4 Innovative - Yet Simple - Ways to Help Your Nonprofit

That you may not have thought of....

Q: What do these dates have in common? February 16, April 21, May 5, June 10…

A: They’re all “innovation days” in various parts of the world.

I think that any day is a good day for innovation.

Does innovation suggest change? Yes.

Is change scary? Yes.

Once you get past the scary part, is innovation gratifying? Generally, yes.

According to a 2017 survey by SSIR, “most nonprofits know that delivering the same services in the same manner is insufficient. But unfortunately, most also struggle to anticipate emerging opportunities for distinctive offerings or approaches that might extend their reach or magnify their impact. Perhaps that’s not surprising. Deviating from the norm—to pursue novel principles, embrace unorthodox thinking, and learn from instructive failure—is difficult. Like their peers in the for-profit world and the public sector, it often takes a crisis for nonprofit leaders to truly break with the status quo.”

Hmmm….seems like there’s been a bit of a crisis recently. Have we broken with the status quo? Are we doing things differently than we did in, say, March of 2020?

SSIR’s study continues: “The answer to nonprofits becoming proactive and effective at innovation lies largely in committing to a continuous, intentional approach. For most organizations, meaningful progress against the innovation-aspiration gap requires systematic exploration, experimentation, and trial and error, where learning compounds over time. Innovation is neither magic nor mystery; high-performing nonprofits demonstrate that organizations can deliberately cultivate the capacity to innovate.”

There are literally hundreds of innovations that have impacted nonprofits since the pandemic began. Trial and error was what we were all doing in the last two years — trying to keep our nonprofits in business and working hard to make sure that our programming priorities were strategic and on target. Technology helped with a lot of that — and so did government subsidies. For many, “surprise” gifts from new major donors were transformational. For others, staffing became a challenge — but in many ways, a blessing, too. For some, shared services became not only a good idea but a necessity. I dare anyone to tell me that Zoom wasn’t, in itself, transformational.

Happily, I’m hearing from fewer people that they can’t wait to get back to “the way we did it before.” Most everyone I know thinks that Zoom meetings, flexible office/work from home environments, and hybrid galas are here to stay, and have transformed how we do our work (for the better).

To that end, I offer some of the most simple changes you can make that can impact nonprofits in a substantial and meaningful way. Absent a world crisis, they might be considered radical and not worth changing the status quo — but after our recent wake-up call, they’re innovative, easy to implement, and they make a difference.

1. A cash-flow solution.

   It’s no secret that most nonprofits receive as much as 30-50% of their annual revenue in December. Understood, but what do you do when you have more expenses than you can predict in Q2 or Q3? To help with this common dilemma, ask your DAF donors to send make their gifts between March and September, instead of at the end of the year. As you know, most DAF funds stay in their accounts for a while, and DAF account holders get no additional benefit from making their gift at year-end. As a donor, if I know that it helps your NPO by my making my DAF grant in the middle of the year, I’m happy to do so.

2. An easy-peasy way to increase your donor pool.

   According to Neon One’s Fall 2021 report, 79% of a nonprofit’s volunteers also donate to their organization. The status-quo response to this is often, “Meh…they’re small donors and they don’t have the capacity to give more”. Really? Do you know this to be true? Do you know each of your volunteers so well that you’re aware of their bank accounts? Stop assuming and look at your volunteers as potential donors. How often have you heard of a big bequest coming in and it’s from a volunteer that you didn’t know had means?

3. A way to access the money you’re leaving on the table.

   Engage younger donors — or even donors who you just don’t know so well. If someone has a passion for what you do, get to know them (and that doesn’t mean just by reviewing wealth engine data.) It’s likely that you don’t know everything about everyone you need to. Big houses and expensive cars don’t mean as much as you think they do. If you don’t believe this, check out Sam and Jim Walton’s cars…

4. Put your mouth where your money (and time) is.

   If you believe in an organization and its mission — whether you’re a donor, staff person, volunteer, or board member, you want your resources to combine with others to help the organization be strong and successful in achieving its mission. The best way to do that is to share your passion. (Note: this is different than “asking your friends for money”.) When the nonprofit you support achieves something amazing, share that info with your friends and family. Show your pride in being part of something that’s meaningful and flourishing.

Maybe these seem like obvious suggestions to you, but they are absolutely not the norm for most fundraising organizations. Whether you staff or give to a particular nonprofit (or both), you can be part of positive change just by using these small “innovations”.

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I’m Saving Giving by providing a clear path to success, supported by data, statistics, and interviews. You can find more great newsletters like this one here on Philanthropy 451, in my bestselling book, Philanthropy Revolution, or on Twitter, and LinkedIn to learn more.

Also, don’t miss some great upcoming events including Summit Fundraising Virtual Power Half Hour on May 11th with my friend Louise Morris as we discuss Approaching Major Donors without Fear and if you’re in the Pasadena area on May 18th, please join me at Red Hen Press for A Conversation and Celebration with Lisa Greer and Kate Gale and I’ll be signing copies of Philanthropy Revolution.

- Lisa