Announcing Leadership Council Members!

Posted by Alexis Nadin on May 9th, 2012

Announcing Leadership Council Members!

We are excited to announce the members of GlobalGiving’s first-ever Leadership Council, an advisory committee made up of representatives from our non-profit partners around the world. The Leadership Council will meet for the first time tomorrow, Thursday, May 10th !

Tyson Cecka – Tyson is the Executive Director of a community-oriented nonprofit parkour gym in Seattle, WA. He is new to the world of NPOs but very passionate about sharing parkour with the world as something that anyone can actually get into and benefit from rather than the crazy stunts you’ve likely seen in movies or on Youtube. He is a practitioner and got his start professionally as one those stuntmen doing commercials and parkour performances around the world.

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/1291/parkour-visions/

Jos Dirkx – Jos Dirkx grew up in Brazil, Bangladesh, Spain, Senegal, The Netherlands, Canada and Norway, and currently resides in South Africa where she founded the award-winning Girls & Football SA. Through her experience working with the United Nations in Sudan and Eritrea, she has gained hands-on experience working in challenging environments. She enjoys music, theatre, travel, sports, reading and spending time with her family and friends. 

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/9204/girls-and-football-sa/

Gichuki Francis – Gichuki is the Founder and Executive Director of the Trans-nzoia Youth Sports Association (TYSA).  He has a degree in education from Kenyatta University and has vast experience in choice and youth issues throughout East Africa.

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/692/trans-nzoia-youth-sports-association-tysa/

Valerie Lam – Valerie Lam is a classically-trained paralegal by day and in her spare time volunteers as the Idjwi Island Education Fund’s Technical & Administrative Assistant.  A jack-of-all-trades, she assists the Board with execution of print and electronic media, event-planning, and is the catch-all for random administrative tasks (which are important!).  Although a graduate from a liberal arts university with a B.A. in International Relations, Ms. Lam somehow ended up managing the Fund’s website and social media channels.  She speaks Vietnamese, French and English.

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/8432/idjwi-island-education-fund/

Pamela Lee – Pamela is a native and resident of San Francisco, California, USA.  Her “day job” involves managing data for a part of Bank of America, with a staff of seven.  When she is not working, she is volunteering – primarily for Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue, an all-volunteer pet bird rescue/rehabilitation/rehoming group with operations throughout Northern California.

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/7061/mickaboo-companion-bird-rescue/

Dalys Rodriguez – Dalys is the Program Director for Fundacion Calicanto in Panama City, Panama.  She has a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Miami and moved to Panama about three years ago looking for “field experience.” It was a bit challenging at first but she loves what she does and continues to look for new opportunities for herself and for the organization to grow.

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/6413/fundacion-calicanto/

Kelly Voss – Kelly joined Nyaka Aids Orphan Project as their first full-time Director of Development in 2011 and brings over 7 years of non-profit fundraising experience.  It is her life work to “alleviate poverty around the globe.”  Kelly has raised millions of dollars for youth, arts, people with disabilities, and sports organizations. When she isn’t connecting donors with their philanthropic passions, you can find Kelly stand-up paddling Austin, TX or running with her 15 year-old son Tristan who keeps her young and on her toes!

GG project page: http://www.globalgiving.org/donate/349/the-nyaka-aids-orphans-project/

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The WASH Sustainability Charter: Collaborating for Best Practices

Posted by Alexis Nadin on May 9th, 2012

On Thursday, April 26th, GlobalGiving hosted Brian Banks, the Director of Sustainability for Global Water Challenge (GWC) for a discussion about the WASH Sustainability Charter. The Charter is a document that has been endorsed by nearly 100 organizations in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector as a set of guiding principles for sustainable programs. Brian discussed the steps the GWC took to create the Sustainability Charter and win signatures, the successes of the charter, and what lessons the development community can learn from this experience.

View the presentation slides here. Listen to the training recording here.

Training Summary

Globally, nearly 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and more than 2.5 billion do not have access to a toilet. While much progress had been made meeting these critical global needs, ensuring that projects last long-term has been challenging:

  • Approximately 30% of all hand-pumps installed in Sub-Saharan Africa have failed prematurely.
  • Over the last 20 years, over 180,000 hand pumps installed in Sub-Saharan Africa have failed  pre­maturely, representing a total failed investment of between $1.2 and $1.5 billion
  • If every hand pump installed in Africa in the past 20 years still worked, nearly 70 million more people would have access to water.
  • Less than 5% of projects are visited after project completion, and far less than 1% have any longer-term monitoring.

WASH Sector

The WASH sector is made up of a broad range of organizations including donors such as the Hilton Foundation, implementers like CARE and WATERAid, and local NGOs like CREPA, Nepal Water for Health, and Kenya’s Water Services Trust Fund, among other stakeholders.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services are critical to achieve success in international development. Sustainable WASH projects lay the groundwork for improvements in economic development, education, environmental conservation, human health, nutrition, international security and women’s empowerment.

What is the GWC?

Coalition of corporations, NGOs and other stakeholders committed to achieving universal access to WASH.

What is sustainability?

Lasting service provision; ensuring the long-term return on investment for a WASH project.

Developing the Charter

The development of this Charter was initiated at a series of WASH Sustainability Forums hosted in Washington, DC. The first event was hosted in January 2011 and consisted of 50 different WASH stakeholders and 90 individual participants. The purpose was to bring donors and implementers into the sustainability conversation, identify best practices of sustainability, and build consensus around key elements of sustainability and establish charter of principles.

From the collaborative work at these events, a draft Charter was created. Following several rounds of wide public feedback, the final document has now been launched. To date, close to 100 organizations have endorsed the Charter.

The final document is:

  • Open source. It is developed by the sector, for the sector. Rather than one organization, over 100 organizations have contributed to the document.
  • Brought to life by endorsers. It is endorsers that put the Charter into practice that transform this charter from a document into a powerful force for changing the way we, as a sector, do business. The Charter is an aspirational document, not a governing one.  It will not be directly monitored or enforced. However, it is intended that WASH stakeholders will encourage and assist each other in applying the Charter’s principles, and ultimately, in improving the sustainability of WASH services around the world.
  • A value-add for all. The Charter was developed to be applicable wherever you are on the sustainability spectrum. Also, it has been developed to apply whether you focus on water, sanitation, or hygiene education.
  • Agreed upon best practices. The principles in the Charter carry authority, as they represent the combined learnings and experience of the sector as a whole.
  • Strengthened by broad endorsement. The universality of the document advances its role as a common platform for progress. The fact that it has over 150 endorsements cements its value as a valuable common language and universal framework.

The Charter is made up of 16 principles among 5 areas:

  1. Strategy and Planning
  2. Governance and Accountability
  3. Service Delivery Support
  4. Financial Management
  5. Reporting and Knowledge Sharing

Read the complete Charter here.

From a Document to a Movement

As a result of the Charter, the sector has come together to support other sustainability initiatives including the WASH Sustainability Webinar Series, a sector-wide survey, and more. Learn more here.

Lessons for Other Sectors

In creating the Charter, the WASH community looked to other sectors for ideas and resources. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use these tips to develop your own sector-wide best practices:

  • Start talking with your peers to “build buzz”
  • Don’t worry about the details
  • Start small, both in size and scope
  • Find the specific need to address
  • Engage peers throughout the process

Have additional questions? Feel free to contact Brian Banks at the Global Water Challenge at Brian.Banks@globalwaterchallenge.org.

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Bonus Day How-To From a Bonus Day Winner

Posted by Alexis Nadin on May 7th, 2012

I am excited to share a guest post by Marshall Bailly, the Executive Director of Leadership Initiatives, a longtime GlobalGiving partner. Marshall and his team have raised over $50,000 through GlobalGiving matching campaigns. In 2011, Leadership Initiatives’ project came in first place in the June Bonus Day, raising over $28,000 in one day!
—————

Dear GlobalGiving Leaders,

Alexis has asked Leadership Initiatives to present a brief how-to manual for Bonus Days. Below is what I hope is a simple and succinct how-to manual on how we have raised over $50,000 on Bonus Days over the past two and a half years.

We have provided examples where we could and ask that you use them as templates for your own bonus day goals. Please do not copy them directly.

1. Contact your donors several months ahead of time to update their contact information and thank them for their previous support. Leadership Initiatives does not even mention the Bonus Day in this first email. We use it simply to reconnect with our donors and update their information. An example this email can be seen here.

2. Create a committee of committed supporters/staff to help coordinate efforts for the Bonus Day. By bringing in more people as leaders, you are asking others to become more involved in your organization. When they do take on a leadership role, they feel more responsible for making the matching day a success.
With this committee, create firm goals for what you as an organization would like to achieve on this matching day. An example of LI’s goals are located here.

Typical goals should include: the creation of a donor captain team (more on that below), how many donors you would like to reach out to, what your financial goal for the event will be, and how your organization would like to grow from the event.

3. Create a donor captain team. Last year, LI received donations from over 130 people on Bonus Day because we had 10 donation captains each in charge of getting at least 10 people to donate. This allows you to spread the burden of finding so many donors while bringing new people into the organization and allowing them to take a leadership role and become part of the team. LI has each donor captain take a personal goal of at least 10 and we work with them on a financial goal of between 100 and 2000 dollars.

4. Leadership Initiatives also reaches out to clubs and groups to help solicit donations. We recommend you look to college, high school or community groups who support what you do to increase support for the Bonus Day, often times they will take on the role of a donor captain and pledge at least 10 donors.

5. Advertise and build up local, in-country support for the matching day and then showcase that support to your US or UK supporters. Leadership Initiatives has been explaining Bonus Day to our team and supporters on the ground in Nigeria for almost three years now and they are astonished and touched that GlobalGiving offers Bonus Days.

While the $10 minimum donation is often a problem for our in-country donors, we have worked with small groups of on-the-ground donors who create “donation groups” and pledge $10 to $20 in their own currency for the event. Our staff on the ground has been phenomenal about finding local supporters who have paypal accounts and in exchange for the $10 to $20 in their local currency will send paypal money to newly created paypal accounts for each donation group, who in turn donate on matching days.

This allows our team on the ground to energize local supporters and donors and create a community experience. LI often holds paypal sign up days twice before a matching day and holds a massive donation drive the day of the event.

LI also showcases this local support to potential donors in the US/UK highlighting to them the commitment and affect LI is having on the ground. LI donors have said they have doubled or even tripled their expected donation amount because of how touched they have been when reading about this in LI newsletters or Bonus Day emails or speaking with our supports on the ground through skype.

6. Two to one month before the event, LI sends out a letter or email detailing the event our goals for it to potential donors. In the letter format, LI often includes a physical item such as a magnet that holds the event details and will be a constant reminder to the potential donor about the event. Please see this letter as an example and this jpeg of our magnet as an example of our physical reminder.

7. One week before the event, send a more informative email reminding everyone how important the event is. Include specific goals and what you will be able to accomplish if you achieve these goals. Please see this letter as an example.

8. The day of the event, send out one more email around 9 or 10 am EST as a gentle reminder to your donor captains to follow up with their pledged donors. LI also sends the names of people who have donated to our donation captains so they can confirm the people that pledged donations to them have donated.

9. Always send thank you emails showcasing the importance of your supporters’ donations and sharing what you have achieved as a community. This bridges the gap between your supporters, your program/project participants and their locally community supporters. See this letter as an example. This way you will have continued donation support for years to come.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at mbailly@leadershipinitiatives.org.

Wishing you the absolute best this matching day!

Marshall

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Partner Rewards Bonus Day – June 13th!

Posted by Alexis Nadin on May 1st, 2012

GlobalGiving is going to be hosting our second Bonus Day of the year on June 13th! Starting at 12:01 am EDT on June 13th, GlobalGiving will match online donations made to your project(s) based on your Partner Rewards level.

The matching percentages are as follows:

  • All organizations ranked as Partner will have their donations matched at 30%.
  • All organizations ranked as Leader will have their donations matched at 40%.
  • All organizations ranked as Superstar will have their donations matched at 50%.

Any questions regarding your Partner Rewards level must be received by GlobalGiving no later than June 4th! All matching will be calculated in real time. Partner Rewards levels are reset at 8am every day. If your level changes on Bonus Day, the matches will reflect what your Partner Rewards level is at the time of the donation. Be sure that your Partner Rewards level is secure for the duration of Bonus Day on the 13th.

What are the terms for Bonus Day?

  • Bonus Day begins at 12:01 am EDT on June 13, 2012.
  • There is $75,000 in matching funds. Once funds have been depleted, no more donations will be matched.
  • GlobalGiving will match up until $1,000 per donor until matching funds run out;
  • The organization that raises the most funds on Bonus Day will receive an additional $1,000 from GlobalGiving.
  • The organization that has the most unique donors on Bonus Day will receive an additional $1,000 from GlobalGiving.
  • Projects must be approved and live on the GlobalGiving.org website by June 11th  to be eligible;
  • Projects participating in the June Invitational Challenge are NOT eligible for Bonus Day
  • Only online donations (credit card or PayPal) are eligible for matching. Donations made by check or text-to-give are not eligible;
  • Donations made on www.globalgiving.co.uk or any GlobalGiving sites (including Nike, Eli Lilly, Global Action Atlas, etc) are NOT eligible for matching.
  • We encourage you to get donations in early, because matching funds will likely run out before the end of the day.
  • Unique donors are determined using numerous criteria, including name, email address, credit card number, mailing address, and IP address. We are monitoring these and other parameters in our system to ensure that only unique, distinct donors are counted towards the donor bonus award.
  • Please note that GlobalGiving maintains the right to make a final decision on all matters concerning bonus awards and matching.

How do I check my partner rewards level?

Simply log in as a project leader, and go to the dashboard. You can access it by clicking the “project entry (PE)” link in the upper right hand corner. This is where you can see your projects, reports, and most importantly, the Rewards Level.

To learn more about why you are a certain partner level, click on the “Reward Level” link at the top.

Once here, you should see the different sub-categories on which we base the Partner Rewards levels. Your overall level is based on the lowest level reflected here. If you are a partner in any one category, you will be at partner level. For example, this organization is leader level for the amount in donations, partner level in quarterly donations, and superstar level for total donors. This organization’s rewards level is Partner.

The right column explains how each sub-category is scored and what your organization would need to do in order to reach the next level. As we expect to have a lot of interest in increasing partner levels ahead of the Challenge, any questions you have about your partner level must be received by GlobalGiving no later than June 4th!

How can you increase your Reward Level?

First, find out which sub-categories your organization is listed as “Partner” or “Leader” and work to become a Superstar! All Rewards Levels are based on the lowest Level in the sub-categories. If you are a Partner in any of them, you will be a Partner on the site. All sub-categories need to be Superstars for you to be a Superstar.

Now, work to increase your Rewards Level!

  • If your organization is a partner at reporting every three months, look at which project needs a report and write one. This can even be about the upcoming Bonus Day!
  • If you need more unique donors or donation volume, start a campaign now to get some unique donors and then you can let them know about Bonus Day in a few months. The Mother’s Day Tribute Card Campaign is a great way to get new donors and raise funds.
  • Remember to contact GlobalGiving will all of your questions no later than June 4th!

Please direct any questions regarding the Bonus Day to Sonja at slehner@globalgiving.org. Questions regarding your Partner Rewards Level can be sent to projecthelp@globalgiving.org.

Stay tuned for another blog post about strategizing for Bonus Day, written by Marshall Bailly of Leadership Initiatives!

Posted in Campaigns, Fundraising Tips, GlobalGiving, GlobalGiving Tips | No Comments »

Mother’s Day Tribute Card Campaign

Posted by Alexis Nadin on April 9th, 2012

GlobalGiving’s Mother’s Day Tribute Card Campaign kicks off at 12:01 am EDT on May 1, 2012. GlobalGiving is offering $500 prizes to each of the top 10 projects with the most donors who make donations as gifts. Your project only needs 10 donors to qualify for a bonus prize. Take advantage of this popular holiday and fundraising promotion to drive more donations to your project!

How does it work?

Donors can make a donation as a gift to a friend or family member on your project on www.globalgiving.org by selecting the third giving option, “gift or in honor of,” under the orange donate button on the project page. GlobalGiving will send the gift recipient an email, print-at-home, or physical card. We offer several fun card designs and we give your donors the option to choose a design customized for your project, using your project’s main photo (this option is available for email and print-at-home cards).

The Tribute Card Campaign gives your donors an extra incentive to give to your project(s) during the first two weeks of May. A donation to your project is a fantastic (and easy) gift for Mom on Mother’s Day! It is also a great way to help your organization win an extra $500 in spending money for your programs. What donor doesn’t like to get extra value for their donation?

Terms and Conditions

  • $500 will be awarded to each of the top 10 projects with the most unique donors who make donations as gifts.
  • A project must have at least 10 unique tribute card donors to be eligible for bonus awards;
  • The campaign will begin on Tuesday, May 1 at 12:01 am EDT and will end on Sunday, May 13, 2012 at 11:59 pm EDT.
  • Paper cards, print-at-home cards, and e-cards are all eligible to be included in the campaign.
  • Donations made on www.globalgiving.co.uk or any GlobalGiving corporate sites (including Nike, Global Action Atlas, etc) are NOT eligible for this campaign.
  • Only permanent GlobalGiving partners (not those participating in the Monthly Invitational) are eligible for this campaign.
  • Projects must be live on the GlobalGiving site by 5 pm EDT on Monday, April 30, 2012 to be included in this campaign.
  • Only online donations will qualify for this campaign; no check donations will be accepted.
  • Unique donors are determined using numerous criteria, including name, email address, credit card number, mailing address, and IP address. We are monitoring these and other parameters in our system to ensure that only unique, distinct donors are counted towards the threshold.
  • Please note that GlobalGiving maintains the right to make a final decision on all matters concerning the adjudication of unique donors and final results of campaign.

Tips for Promoting your Projects

As always, we encourage you to use project reports, email newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to spread the word about this campaign! Donors won’t give unless you ask. Here are some tips to help you craft your communications:

  1. 1. Share a direct link to the “gift or in-honor-of” tab on your project page.  Donors give when it’s easy. Include the direct link in all of your emails, project reports, and social media messages. Here’s how you create the direct link to the “gift” option:
  2. [Project URL] + ?show=gift
  4. See an example of the direct link here: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/empowerment-of-teenage-mothers/?show=gift.
  1. 2. Market this campaign as a “last minute gift idea” for Mom! This campaign starts just 12 days before Mother’s Day. Remind your supporters that GlobalGiving offers e-cards and print-at-home cards, making a donation to your project the perfect last-minute Mother’s Day gift!
  2. 3. Give your supporters specific gift options–$50 provides a microloan to a woman in Uganda or $40 provides one year of school for a child in India. This makes it easy for your donors to decide what to give Mom!
  3. 4.  Encourage moms to ASK for a donation to your project as a gift for Mother’s Day! Ok, so your supporters have already made donations to your project as gifts. But, have they asked their family and friends for a donation as a gift for Mother’s Day? This is an easy way for your supporters to help you spread the word and mobilize more donors for this campaign!
  4. 5. Share a story and a photo of a child, woman, or furry friend that will benefit from this Mother’s Day gift.
  5. 6. Remind your donors about the added value of making a donation during this campaign—a $500 bonus awards for your organization! Tell your supporters exactly what you could accomplish if you qualify as one of the 10 winners of this campaign. Could you put another child through school? Could you save another acre of rainforest? Whatever it is, let your donors know!

Posted in Campaigns, GlobalGiving, GlobalGiving Tips | Comments Off

Starting Conversations with Twitter

Posted by kellis on April 3rd, 2012

 

On Wednesday, March 21, GlobalGiving hosted a webinar for our Project Leaders on how to effectively engage their audiences on Twitter. If you weren’t able to attend, you can listen to the recording here and find the slides here for Beginner and here for Intermediate. Check out a summary on our training below!

Twitter is a tool for individuals, organizations, and businesses to connect with each other through simple, 140-character messages called Tweets. Currently, there are over 100 million users who send over 250 million Tweets per day.


How do I join Twitter?


Why should I use Twitter?

Twitter offers a simple, easy way to connect with hundreds, if not thousands of users across the Twittersphere. Since there is no barrier to following users, you’re free to listen and engage in conversations with anyone you’d like. You don’t have to worry about joining the right group or being asked to help plant a row of vegetables in someone’s virtual garden; instead, you jump in and start participating in the conversation. Once you’ve established your Twitter account and after you’ve started following some of the users you’d like to hear, you’ll find that it’s a great way to get to know people. Since Twitter truly encourages authenticity, you’ll forge new connections and be able to bring existing relationships to a different platform.

What can Twitter do for my organization?

Twitter offers a variety of services of which organizations can take advantage. Because of its instantaneous nature, it provides a way to receive immediate feedback. Since users enjoy Twitter’s friendly way of delivering content, it also offers an avenue for driving traffic to your project, promoting details about your work, and raising awareness about specific campaigns. Once you find out who is engaging with you on Twitter, you can also glean more information about your target audience and direct more appropriate content towards them.

How is Twitter different than Facebook?

Simply having a Facebook account can seem overwhelming at times, especially with the onslaught of page changes that have occurred over the past several months. Twitter offers a more immediate way of communicating with your followers in a quick, pithy format. Since the lifespan of Tweets tend to be much shorter at under an hour than Facebook posts (24 – 48 hours), it’s beneficial to Tweet timely, up-to-date information about your organization and other relevant information about your field. It also serves as a great way to search for existing conversations about your organization, as well as involve you in other conversations in your area of expertise. For example, common hashtags and search functions include #philanthropy and #nonprofit, immediately introducing you to other people who care about the same issues you do.


Twitter-pedia:

  • Tweet: The name of the message you send out, 140 characters or less
  • Follower: A person who had chosen to read your tweets on an ongoing basis
  • Reply or @: The @ symbol means you’re talking to or about someone. If you start a tweet with someone’s Twitter handle, it only appears to your mutual followers.
  • Direct Message or DM: A private message between two users. You can only send DMs to users who are following you.
  • Retweet or RT: The act of repeating what someone else has tweeted so that your followers can see it
  • Hashtag or #: Start with the symbol “#”. It is a theme for the tweet that allows all similar tweets to be searched.
  • Links: Tweets are tight on space, so Twitter auto-shortens links. You can also use services like Bit.ly to shorten links and track clicks.


Twitter etiquette:

Not only does Twitter have its own vocabulary, it has a specific set of guidelines of etiquette to encourage positive, constructive interactions:

  • Try to keep your tweets at 120 characters or fewer: Since Tweets are limited to 140 characters, this will encourage more retweets if users don’t have to edit down your content to share.
  • Don’t only tweet about yourself: It’s like showing up to a party and listening to someone talk only about themselves; it doesn’t make for very good conversation, right? On Twitter, it’s helpful to share updates about your peers, about key information in your field, and about details that share valuable insight into who you are as an organization.
  • Don’t just be in it for the numbers: While it may be intimidating to start out with just a few followers, active engagement and good conversation will keep them coming. You would rather have 250 highly engaged followers than 1,000 followers who never tweet back at you.
  • Be consistent and be part of the conversation: Social media can seem to be a very time consuming activity! If you only have five hours a week you can spend on social media, you should instead spend an hour a day staying involved on Twitter instead of lumping the five hours on one day. It will be easier for you to monitor mentions of your organization, encourage conversation about your organization, and stay on top of timely news and current subjects.
  • Be proud of yourself, but be proud of other people too: Congratulations! Did something great just happen for your organization? Shout it from the rooftops, and tweet proudly about your accomplishment! By the same token, share accolades freely about your peers or similar organizations who do something great too. It feels good when others share your successes, so be sure to do the same thing for others. It will also make them more likely to share your successes when it’s your time to shine.
  • Don’t spam your followers or other users: A no-spam policy is a healthy approach to all forms of online interaction. People don’t want to feel like they’re being used, and it’s an easy way to break down trust between users.
  • Be authentic!: You are unique and you are wonderful in your individuality. Figure out what makes you “you,” and share that with the world. People will respond better when they feel like you’re being genuine, so shine on and be authentic.

Maximizing your Twitter account:

Now that you have a Twitter account, make the most of it. Tweet frequently, between five and ten times a day, and stick to a routine. This will help establish a stronger presence for your account. You’ll also want to consider the type of information you’re going to share. The Twittersphere responds better to quality information, like project updates, timely organizational news, photos, and articles. These types of tweets tend to be retweeted more often, and they’re likely to engage your followers more strongly. You should also tweet with purpose. This means using calls to action strategically to avoid fatigue, but Twitter users do enjoy having their opinion counting. Ask questions of your audience – poll them for thoughts and use it as an opportunity to gain quick feedback from your base. You should also follow key players in your field, and retweet accordingly. This will help show your thought leadership and promote engagement with other organizations and users you respect.

Develop a strategy:

While it’s easy to sit down at your laptop at start tweeting, it helps to have a framework in mind before you go at it. Figure out what it is you want to accomplish, and set goals accordingly. Make sure you consider your target audience and who it is you want to reach when making these decisions. Decide which staff members or volunteers will be Tweeting from your account and monitoring your online presence so you aren’t left wondering who is paying attention. It’s also helpful to try and figure out how you’ll respond to feedback ahead of time to avoid scrambling when someone may have some constructive criticism for your organization.

But what about fundraising?

Being on Twitter doesn’t necessarily mean people will donate to your project, but it does mean that you have a new tool to start a relationship with potential donors. Twitter is as simple as having a conversation. The more you authentically connect with other users, the more people will listen to you. The more people listen to you, the more people will trust you, and this is what leads to donations. Not only will you be a part of the conversation, you’ll be helping drive it.

Have any questions?

Let us know! We’d be happy to hear from you.

Twitter: @GlobalGiving
Email:  KC Ellis at kellis@globalgiving.org
Phone: 202-330-4042

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How to make a high-quality video on a shoestring budget

Posted by Alexis Nadin on March 15th, 2012

In preparation for GlobalGiving’s Video Contest in February (see the winners here), the team from the What Took You So Long Foundation joined us in hosting trainings for GlobalGiving’s partners on how to create a high-quality video on a shoestring budget.  Below, Philippa Young, Director, Writer, and Co-Producer for the What Took You So Long Foundation shares some wonderful insights into the film-making process.

Telling tales of the creative process

There is both huge demand and incredible potential for telling the stories of non-profits and the important issues they work on through film and video. Distilling complex stories into a simple message in under five minutes, however, can be a daunting task.

Just like writing this post, it’s impossible to say it all. Video is not the same as writing a report or essay on a subject and being selective is half the battle. Leaving room for creating mood and tone through image, sound and music, is just as important as the best interview.

Advice from top filmmakers and development experts

Award-winning filmmaker and Africanist Aaron Kohn: “my top three pet peeves with fundraising videos are too much text, shaky video, and audio recorded on some busy street.”

New York based Director David Newhoff: “I’m not a fan of sound bites in which people say very generic things, so that if I close my eyes I wouldn’t know what organization this is.”

What Took You So Long Director Alicia Sully: “I like to see faces, so make sure that the subject isn’t too far away. Be clear with your style and use both wide and close-up shots in your B-roll and scene setting.”

Global Giving UK, Learning and Support Manager Seth Reynolds: “Keep it short and sweet. Online videos shouldn’t be much longer than three minutes, otherwise viewers just flick.”

Creative Process

The most exciting thing about film and video is the countless ways to be creative and innovative with the medium. There’s no single “correct” way, and everything to be gained from hacking the following advice. But just to get you started on your filmmaking journey…

TALK..

…to someone creative who is not familiar with your organization’s work, someone who isn’t a part of your team. Explaining your story to this person so that they fully understand will help you clarify what you want to say. This person’s creative interpretation and questions will help you see the story from new angles.

WRITE..

…a single, simple message, and illustrate it with an example. Remember that an engaging story uses more than just interviews.

Five important questions to ask during the writing process:

1) Who is your audience? what do they already know?

2) What visuals of the people/country/organisation would set the scene?

3) What visual action will illustrate the issue and solutions being worked on?

4) What words can be shown in visual form? Film does a great job of telling the audience two things at once. The images used in context to the voices can expand or provide counter-point.

5) Does your story come full circle, or pose a question to the viewer?

DRAW..

…a simple storyboard on a piece of A4 paper. This will map out the story’s progression, and show you how much space you are using for interviews and visuals, plus continuity of style and content. A story flows from one point to the next, with a clear beginning, middle and conclusion. Drawing this out will help the team visualize the story, agree on what needs to be shot, and make the editing process simpler.

REMEMBER TO…

1) Wherever possible, let voices from the local population tell their own story, in their own words.

2) Look for what is unique in your organization’s work and be creative. As the volume of communication grows, the bar will continue to rise for what is considered a competent and interesting video.

3) Watch lots of videos with your team, noting down which elements you like, and those you don’t like.

Technical tips for recording interviews

THE SUBJECT

1) Ask your subject to be patient – you want to make sure that the interview is of high quality and they look superb. They may have to move a few times so that the background or lighting works perfectly.

2) Put the subject at ease. It can be nerve-wracking being in front of the camera, so a sense of humor and conversation outside of the subject can help.

3) If language is an issue, make sure you have a good interpreter, and remember to add subtitles in the editing process.

LIGHT

1) Better lighting means a better image on the camera. Be careful not to position a bright light behind the subject as it will cause everything else in the frame to turn dark.

2) A side light on your subject can work well, especially if it hits the eyes. In the absence of a reflector, a white board can do this by bouncing light toward the subject.

3) Video cameras do not like stripes, and black and white are such extreme differences they are best avoided. It’s best if you surround yourself with a variety of tones and complementary colors.

SOUND

1) Use a microphone! Or place the camera very close to the subject so the internal mic is also close.

2) Record interviews in the quietest place possible, turning off air-conditioning units, closing windows, and staying away from busy roads, or groups of other people.

3) Use headphones during the interview to make sure you don’t hear anything you shouldn’t, such as a neighbor hammering the wall, your subject tapping his foot on the ground, a battery that needs to be changed, etc.

FRAME

1) Keep the camera steady. You don’t need an expensive tripod, just something to rest the camera on that won’t move or wobble.

2) The background is best if it’s not too boring (a white wall), but not too distracting (a kitchen). Depth is the best thing to aim to achieve.

3) Construct your picture like a painting – if your subject is wearing a dark sweater place them in front of a lighter background so that they stand out. If there is a plant behind them make sure it’s not “growing” out of their head.

ADVICE FOR INTERVIEWER

1) Explain to your subject that interviewer and interviewee should not speak at the same time and that there’s no rush, so taking time to think about the question is fine.

2) Ask the subject to answer in complete sentences. For example if you ask “Do you enjoy elephants?” They should say “I love elephants.” not “Yes.”

3) Listen to what they say and ask follow up questions so that the result is more of a conversation than a Q&A.

4) Smile as appropriate, but don’t hesitate. It’s very encouraging to see someone smile!

Finally, it doesn’t work to make the story something it isn’t. Audiences are smart and will see straight through glossy PR rhetoric. Documentary-style filming means listening to the story you capture, whether it’s planned or not and going with it.

Posted in Fundraising Tips, Social Media Tips | Comments Off

Free Web Design for GlobalGiving Partners

Posted by Alexis Nadin on March 6th, 2012

GlobalGiving is excited to announce a new partnership with visual arts classes at Kennesaw State University. Students in participating classes will design up to four websites for GlobalGiving’s current partners at the end of 2012. 

This will be the third year that students from Kennesaw State have built websites for non-profits around the world. Take a look at some websites that have been designed by students in the past:

GlobalGiving is working closely with Professor Lin Hightower to identify up to four organizations that are partners in good standing with GlobalGiving and have a genuine need for redesigning their website.

Eligible organizations will have:

  • Active project(s) on www.globalgiving.org, up-to-date due diligence, and quarterly project reports;
  • A reasonable need for website design (e.g. no current website, out-dated or ineffective website, new organization branding, etc.);
  • The ability to commit to at least one skype call with student designers and regular email communication; and
  • A comprehensive plan for a new website.

Qualified organizations will be invited to submit a lengthy application form including detailed content for the website, high resolution photos, staff and contact information, domain names, and more. Take a look at the application to get a sense for what information is required.

Of the organizations that apply, four will be selected to work closely with a small team of student editors to build or redesign a website for the organization during the months of September, October, November, and December. This design process will take place during the students’ fall 2012 semester. This is a graded assignment for the students. Web sites may not be finalized until spring 2013.

Interested? Complete this simple expression of interest form by Friday, March 23rd. Qualified organizations will be invited to submit a complete application form by Friday, April 20th.

A special thanks to Professors Lin Hightower, Carole Maugé-Lewis, and Kristine Hwang for working with their students to offer this fantastic opportunity to our non-profit partners!

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The New Disbursement Manager – Part 3

Posted by Alexis Nadin on March 2nd, 2012

In response to your requests for a more transparent and easy to navigate disbursement process, GlobalGiving is excited to launch a beta version of a disbursement manager in the project entry system! Our finance and tech teams have been working for months to get your organization all of your past disbursement information in one, easy to use page in the project entry system.

Check it out! You can access your organization’s new disbursement manager by logging into the project entry system. From the dashboard, click on “View Disbursements” to the left of the calendar.

In the Disbursement Manager, you can find the following information about your past disbursements:

1. Dates:  We tell you when disbursements were sent and the date through which donations were received for particular disbursements.

2. Amounts:  We give you the net total amount disbursed. This amount does take into account GlobalGiving’s fee and any bonus awards that your organization has received. It does not comprise currency conversion or wire transfer fees.

3. Exceptional disbursements:  In urgent cases, such as disaster situations, GlobalGiving makes exceptional disbursements to our partners. We make it easy for your to manage your exceptional disbursements in the Disbursement Manager.

4. Re-sent disbursements: Occasionally, funds are returned to GlobalGiving if we do not have the correct account information. We tell you when disbursements are being resent and the total value of the resent amount. Please note that we do not remove the original disbursement from the manager. This means that two disbursements of the same amount may appear twice. In the example provided below, a disbursement was made to Leonard for Puppies on December 22, 2011 for $17,547.20. This disbursement was later returned to us and resent on January 9, 2012. Although the disbursement appears twice on the Disbursement Manager, the organization only received that disbursement amount once.

Click on each disbursement to see:

  • the breakdown of the disbursement between projects,
  • the original disbursement email,
  • and to download the disbursement report.

Please note that disbursement reports are currently only available since March 2011. Disbursement reports are also not available for exception disbursements and resent disbursements.

The disbursement manager is still in beta, which means we’re still working out some kinks. We’d love to hear your feedback. Email us at projecthelp@globalgiving.org to let us know if you have any trouble using this new section of our site or if you encounter any errors in the data.

What’s Next?

In addition to launching the new disbursement manager, GlobalGiving will soon be switching to a weekly donation reconciliation process. This means that instead of reconciling donations—applying fees, reconciling gift card donations, etc.—every month, we will be managing this process on a weekly basis. So how does this help you, our partners? Well, by reconciling donations more often, we will be able to get donations out the door sooner. So, in the next couple of months, GlobalGiving will be working to get disbursements out 10 days earlier, by the 15th of the month! Exciting, right?

And we’re not stopping there. Throughout 2012, our tech team is going to continue to work to get more information about disbursements up on the website. We want to be able to tell you what money you’ve received, when you received it, and, eventually, we’ll be able to tell you how much money is pending disbursement in real time. This means that we’ll be working to make improvements to the new disbursement manager and the donation manager in the project entry system. Stay tuned for more developments!

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Your Disbursement Questions Answered – Part 2

Posted by Alexis Nadin on March 1st, 2012

Every month we get dozens of questions from our partners around the world about our disbursement process. Below we’ve provided answers to frequently asked questions.

How long will it take to receive my disbursement?

GlobalGiving disburses funds at the end of the month after donations are received. So, if a donation is made in January, it will be disbursed at the end of February. Our disbursement team aims to get funds out the door by the 25th of the month, although sometimes it takes a few days less or more.

We are only able to disburse to international organizations after $250 or more has been raised, after GlobalGiving’s 15% fee has been applied. This is designed to reduce the overall cost of wire fees and because of the limitations placed on us by FXecute.

Depending on your disbursement method, it can take up to 15 days to receive funds in your account. Here are the maximum delivery times for all 4 disbursement methods:

  • ACH:  It should take 1-3 business days for funds to reach your account.
  • Checks: Checks should arrive within 1-5 days business days after being sent.
  • FXecute: It can take up to 2 weeks to receive your disbursement via FXecute, particularly if you are receiving an FXecute disbursement for the first time. Once the disbursement leaves our office there’s nothing that we can do to speed up the time it arrives in your account. If your funds are not received within 15 days of disbursement, GlobalGiving will work with you to investigate.
  • Wire:  It can take up to 2 weeks to receive your disbursement via international wire. Once the disbursement leaves our office there’s nothing that we can do to speed up the time it arrives in your account. If your funds are not received within 15 days of disbursement, GlobalGiving will work with you to investigate.

Why do wire transfers and FXecute disbursements take so long?

Unfortunately, once disbursements leave GlobalGiving’s account, we don’t have very much control over the funds. In the case of FXecute, the company needs to process each individual disbursement, converting funds into local currencies, and disbursing to bank accounts throughout the world. Once the funds reach your bank, your bank needs to credit the money to your account.

As for international wire, the funds are transferred through one or more intermediary banks before reaching your bank overseas. Often the longest delay is with your bank’s wire department posting the funds to your account.  In both cases, other institutions need to be involved in processing funds before they reach you.

I haven’t received any money, where is my disbursement?

Generally, when our partners haven’t received a disbursement is it because 1) we did not have all of the information that we needed to properly process the disbursement; 2) your organization did not have any pending donations; or 3) the funds have not reached your account yet. If you have not received your disbursement, please

  1. 1. Look in the project entry system to make sure that you have pending funds. Remember, GlobalGiving disburses donations the month after they are received. Did you receive donations last month? If you are registered outside of the U.S., have you raised a net amount of $250 or more? How to access the donation manager.
  2. 2. Verify that the disbursement information that you provided in the project entry system is correct. Take a look to make sure that the bank account name and number are accurate and that you have provided any other required information. If you are using FXecute, GlobalGiving may require additional information depending on the country of your bank account. How to edit your disbursement information in the project entry system.
  3. 3. Make sure that you have given the funds enough time to reach your account. It can take up to 15 days for a disbursement to reach your bank account. Please see above for more information about the time it takes to receive disbursements.

After you have taken these steps, if you still not received your disbursement, please reach out to us. We would be happy to run a trace on your disbursement to understand why the disbursement has not reached your account.

How will my disbursement appear in my bank account?

Depending on your disbursement method, your disbursement from GlobalGiving may appear as any one of the following:

  • ACH: Global Inc. or GlobalGiving
  • Wire: GlobalGiving, Global Inc., or International Wire
  • FXecute: Global Inc, INTL, or International Assets

How do I change my disbursement method?

You are welcome to change your organization’s disbursement information at anytime via the organization manager in the project entry system. See screen steps here. Always remember to “save and submit.”

Please note that GlobalGiving is only able to disburse funds to the bank account of the organization that we have vetted, except for in rare cases when individuals have signed grant agreements.

I did not receive my disbursement report at the same time as my disbursement, why is that?

Disbursement reports are sent a few days after disbursements leave our office. Depending on your organization’s disbursement method (check, wire, etc.), you may receive your disbursement report just before or after your disbursement. The reports take additional time to compile and are sent using an external email provider.

There is no way for us to time the report with the arrival of the funds in your account, although we are working on staggering reports based on disbursement method to reduce confusion.

Why doesn’t my disbursement report match my donation manager?

Right now, the donation amount indicated on your donation manager in the project entry system is the total gross donation amount for all time. It may differ from the amount that appears on your disbursement report for the following reasons:

  1. 1. Fees: Currently, fees are not taken into account on the donation manager. Fees can vary by donation. GlobalGiving’s standard fee is 15% but we give donors the option to “add-on” the fee to their donation. In addition, GlobalGiving’s corporate partners often underwrite some or the entire fee. The fee percentage will be indicated for each donation on your disbursement report.
  2. 2. Matching funds and bonus awards: Matching funds and bonus awards from GlobalGiving’s fundraising campaigns and corporate promotions are not included on your donation manager in the project entry system. These funds are itemized in the disbursement report.
  3. 3. GlobalGiving UK donations: Donations made through GlobalGiving’s sister site, GlobalGiving UK are disbursed separately by GlobalGiving UK. These donations will not appear in the disbursement report.
  4. Mobile giving: Recently, GlobalGiving launched mobile giving for all projects on www.globalgiving.org. Although mobile donations appear almost instantly in your donation manager, it can take up to 3 months for those donations to reach you. Learn more about mobile giving here.

When can I expect to receive donations made to my organization through GlobalGIving UK?

All donations made in British pounds through GlobalGiving UK will be disbursed separately by GlobalGiving UK. For more information about the GlobalGiving UK disbursement process, please contact Zdravka Mihaljevic at zmihaljevic@globalgiving.co.uk.

What are FirstGiving and MissionFish donations?

MissionFish allows eBay sellers to give proceeds from their sales to a favorite nonprofit. FirstGiving is website designed for individuals to fundraise for non-profits. GlobalGiving works with both of these organizations to get additional donations for your projects. It may take several months to receive, process, and post donation information about funds received from MissionFish or FirstGiving. You should receive donations from MissionFish and FirstGiving the month after the donations appear in your donation manager.

What happens if a donor reverses a donation after I receive my disbursement?

Occasionally, donors will reverse donations made via GlobalGiving after we have disbursed the donation. In these cases, we do not require that our partners return funds to GlobalGiving, but the project does go into a deficit until the reversed donation is made up. For example, if a $50 donation is reversed after the disbursement goes out, GlobalGiving will withhold $50 from the next disbursement.

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