On September 24, 2020 Breezy Consulting received its LLC. One whole year ago.
The past twelve months have been a whirlwind, and something of a dream come true. I’ve had the opportunity to work with groups around the country, all working in the sphere of animal welfare. Together, we have focused on growing and developing their programs in order to serve their missions and help animals.
In sum, I have more than ten years of experience working in nonprofit organizations. From low-income services to higher education to animal welfare, every organization I have worked with has faced similar challenges. They have all had similar questions and similar troubles and needs. While their missions may have been different, the core questions of how to manage their day-to-day operations and organization were the same.
Through all my experience, I have gained significant insights into the ways organizations work best. So, in honor of the first anniversary of my consulting career, I’d like to share some of those insights with you. From someone who has been there, here are my top-tier recommendations for folks looking to start or grow their own organizations:
Know your mission. It isn’t enough to have a mission statement (though you certainly should). You need to know that mission statement inside and out. You should be able to explain and translate that mission to a variety of audiences. Understand what will stand out and resonate with your peers, your clients, and your donors.
Have a 30-second elevator pitch for casual conversations, and in-depth talking points for folks who want to know more. Get comfortable talking about your work. If you find yourself stumbling over your thoughts or ideas, keep practicing and refining your messaging.
But be careful! As the old adage goes, “perfection is the enemy of progress.” It’s okay if your mission or messaging isn’t “perfect” yet. Just get started and the rest will come. Your messaging will naturally change and evolve over time. However, your passion and the core ideas and values which drive your organization will ring out.
In short, make sure you can easily and clearly articulate what you are doing, why you are doing it, what outcomes you hope to achieve, and above all–why your organization is the right one for the job.
Build your network. From the moment you decide to start your own organization, start cultivating your network. From your existing contacts, to the stack of old business cards you’ve kept in a desk drawer, start reaching out and sharing your ideas with others. You may be surprised by the support you receive! Some folks may offer words of encouragement, while others may ask how they can help. Be sure to track who responds, and what sort of follow up they may need. If you know of a task that could use a volunteer, ask for help! Delegate tasks and start building your team.
Beyond volunteers, you will also need a mailing list. Create a sign-up form that is easy to share and use. (Consider adding opt-in language, meaning people agree to receive your emails. Here’s a helpful article on why it matters.). Services like MailChimp and Constant Contact make it easy to build and share sign-up pages. These platforms will also house and organize all the names for your mailing list, taking the hassle out of managing lists manually.
Once you’ve rallied all your known contacts, you will need to start growing and building your network among new audiences. This is where a strong social media presence may come in handy. Create and share posts that attract attention. Include a mix of fun content, along with informative or mission-driven posts. Ask folks to like, subscribe, and share.
One clever way to gain new subscribers is to create a PDF or similar download that can be accessed for free, as long as folks share their name and email information (don’t forget that opt-in language!). It may be a simple how-to, a white paper, or even a fact sheet. Whatever the format, it should be something that will solve a problem or answer a question folks are likely to have, making them more likely to want it and download it, adding their name to your mailing list in the process.
Consider meaningful expenses. When you’re just getting started, you will want to keep costs to an absolute minimum. You might limit your overhead and solely utilize volunteers. While pinching pennies may feel like the most responsible choice, you should consider that some costs may be worth the up-front expense for the long-term health of your organization. Here are a few areas to consider spending even if you’re just getting started:
Social media management tools. If you are planning to run social media across multiple channels (say Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) you should consider using a social media management platform. The convenience of these platforms for helping you schedule posts and manage messages across multiple channels cannot be overstated. I have used several different services for my clients, including Hootsuite, Buffer, and Tailwind. However, I was recently introduced to Loomly and was instantly blown away. Loomly makes it easy to create, modify, and schedule posts across multiple channels and audiences without missing a beat.
Graphic design tools. I have been using Canva for over a year, both for Breezy Consulting and my clients, and have nothing but great things to say. Canva makes it easy to create and share beautiful graphics, photos, and flyers with professional quality. You can do a lot with their free service. However, for a modest monthly fee, the Canva Pro account gives you access to even more stock photos and design templates, not to mention the ability to resize designs, build teams, and setup a “Brand Kit” with your custom colors and fonts, making it even easier to build designs that meet your style guidelines.
Email marketing tools. As previously discussed, email marketing tools like MailChimp and Constant Contact will go a long way toward building and maintaining your email lists. These services also allow you to set up templates for your regular eNews or other communications. Staying in touch with your supporters has never been easier!
Donor database. Now, this is where many new organizations want to pump the brakes. After all, with so few donations coming in, wouldn’t an Excel spreadsheet do the trick? You may be able to track individual donations on that trusty old spreadsheet, but how are you tracking your interaction with that donor? Are you recording their emails? Are you making a note of how they found you? Can you easily pull reports and analytics? There is so much more to donor management than just tracking the dollar amount of a gift. A donor database may be one of the most important investments you make in your new organization. You will thank yourself later for investing in one as soon as it is feasible to do so. The good news is that online platforms like Little Green Light make it easy! Little Green Light was built to assist nonprofits organizations, and services start at just $39 a month.
Know your Asks. Every group needs money. But knowing exactly how much money it will take to keep your group going, and where that money will be going is critical to your overall donor strategy.
In terms of fundraising, your “ask” is what you are literally asking for. What amount of money do you need, and if given, what will that money help you do?
This goes back to the idea of a Core Number, the expression of what it costs your organization to provide one unit of service. Accounting for all of your expenses, and dividing that total expense by the number of units provided, will help you understand what to ask for. The true cost of one meal, or one backpack full of school supplies, or one night’s stay in a shelter. Whatever your mission or service, your Core Number will reflect all the work that goes into meeting that need.
Get Fully Funded is a terrific resource for all things fundraising. From understanding your Core Number, to thanking donors, to creating digital supporter communities, there is something for everyone. Tools and tips can be applied immediately to support your fundraising efforts. Looking for more? Subscribe to Fundraising TV for access to their complete library of fundraising tools, lessons, and support.
Track your progress. With so much going on, you might almost forget to stop and take note of how things are going. How many folks are on your mailing list? How many donations did you receive last month? Are you gaining more followers or are things staying the same? We can learn a lot from data, as long as we take the time to thoughtfully review and consider it.
There are some options for tracking and sharing data in Excel or similar spreadsheet programs. However, you might also consider using Google’s Data Studio to create your own dashboard. This free data visualization tool brings a new level of professionalism to your reports, and helps you bring your spreadsheets to life. See here and here for just a few examples. If you’re interested in learning more about data visualization and how to create and leverage your own dashboard, tune in for my presentation during Community Cats Podcast’s Online Fundraising Day on Saturday, October 16. Register here!
From your mission to your messaging to your fundraising, these tips will help you get any idea off the ground. And of course, if you need help with any of these (or other!) things along the way, Breezy Consulting can help. Building successful programs and managing projects–helping passionate, mission-driven organizations thrive–well, that’s my passion, and I can’t wait to work with you.
