Case for Support

PDF HANDOUT:  Philanthropic Cultural Perception Audit

The Cultural Perception Audit™ of Advancement Best Practices is a survey tool developed by Global Philanthropic designed to assess organizational culture as it relates to fund development practice.  Peter Drucker coined the expression “culture eats strategy for breakfast” and we know from direct experience that those organizations that exceed the norms and receive transformational gifts have fostered a culture of philanthropy and support that capitalizes and leverages the goodwill of internal and external stakeholders, beginning with board and executive leadership.

The goals therefore of the Cultural Perception Audit are to understand exactly how well you are positioned with internal audiences, examine stakeholder readiness for personal involvement, and identify the strategic implications for moving your fundraising to the next level. The overarching questions of the perception audit are: How strong is the culture of philanthropy in your organization? Does your leadership understand their roles in building and sustaining a culture of philanthropy? Do your key internal stakeholders truly understand what they  contribute to your organization’s success?

As the audit survey tool has been adapted for online delivery, the process targets senior leadership, members of the board of directors, development staff, and the administrative and program leaders.  The audit can measure comparisons between and up to 10 different stakeholder groups, and an infinite number of members of each stakeholder group.  Using the on-line collection tool to collect and analyze data, Global Philanthropic will ask the target group to consider nine key areas of advancement practice: Leadership Environment; External Environment; Fund Development; Alumni/Stakeholder Engagement; Marketing & Communications; Constituency Analysis; Program Maturity; Resource Availability; Institutional Culture; and Community Perspective.

For each of the best-practice statements posed, (10 per area of practice), respondents will be asked to consider, “Do we operate this way?” and “Should we operate this way?”  In this way, the survey tool obtains a snapshot of the culture of philanthropy of the client along four lines:

• Perceptions: What do your key staff and volunteers perceive about the organization’s development and fundraising program?
• Alignment: Are there perception differences between key individuals and segments? Are there cross-institutional differences?
• Knowledge: How well do your staff and board members understand fund development and engagement strategy and their role in facilitating private investment?
• Gaps: How significant are the gaps between perception, best practice and performance?

The data is then collected, analyzed and presented in graphic and text form.  The findings allow us to identify perception gaps in a targeted manner.  It is particularly useful in identifying knowledge and communications gaps, and for targeting training and staffing needs.

The Internal Audit and Readiness Assessment is a very powerful decision-making tool.  It provides an in-depth opportunity to examine your fundraising program from the perspective of ‘high-impact’ philanthropy, and allows you to understand what it is as a team and an organization you need to do to raise more money.

It looks at everything – governance and operations; how engaged is your board in fundraising; what about the senior management team; how to make decisions that drive your organization forward to success from a fundraising perspective.  It looks at strategy and operations; how do the fundraising programs fit together; what goals have been set and how do they translate into operational plans.  On the numbers side, we look at your fundraising program performance – the metrics, dollars raised, R.O.I., what is the balance of performance across the whole spectrum, and which programs drive the most money through the door, and enhance donor relations and stakeholder engagement.

We also look at staffing and people – paid and unpaid – do you have the resources you need to get the job done.  How is the case for support set and how have the organization’s program priorities been translated into fundraising priorities.  We also look at your organizations reputation and culture – how how are you positioned in the community.

While the Audit and Assessment is a detailed tool that identified many issues and gaps that may be addressed, what it does best is engage your organization’s leadership into thinking about what has to be done to raise more money for mission.  It’s about starting a conversation and change management.

The service includes comprehensive document and data review; one-on-one stakeholder interviews; and optional workshop.

The Stewardship Audit™ is a proprietary assessment tool developed by Global Philanthropic.  It was designed in response to the growth of donor relations, and in part, as a response to the greater sophistication of donors as informed philanthropists and their increasing scrutiny of the outcomes of the organizations they fund.

The audit process will interview existing donors to your organization, and will aim to uncover perceptions around how their donations have been handled and the outcomes that they believe they are making possible.  The process of checking in with your major donors, is as important as the findings we will uncover, demonstrating that the organization is fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility to deploy the funding as the donor intended, and encouraging future donations.

Our Philanthropic Naming Assessment is an ideal tool to value and name facilities or initiatives to honour and recognize donors. Through a rigorous methodology, we can help universities, hospitals, museums, and other non-profit organizations plan their philanthropic naming strategies for new buildings, existing spaces, and special programs.  Working with you and our team, and through our unique and structured framework, we will design a visual inventory and listing of named spaced to help you maximize your donor recognition and fund development support.

This unique assessment will strengthen your relationships with major donors, as well as offer opportunities for tangible recognition of their impact. Aligning the resulting naming strategies with fundraising/campaign goals ensures that your gifts will be recognized in a consistent manner.

Sometimes, having someone manage the campaign is easier than having an advisor to the campaign.  Global Philanthropic can provide you with an experienced capital campaign director to function as the “staff” lead on the project. This person would be the go-to decision-maker on all campaign implementation matters, would supervise other campaign staff or personnel from the organization seconded to the campaign, and report to the organization’s senior leadership on campaign progress.

A Global Philanthropic consultant can be available to you to take a hands-on role preparing grant submissions to government, corporate or private foundation grantors. Our experienced grant writing professionals can safely help you raise money by minimizing time spent on exploring unproductive tangents.

Global Philanthropic will work with you to help you realize your potential with Mid-Level Donors. Our proprietary process walks you through the design, development, and implementation of your customized Mid-Level Giving Program.

With our unique approach, you can expect to double your revenue from the current lower-level donors within three years. The result achievable, sustainable, and with outstanding Return on Investment. We will show you your potential before any commitment to work with us.

What is a Mid-Level Donor?

• Donors (or prospects) who have the potential to give you substantially more than the annual average gift but are not ready (or may never be able) to make a major gift.
• Mid-Level gifts are usually considered between $1,000 and $2,500 annually.

Why have a Mid-Level Donors program?

• By paying attention to this often-neglected group you will generate a high return on investment.
• The kind of donors attracted to this type of program are different from your typical small gift annual donor. They want engagement with your organization; but a limited amount.
• You can use this program to help identify potential major and planned gift donors – build your pipelines.
• Many of board members, volunteers, and small businesses may be good candidates for this program.

More reasons you need a Mid-Level Donor program

• It bridges the gap between lower-level donors and the major gift level.
• It makes a new level that is more attainable by some, and encourages loyal low-level donors to move up the pyramid.
• It improves donor retention and the lifetime value of donors.
• It properly stewards this type of donor in the way they deserve
• It creates an opportunity to improve collaboration efforts within your organization — removing the silos and becoming more efficient.
• You will raise more money for your mission!

Global Philanthropic is the only full service worldwide strategic fundraising and philanthropy firm with offices in Hong Kong, and will provide everything necessary to form the Foundation on your behalf.   Our proven track record in establishing foundations in Hong Kong has provided valuable assistance to many client organizations, including: St. Andrews University; University of California; University of Sussex; University of Sydney and Royal Kew Gardens.

Section 88 of the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance allows a foreign institution to raise funds, accept grants, donations, bequests and gifts of all kinds from any person, corporation, foundation or institution. It also allows for the stimulation of support of all kinds for the advancement and attainment of the objectives of the foundation. In addition, no tax is paid by the Foundation subject to the annual filing of appropriate paperwork.

In addition to foundations in your home country, setting up a foundation in Hong Kong will:

• Allow institutions to collect funds from alumni and donors across Asia within their home region;
• Enable alumni and donors based in Hong Kong to receive tax deductions for their donations to institutions;
• Make it easier for institutions to get donations from mainland Chinese as many maintain Hong Kong dollar accounts;
• Foster local connections as institutions can demonstrate its commitment to the Asia region;
• Deepen engagement as local foundations offer opportunities to participate for suitable alumni and donors; and
• Offer institutions straightforward access to money as there are no restrictions on the movement of currency from Hong Kong.

Once a Hong Kong Foundation is established, Global Philanthropic can provide ongoing administrative operation of your Foundation. The Support Services Package includes:

• All company secretary fees;
• All annual return and audit fees, provided the client follows procedures and meets deadlines;
• A registered office street address of: Tesbury Centre, Room 304, 28 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong;
• Use of the Global Philanthropic board room up to 15 times per year and hot-desk up to 20 days per year;
• Processing of all donations, including delivering receipts to donors;
• Communication on all donations received;
• Monitoring the client’s Hong Kong bank accounts, provided the organization has provided Global Philanthropic with view-only access to its online accounts and/or distributes paper copies of online statements to our office in a timely manner;
• Communication with the client on all matters with regards to the Companies Registry for its company limited by guarantee and Inland Revenue for its Section 88 tax-exempt charitable status;
• Global Philanthropic will provide a detailed Policies and Procedures Manual upon signing of the contract, which will include detailed instructions for working with us on gift processing and donor communication and provides such necessary sample documents as gift remittance, official receipt, and donation forms. The client may make changes to this manual in consultation with Global Philanthropic and within reason and the limits of Hong Kong Companies Ordinance, Inland Revenue Ordinance and any other related sections of the Basic Law;
• Storage for essential financial files up to 5 cubic feet (1d x 1h x 5w).

Asian Philanthropy Strategy