April 2008
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
Welcome to our Ventures in Philanthropy E-Newsletter
 
Reflections on a Career in Philanthropy
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE		  
As we prepare for the celebration of CAPITAL VENTURE'S 15th year in business, I have been reflecting on my 20 plus years in the field of philanthropy. I realized that in these fifteen years, I’ve trained over 10,000 professionals in areas of development and board governance, have consulted with more than 100 clients, and have had two full length books published, as well as contributing to many other books and publications. And, I am currently working on my next book, which will be a grassroots fundraising book, written in conjunction with Mike Sand Esq.

  
 
A lot of people have asked me how I got to this place in my life and why I left corporate America to enter the field of philanthropy. I thought this might be a good time to talk about my career path in hopes that some of you will be able to set goals for your own career and get some hints on how to get there.

After spending eleven years in banking, I realized one day that I was enjoying my volunteer work for nonprofits a lot more than I was enjoying my job. I also saw that in working with nonprofits, they could benefit greatly from my business background. So one day, I decided it was time to change careers, and although the time since then has had it shares if ups and downs, I haven’t regretted that decision for a minute. After holding development positions in a college and a museum, I had another epiphany that the consulting field would enable me to help many more nonprofits. So how did I get to be an author and speaker? One year at an AFP conference, I attended a three hour workshop conducted by an experienced and dynamic professional and I thought, “That’s what I want to be when I grow up—to be an effective speaker that motivates people to be the best they can be in their profession.” And the more I read about this field, the more I realized I could put all my experiences down in writing and help even more people succeed. So, presto, I was an author and internationally recognized speaker. Well, not quite but here are few hints that helped me get there. I hope these tips will help you get to wherever you want to be in your development career.

Here are ten tips to having a rewarding career in philanthropy.
  
  1. Never work for an organization for which you do not feel exquisite passion—a fire in the belly.
  2. If you feel there are ethical issues within your organization that are not up to your standards, know when it is time to "shake the dust" and move on to an organization that has impeccable integrity.
  3. Have impeccable integrity yourself—follow the first rule of fundraising: the donor deserves the most consideration, your organization comes second, and your own interests come last.
  4. Set realistic but aggressive goals for yourself and for your organization. Write your goals down and monitor progress on a regular basis.
  5. Know your limitations and don't attempt to tackle jobs that are too far beyond your experience and skills. Know if you want to be specialist or a generalist.
  6. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.
  7. Read, read, read as much about the profession as you can.
  8. Join AFP and get active on committees within your local chapter and on a national level.
  9. Attend as many conferences, seminars and workshop as you can.
  10. Network, network, network. And remember that networking means making connections for and giving information to the other person as well as obtaining connections and information for yourself..
  
Please note: You can find this list of ten tips and an archive of other Secrets of Sucess monthly tips on our website by clicking here.

  
CAPITAL VENTURE 15th Anniversary Celebration

 
 

This year marks the 15th anniversary of CAPITAL VENTURE. The time has passed quickly with each day bringing new challenges and changes. Our staff has grown from one consultant to ten of the most respected fundraisers in our profession. We have worked with many of the most prestigious organizations in the world to reach goals that seemed nearly impossible. We’ve partnered with the best fundraising associations and firms in our industry to offer the basics to startup organizations and highly advanced techniques to established ones.

Some days have been great and some not so good; yet through it all, we’ve always had one very special, never-fail motivation – you – the people who give your hearts and dedication to make our world a better one. For fifteen years, you have been our inspiration. You’ve set the standard for our service by making us stretch to keep up with yours. You’ve inoculated us with a ‘never give up’ tenacity passed on through your own commitment. We owe our success to all of you.

To show our gratitude, we invite you to join us for one or all of the following workshops, free of charge. These workshops are the same high-quality sessions, jam-packed with timely, real-world solutions that characterize our paid offerings. Please plan to attend so we can personally thank you for 15 memorable years!

  
2008 Anniversary Events

  
            April 22, 2008
June 4, 2008
July 14, 2008

 Las Vegas, NV
Reading, PA
Lake Tahoe, NV		      
 
All workshops are one day, 8:00 AM - 3:00PM

Registration fee is waived for these special events,
but seating is limited and advance reservation is required.

For workshop address, agenda, and to reserve your seat,
please visit our website at: www.cvfundraising.com/presentations/anniversary.html
  
Technology Corner — A Free Donor Management System

  

Our Open Source Software pick for this month is Konnections, an open source Donorbase / Donor Management System. The program tracks donors, gifts, and pledges; it does reporting, mail and email merges, and exports. The program is user-friendly and of course, free.

To learn more about Konnections and to download the software, click here.

Please stop by next month for tips to publish a privacy policy on your website and why it's essential for online donations.

  
New Consultant Appointment

  
                 
   

CAPITAL VENTURE is pleased to announce the latest new consultant who has joined our ranks, Jennifer Von Tobel, who will primarily focus on land grant proposals for large institutions who are seeking land for major building/expansion projects.

Jennifer Von Tobel has a wealth of knowledge and management experience in the fields of Financial Development, Government Relations, Campaign/Non-Profit Fundraising and Lobbying.

 
As Director of Development for the Las Vegas City of Hope, a national nonprofit organization, she cultivated over $6,000,000 in gifts, organized and executed the first “Walk of Hope” in Las Vegas and raised more than $300.000 in sponsorships and donations. She also organized and executed the “Tees for Tots” golf tournament at Bear’s Best Golf Club and raised more than $100,000 for City of Hope. While with the Lowden Veteran Center and Museum in Las Vegas, she managed all aspects of fundraising and special events as a consultant.

Another one of Jennifer’s strong passions is government affairs. She was the President and Senior Partner for Government Relations Associates, a Political Consulting and Lobby Firm. She managed several campaigns and candidates on the local, state and federal levels.

She is very involved in the community and serves as a board member with Classroom on Wheels and Safe Nest and is an active member or volunteer with several organizations including: Republican National Committee; Nevada State Republican Party; Clark County Republican Party Grassroots Director, Past Nevada State Republican Convention Secretary, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Co-Founder, Vice President of the Professional Women’s Council of Las Vegas; Candidate Committee Member for Keystone Committee; and Navigator for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

   
We are pleased to welcome Jennifer to CAPITAL VENTURE!

  
We will be featuring each of our consultants in upcoming issues of Ventures in Philanthropy.

To read more about our other nationally based consultants on our website, please click here.
  		 
Useful Resources
 
You may order The Development Plan, Recruiting and Training Fundraising Volunteers and other books recommended by Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE, and learn more about our recommended fundraising books by visiting our website: www.cvfundraising.com/resources/cvbooks. CAPITAL VENTURE has updated our Training Catalogue, which is available by email. We offer a wide variety of workshops for groups such as AFP chapters, statewide associations, national organizations, Dioceses, United Ways and Centers for Nonprofits. If you would like to receive a copy of our offerings, please contact cvlinda@cox.net.
  
CAPITAL VENTURE'S blog, The Fundraiser's Coffee Break, is back!
Our new blog experienced a few major difficulties last month, but the glitches have finally been smoothed out and its waiting for you to take a few minutes to stop by and share your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and concerns! Special thanks to everyone who alerted us the of problems they encountered so we could resolve the issues. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience. We look forward to working with you to make it a strong, unique resource for all of us. See you at the Fundraiser's Coffee Break!
UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS
April 10, 2008
Affinity Seminars
7 Things You Should Know About Your Capital Campaign
Webinar
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Click here for details and registration
May 1, 2008
AFP Nova Scotia Chapter
Getting Started in Fundraising
Halifax, NS, Canada
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Click here for details and registration
April 14 , 2008
AFP Monterey Bay Chapter
Lessons Learned from Successful (And Some
Not So Successful) Capital Campaigns
Carmel , CA
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Email Linda for details
May 21, 2008
AFP Berks County
The Development Plan
Reading, PA
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Email Linda for details
May 21 , 2008
PA Federation of Museums & Historical Organizations
The Development Plan and the Role of Staff, Board
and Volunteers in Implmenting the Plan
Reading, PA
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Click here for details and registration
April 22, 2008
CAPITAL VENTURE 15th Anniversary Free Workshop
Building a Fundraising Board
What Board Members and Donors Are Looking For
Is Your Organization Ready for a Capital Campaign? Improving Your Annual Fund Results
Two Most Important Words in Fundraising
Las Vegas, NV
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Sue Kreeger, CFRE
Jennifer Von Tobel
Bonnie Cook, CFRE
Gwen Bowen
Click here for details and registration
May 29, 2008
Planned Giving Roundtable of Southern CA
Keynote Address—Trends in Philanthropy
Fundraising Essentails:
Integrating Planned Giving into your Development Plan
Costa Mesa, CA
Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
Click here for more information
 
******************************************************************************
           
CONTACT U S
CAPITAL VENTURE
Advancing Philanthropy through Consulting and Training for Nonprofits
Offices throughout the United States
    Administrative Office:
P O Box 731
Reading, PA 19607		 Executive Office:
10245 S. Maryland Pkwy., Ste. 1188
 Las Vegas, NV 89183
866-539-9990 toll free
702-892-0955 voice
702-892-0655 fax 		   
         
 
CAPITAL VENTURE Associates are located throughout the United States.
Call to find the one closest to you.
(866) 539-9990 toll free
 
 
 
To unsubscribe from our newsletter list,  please click here and you will be instantly deleted from our mailing list.  Thank you!