Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
Barbara Harman
info@cfp-dc.org
202-955-6538 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC, January 17, 2008 — The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington and the D.C. Office of Partnerships and Grants Development announce a new partnership in 2008, which will bring high-quality programs to nonprofit organizations in Metro Washington. The first program will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 10:30 to noon at the Sumner School. The program is free to the public; RSVP is requested.
Donors give to nonprofit organization because they believe the organizations are making a difference in a cause they care about. If charitable organizations don’t thank their individual donors in meaningful ways, they will lose those contributors. The state of donor retention, and conversations with donors themselves, highlight a quiet rift in the relationship between donors and nonprofit organizations: many people are not thanked for their contributions or they are not thanked in meaningful ways.
Join Barbara Harman, Executive Director of the Harman Family Foundation, and Kate Hays, Deputy Director of DonorsChoose.org Atlantic Region, for an interactive program on “the art of the thank you.” The presenters will discuss the importance of saying thanks, provide examples of what makes a great thank you, look at thank you letters that missed the mark, and suggest appropriate types of thank you letters for different levels of giving. They will share tips on how to set up a tracking system to assess the value of thanking your donors, and discuss the impact thank yous can have on your organization, its clients, the donor, and future fundraising. Bring your questions, suggestions, and sample thank yous to this timely program designed for small shops.
OUR PRESENTERS:
Barbara Harman is Executive Director of the Harman Family Foundation, and President and Editor of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. The Catalogue annually features some of the best nonprofit organizations in DC-metro. In just five years it has emerged as the most wide-ranging philanthropy-promotion initiative in the region, helping featured charities raise more than $4.5 million from new donors. Ms. Harman is also a member of the Board of the National Council for the Shakespeare Theatre and is active in the arts community both in Washington, DC and in Boston.
Kate Hays is Deputy Director, Atlantic Region for DonorsChoose.org. She is responsible for engaging teachers and for cultivating citizens, businesses and foundations to support teachers and students across the Atlantic Region. Kate comes to DonorsChoose.org from five years leading the Greater Washington office of FOCUS (Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools). Prior to FOCUS, Kate worked as an advisor to early stage technology companies at Ernst & Young, and was a marketing expert at both Ernst & Young and at Post-Newsweek Business Information.
PROGRAM: The Importance of Thanking Your Donors -- in Meaningful Ways
DATE: Tuesday, February 5, 2008
TIME: 10:30-Noon
LOCATION: Sumner School, 1201 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
RSVP: Kathy Jankowski, kjankowski@harman-foundation.org
About the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington is an independent nonprofit organization recognized by its annual publication, which shines a light on some of the most effective nonprofit organizations in the region. Small local charities submit applications to be featured in the Catalogue. Reviewers evaluate the applications for distinction, merit, cost-effectiveness, and financial transparency, resulting in a carefully vetted list of trustworthy nonprofit organizations. In less than five years, the Catalogue has helped featured charities raise more than $4 million from new donors. Charities receive 100 percent of each donation thanks to support from local sponsors, which include the Harman Family Foundation, Meyer Foundation, Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, CGI and Chevy Chase Trust, among others. For more information, visit www.cfp-dc.org.