 Hello, and welcome to all of you joining us here. Another episode of the nonprofit show. Excited to have our guest with me today, Muhee Kwaja joining us. Muhee has a lot of letters behind his name, which I like to acknowledge, MPA, CFRE, CFRM and trainer with Fundraising Academy. So each and every Friday is brought to you by our amazing sponsors, Fundraising Academy at the National University. I'm Jarrett Ransom, your nonprofit nerd, and Muhee and I are going to nerd out with you on some of these questions that you, our viewers and listeners have shared. But first, we want to thank our amazing presenting sponsors. I'm gonna give a verbal shout out for those of you that might be listening via podcast. So thank you to our best friends over at Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, Fundraising Academy at National University. Again, today we have Muhee with us today. Be generous, which is the donate now, pay later platform, your part-time controller, staffing boutique, nonprofit thought leader and the nonprofit nerd. These companies are here for you and they also show up each and every month to be of service and conversation. So thank you to our sponsors. Hey, we are marching towards, I cannot believe this, our fourth year, March will be our fourth year, I know of broadcasting. You can find our previous episodes on Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire TV, as well as Vimeo. I mentioned podcasts, we are in podcast forms, so go ahead and queue us up wherever you stream your podcasts. You can hear this show just a few hours later today. So Muhee, before we jump into this question from Pat, I would love to just say, welcome. Thank you so much. Yeah, no, I'm so very excited to be joining you and I really love these sessions and I'm so grateful to be a repeat guest with you guys and I think everybody at Fundraising Academy really enjoys these because it really shows what's on the mind of our nonprofit leaders and the communities all across the country. So we love being able to just share our thoughts, whether they're right or wrong, we will share that. And you get to decide how you want to implement it. So yeah. Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. So you are a repeat guest, so glad to have you here as I refer to it as the hot seat. So each and every Friday, Julie and I take turns with a representative from Fundraising Academy. And we go through the questions that Muhee mentioned. You provide us, so our viewers and our listeners send this in, there's many ways you can get that to us, even carry your pigeon, I'm sure is a way that we would accept it. But every Friday we address questions and over the last three and a half years, Muhee, I have witnessed the change in the evolution of the questions and some of them, albeit similar questions to maybe what we've received before, I believe how they're answered and responded to now and like current day, current situation is interesting how there might be just a small little change that impacts the delivery of today's question. So without further ado, I'll clear my throat and get us started here with Pat. So Pat in Fort Worth, Texas wants to know some ideas. So specifically, can you give us some ideas on what our donor retention number should be? We're starting to track this metric, but frankly, we don't know what a target goal or even a range should be. Great question, Pat. Take it away, my friend. Hey, Pat, this is an awesome question. I'm so glad that your organization is starting to track this metric. I'd love to encourage you and your organization to look at the last five years of what your giving data tells you, you know, download all of the gifts coordinated by year cumulative amount. So see if the donor gave in 2021 and if they gave in 2022 and then divide that by the total number of donors that you have and that's your retention. For 2023, increase it by a little bit. That's gonna be the best for your organization. But the national average for nonprofits is somewhere in that 40 to 45% range. And you know, since there's so many different nonprofits of different organization styles, different budgets, how long they've been in business, all of those factors are gonna come into that 40 to 45% factor. So don't freak out if yours is 30. If yours is 60, you're doing an awesome job. But somewhere in between, look at the last three to five years of your data and hopefully that metric continues to increase and you can do so many things to focus on those donors where you have attrition and how you can retain them again. And that's a whole other podcast. So... That is a whole other podcast and conversation. Mui, I'm gonna put you on the spot and ask you maybe a clarifying question. I heard you say five years and I'm curious if that's always been your standard practice or maybe if that's changed due to COVID. So would you be willing to share a little bit more about that five year versus maybe a standard three? Yeah, I love that point. Donations through COVID surge in 2020 is gonna look different than the anomaly before that, right? So 2019 donations are gonna be different. 2018 to 2019 is gonna be very different than 2019 to 2020. And 2020 to 2021 is gonna be very different because of COVID. Maybe you didn't get those repeat donors again, right? So yeah, I'd say five years is there just as a best practice to really look into your historical data and try to mark those trends for your organization. So if you only have two years of data, three years of data, that's okay. Work with what you have, but I think a five year retention, pool of data and metric will give you a better understanding of your database. Yeah, great point, Muhy. I love how you answered that for Pat. And then I also wanna just, we're gonna touch on this later in another question. So four warning there. It really to drill into some other KPIs, key performance indicators. So a donor retention is a great KPI or key performance indicator to track for the fundraising department. I think there's so many others that you can track as well, Pat. I don't wanna overwhelm you, but really looking at what are some opportunities for other metrics of success, how many new donors as you talk of bringing that level in, you talk of, did they increase their second gift? That's another kind of measurement, but there's so many measurements out there, Pat, I do think a quick Google of fundraising KPIs or key performance indicators would warrant a really good read for you. And again, we're gonna touch on that a little bit later with another question, or at least I know I'm gonna bring it up, but such a good question. I think as we look at our information from Muhy's perspective, that five years is really good to say, okay, where is our baseline? And let's increase it by just a little bit. So. And just so that we're clear, like calculating your donor retention, you're gonna look at the number of previous years donors that gave this year. Yes. And then you're gonna buy that amount by the number of total donors last year. And then of course, multiply by 100, and that is your donor retention rate. So it gets confusing when you start looking at that five-year mark because if you're pulling from Excel, this cell is going to do that cell, it's like crazy when you think about it. That's right. Works. Just make sure you're pulling from the right cell if you're doing things that way. You know, that's a good point. And Muhy, I do think a lot of donor databases are CRM systems. They start to track that for you. It's typically year over year, but you can customize that report and do three years, five years. So hopefully, Pat, you have a fantastic CRM system that's able to help you calculate that. So good point on that, Muhy. So we're moving over to Alabama. And then my Southern accent might come out when I say read this for Char in Huntsville, Alabama. We are bringing in a new fundraiser and we're trying to set some target goals. Should we separate out contacts or donor touches and quotes here from dollars raised? Any other things we should be measuring from this team member? Question mark says Char. So, you know, this is a great question. And Char may be a manager, a director, somebody who is in charge of metrics and making sure that the fundraising bottom line is met. And that's important. We need to be tracking these things. I think the accurate number of donor touches needs to be based on the donor themselves, their preference. So I don't think just because you have a donor metric of saying we need to have 150 donor meetings in your portfolio a year or we need to have 200 phone calls this year or 300 letters sent or 500 emails. I don't necessarily, those are the things that are going to encourage your donor to give. What will is the impact that they're gonna make. What will is how you tell that story. So it's hard to put a metric on that, but I'm not convinced that just because we have a touch point metric, that that's going to increase donor's ability to give. That's interesting, Muhy. I know early in my career when I was assigned a portfolio and I had a certain number of donors or constituents within that portfolio, I really was focused, I found myself focusing more on my metrics of which I felt I was being graded on by my boss as opposed to the authenticity exchange within the constituent themselves. So I love that you bring this up. And simultaneously as I'm saying this, I'm also checking my own self because I'm coaching a client now to create portfolios and to create moves management, actually using the true, the class selling education model using the different phases and stages. So it's a lot of fun. And I do thank you. I wanna thank you for reminding me and everyone watching and listening that it really is that authenticity exchange of what is it that that donor wants, right? How does that donor want to communicate? And maybe how many touches as you look for that is a really good just baseline knowledge of that donor touches from the dollars raised. Kashar, maybe as Muhy said, maybe you are a manager, maybe you're overseeing this person who's coming in and you're saying, okay, like what are these target goals? I think that donor retention, back to our previous question, that's another great goal to keep in track of. So good stuff, Muhy. I love this. Yeah, and I think again, like, yes, you have an event coming up, something they're interested in, something that is compelling mission statement, annual reports, something that comes across your desk and makes you think of that. Those are the things that you want to be sending your donor. Yes. I was with you as well, Jarrett, like early in my career, I was encouraged to get on the phone, write letters, send emails, do all these things. And I did it and occasionally I would get some responses back but I don't think that those were the things that inclined the donor to give or get more. My experience has been those things like we've said that have been the authentic, what we've made the donor respond. I have to bring up, because I know you and I had this conversation, Muhy, about the apple slicer. And so this is a previous conversation with us, but another point of the char is, you're looking at what the donor's interests are and I had shared in this apple slicer conversation that I had seen an article about like a regatta and I knew that this donor was really into yachting. And so I pulled that, it was a magazine, a printed magazine. I pulled it out, I wrote a little note, put it in the envelope and sent it to this donor. It was not an ask. It was not anything really about the organization. It was simply that authentic exchange of, hey, I know you're into regattas and yachts and you had shared similarly, Muhy, your apple slicer story. And I just love that, because that really is about the donor and not about your KPIs of being tracked as a successful fundraiser. So we'll have to go back and find what episode that was because that was a good conversation. That was a good one. All right, so Char, hopefully that's helpful. We're gonna move into New York. So we're going from Alabama to New York for those of you that are geographically tracking us today. Naya in New York says, we have been hearing about interim CEOs, but have you ever heard of an interim board chair? Our current board chair has to leave us due to a job transfer and we don't have anyone to take the chair position permanently. Have you seen this, Muhy? You're coming to us. Okay. There you are. I'm so sorry about that. So, yeah, I think interim board chairs is very interesting. I have seen full transitions of board chairs and interim board chairs with a few months to go before seats switch and things like that, life happens. So I think the flexibility there is key. And as long as there's a good exchange of knowledge of responsibility, vision, I don't see there being too many red flags with this or issues of concern. But of course, like who is the person that is stepping into that role and what are their expectations and what's their vision? Does it align with how the organization has been going? Those are all things that I would question. Yeah. Yeah. And I have definitely seen this happen and if you're structured, this would be a question where you have a chair and a vice chair. Perhaps the vice chair now steps in as that board chair responsibility that it might actually say that specifically in your bylaws. So you wanna take a look at that, in absence of the board chair, the vice chair takes that responsibility in absence of that person. Someone else steps up to take that responsibility. Similarly, I have absolutely seen that moohi around the board table where life happens, as you referenced. And maybe they do need to step away for some short temporary amount of time before those next executive voting term kind of placements come into effect, you simply ask for someone else to take the responsibility of that. And I've seen that honestly, not just with the board chair, but in all of those executive positions. So I don't think it's specific and structured NIA only to that interim CEO, or sorry, the interim board chair. I really think it's for just about everything. I've seen it also in the secretary role. So any of those executive positions that you are already a fiduciary, excuse me, governing agent of the organization, but if you're by and large above that and having more responsibility at that executive level, it's even more of a time commitment. So I see that exchange happen quite a bit. And I would, again, when in doubt, refer to your bylaws. And one thing I would love to share here as well is see if somebody can co-chair, what are the responsibilities, right? Get two people to step in and see what they can do to take the responsibility of being chair, because if you don't have anyone to take the chair position permanently, maybe some of the existing board members can add on to what they're currently doing to help out. Great point, yeah, that's a fantastic point. So NIA, I hope that helps. And your board structure is able to continue without skipping a beat there. So, okay, Jamie over in Dayton, Ohio, are you hearing about offering remote staff stipends from WFH or work-from-home offices? It could be used to purchase an office chair, desk, or shelving. We're considering doing this as an employee benefit, but we need some input. This is a really good question, Jamie. So, Muhy, you work nomadically. I know you travel currently, you're joining us from an international location. What are you seeing for this? Yeah, I know, I love this question. And I think it's something that every nonprofit needs to do. It's a perk, it's a benefit. You know, when we're in our offices, we had the luxury of all of these nice things, and they help with your productivity. And when you're at home, maybe you don't have access to those things, and it may stunt your productivity. So, if organizations want us to be functioning at home the same effective way that we do in the office, having access to those things like a second monitor, a nicer chair, a ergonometric keyboard, all of those things make a big difference. So, I'm a fan based within budget of what your organization's capacity is to make an exception to provide this stipend. And whether the employee chooses to use it or not, it's a nice additional amount to help the employee out. Maybe they'll say they'll buy it directly or they'll tell them that they'll reimburse the employee. So, there's no wastage of funds. Whatever the organization can do to help promote the productivity of their employees at home is critical. I'm curious if you've heard of and seen people being reimbursed or using that stipend for a walking desk. Have you heard of this one? Walking, walking machines, standing desks, all of it. I've seen it all, yeah. Yeah, and now I think you're right into your, or I really want to address kind of your work style. Like, you travel quite a bit. And so, I can't imagine that you're taking, you know, your standup desk with you to all of these places. So, you found a way that works for you as you travel nomadically. We had a guest on the other day. She works full-time, also nomadic from her recreational vehicle or an RV, right? So, she has a set up for that as well, which is really fantastic. And I do think that, you know, whether it's a stipend, whether it's a reimbursement, like to your point, it really is whatever helps them be efficient and effective in the task in which they're responsible for doing. And I remember, you know, honestly being really early in my career and just thinking whatever I had is what I had and that I couldn't ask for anything else. But if there's something that makes you, as I stand, as I sit up straighter, right? If there's something that makes you feel more comfortable, you know, there's some ergonomic chairs or some ergonomic like keyboard things, the standup desk are really helpful. A lot of people enjoy those as well. So advocate, I would say advocate for yourself, advocate for what you need to be a top, you know, provider of who you are and what you're doing. And if that means that you need a cushiony little gel thing for your wrist, like ask for that. Maybe that's part of the stipend that you're considering here. You know, I think that's important because so many of us have different ways in which we work. And Jamie, I think this is a great question. I love Muhe that you're like, yes, we should be considering this. Yeah, one thing to add too, is like increasing your internet speed, right? If both people are working from home, if they're kids online for school or you know, you're streaming friends while you're working, like whatever you're doing, that is a great use as well to increase your speed as well. Thank you for mentioning that. I think that was in the back of my head. I know that we've seen that kind of technology challenge, right, with our students early in COVID. And that doesn't mean that staff doesn't also have that same challenge. So that connectivity, you know, I also remember hearing one of an employee was like, you know, working from home, but basically going to a coffee shop because their internet speed wasn't good. And so, you know, they were really forced into an even more remote kind of situation than at home. So that internet is really good. Maybe even a phone, you know, if there's like a cell phone or a voice phone that you might need, you know, a cloud-based kind of service, all of that is really good. I'm curious. Yeah, I'm curious, Moe, do you recommend this? Like, should we be asking our staff on an annual basis? Or like, how often should we be asking them? Basically, do you have what you need to do your job? Yeah, I think that's a critical question. And maybe even coming up with recommendations of, these are the minimums you need if you don't have that. And like, what, you know, now are people using personal laptops? Or are they using their work ones? And like, what's the RAM? What's the memory? What's the whole stats on the product you're using? And does it meet the standards that you need to be running screen share on Zoom and having your email up and not freezing? No, that's not true. Yeah, so, yeah, I think that organizations should be forward with it as opposed to making their employees maybe feel shy about requesting it. So definitely the ordinance should take the lead on them. Yeah, good stuff, Jamie. And I hope that's very helpful. Hey, these conversations are always a lot of fun. As we shared earlier, we are answering your questions. They may not be right, but there are perspective and there are, you know, experience. So whether it's myself, Julia, Muhe, Jackalotto, Pearl, there's so many people that join us from Fund Rising Academy. We bring years, if not decades of combined experience. So we hope that we are able to provide a little bit of insight on how to best move forward. Today's guest in the hot seat was Muhe Kwaja, MPA, CFRE and CFRM trainer with Fund Rising Academy. So thank you. I also want to acknowledge and recognize that you are the co-founder of the American Muslim Community Foundation. So Muhe, thank you for all that you do. Such an honor to be here. Thanks for the opportunity, Jared. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. So thank you for being here with me and thank you to Fund Rising Academy at National University. Also want to give a shout out to our other partners and presenting sponsors. So thank you to Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, Fund Rising Academy at National University, Bee Generous, your part-time controller, staffing boutique, non-profit thought leader and the non-profit nerd. Today has been fantastic. Thanks to you for joining me. Thanks to all of you for listening in, either through the video or maybe through the audio. So glad you're here. Monday, we're taking off in observance of Martin Luther King Day. So I don't forget that that is a no-show day. And we ask you to join us back here on Tuesday. Have a wonderful restful weekend. Muhe, have a fantastic visit, trip, all of the good stuff that you're experiencing. And I ask that all of you to please stay well. So you can do well. We'll see you back here next week. Thanks everyone.