• After a lengthy and stressful strategic planning experience a number of years ago, the board was reluctant to try again. I promised them a two-day process and Leni delivered on that promise.
• The strategic planning process helped us clarify which projects were a priority and answer big questions that allowed us to move forward in a more strategic way.
• I always tell other land trusts they are going to be blown away by Leni. She moves [the process] forward efficiently and leads well without inserting her own ego.
• Our new strategic plan has had a lasting impact. We’re executing communication tactics we’ve never used before, launching a capital campaign, and aligning board reporting and our operations plan with strategic goals.
• Nothing about this process was business as usual. Leni helped us put the first steps in place to make our goals a reality and this plan has become integrated into the way we think about our work.

• If the Florida National Scenic Trail was going to be viable in the future, it was imperative that we adopt a different partnership model.
• We now have a coalition built of members throughout the state committed to carrying out strategic goals, each bringing their own resources, contacts, and partners.
• One of our biggest accomplishments as a coalition is building a strategic implementation plan for the next five years. We’re no longer scrambling for our focus; it’s clear what we are working towards.
• This process set the tone for how we do business. We don’t talk about issues that come up [with the trail] over and over again; we make tactical decisions when we need to and move forward.
• If you have a partnership issue you’ve been wrestling with for a long time, trust Shelli and her process. Be bold! Sometimes it’s scary thinking of how far you might have to go, but that is where the most success may lie.

Thank you for attending our Rally presentation this year! Click the link below to download a copy of the handout.

LTA Rally Increase and Diversify Membership Participation and Support 2011

A great follow-up to the presentation is our upcoming webinar!
Coordinating Marketing and Fundraising
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
12:15 – 1:15 MDT
$10

Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Time: 12:15 – 1:15 MST
Cost: $10

Registration for this event is now closed. To stay informed of upcoming webinars, please go to the Contact Us page and sign up for our e-newsletter. Thanks!

Summary

An organization engages its community and builds its base of support through two critical functions: fundraising and marketing. Frequently, these two functions target similar groups of people, use common tools, and are assigned to the same staff or volunteers.

Yet despite this overlap, many organizations neglect to deliberately coordinate marketing and fundraising. “Coordinating Marketing and Fundraising” walks you through a simple step-by-step process to dovetail your organization’s marketing and fundraising efforts in order to:

1. Use staff and volunteer time most effectively
2. Take full advantage of opportunities to grow support
3. Present a more coordinated image to your target markets and donors
4. Increase fundraising totals and marketing goal results!

 This one-hour webinar will:

1. Explore the relationship-building process that is at the core of both fundraising and marketing
2. Introduce key metrics any organization can use to evaluate its current efforts
3. Discuss specific tools and strategies that bring together these functions and increase and more deeply engage your organization’s support base.

Now is the time to learn how to more efficiently meet your fundraising and marketing goals and incorporate new strategies into next year’s work plan!

You have registered for:

Coordinating Marketing and Fundraising
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
12:15 – 1:15 MDT

You should receive an email within 48 hours containing login instructions to attend the webinar.

If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Grigsby at kristen@conservationimpact.com. Thank you!

• This board was new to the nonprofit world and Shelli helped us understand what nonprofit board responsibilities are and kept these responsibilities in front of us.
• This strategic planning effort was different — we analyzed our strategic goals and where they were taking us. It helped us think about our work critically and efficiently and we’re still using that strategic analysis today — two years later.
• I really enjoyed working with Shelli. She’s been an ongoing resource for me and the board president. She has been there for us above and beyond the contract.
• I don’t believe we would have headed down this path, and made such an audacious decision, if we didn’t have the confidence in Shelli and Conservation Impact.

– Ann Baker Easley, Executive Director

• We now have a richer and more defined story to share with potential funders — we are better able to define our impact, explain how the money is utilized, and show demonstrable results.
• Shelli’s wealth of national experience means that she understood what trends mattered most to our organization’s situation.
• At the end of the process, there was consensus among the board and staff, and once there was consensus, everything else fell into place.
• How we do business has changed. Our volunteers are still working on projects they enjoy. However, their volunteer experiences are now interpreted by their effect on significant environmental needs.
• Conservation Impact has honed a process that is effective for organizations of all different sizes and maturity. It’s an intense process, in a good way.

– Noelle Mackay, Executive Director

• Conservation Impact’s strategic planning process was a really efficient, concentrated, productive use of our time. And after three years, we had reached all our goals!
• The strategic plan helped our board evaluate opportunities. Without these guiding documents we would just have a lot of interesting projects and no synergy. Instead, we have programs that are layered and support each other.
• Other consultants were more about theory, but I wanted action. I knew Shelli wouldn’t just give me theory.
• I recently called up Shelli to start a new strategic plan and she told me to write my own! She said, “I’m not going to waste your money. You can do this. I’ll come in when you need me.”