Welcome to LSC’s running list of resources–including fundraising recommendations, articles, and statistics; virtual tools,  ways to spark joy, and a LIST OF FUNDERS! Read on and ping me if you have questions or additional resources to share.

Recommended Podcasts and Books

DEIB + BIPOC Resources

Digital/Online Fundraising Tools

  • NeonOne
    • Digital fundraising campaigns with the ability to fund underlying causes or needs. See sample and actual campaign here.  This includes peer-to-peer (a good way to get our networks to tap their networks.)
    • Virtual gala-style event with tickets, donations, and silent auction  (plus we can add live-stream capabilities if needed).  See sample here
    • Virtual event fundraising around races and other events.  See info here and actual event here.
  • Cheerful Giving: Free online fundraising tool to check out — ask me for an intro to Brittany!

Leaders and Blogs to Follow

General Fundraising Articles/Resources (see my blog for more!)

Work from Home Tools

Recommendations for Fundraising in Turbulent Times

  • Readjust your Case for Support: Be specific about what you are doing immediately and what you need in order to keep the doors open five years from now. Reduce minor costs and increase operational + emergency funding.
  • Sing in the spotlight: Community members will be looking to you to both receive help and offer support. Not all will be able to do so, but some will, and the organization would be remiss not to embrace the openness of hearts to support and nurture this beloved organization.  
  • Begin with an offering: Determine what the organization will do to support the beneficiaries, especially at the highest risk. Try a phone-athon Nurture Campaign as the first step.
    • Show empathy and concern
    • Ask what they need and how you can help
    • Share what you’re doing for your constituents and what you need
    • Have a call to action
  • Invite donors to support the future of your organization: this message remains the same but should be truly highlighted during these times to make the case for fundraising beyond immediate crisis relief and into the future.
  • Double down efforts: Solicitations may be made sooner than anticipated due to the current crisis and the reduced travel/event calendar. However, gift sizes may be lower due to the economic climate. The energy invested in being nimble and adjusting plans will increase. Thinking long-term, the needs are real and there is a receptive audience for supporting the community.
  • Leverage technology: Tech solutions to online communications and even fundraising are rapidly approaching the market. Tech can help us to do these things:
    • Virtual site visits
    • Virtual Jeffersonian Dinners (group video chats are exploding)
    • Virtual case for support → explore tools to jazz up a Powerpoint deck; there are MANY!
    • Virtual online community engagement + fundraising tools (NeonOne is a CRM tool that seems to be leading the way in responsiveness and online fundraising tools.)

More from the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy panel discussion 4/3/20.

Recommendations for Staying Positive

  • Add levity and humor where you can!
  • Keep a gratitude journal! (Instead of the news, I write down three things I’m grateful for, and then I turn out the light.)
  • Create a routine. Include:
    • Keep the blood flowing: cold showers in the morning and hot baths at night
    • Exercise: sweat for 20 min (at least), do some at-home weight resistance with bands, canned soup… and stretch!
    • Eat healthily: cook, bake, and savor what you make.
    • Stay in touch: Call people you ordinarily wouldn’t. Turn the camera on!
    • Get inspired: Dress up just for the heck of it. 😉 Learn new languages or skills. Dance. Sing. Meditate.

 

Ways to Spark Joy!

  • Watch opera! For those of you who love opera, each night for the duration of the Met’s closure, starting Monday, March 16, the Met will stream encore presentations from the award-winning Live in HD series of cinema transmissions on the company website for free. Learn more HERE.
  • Advice from Dr. Bitton, Executive Director, Brigham and Women’s Hospital: Eat in! Take-out and restaurant meals are much riskier than making food at home given the links between the people who prepare the food, transport the food, and you.  Take a page from my sister, Clare: BAKE! If you have kids, try a gingerbread house. Creative, fun, and delicious! Here’s a RECIPE to try out.
  • Sunshine and fresh air helped a century ago! Seriously, a combination of fresh air and sunlight seems to have prevented deaths among 1918 flu patients. So when the sun comes out again (hooray for the current rainy days here!), do take a walk (alone 🙂 ), enjoy the garden (with wildlife), and get a bit of immune-boosting exercise! Check out the related article HERE
  • Enjoy being stuck at home. There are 12 famous museums offering virtual tours you can take from your couch: the British Museum, Guggenheim Museum, Washington, D.C.’s National Gallery of Art, Musée d’Orsay, Seoul’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Berlin’s Pergamon Museum, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Uffizi Gallery in Florence, São Paulo’s MASP, and Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology. Read all about it and connect HERE.
  • Go for a virtual walk in distant places. Google Arts & Culture has a collection of virtual walk-throughs for dozens of international museums, from Paris to New Delhi. Click HERE to start your journey