Zimmerman Lehman : Test Your Nonprofit I.Q.

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Test Your Nonprofit I.Q.

Are you up to the task? Each month ZimNotes will feature a one-question quiz to help ensure you know basic but critical information about fundraising, leadership, boards and other relevant nonprofit areas. Answers will appear both on our website and in the next issue of ZimNotes. Regular ZimNotes readers should have no problem answering these questions; for those that get them wrong you may need to review older ZimNotes articles or check our articles section!

1) Who donated the most money in the US to nonprofits last year?

a) Foundations
b) Corporations
c) Live Individuals
d) Deceased Individuals (Bequests)

And if that is too easy, can you estimate the percentages each gives?

2) Feasibility Studies, as a prelude to a capital campaign, :

a) Are a waste of time and money.
b) Describe what the building will look like.
c) Can "light a fire" under prospective donors.
d) Only measure how much money you will be able to raise.

3) Assuming a midsize nonprofit with development staff, which of the following is NOT a Board member's fundraising responsibility?

a) To make a financial contribution to the extent of his or her capacity.
b) To solicit contributions from his or her friends, relatives and colleagues.
c) To assist with recruitment of new board members with the clout and connections to ensure the success of the fundraising effort.
d) To draft a grant proposal to a foundation where a colleague sits on the board.

4) Fears expressed by some board members about asking for financial contributions include all of the following except:

a) Embarrassment
b) Being "asked back" by the person whose gift the board member is seeking
c) Being too "rational" and not sufficiently emotional
d) Rejection

5) When planning a major donor campaign it is best to:

a) Use inexpensive materials to show how your nonprofit is saving resources.
b) Have solicitors ask a stranger so there is no conflict of interest.
c) Begin to look for a major donor in the society page of your local newspaper.
d) None of the above

6) Which of the following are considered to be a board member's fundraising responsibilities?

a) To make a financial contribution to the extent of your capacity.
b) To solicit contributions from your friends, relatives and colleagues.
c) To oversee your organization's fundraising efforts.
d) All of the above.

7) What types of professions can help your board with its development efforts?

a) Sales.
b) Public relations, marketing, and advertising.
c) Law.
d) Accounting and finance.
e) All of the above.

8) When funders and donors talk about accountability what, in particular, are they looking for?

a) Making sure all your board meetings are open to the public
b) Ensuring that the budget adds up correctly
c) Making sure your board members have liability insurance
d) Ensuring the public that your overhead percentages are reported accurately

9) All of the following are good fundraising strategies except:

a) Tell donors you may need to close your doors if they don't give now
b) Ask for money in as many ways as appropriate
c) Keep the donor in mind
d) Give donors the opportunity to invest in your successful community enterprise

10) Which one of the following leadership characteristics is the newest on the landscape?

a) Vision
b) Humor
c) Emotional Intelligence
d) Trustworthiness

11) In choosing a chair of your organization's capital campaign committee, what should be your priority?

a) A current board member with good connections in the community.
b) A representative of the client community served by your nonprofit.
c) A current board member who gets along well with people and loves "glad-handing."
d) A volunteer who is not a board member and who has his/her own financial resources and good community connections.

12) Which of these is not a good tip for grantwriting?

a) Pay more attention to describing your program than your philosophy.
b) Have the executive director or board chair sign every letter of inquiry or proposal.
c) Don't repeat the grantor's language concerning their priorities, since every grantor knows what it wants.
d) Spend at least as much time on developing the budget as on writing the proposal.

13) Which one below is not part of being a strategic advocate as a board member?

a) Members asks deliberate questions about the end results you are looking for on any given issue.
b) It includes engaging the entire board in lively discussions about options and actions.
c) You use your legal skills on behalf of your board.
d) It involves developing policies and actions that further the mission and vision of the organization

Our newest challenge...

14) Which of the following questions should be answered yes before you initiate a capital campaign?

a) Does your agency need a building, a piece of land or a piece of equipment?
b) Does your board have the capacity to make large contributions to the campaign?
c) Are board members ready to pursue friends, relatives and colleagues in the campaign?
d) Have the board and volunteers been trained in how to ask someone for a big gift face-to-face?
e) All of the above

Correct Answers

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