What I Learned On My Spring Vacation (Part 2)
This focus on measuring outcomes has paid off for fundraising, as well as in the lives of the community. ACER is receiving funding from corporations and a foundation outside Brazil, through an annual event, and even from a growing group of individual donors (unusual in Brazil).
Share what works
One of ACER's core commitments is to be a social incubator. It currently has three new nonprofits operating within the context of ACER; these will be allowed to grow and then spin off when they are ready to function independently.
And given the onerous amount of paperwork non-government organizations have to do in Brazil, ACER is serving the NGO community by doing administrative work for them. This not only lets a number of groups share costs, but provides work for young adults from the community who learn accounting and other administrative functions through ACER programs.
Looking at how other nonprofits operate is a beneficial exercise because it both reaffirms what we are already doing, and shows us different ways to approach the same challenges. Thank you to the Sao Paulo, Brazil, nonprofit community for allowing us to prod and poke - and learn from them.
Pamela Barden is the creative juice and the copywriting machine behind PJBarden Inc. Pamela also serves on the FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board. You can follow Pamela on Twitter @pjbarden.
Pamela consults with nonprofits, helping them develop their fundraising strategy and writing copy to achieve their goals. Additionally, she teaches fundraising at two universities, hoping to inspire the next generation of fundraisers to be passionate about the profession. Previously, Pamela led the fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations. Pamela is a member of the Advisory Panel for Rogare, the fundraising think tank at Plymouth University’s Hartsook Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy, a CFRE, a graduate of Wheaton College (IL) and Dominican University, and holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from California Southern University. Contact Pamela at pamela@pjbardeninc.com or follow her on Twitter at @pjbarden.
