Overcoming Barriers To Growth
If measured by the number of organizations, the nonprofit sector is growing quickly in the US. Up a whopping 47% over the past decade.
But, if measured by the share of national income representing private giving to nonprofits, there’s been a decrease of 11%.
A smaller pie and more mouths to feed is a recipe for disaster. Yet, status quo thinking tends to dominate. There’s no question that the growth curve can be bent, but only with a willingness to do business in a much different manner.
That’s why the upcoming DMA Nonprofit Leadership Summit to be held May 6-8 on Kiawah Island, South Carolina couldn’t come at a more appropriate time or with a more appropriate title – “Overcoming Barriers to Growth”.
If you’re charged with leading growth in your organization or can get to the one who is, I urge that your organization register today.
As the conference nears, I plan to do a post on ‘Barriers to Growth’ outlining some status-quo-busting growth recommendations from various experts, and I will also later report back to Agitator readers on key conference findings.
But first a few more significant details on the DMA’s Nonprofit Federation Overcoming Barriers to Growth Conference.
This is not your usual DMA conference. The format will be highly interactive. Attendees will be placed into small groups to analyze case studies, exchange ideas and develop solutions for combating current challenges. Moderators will facilitate the sharing of experiences and document key learnings and ideas.
May 7 – DAY ONE
Overcoming External Barriers: “It’s a Whole New World.” Dr. Susan Raymond, Executive VP, Research and Analytics for Changing our World will explore new realities, new economics and new challenges resulting from the post-recession economy, changing demographics and threatened government regulation of Big Data.
Overcoming Internal Barriers: “We Have Met the Enemy and It is Us.” Chuck Longfield, Chief Scientist at Blackbaud takes off the gloves and challenges and illustrates — with data and example — ‘best practices’ that aren’t so ‘best’, investment strategies you need to know about, and uncommon initiatives necessary to ensure long term financial health and sustainability.
“Changing the Way We Lead.” Peggy Dyer, Chief Marketing Officer of the American Red Cross takes on silos, sacred cows and other barriers that must be overcome for growth to occur. She’ll cover identifying and retaining the right mix of internal talent, consultants and agencies, and different ways to look at goal-setting and measuring success.
Facilitated Group Discussions
May 8 – Day Two
Reporting from Day One’s Facilitated Discussions
Overcoming YOUR Barriers to Growth, Roger Craver, The Agitator. I’ll address what I think are the key barriers to growth and then moderate a discussion as various groups put forth examples of the challenges they face, and the group responds with its advice on how these barriers might best be overcome.
The Conference organizers are reporting that among the attendees are senior executives from St Jude Children’s Research, the American Heart Association, the ASPCA, ChildFund International, Disabled American Veterans, Food for the Poor, The Humane Society of the United States, March of Dimes, Operation Smile and World Vision.
I urge your organization to join in this important Leadership Summit by registering here.
Roger
P.S. Whether you will be attending the Conference or not, Tom and I would sure like to hear from you about what you consider to be the major barriers to growth in our nonprofit sector.
4 responses to “Overcoming Barriers To Growth”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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Sounds like a good conference, Roger. Wish I could attend. So here are some barriers to growth that I see over and over and over and over… (I’d like to see some new barriers – just to not be bored!)
1. Insufficient commitment to the available body of knowledge, research. Too many fundraisers don’t read the right stuff, don’t know the body of knowledge.
2. Ignorance and arrogance of CEOs and board members. They refuse to acknowledge the body of knowledge and instead, enforce their personal opinion and power.
3. Insufficient attention paid to all the elements of NGO operations. The silo mentality produces a disconnect between fundraising and “everything else.” Other areas affect fundraising. For example: Quality of service/program. Recruitment of board members (and firing the lousy ones!) Philanthropic culture throughout the organization. Etc. etc. blah blah blah!
So that’s just a start. Now I have to get on the airplane. Thanks, as always, to our Agitators.
First is awareness that giving is down so dramatically. Didn’t see your source, but I suspect the 11% decline since we started counting is even more startling.
Unfortunately the most popular research report on giving allows us a false sense of incremental growth.
Secondly, the thin amount of research and its application to the “sales” connection between the NPO and the Philanthropist–by the way that is called fundraising.
Third, (only because Simone had three) is the lack of professional education that encourages thinking rather than mechanics.
Could I humbly add not investing in fundraising? Unless the entire organization buys into the importance of fundraising – as income, but also as the way to strengthen ties to the community – growth isn’t likely to happen.
I agree fully with the excellent points made by Simone, Bob and Mary.
May I add, perhaps only as paraphrasing and reinforcement of their points, that my own experience in working with nonprofits (large and small), their boards and their senior staffs leaves me with the impression that many nonprofit folks think their organizations and their missions are so deserving of contributed support that it should just land in their laps with no or nearly no effort on their parts.
Guess you can tell that I’m really weary of board members and CEOs who think that asking for contributed income is beneath them!