For most of us, whether we observe Hanukkah, Christmas, or just the New Year, the holiday season is an uplifting time full of joy. However, the same cannot always be said of the post-holiday period, according to Linda Walter, LCSW. Her article in Psychology Today cites many reasons for the post-holiday blahs, for some, even depression.
As an antidote for the after-holiday letdown, I want to share several free resources with you that just might help you keep the holiday spirit going while also helping you raise more money in 2018.
The Donor-Advised Fund Widget. For starters, let me tell you about the Donor-Advised Fund Widget created and offered free-of-charge by the generous folks at MarketSmart. This useful, free gift will help you continue to celebrate the season and raise more money for your nonprofit organization.
When it comes to fundraising, a general rule is: Make it easy for people to give your organization money. You probably already do this in a number of ways. For example, your organization probably allows donors to place gifts on their credit card, mail a check in a business reply envelope you supply, give online, or contribute when they buy products (e.g., Amazon Smile).
So, why not also make it easy for someone to recommend a donation from his or her DAF account?
Rather than viewing DAFs as enemies that divert vitally needed funds away from charities, nonprofit organizations should view DAFs as a great fundraising opportunity. Unfortunately, the problem is that nonprofits have not made it easy for people to donate from their DAF accounts…until now.
Greg Warner, Founder and CEO of MarketSmart, says:
Amazon is successful primarily because they make it easy to buy stuff. Similarly, if nonprofits just made it easy to transfer DAF money, the bottleneck would get un-clogged. But no one was stepping up. So I did!”
The DAF Widget goes on your organization’s website. Your donors with DAF accounts then can easily find their account management company from a comprehensive list of over 800 service providers. Then, they simply click to go directly to their DAF management company’s website where they can enter the relevant information to make a donation recommendation for your organization. To see the widget live, visit the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society website by clicking here.
DAFs are an increasingly valuable source of donations for charities. Consider the following market-wide insights from The National Philanthropic Trust 2017 Donor-Advised Fund Report:
| 2012 | 2016 | |
| Number of DAF Accounts | 204,704 | 284,965 |
| Total Assets in DAF Accounts | $44.71 billion | $85,15 billion |
| Grants from DAF Accounts | $8.5 billion | $15.75 billion |
| Ave. DAF Asset Size | $218,413 | $298,809 |
To put the above figures into context, non-corporate private foundations gave $45.15 billion to charities in 2016. By contrast, donations made from DAFs totaled $15.75 billion that same year, equating to roughly one-third (34.8 percent) of the estimated amount granted by non-corporate private foundations.
In other words, DAF donations represent a significant and growing source of gifts for nonprofit organizations. However, to get your share, you need to make it easy for people to recommend donations from their DAF accounts. That’s why MarketSmart created the free DAF Widget.
You can learn more about the DAF Widget and claim yours by clicking here.
There is just one catch, if you want to call it that. The DAF Widget is in its Beta Edition. So, MarketSmart is looking for feedback, either directly or through comments below. Then, Greg promises to invest more time and money to make the DAF Widget even better. So, if you use the DAF Widget, please let us know how you think it could be made easier to use and more effective.
Here are seven additional resources for you to help get 2018 off to a great start:
1. Free Bequest Potential Calculator. To help nonprofits better understand the potential of planned giving, Greg and I collaborated to build the free Bequest Potential Calculator based on solid philanthropic research. If you want to know how much money your organization could potentially raise from gifts made through donor Wills, click here.
2. List of the “Best Fundraising Blogs for 2018.” Jeff Brooks, consultant and publisher of the Future Fundraising Now blog, follows a whopping 244 fundraising blogs. That’s something that most nonprofit professionals don’t have the time to do. So, to make life easier for the rest of us, Jeff has compiled a list of the 21 he considers to be the “top blogs” you should be sure to follow. I’m honored that my blog made the list. You can find Jeff’s list of top blogs by clicking here.
3. Another List of the “The Best Fundraising Blogs of 2018.” Joe Garecht, consultant and publisher of The Nonprofit Fundraising Digest, has compiled a list of the 50 best blogs for nonprofit professionals. The Digest reports, “Each of these blogs and websites were handpicked by our editors because they are sites we trust… run by people we trust… and each is chock full of fundraising strategy, tactics and tips that you can use at your organization.” I’m also honored to have my blog included on this impressive list. You can checkout the full list of recommended blogs by clicking here.
4. Yet Another Great List: “Top 75 Fundraising Websites and Blogs.” Feedspot has compiled a list of the top websites and blogs for fundraisers using search and social metrics rather than content analysis. I’m pleased to know that my blog qualified for this meaningful list as well. You can checkout the full list of ranked sites by clicking here.
5. Free Book by Russell James, JD, PhD, CFP. When you subscribe to my blog site in the right-hand column, you’ll receive an email confirmation of your free subscription that will contain a link to the e-book, American Charitable Bequest Demographics. This book is by the internationally recognized philanthropy researcher Dr. Russell James. (I acknowledge that your privacy is important, and will protect it.)
6. Another Free Book by Russell James, JD, PhD, CFP. I’m honored that James has allowed me to offer you a free copy of his 427-page e-book Visual Planned Giving: An Introduction to the Law & Taxation of Charitable Gift Planning (January 2018). Designed for fundraisers and financial advisors seeking to expand their knowledge about charitable gift planning, this introductory book addresses all of the major topics in planned giving law and taxation. If you prefer the paperback version of the book, you can find it at Amazon for $95.00 at press time.
7. Discounted Book by Michael J. Rosen. My award-winning book, Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing, is available at Amazon in paperback for $42.64 at press time (regularly $49.95) or in the Kindle version for $29.49 at press time (regularly $49.95). When you checkout the book at Amazon, you’ll be able to find reviews and read a free sample of the book. The fresh marketing approach in this book is based on extensive research and great examples, and will help you easily build the most successful planned giving program possible. The book appears on the official CFRE International Resource Reading List.
I hope that the free and discounted resources I’ve listed help you get 2018 off to a productive start. I wish you and yours a new year full of joy, love, good health, and success with no post-holiday blahs!
That’s what Michael Rosen says… What do you say?
Michael Rosen Says... 