The Mona Lisa, arguably the most famous painting in the world, was completed in 1504 by one of the great Italian Renaissance painters, Leonardo da Vinci. The portrait, also known as La Gioconda, depicts the wife of Francesco del Gioconda, a wealthy Florentine citizen. The woman is shown with a mysterious facial expression that is standoffish yet alluring, seated before a quixotic landscape. On the morning of August 21, 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia, who had previously worked at the Louvre, removed the painting from the wall, hid it beneath his clothes and escaped from the museum. It wasn’t until two years after the heist that da Vinci’s masterpiece was recovered in Florence on December 12, 1913. Peruggia was captured by the police as he attempted to collect the ransom he had demanded from Italian art dealer Alfredo Geri. The Mona Lisa was eventually returned to the Louvre, where it can still be found today—behind bulletproof glass. And now that we’ve got you googling this story in disbelief, check out these five nonprofit headlines from the news this week.
Great leaders constantly reflect on their organizations’ culture and core values and make adjustments as necessary. According to Forbes, a nonprofit organization that is grounded in definitive core values has a better chance of attracting donors, sponsors and stakeholders who enjoy being “co-branded” with the organization. Does your nonprofit want to improve its culture? Next time you talk strategy consider adopting the modern ‘3Rs’—respect, responsibility and resiliency. Click on the link above to read more about how you might use the 3R culture in your organization.
2. 10 Steps to Calm Angry Donors
A situation involving an angry donor can be a nightmare for a nonprofit organization. And even the most seasoned and experienced fundraisers can make a mistake that can snowball into a long, loud and tension-fueled phone call with a dissatisfied donor. If this sounds familiar, there’s no need to fret. An article from The NonProfit Times has highlighted 10 steps from Franz Metcalf and B.J. Gallagher’s “Being a Buddha at Work” to help your organization calm down angry donors as well as tackle problems that may arise. Check out the link above to discover how to best handle a situation with a displeased donor.
3. Igniting Nonprofit Leadership
It is easy to feel powerless, given the unease and divisiveness we are experiencing as a society. But according to Nonprofit Quarterly, we are not powerless in this moment. The nonprofit sector has an opportunity (and the ability) to bring people together—to maintain courteousness and solution-oriented thinking that can move us forward despite partisan politics. But in order for organizations to successfully rally communities around a collective sense of purpose, the full leadership potential of boards and executives must be ignited. Follow the link above for four recommendations for how your organization can make that happen.
According to a recent 2017 Global Trends in Giving report from the Public Interest Registry (PIR) and Nonprofit Tech for Good, more than 60 percent of donors prefer to give online—four times more than any other avenue. In addition, half of the donors polled said they were inspired to give by social media or fundraising events. And more than 91 percent of those surveyed gave donations this past year—13 percent of which went toward children and youth related causes. Interested in learning more? Explore the link above for more in-depth findings from the report.
5. Donors: Combat 'Donor Fatigue'
2017 has been a year filled with natural disasters and other devastating tragedies that implored donors to contribute to disaster relief, charities and nonprofit organizations. So how, as a donor, can you avoid ‘donor fatigue’ when year-end holiday solicitations ramp up? According to Forbes, donor fatigue, while a real problem, is not inevitable. With a bit of exploration and the right questions, donors can educate themselves, maximize the impact of their donation dollars, and avoid fatigue altogether. Click the link above to discover four ways to combat donor fatigue and keep your philanthropic spirit going strong this holiday season.
That’s it for this week’s Friday Five! We’ll be spending the rest of the day analyzing the mysterious Lisa del Gioconda. See you next week!
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