E-Newsletter, December, 2011

e-newsletter • December, 2011 Inside this issue: Client Success Story Our Book Is Your Banker Your Biggest Cheerleader? Events & Seminars Bring Our Seminar to Your Community Who Do You Know?

www.alineaconnect.com Contact Us 414-803-3229 deborah@alineaconnect.com

     

Client Success Story The SOS Center   For nearly 30 years, the SOS Center has been empowering children and adults to overcome poverty through their education programs. Thirty percent of households in the surrounding area earn less than $15,000 a year.  Neighborhood students are part of the MPS School district, where overall proficiency/advanced rates reach only 62% in reading at the 8th grade level and only 50% in Math in 8th grade. Through its GED Preparation Classes, After School Homework Program, Adult Basic Education, Youth Summer Camp, English as a Second Language and Sewing Classes, the SOS Center touches the lives of each child and adult they connect with and support. Click here for the entire story about the SOS Center and the path this non-profit organization took to continue touching the lives of it's community members by taking a path to financial sustainability.		Connect with us on LinkedIn Visit our Blog Our Book Schools and nonprofits! Learn how to attract all the resources you need by telling your story and cultivating relationships in a way that inspires people to want to help! To order The Secret to Better Schools; A New Mindset for Engaging the Community, by Deborah Lukovich, Visit us at www.alineaconnect.com Upcoming Seminars! Long-Term Sustainability: The Secret to Effective Community Engagement The 2012 Wisconsin State Education Convention January 18-19, 2012 Milwaukee, WI To RSVP and for more details email deborah@alineaconnnect.com Bring our Seminar to Your Community Want to bring our inspirational message to your community? We’ll share the formula for long-term sustainability for nonprofits and schools: Story Direction + Relationships = Sustainability Contact Deborah@alineaconnect.com to find out how to bring our seminar to your community of schools and nonprofits.
Is Your Banker Your Biggest Cheerleader? Your Organization's Bank Has a Big Stake in Your Success.  Why? 1.  When your organization is financially stable, you are less of a risk to them. 2. As your organization grows its revenue, your bank benefits because their assets grow. 3. Your bank serves a neighborhood or community just like your organization does. When your organization is strong and has a positive impact on the community, you have more clients who need a bank to save money with. 4. Having nonprofits like yours as clients offers the bank an opportunity to say they support community organizations that help make the community a better place for everyone. Clearly banks benefit when they have you as a client.  But the benefits to your organization of banking with a certain bank should go way beyond the ability to have a checking and savings account. Here's How: 1. Your banker should offer solutions. They should be sitting down with you, quarterly, to review your situation to offer solutions that help you better manage your cash flow.  2. Your banker should be your cheerleader.  Your banker should have an interest in your organization's mission because you are their client.  While your mission probably resonates with them, it's up to you to empower them with the knowledge about how to talk about your organzation and your needs.  Bankers are relationship people out in the community, and great bankers should constantly look for connections and opportunities for their clients.  Do you see what I mean?  It's extremely important to find the right bank and/or banker to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with.  Why? It's all about relationship cultivation.  Want to see how?  Visit my blog and learn each specific step to make this happen.  If you follow these steps, you will meet people who are inspired and will offer to help in ways that meaningful to them, which could result in millions of dollars, just like it did for one of our clients!     Who do you know? Do you know a nonprofit or school that needs more resources? Could they benefit by developing a professional case statement, empowering their board with tools to raise money, or learning the art of relationship fundraising? Pass this e-newsletter along and encourage them to visit www.alineaconnect.com to learn about an upcoming seminar or schedule a FREE CONSULTATION to learn how alinea helps nonprofits and schools attract more resources. If your referral ends up hiring alinea, we’ll send you a $50 gift card to Amazon.com.

E-Newsletter August, 2011

Inside this issue:
What's New	Our Book
Hot Tip!	Events & Seminars
Who Do You Know	Bring Our Seminar to Your Communit

www.alineaconnect.com

Contact Us
414-803-3229
deborah@alineaconnect.com

   

What's New Deb Lukovich is One of PNC's "Women Who Achieve!" The alinea team is proud to announce that Deb Lukovich, our Founder and President is now one of PNC Bank's "Women Who Achieve."  Check out her story and word's of wisdom here. Congrats Deb and thank you PNC for being a trusted resource for alinea and our clients.   Meet Our New Team Members! Elizabeth Gardner, Project Manager and Consultant We are proud to announce that Elizabeth has joined the alinea team as our new consultant who will also be handling project management to ensure customer satisfaction for all of our clients. Elizabeth has more than 10 years experience working with non-profits, most recently as Director of Education and Outreach for the Florentine Opera as well as Board member for the Civic Music Association.  Meghan Martin, Marketing Manager Meet Meghan, alinea's new Marketing Manager. Prior to joining alinea worked at Sohobiztube.com as a Marketing and SMO Consultant and wrote the monthly "Player Profiles" for Magazine SOHO.  New Monthly Services Need to raise more money, but can’t afford to hire a fundraiser? We’ve launched our monthly coaching services. Just two hours of coaching every month on strategic relationship cultivation can result in more resources! For more information, email Deborah@alineaconnect.com.		Connect with us on LinkedIn Visit our Blog Our Book Schools and nonprofits! Learn how to attract all the resources you need by telling your story and cultivate relationships in a way that inspires people to want to help! To order The Secret to Better Schools; A New Mindset for Engaging the Community, by Deborah Lukovich, Visit us at www.alineaconnect.com Upcoming Seminars! Developing a Professional Case Statement Wednesday, Oct 19th 7:30-9am Sponsored by PNC Bank and Reilly, Penner and Benton Accounting Firm To RSVP and for more details visit here Turning Volunteers Into Ambassadors Thursday, November 10th, 9-11:30am Sponsored by the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee To RSVP and for more details visit here Bring our Seminar to Your Community Want to bring our inspirational message to your community? We'll share the formula for long-term sustainability for nonprofits and schools: Story Direction + Relationships = Sustainability Contact Deborah@alineaconnect.com to erto find out how to bring our seminar to your community of schools and nonprofits.
Hot Tip! 5 Biggest Mistakes In Foundation Fundraising To read an expanded version of this article, go here. 1.Submitting a grant application without a relationship with the foundation. Did you know that only 1-2% of grant-applications get funded?  If the foundation receives 100 excellent applications, 75 will be rejected. If you were the decision maker, what would make the difference for you in choosing which excellent applications to fund? Knowing something about the organization of course! 2. Hiring a grant writer. Most organizations begin foundation fundraising by hiring a grant writer. But that's focusing on the wrong thing. Honestly, it's not the writing of the grant that makes a difference, it's the mission and effectiveness of the organization, as well as a compelling picture of what the future looks like because of the organization's work.   3.Not following up. If you've been lucky enough to have a staff person or board member from a foundation visit your organization or school, and they invite you to submit a letter of intent, then you better do that right away!  Ideally, you want to be invited to apply for a grant, which is your chance to impress the foundation.   4. Not learning from rejection. Many organizations get rejected because they haven't done their homework; they may not have been a match.  If they had developed a relationship with the foundation prior, they would have received valuable feedback on whether or not they were a good match for the foundation.   5. Not continuing to cultivate the relationship once a gift is received. Many organizations think their job is done once they receive a grant from a foundation.  Really, your job has only just begun when it comes to building a long-term relationship. We'd love to hear what happens. Send your story to Deborah@alineaconnect.com. To read an expanded version of this article, go here
Who Do You Know? Do you know a nonprofit or school that needs more resources? Could they benefit by developing a professional case statement, empowering their board with tools to raise money, or learning the art of relationship fundraising? Pass this e-newsletter along and encourage them to visit www.alineaconnect.com to learn about an upcoming seminar or schedule a FREE CONSULTATION to learn how alinea helps nonprofits and schools attract more resources. If your referral ends up hiring alinea, we’ll send you a $50 gift card to Amazon.com.

   

E-Newsletter June 9, 2011

Inside this issue:
Client Success Story	Our Book
Our Clients Need Your Help NOW!	Events & Seminars
Bring Our Seminar to Your Community	Who Do You Know

www.alineaconnect.com

Contact Us
414-803-3229
deborah@alineaconnect.com

   

Client Success Story St. Marcus Lutheran School - For 130 plus years St. Marcus Lutheran School has provided quality education that inspires young minds by cultivating a thirst for learning and a faith in Jesus Christ. Originally serving German immigrants in the last half of the 19th Century, today, of the 425 students in K4 through 8th grade, 85% participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. The results speak for themselves. St. Marcus Lutheran School is known nationally as a model for high student achievement in urban settings, and graduates are advanced or proficient in reading, math and language arts with standardized test scores beating the national average. All students plan on attending college. It was when the school wanted to expand and increase enrollment from 300 to 600, that they began working with alinea in 2008. alinea began with a feasibility study that not only confirmed that $12 million could be raised, but that many people who were unfamiliar with St. Marcus expressed interest in getting involved. “We found ourselves going into uncharted waters with alinea,” said Christine Safranak, the school’s Development Director. “Most organizations pull back from decisions to enter a capital campaign. We had so much work to do, that in a way it was a blessing in disguise. When the economy was crashing we were really busy building relationships. The hidden blessing was that the work that we did in 2009 led us to an amazing 2010," exclaimed Christine. One of the challenges that St. Marcus school faced involved making changes to their internal structure and mindset. Christine admitted that Shemagne, her alinea consultant, at times had to deliver tough messages that they weren't ready to hear. She found alinea's holistic approach and ability to be co-passionate and adopt the mission and vision of St. Marcus School unique. “What we looked like from the outside wasn't who we were. We really needed someone to live in our shoes. Shemagne really had to experience what it was like to be one of us, and she did that with all her heart,” explained Ms. Safranek. “It wasn't just about fund-raising; it was about branding, storytelling and connecting. It was broader than what you would typically use a campaign consultant for." By October of 2010 the school still needed to raise $800,000 more dollars and $7 million in total pledges to begin construction. In that one month, they received more than $660,000 in donations! By October 31st, Phase I of contruction began. “By adopting our mission, alinea is helping us reach more kids, improve access to quality education and change the landscape of education in Milwaukee,” Christine said. “My personal opinion is that is a rare quality in a consultant. It is no cookie cutter approach. Shemagne lives the effort whether or not it is comfortable.”		Connect with us on LinkedIn Visit our Blog Our Book Schools and nonprofits! Learn how to attract all the resources you need by telling your story and cultivating relationships in a way that inspires people to want to help! To order The Secret to Better Schools; A New Mindset for Engaging the Community, by Deborah Lukovich, Visit us at www.alineaconnect.com Upcoming Seminars! The Road to Financial Sustainability; Engaging the Community in What You Do Wednesday, June 22nd, 9-11am Sponsored by Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee To RSVP and for more details visit www.alineaconnect.com Bring our Seminar to Your Community Want to bring our inspirational message to your community? We’ll share the formula for long-term sustainability for nonprofits and schools: Story Direction + Relationships = Sustainability Contact Deborah@alineaconnect.com to find out how to bring our seminar to your community of schools and nonprofits.
Our Clients Need You NOW! Above the Clouds Mission:  To expose children ages 5-17 to the creative arts/movement - free of charge in a safe and loving atmosphere, in order to expand their minds for appreciation of the arts, for personal enhancements and the possibility of pursuing a career in the arts while instilling biblical truths. Current Needs: People to serve as board or committee members with talents in marketing, grant writing, and fund development. Email deborah@alineaconnect.com for more information. St. Coletta Day School of Milwaukee Mission:  St. Coletta Day School provides an academic curriculum designed to meet the special learning needs of each student that will help prepare the students to realize their full learning potential and to become productive and contributing citizens as adults. Current Needs: People to serve as board or committee members with talents in marketing, grant writing, and fund development. Email deborah@alineaconnect.com for more information.           Who do you know? Do you know a nonprofit or school that needs more resources? Could they benefit by developing a professional case statement, empowering their board with tools to raise money, or learning the art of relationship fundraising? Pass this e-newsletter along and encourage them to visit www.alineaconnect.com to learn about an upcoming seminar or schedule a FREE CONSULTATION to learn how alinea helps nonprofits and schools attract more resources. If your referral ends up hiring alinea, we’ll send you a $50 gift card to Amazon.com.