Helen Brown Group

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Not just a drop in the bucket

Recently I read a report from the Pew Research Center that 15% of people they surveyed said they don’t vote because they feel that their vote is just a drop in the bucket and doesn’t make a difference.

I’ve heard the same thing from people who were concerned about their small donation to a nonprofit. But all of us in fundraising know that that’s not true at any time, and especially now.

In fact, small donations are incredibly important. At a time when the leaders of 30% of nonprofits are reporting to CAF America that they don’t know if they’re going to be open a year from now, those small donations are absolutely critical to keeping the lights on. It’s not hyperbole to say that, for some nonprofits, those “drops in the bucket” are going to be the difference between providing services and closing for good.

Other small drops have incredible power.

A speck of dirt or a wayward eyelash can cause a surprising amount of irritation. That drop of eye wash packs a wallop of relief, doesn’t it?

A little drop of polio vaccine on a child’s tongue can make the difference between a normal life and an iron lung.

A tiny drop of the nerve agent Novichok on a water bottle was all it took to send Russian dissident Alexei Navalny into a life-threatening coma.

Small drops are powerful. So is one vote.

Did you know that in 2018 Rep. DJ Johnson won his seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives by one vote? It’s true.

The same thing happened – in the same year! – in the Alaska House of Representatives: Bart LeBon defeated Kathryn Dodge by one. little. vote.

One vote can make a huge difference. Your vote.

If you haven’t yet voted…

Check to see if early voting is available in your area. More information can be found at https://makeaplan.com/. Go to your town hall or wherever your voting location is tomorrow and vote.

If early voting is not an option for you, please vote on election day, next Tuesday November 3rd.

If you’ve voted but you know someone who hasn’t yet, please contact them and urge them to do it.

Thanks.

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Silver linings

So here we are, week nine hundred and twenty-whatever, working from home, wearing a mask when we’re out, socially distancing, all that good stuff. We’re w-a-a-y past the novelty and deep into the “Seriously I cannot binge-watch yet another series” portion of this Pandemic-a-thon. And that’s if we’re lucky.

[PSA: Now is the time when it’s really easy to break down and do something that honestly doesn’t seem like it would be that risky but three months ago would have freaked you out. Don’t. You’ve made it this far and we’re all counting on you to keep being a strong link in this virtual chain. Also you’re awesome and cherished].

But, yeah, this is still 17 kinds of awful. I’ve been trying to keep a gratitude list to stay positive, and I wanted to share with you some positive things I noted that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for this pandemic.

For one thing, no one is saying “It’s impossible for prospect development folks to work from home!” anymore. There is an element of “be careful what you wish for” here, but if you’re one of the millions who’ve discovered that working from home really is a wish come true, well, there’s good thing #1 to come out of this.

Another good thing happened a couple of weeks ago. My university held a virtual stewardship event for donors to the student COVID emergency relief fund, and one of the speakers said “of course, we’d ideally be all together now so we could thank you in person.” Since my university is across an ocean, the likelihood of my being there in person would be approximately nil, but because the event had to be virtual, there I was, one happy square among many on several pages in a Zoom room. How many great opportunities will nonprofits be able to take advantage of to engage with distanced constituents (who want to be more engaged) because we’re separated?

And speaking of the benefits of virtual gatherings, here’s another good thing: All of the free and low-cost webinars this spring were great, right? Especially in the beginning when we were trying to figure out how permanent or temporary this was all going to be. But if you’re like me, right about now you’re longing to be part of a real discussion again with other prospect development folks. Conversation. Back and forth, not just being talked at.

We’re not alone. Coffee talks are springing up everywhere. Last week Apra-MN had a great coffee hour conversation featuring Janna Lee and Mark DeFilippis on the topic of the legality of using FEC data in prospect research. Lori Lawson (who helped write the guidelines on this for APRA) was able to chime in from her home in Florida. Bonus!

Next month Apra-MN will host another interactive kaffeeklatsch on the topic of New York real estate, and they’re also doing evening happy hours just for conversation. Apra-Carolinas and Apra-PA are also hosting social gatherings…maybe your chapter is doing something, too? If not, volunteer to lead one yourself! It’s great that distance doesn’t have to be a factor – we can share a beverage and talk to peers everywhere! (oh, and hey: chapter membership chairs? Members don’t need to be in your geographic area anymore! Just saying.)

What other good things are happening because of this very bad thing that you can think of?

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The other side of furlough

I’ve been watching the nonprofit space with increasing concern lately, hearing stories of colleagues – friends – getting laid off or placed on furlough, or under the cloud of potential furlough. Considering what’s happening, I know objectively that in some cases it’s the only logical financial decision some charities can make, but it’s still a constant heartache. I know that many colleagues will come out of this just fine – or maybe even better – in the long run, but in the moment it can be hard to summon hope. That’s why I wanted to make sure you saw this article from Apra-IL’s blog written by Joan Ogwumike and Beth Inman. It’s more than just a journey story – Beth shares great perspective and practical coping techniques, too. Thank you to Joan, Beth, and Apra-IL for granting permission for your article to be re-shared here. ~Helen

Joan: Hi Beth, can you share with our readers where you believe your heart and mind is right now?

Beth: Name an emotion and I’ve felt it over the past few months. Worried, scared, angry, optimistic, hopeful, to name just a few. Right now, I’m feeling grateful and my heart and mind are in a good place considering all the changes over the past couple of months (being furloughed, long distance move, and starting a new job). I’m grateful for my fantastic new job opportunity and for our prospect development community which has been so supportive. I have received emails, texts, and dm’s checking in, and those gestures have made a huge difference in keeping my spirits high. 

Thank you for mentioning the prospect development community, can you share why community matters (you state that their outreach made a huge difference in keeping your spirits high) can you share more on that?

Community matters because it’s important to have a connection. That connection could be familial, professional, spiritual, etc. but it’s that connection or being a part of something that contributes to our overall sense of wellbeing. Our prospect development community on Twitter, for example, is so interesting because I’ve only met a handful of them in person. That said, I know they’re there when I’m frustrated about our work and I also know they’re there when we’re going through something like COVID and it’s affecting all of us in some way. Even when the “there” is virtual, it’s still so helpful!

Where would you say your heart and mind were as you waited to find out your furlough status?

Some days I was sure I would be furloughed and other days, I had a glimmer of hope that the work I was doing was important enough to not be furloughed. We knew a week ahead of time that furloughs were coming but we had no idea how many staff would be affected or what criteria would be used to determine who would be impacted. That was a really long week. That level of worry is exhausting and it affects every aspect of your life. 

As many are going through this exact situation, what can you say matters?

2020 has been a rough year for everyone and we have all had very different experiences related to COVID-19 and its effects on our industry, our communities, and our families. I am a planner and I am a worrier so the past 5-6 months have been really tough for me. What I’ve realized is that I spend a lot of time worrying about things I don’t have any control over and asking for help is OK.  What matters to me right now is understanding that it’s alright to not have a plan and to recognize when I should ask for help – that I don’t have to do it all myself. 

I believe you just spoke to so many of us who are planners and worriers, to break away from this ingrained piece of us would be difficult, how are you doing it? Is this a process or an overnight shift?

Oh, it’s definitely a process and one that I have to consciously work on! My therapist has helped me with ways to counter my worrisome thoughts when I start to go down that “what if” rabbit hole and it takes practice to do that, but it’s worth it. One of things I learned is to counter a negative thought with a positive one. This helps me think about the different ways a situation could go and options I need to consider. For example, when I was worrying with thoughts that “my house wouldn’t sell”, I flipped it and asked, “what if the house sells,” that helped me think about what I’ll need to do when it sells.

Ever since the quarantine started many have shared advice on working from home, and ways to stay busy and productive aside from their work; what did you do to keep yourself whole, sane, and happy?

For me, once I learned I was furloughed, I made a to do list and came up with a schedule (albeit a not very structured one) for the weekdays, which was really helpful. I had been working full time for 20+ years so to learn on a Thursday that I was no longer working was a really odd and scary feeling. I kept thinking, “what am I going to do?” That’s where the to do list and schedule came in. They helped me structure my day in a way that helped me stay on track and feel like I had some control over the day. My to do list was everything from clean out the pantry to exercising to reviewing my resume and even what Netflix shows I wanted to watch. When I made the schedule, I wanted to start the day doing something that made me happy which was drinking coffee and reading. (I have read a lot over the past few months and if you need any book recommendations, let me know!)  

Do you have any advice for people experiencing the fear of being furloughed?

In talking to friends and colleagues about furloughs, I have learned that organizations have handled their furloughs differently. For example, some organizations continue to keep in touch with their furloughed employees; they are part of regular meetings and they are provided updates on their furlough status. This was not my experience, so my advice is to think about questions to ask your supervisor if you are furloughed. For example, how will the organization communicate with those who are furloughed? Will you have access to your files/emails/intranet (your org’s HR site, for example)? If you’re going to file for unemployment, it wouldn’t hurt to research what you will need to apply in your state so you have an idea of what to prepare. In some cases, it can take weeks for the benefits to kick in, so filing sooner rather than later is a good idea. 

Now is also a good time to review your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile and make sure it’s up to date. If you decide to start a job search, it’s good to have these documents in their best shape. And, if you start applying for positions, reach out to your references to confirm they’re still willing to be a reference and give them a heads up if you learn an organization is contacting your references. If you use your work email for Apra and other professional listservs, make sure you update it to your personal email to ensure you continue to get important information.

And, finally, practice self-care and utilize the Apra community! Self-care looks different for everyone but it’s so important! The Apra community is helpful and compassionate and we want to see our colleagues succeed. 

Thank you again, Joan and Beth. Dear readers, do you have any advice to share? Please share in the comments .

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Exciting Announcement: HBG Data Insight!

I hope you had a safe and relaxing Fourth of July weekend! Our town cancelled its annual fireworks show this year, but various neighbors randomly filled the gap in their own way (ahem) so we still got to peep some here and there. Same with you?

The celebration here at HBG continues this week: We’ve been working on something very special over the past year, and today I have some exciting news to share – cue more fireworks!

As we all retool and strategize to be successful in this new normal, the project we’ve been developing could not have been ready at a better time. We are delighted to announce a new initiative here at The Helen Brown Group specifically designed to help nonprofits identify and get the information they need on their best donors.

We’ve formed a new unit called HBG Data Insight (DI).

While the unit is new, you’ll definitely recognize the DI team as long-time HBG talent. Tara McMullen-King is the new unit’s Lead Consultant, and senior staffers Kenny Tavares and David Hargadon are the DI Consultants filtering and transforming data into insight.

Why HBG Data Insight? Why now?

Over the years we’ve been frustrated seeing nonprofit colleagues unintentionally left stranded by talented specialists who provide analytics services…but then move on. The nonprofit pays a lot of money for the work and they may get a fantastic group of new prospects, but when the analytics consultant goes away to their next job, then what?

Circumstances change quickly – especially these days – and algorithms have a very limited shelf life.

And all of the AI and machine learning and data science and screenings in the world won’t tell you which living, breathing, human being amongst the list of hundreds is genuinely interested in your cause and has a personal connection to your nonprofit. Or which ones have family wealth. Or have made multiple philanthropic gifts through a DAF. Data insight and screenings alone just can’t do that.

We decided it was time for a practical, integrated, affordable, solution.

So over the past year, we partnered with a group of our dedicated consulting clients to beta-test a unique service: data insight married with prospect development:

Data insight plus research.

Data insight plus due diligence.

Data insight plus prospect management.

We found that most wanted all four woven together: insight, research, due diligence, and prospect management to take advantage of new opportunities and ideas as they arose.

We’ve helped our clients use their own data to answer these questions (and quite a few more):

  • Who are our most likely donors right now?
  • How should we prioritize our prospect pools?
  • How can we segment our wealth screening results to find top prospects faster?
  • Do we have the right people in the right portfolios?
  • Are we allocating our frontline fundraisers in the right way?
  • Can we better predict what our fundraising goals should be next year?
  • If we can’t do events now, what is our next-best option of engagement?
  • Where are our best planned giving prospects?

Our insight services range from descriptive analysis projects and RFMV analyses, up to and including predictive modeling. For some we have integrated wealth screening information that they had; for others we helped them get the most out of a new screening. We’ve even gathered a proprietary set of additional data to help us surface more prospects.

When you work in an integrated way, insight questions like the ones above can rotate and be added to continuously as new questions arise.

Marrying ongoing data insight with the rest of prospect development and the frontline team makes sure that you’re introducing the right – vetted – prospects into the pipeline continuously.

Don’t just take our word for it, here’s information from a survey of nonprofits done by IBM.

  • 78% of nonprofit leaders with analytic capabilities reported higher effectiveness in performing their missions.
  • Nonprofits using analytics had more efficient operations and increased staff productivity.
  • However, the survey found that 48% of non-profits indicated that technology was a primary barrier to advancing analytics, and 41% indicated that talent was their primary barrier.
  • Nearly three quarters said that budget was one of top three barriers to using analytics.

Honestly, that last bullet point just floors me. It doesn’t have to be that way.

What does partnering with HBG Data Insight look like?

As I mentioned, our goal is to help clients affordably make data-informed decisions. To do that, we primarily use an integrated, dedicated, prospect development approach, which is something we’ve specialized in since 2005.

We provide expert consultants for a contracted number of hours each month for at least three months. That commitment allows us to keep our price-point lower and bring clients real value. It also allows us – together – to customize what happens during those hours to exactly what you need.

Don’t need the whole burrito of data insight plus prospect research? No problem.

If you already have internal prospect research capacity, that’s great. Our data insight team can work with you on a project basis, too, and we’d be happy to partner with your researcher (or research team) to provide results they can build on.

Check out our website to see more detailed information on the services we’re offering. If you have an insight project in mind that isn’t listed there, we’d be happy to talk it through with you.

HBG Data Insight: Practical. Integrated. Affordable.

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Who is doing well now in the UK?

Back in April, I wrote a blog post about companies, individuals, and sectors in the United States that were doing well despite (or in some cases, because of) the coronavirus pandemic. Today I want to offer some research that I’ve done on the same topic, but focused across the Atlantic. For everyone who has prospects in the United Kingdom, this one’s for you.

Just as everywhere, the economy in the United Kingdom right now is on a slanting slide into sure recession. However, that doesn’t mean that every company or sector is in the red along with it. As I go through the individual companies and sectors that are doing well right now, think not only of those who are executives or major shareholders that are in these companies, but the companies themselves and others in that sector that may be prospects. Also consider if they have a corporate foundation with funding priorities that your nonprofit might fit.

Basic goods

Just like here in the States, the major supermarket chains are experiencing solid sales right now: Tesco’s sales are up 12.7% and Sainsbury’s and Waitrose are both up 12.5%. Discount grocery chain Co-op is up 30.8% and sales for mainly-frozen-foods grocer Iceland are up 29%.

In order to get those groceries, many people are relying on the UK’s main delivery service, Ocado, which is reporting sales that are up nearly 33%.

Companies and manufacturers

According to Make UK, the professional organization for the UK’s manufacturing sector, 90% of UK manufacturers have continued to operate fully or partially since March, although around 20% have furloughed or laid off staff.

Which manufacturers specifically are doing well?

Any company manufacturing Perspex (plexi-glass), for example. Every person operating a cash register or sitting at a customer service window has (or will have) a sheet of plastic between themselves and the customer, so those manufacturers are operating on all cylinders.

The same goes for anything medical related, including PPE manufacturers/suppliers (face masks, gowns, visors, aprons, thermometers), medical equipment parts and materials (beyond just respirators to the base materials like plastics and sheet metals), and companies that make household and institutional cleaning supplies, including Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Dettol, and hand sanitizer manufacturers.

And of course early on in the lockdown just as in the United States, UK television streaming services, games, and other forms of entertainment did (and continue to do) really well, too.

Who does well all the time?

Grocery stores usually operate on fairly thin margins, but people always need groceries so they tend to be fine no matter the economic circumstance. Banks, energy companies (those delivering heating oil and gas, for example), internet and phone companies, and the infrastructures that support them do well, too.

Right now, in addition to ecommerce (like UK-based companies selling must-have items like Argos, B&Q, Curry’s, Screwfix, office suppliers, etc.), shipping (and supporting industries) are also doing well because all of those ordered items have to be delivered.

Which companies and industries are having a moment?

And speaking of delivery, a new-ish form of vehicle is increasingly important, with drones supplying medicines and PPEs in half the time over the Solent to the Isle of Wight and from mainland Scotland to the islands. Look for companies like drone operator Skyports and defense and technology companies like Thales that manufacture these useful technologies.

It’s not just corporations and UHNWIs doing well: Local bike shops can’t keep stock on the shelves – especially bikes under £500, and they can’t keep up with repairs, either. Electric bike sales are up 96%! Britain has re-discovered biking in a big way, and it’s healthy for the bikers and for the bike sellers, from local shops to chains like Halfords.

The UK is a gardener’s paradise, of course, and garden centers which have now reopened are experiencing the same sort of panic-buying (and associated boom in sales) as we Americans had with toilet paper in late March. There’s an 8-week wait for certain plants as sales at some centers have exploded 75%.

Who will be doing well moving forward?

Because of COVID-19, demand is also beginning to rise for contact-free items like touchless faucets, flushers, and dispensers, so watch those manufacturing spaces as well.

Property investors with deep reserves like Great Portland Estates, one of the largest property owners in London’s West End, bought up bargains during and after the Great Recession. They purchased nearly 60% of their current portfolio between 2009 and 2014, and according to an article in the Financial Times (paywall) they plan to do it again.

As in the United States, look for managers and investors in contrarian hedge funds. Some that shorted the market back in January and February have made hundreds of millions of dollars.

Any company with a contract to supply to the government should do well in the next year (or more) as well. Once awarded a contract, a company can expect steady payments from a reliable source. Look for connected companies like Liberty Global, (no relation to Liberty of London) which signed a deal with the UK government to provide on-street charging points for electric vehicles.

Finally, although it would be easy to think that private equity and venture funding would be completely dried up, it’s not always the case. I spent a little time spent in Crunchbase and found that startups and young companies in the UK received $3.9 billion in the period between March 1 and June 1 of this year. A quarter of those companies are outside of London, too, so it’s not all invested in the south. Both the funders and the companies funded are worth a look to see if there are prospects for your nonprofit.

What other companies and sectors do you know of that are doing well in the UK right now? Please share in the comments for all of us to benefit from!

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Paying it forward

Black Lives Matter. Photo by Fibonacci Blue

I first saw the poem “First They Came” by Pastor Martin Niemöller when I was about 22 years old. It was on a beautifully designed poster hanging on my boss’s office wall. Maybe you know it?

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

My boss Michael was gay. We never talked about it but I knew he was because he had a Silence=Death sticker on his car. Back in the Eighties only gay people put those stickers on their cars.

Having an ActUp sticker on your car back then in North Carolina was a dangerous political statement. You could get into serious trouble for it. Followed at night. Pulled from your car. Beat up. Killed.

It may sound unbelievable now, but that’s the way things were then. Michael was kind of a slight, skinny, average-looking guy. He could totally pass for straight. No one ever would have known.

In my heart I thought he had the courage of a lion, because Michael would have gone down in under three minutes if somebody pulled him from his car to beat him up.

I knew that a bunch of Michael’s friends had died of AIDS. I didn’t know it at the time, but I realize now that he must have been frustrated and filled with rage to be so ready to put his body – his life – on the line like that.

His “First They Came” poster was another courageous act of saying – at work – who he was. Or maybe reminding himself daily of who he wanted to be, I don’t know.

I’ve been thinking about Michael’s poster and his Silence=Death sticker a lot these past few days.

This is Gay Pride month, and it wouldn’t be recognized as Pride Month except for courageous gay people like Michael with stickers on their cars. Protesting at die-ins. Fighting back against police brutality at Stonewall. Getting beat up and killed. Marching. Donating to PFLAG and ACT-UP and HRC and GLAD.

And straights who stood up and did all the same things, being allies and advocates. People who had no other skin in the game except that they recognized a wrong and worked to fix it.

Most importantly for me, equal marriage would not have become law in Massachusetts in 2004 without that bloodshed and protest and marching. My 21-year old relationship finally became a legal marriage that year because of them.

Equality is important. Most straight people didn’t realize that before equal marriage was made law, if my spouse or I at any point during those 21 years had been in the hospital, we would have not legally had the right to accompany or visit them or get any news of their status.

It’s things like that that most people take for granted. Everyone who can’t visit their loved one in the hospital with COVID right now is experiencing what gay couples had as their normal everyday experience up until 2004.

Civil rights are important.

Societal change can be peaceful or it can be violent; it depends on how receptive to change those that control the power are. Usually they’re not receptive, so equality happens with a fight, first physical and then legal. You’d have thought we would have learned as a society by now, but apparently we have to go through the horrific motions again and again and again.

And so we’re at it again. A continuing civil rights issue violently coming to a head.

And I’m here to say that there is no defense for killing people or putting their lives in danger because of the color of their skin. Period. People out walking. Jogging. Driving their car. Sleeping in their own home. Bird watching.

Just doing things that white people take for granted being able to do on any given day. Just living.

Nobody walking down the street deserves to die or be harassed or threatened simply for being who they are. It’s really as basic as that.

Silence equals Death.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

I know that you come here to learn more about what I and others have to say about prospect development. And I’ll go back to that (probably) next week, so tune back in then for fundraising-related information if you think I’m being too political today.

What’s happening in our country is significantly, historically important, and we all need to have our black and brown friends’ backs right now. We need to speak up or show up with the courage of this girl to shield people we know or don’t even know.

Please join me in doing whatever you can do to make a difference out loud. Here are some things everyone can do:

  • If you can’t speak up, or if you’re not on social media, or you can’t march, make a donation. Support those who do the front-line work for justice. If your employer matches gifts, put that paperwork through as soon as you can.

We’ve all been stuck in our homes, inactive, for weeks. Now’s your opportunity to make an active difference for positive change.

I’m forever grateful for people who spoke up for me. If someone ever spoke up for you, or if you wish someone had, join me in paying it forward.

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Healing Bruises

I color-code the meetings on my calendar so that I can quickly see what’s coming up. Maybe you do, too?

It used to be mostly a combination of yellow (phone/Zoom meeting), blue (in person meeting), green (personal appointment) and purple (birthday/anniversary). Looking at my calendar today, it’s all yellow and purple, like my calendar is bruised.

It is, of course. We’re all bruised right now.

Except…

Yesterday was the sixth (and last) HBG Book Club meeting to discuss the very wonderful book by Hans Rosling called Factfulness. (Seriously, go read this book). My colleague Jayme is going to share her book review of it soon for Apra Connections and for this blog, but don’t wait for that. There are 25 of us in the book club, and every single one of us found this book had specific, useful ways to help us manage the information (and disinformation) that surrounds us.

Not only that, but Rosling, who died in 2017, was gob-smackingly prescient in predicting how this COVID pandemic would go down. That discussion was in the last chapter, so our conversation yesterday was a barn-burner on current events and how Rosling would have reacted to them.

As I watched 20 faces smiling and nodding and looking intense and debating and sharing, I thought about how much this pandemic has already changed things and is going to change them even more.

Take Zoom, for example. Five months ago, millions of people had never used it. Now almost everybody’s a Zoom user. We use it for work, and we use it in our personal lives now instead of static communication methods like email or Facebook so we can actually have the one-on-one conversations (or coffee! or friends “over” for cocktails!) that we’re all starved for now.

It’s amazing to think about how shockingly fast Zoom adoption went from zero to 100mph.

Those millions of new adopters include parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles – folks who are right in the middle of the (our) major-donor demographic. We in fundraising didn’t need to teach them a new technology to reach them; they’re already there, and they’re invested learners using it to talk with people they love.

Looking around the book club Zoom room, I realized that the virtual room wasn’t a substitute for an experience, it was a real thing on its own. People spoke in front of virtual backgrounds that meant something to them, and we were able to learn more about them and enjoy commonalities in discovering their chosen backgrounds. Kids and cats and significant others wandered in and out sometimes, and we took the opportunity to use those moments to actually get to know each other better.

We’ve lost a lot, but we’ve gained some things as well.

We’re going to emerge from this COVID-time very different people, working in very different work situations. What happens to all of those office spaces if we discover we no longer need them? Do they remain empty, or do we use them for something else entirely? What about all of the cars we don’t need if we’re no longer commuting? Do those driverless electric car ride-sharing services become a reality sooner? What will schools and colleges and universities look like?

The full impact on our personal lives and work environments and global climate have yet to be imagined. Six months ago was the era BC (Before COVID, of course). Right now we’re in a sort of no-man’s land. The post-pestilentia AD period may be in another 12-18 months, if all things go well.

We’re living through one of those historic periods like the major events we studied in school. It’s a time that historians a hundred years from now will study in detail and lecture on. It’s both terrifying and exciting. What’s next?

Inaction isn’t an option

How is your research department, your fundraising department, and your nonprofit getting prepared for the AD period?

These are things we’re thinking about here at the Helen Brown Group. Thinking about what the future might look like, and how we will help our clients meet those new challenges. Tools like Zoom and technology like fundraising analytics and machine learning and artificial intelligence will provide many of the exciting opportunities for us to navigate this new world…

…especially if we take advantage of the lessons we’re learning about how to use that technology to bring us closer to each other and help heal our world’s bruises.

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New White Paper! Who Is Doing Well Now?

A month ago I wrote an article for this blog called Who’s Doing Well Now? which highlighted several companies and individuals that were doing well financially due to their prescience about the market or because of the goods and services that their company is manufacturing, shipping, or selling during this pandemic.

Since then, a number of other companies and individuals have been added to that list, and I’ve gotten overwhelmed (in a good way!) with articles about philanthropists stepping up right now. It was too much important, good information not to be shared to help our sector.

So we wrote a white paper to pull this information together for you. We hope that it helps you and your nonprofit identify prospects and industries that will help you get through this time.

It may be that the specific individuals and companies you see in this white paper aren’t in your database – but people like them, or industries they represent, might be. You may be in the UK or EU or South America and the company names are all different but use this as a creativity lab for prospecting.

The white paper is here in our Learning Media Library and it’s free. Let us know if you find it useful, and add any articles or resources in the comments that you’ve found to be helpful.

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Donors that are stepping up right now

While it becomes increasingly easy to believe that the nonprofit sector’s glass is half empty at the present moment, the reality is that people want to help nonprofits, and they are stepping up. If you don’t believe it, I thought I’d share some of the many places you can go to get some really good, heartening news.

At the same time that 80 percent of US nonprofits surveyed were telling the BBB Wise Giving Alliance that they expect revenues will be down in 2020, Fidelity Charitable announced that giving from its donor-advised funds was up 36% this March compared to the same time last year.

Fidelity surveyed its donors who had given at least $1,000 during the second half of March. Over half had no plans to decrease their giving this year, and 25% said that they planned to increase their giving.

Including support just for COVID-19 related giving (which was $160.7 million as of yesterday, and up $20m since last Friday), total giving from Fidelity’s DAF donors so far in 2020 is well over $2 billion. This month Fidelity issued a “COVID-19 Relief Challenge” to its donors to give $200m before #GivingTuesdayNOW on May 5. This is clearly having a positive impact on their giving numbers.

If you haven’t yet read the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s April 9th article by Michael Theis titled “Giving From Donor-Advised Funds Surge as Pandemic Spreads” you should get on that now – it’s a barn-burner full of hope and a call to action. From the article:

 Money is not simply flowing out of the funds. Donors are also contributing to their accounts, even though the slide in the stock market and the tumbling economy might have caused some supporters to pause their giving.

Deanna Spaulding, a spokeswoman at Fidelity Charitable, declined to provide figures for incoming gifts, but she added that the number of new fund accounts opened has also grown since the start of the year.”

And it’s not just Fidelity. DAF sponsors large and small all over the country are reporting the same thing.

Giving from funds at Schwab Charitable were up 21% February 14 – March 31 compared with the same period last year. Schwab “asked the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for a list of organizations responding to the pandemic globally and highlighted them on its website. Those organizations saw a nearly 450 percent increase (emphasis mine) in grant dollars from Schwab account holders.”

Over the past few weeks, the new CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the place where tech millionaires and billionaires send their philanthropic dollars to DAF, has been calling donors asking them to spend at least 5% of their invested funds now. And she says they’re seeing donors answering the call.

Even smaller DAF sponsors are seeing a huge uptick. ImpactAssets DAF reported to Barrons that by the end of the second quarter of 2020 investments in its fund will exceed $143 million, more than total investments made in the fund for all of last year. Their DAF donors made more than 1,000 grants totaling $11 million from their DAFs last month, two times the number made in a normal March.

If there was ever a moment for DAF donors to allocate those funds they were saving for a crisis, it’s now, and they seem to be stepping up.

Who else is giving right now? Startups.

Earlier this month, Crunchbase reported that a number of startups had accelerated their philanthropic giving due to the pandemic. Their initial article listing 24 startups grew so fast that they abandoned adding to the article and embedded a running spreadsheet of companies, which is now up to 140. Check out the interactive list to see if there’s a company donating in your area.

Also, private and family foundations, companies, and LLCs

Candid reports on their new popup COVID giving/tracking webpage that total coronavirus giving they’ve counted so far stands right now at nearly $8 billion.

Just like the number of coronavirus cases out there, there is likely lots more giving that just hasn’t been counted yet.

Donors are eager to give and, as we pointed out two weeks ago, there are plenty of companies and industries that are doing really well right now. We may have to adapt or throw out some old ways of doing things and adopt new technologies and strategies, but it appears that as the need for funding has risen, so have the numbers of donors who want to be helpful.

FURTHER READING

Charity is off the charts amid the coronavirus. Is that a sign of America’s strength or weakness? By Laurence Darmiento, LA Times, 4/20/2020

Community Funders Balance Priorities in the Face of Overwhelming Needs, by Paul Karon. Inside Philanthropy, 4/22/2020

Special Report: Covid-19 and the Charitable Sector. Give.org BBB Wise Giving Alliance

Want to see some fascinating stats on email solicitations right now? NextAfter has created a web page chock-full of real-time analysis of 90 nonprofits with lovely charts and graphs showing

  • The types of verticals in the analysis
  • Median monthly visitors for each vertical (the top nonprofit type has 4x the visitors of #2)
  • How has the average number of gifts changed Jan-April this year vs last?
  • How has avg. revenue been affected in recent months? (Spoiler: it mostly hasn’t)
  • How has each vertical changed their volume of messaging in recent months? (these numbers were really interesting).

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Expert work-from-home advice from the WFH experts

Here you are, sitting at your table or on the couch, working from home. In the time before COVID-19 it’s likely that your organization didn’t allow working from home long-term, but in the blink of a week or so, here we are. It’s a smart policy now to allow (or require) those who can work from home (WFH) to do it.

My team and I have been virtual since Rick came on board in 2005, so we have lots of experience in making working from home work. (We do have an office, but only three of the 21 of us are there usually, and it’s closed now for the foreseeable future).

We thought we’d share with you some tips and tricks that work for us to help your transition be more successful.

Practical matters

If you don’t have a designated office space in your home, create a space that feels “apart.” Even if it’s your kitchen table, set yourself up in the morning, and then close it all down at night. Having a work space separate from your home space make a big difference in keeping your mind at work during work hours, and off of work when you’re “home.”

Initially you might start working on the sofa, but after a day or two of that, your body isn’t going to thank you. Ergonomics are important, so sit at a real desk and chair for the majority of the day.

Stick to a routine. Start at 9:00 (or 8:00 or whenever your day usually starts), and quit at 5:00. It may be tempting to keep on going if you’re on a roll, and doing it once in awhile isn’t a bad thing if your creative juices are propelling you forward. Just don’t make a habit of it or you’ll get burnt out.

Create a ritual that makes you feel like you’re heading off to work. For some, it may simply be brushing your teeth, walking into a different room, or exchanging slippers for shoes. Other folks may need to put on actual “work clothes” to get in a work frame of mind.

Kitchen management is really important. Some of my team pack themselves a lunch at night or in the morning, just as they used to when they worked outside the home. This helps encourage better food choices during the day and prevents them from grazing when lunchtime rolls around.

Keep healthy snacks in the house like pre-cut fruit, baby carrots, and low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, and avoid buying chips and cookies to keep the “WFH Freshman 15” off of your mid-section. After big-candy holidays, pack up leftovers for your significant other or a family member to take into their office (if it’s still open) so it’s not sitting around tempting you. Have some gum around the house to keep your mouth occupied but not snacking.

Life enhancements

Now that the practical matters are out of the way, here are some things that make working from home truly enjoyable for my team while helping us avoid cabin fever.

Follow the sun

One of my colleagues likes to follow the sun around her house by moving her laptop near the sunniest window. It keeps changing up her view, which is an added bonus. Another sets up shop on her deck during the warm summer months. For me, I have a little table on my enclosed front porch that gives me the same indoor-outdoor feel, and I can get a little Gladys Kravitz-ing in at the same time.

If you don’t have a view, consider swapping out pictures on the wall or buy some flowers to add cheer and keep your workspace interesting.

Get up and walk around

Don’t forget to take stretch and eye breaks. You’re not going to be visiting the office kitchen or water cooler, so you probably won’t get as many steps in as you usually do, nor will you change your eye focus from short distance to middle and long distance as much.

Set an alarm to remind you to get up and stretch regularly (Mac folks can try Time Out) and consider taking a walk around the block at lunch or in the afternoon (with your dog if you have one!) on nice days. Fresh air is a great contributor to staying focused.

Other things you can do on a short break or at lunch include throwing a load of laundry in the washer or weeding your garden. You might as well be doubly productive during the day and leave your evenings free for fun!

That being said, avoid procrastination cleaning. And procrastination cat videos. Procrastination just-getting-a-cup-of-coffee-and-oh-look-the-new-magazine-arrived! Promise yourself you’ll look at all of that stuff after 5:00.

Help yourself stay focused

One member of my team who likes to start work early every day showers during their lunch break to recharge for the afternoon.

Another cleans her desk off every Friday, putting papers in files and spraying and wiping the surface down for a fresh start Monday morning. That’s an especially great idea these days!

For folks with young kids who are also home, while it will be distracting to have them in your new office situation, remember that it’s an adjustment for them to get used to being there as well. Try to be patient and grateful for the opportunity to sneak in a hug during a mini-break.

One mom on the team says that it really helps her to take time every evening to prepare a few activities and make a list of things that her child can do the next day so that her child can be directed (or self-direct) a little easier. Also, two parents on the team recommended an amazing, constantly-updated Google doc created by a teacher that outlines free subscriptions your child can access, and there’s another Google doc here with ideas for parents of younger kids.

Don’t eat lunch at your desk

Make a separate space for your work and your lunch break to recharge your mind. I’ll admit that this is probably the hardest one for me, but having a good book or podcast that I’m really excited about is a big help. One tip I learned the hard way is to put any open water glass or tea mug far away from my keyboard where I can still reach it but it won’t do any damage if spilled.

Create a productive atmosphere

If you’re someone who likes to listen to music while you work, play music that motivates you or listen to a radio station that plays great music, educates you, and/or encourages community. Turn off the news when it’s depressing, and put your phone out of reach or in another room so it doesn’t distract you.

I was excited to learn from my colleagues about some apps they use to bring calm and reduce stress in their day. Just because we work from home doesn’t mean we don’t work hard or have tough deadlines, so learning how to manage stress and proactively use tools that help alleviate it are really important for productivity.

Stay connected to other people

Working from home can be isolating, even for the most introverted among us. Here at HBG, we use Zoom’s chat feature to communicate as a whole group, in smaller teams, and also one-to-one. In our group chat we generally have a low-key conversation going on all the time that fluctuates between “work talk” and flat-out laugh-out-loud silliness (especially on Friday afternoons).

One of my colleagues (particularly, but we all do it) likes to drop in random (non-confidential) things he finds in the course of his research that he finds interesting or unusual. As he says, “it’s exactly what you’d do if you were working in an office with other people” and he’s right – it makes for great conversation and contributes to shared team fun. (If he didn’t do that, we all never would have seen the house on Zillow that had a creepy stuffed clown in each photo of every. single. room. of the sale listing. Yeah.)

If a chat room isn’t an option, consider using a video conference instead of a phone call when you talk with co-workers. As the name suggests, FreeConferenceCall.com has one. Or FaceTime with a fundraising friend across town and take a 15-minute coffee break together to catch up. Don’t discount the power of a friendly face to keep isolation at bay.

Join and participate in other groups as well. For work-related activity, there’s always prspct-l or LinkedIn’s Groups to get a conversation going. On the personal side, one of my teammates is part of a Facebook mom’s group that has members from all around the world that has created a great sense of community for her.

Be aware of what’s happening (but don’t let it freak you out)

It’s a thin line between keeping current on COVID-19 and dealing with the anxiety that surrounds that. Fortunately you can easily find reliable sources of information including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and websites for schools of public health (including Harvard and Johns Hopkins which have been referred by epidemiologists as reliable information sources.)

Practice self-care before you start getting anxious. In the evenings, watch an old sitcom or a favorite silly movie. Read a book that you can’t put down. Take up that new hobby you’ve been putting off trying. FaceTime with a friend.

What else??

What tips do you have for others to be successful while working from home? Please share them in the comments for us all to use.

ABOUT HBG

The Helen Brown Group was formed in 2002 with a goal to be different.

Allow me to explain my personal philosophy to you.

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