Community Foundation of the Lowcountry

Virtually every nonprofit board has a group of volunteers providing leadership—a Board of Directors or a Board of Trustees. Some nonprofits also have volunteers helping in some way to carry out the program of work in place of paid staff—perhaps delivering meals, or tutoring, or coaching, or doing bookkeeping, or walking dogs or grooming horses. In each case, volunteers are some of the best ambassadors an organization has. They all care. They tell people they care. They make financial gifts. And they lend their name to the effort—something of tremendous value in and of itself.

So, if a certain number of volunteers is good, it makes sense that having more volunteers is even better! How so?

• If a nonprofit can find ways to add more volunteers, it is adding more champions and advocates for its mission.

• Each new volunteer can provide entre to one or more new networks of people who can then access the nonprofit’s message.

• Each new volunteer can mean more gifts—people tend to donate dollars where they donate time.

• Volunteers make a good group from whom to recruit new board members. They have already developed an allegiance to and knowledge of the organization.

What may not be clear is how to create opportunities to use more volunteers, and how to keep them engaged and interested.

Advisory Councils or Committees

One way to engage volunteers is through the use of advisory councils. These are groups of volunteers dedicated to assisting the nonprofit in any one of a number of specific ways, through the use of their specialized expertise and interest. While there is generally board representation in such groups, this method provides for more brainpower, experience, and even elbow grease to accomplish the work of the nonprofit, while expanding reach as indicated in the three bullet points above.

Depending on the mission of the nonprofit, such councils could cover anything from real estate, to medical expertise, to areas of artistic endeavor, to government relations. And in the case of most nonprofits, councils/committees could always be helpful in areas such as marketing, fund development, event-planning, finance/investment/audit, and nominations. Special tasks, such as a momentous anniversary, a capital campaign, or the major expansion of a program might also lend themselves to leadership by an advisory council/committee.

Such groups are established to make recommendations to the Board of Directors/Trustees rather than decisions on their own, so the legal responsibility for the work still rests with the Board. But research, strategy, planning—much of that initial work can be lifted from the board/staff and therefore the load can be lightened for all. These groups can also support the efforts of the staff more directly (joining staff on visits to funders, for example), than boards often have time to do.

Things to Consider

1. What needs of the organization lend themselves to support from an Advisory Council/Committee?

2. What would be the duration of such a group? Short-term/ad hoc? Long-term/permanent?

3. Can the purpose of the council/committee be clearly defined? This will be critical to keeping volunteers engaged.

4. Does the nonprofit have a plan for recruiting volunteers and matching their interests and skills to organizational needs?

5. Are there sufficient board and/or staff members to be liaisons and provide training, coaching, support, and information to the groups involved?

6. Can someone take minutes so that accurate records of activities and decisions are kept?

7. Has a plan for celebration of the successes of the volunteers, both individually and collectively, been developed? Recognition of the time and expertise involved is important to the relationship between the organization and the volunteer. And the relationship means either a positive public relations benefit from having this volunteer, or a negative one.

Finding Volunteers

There are the usual ways to find volunteers; newspaper ads, notices in brochures and annual reports, and cocktail-party conversation are a few of the most common ways. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter have recently been added to the mix.

Fortunately, the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry is making this process, both for nonprofits needing volunteers, and for potential volunteers looking for ways to serve, easier. “Lowcountry Volunteer Connections,” an initiative of the Community Foundation, connects people with opportunities to volunteer, learn and lead in their communities. This section of our Web site is amazing in its strength and yet its simplicity.

Nonprofits should contact Christy Warner at 843-681-9100 to learn about posting volunteer opportunities—including board and advisory council/committee work!

Hopeful volunteers should visit our website at www.cf-lowcountry.org to Choose a Cause and Make and Effect! Consider leadership opportunities as well as one-time and on-going volunteer staff support. There are many, many needs, and never enough people.

If you want someone from the Community Foundation to come to explain this new initiative to your organization, please do not hesitate to contact us. And do it sooner rather than later. In the nonprofit sector, volunteering is a needed service—every day. And of course, in fulfilling this everyday matter, EVERY DAY MATTERS.

Denise K. Spencer
President and CEO

This year’s annual report theme, Cause and Effect, reflects the Community Foundation’s deep devotion to our mission statement of Strengthening Community by Connecting People, Resources and Needs.

It is also our chosen tag phrase for our latest venture, Lowcountry Volunteer Connections. This web-based platform is making the connection between nonprofits in need of volunteers and the many generous members of our community willing to donate their time. It has just launched and we look forward to watching it grow and making a significant positive impact.

The history of the Community Foundation is one of leadership and funding support for innovative, significant undertakings that helps to shape our community. Examples of this work can be found in the pages of this year’s report and throughout our website. From supporting youth-serving nonprofits to protecting our fragile environment, the Community Foundation and its many generous donors have made many decisions, some of them hard, all of them thoughtful, over the course of this past year.

We are your Community Foundation and we hope you will join us as we look forward to the future. It holds endless possibilities; and there is something for everyone to do and make Every Day Matter.

Ernst Bruderer, Chairman, Board of Trustees

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but I can already feel the holiday giving spirit creeping up. The winter holidays always seem to bring out a newly found generosity in people. I cherish individuals that want to give back, however after years of working with nonprofit organizations, I can understand the strain that the organizations feel during the winter holiday season. From closing their fiscal books and sending out annual appeal letters, to having clients requesting extra assistance during the winter months, staff members at nonprofit organizations are overwhelmed with daily administrative tasks. Add on top of that phone calls from individuals looking to volunteer on Christmas or schedule a time to drop off a box of donated toy trucks and teddy bears. Agencies are easily overcome with volunteer requests and donations that pile up and require extra time and attention to ensure that they are put to best use.

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry wants to offer some additional support to our local organizations, all year round, which is why we are launching Lowcountry Volunteer Connections. An initiative of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, Lowcountry Volunteer Connections connects people with opportunities to volunteer, learn and lead in their communities.

On this site, individuals can register and search for volunteer opportunities, nonprofits can register projects in need of volunteers, and businesses can find out about ways to partner with us to make a difference in the Lowcountry.

Please JOIN US in our vision to build strong and connected communities through the power of volunteerism within our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces and make Every Day Matter.

Carolyn Torgersen, VP for Marketing and Communications

Again, as I mentioned in my last blog, the staff members of the Community Foundation are sought out by nonprofit board and staff members to provide expertise on a number of topics.  Planned giving, social media, grant writing, governance—these and other topics are often addressed by Community Foundation staff. 

The question answered in the last blog was:  “Where do I find board members?”

The question posed this time is: “Can I hire a grantwriter on a percentage or commission basis?  If no grant is received I don’t have to pay the grantwriter, but if a grant is received, then I do?”

In a word, the answer is “no.”

The vast majority of funders and professional organizations consider this practice to be unethical.  As a result, this is not a good practice for either grantwriters or nonprofits.

In the Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice, the Association of Fundraising Professionals indicates:  “Members shall not accept compensation that is based on a percentage of charitable contributions; nor shall they accept finder’s fees.”  These sentiments are echoed in many other places.  “Members shall…receive compensation based on usual and customary compensation practices in the development field.  Accept no compensation based on a percentage of fundraising goals,” is part of a Statement of Ethics published by the Northwest Development Officers Association. 

Commissions in question here can be monetary, or can be in the form of a requirement that the grantwriter’s services are used for other things.  For example, if a consultant offers to write a grant proposal for funding for consulting services on a contingency basis, and then requires you to use their services for the consulting, this would fall into the same category. 

In a piece on the web site of the Puget Sound Grantwriters Association, Ken Ristine of the Cheney Foundation writes:

“A funder’s main concern about fundraiser compensation lies in the answer to this question:  what would charitable fund raising look like if it were a standard practice to pay fundraisers on commission?  Public confidence and support of organizations would be undermined.”

Where grantwriters are concerned, the ethical issues include the fact that the grantwriter paid on commission (whether monetarily or in the form of additional work), may be tempted to put themselves ahead of the nonprofit’s needs or mission.  Costs for the projects are often inflated to take advantage of the grantmaker’s largesse.  The grantwriter makes it their business to know the funding maximums of grantmakers, and one can be assured that project costs will almost always approach these margins.   Additionally, if a small nonprofit cannot afford to pay a grantwriter on an hourly basis for their expertise, then the nonprofit is not ready to receive grants and the responsibility that accompanies them.  The nonprofit has no skin in the game; which makes one wonder about the real value of the proposal to the nonprofit.   And of course, this practice sours the relationship of the nonprofit to the funder, because the funding community in general does not appreciate the practice and will not provide grants to nonprofits that operate in this way.  Funders do not generally support nonprofits who operate in ways that are perceived as unethical—not just for the grant proposal in question, but for all grants. 

There is a copy of an article available online (in the form of a downloadable .pdf) which was originally published in CharityChannel’s Grants and Foundations Review and in the Journal of the American Association of Grants Professionals which was written by Goodwin Deacon, Ph.D., called Percentage Fees:  The Troll Under the Bridge, which can provide additional information for those interested.

According to Dr. Deacon:

“Percentage fees, commissions and contingency fees … open the door to a host of abuses.  They encourage predatory, self-dealing behavior in a field that is, by law, supposed to be dedicated to serving the public.  They create a situation in which a grantwriter works for nothing if the proposal is not funded, and an organization may pay an excessive fee if it does receive the grant.  These practices encourage deception of funders.  It is hard to see what their advantages are, except for grantwriters who are willing to work primarily as volunteers and organizations that hope to get something for nothing.” 

Those grantwriters who get their work this way, often do so because they are appealing to organizations with little money and therefore few choices.  The nonprofit might not choose to hire this grantwriter based on their expertise compared to others who charge an hourly fee, but  will take a chance because they can’t afford to do it any other way, and don’t have to pay if the grant is not funded. 

Much more information is available on this topic.  Unfortunately, a few bad actors in the nonprofit sector paint us all with the same brush, and likewise, a few bad actors in the grantwriting/consultant arena do the same for their field.  This is one of the EVERYDAY MATTERS that requires our diligence to make sure the nonprofit sector is operating above reproach in so much as possible, and an understanding that in maintaining our reputation, EVERY DAY MATTERS.

Denise K. Spencer

Many times, the staff members at the Community Foundation are sought out by nonprofit board and staff members to provide expertise on a number of topics. Planned giving, social media, grant writing, governance–these and other topics are often addressed by Community Foundation staff.

Unfortunately, we do not have the time to appropriately assist all area nonprofits in all of these areas, so we thought that through the blog we would respond to new questions as we can, and offer the responses to some Frequently Asked Questions we have considered in the past, when there is not a “fresh” question coming to us.

So, here is a start:

Where do I find board members?

Before we attack the “where,” we must consider the “what.” It is important to know what you need–what are the skills needed to propel your organization forward? Are there pieces of your strategic plan that require certain skill-sets? Do you have people with a knowledge of marketing, finance, the law, the community? Do you have the advantage of a diversity of backgrounds and ideas?

Once you know what skills and attributes you need, you can look for such individuals in a variety of places. Consider those who volunteer for your organization, as they are already committed to your work enough to give of their time. Similarly, donors are a potential source of board members for the same reason–current commitment. Business leaders have a wealth of skills, along with knowledge of the economic environment. The graduates of local leadership programs are often looking for just such an opportunity. And retirees not only have tremendous experience to bring to the table, but also a little extra time to share. Members of the clergy, former elected officials, and even the spouses of former board members are possibilities. And if success is not yet found, ask all of those who have declined to serve for some suggested names.

I hope this helps. Please respond with your successes, other suggestions for finding board members, and even those things that did not work well for you.

And if you have a question for a future blog, please respond with that as well. Remember that nonprofits have many similarities, and perhaps we can all learn together. Learning and improving are among the everyday matters that make EVERY DAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer

If you could make a significant difference in the world (or at least in your corner of it) what would it be?

And what if opening the financial door to your vision could happen for $2500 (to open a non-permanent fund), or $5000 (to open a permanent endowment)? Did you think you needed tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to begin? Isn’t it wonderful that you need not be Bill Gates to start?

Here at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, we often have people arrive at our door who are struggling with what to do and how to do it, as well as what to expect financially. Sometimes they know pretty much what their vision is—what they hope to accomplish. Sometimes they have a fledgling thought, but have not been able to put any real “foundation” (pun intended) under it. But sometimes they don’t have a clue.

Perhaps a parent recently passed away, and the family wants to do something in this person’s memory. Scholarship funds come to mind.

“Maybe we could set up a scholarship so someone could study chemistry (or business, or education, or nursing, or…), since that field was so important to Dad.”

Or, “Dad used to volunteer through his service club when there were projects dealing with kids. Maybe we could do something for youth.”

Or, “Protecting the environment was an issue about which Dad was always concerned. Couldn’t we do something about that?”

In working with our professional staff, directional visions like these can be turned into concrete plans, fully-developed, and begun at whatever level of funding is comfortable.

Perhaps it is something as simple as supporting a special church or school or nonprofit with an annual grant. Perhaps it is supporting clean water initiatives that have promise. Perhaps it is funding workforce development programs, or wellness efforts. Generally speaking, any good, charitable idea has an opportunity to be born and to grow within the nurturing arms of the Community Foundation.

Someone’s vision was to create Operation R&R, providing a vacation/respite for servicemen/women and their families on Hilton Head Island. Another vision was to remember the people and lessons of Mitchelville, and to create a place to celebrate them. Providing for the environment and the health of Island residents by providing sewer service to all, whether or not they can afford it, is an amazing vision—slowly but surely progress is being made. The wonderful sculpture exhibition that appeared at Honey Horn last fall started with a thought that continues to grow and expand—and a vision that sculptures will be planted like apple trees across the Island over time for all to enjoy.

What is YOUR vision? What could be accomplished if only YOU, with the help of the Community Foundation, refined your thoughts, invested some dollars, and perhaps encouraged others to help? The sooner you get started, the sooner an important difference can be made. Recognize that EVERY DAY MATTERS, and that for the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, making what you imagine become reality is an EVERYDAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer