what every consultant needs to hear

This was received out of the blue yesterday after not having been in touch with a member of the Board of one of my existing clients for a couple of years (I guess all is going well!):

We have had such a good experience with ModPay at the {client name}, I would be grateful for information on setting up ModPay with a non-profit in Philadelphia... Would you be kind enough to call me at {phone number}?

Makes us proud to help and to be referred over and over again.

Will paper check acceptance at retail locations become a thing of the past?

Whole Foods is a leader in the retail food industry They may stop accepting checks at the point of sale-does this mean checks will become a dinosaur someday? This story in the LA Times may predict our future.
What do you think?

blog block

From time to time people create new phrases that actually describe something I have witnessed yet searched for a term for its correct and concise description.

Blog block.

In the meeting this morning some of my colleagues expressed a reluctance to start their own blog as a means of marketing themselves. As if they were not capable of this (not the case), they had a block preventing them from starting, like the dreaded "writer's block."

My blog block comes from time to time. But in my case I want to express something and keep a regular schedule blogging but don't know quite what or how to say it in virtual words. Or I know I can't say it completely effectively and then just move on to something else more tangible.

Blog block.

I wonder if some of my colleagues and fellow bloggers also experience this, as misery LOVES company--do you ever get blog block?

Optimistic

Daughter moving to Seattle, spreading her wings. Anyone know any architecture or urban planning jobs out there?

Many irons in the fire for a busy August/September. Waiting...

4 speaking engagements booked for September alone.

Fall coming, change in weather, change in perspective.

Optimistic that new developments bring new experiences.

Would you like to save $4000 a year?

It pains me to meet a nonprofit to find out that their credit card rates and other online donor services are so out of the market that they could realize savings of $4000 a year, that's a 50% savings! It happened again last week in Stamford.

Not that they are foolish or asleep at the wheel; on the contrary. It's just that my trained and objective eye can find new ways to give them the same functionality (actually better!) for less.

Once a controller came up to me after a presentation meeting at which I won their business and said, "You don't realize what you've just done-you saved us enough money to take one of our staffers and make her a full time employee."

Now that's good for the employee and for the organization. And it makes me feel good too, that I am able to help out in a new way.

What can we do for you?

Guest Blogger Howard Levy with some great tips on direct mail fundraising

I get to know some dynamic people who show great expertise in their fields. One of them is Howard Levy, who hails from Orange, CT but is providing sharp branding services for nonprofit out of Red Rooster Group, his marketing design firm in NYC. Howard is sharing a posting as my guest blogger today and I think it contains great tips that make paper mail solicitations much more effective:

"I just received a direct mail piece from Audubon that I think is effective (of course I don’t know what actual results were). Here are the elements and graphic techniques that I think make this piece appealing:

1. An enticing outer envelope. First, the package gets your attention. No mailing can be successful unless the recipient is compelled to envelope. This outer envelope is printed in full color with a lush image of an egret (which appeals to their members) and has a seal enclosure that looks like a label which gives it a special caché that elevates it above other fundraising appeals (the envelope flap is actually die cut). Also, notice that the offer to “Double your impact” is on the envelope.
2. An appealing offer. Due to a Challenge Grant by a large donor (made to several organizations), all donations made will be matched. Double your donation is a very compelling offer, especially in this recession.
3. Graphic demonstration of the offer. Not only does it tell that it will double your money, it actually shows you what those amounts are to make the offer more tangible. The piece is designed as perforated vouchers with the amounts pre-printed, no doubt based on the recipients’ previous giving levels to motivate donors to give a levels that are comfortable for them.
4. Repetition of the message. The Challenge Fund is presented in an elegant seal-like crest that makes the package feel special, with the words “Match My Gift” prominent on every voucher.
5. Effective design. Overall, the piece conveys an upscale look that reinforces the positive impression that Audubon is a professionally-run organization that will put the money to good use. Instead of many different fonts, lots of indents indents and use of yellow highlighting typical of fundraising letters, in this package the typefaces are kept to a minimum and the colors are restrained to Audubon’s signature green and an accent yellow to create an upscale, consistent look.
6. Comfort for the donor. Notice the Better Business Bureau logo on each form to provide an endorsement for the charity. Every bit of credibility helps when you are competing for funds."

Thanks, Howard!

what NOT to do

Phishing and other scams are prevalent. I receive them from time to time.
In this real life story, one very intelligent friend of mine was duped, and her mistake is everyone's lesson in what NOT to do.

She received an email from Yahoo, her email provider, asking for your password, and thinking it was official, she replied. Mistake.

Yesterday morning I received this email from her (so did ALL her other email contacts, business and personal); typos in the quoted section appear as I received it:

I am in a hurry writing you this message i am sorry i didn't inform you about my urgent trip to London, i don't have much time on the pc here,so i have to brief you my present situation which requires your urgent response actually, I had a trip to London but unfortunately for me all my money got stolen at the hotel where i lodged due to a robbery incident that happened in the hotel.I had been so restless since last night cos i have been without any money moreover the Hotel's telephone lines here got dissconnected by the robbers and they are trying to get them fixed back i have access to only emails at the library because my mobile cant work here so i didnt bring it along,please i want you to help me with money so please can you send me 1,200 Pounds so when i return back i would refund it back to you as soon as i get home,I am so confused right now and dont know what to do,Please you can have it sent through Western Union Money Transfer so will get it immediately its sent but let me know if you can help me then i will make findings.please let me hear from you so i can give you my the address and name where you can send the money to today please.Its really urgent for me as i dont know what to do right now than to leave here soonest you send it to me and i'll pay you back immediately i get home..Thanks alot for your kindness,

I will really appreciate your quick response.

Best Regards
(I deleted her name to protect her innocence!!!)

I thought that a professional writer (which she is) would do a better job writing this and her husband would have sent the money if this were indeed a real situation. Besides we knew she was home and not in London.

But the annoyance of having to admit her error and the consequences to all her email contacts ruined her day. And don't you think she felt her online security was violated? Humor: she did admit that as a result of this scam email, she never knew she had so many friends who cared so much about her...silver lining?

Even if it seems official, forward that phishing email to abuse@(your ISP).com. They will track the bad guys down if they can. If they have time to...

So tell your friends, your kids, you parents, that what appears to be a legitimate, official-looking request for your email password is actually a scam designed to find one dummy in your email list who might just send the money to help you out in a panic, and enrich a scammer.
Be safe.

Adoption Adaption

This week's spotlight is on Jewish Family Service. one of whose programs is a full-service domestic or international child adoption service.

The staff at JFS could not be more sincere in their desire to help couples adopt children. The experience was so favorable that a friend who used the JFS adoption services became a Board Member and cannot say enough about how well it all went.

Experienced, consultative, supportive and professional, JFS guides couples along the way, making a vulnerable emotional time much more enjoyable.

They remain engaged as the new parents adapt, the child flourishes and the agency has performed its mitzvah (good deed) for couples of all faiths and backgrounds.

What could be better? Encourage friends and family members thinking of adopting to contact JFS by phone at 203.366.5438 or via the website. Adoption and adaption all under one roof.

Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes

Until I came in contact with Homes for the Brave in Bridgeport, CT I didn't know that:
1) that an estimated 7,000 – 8,000 female veterans are homeless in the U.S., the most in the nation’s history.
2) their numbers are expected to increase as more women return home.
3) women make up about 5% of homeless veterans, up from 3% 10 years ago.
4) a woman who has served in the military is up to four times more likely to be homeless than a nonveteran woman.
5) female veterans are more likely to experience severe housing cost burden than male veterans. They represent only 7% of veterans but 13.5% of veterans with severe housing cost burden.
6) lack of affordable housing is a primary catalyst for homelessness amongst all veterans.

Of the 8,000 soldiers from Connecticut who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, 25 percent of them are women. With more veterans due to return stateside, there is an extreme shortage of transitional housing for female vets in CT. “Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes” would be the first transitional living facility for homeless female veterans in the state.

The urgency for supporting these homeless female veterans is extreme and your financial support is needed. Please contact Amanda LeClair at aleclair@homesforthebrave.org or 203.338.0669.

At a theatre near us

The Community Theatre Foundation in Fairfield, a gem of a cultural attraction in the midst of Fairfield, CT is this week’s featured nonprofit client. It is a foundation, supported solely by movie ticket sales at well-below market prices, and donations from the people who love it. Unfortunately its expenses exceed its donors’ generosity and in these rough economic times, its needs have ballooned. Operations and maintenance expenses are sapping its stability.

Folks, this is a different kind of place. The seats are comfortable, the moviegoers are your neighbors, and the operation is staffed by high school volunteers who are getting great work experience.

For these reasons, I really don’t think it gets any better than this; they give back to the community and now need our help.

Donations can go to https://secure.modpay.com/vterm/vterm1.cfm?an&nan&ae=1&clientcode=1C65A547.
Please help.

Upsetting

It's upsetting that some people out there purport to be helpful in givng you the ability to accept credit card payment, when in fact they are charging outrageous prices. Namely, (well, I won't really name names...)
1) There is a .com doing so at 5.5% on each transaction. That's DOUBLE what it should be!
2) There is another.com doing this for nonprofits alone, at 4.75% (a bargain, huh?)and they mail you a paper check once a month. That's not fair! They are earning money on the nonprofit's donations!
I am sure there are more.

Questions? Ask us.
Caveat emptor!