Muhammad Babangida | Philanthropy

Muhammad Babangida is a committed philanthropist from Nigeria

Tag: Community Engagement

Understanding Trends in Online Fundraising

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On January 13, 2020

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida, Philanthropy, Youth Philanthropy

Americans are very giving as a culture. As technology evolves, it’s become important to target potential donors online. One example of this is the COVID-19 epidemic. Where traditionally many museums and other non-profits hosted big parties to raise money, many of those events have gone online. Organizations that have been light on their feet and quick to adapt have been able to continue to raise funds in spite of social distancing.

 

 Text-to-donate has also grown as a way to reach donors, particularly younger ones. People today are increasingly attached to their mobile phones. Smartphones have become the main place people organize their lives in many ways. And donors are willing to give via text in many cases. Organizations like the Red Cross have utilized this model with great success. Donors text a specific number, usually a 5-digit code. Donors are also willing to give to smaller, local charities they feel personally connected to with this model. Of course, it’s important to make sure donors are aware an organization is able to accept funds this way. Messaging via email or postal mail is a great way to make them aware of this. There are different software programs available to set this up. 

 

 Peer-to-peer fundraising is also a wonderful way for charities to increase online donations. Peer-to-peer means that people from the community ask their friends and family for donations. This is often done as a birthday fundraiser on platforms like Facebook. It’s a great way to keep giving at the forefront of a donor’s minds.

How Community Engagement Can Restore Trust in the Government

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On June 23, 2018

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida

Trust in government is an essential element in any democracy. Unfortunately for the United States, it’s currently running on a near-empty tank, as the gap between parties widens further with every passing day. While this is disheartening, the gap is not unbridgeable; simple human interaction can work wonders for combating this divisiveness.

When it comes to restoring trust in the government, why is community engagement important? Essentially, because it’s easier to trust in a system when one is actively engaged in fostering its growth and working alongside others who share a common purpose. This is what democracy is supposed to be about, but the political divide has made it difficult to move forward, with one side shouting for one thing while being drowned out by the other. Working together on a small scale will make even the largest problems seem less insurmountable.

The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) has created a template known as the Spectrum of Public Participation—a useful tool in breaking down the techniques of community participation along with a spectrum of public control. In essence, there are four different types of community effort: On the lower end, we have Inform, defined as reaching out to people and educating them on the issues; and consult, which is gathering feedback from said individuals and using it to move forward. As these two require effort mainly on the part of the community organizers, they’re satisfying when it comes to feelings of accomplishment, but limited in terms of control over the outcome.

On the higher end of the spectrum, there’s Collaborate, which partners the volunteers with the public moving forward; and Empower, which places the decisions solely in the hands of the public. These two don’t see much action in the community organizing process, because certain decisions are left up to elected officials. Still, those officials wouldn’t have been elected in the first place if it weren’t for the people working on both ends of the spectrum.

This is an important thing to remember when becoming involved in politics on any scale. It’s easy to become frustrated with the government, to imagine that the ones in power aren’t working in the interests of the public. In truth, however, this is a democracy; the public is the government.

6 Steps to Creating Successful Community Engagement

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On June 1, 2018

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida

When looking to foster stronger connections within your community you’ve got to figure out how to create successful community engagement. It takes time, dedication, and consistency in order to do this and we’ve put together a list of 6 ways you can work towards creating more engagement within your community that will last.

Become familiar with the demographics

Familiarizing yourself with the demographics that are present in your community can help you refine your approach. No one needs to be targeted or excluded but becoming aware of the majority can give you a good place to start in building communal ties.

Encourage discussions to create relationships

One of the best ways to engage your community is by literally talking to them. Putting yourself out there and establishing a connection with others is a way for you to make them feel like they are a valuable part of the community and their presence and opinions are wanted.

Participate and host local events

Attend as well as host local events. By supporting other community efforts you will have more of an open floor to tell others about yours. This also makes room for potential collaborative efforts to create a bigger impact on the community.

Be a partner for your community

Become aware of the issues your community is facing and reach out to help them. Make them aware of the fact that their concerns mean something to you and get together to talk about addressing them.

Become aware of other community leaders

If you can build relationships with other community leaders you can promote each other’s efforts and even work together on particular projects. They also may have more exposure to the community than you do, and this can help to get your message out there and find those who it resonates with.

Start with your neighborhood

Do you know who your neighbors are and do they know you? Invite your neighbors over for potlucks, movie nights, or gatherings that talk about more serious issues in the community. Once you start having regular interactions with your neighbors they will more than likely start inviting their friends and family, further expanding the community.

Follow the tips on this list and watch at how the engagement within your community improves!

Starting Small How Much the First Donation Matters

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On May 20, 2018

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida, Philanthropy

Running a nonprofit charitable organization requires more than the ability to share your cause with others in hopes of a monetary contribution. Understanding how to appeal to potential donors while onboarding those who are loyal to the cause you represent is key to maintaining and growing a successful nonprofit organization. Learning just how much your organization’s first donation matters and how to expedite the process is a way to ensure you are on the right path with any type of charitable nonprofit you run.

The Snowball Effect

Obsessing over receiving your first donation as a nonprofit organization is not uncommon, especially when you are extremely eager to share the work you are doing for any cause you currently support. Achieving your first donation is not only desired psychologically, but it is also desirable to others who have an interest in donating to your cause but prefer organizations that already have live backers who have given their own contributions.

Understanding the “activation rate” with nonprofit organizations online is helpful to determine the best method of attracting new donors while raising financial contributions. Once your organization has received at least one donation from a patron, it is much more likely to go on to receive additional donations, even from first-time contributors. When users see that an organization has loyal followers and donors, they are more likely to make contributions themselves as they have gained trust by viewing the engagement of your campaign.

Learn more about how your first donation impacts the success of your fundraisers by keeping track of the number of pages you have created for your fundraiser, how many fundraisers received at least one donation, and the overall outcome of each individual fundraiser page. Keep track of how well various fundraisers pages perform both before and after you have received your first donation. Remaining aware of which type of fundraisers work best for your organization helps to launch future fundraising campaigns that are successful and attract loyal supporters and donors.

The more actively engaged you are with your users and potential donors during a fundraiser, the easier it becomes to pursue contributions and donations directly to your organization. When donors and supporters become familiar and trust your fundraisers (due to past donations), they are more likely to donate financially on their own in the future.

Questions to Ask in Order to Spot Your Most Dedicated Donors

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On May 7, 2018

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida, Philanthropy

Asking donors about their feelings and loyalty regarding your nonprofit organization is one way to ensure you are always moving forward in the right direction. Whenever you are seeking feedback from your most dedicated donors, there are three simple questions to ask allowing your donors to share their feedback on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being “strongly disagree” to 10 being “strongly agree”).

“Name of Your Nonprofit” is My Favorite Charitable Nonprofit Organization

Learn more about your donors by asking whether or not your nonprofit organization is considered a “favorite”. If your organization is not considered a favorite by an overwhelming number of donors, consider why this may be and what type of marketing or campaign strategies may work to remedy the issue.

I Am Committed to “Name of Your Nonprofit Organization” and Support Its Cause

Commitment is an important factor to keep in mind when running a nonprofit organization. Many donations to large charitable organizations come from repeat donors and donors who have been loyal to the nonprofit throughout the years. Building a long-lasting relationship with donors is essential for growth and expansion as a nonprofit, which is why it is key to inquire about whether or not your donors currently feel total and complete commitment to helping your cause. Determine the underlying root cause if donors simply do not feel as committed to your nonprofit organization to make the necessary changes for improvement.

I Have a Sense of Loyalty With “Name of Your Nonprofit”

Loyalty is also imperative when building a nonprofit, especially when you are doing so on your own or from the ground up. Inquire about the loyalty your donors have to your organization and whether there is anything you can do to help increase and boost loyalty with your most dedicated contributors. The more questions you ask your dedicated donors, the more likely you are to receive funds in the future when meeting the needs of those who contribute the most.

The better you understand your donors and where they stand on supporting and sharing more information about your cause, the easier it is to connect and communicate with them on an individual level. Getting to know the wants and needs of your most dedicated donors is a way to truly build a working and successful plan for any nonprofit organization you run.

Steps to Becoming a Better Philanthropist

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On April 18, 2018

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida, Philanthropy

A philanthropist is a charitable person who uses his or her time, money, and energy to improve the living standards of other individuals. The philanthropist does not expect to be rewarded. Philanthropists are concerned with helping the unfortunate in the society by giving them necessities. Successful philanthropists focus on improving lives on a long-term basis by empowering poor people with the right skills and resources. However, it is good to understand that philanthropy should be a systematic approach which should always impact lives and bring tangible differences in the world by eradicating poverty. Below are various steps for successful philanthropy.

Goal Setting

A good philanthropist should have a well-organized plan that entails mission, vision, and objectives the organization wants to achieve within a specified period. Philanthropy usually involves finding a solution to the problems that affect people in the society. An organization with a plan will be able to research on the cause of the problem and involve the right expertise in solving the issue, which will play a significant role in saving time and resources.

Develop a Perfect Strategy

After setting attainable goals, a good philanthropist will concentrate on how to achieve them as soon as possible. Setting goals and developing a plan are the fundamental pillars of building successful philanthropy. Philanthropy usually depends on finances, philanthropic advisers, and government regulations. A philanthropist should look for multiple sources of income, which will assist him or her in achieving the set goals.

Perform Research Extensively

A successful philanthropist utilizes most of their time researching about the needy organizations and individuals before giving out their resources. Additionally, research helps the philanthropist in identifying the needy organizations that are worth to invest his time and money. There have been cases of ghost charitable organizations who keep on seeking money from philanthropists and misusing it rather than helping the needy.

Focus on Infrastructure

Philanthropy is not all about giving money and food. Good philanthropist focuses on the underlying issues in the infrastructure and establishes a permanent solution to the problem. In many regions, people have no access to clean water, medical facilities, and means of transportation. A good philanthropist will build hospitals to enable the community to access proper medical care. This will be a permanent solution, and the region dwellers will keep on benefiting from the hospital for a long time.

Therefore, successful philanthropists focus on the above essential elements and maintain their reputation that lasts for decades. Conclusively, philanthropists should mobilize people to work hard to attain their goals. They should be good role models.

Giving Back To The Community

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On May 17, 2017

In Community Engagement, Muhammad Babangida, Philanthropy

Our immediate or extended environment is a source of success, happiness and much more. Whether one owns a business or works as a salaried person, he or she is largely dependent on the society for fulfilling his/her professional and personal needs.

Hence It is rather imperative and necessary that we share some part of our success, happiness and gains with the society. While many would see it as a nice gesture, the value that “giving” towards non-profit reasons would generate is priceless.

When you want to do something for your immediate or the larger society, there is no dearth of opportunities. Below are a few tips and ideas that will help you be happier, valued and reputed through the act of giving and donation-making.

In-Kind Donations

There are many things and items that we do not need, and they are there occupying our precious space. The best way of getting rid of such items is to donate them to those who can actually use them or to someone who is in need of them. Clothes, utensils, old electronics… the list of items that you can dispose at this very moment can be extensive if you could just look for them.

Fundraising For Solving A Crisis That Affects A Society

The recent trend towards societal donation now is to solve an actual crisis faced by a community. Many different organizations (both “for” and “non” profit), community members and groups and even public agencies collaborate and link with each other and do the fundraising rounds. The cash and resources generated are used in order to solve a problem or crisis that one segment or the whole of the society faces. While you need more efforts, planning and time here, the results have far-reaching consequences.

When you want to make it short, you can also indulge in the shorter “donation drives” and can generate some donations at the public and private functions by having your own private stall or canopy.

Prizing Those Who Deserve It

Donation can also be made towards the meritorious scholars, police/fire/ military/ health care and other staff and members and other personnel and agencies that have done some extraordinary work within the society. Those who indulge in the disaster-relief operations also need more resources, and you can extend your charity towards the victims of flood, earthquake and other disasters as well.

Financial Philanthropy

Both businessmen and individuals can actually donate cash and can indulge in financial philanthropy if their needs have been fulfilled and there are humongous profits and gains respectively.

For businesses, this gesture can be very fruitful in the long run as the society views the organizations favorably who actually do something for the poorest that also make a part of it. The business that donates cash will get an instant media coverage, an excellent PR coverage, and will be better involved within the community. Finances can also be donated to a charity organization or a local NGO (Non-Government Organization).

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