STARTING A PLANNED GIVING PROGRAM

Why Planned Giving?

Planned giving provides a way to help donors to potentially make the largest gift possible through a combination of cash, a planned gift during their lifetime and a gift through their estate.

1/ Philanthropic Basis

Planned giving allows donors to express themselves:

• give a statement of hopes, dreams and values
• express love or give a memorial for someone else
• declare what is significant in a donors life
• give expression to how a donor wants to be remembered

• Your Heirs
• Tax (Government Directed Social Capital)
• Charity (Self-Directed Social Capital)

• Receive a stream of income
• Reduce federal income taxes
• Avoid capital gains taxes
• Receive a higher rate of return than current investments
• Avoid Ontario probate fees
• Help plan for retirement

Planned Giving Vehicles

A charity should decide what types of planned gifts it will solicit and accept. The planned giving vehicles are listed below, generally in order of complexity:

Wills provide the opportunity to make a gift from the donor's estate. A donation receipt is issued when the bequest is received, reducing taxes payable from the estate. The charity should be prepared to advise the donor how to word the bequest and where specific bequests can be directed.

Charitable Life Insurance can be either an existing policy that the donor no longer requires or a new insurance policy where the charity is named the owner or both the owner and beneficiary. An income tax receipt is issued for the cash value of existing policies and for all premiums paid after the policy ownership is turned over to the charity. Life insurance can be used to substantially increase the value of a gift from a donor or to make a gift without reducing the value of the donor's estate.

Gifts of Securities involve the donation of bonds, stocks or mutual fund shares. The donor receives a receipt for the fair market value of the securities at the time of transfer and they pay tax on the capital gain at half of the usual rate. A charity may also be made the beneficiary of a donor's RRSP or RRIF.

Charitable Remainder Trusts permit donors with large estates to obtain tax relief now from a future donation and preserve the income for themselves. A donation is made by placing assets - such as cash, securities or real estate - in an irrevocable trust for the charity. The donor can receive income from the assets in the trust for life. A donation receipt is issued for the present value of the remainder interest.

Gifts of Property include the donation of real estate or other valuable property to a charity. This may be of interest to older donors who own property that they no longer need. A professional appraiser determines the value of the property before a receipt is issued.

Gift Annuities give a high rate of return for life -mostly or totally tax free - from a guaranteed investment, which provides a charitable gift from the residue. Donors may receive a charitable donation receipt for a part of the contribution. Many gift annuity donors have more than one, after they realize the benefits. Donors do not have to worry about fluctuating interest rates or renewing investments. The return, tax free amount and receipt amount depend on age. Generally donors have to be at least age 65. The annuity is arranged through a life insurance company.

Should Your Organization Have A Planned Giving Program?

Every charity should encourage gift arrangements that require little administration or liability, such as bequests in wills and gifts of life insurance policies. Start by becoming more proactive, especially in seeking bequests, and obtain some basic marketing material to give to those who inquire. Learn more about planned giving to enable the organization to move to a planned giving program in the future.

Before launching a planned giving program consideration should be given as to how well the following generally accepted criteria are met by the organization:

• Perceived by the community as having a long-term future
• Significant number (usually 1,000 or more) of members and prospects over age 50
• Several hundred donors who have given $100. or more in a single year
• Ability to make a current investment for a future return
• A board, willing to appropriate funds for the program, become familiar with the types of planned gifts, and set an example by making planned gifts.

Steps To Establish A Planned Giving Program

1/ Establish A Planned Giving Committee

The board appoints a Planned Giving Committee. The chair of the committee should be a board member, but the other members do not need to be. The committee is responsible for recommending policies and procedures, recommending on the required staffing and budget and assisting with a marketing plan. It should be a small working committee.

Appointees should be chosen based on their general understanding of the tax aspects of charitable gifts, training in a professional area relevant to planned giving, good marketing sense, creativity, relationships with the older members of organization's constituency and be respected in their chosen profession or business. A background in law, financial planning, life insurance, estate planning or marketing would be particularly desirable. If possible it is a good idea to have one or two persons who either have the potential to make a planned gift or have already made a planned gift, so that they can bring the donor perspective to the committee.

The Planned Giving Committee:

• Drafts policies and guidelines regarding types of planned gifts to be sought, criteria for accepting gifts, administration of gifts and recognition of planned gifts.
• Considers staffing responsibilities for the planned giving program and develops a proposed budget.
• Submits to the board the proposed policies and guidelines, budget and staffing recommendations.

• Terms of Reference for a Planned Giving Advisory Committee
• Procedures for administering various types of gifts
• Sample bequest language to give to donors and lawyers
• Job description for planned giving staff
• Plan for funding the program
• Procedures for recognizing planned giving donors
• Marketing plan (advertising, seminars, meetings, direct mail)
• Creating or purchasing planned giving literature
• Development of a donor recognition and donor stewardship program
• Endowment policies, if relevant

• Salary and benefits of staff
• Modification or development of a data base suitable for planned giving
• Planned giving literature
• Other marketing expenses (seminars, mailings, etc. charged to planned giving)
• Travel and entertainment of prospects and donors
• Conferences, professional memberships, and reference material
• Fees (paid to lawyers, consultants and any other professionals retained by charity)

What Results Can Be Expected?

Establishing a planned giving program is like planting an orchard. It is necessary to spend time and money nurturing the seedlings before the fruit can be harvested.

The program should start generating additional outright major gifts by the second year, and possibly by the end of the third year additional outright major additional outright major gifts alone will exceed the investment in the program.

It probably will take six years or more before deferred gifts start maturing and the institution actually has realized money from them.

In the early years, the program should be evaluated more by the number of prospect moves and commitments secured than by money in hand.

Bequests will account for the largest volume of planned gifts. Gifts through charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities and retirement funds will also grow in importance.

Dollar goals are difficult to project. Larger charities and institutions have demonstrated an ability to secure planned gift commitments of $2 million or more a year.

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DONOR STEWARDSHIP

How can donors be encouraged to continue to make gifts to your organization and also to make gifts that increase in size?

Thanking donors is an important start, but it is only the start of developing a mutually beneficial long term relationship between a donor and an organization.  Donors want communication, recognition and respect according to Barry Ries (1998) and acknowledgment, appreciation and accountability according to James Bowers (1997). Donor stewardship means developing an ongoing relationship with the donor which includes thanking and recognizing them for their contribution, ensuring that the gift is used well in the way that the donor wished, reporting to the donor on what has been accomplished with their gift, heightening their interest and involvement with the cause and soliciting additional larger donations in keeping with the donor's interests. Most importantly it is centered on the interests and needs of the donor, rather than the needs of the organization.

Poor donor stewardship often occurs because the organization and staff are obsessed with day to day needs. Raising money by organizing the next special event or preparing the next mass mailing for donations takes priority over taking the time to get longer term benefits from existing donors. This is a very ineffective fund raising strategy since research has shown that a one time untargeted mailing results in a one to three percent return, while mailing to those who responded to the first will result in a seventy-five percent return. (Fundraiser's Guide, 1999)

Poor donor stewardship treats donors as checkbooks, not as people who share an interest in your cause. Thanks and recognition are done poorly or sporadically. Donors receive little or no information on what is being done with their donation. Their comments are not sought and questions from donors are not dealt with promptly, if at all. Donors are contacted only when they are asked for additional donations - by mail or telephone rather than in person. Unfortunately this scenario can easily be true for organizations which are poorly funded and have limited staff. It contributes to donors losing touch and interest in your organization, possibly giving their donation to another charity.

Despite the fact that charitable organizations exist to meet community needs, they are often guilty of only looking inside and talking amongst themselves when they are developing their mission statement, planning documents and publications. If the community is not supporting the organization with donations it could be because they are out of touch with the needs that they wish to serve.  This can be avoided by soliciting feedback from everyone involved with the organization including donors, volunteers and recipients of the services provided. Donors, volunteer board members, community leaders and recipients should be involved in the development of plans and mission statements. (Goettler, J.G. and MacDonald L.J. 1997) The organization needs to develop a "donor focus".

Your organization should be consistently reliable, straightforward and kind and earn the donor's trust. (Bowers, J.L. 1997) Organization goals should reach or move toward the needs of potential donors. Donors should be treated as shareholders who are making an investment in your organization. Good donor records are imperative in order to practice good donor stewardship. The objectives of your organization should include providing good customer service and a good product or service with a positive image in the community. (Goettler J.G. and MacDonald L.J. 1997)


What are the components of good donor stewardship?

• an immediate letter of acknowledgment and thanks
  It is important to send a thank you note or letter as soon as possible after the donation is received. The longer it is delayed, the less impact it will have. A personalized hand written thanks is even more effective if you are able to do this.
  
  
• a telephone thank you, by a volunteer board member if possible
  In addition to the note or letter, telephone donors to express your thanks.  This has a positive impact on donors because it is rarely done. People expect telephone requests for donations, but not thanks. This is a useful and effective role for volunteer board members. It provides board members with positive feedback on what they are doing and gives them some direct contact with donors.
  
  
• ensure that any conditions of the gift are met
  A basic element of stewardship is maintaining the trust of the donor. The donation must be used responsibly and any specific obligations or promises made to the donor must be fulfilled.
  
  
• a quarterly newsletter and annual report to keep donors informed
  Most donors want to be kept informed. A quarterly newsletter is an excellent way of providing news and updates on achievements. It should highlight specific accomplishments and provide information on important new concerns related to the cause. Donors can be segmented and different messages or material can be provided based on their interests or the particular cause that they are supporting. The annual report provides an overall and longer term perspective on the organization. It should include the organizational goals and objectives and how they have been met over the previous year.
  
  
• respect for donor wishes in regard to recognition and mailings
  Some donors would rather not receive quarterly mailings and wish to have their donations remain anonymous. You should ensure that these wishes are respected. Otherwise they should be thanked as other donors are. More person to person and telephone contact should be used to keep these donors informed and ensure that they receive important information. They may require additional information on the use of their donation when there is an additional donation request.
  
  
• donor recognition and profiles in the newsletter and annual report
  Newsletters and annual reports provide an excellent way to profile individual donors and tell about their relationship with your organization and what moves them to give. This provides recognition for them and can inspire donations from those who read the story, particularly from people who know them personally. Lists of donors by level of donation should also be included in annual reports and newsletters. Other ways of recognizing donors include framed certificates, pins, donor walls and listings in the organization's programs, web site and brochure. Small gifts of low monetary value can be used. They should be something that the donor will be likely to use and should prominently include the name of the organization so that they act as an endorsement when seen by others.
  
  
• solicit feedback and answer questions from donors
  Every contact with donors should be used to solicit feedback from them and respond to any questions that they may have; including newsletters, letters, recognition events, telephone calls and personal meetings. Make sure that questions and feedback are responded to quickly and appropriately so that donors know that their feedback is valued. If you do not show that you value the opinions provided by donors it will detract from your relationship with them.
  
  
• acknowledge donors frequently
  There is no need to wait for a newsletter or a special occasion to acknowledge the contribution that a donor has made to your organization.  This should apply to any significant donor, but particularly to donors who make a contribution that is of unusual importance to your organization or donors that you know have a personal connection and special dedication to helping with your cause. This can include personal notes, telephone calls or just mentioning to them the importance of their gift when you meet them.
  
  
• communicate with donors whenever appropriate
  Take the opportunity to send notes to them or call them when you read something about them in the paper or hear of something related to them or their interests. Send information and articles to them that you think might interest them. Communication strengthens their relationship with your organization. Through donor contact you can become aware of their relationships, contacts and centres of influence which you may be able to use to benefit your organization. (Scott, M.P. 1996)
  
  
• provide an annual donor recognition dinner or other event
  The best donor recognition events will be ones that relate directly to your organization and establish a stronger relationship between the donors and your cause. In addition to an annual dinner include the people and stories of those who have been helped by your cause or include an event that presents what your organization does. Symphonies, theatres, galleries and museums should include an exhibit or performance which allow the donors to meet the artists, musicians, performers and creators. Medical facilities and researchers should profile their successful patient recoveries and benefits of their most promising research.
  
  
• invite donors for a tour or put them in contact with those helped
  Provide opportunities for donors to learn about your organization and those who are helped by it. Tours of your facilities including opportunities to see your programs in action should be available on a regular basis to repeat donors. Let the donors see first hand the people who are benefiting from the work of your organization. These experiences will have a more lasting donor impact and bring a greater response than talking and writing about your work.
  
  
• talk to donors whenever you can and build rapport
  Take the opportunity to talk to your donors whenever you see them and cultivate authentic relationships. Fund developers need to be friendly and outgoing. Small talk about their family, what they have been doing and things that interest them helps to build a relationship and demonstrate that you care about them personally. In addition it provides an opportunity to learn about their interests, which can provide the basis for developing stronger links to your organization. Staff of corporate sponsors and foundations should not be excluded.
  
  
• tell the donor how their last donation was used before asking
  Donors want to know that their money was well used and that it helped people in the way that they intended. This information should be provided in newsletters and annual reports but also needs to be included with any new donation request. It is an opportunity to thank them again for their contributions and demonstrate the numbers of people and specific needs that have been met. The donation request could also include a personal testimonial from someone who has been helped.
  
  
• meet with the donor when you request additional support
  A personal meeting to request additional donor support is much more effective that a mail or telephone request. The donor is more likely to make a gift and the gift is likely to be larger. It is easier to gauge their response to your gift request when meeting with them in person, deal with concerns and suggest giving options that will be acceptable to the donor. It is more uncomfortable to ask in person, but it is also more difficult for the donor to refuse when the contact is face to face. Personal donation requests are much easier when there is good donor rapport resulting from the actions indicated above.
  
  
• let a volunteer board member make the ask if possible
  The board members represent your organization and they are giving their time, and hopefully their own donations, because they believe in the cause.  They will frequently be the most effective ones to ask for an additional gift  This provides an opportunity for the donor and board member to share ideas and build a stronger relationship related to the cause. The board member should be prepared and supported by the fund development staff.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bowers, James Lewis "Keepers Of A Trust" Advancing Philanthropy  Summer 1997.

Collins, Walter R. "The Subtleties Of Stewardship" National Society of Fund Raising Executives Fall 1996.

Fundraiser's Guide Online. "Invest a little time in "Friend Raising"" Sept. 1999 http://www.fundraisers-guide.com/0999-01.htm (Dec. 6, 1999).

Goettler,J.G. and MacDonald L.J. "Revolving Around the Donor" Advancing Philanthropy Fall 1997.

Greenfield, James M. Fund Raising New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc. 1999.

Hanson, John H. "The Intentions Of The Heart" National Society of Fund Raising Executives .

Hartsook, Robert F. "How to Be Successful As a Fund Raiser 90 Percent of the Time" NSFRE News January/February 1998.

McClintock, Norah. "Giving Donors That Special Something" Canadian Centre For Philanthropy Sept. 16, 1997.  http://www.ccp.ca/information/resource_development/general/fe175.htm  (Nov.30, 1999)

National Society of Fundraising Executives, AAFRC, AHP, and CASE. A Donor Bill of Rights.

Pribbenow, Paul. "To Whom Much Is Given Shall Much Be Expected" Advancing Philanthropy 1998.

Ries, Barry. "Little Gift, Big Value" Front & Centre Vol.5 No.2 March 199 http://www.ccp.ca/information/resource_development/fundraising_methods/fc228 .htm
(Nov. 30, 1999)

Rosso, Henry A. and Associates Achieving Excellence In Fund Raising Jossey-Bass Inc. 1991.

Scott, Michael P. "Building Strong Relationships" National Society of Fund Raising Executives Spring 1996.

Wills, Margaret. "Saying Thank You, From My Experience" Presentation to Fund Development Writing Class. Dec. 1, 1999.

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Using The Internet For Fund Development

Trends in fund development and fund raising using the world wide web have been surveyed from the attached annotated bibliography.  There is a wealth of current information on this subject, nearly all of which is available on the world wide web. Charity Village (www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/research/rofr.html) for Canada and UK Fundraising (www.fundraising.co.uk) for the United Kingdom are an excellent starting place. The resources give live web examples and references in addition to their discussion of internet fund development.

A Fund Raisers Dream?
The potential of the world wide web is truly a fund raisers dream (Ventura,1997). The two main problems are that not everyone has access to the world wide web or uses it regularly and not all of the information needed for researching prospects or sources of funding is currently available on the internet. Still, the internet is a wonderful resource and it is rapidly being adopted as a highly accessible means of communication and source of information. Statistics from September 1998 indicated that half of Canadian adults were online, and that they were more likely to be highly educated and above average income (Jamieson, 1998).

Most Useful For Fund Development
The internet is most useful for fund development, rather than fund raising, since donations are not likely from someone just visiting a web site. Also unlike unsolicited mailings, unsolicited e mail is not an acceptable way of seeking new donors since it violates the etiquette of the internet. The importance of this is recognized by the Canadian Direct Marketing Association who have a policy against unsolicited e mail. "Cookies" or text strings stored by the web server on a visitor's computer can be used to collect visitor data but this should not be used for solicitations. (Jamieson, 1998)

Develop An Online Brochure
The internet is most useful for providing information, like an online brochure, but it has a number of advantages. It does not have any rigid space and size restrictions and can provide much more information in a usable indexed form. It can include time and date sensitive information, special events, current news and a means of mobilizing people in support of a cause. It can provide a live link to business sponsors or sell advertising. It can provide special information for members or need groups. It can be used to solicit and acknowledge volunteers or gifts in kind. It can include any number of pictures and even audio and video, but these should not increase download time so as to detract from the functioning of the site. It is capable of being updated at any time but also requires resources kept it up to date in order for it to be useful. In order for the web site to reach its intended audience it must be promoted and completely integrated with direct mail and advertising programs. (Jamieson, 1998)

Build A Community Around Your Cause
The trend shown by this research is to make full use of the potential of the internet, going beyond the online brochure to build a community around your cause with an information sharing and help sharing relationship. (Leithead,1999) (Jamieson, 1998) Internet based fund raising should also include:  providing many alternatives for making donations, selling articles, researching prospects, locating funding sources and professional development E mail can send targeted information and donation requests as frequently as desired. Periodic newsletters are a good way to keep members, donors and volunteers informed. E mail provides rapid two way communication to share information and obtain feedback. All staff should be familiar with the uses of the internet and e mail addresses should be solicited from all fund raising contacts just like telephone numbers. Discussion lists (listserv), forums and chat rooms can permit information exchange and discussion between web site visitors but they will not work properly with small numbers of visitors. (Grant, 1999)

Make All Types Of Donations Possible
Web sites should be set up to take new memberships as well as renewals. All types of donations should be possible using the web site including telephone number for phone in donations by credit card, online donations by credit card, a printable form for mail in donations and planned giving information with an online information request form. Secure credit card transactions on the internet are a reality but many donors will not trust that this method is secure.

Sell Merchandise
The recent advent of secure credit card transactions and the rapidly growing popularity of online shopping increases the potential for the sale of books, clothing or any fund raising merchandise. Online benefit concerts, online auctions and selling recipes from well known chefs have been successfully used to raise funds. (Green 1995) (Jamieson, 1998)  Internet gaming for charitable purposes is possible but it is not yet clear how gaming regulations apply. The biggest challenge is to develop promotion techniques which bring sufficient traffic to your site to produce significant sales.

Do Prospect Research
Currently the internet is a useful resource for prospect research and for locating funding sources. This will no doubt be improved in the future. Often professionals and business people have an internet presence and information about them can be found searching on their name using internet search engines.  Local newspapers can also be searched for information. Canadian and U.S.information sources include the Charity Village and Canadian Centre for Philanthropy web sites. Paul Ventura (1997) lists U.S. resources. David Lamb's prospect research site is also a good resource.

Share Information And Learn From Others
Professional development can be facilitated using the internet. E mail communication is possible with related professionals located anywhere in the world. Reciprocal links should be sought with related organizations in order to help attract visitors and develop beneficial information exchanges. Internet news groups and list servers provide useful information and learning and sharing opportunities.

The Internet Is A Valuable Fund Raising Tool
Successful fund raisers have already found the world wide web to be a valuable tool for fund raising and it is certain to become even more important in the future as more people get online and more business transactions are made on the net.  For good examples of what can be done check out the web sites of the World Wildlife Fund Canada,  American Red Cross and American Cancer Society.

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"Canadian Information Sources" Charity Village Online Resources http://www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/fund.asp (21 Nov. 1999) 3 pages.

This is a good no fee source of information and links to databases and directories of funding agencies, foundations, and prospect research resources.  The Canadian Centre of Philanthropy maintains a more informative listing which is available for a fee (http://www.ccp.ca/)

Cravens, Jayne. "Outreach Via the Internet for Not-for-Profit or Public Sector Organizations" 15 Nov. 1999 http://www.webcom.com/jac/promote.html (27 Nov. 1999)
7 pages.

The article provides advice on developing the content of a non profit web site and includes lots of links and examples. It stresses the importance of maintaining timely accurate information, publicizing the site to all contacts, obtaining e mail addresses from all volunteers and donors and never sending unsolicited e mail.

Cravens, Jayne. "What About Fund Raising Via the Internet?" 21 June 1999 http://www.webcom.com/jac/online2.html (27 Nov. 1999) 6 pages.

The content summarizes recent opinions on the fund raising potential of the internet, indicating that few donations are being generated and the donations are mostly not from new donors. The internet has been found to be useful to provide information, maintain contact and selling articles.

Corson-Finnerty, Adam. "Library Fundraising on the Web" January 1998 http://pobox.upenn.edu/~adamcf/alabook.html (20 Nov. 1999) 5 pages.

The article points out the benefits of creating a "friends and benefactors" homepage that links with the main library internet site for donor recognition, information for prospects for major gifts, aid to corporate fundraising with the possibility of hot links to their web site, building a friends group, educating about goals and gift opportunities, online giving and an information brochure.

Grant, Gary. "Fund Class Topic: Using the Internet in Fundraising" 12 April 1999 and 13 May 1999 http://www.fundraiser-software.com/fundclass/fctop016.html (11 Nov. 1999) 8 pages.

This article provides a number of practical ideas for fundraising on the internet: avoid using purchased e mail lists, include a request for support on your web site but do not expect a large return, have an e mail newsletter to heighten the connection with existing members, develop two way communication and use the internet for prospect research including name searches on search engines and local newspaper web sites. The article indicates that 200 to 600 people are required for a listserv to work properly, 1000 visits a day are needed before a chat room will be successful and that newsletters can be time consuming because of the need to maintain the address list and handle replies.

Green, Marc. "Fund Raising in Cyberspace" The Grantsmanship Center Magazine. Fall 1995. http://www.tgci.com/publications/95fall/cyberled.htm (20 Nov. 1999) 9 pages.

This article provides valuable ideas on how the internet can be used by non profits. Four non profit web sites are analysed showing how they inform, attract memberships and fundraise through online benefit concerts and recipes from celebrity chefs. Some of the sites have moved but they can all still be found using a search engine. The information is somewhat dated since secure credit card transactions are now possible on the internet.

Johnson, Martin. "Non-profit organisations and the internet" First Monday, Peer Reviewed Journal on the Internet November 1998 http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_2/mjohnson/ (20 Nov. 1999) 18 pages.

The paper surveys how non-profits worldwide are using the internet and indicates that there is limited evidence of the ability to raise funds on the internet although the American Red Cross and American Cancer Society have had positive results. It provides valuable insight from a 1997 Australian survey into the significant concerns that donors have about making online contributions. If the two key concerns of "credit card security" and "privacy of information" were answered 65% of those responding were willing to make an online donation.   Those who were between age 19 and 45 and those who had used the internet between two and four years were more likely to make a donation.

Join Together Now, Funding Features. "E-Mailing for Donations" Sept. 1998 http://www.jointogether.org/sa/resources/funding/features/reader.jtml?object_id=255522
3 pages.

The article gives tips for using e mail and e mail newsletters for fund development and fundraising campaigns that are as successful as regular mail. An example given is a University of Maryland medical research fundraising appeal through three e-mail newsletters containing a request for donations Newsletter subscribers forwarded the newsletter to friends and relatives who had an interest in the disease but were not on the fundraiser's mailing list.

Lake, Howard. "Electronic Mail as a fundraising tool" Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing Vol.1, No.4. Oct. 1996 http://www.fundraising.co.uk/library/articles/jnvsm96.html (Nov. 1999) 8 pages

The article presents electronic mail as an effective fundraising tool which is fast, inexpensive, targeted, focused and provides personal communication. It will not replace direct mail although it can be an alternative to direct mail when the donors have e mail, the article says. Using unsolicited e mail for fundraising appeals is discouraged. Innovative ideas in the article are: including an appeal on the signature line of every e mail communication, providing printable forms by e mail which can be used to make mailed in donations convenient and autoresponders to provide an immediate response to information requests.

Leithead, Maggie. "Community Connections: Using Technology to Further Your Mission" Strategy Institute Conference: Leveraging the power of Technology and the Internet for Non-Profits, Sept 10, 1999 http://www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/research/rofr13.html (27 Nov. 1999) 15 pages

This presentation focuses on the idea of going beyond a online brochure to build relationships with clients, donors and volunteers which can be a building block in forming a loyal and self developing community of ongoing participants around your cause. A number of examples and five internet sites with successful community elements are included. The building blocks of online communities discussed are e mail, discussion list or listservs, discussion forums and chat rooms.


MacKenzie Internet Consulting. "E-commerce 101" 1999 http://www.charityvillage.com/charityvillage/research/rofr10.html (20 Nov. 1999)  3 pages

The article gives advice on developing a successful internet site; have a clear plan, carefully choose products, make sure that you can update, listen to the consultant, review traffic reports, focus on selling your product or service and treat it as you would a storefront. While not specific to non profits, it provides worthwhile advice for those organizations starting to develop an internet presence.

Mercer, Eric. "How Can We Use The Internet For Fundraising?" 32 Oct. 1998 http://www.nonprofit-info.org/misc/981027em.html (27 Nov. 1999) 18 pages

This article by an author in the United States addresses the technical and legal issues associated with internet fundraising, particularly for online donations and commercial transactions. While it is useful to be aware of these issues, the information may or may not apply in Canada.

Ventura, Paul G. "Web-Wise Fundraising, Part 1 & Part 2" Presentation to 1997 New England Nonprofit Exposition, Walthan Massachusetts 29 July 1997 http://www.sover.net/~paulven/workshop/wwf1.html 12 pages
http://www.sover.net/~paulven/workshop/wwf2.html 11 pages

The author describes the internet as the fundraisers dream but indicates that not all of the information needed is online and not all potential benefactors are online or use the internet regularly. Three ways that the internet can support fundraising are described in some detail; 1/ helping to find funders - with a list of U.S. sources, 2/ identifying new donors or members and supporting existing ones - with a review of a number of existing sites and 3/ professional development and networking - with a list of relevant web sites, newsgroups and mailing lists.

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