MISSOURI ART COUNCIL NEWS – June 2015

Lifelong Kansas City resident Michael Burke is a director and CEO of the Burke Payne, LLC law firm. He recently served as chair of the Mayor’s Task Force for the Arts, which in 2013 created a master strategic plan for the City’s role in fostering the arts in the region. He is active in the city’s burgeoninsg technology community, and serves as co-chair of the Mayor’s Bistate Innovation Team and co-chair of the Advisory Council for KC Digital Drive. He has served in many other capacities for the city, including as chair of Kansas City Riverfest and on the board of the Convention & Visitors Association.

Patt Ann Sharp has been active in education for nearly 50 years. A native of Morley who has lived in Kennett since 1973, she has developed curricula, taught high school English and journalism, and since 2008 has been a full-time instructor in the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Religion at her alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University. Her extensive volunteer service includes membership on the Missouri State Board of Education and multiple roles for P.E.O., an international women’s philanthropic and educational organization.

The Missouri Arts Council’s all-volunteer board provides direction in policy making and programmatic oversight. The board meets three times a year to review panel recommendations, develop statewide programs and initiatives, and consider arts-related issues that affect the state.

1. No longer able to afford support – 54%
2. Feel that other causes are more deserving – 36%
3. Donor died or relocated – 16%
4. Organization did not acknowledge support – 13%
5. No memory of ever supporting the organization – 11%
6. Organization did not communicate how money had been used – 8%
7. Organization no longer needs support – 6%
8. Quality of support provided by organization was poor – 5%
9. Organization asked for an inappropriate amount – 4%
10. Communications were not appropriate – 4%

The average rate of donor retention for nonprofit organizations is hovering at just barely about 40%, according to the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Fundraising Effectiveness Project. That’s down from 50% in 2008. Research by Chuck Longfield of Blackbaud, a provider of software and services for nonprofits, posits that the retention rate for brand-new donors is even worse, standing in 2013 at 27%.

Industry experts concur that the keys to stemming the hemorrhage are building deep, authentic relationships and frequently evaluating and adjusting one’s fundraising strategies. Hitting the right balance of how much to communicate and personalizing those communications are important parts of this mix. The concepts are simple, but require painstaking attention and ongoing commitment of staff and resources.