Roi for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability

"Tom Ralser has managed to condense his years of experience as an educator, lecturer, and consultant into a wonderful book filled with lessons learned, real-world situations, and sound business approaches. This is bound to become a desk reference for many nonprofit executives."

Patricia J. Kota, RN, MSPL, Chief Executive Officer, Coastal Medical Access Project

"We have done logic models, SMART goals, and outcome measures for years. But after completing Ralser's OVP analysis, our staff and board members' enthusiasm for the mission increased, as they saw the significant economic value we contribute to our community each year. His OVP tool helps us make a compelling case for support that resonates with local donors and supporters beyond emotional appeals."

Marina Sampanes Peed, President & Executive Director, The IMPACT! Group

"Those not-for-profit organizations that: treat their donors as investors; define their work and planned results in ways that are easily marketable; adopt and implement policies designed to assure full accountability; hold themselves fully responsible for delivering on their commitments; and focus upon delivering a real 'Return on Investment' to their investors, stakeholders, and community will be the organiza-tions that survive and thrive in the coming decades. Tom Ralser's groundbreaking book ROI for Nonprofits is the new guidebook for not-for-profit organizations serious about success."

Bob Johnson, President, Smart Funding Plus, LLC

"The new approach outlined in ROI for Nonprofits can help nonprofits of any size more accurately show the value of what they do and seek investments based on their value. I recommend Ralser's book to all of my grantees."

—Pearl McElfish, Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation, Connecting Donors to Their Charitable Passion

"Nonprofits are not that different from for-profits." This statement alone can cause heated discussion, but the truth is, nonprofits face the same challenges as for-profits when it comes to raising money and keeping investors happy. When investors in nonprofits are shown that their money is making a difference and their investment is paying off, they are more likely to keep investing—making return on investment (ROI) a valuable method for nonprofits to demonstrate the value of their organization.

Written by Tom Ralser—a CFA uniquely qualified to apply ROI methodologies to the nonprofit sector—ROI for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability details the methods and processes to help non-profits raise money in an environment that increasingly demands accountabi-lity, transparency, and results. Divided into two main sections, the first section of the book establishes the benefits and motivations for the investment-driven approach, while the second section demonstrates the range in which ROI can be put to use.

Filled with an abundance of case studies as well as pragmatic tips, tools, and methods used successfully by hundreds of nonprofits, this practical book covers topics including:

• Defining ROI

• The Leverage of Investors

• Learning from the For-profit World

• Moving to an Investment-based Mindset

• It's the Economy Stupid! Revisited

• Treating Investors as Investors

The prospective investor in a nonprofit wants to know "What was accomplished with my money?" ROI for Nonprofits: The New Key to Sustainability offers imme-diately useful concepts that accentuate, enhance, and augment solid fundraising and represents a major change in how to capitalize on the motivations of those who are likely to invest in your organization.

Preface.

Introduction.

About the Author.

PART ONE: Why ROI?

Chapter 1 Demystifying the Status Quo.

They're Big and In Business.

Facts Are Facts.

They're Everywhere.

They Are Different.

Chapter 2 The Changing Philanthropic Environment.

Dead Economists and Nonprofits.

Three Paradigm Shifts.

The Leverage of Investors.

The Evolving Landscape.

An Unlevel Playing Field.

Chapter 3 Organizational Reluctance.

Learning from the For-Profit World.

Five Classic Fundraising Misconceptions.

More on "People Give to People, Not Causes."

More on "Nonprofits Can't Be Run Like a Business."

Success Leaves Clues.

Fear of "Putting Your Mission Up for Sale."

Chapter 4 Organizational Change.

Moving to an Investment-Based Mindset.

Nonprofit vs. For-Profit Models.

Moving Up the Motivational Pyramid.

Chapter 5 Organizational Value/Nonprofit ROI.

Beyond Logic Models—Moving from Outcomes to Outcome Value.

The Silver Bullet Syndrome.

Defining ROI.

Valuing Values.

The Value of Expected Value.

Chapter 6 Introducing the Organizational Value Proposition.

Market Pull.

It’s the Economy, Stupid! Revisited.

Overcoming the Pushback.

Structural Obstacles.

Intended Uses.

PART TWO: ROI Foundations and Techniques.

Chapter 7 Building an OVP for Your Organization.

Five Steps to Demonstrating Value.

Areas of Focus.

Chapter 8 Suggested Methodologies.

Present Value Basics.

Capital Budgeting.

Present Value of Future Benefits.

Multiplier Effects.

Comparison Basics.

Return Ratios.

Chapter 9 Communicating an ROI-Based Program.

Treating Investors as Investors.

The Importance of an Investor Relations Program.

Examples.

But What Happens in Four Years?

Unconventional Wisdom.

Chapter 10 Putting OVP to Work: ROI Profiles.

Organization 1: Rural, Small, and Dependent on Grants.

Organization 2: Good Track Record, but Not Well Known.

Organization 3: Demonstrating Importance to the Community.

Organization 4: Large and Well Known, but Campaign Has Stalled.

Organization 5: Large and Well Known, but ROI Not Obvious.

Organization 6: Drilling Deep into the Private Sector.

Organization 7: ROI Gone Wrong.

Organization 8: Making the Economic Pie Bigger.

INDEX.