ERM’s Comparison Chart for Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Picasa)
Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report (April 2010)
Twitter Usage in America: 2010, The Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Study
Facebook Privacy Guide: http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/12/facebook-privacy-new/ or PDF
Article from the Chronicle of Philanthropy: "Facebook Co-Founder Starts Philanthropic Social-Networking Site" (March 18, 2010)
Article from CASE: "In Full Bloom: Technology Takes Root in Advancement" (February 2010)
Article from Mashable.com: "How Non-Profts Are Using Social Media for Real Results" (May 3, 2010) or PDF
Article from TechSoup.com: "How Non-Profits Can Get the Most out of Flickr" or PDF
WEBSITES/BLOGS:
Social Impact: http://impact.webershandwick.com/
Social Media Today: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/
New England Social Media: http://newenglandsocialmedia.com/
WhatGives.com: http://www.whatgives.com/
NonProfit Technology Network: http://www.nten.org/
Campaign Success Story: Keene Family YMCA
In November 2005, Demont Associates began a partnership with the Keene Family YMCA in New Hampshire to assess the viability of a capital campaign to raise $13+ million in funds for a new YMCA for the greater Keene area.
A successful feasibility study led to the beginning of a campaign in 2006. Having weathered a tumultuous fund-raising climate, this effort is nearing completion, with ground- breaking scheduled for this summer.
No task of this magnitude can be accomplished without the extraordinary sacrifices of devoted volunteers. JoAnn Fenton and Dr. Robert Englund are two such volunteers, serving as Co-Chairs for the nearly four-year capital campaign effort. With the campaign nearing the final stages, we asked them to share with us their perspectives on the project.
Q: What was the most positive aspect of the project for you?
Working with the team we had put together. Hiring Demont was an incredible help to assist us in getting all of the groundwork done first. We would never have gotten off the ground without that work, and it helped us solidify the project in order to bring in the best volunteers in Keene. (JF)
Having Liz Coppola on board as our Development Director for the past year and a half has been a major positive. She has carried on the project so well that JoAnn and I have not had to be as involved in the day-to-day operations. (RE)
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of the project for you?
I think that it was re-igniting everyone to finish the job. We had waited so long to hear about getting a loan to bridge our final funding gap that besides a small core of volunteers, everything else was essentially at a stand-still for a year and a half. Trying to get the volunteers excited and enthusiastic for the project again, and also get new volunteers when things started to pick up was a challenge. (JF)
Q: How did the challenging loan application process aspect affect you as volunteers?
It was really frustrating and Bob and I would have to take time to call each other for moral support to get through it. Some people were doubting whether we were ever going to build the Y. (JF)
Q: Were there any bumps in the road that you didn’t expect?
The major bump that occurred 4-5 years ago had to do with getting enough leadership to volunteer for the campaign effort. (RE)
There was the Planning Board, then looking at different locations in downtown Keene, aesthetic requirements, etc. It was really one thing after another. Combining those challenges and convincing people to join you as a volunteer to help ask for money was a real challenge. (JF)
Q: What has this project done for you as a volunteer?
It has really made us both proud of the work that we’ve accomplished for Keene and I think that we’re both going to continue to volunteer with other non-profit Boards in the future. (RE)
It taught me quite a lot, including to be more patient and also more diplomatic with other people. (JF)
Q: Any advice for someone who might consider volunteering in a fundraising effort in the future?
Make sure that you have a Co-Chair partnership with someone who is as great as JoAnn – someone willing to put in the time, follow up, and stay organized to get the job done the right way. (RE)
It really is about making sure you have a solid foundation for the cause and getting the right leadership in place to make it all happen. We had no culture of fundraising, no cultivation of donors or friends of the Y. Counsel worked with us on the ground floor to quickly build up the foundation before we could go out into the community to start asking for money. It’s important to get an outside perspective and professional involvement because, despite our dedication and motivation, people would not have listened to us or given us the same sense of importance without Demont behind us. (JF)
Demont Recipient Gallagher Receives National Simms Award
Jake Gallagher, a 19-year old from Yarmouth, Maine was awarded the AFP 2010 Changing Our World/Simms Award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy at the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ international conference in April 2010.
Jake had previously received the AFP Northern New England chapter’s Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award and a scholarship from Demont Associates in November 2008.
Gallagher was recognized for his fundraising and volunteer efforts on behalf of Safe Passage, a Maine not-for-profit that provides education and opportunities to the children who live and work around the Guatemala City garbage dump. The children this program serves live in extreme poverty, and without the support of Safe Passage would not have the funds to attend public school, to eat a nutritious meal, or to receive medical attention when needed.
"What got me started helping out Safe Passage was the thought that kids my age had to live such harsh lives. Now that I have been down [to Guatemala] five times and gotten a chance to get to know my family’s sponsored kids, I am even more committed to making sure that they end up better off."
– Jake Gallagher
Gallagher co-founded the Safe Passage Club at Yarmouth High School, which raised over $15,000 due to his involvement. Safe Passage was founded by the deceased Yarmouth resident Hanley Denning, who was tragically killed in a car accident in Guatemala in 2007.
Jake’s passion and dedication to Safe Passage and Hanley Denning’s legacy has helped hundreds of children live happier, fuller lives. Now a student at Trinity College in Hartford, CT., Gallagher hopes to start a Safe Passage Club there and lead a group of students to Guatemala to work directly with the children.
Volunteer Spotlight: Stu Fraser
Demont Associates is working with Board member and volunteer Stuart Fraser on two youth related campaigns: the Keewaydin Foundation of Vermont and Harlem RBI of NYC
Stuart Fraser is Vice Chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald, a prominent Wall Street firm he has helped steward for the last 25 years. After losing 658 employees in the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack and fighting arduously for company survival while honoring commitments to family members of those who lost their lives, the company has emerged strong and healthy.
With the crisis passed and his own financial future secure, it would not be unreasonable to assume that Stu would want a break from the business’s burdens. That may be true, but Stu is very much about another kind of business these days – the business of investing time, talent and treasure for a better future through his growing philanthropic commitments.
Stu serves on the boards of many worthy causes, including two youth development organizations that are currently capital campaign clients of Demont Associates: Keewaydin Foundation, a not-for-profit camp in Vermont headed by Executive Director Pete Hare ($15+ million) and Harlem RBI, a program that provides learning opportunities to inner-city youth ($25+ million) under the leadership of Executive Director Richard Berlin. Stu chairs the Keewaydin Forever Campaign and is involved in the planning of the Harlem RBI campaign. Demont met with him to explore his philanthropy, motivations, and insights into giving so that others might learn from his success and experience.
How did you learn to give?
"My parents certainly showed me the importance of giving time to charitable causes. My dad was always doing the right thing, and that was a strong example. I also learned at Keewaydin the value of "Help the Other Fellow," the camp’s motto. I saw this motto in action through staff counselors who lived this ethic day in and day out; they were my idols growing up. Over the years, the realization of their deep impact on me and my fellow campers has grown. The giving seed from both my parents and the Keewaydin staff grew from there."
Who else has influenced you in developing your commitment to philanthropy?
"My uncle Bernie Cantor (founder of Cantor Fitzgerald) really opened my eyes to the importance of giving. His transformative giving really impressed me in my early business career. He was really having fun bringing people together around a major cause, inspiring others with his own giving of millions of dollars as well as his precious Rodin collection. He and his philanthropy were infectious and only added to his business success. He showed me the win-win of philanthropy that has since guided my own giving."
What organizations or causes are most important to you and why?
"I was drawn to two youth organizations where I have since had the most fun and rewarding experiences as a Board member. No question I was drawn to Camp Dunmore-Keewaydin and to Harlem RBI in part because of my personal interest and past experience with camps and baseball respectively. Both "hook" kids into situations that foster growth and responsible behaviors. While Keewaydin has a 100 year-old history, both organizations are relatively new not-for-profits. Being in on the ground floor of these two very effective and successful organizations has been quite a kick."
What characterizes your motivation for giving to various causes?
"At Keewaydin, it’s payback in a way. It is an organization whose staff has given me and many others a special sense of identity since boyhood. Mostly, I see myself as an investor in the future, and that is what I am doing with youth organizations. I also like supporting staff that I trust and working with other volunteers whose company I enjoy."
You are chairing what may be the most successful capital campaign for an American camp in Keewaydin’s $15 Million Keewaydin Forever Campaign. What have you learned that you might pass along to others new to philanthropy?
"First, make sure the entire organization is behind a promising plan that is also rooted in pragmatism. Second, keep plugging away at the campaign; all the little actions add up to real success over time. No one bats 1.000 in asking, but you will certainly do better if you solicit support on a face-to-face basis. If you do not ask, you are bound to miss out on some gratifying gifts made by some very generous people."
Cantor Fitzgerald lost the highest number of employees of any company on the September 11th World Trade Center attack. How has this tragedy impacted your feelings towards giving time and treasure to others?
"It is hard to put into words what happened and how it impacted me. There was not a lot of time for introspection with hundreds of families of the victims as well as our associates waiting for us to do the right thing, to find a new office, to keep the business running, and to honor our commitments. I was overwhelmed by support from friends and competitors who reached out to me personally; the charitable tide was turned on me in a way. Relative to giving money, giving time to worthy causes and in service to others is underrated."
Do you think your children will follow you and your uncle into the world of philanthropy?
"I hope so. Right now they are still young, but I am starting to bring them to some age-appropriate events, and they are certainly aware of the family’s giving. Hopefully the apple will not fall too far from the family tree. It would be pretty cool to see them have as much fun with giving as I have had, and there is still time for them to develop their own priorities."