3 Cheap and Effective Ways To Increase Donor Retention

A recent report from Statistics Canada noted that although the total number of Canadians making charitable donations decreased by two percentage points from 2010-2014, the total dollar amount given has increased. That means that while fewer Canadians are giving (and that number still rests at a whopping 82%), each donor is actually giving more money to the causes they care about.

For those of you thinking about funding strategy for your nonprofit, let me translate this news: it is time to become BFFs with your donors. Or, in fundraising speak, we need to talk about donor retention.

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Upcoming Event: How can social movements and organizations make the most of linguistic diversity ?

Join us at the World Social Forum!

As part of this year’s World Social Forum, the Center for Community Organizations (COCo) welcomes you explore with us how social movements and organizations make the most of linguistic diversity. We will be sharing about our linguistic and cultural experiences, thinking about the power structures that shape our guiding principles and values, and imagining some concrete ways to make our spaces more inclusive!

Time and Location

August 10, 2016, 1pm-3h30pm
McGill University – Pavillon des Arts (Local 350)
853, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Montréal, QC, Canada

To register for the World Social Forum in Montreal, click here.

Our Facebook event is here.

Hosts:

Kira Page, Le Centre des Organismes Communautaires
Juniper Belshaw, Le Centre des Organismes Communautaires

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5 RADICAL RESOURCES from the Allied Media Conference

COCo staffers were on hand last month to participate in the 18th Annual Allied Media Conference, held at the Wayne State University campus in Detroit, Michigan. The conference, which bills itself as a “collaborative laboratory of media-based organizing strategies,” ended up being that and so much more: a smorgasbord of workshops, skill-sharing, meetups, panels, and performances spread over a diverse set of tracks and network gatherings. The exchanges and learning that happened over the packed 4-day program left us inspired and reflective on the different ways that community groups and social movements south of the border have integrated media, communications, organizational health and anti-oppression into their strategies.

Here are 5 great radical resources we found during our time there.

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Check it Out: Leadership and Social Change Training Opportunity

More and more, social justice organizers are having to plan and act within rapidly changing environments. Characterized by shaky funding, increasingly complex social issues, and a quickening pace of work, this environment asks a lot of those who work in the non-profit sector, leaving many grassroots leaders feeling overwhelmed (and with good reason!).

Finding ways to adapt to these new demands can be time-consuming and costly, which is why we are so excited to let you know about u.lab, a free MOOC (massive open on-line course) out of MIT, addressing questions of leadership for social change. The free course also includes a local “social innovation hub” that will bring together community organizers in Montreal to work through the u.lab material, exchange ideas, and develop leadership skills.

We caught up with u.lab hub organizer Dr. Eva Pomeroy to find out how COCo members could benefit from u.lab and the social innovation hub.

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