This week is the perfect time to remind ourselves of the two most important words you can say to everyone involved with your organization.

Those words, of course, are simply Thank You.

Have you made a special effort lately to tell each of your donors thank you — with a phone call, hand-written note, or recognition at an event?

How about your board, committee members and volunteers?  Pastries, fruit and words of thanks can mean a lot at your meetings.  Organizing a holiday event specifically to thank your volunteers is a great way to show your appreciation.  Most of all, a few words — written or verbal, one-on-one — always make a big impact those who make such a huge difference in your organization.

This also is an excellent time to express your gratitude to the staff of your organization — the team responsible for doing the good things you do. Do they feel appreciated, not just this week, but all year long?  Do they make your clients feel that way, too?

It’s amazing what two little words — used well and often — can do.

And so this Thanksgiving, we offer a heartfelt THANK YOU to you, our clients and friends, for all you have meant to us at Charlotte Pelton & Associates. We thank you for the multitude of ways you have made a difference in local people’s lives.  We thank you for making our communities better.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Charlotte

Okay, it may not be exactly a thousand bucks, but impactful photography can make a huge difference in achieving your goals — whether they’re fundraising, “friend-raising,” board development, staff engagement, or, as is often the case, all of the above.

Great photos tell stories, and make deep and lasting connections with those who see them.

Huge strides in digital technology have put the capability to take pictures into the hands of most every cell-phone user, and inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras are ubiquitous.

Too often that leads cost-conscious executives, especially those in nonprofits, to forego hiring a professional photographer for their special event, newsletter or even annual report, relying instead on a staff person or volunteer to snap some pictures.

There is a reason professional photographers get paid for their work.  The good ones have developed not only the technical skills, but also the “eye” to make emotional connections and tell stories through their lenses.  They are also diligent in the mundane aspects such as getting photo IDs and making sure Mrs. Benefactor isn’t photographed with a tree growing out of her head, or worse.

Some pros also have relationships with local and society publications that are important to your organization.  Those who do can often “file” the photos for you, reducing your workload and often getting your photos in front of the people who decide what is printed.

We would urge you to consider using a professional photographer for your next project.  If you don’t know whom to call, look for photo credits in the publications that are important to you.  Ask your board members if they use photographers in their businesses — that’s often a way to get a better price.  At CP&A, we have a working relationship with Brodigan Photography.  I’m sure Tom would be happy to discuss your needs (www.brodiganphotography.com).

Talented volunteers

If you’re really fortunate, you may be able to find someone with a passion for your cause who is also a talented amateur photographer.  That can be a great solution, as long as both you and your volunteer understand that your first responsibility is to ensure your communications pieces are effective for your organization.  We all know of stories when a well-meaning volunteer forgets that it’s not all about him or her.  Be sure your relationship with your volunteer is strong enough so you can say “No” if the work doesn’t meet your needs.

Tips for better amateur photographs

We’re realists.  Sometimes an opportunity comes up when you don’t have time to get a professional, or you just can’t justify the expense.  Here are a few tips that might be helpful when someone is “volunteered” to take photos:

1.     Forget “smile.”  Too often picture takers interrupt important activity and ask the subjects to “smile.”  That’s okay for yearbook pictures, but generally doesn’t tell a story.  Be inconspicuous.  Get your subjects to ignore you and focus on their task.  Try to develop a “stealth” method of photograph so people will forget you’re there.

2.     Get down.  If you’re photographing children, or activities where people are seated, get down to their level.  That brings the viewer into the scene.

3.     Get close.  Focus on faces, what people are doing.  If you have a camera with a telephoto lens, try it.  That will enable you to get close and still remain relatively inconspicuous.

4.     Avoid lineups.  Unless you are documenting a specific event, like a ribbon cutting, try not to have everyone stop when they are doing and line up for photos.  Again, the best pictures tell stories and make emotional connections.

And finally – if the pictures are for a newsletter, annual report or other publication, make them big.  Too often people who design newsletters make the pictures fit in little spaces left over from the words.  The pictures will bring readers into the story.  You paid good money and/or worked hard to make the photos great, so don’t make your readers get a magnifying glass to see them!

Charlotte

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Summer is here, but don’t let the heat slow you down! I know in South Florida we often feel the summer heat makes the days seem to slow down; many of our donors escape the heat for cooler weather up north or go on family vacations. Don’t let summertime slip by. Here are my top six steps to prepare for your organization to shine when your donors return.

1. Timelines - If you haven’t already done so, take this opportunity to plan your calendar for next year. Map out strategies for planning, marketing and resource development. Review the budget. What grant deadlines are coming up, what programs or projects will need attention?

2. Board development – Connect with your board through a friendly, but purposeful, note or e-mail. Let them know that they may be on vacation, but you are working and your strategy for the fall involves them. If you can, use specifics. Relate to something discussed at the last board meeting or a project that is important to them. If they are in town, schedule a lunch or breakfast meeting. Let them know that you want to help them strengthen their fundraising skills by giving them tasks that they can be successful in doing. Determine their target prospects and work with them on how to engage with that person.

3. Websites, Facebook, blogs and Twitter – Take this quieter time to review your website and Facebook page. Ask yourself, “Is the information clear and up-to -date?” Are you blogging? Map out your blog ideas for the next 6 – 12 months. Does your social media strategy need an overhaul? Gather the staff and listen to their comments regarding what is useful and what is just a waste of time and resources. When was the last time you Googled your organization, checked in with Charity Navigator to see your rating, or looked at GuideStar? You should know your organization’s on-line reputation.

4. Media coverage – Look at your stats from the past year. Is there newsworthy information related to increased attendance, expanded or enriched programming? Tell people what have you been doing the past year.

5. Research – Once you have determined your timeline and your budget needs, summer is a great time to research prospective donors, foundations and corporations. It is also a good time of year to write proposals and call on foundations and corporations.

6. Your staff – Take this time to review job descriptions and conduct performance evaluations. Maybe some shifting in responsibilities could help the bottom line. Also, college and high school students are looking for internships, both paid and unpaid. Are there tasks they could help with such as mailings, computer work, or the phones?

Working on these six steps this summer will help enrich your fundraising efforts, paying off in the end. And if you think you might need some outside help, I hope you will consider calling on us!

Have a great summer!

Charlotte

We’re occasionally called on to help a client through a public relations problem.  Bad things can happen to good people.

Recently, we had to follow our own advice when we were faced with an embarrassing and potentially damaging situation.

Here’s the back-story.  We have a great client with a plan to build a not-for-profit, world-class, fine art fabrication, educational and exhibition campus in Palm Beach County.  City officials in one local municipality heard about the project and invited us to provide them with information, as they thought it might be a good fit for their downtown redevelopment efforts. Over several months we met with various groups of high-level city officials as their interest in our client’s project grew.

We and a few other parties with ideas for the downtown redevelopment were invited to make presentations at a city workshop.  Just before we were scheduled to present, a member of the city commission informed the participants that if we did so, we would be in violation of an ordinance because we were not registered with the city as lobbyists.

There was confusion on the dais from elected officials and staff about what the ordinance indicated and whether it applied in this case.  Finally the city attorney decided that it did apply, and if we spoke we would be subject to fines.

We did not present.  Then we promptly went to city hall to register as lobbyists.

A few weeks later we received letters stating that the city was investigating whether the meetings we had over the preceding months violated its lobbying ordinance, and we were asked to voluntarily provide dates and topics of meetings. We did.

Shortly thereafter we received a letter from the city manager stating that, based on the review, it appeared that we had engaged in lobbying activities without being registered.  He added that “Unfortunately, you were not informed by City staff of this lobbying regulation before meeting with City officials.”  Despite this recognition, the city issued administrative fines of $250 for each “violation.”  My colleague Donn Colee’s fines totaled $1,750; mine were $1,000.

We will appeal and let you know the outcome.

Damage control

In this business our reputation is our most important asset.  We know that being accused of a lobbying violation could affect relationships with current and future clients – especially if it was reported out of context.

That’s why we chose to follow the advice we give to clients:  Get ahead of the story.  We knew that given the facts, most people would come to the conclusion that this was simply an administrative mistake.

As soon as we received the letter issuing fines, we met with the reporter covering the city for the major daily newspaper, gave him copies of all the correspondence (which were part of the public record anyway) and explained the circumstances.

His story ran the next day – an accurate accounting of what happened, including the fact that city staff never informed us of the lobbying ordinance.  (Read a PDF of the article here.)

While we are embarrassed to have our names linked with the words “fines” and “lobbying,” at least we had some control of the message.  Had we ignored it and the story leaked (as it almost certainly would have) it might have appeared we had something to hide.

It is always better to confront a problem head-on.

Final thought:  If you ever represent a third-party before any governmental board, check to see if they have a lobbying ordinance and whether you have to register.

Charlotte

We would appreciate your feedback.  Please click on Contact Us tab and send me your thoughts.  With your permission we will publish your comments on our blog.