September 1, 2020
YEAR END FUNDRAISING, WCA AND ELAINE’S MINI GUIDE TO VIRTUAL EVENTS
And Still We Persist!
Even the pandemic can’t kill the special Minnesota otherness.
Two small bears (the real thing, not the Chicago kind) were spotted in Saint Paul, one near the University of St. Thomas. But in that certain Minnesota spirit, the State of Minnesota won’t reveal exactly where the bears were spotted, because it’s the State’s bear hunting season and the DNR doesn’t want to give anyone a leg up on bagging a bear.
Special End of the Year Fundraising
Granted, we’ll all be glad when 2020 ends, but we still need to plan our year-end fundraising approaches. These are some of the ideas we’ve heard from fundraising friends about year-end plans:
- One fundraiser is preparing three different fundraising approaches – one if Biden wins, one if Trump wins and one if no one knows who has won.
- Another friend is developing two optional fundraising plans – one fundraising approach if the economy tanks and another approach if the economy stays the same or even goes up a little.
- Interestingly, many of the big kid fundraisers (colleges, etc.) are anticipating their major donors (generally $10,000 or more) will continue their giving levels. Several surveys support the idea that most big donors intend to retain or increase their funding levels. Probably good to work on that concept as you plan your year-end stuff.
- Finally, even though grantmakers and nonprofit leaders have really been encouraging more support for the arts (arts funding really bombed in 2010-11), the small family funders we interviewed are still planning to move more year-end grants and gifts to health and human services groups.
Does this help? Does it generate any new ideas? Do you have your own year-end fundraising ideas? Send them along -- steve@accessphilanthropy.com
Elaine's Mini Guide to Virtual Special Events
Our friend, colleague and fundraising savant, Elaine Weber Nelson put together a short, but pithy check list for doing virtual special events. Watch for the webinar on our website after Labor Day.
Some groups are going back to live events, especially golf tournaments. And in Wisconsin, it’s business as usual with golf tournaments and other special events. When we have more time (and the children aren’t around), ask me about the Wisconsin chicken drop raffles.
Thirty Minutes of Love, Respect & Good Advice
It’s not true the Biden campaign took advantage of Access Philanthropy’s free 30 minute consultation calls. But we did get a call from a Florida and Virginia politicians’ fundraising directors. We extend the same love, respect, and (of course) wisdom to our real friends here in Minnesota. Call 651-295-4684 or schedule something with
gail@accessphilanthropy.com.
Oh My, OBT!
The Otto Bremer Trust story continues to smell like an old fashioned soap opera. Any day now, Otto Bremer’s long-lost evil twin brother will make an appearance. Even if the evil twin doesn’t show up, we have a couple great replacements, according to the Pioneer Press OBT trustees have shared with staff people their personal reluctance to fund Muslim and Native American groups. That explains a lot about OBT grantmaking patterns.
In the meantime, State Attorney General has lined up a proposed slate of interim trustees if a judge boots out the current trustees. You probably know some of these folks – (retired) Judge Pam Alexander, Marcia Avner and Carleen Rhodes, all have lots of nonprofit experience.
To make the whole thing more interesting – Do you know who’s representing the current trustees? Mike Ciresi of the fast growing Ciresi Walburn Foundation.
Donor Advised Funds
Those mysterious little funds that are semi-owned by community foundations and the DAF’s original owners are growing even faster during the pandemic. Fidelity, Charles Schwab and of course, local community foundations are doing great with new DAFs.
Access to these funds is, at best difficult. But Saint Paul Foundation now has a special form for organizations who want to reach out to DAF owners. Like the California-based Tides Foundation, Saint Paul Foundation allows some organizations to fill out a one-page form that provides the most basic information. The important part is the “tell us a story” part that is critical if you want to attract individual donors. Ask a Program Officer at the Saint Paul.
Take Overs
- Minneapolis Foundation recently announced it would be assuming management and operations for WCA (formerly Women’s Christian Association), Minnesota’s oldest women’s fund -- more than 100 years of funding women and girl organizations.
AP had a client who made a presentation to the WCA board. The organization sent its senior officers to the meeting, a male ED and male Program Director. One of the WCA board members asked the two young guys: “You just don’t get it, do you?” Let’s hope Minneapolis Foundation retains that simple, committed spirit to funding women and girls.
- In Kansas City(s), the community foundation has absorbed nearly 50 small family funds over the last 20 years. We have mixed feelings about the disappearance of these little funds, but it may be the only way the money will stay in the community. Both Minneapolis and Saint Paul Foundations are looking at these small funds as a new market.
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Speaking of the End of the Line… Warren Buffett (who owns BNSF Railways) and his family own four foundations, one for each of the adult children and one in the name of Warren’s passed on wife, Susan Thompson Buffett. Plans are afoot to do away with the Susan Thompson Buffett fund (one of the largest women’s funds in the US) when Warren dies. Is it a little weird to talk about sunsetting both Warren and his foundations at the same time? Probably not, but there’s a lot of great women’s groups sending Warren vitamins and stay well wishes.
If We Were Together… we might celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the 1957 Civil Rights Act (9/8) which created the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. But we’re still one vaccine away from the reunion, so lift your own glass to those of us who have the patience and personal endurance to work for change from inside the system.
