Dr. Jennifer Camota Luebke

👻 Year-End Fundraising Doesn't Have to Be Scary!👻 Our second annual "Blueprint for Success - Year-End Fundraising Workshop" was full of tricks AND treats to help nonprofits make the most of their year-end campaigns. If you missed it, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! 🎥 Watch the Webinar Recording  Catch the full session to learn how journey-focused strategies can turn your year-end fundraising from a haunted house into a happy harvest. Get practical tips, creative ideas, and some spooky-good insights on how to engage your supporters! 🛠️ Want Extra Help Carving Out Your Plan? 🎃   We’re offering one-on-one Blueprint sessions to help nonprofits develop a customized, step-by-step plan that’s as easy as pumpkin pie. Our experts from Giving Insight and JB Advance will make sure your campaign is ready to scare away any year-end stress. 👀 Ready to Dive In? Click here: https://bit.ly/Blueprint24 Let’s make your year-end campaign a real *treat* this year! #FundraisingTips #NonprofitSuccess #YearEndGiving #FundraisingWebinar #NonprofitFundraising #GivingInsight #JBAdvance #HalloweenFun

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#csr leaders - this blog post includes important actionable tips for impact admins who are looking to use data to both tell a compelling story of this year’s impact and also to generate actionable insights for next year! I am always happy to chat about how Deed's dashboards and reports make data easy to access, easy to use, and easy to apply by corporate impact teams. #dosomethinggoodtoday #dataforgood #techforgood

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Kudos to Joseph Brooks, Betsy Erickson, and Molly Lyons on your Purposeful Planning Institute webinar this morning. Thanks to the three of you for highlighting the 10 psychological barriers to giving. Many of them are familiar to me given my interaction with donors. ➡️ too many choices I often hear people express how overwhelmed they are by all the choices and then not knowing how to choose. ➡️ fear of attention or public scrutiny I work with some donors who prefer to give anonymously because they don't want the attention. They don't want to be on everyone's donor list. ➡️ worrying that you need to learn more to make good decisions Even this can become overwhelming--there's so much to learn--when before the answers came easily as the CEO of their company. ➡️ lack of time Oh we all feel this one, don't we??? These are just a few of the barriers that were discussed this morning. And amazingly some of the solutions for behavioral or mindset shifts around these barriers are small and simple. So, don't let them get in your way! Want to learn more? Check out the report for yourself. #giving #philanthropy #barriers #philanthropyadvising

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Keeping Up With The Tectonic Shift In Philanthropy? That's what Jen Shang and Adrian Sergeant called it - tectonic - "from the comparatively “easy,” single-focused act of fundraising to a more complex mix of relationships that focus on what can be derived when shared values are at work. More than just gathering donors, tomorrow’s philanthropy will thrive on creating partners and empowering philanthropists who are vested in both the processes and outcomes of social change efforts. It will nurture true, deeply held and sustainable connections between “donors” and beneficiaries." Except tomorrow's philanthropy began many a yesterday ago and is unfolding today even as so many organizations remain fixated on "the single-focused act of fundraising." They haven't shifted: ➡️ From soliciting too often to eliciting more frequently ➡️ From chasing gifts to building philanthropic partnerships ➡️ From asking donors to give to their organization to showing donors how they can give through them to achieve significant, sustainable societal gains ➡️ From prizing dollars raised above all to placing the premium on donors retained ➡️ From cash counting to community building Each day, they fail to shift, philanthropic momentum shifts away from them. It begins with a shift in attitude, followed by a shift in language as suggested below. Its shifts fundraising from what we do to donors to what we do with those whose support we strive to earn.

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This powerful article from @NonProfitQuarterly dives into the harsh realities facing women of color leaders in the nonprofit world. The piece is a must-read for any woman, especially women of color, stepping into leadership roles. It pulls no punches in highlighting how racial and gender biases can hinder the "fullest expression" of their leadership if not carefully navigated. The author's candid advice? Treat the board relationship like a strategic chess game, thinking multiple moves ahead to maintain your power and ensure your voice is heard. As women of color often have less financial security and perceived authority, she argues you must be savvy in how you wield influence. While the examples hit hard, the overarching message is empowering. It calls on women leaders to be highly intentional about preserving their safety, voice and leadership -- through strategic relationship management, political awareness and refusal to be demonized or diminished. For women striving to lead with authenticity and impact, this perspective is essential. The nonprofit world still has a long way to go in actualizing equitable leadership. Articles like this keep the dialogue blunt and the change processes accountable. https://lnkd.in/gV-GqKfv

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If We Truly Valued the Donors We Had Wouldn't we: Survey and/or interview them about what institutional attributes they find most important and impressive to ensure we hire fundraisers who embody them? Tell fundraisers their most important job is to perpetuate and deepen relationships with those assigned to their portfolios? Require fundraisers to demonstrate that they have studied donor profiles and developed engagement plans attuned to their donors' passions and sensitivities? Equip fundraisers with questions to ask so they can fill gaps in those donors' records to ensure they are managed well over time? Check in with those donors after a few months to make sure all is going well with their new development officer? Work with the development officer to learn what each donor does and does not want to receive knowing how many complain of being bombarded with information? Make sure any solicitation is well-thought-out and respectful as evidenced by the number of conversations preceding it and interest expressed by the donor in a particular initiative? Conduct annual stewardship interviews or surveys to make sure donors feel that their gifts have been well-stewarded and they feel respectfully treated, then compare results year over year to make sure gaps are not growing? Show fundraisers how they can help donors develop multiple connections to the organization? Yet, how often do we see fundraisers: Selected on the basis of bravado Pushed into the field with too little training and no review of their plans Expected to solicited after a set number of visits with no review as to whether what is being solicited aligns with donors' interests Not required to show evidence of relationship or affinity building Gone after two years so that donors not only experience giving fatigue but breaking-in-new-fundraiser fatigue So let's be honest. While many organizations have a stewardship office, few have anything that looks like an asset management plan or the awareness of how important one is. Despite what we give lip service to, is it not a fact that we care little about how positive an impression our fundraisers make or how well they treat their donors as long as they bring home some bacon? So here's the lesson that must penetrate or our thick organizational skulls: A stewardship office, no matter how good, cannot compensate for: Leadership attitudes that treat donors like cordwood Fundraisers who don't reflect values and ideals touted by the organization Fundraising imperatives that favor insensitive fundraisers or desensitize good ones Donors being made to feel like ATMs accessed by revolving fundraisers Inappropriate or inept solicitations Most organization leave much too much to chance. They need to build awareness around donors as invaluable organizational assets and, at minimum, hold themselves to ethic articulated in the Hippocratic Oath:  "I will do no harm or injustice to them."

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Much of the work we do at Building Impact Partners is about helping donors get more money moving to where it’s most needed. My first book, Money with Meaning (https://bit.ly/3CHmwtv) is part of that effort. It's written as a DIY guide for donors looking for more meaningful giving--where social impact and personal fulfillment come together. I launched the book back in June 2023, I am so grateful for all the help, support and encouragement from friends and colleagues, helping the book hit #1 in the Philanthropy, Charity and Nonprofit Fundraising categories on Amazon, not only in launch week but a couple times since then. One of the best parts has been hearing stories directly from readers about how it has made a difference in their lives and helped them gear up their giving. So why am I posting about this now? Because the end of year giving season is upon us and there is still so much untapped potential in philanthropy--literally trillions of dollars on the sidelines. This is the unique time of year when many donors who’ve been putting off their giving start to give it more attention. This giving season feels all the more pivotal because over the past year or so many of us who work in the philanthropy and fundraising space have been hearing from amazing leaders and organizations that they have started to hit a wall in their fundraising efforts. Even as many organizations are doing their best work in a world that is literally and figuratively on fire, many are growing beyond their base of existing donors and running out of folks to ask. I know from what readers have already shared that this book can really make a difference. But one of the challenges with a niche book like this is that conventional marketing isn’t a great way to reach the book’s core audience of wealthy individuals and their advisors. This is an audience for whom personal recommendations and word of mouth go a particularly long way.    So, if you’re game to help boost this book, please help spread the word--whether by sharing this post, buying a copy, gifting a copy, writing a review or recommending it to someone you know. I’ve created a simple 30-second form (https://bit.ly/4fWsc1L) with options for how to help (plenty of which don’t require you to have a rolodex full of wealthy would-be donors!) If you complete the form we’ll follow up with you directly to make next steps fast and easy. Asking for help isn’t always easy, but I definitely feel more comfortable doing so because I believe that getting this book into more people’s hands has potential benefits not only for those who read it--but also for extraordinary social entrepreneurs who will benefit from the resources that flow when more people begin taking action to gear up their giving.   With much gratitude! --Alex

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“Two-Week Sabbatical Application Information for BIPOC Leaders What is the sabbatical opportunity? As a coalition, we recognize that being in good health and wellbeing are foundational to racial healing and social justice in communities. We are committed to normalizing rest and the practice of sabbaticals as a strategy to achieve health and wellbeing. Coalition members have shared with us that although the three-month sabbatical is an amazing opportunity for rest, not all leaders have the ability to take three-months off, and that shorter breaks are also needed and are impactful. In response to this feedback, we have expanded our Sabbatical Program to also offer grants for shorter sabbatical periods: Two-Week Sabbatical Grant One-Month Sabbatical Grant We aim to support nonprofit leaders with two-week and one-month sabbatical that allow them to step back from the exhaustion of work and re-connect with their own vitality and balance. These grants are intended to provide a two-week or four-week paid-time-off break, that is in addition to their vacation or other paid-time-off provided by their employer organization.” Two-Week Sabbatical Application Information for BIPOC Leaders – BIPOC ED Coalition of Washington State

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The CVI Action Plan is here! Driven by the expertise of our grantees, this plan charts a powerful course to reduce violence and foster safer communities. Explore the executive summary for the key strategies leading the way forward: https://loom.ly/IYjRorc

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I'd add that this is a chance to work with a fabulous team including Moriah Jacobs and Lucas Donavan-Lafuente--and a powerful and insightful leader, in Eva Hernandez! This is a great job focused on what's needed right now to solve big #environmental and #climate issues. That's because the big wins we need this decade require greater alignment, capacity, and influence, not just good policy ideas. In fact, across so many issues from climate to conservation, there are good ideas and plans that frame "what" we need to do. Too often what we don't have is the shared influence to translate ideas into action. Mosaic is focused on building the bigger coalitions, new voices, and shared tools essential to boost the collective power of environmental, climate and environmental justice advocates. If you want to be at the center of that critical work, there's no better job.

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“Equity-centered design is the practice of involving diverse communities throughout planning and implementation, to allow their voices to impact solutions to the inequity at hand”. Too many leaders build programs without the input or perspectives of those for whom they are designing for. That’s okay if you want to build a stand alone program full of inequity, but when designing programs to advance equity, it requires that you build with people and not for people. Let’s normalize including employee voices, perspectives and ideas of all backgrounds, experiences, and levels at the “table”. It is a part of my practice and should be a part of yours too! https://lnkd.in/ehB7Dem5 #edi #programdesign #equity #equitydesign #inclusivedesign

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“Eventually, we will look back on this moment in history as a turning point for workers’ power and voice, where Black workers led a transformation in how we think about and create good jobs that benefit workers, businesses, and communities. Further, we will reflect that building Black voice and power at work helped empower Black voice and power in our democracy, at a time when—more than ever—we needed to protect basic rights and freedoms for all. Philanthropy has a chance to help make history—or be left behind.” Why Philanthropy Must Support Labor Justice - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly

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Excited to see this from BoardSource today: "BoardSource will ground itself in four pillars: Listening: developing organization-wide mechanisms for gathering data, gleaning best practices, hearing diverse perspectives, and receiving feedback, will expand and deepen our knowledge. Learning: a culture of continuous learning, which seeks new information to evolve and shift thinking, will allow BoardSource to remain at the forefront of current challenges, trends and innovations in governance. Co-creation: by learning from and partnering with those closest to the systemic challenges we aim to address and leverage BoardSource’s thirty-plus years of governance experience. We will develop innovative tools and practices that reflect the collective wisdom of our sector. Expertise: expertise rooted in humility, listening, and learning will enable BoardSource's knowledge to be co-created and far-reaching. Our resources will capture the complexity of our continuously evolving field and will deliver tailored solutions to meet leaders where they are." https://lnkd.in/eaGwmfjg

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What are YOU doing about the "Looming succession problem for the nonprofit sector?" Yes, the government needs to provide support, but each of us has our role to play as well. Tune into this episode from CharityVillage, and I guarantee you'll have some ideas about what you can do to ease the current succession crisis. Let me know what tidbit you took away and how you'll apply it!

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A board of Directors plays an essential role in any organization’s…   ✅ Leadership ✅ Finances ✅ Sustainability   But NONPROFIT boards differ from for profit boards In their   ✳️ Structures ✳️Roles ✳️Objectives   Today I’m diving into the 5 key differences between nonprofit and for-profit boards. #501c3nonprofits #nonprofitCFO #fractionalCFO https://lnkd.in/gy5suW8b

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‘Younger teens (aged 13-15) in relationships are significantly more likely to report violent or controlling experiences in their relationships (58%) than those aged 16-17 (42% of those in relationships). Surprisingly, boys in relationships are more likely to say they experience violent or controlling behaviours (57%) compared to girls (41%).’ We need to take an approach to domestic abuse and child on child abuse that recognises violence against boys and men and stop being ‘surprised’. Relationships education needs to take a trauma-informed approach that seeks to understand the levels of violence all children are experiencing - in the home, online and in their relationships. #relationshipseducation #safeguarding #domesticabuse

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