project, they had access to live video streams from the village, a private Facebook members only group, where they had access to the GHNI’s project staff, and live video conferences from the village. This has so far resulted in a 95 per cent retention rate of regular givers.

The technology…

Now I’m sure you do want to know what technolgoy enabled this project. It goes something like this:

• A Tumblr photo blog as the main storytelling platform.
• A mobile phone that enabled a local person, who was appointed as village journalist, to take photos, add simple captions and upload them directly to the blog.
• Mailchip to provide blog updates to donors via email.
• Facebook to enable discussion between GNHI project staff and donors. This was set up as a private, donors-only, group.
• GoToMeeting.com meant that donors could join a video conference or live feed from the village.

You can connect with AJ here. This article was originally published on the Connecting Up (nonprofit tech and innovation) blog. Thanks AJ and Connecting Up, you’re fab!