3rd Sector Report | forimpact.org

Order Tom’s Funding Address: The Nicely Packaged Version

October 15, 2008 | Nick Fellers

Some great feedback coming in on Tom’s message on the economy and fundraising: Now More than Ever.

We’ve packaged the address, transcript + Q&A + Audio CD in a way you can more easily share with your peers or board.

- The packages are at the printers now… we’ll start shipping in 6-7 days.
- All orders will be shipped via Priority Mail.
- Please email orders@forimpact.org to arrange for overseas shipment.

Order the printed version of Tom’s address w/ CD.

Individual copies $5.00 each
Board bundle (10 pack units) $30.00 each
Save $2.00 per book/cd

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Now More Than Ever…

October 10, 2008 | Tom Suddes

This week’s WOW plays off of last Friday’s teleconference and white paper on 3rd Sector Funding & the Economy.

NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Think Like an Entrepreneur!
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Think Big. Build Simple. Act Now.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Change the Performance Capacity of Society.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Focus on Impact.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Trust the Message.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Get Back to Fundamentals.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Embrace this Opportunity to Change the Way You Think, Operate & Fund.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Not Make Decisions for Best Prospects.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… we need to Position for the Future.

It’s been an extremely difficult week. Markets still plunging. Worldwide chaos.

I still believe with all my heart and sole that “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”… and we need to be out there with our CHAMPIONS and BEST INVESTORS and MOST QUALIFIED PROSPECTS.

P.S. Response to this “NOW MORE THAN EVER… message has been overwhelming positive and thankful. Every email, phone call and story, although anecdotal, has reinforced that the people that are out there (in the field, making visits, presenting opportunities) are having success. Even when the economy is brought up, it is dealt with in a visionary/impactful way.

We’ve posted the audio and full transcript online at http://www.forimpact.org/2008/10/economy.php for everyone in our For Impact Community. From everything I’ve heard, this has been a powerful tool to use with your board. Many people have even passed this onto their top investor.

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If You’re Out There…

October 9, 2008 | Tom Suddes

Nick and I knew we were on the right track with our Now More Than Ever message. What actually amazed me is that the is an incredibly high number of people who have responded with actual stories of raising significant dollars… by just being out there! Many are giving us some credit for the motivation and the message, but really it’s about their willingness to get out and JUST ASK!

So far, no one has written in and said they had a bad visit, or that economy was the major issue.

Remember, if you’re not out there… you really can’t weigh in on this discussion.

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Transcript: 3rd Sector Funding & The Economy

October 6, 2008 | Tom Suddes

“NOW MORE THAN EVER…”
3rd SECTOR FUNDING & THE ECONOMY

This is a transcript of an address by Tom delivered on Friday, October 3. To listen/download audio or view discussion & feedback click here.

I’m a scarred veteran of 35 years of funding visions, dreams and impact. I’m not a financial expert. I’m not an economist. I don’t know the difference between macro, micro or macaroni. I have nothing to offer on solutions to this economic mess. I’m just an OLD GUY who has been in the field for all these years and wanted to share some thoughts with other For Impact Leaders and Social Entrepreneurs.

For the last 25 years, The Suddes Group has been engaged in helping organizations and institutions raise over $1 billion. In the last five or six years, Nick Fellers and I have also been involved in coaching organizations towards another billion dollars.

‘GYA’. To grab your attention quickly, I would urge you to do the exact opposite of what most 3rd Sector Leaders and Development Staff are doing right now… which is hunkering down, hiding in the office, using “market turmoil” as another fabulous excuse for not getting out and visiting and presenting and asking your best prospects and your champions to continue to invest in what you do.

I was just with a wonderful group of dedicated development professionals, part of the Sales Team at a liberal arts college, and I used the phrase “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”…

“THIS TOO SHALL PASS…” is based on fact. The economy is cyclical. Always has been. Always will be. Full of ups and downs. You’ve just got to ride it out.

According to a recent article in Inc. magazine, I have survived 10 recessions in my life (if you count 1949 which was both a recession and the year I was born). This makes me both old and able to share some of these experiences with you.

I was Director of Development during The Campaign for Notre Dame. $130M Goal. $50M over goal. This was also during a “recession”. I just didn’t realize it because I didn’t pay any attention to it.
During an entrepreneurial stint in real estate, athletic clubs and other businesses, I had the joy in 1980 of going through Jimmy Carter’s gas shortages, high unemployment and interest rates that climbed from 11% to 22.5%!
For perspective, I had loans totaling $6M… at 2.5% over prime… paying 25% interest. That’s $1.2M a year, $100,000 a month. (I did not have that factored into my ‘business plan’. The good news was that it allowed me to write the first 3 chapters of a book: Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13.)
I’ll never forget kicking off a $5M Economic Development Campaign in Orange County, California, the day after the county had declared bankruptcy! (I think we went 30% over goal.)
I remember going to Cleveland and working on their Economic Development marketing effort right after the mayor had also declared bankruptcy and the river had caught on fire. (Again, goal achieved.)
I remember, as we all do, September 11, 2001. And, I remember 9 days after those World Trade Center attacks giving a speech/talk/presentation in California with a large group of incredible staff and volunteers from the American Cancer Society. I wasn’t sure there was even going to be any flights nor that I wanted to get on one. But, I flew out and gave the talk. In essence, I said that nothing will change what happened; and that as horrible as we all felt, we had to march on… because the 6,000 plus people who had died on September 11th was the same number of people who die every single day from cancer. I told them that the work that American Cancer Society does was so important that, now more than ever, they needed to continue the Research, the Education, and the Service that ACS provides. (I’m sure you remember how the financial markets plummeted at this time as well.).

Every one wants to know WHAT TO DO. While not using these words, I think many of you also want to know how to stay positive in what are obviously negative times.

The first thing I’m going to encourage you to do is to:

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Special Address - On Third Sector Funding & The Economy

October 3, 2008 | Nick Fellers

Listen-on-demand: Special Teleconference - Recorded Friday, Oct 3, 2008

What the financial crisis means to “nonprofit fundraising” and how to respond.
With Tom Suddes, a 35-year veteran of the third sector.

In the past two weeks we’ve received hundreds of questions about the economy, funding plans and financial uncertainty. Tom Suddes has prepared a special session to address these questions including:

What a ‘bailout’ and economic uncertainty mean to your organization.

How to respond (based on field experience from other economic crisis and field experience over the last six months).
An action plan including a conversation on the fundamentals which become increasingly important in a downturn.

As is always the case, Tom presents this ’state of the sector’ as a challenge to change — giving listeners the clarity to move forward and a ’shot in the arm’. The presentation lasts 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

Click To Play:

Download MP3 | Transcript (Word Doc) | Discuss | *Buy Board Packs*

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