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What kind of fundraising is becoming effective for an immediate crisis or disaster?		BBB Wise Giving Standards Improve
		Congress Considering More Car Donation Legislation
		Internal Revenue Service
Wheels in Motion for NCCS		Tidbits
MADD Employee of the Year
VA Releases Official GI Bill Numbers



Five Threads that Will Affect Online Fundraising
One Text at a Time


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What kind of fundraising is becoming effective for an immediate crisis or disaster?

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	Wheels in Motion for NCCS Elliot Cytron and Sharon Mercer presented Jill Metherd from National Children’s Cancer Society a check for $8,400. The money was raised at the 13th Annual Walter F. Phillips Memorial “Old Cars Against Cancer” Wheels in Motion Day. The annual benefit featured classic cars and live entertainment and was held at Westport Plaza in St. Louis County, Missouri. Several car clubs in the St. Louis area team every year for the event to raise money for NCCS.
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	MADD Employee of the Year Because of her non-stop passion, Janice Heggie Margolis is this year’s recipient of MADD’s Employee of the Year Award, given to an individual for making outstanding contributions to MADD and its mission, to eliminate drunk driving. In 1984, Janice was ready to “put action behind her passion” and contacted MADD National and went to work. Things moved quickly and before long, New Haven, Connecticut had its first MADD charter. In 1987, Janice was named Executive Director of MADD Connecticut. Some of the most flourishing projects MADD Connecticut sponsors include their Victim Impact Panels, youth power programs, their annual award ceremonies honors local law enforcement agencies and of course, fundraisers. Janice said she is honored to be named MADD Employee of the Year, “But it’s not about me – it’s about MADD Connecticut getting this award.”
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	VA Releases Official GI Bill Numbers After the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law, veterans and their family members showed up in masses to take advantage of it. As a result, VA became clogged with a backlog of claims and only had estimates of exactly how many individuals were using the landmark legislation. At the close of the first academic semester, VA has released a report that answers those questions, providing official statistics and giving an explanation for the backlog. In the report, VA says 164,144 individuals have enrolled in classes under the GI Bill, and 130,309 of them have received payments. That leaves 34,000 students still waiting - a number which is down from about 240,000 in August but still seen as unacceptable by vet supporters. Currently, the VA says it is paying about 4,500 students per day, and that it takes on average 47 days to process payments from the day the school certifies enrollment in VA. In all, 352,281 people have applied for a Certificate of Eligibility, and 292,896 have received one. They will receive funding when they enroll in a school. VA reports that $517 million has been paid out to students and $385 million to schools. An additional 65,282 payments totaling $193 million were made to students this fall during the emergency payment period, which sent advance funding to destitute individuals who were still waiting on their first GI Bill checks. To improve the system, VA says it continues to review the process and streamline letters to veterans and their dependents who are attending school on their behalf. Credit: The American Legion Online Update, January 8, 2010
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	Five Trends that Will Affect Online Fundraising in 2010 No one can say for sure what 2010 will bring. Will there be an economic recovery? Will direct mail continue to thrive? Will more and more donors continue to turn to the Web as their preferred means of giving? Last year the Chronicle of Philanthropy shared their "Trends That Will Affect Fund Raising in 2009," penned by Robert F. Sharpe, a planned- giving consultant in Memphis. In 2010 Network for Good has taken a crack at the five trends we've seen (with an online spin): 1. You may see a greater number of donations with a smaller average gift size. Here's a piece of news that's probably not news to you: Your donors are generous. They want your organization to succeed. They're even willing to continue to give when the economy is in a bad way. However, we've found that people made more, smaller charitable contributions in a down economy. What this means for you: Nonprofits will have to mentally prepare for the possibility of receiving smaller gifts, and it will be on your shoulders to reach out to your past supporters (and their networks!) and grow your donor base. 2. As much as the media talks of a possible economic rebound, prospective supporters will still be wary of donating to new causes. Yes, folks will donate (as we discussed in number 1 above), but that crowd of new potential donors will need to be sold on the good works and impact their gifts can really make. They'll be looking for transparency (i.e., the real story behind where donated funds go) and the potential for real involvement. What this means for you: You will need to work your hardest to make your mission accessible. Show where the money goes. Share the credit when your nonprofit does its great work. Make your supporters a part of the picture—not just an ATM in the background. 3. E-mail outreach will continue its upward trend, meaning more e-mail in subscribers' in-boxes. The popular buzzword for this phenomenon is "clutter." As more companies, schools, and other nonprofits begin to use e-mail marketing, your subscribers will be moving even more quickly and furiously to dig through the clutter and find the messages that really appeal to them. What this means for you: You need to be at the top of your e-mail game! With some stellar subject lines and catchy (relevant) copy, your messages will rise to the top. 4. Recurring gifts will be a huge portion of online giving. Here at Network for Good, we've seen that approximately 20 percent of all donations coming through are from recurring (regular, repeat) donations. With a one-click set-up, many donors have shown their preference for this type of giving for a number of reasons: folks needn't remember on their own to come back and give again; it's convenient and feels like "automatic bill-pay"; and donors can divide up a larger gift over time. What this means for you: Your nonprofit needs to make recurring giving a priority in your online fundraising strategy—not a footnote. It needs to be an option every time a donor enters a gift amount. With all of your messaging and fundraising appeals you can encourage this process. 5. As in the past, year-end gifts will account for a substantial percentage of total annual contributions. For a bit of background, December giving comprised about a third of the total dollar value and a quarter of the total number of donations made in 2009. Fourth-quarter giving comprised over half of the total dollar value and number of donations made in 2009. This is not out of the ordinary, either—we've seen roughly these numbers for the past five years! What this means for you: Though we're happy to share procrastinator's tips when November and December eventually roll around, we're much happier to encourage you to start planning now. Start thinking about where folks got stuck on your Web site and what changes you can make during the first quarters of the year. Review the communications you sent out—which ones did well and which ones fell flat? The earlier you analyze and plan, the more successful you can be next time! Reprinted from www.fundraising123.org
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	One Text at a Time Charities are trying text message fundraising to make up donations. Texting offers instant communication and response and is very effective for an immediate crisis or disaster responses. Wyclef Jean kicked off the largest text-based fundraising campaign for Haiti disaster relief in history and netted over $400,000 in one day. The American Red Cross raised more than $800,000 to also benefit disaster relief efforts in Haiti. The United Way of South Carolina reached out to its donors via text fundraising. The Canadian Salvation Army launched a national text message fundraising campaign last year. Texting has the potential to influence nonprofit fundraising in the future.
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Outrageous Service!

To help our charity partners achieve their mission and goals, Heritage is here for you and strives to provide Outrageous Service. If you have a special need or want to discuss your campaign, please contact your Account Executive.

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	BBB Wise Giving Standards Improve The Better Business Bureau realizes the increasing challenge of fundraising that is now being faced by the industry. The agency has modified its standard of fundraising costs needed to receive high ratings from 35% of contributions to 45% for fiscal years ending in 2008 through 2010.
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	Congress Considering More Car Donation Legislation New legislation aims to encourage donors by changing regulations on how cars are appraised. The bill, HR 571, would allow people to deduct a vehicle so that the fair market value could be up to $2,500. A vehicle worth more than the $2,500 limit would be open for appraisal. A figure less than the $2,500 would require new guidance from the IRS on how to determine fair market value.
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	Internal Revenue Service The IRS has announced its annual changes affecting charitable deductions when charities provide low-cost premiums to contributors in fundraising campaigns. A charity can now tell a donor that gifts are fully deductible if the donor gave $48 or more and received a premium worth $9.60 or less. The other measurement is whether the premium is worth more than 2% of the amount of the contribution, or $96, whichever is less.
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	Tidbits The Iowa Attorney General has recommended that the state amend its charitable solicitation law to require charities to register in the state. Registration fees will be $25.00 for charities with an income of less than $100,000 per year to $500 for charities with an income of $5,000,000 or more. The bill would also require direct mail firms to register as a “commercial fundraiser” and pay $100 per year. As a result of an internet promotion called “Give to the Max Day,” Minnesota residents donated $14 million to charities in just twenty-four hours. According to the published report, fifty nonprofits raised more than $40,000 each through the on-line fundraising blitz, which took place on a designated website. Mississippi has introduced the use of a new annual financial report form, titled Form FS. It includes questions concerning allocations made between program service, fundraising, management, and general. Cleveland, Ohio recently received a report prepared by a consultant with recommendations on how to address its budgetary problems. The most controversial provision was an annual fee for tax-exempt institutions. The report speculates that the fee could generate at least $5 million per year. The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers gave the “Board of Directors Award” on December 1st to Postmaster General Jack Potter for his efforts in keeping postal rates stable in 2010.
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