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Team Welter

Aug 13
0

Three BIG Mistakes Organizations Make Asking for Donations – and Fixing The Mistakes with Donor Management Software

By | Donations | No Comments

Does your organization raise money primarily through individual donations? If so, when is the last time you reviewed how team members are asking for donations – and whether or not it’s effective?

These three mistakes can detail or slow any donor giving campaign. Take a moment now to review your organization’s donor campaigns and fix these mistakes before they negatively impact fundraising.

Mistake #1: Lack of communication about marketing activities

Susan sends out emails on Monday. John plans a direct mail campaign while Lynn is busy with social media activities. The team doesn’t find out until Friday’s staff meeting what each person has been working on and discovers that each one spent hours creating templates, adding graphics, and crafting the right copy to ask for donations.

What if the team members could have pooled their resources and shared them? Just knowing that an email, direct mail campaign, and social media blast was going on in one week, and that many resources could be shared among these tactics, would have helped all three people save considerable time. The email blast could have been shared on social media; text from the direct mail letter may have made a great template for the email.

A lack of communication and coordination among team members conducting donor campaigns is the biggest mistake on the list. It wastes time and money, duplicates efforts, and potentially annoys donors if they receive frequent or repetitive communications.

Mistake #2: Using separate software to track activities

Susan, the person in our example above who sends emails, uses a commercial email marketing platform to send her messages out. She manages the email list within that software platform.

John painstakingly adds mailing addresses to an Excel spreadsheet. He keeps the sheet in good order, and hands it off to the mailing house to affix address labels to the direct mail packages.

Lynn also uses spreadsheets, but tracks the messages she sends out in Excel. She tracks the messages sent, when, and from what channel they are sent.

What’s wrong with this picture? While this team may be using the software available to them, they aren’t using it efficiently. None of their systems communicate with each other, so they do not have the opportunity to share data and resources. And no one appears to review the results of their marketing efforts to find out what’s working and what can be improved.

A single donor management and contact management system would make their efforts much easier and more effective.  Such systems integrate with nonprofit accounting systems and share contact information across multiple platforms. John, Lynn, and Susan could easily track not just their efforts but the results, and measure it to find out what worked so they can repeat successes and avoid failures.

Mistake #3: Using personal email addresses to send donor requests

Staff and volunteers may not realize how unprofessional it looks to send donor requests from a personal email address. Not only does it look unprofessional, but it may also compromise your personal email address if the recipient’s contact book is hacked.

Instead of using personal email addresses to send out donor communications, at the very least, professional addresses from the organization should be used. Many donor contact management systems send mass emails from an @ email address so that your private email address is hidden.

Fix It Fast with a Donor Management System

If you recognize any of these mistakes occurring in your organization, it’s time to fix it, and fix it fast, before one mistake lowers your chance of achieving your fundraising goal. Discover the many donor management systems available to you. Contact Welter Consulting  for more information on how your organization can benefit from donor management systems.

Aug 06
0

Not Winning Enough Grants? We May Know Why

By | Grant Management | No Comments

How’s your batting average these days? We’re not talking about baseball, although since it’s summer, you’re forgiven if your thoughts turned to the diamond and the outfield.

We’re talking about your grant application batting average, or your ratio of wins to losses. How is your organization progressing towards its grant goals for the year?

If the answer is, “You don’t want to know” then we encourage you to read on…because we might just know what the problem is and how you can fix it.

It’s Not You, It’s the Grant Guidelines

Grant guidelines may be crystal clear or clear as mud. Yet, depending on your industry and focus, you may be stuck applying to those muddy waters. It’s up to you to gain clarity  on them and to approach grant writing as scientifically as possible.

Many organizations prepare grant guidelines as if those seeking funds understand their jargon and have a window into their thought process. They may use legacy forms and language, failing to update the grant guidelines for today’s problems and nonprofits. Or, they may prepare the guidelines with a committee who throws everything, including the kitchen sink and the bathtub too, into the application. The resulting languages reads like a confusing stew of wishful thinking.

As nonprofits who rely upon grant funds, it’s up to you to decipher whatever you are presented with in order to apply for funds. A few tips:

  1. If the grantor offers a conference call to potential applications in which to ask questions, attend it. You may not have to ask your questions – someone already on the call may ask exactly that question which is on your mind. By attending the call, you can listen to the conversation and discussions and glean insights into the thinking process behind the grant.
  2. Keep accurate notes of past years’ applications. A good grant contact management system, for example, can help you track information uses for last year’s grant so that your current application isn’t re-inventing the wheel.
  3. Join groups gathered to provide input to the grantors when they develop the language for their applications and forms. This provides valuable input to ensure jargon-free, logical grant applications.
  4. Ask questions, if you can. If the application offers contact information to ask questions, do so.

And If You Prepare Grant Applications…

If you’re on the other side of the desk preparing grant applications, the nonprofits of the world would like to ask a favor. Please make application instruction clear!

It’s not that organizations don’t want to submit the appropriate paperwork and documentation. They do. But if you make the instructions a study in obfuscation, you’ll only make it harder on yourself when it comes time to review the applications. It frustrates nonprofits and it frustrates those reviewing the applications who may complain, “Why can’t we get a decent grant application?”

Provide explanations and examples of what you’re looking for, too. Terminology varies from organization to organization. What may be clear to you may be very confusing for the person writing the grant application. Simple examples, illustrations, and guidelines save a great deal of time for all.

Organize, Then Write

Lastly, for those who are still wondering why their batting average for grant wins remains low, consider how better organization around the application process may help. Many grant writers plunge into their applications without stopping to organize their paperwork and build an outline of their pitch.

Take time to focus on the grant information. Read it several times and ask for feedback if you’re unclear. Gather background information and paperwork. Then, write. Be sure to align your organization’s mission and values as well as provide specifics about programs that the money will be applied to so that the granting organization sees how their funds will be used. These simple tips will help you improve your awards to hit a home run.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Jul 30
0

Cyber Defense – Five Steps to Improve Your Peace of Mind

By | Fraud | No Comments

If you think you’re immune to cybercriminals because you run a nonprofit organization, think again.

Cybercrimes against nonprofits are more common than you think. According to the Nonprofit Quarterly, there has been a 270 percent increase in the number of attacks against business, with small businesses and nonprofits at higher risk than ever before.

Why? It’s simple: easier targets. Criminals know that nonprofits and small businesses are less likely to have the time, patience, and resources to fight back when they’re the target of an attack. They pay up rather than risk the resources, capital, and reputation that might be spent defending against the attack.

It’s been said that the best defense is a good offense. That certainly goes for cyber defenses. There are five things a nonprofit can do to defend against the most common cyber-attacks. Taking these steps may mean the difference between sending an “I’m sorry” email to your constituents and business as usual.

Five Steps to Defend Against Nonprofit Cyber Attacks

There are many things you can do to prepare for and defend against cyber-attacks, but the following stand out as being simple, easy to implement, and within the abilities of most nonprofits.

  1. Educate employees about threats: Keep up to date about the latest types of cyber threats and educate your employees about the signs of such attacks. Employees may not know about ACH attacks, for example, which target them through emails pretending to be from the CEP to gain access to company bank accounts. These and other attacks pose serious threats to nonprofits but can easily be thwarted through education and vigilance.
  2. Encourage reporting of potential attacks: Encourage your employees to ask for help if they think they’ve accidentally clicked on a bad link or given out information to potential cyber thieves. Make it safe to do so and avoid repercussions that could discourage them from reporting. Early reporting of possible breaches enables you to take swift action to batten down the hatches against further problems.
  3. Establish offline ways to confirm financial transactions: Ensure that employees can confirm transactions or the release of vital information offline through a phone call to a senior executive. Offline ensures that a link in a phishing email won’t take the employee straight back to the scammer for confirmation. It also puts in place a series of checks to stop possible mistakes.
  4. Create backup systems and files: The use of cloud-based software such as cloud-hosted fundraising and donor management software protects files against viruses on your network by hosting them off network and onto a more secure cloud system. Other software such as Abila Cloud Accounting secures valuable financial detail through controlled access to accounts and financial systems.
  5. Prioritize updates: It’s tempting to click “ignore” when a pesky update notice pops up on your computer. Patches and updates close gaps in software codes that can be exploited by thieves, so don’t neglect updates. Conduct regular software updates on all of your systems. Cloud-based software updates automatically and in the background so you don’t have to remember to update it. That’s another reason for choosing cloud systems for accounting, financial management, donor and fundraising management, and more.

Do you remember a television commercial featuring Smoky the Bear? Smokey’s slogan was, “Only you can prevent forest fires.”

Well, only you can prevent cyber-attacks by taking the appropriate steps to protect and defend your organization. If you believe in your mission, then you know it is worth the time and effort to secure valuable resources against external threats like a cyber-attack.

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.

Jul 23
0

The Changing Role of the Financial Professional Part III: Critical Skills for Accounting Leaders

By | Technology, Uncategorized | No Comments

 

Welcome back to our three-part series on the Changing Role of the Financial Profession. In Part I, we looked at what’s driving changes. In Part II, we looked at just one of those drivers, automation, and how it can be used to your advantage. In Part III, we’ll look at how the evolving role of technology is changing the critical skills needed for accountants and what skills organizations look for among its finance and accounting leadership.

Automation Changes Everything

As we’ve seen in Parts I and II, automation changes everything in both the for-profit and not for profit world. Automation enables organizations to save time, streamline processes, and access real-time data. Cloud-based finance and accounting systems, fundraising and donor management systems, and new grant management software enable organizations to simplify and automate many processes.

Organizations that once tracked grant applications using cumbersome spreadsheets, for example, can now use grant management systems to monitor applications, resources, deadlines, and status of grants. What was once a complicated process that involved plenty of cross-referencing links in multiple documents can now be accomplished easily through one central database.

The same goes for accounting and financial management software for nonprofits, such as Abila MIP Fund Accounting, which can track revenue, expenses, and margin to ensure that funding meets the demand for program services. With such automation at your fingertips, you can spend the time you used to take to manually update systems to work with program directors and others on their budget needs as well as other projects.

The Skills You Need to Succeed in Today’s Nonprofit Accounting World

Given that automation now takes over many of the tasks accounting and financial professionals once performed in the nonprofit workplace, what skills are now in high demand?

  • Data analysis: The ability to analyze data and offer insights offers many opportunities for accounting professionals to lead in the context of nonprofit decision making. Not everyone can review financial data and understand the ramifications of specific decisions, for example. An accounting and financial professional can offer invaluable advice and insight into data found in the financial systems and guide others based on that information.
  • Communications: In addition to the ability to review and interpret crucial financial information, accounting leaders must be able to articulate their findings to non-financial professionals, especially in the context of nonprofit leadership. Financial information comes under scrutiny at board meetings, constituent meetings, and internal staff meetings which requires an accounting and finance professional who can explain to the average person exactly what the data means and its impact upon the organization.
  • People skills: “People skills” are often thought of as secondary ‘soft skills’ in the accounting and finance world. But emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, and other people skills set leaders apart from the rest. They help professionals lead with compassion and empathy, and motivate and inspire others to achieve their best. Today’s nonprofit accounting and financial leaders must have strong people skills to achieve success with their teams.
  • Technical abilities: You may work for a large organization with a dedicated IT department or a small nonprofit where you are the IT department. In both cases, you’ll still need technical abilities to navigate new software, assist with software selection, and utilize your current systems to their fullest capacity. Nonprofit accounting and finance leaders must have at least passing familiarity with the current slate of software available to help manage all aspects of finance and accounting, including membership, donations, grants, and more.

The nonprofit world’s technology evolves alongside that of its for-profit business counterparts. With the ever-expanding array of technology available to nonprofit accounting and finance leaders, all skills – quantitative, qualitative, and management skills – will be needed to help organizations remain cutting-edge and relevant for years to come.

In case you missed it:

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting bridges people and technology together for effective solutions for nonprofit organizations. We offer software and services that can help you with your accounting needs. Please contact Welter Consulting at 206-605-3113 for more information.