Do you know Sandy Rees?

Sandy Rees is a fundraising coach and consultant whose passion is showing small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, strengthen their Boards and build relationships with donors.

Sandy is also an accomplished presenter and an Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Master Trainer, and has conducted fundraising seminars for America’s Second Harvest, Habitat for Humanity of Tennessee, AFP International Conference and the Amputee Coalition of America. In October 2009, Sandy traveled to Russia to speak to Master School of Fundraising in Moscow.

In addition to speaking at local, regional and national events, Sandy has authored several fundraising books, including “Fundraising Buffet: A Heaping Helping of 101 Practical Ideas to Increase Donations and Deepen Donor Satisfaction.” She also produces a bi-monthly e-zine titled “Hot Ideas for Fundraising” and has written articles for various magazines and newsletters. Sandy was recently named one of the “2010 Inspiring Women Bloggers to Watch” by WE Magazine for Women.

Sandy obtained her Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification in 2003 and volunteers with several community organizations, including Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding (STAR), Lost Sheep Ministries, Loudon County Habitat for Humanity, Horse Haven of Tennessee, the Blount County Chamber Foundation and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Smoky Mountain Chapter.

Learn more about Sandy at http://www.sandyrees.com.

What sets you apart from other fundraising coaches or consultants?

I focus on helping small nonprofit organizations raise money by teaching the basics of fundraising and the importance of staying positive. I’m known for making things simple and giving people the encouragement they need to be successful. All too often, development directors get bogged down with the challenges and setbacks of the job and forget the reason they are so committed to making a difference. I provide simple, yet very effective, fundraising tools and advice that connect the organization with donors so both have the opportunity to really impact the community.

Why is it important to have a fundraising coach?

Fundraising coaching is a special kind of executive coaching that helps development directors and/or executive directors make decisions about their resource development plans and get focused on their goals. It simply provides coaching around issues of fundraising.

With a fundraising coach, you’ll have someone who will help you discover your own solutions by asking thought-provoking questions. Coaching isn’t about giving you the answers or molding you into something you aren’t. Instead, it’s about bringing out what’s already inside you, and helping you become the person you were meant to be.

Here are some of the benefits you can reap from a relationship with a Fundraising Coach:
• A good night’s rest instead of laying awake worrying.
• A sense of peace instead of a knot in your stomach.
• A game plan for raising money instead of just hoping that things will work out.
• Stronger relationships with co-workers.
• A shift to being proactive instead of being reactive. You’ll be able to spend more time on the things you planned to work on, instead of putting out fires all day long.
• The ability to engage volunteers in committee work and support them to take on more challenging roles with your organization.
• The ability to delegate tasks to others and trust that they will get done. And, the skills to follow up with others to ensure that tasks are completed.

Coaching is effective for people who want to make change but aren’t sure how to do it. Sometimes the change that needs to happen most is inside ourselves.

How do you respond to the complaint about the economic downturn negatively affecting fundraising?

It’s so important for us as fundraisers to stay positive right now. I find myself purposely ignoring the news because I don’t want to fill my mind with the negativity. I’d much rather focus on the positive.

Organizations have got to keep sharing the stories of their magnificent work. They must show donors they are staying the course, being efficient and proactive and helping them understand how their donation makes a difference.

The important thing is to stay focused on the work the organization is doing. Don’t give in to the doom and gloom. If you start believing that you can’t raise money in this economy, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What’s your advice for an organization struggling to raise money?

Fundraising can be difficult in the best of times. But now, it can be even more difficult. Here are a few things to remember.

First, DO NOT give into fear. Lots of people are afraid right now. If you get scared and back off from your fundraising activities, then you can forget it. You must stay positive and stay focused. Yes, unemployment is high, but 90% of the population is still employed. The sky is not falling. It’s going to be okay.

Go back to the basics of fundraising. Craft a simple, clear message about the work your organization is doing, then share it! Tell your stories. Tell your donors how your nonprofit is changing people’s lives with their help.

Give donors the chance to give. Don’t assume that they won’t give as much or as often as in previous years. Keep giving them the chance to give through direct mail, newsletters, online and personal requests.

Truth is, while some nonprofit organizations are struggling, there are some who are doing great, because they stuck to the basics and weren’t afraid to think big and ask big.

Getting Past “No”

why people don’t give and how you can break through the barriers

Research has pinpointed three reasons why caring people don’t give, says Joanne Fritz on About.com. Fortunately, there are ways to counter those baffling thought patterns that even the most empathic people experience when considering whether to donate.

Diffusion of responsibility

You might call this the “bystander effect”: the assumption that someone else will do what needs to be done. Fritz cites an experiment where 70 per cent of participants who were alone responded with help to sounds of distress from another room. But when two participants were together, their response rate plummeted – in one case to a mere 7%.

Sense of fairness

Fritz describes research showing that humans will go against their best interests if the situation violates their sense of fairness. In an experimental game, two players knew that one of them would be given a sum of money to divide with the second player. If the second person refused the offer, then neither player got anything. When receivers felt that the first person’s offer was unfair, they often refused it, even though their refusal meant no one got anything.

“In the case of charitable giving, a donor’s altruism may be depressed if he feels that other people are not doing their share,” Fritz concludes. “It doesn’t seem fair to give, say, 10% of your income to charity if others are giving less or nothing.”

Money

Even thinking about money can also depress altruism – bad news for fundraisers! An experimental group that was prompted to think about money before moving on to other tasks displayed much more self-sufficient behaviour than the control group. They often took longer to ask for help, sat further apart when told to move into conversational groups, chose solitary recreation, helped others less, and gave less when asked to contribute their honoraria to a good cause.

What to do

Fundraisers need to be aware of these pitfalls of human nature. Fritz offers several tips to forestall their influence.

   • Use powerful images and focus on one victim instead of several.
   • Help create a feeling of community and fairness.
   • Show the interconnection between ourselves and people thousands of miles away.
   • Help donors understand that their gift is not just a “drop in the bucket.”
   • Tell compelling personal stories.
   • Offer ways to help that don’t involve just giving money.

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World Report: India Invites the Worlds Universities to India

India’s government has approved a plan to allow foreign universities to set up campuses and offer degrees in India.

The proposal, which needs to be ratified by parliament, is expected to benefit thousands of Indian students who head abroad to study.

India is reforming its higher education system after concerns that it faces a shortfall of qualified graduates.

Every year thousands of English-speaking Indians head to countries such as the US and Australia to study.

Despite having top quality educational institutions, India is unable to meet the demand for a quality education, the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says.

Some analysts project that India’s growing economy will face a shortfall of half a million qualified graduates over the next five years.

Federal Education Minister Kapil Sibal described the bill as “a milestone which will enhance choices, and increase competition and benchmark quality”.

If parliament approves the law it could see universities such as Harvard and Oxford set up institutions in India.

It is thought leading foreign universities could be attracted by India’s large number of English speakers and its burgeoning middle class.

India has allowed foreign investment in education for a number of years, but foreign institutes have not been permitted to grant degrees.

The bill had been opposed by some political parties, particularly those from the left, on the grounds that it will benefit only elite Indians with poorer students unable to afford to pay high fees.

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