As companies buy letters, ABC shows their appreciation on twitter and then tweets a call-out to their supporter’s competition.

“Thanks BC Honda Dealers purchasing the letter ‘B’. Where are you Toyota and Hyundai?” Feb 10th

“Thanks to HarperCollins for purchasing the letter H. Luckily P is still available Penguin.” Feb 10th

Organizations have been picking up letters, including the CBC [C], Scotiabank [S], and Tim Hortons [T] but there are still a few up for grab.

What we like about this?

• This is a creative twist on a really simple idea. The building blocks for words formed the foundation for this campaign. The next time you’re brainstorming campaigns for your organization, start by thinking small…really basic. Then build on your simple idea.

• There’s an element of competition and playfulness woven through this campaign. We especially like the gentle “taunts” that were tweeted. Don’t forget to have fun with your campaigns!

The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation runs a campaign to raise funds by recycling old tech devices (mobile phones, digital cameras, computers, laptops, monitors, printers, CDs, DVDs, cables and ink cartridges).

Send the foundation your old items free of charge. Items are refurbished and sent to developing countries while those beyond repair are recycled. A percentage of sales is given to the foundation, which uses the funds to provide care to families with children with developmental needs.

200 old phones = one month’s nursing care for one family.

20,000 phones = a nurse for one sick child for one year.

Their Phones for Boards campaign teams up with schools to install Interactive Whiteboards in classrooms for a donation of 300/500 old mobile phones.

The nationwide media campaign was so successful they made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most phones collected.

What can you do?

• This campaign serves two causes in a simple and complementary way: recycling and health care.  Complementing one cause with another extends the reach and appeal of your campaign. So be creative when thinking of collaborative ideas that will complement your fundraising drive.

• Donors were able to raise funds at no cost to them, essentially allowing them to make a difference for ‘free’ and encouraging greater numbers to participate in the campaign. So think beyond direct monetary donations and consider incorporating ‘free’ into your fundraising ideas.

Guoman Hotels of London has created a unique cocktail collection with 100% of profits donated to their charity partners.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants run numerous programs focusing on social responsibility through their Kimpton Cares program. These include the Red Ribbon initiative for HIV organizations, EarthCare, and partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land.  Employees at their Chicago hotel, Hotel Burnham, partnered with the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Chicago, wearing pins that said “Ask Me Why I Wear the Bear” to raise money for the foundation.

Sage Hospitality Hotels offers a Give a Day, Get a Night special to guests who complete eight hours of volunteer service with a non-profit organization. The incentive includes 50% off the room rate, or a complimentary night.

Is your non-profit taking advantage of collaborations in the Hospitality and Tourism industry? Talk to us about how your organization can check-in on some creative partnerships.

1. REthink a current fundraising campaign with your ENTIRE organization. Asking everyone to contribute can yield excellent suggestions, even from departments not traditionally involved in the idea process.

2. REmove fear. There are no wrong questions. Allow for open idea sessions on a regular basis.

3. REdesign your workspace to inspire! It can be as simple as a fresh coat of paint or framed pictures on the wall. How about a new mural or some fun lighting?

4. REalign your fundraising strategy to improve efficiency. Analyze which programs raise most money for every dollar spent and invest accordingly. Our MWO Fundraising Optimizer software produces a three-year forecast of fundraising results that is the best combination of your fundraising programs.

5. REtreat, REjuvenate, REfresh. Organize regular outings for your staff, like a bowling event or a movie night.

6. REward hard work. Create team incentives and recognize your staff’s achievements.

It’s that time of year when people get together to celebrate with friends, family, food and gifts. So in the spirit of the season, why not throw a big party, make merry and benefit your organization while you’re at it?

It’s a simple idea that can achieve spectacular results. HoHoTo has been doing just that. Their first party last year raised $25,000, their second collected $15,000.  Last week, partygoers raised close to $50,000 and over 1000lbs in canned goods for the Daily Bread Food Bank. Sponsors were lined up, volunteers pitched in, tickets sold out, and the food bank received a much needed donation during this busy season.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at MWO Philanthropic Advisors!

On a trip to Argentina, Blake Myscoie saw young children without shoes and wanted to help them. So he founded TOMS Shoes based on the One for One principle: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

Three years later, the successful company has given over 150,000 new shoes to children in Ethiopia, South Africa, Argentina and United States.

What We Like About This Idea:

TOMS Shoes is a great example of philanthropy and commercial products working together. Without compromising on ethics (the shoes are made in factories that follow a strict human rights code of conduct) or quality (the shoes are durable and eco-friendly), Blake sells a product that is exciting to customers who look stylish while helping a cause. And the fact that TOMS Shoes has been running successfully for three years means the One for One model is sustainable.

This is just one creative idea running on the One for One principle. Would this model work within your organization’s fundraising strategies? The system has already been profitably tested, so why not tie in an appropriate product that fits with your organizations mission and establish an exciting new fundraising program?

Here’s how you might start:

1)     Think about what the people you serve need in a large quantity.  (Shoes, CDs, cell phones, water, medicine, etc.)

2)    Who makes that?  (Look especially for organizations trying to enter a new market or launch a product.)

3)    How can giving one product to your organization for every product sold help increase sales?

We think it will probably be smaller start-ups that find a partnership with your organization appealing, or a product from a bigger firm that needs a re-launch.  The opportunities are many; see them, use them.

Photo credit: Jim Young/Reuters

The pundits have been weighing in on US President Obama receiving this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The recurring question: Is his 9-month presidency enough time to judge his accomplishments?

While there’s a general consensus that Obama has done much to improve America’s global image/value, critics argue that it is too soon to see any significant Return on Investment (ROI) when it comes to world peace.

In fundraising circles, we struggle with choices when it comes to ROI vs. Value, or the needs of the organization vs. the interest of donors, or operating at a low cost per dollar raised vs. investing in new, untried opportunities.

Which one is more important? And which one do we focus our energies on?

I think the way to overcome this conflict is not to think of them as ‘either/or’, but instead to embrace them as ‘both/and’. One shouldn’t be greater than the other. Rather, nurturing both should be your focus, and it will aid in the development of your organization.

Accepting that a fundraising leader’s role needs to be a ‘both/and’ approach is the almost never spoken of but a fundamental key to success.

“We take an outside-the-box approach to activism, to educating and mobilizing young people,” says Andrew Slack, founder of the Harry Potter Alliance, as he enthusiastically details his organization’s achievements over the phone. “Based off a modern myth, we’re building a worldview in our members. We’re encouraging each other to tap into the magic of our creativity.”

We’re inspired by Andrew’s passion, dedication and ingenuity. Here is an individual who, like many of us, wants to change the world and is harnessing the power of youth and creativity to do just that. His out-of-the-box thinking moved him to start the Harry Potter Alliance, a 100,000-strong network of “Harry Potter fans from everywhere to spread love and fight the Dark Arts in the real world.”

Thus far, the HP Alliance has raised over $15,000 for Darfur and Burma, donated over 14,000 books across the world, and brought attention to numerous issues though their activism using the media and internet.

What can Andrew Slack teach us about our organizations?

• I suspect there are ‘Andrew Slacks’ within your organization, but most of us do not allow them to pursue new and innovative ideas.  Instead, they are stifled and pushed down/away; they are “kept on task” and as a result, nothing really innovative gets done.  Perhaps you should have lunch with the “Andrew Slacks” and give him/her some unprecedented freedom and resources – nothing crazy, just some space to be who they can be.  The results might amaze you.

• Through our work with our clients, we have discovered that fantastic ideas are often hiding in the minds and files drawers of people within the organization.  We just ask the simple question, “What great idea have you thought we should be pursuing and, for whatever reason, we are not?”  Everyone has an answer, and they are really good ideas.  Somehow they have been buried by the day-to-day.  All you have to do is ask for the ideas, make a list, prioritize them and choose the best one to begin transforming your fundraising.  Our MWO Incubator can help with the really big ideas, but you can also turn your “Andrew Slack” loose on one of them.  They can take a concept and turn it into a new fundraising program for your organization!

• Maybe we are limiting the development of new and exciting fundraising programs because we are so concerned about years of experience and proven success.   Andrew Slack was 25 when he started the Harry Potter Alliance – he had no professional experience or proven success.  Nothing new can ever get going if it has to be proven first.  Scientists call it experimentation, in business it’s called new product development, and in fundraising – well, we don’t even have a term for it!    I recommend you take a risk and support a new fundraising program for your organization every year.   Start small, experiment with something new, and perhaps you will discover an idea as exciting, engaging and powerful as the Harry Potter Alliance.

Source: Business Strategy Innovation blog

I saw this comic and loved it.  We all  have a lot in common with these guys.  The boss knows that he wants innovation. So being an efficient manager, he picks his best man and delegates the assignment.  And the good lieutenant responds to his boss just like he has been taught:  “Yes sir, just tell me what you want.”

Both are the products of their organizational cultures, just like the rest of us.

But our rigid business cultures have not taught us to give our best employee an assignment with instructions like, “Do whatever you want to do.  Break the rules, break the boundaries, spend money and see what you can do for us that might take this organization to the moon.  And if your idea fails, I’ll buy you and your whole team dinner.  And if it succeeds, I’ll share 10 percent of the revenue with you all.”

Or how many of us have been taught to respond to his or her boss by saying, “I don’t want any restrictions.  I’m innovative and creative and really talented.  Give me free rein for the next two years and I’ll come back to you with an idea that will blow your socks off.  And if I don’t succeed, I’ll return my salary.  And if I am successful, you give me 10 percent of the revenue we generate.  Want to play?”

We don’t talk like this because we’ve been taught to keep things under control, to operate within parameters, and to do what we are told.  That certainly is not a recipe for innovation or growth. We cannot rely on someone else to come up with all the good ideas while we stay in our protective bubble of guidelines and protocols.  As employees at Not-for-profits, we’re trying to solve some of the planet’s most complex, challenging and important problems. Perhaps we need to start by creating the right environment within our organizations to cultivate ideas that will change the world.