 |
|
E-Newsletter -- December, 2004
|
 |
|
|
In This Issue:
|
| • |
What are Your New Year's Resolutions? |
|
| • |
Vehicle Donation Rules Change in 2005 |
|
| • |
With Gratitude for a Successful 2004 |
|
| • |
Book Review -- Mission-Based Marketing: Positioning Your Not-for-Profit in an Increasingly Competitive World |
|
| • |
Please Share With a Colleague! |
|
Featured Links:
|
|
|
|
What are Your New Year's Resolutions?
It's hard to believe that 2004 is coming to an end and that 2005 is already upon us. In a positive sign for both the nonprofit sector generally and for Sumption & Wyland in particular, we've received several requests this month to consult on new projects in 2005.
Whether you're making resolutions or planning, we'd like to know what your resolutions and plans are for 2005. What needs do you have? What projects are the most important, or the most urgent, for you and your organization in 2005?
Please call us or drop us a note. We'll report back next month on what you share with us.
Vehicle Donation Rules Change in 2005
If your charity accepts used vehicles as charitable gifts, you should be aware that Congress has passed new legislation that affects how such gifts are to be valued.
Most vehicle donation programs operate by selling donated cars to a wholesaler or broker. In 2005, charities must report, in writing, to the donor the dollar amount actually received by the charity for each donated vehicle. The donor's charitable deduction is limited to this actual dollar amount received by the charity.
This law was enacted to address abuses where a donor claimed a charitable deduction based on retail value, regardless of the vehicle's actual condition or value, or the actual benefit received by the charity.
Although these IRS publications don't include the new requirements, IRS Publications 4302 (for charities) and 4303 (for donors) give a good brief outline of behicle donation programs and compliance/deductibility issues.
With Gratitude for a Successful 2004
We always try to make this e-newsletter informative and forward-looking. However, we must take a moment to thank our clients, colleagues, and friends for the many opportunities we've had this year to help nonprofits around the country build capacity, raise funds, and grow stronger boards and executives.
This year, we've:
* worked with client organizations on more than a dozen strategic plans
* consulted with boards of directors and executives on policy development, compensation, conficts of interest, and recruitment/retention/termination issues
* coached several nonprofit CEOs on professional development
* delivered grantsmanship and organizational development training in several states
* published articles and been interviewed in national and regional media
* prepared over $2.5 million in successful grant applications
* collaborated with other consultants across the nation and around the world
Everything we do is designed to assist our clients to pursue their missions more effectively, so they may serve people in need to the best of their ability for the long haul. We are privileged to work with so many great organizations and so many passionate, dedicated boards, staffs, executives, and volunteers.
Book Review -- Mission-Based Marketing: Positioning Your Not-for-Profit in an Increasingly Competitive World
Peter Brinckerhoff has written a great book for anyone interested in making their organization more responsive and relevant to its community.
"Marketing" is often a dirty word in the nonprofit community, since it conjures up images of carnival hucksters and hard-sell advertising campaigns. Of course, PR and advertising are important to nonprofits, and these activities are part of a mission-based, customer-focused nonprofit's marketing plan. Brinckerhoff has identified six steps in the nonprofit marketing cycle: 1) market definition and redefinition; 2) market inquiry; 3) service design & innovation; 4) setting your price; 5) promotion & distribution; and 6) evaluation.
Nonprofits suffer from a unique "marketing disability" that inhibits their ability to reinvent themselves in a customer-focused way. Brinckerhoff explains that marketing is about meeting customer wants, not customer needs. Nonprofits, their staffs, boards, and donors/funders, often believe that wants are largely irrelevant -- nonprofits are designed to address clients' needs and gaps in services.
Such thinking not only dulls the senses to client satisfaction, it also leads to thinking of donors and other potential funders (government contracts, grants, regulators, etc.) as adversaries rather than as customers.
Please Share With a Colleague!
If you find this free e-newsletter to be valuable and interesting to you, please share it with a friend or colleague. Subscriptions remain free, and we respect our subscribers' privacy.
Use the link on the newsletter, or have your colleague submit their e-mail address on the home page of our web site. It's that easy!
|
|
 |
|
|
This free monthly e-newsletter is sent to clients, friends, and colleagues by Sumption & Wyland, 818 S. Hawthorne Ave., Sioux Falls, SD, (605) 336-0244. Please contact us with your questions and ideas. To unsubscribe from this free e-newsletter, follow the link below.
|
|
|
|
|
|