Annual Giving and Donor Relations Plan for Zero Waste Washington

Cole Reese 19 August 2013

Case statement What do climate change, deforestation, fracking, mountain top removal and mining all have in common? They are all externalities of resource consumption on overdrive. The throwaway culture that we have developed in the United States is having a serious impact on our environment. As resources become scarcer, mining and extraction techniques become more and more destructive. Unlike a used pair of shoes, we cannot simply throw our planet away and buy a new one when we have exhausted it. As a society, we need to start consuming less, reusing more, and repurposing/recycling what is left over. There is no question that this is a complex problem, but Zero Waste Washington has commonsense solutions: Make recycling intuitive, user-friendly and convenient for people Educate the population on ways to reduce their own personal waste Work with producers and manufacturers to take back products and develop goods using fewer virgin resources and more repurposed or upcycled resources By working on legislation that implements many of these programs at the state level, we help to insure that a Washingtonians ability to be zero waste is not dependent upon what part of the state they live in. For over 30 years, Zero Waste Washington has served as the publics voice for zero waste in city halls around the state, at county council meetings, and down in Olympia. We work to protect our natural world by advocating for products designed and produced to be healthy, safe, and continually recycled and reused.

In addition to have a clear vision, Zero Waste Washington has a strong history of demonstrating success down in Olympia, and all across the state. We were instrumental in establishing Seattles first city-wide curb side recycling program in the 1980s. More recently, in 2008, we played a major role in working with local electronics retailers to establish the first producer funded e-cycling system in the country. We have shown strength in all levels of government and citizen organizing. We dedicated to achieving a just and sustainable world where society responsibly produces, consumes and recycles. Financial goals For annual budget, please see additional document The ultimate financial goal of Zero Waste Washington is to achieve financial sustainability. Historically, Zero Waste Washington has been supported primarily by grants. After last years budget crisis in Olympia, when the Public Participation Grants that have been a large portion of our operating budget were threatened to be suspended, the board realized that we as an organization need to focus on increasing our support from individual donors. Currently, Zero Waste Washington receives 29% of its annual budget from individual donors, and 29% from grants (see Figure 1). Because grants and foundations can be unpredictable, the board made the decision that it would be in the organizations best interest to achieve financial sustainability through expanding the percentage of our budget that is supported by membership dollars. As a grassroots based nonprofit that speaks on behalf of the citizens of Washington, it makes sense that we should emphasis getting a larger part of our budget from individual donors. In order to grow the annual fund of the organization, the board has authorized the hiring of a part time fundraising manager. By having an individual on staff that is dedicated to the organizations fundraising efforts, ZWW will primed to grow its annual fund by 15% over the next three years. The

key metrics in doing this will be increasing our renewal and retention rates, as well as reengaging donors whose membership has lapsed. Once these three metrics are improved, then the fundraisers attention can turn to improving the organizations new donor recruitment strategy. Figure 1

Zero Waste Washington Projected 2013 Income

1% 18% 29% EarthShare Washington $6,000 Event: House Party & Others $3,000 Contracts $17,000 Grants $32,300 29% 5% 3% 15% Individual Fund Donations $20,000 Miscellaneous Income $500 Membership $32,500

Program objectives Producer Responsibility- Producer responsibility means that manufacturers not government or taxpayers take responsibility for their products from cradle to cradle. This includes providing and paying for the collection and recycling of the products they make when those products are discarded. The goal of producer responsibility also called extended producer responsibility or product stewardship is to minimize environmental and health impacts throughout all stages of the products lifecycle. Producers design greener products and take them back for responsible recycling when they are discarded.

Producer responsibility is a private sector solution. Manufacturers pay for recycling the products they make as a cost of doing business. The product price already reflects many costs in addition to production, such as costs for marketing, worker protections, and environmental requirements. With producer responsibility, the cost of recycling is included too. Florescent Lights Campaign Update- Washington State has passed a landmark law to recycle fluorescent lights. This law will create a convenient statewide recycling program for fluorescent bulbs and tubes for residents throughout Washington. The program will be financed by the producers of mercury-containing lights and will start January 2013. Washington is the second state in the nation to pass this type of law, and Zero Waste Washington was instrumental in developing and passing this critical piece of legislation. More about the law:

Recycling for fluorescent lights must be provided for residents. Other entities (such as very small businesses) delivering fifteen or fewer lights per 90-day period may also use the program.

Residents will not be charged a fee when lights are dropped off for recycling at participating collection sites.

Collection options must be provided in each county and, at a minimum, in every city of more than 10,000 people. Collection options may include drop-off sites, curbside collection, or mailback.

The recycling program is financed by lighting producers. The recycling program is budget-neutral to the State and doesnt burden local governments with unfunded mandates.

Mercury-containing lights must be recycled by all residents and by all government, industrial, and commercial facilities. Disposal of mercury-containing lights in the garbage or landfills is prohibited.

The bulk sale of mercury via the internet and private parties is banned to stop dangerous practices.

Medicine- Voluntary take-back programs are collecting unwanted household medicines at some police stations and some pharmacies in Washington. Without long-term funding, they are stop-gap measures and they only serve a small percentage of the state population., Drug producers have been financing and operating medicine return programs at pharmacies in British Columbia for more than thirteen years, and are operating similar programs in other countries such as Italy, Spain, and France. Why not in Washington? For the past few years, Zero Waste Washington has advocated for passage of a Secure Medicine Return bill. We want to see convenient collection and disposal of household medicines in Washington funded by the drug producers. This take back program would help to keep harmful drugs out of reach of children and out of our waterways.

Giving chart Figure 2 Donation Number of Level gifts $10,000 $5,000 $2,000 $1,000 $750 $500 $100 $50 $25 $10 Total 1 1 1 3 2 3 15 70 150 100+ 346 Total amount $10,000 $5,000 $2,000 $3,000 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $3,500 $3,750 $1,000 $32,750

As can be seen in the above giving chart, Zero Waste Washington is projected to come in slightly above its fundraising goal of $32,500 this year. However, this does not mean that the work of the organization is done. The board has a goal of growing the membership section of the budget by 15%, that calculates out to an additional $4,875. As previously stated, the board has decided to approach this by increasing the giving levels of our current donors, and reacquiring lapsed donors. In Figure 2, we see the breakdown of gifts as they currently stand with the organization. In Figure 3, if the fundraising committee and board members focused on upgrading a small handful of our best donors, we could achieve more than our 15% goal without adding any additional donors. Even though this strategy would require an increase in stewardship of major donors, it would be less effort overall than having to acquire a large number of smaller donors to reach the same financial goal. In addition, the increased attention would help donors feel a stronger connection to the

organization. The increase in funding would also offer the organization a greater capacity to tackle a larger project like new donor recruitment. Figure 3 Adjusted Zero Waste Washington Giving Chart Donation Number Total Level of gifts amount $10,000 $5,000 $2,000 $1,000 $750 $500 $100 $50 $25 $10 Total 1 2 1 5 2 5 10 70 151 99 346 $10,000 $10,000 $2,000 $5,000 $1,500 $2,500 $1,000 $3,500 $3,775 $990 $40,265

Calendar of activities (Stewardship) January o Annual Meeting- All members are invited to attend this meeting, often held at a board members house or local coffee shop. The board president and the program director give an overview of program accomplishments and benchmarks from the previous year, as well as talk about the priorities for the upcoming year. Members have a change to meet and mingle with staff and board members. February o Environmental Lobby Day- All members invited to join members of other organizations in the Environmental Priorities Coalition to go to Olympia and meet

with their legislators about the years environmental priorities. All meetings are set up for citizens in each legislative district. All staff and some board are in attendance and host a meet and greet with Legislator of the Year from the previous legislative session exclusively for ZWW members March o Green Drinks- March is ZWWs turn to host Seattle Green Drinks, a city wide event where environmental advocates can get together to network and socialize over free pints of locally crafted beers and wine. April o Drinks with the Board- Major donors are invited to a cocktail and canaps reception hosted by a board member (normally the board treasurer). Here, major donors have the opportunity to talk with board and staff members about the organizations programs and progress throughout the year. This is in conjecture with the spring appeal. May o Spring Open House- Hosted towards the end of the month, all current members are invited to the ZWW office to socialize and hear a recap of the legislative session. If it looks like the Governor is going to call a special session, this is postponed until June June o Annual report for previous year released. Hard copy mailed to foundations and major donors, email copy sent to all other members. July o No events outside of lunches and coffee dates August

o No events outside of lunches and coffee dates September o Fall major donor reception- This is the closest ZWW has to a gala. The Seattle Aquarium donates their venue for the evening and discounts catering. Major donors invited to socialize with board, staff and local pro-environment politicians. Cocktails and a light meal are served. Major donors are asked to make a donation for the evening. This is done previous to drop date of fall appeal October o No events outside of lunches and coffee dates November o Upcycle fair- ZWW office is open the Saturday after Thanksgiving as a craft fair where all items are made from upcycled or repurposed items. The goal is for members to get holiday gifts that have a minimal impact on the environment. The ZWW website hosts links to the artisans pages after the events December o Holiday card to all donors o Day after Xmas recycling drive. The day after Christmas, all citizens can bring hard to recycle items like polystyrene foam or other packaging materials to the Zero Waste Washington office for recycling. Members are giving a reusable mug or reusable shopping bag as a thank you. (Items donated by King County) Throughout the year o Birthday ecards sent to major donors o All Board members are asked to have lunch or coffee with at least 5 major donors or major donor prospects throughout the year

Production Calendar (Solicitation) January o Donations jars out at annual meeting February o Lobby Day reception- The bar operates as a fundraiser. All beer and wine are donated to the event, so all drinks are pay-what-you-can with money going to Zero Waste Washington. March o Spring Appeal for all donors April o Spring appeal follow up and major donor reception May o GiveBIG through the Seattle Foundation- a one-day fundraising drive where all donations made through the Seattle Foundation website are matched up to a certain dollar amount. This is a social media driven campaign o Spring open house- donations jars are out, but no ask is made June o Tabling at summer street fairs July o Tabling at summer street fairs August o Tabling at summer street fairs September

o Fall Appeal- all donors and Major donor reception with silent wine auction October o Fall appeal follow up mailing November December o End of the year wishlist postcard mailed out with donations website URL Throughout the year o Meetings and asks of major donors o Grant applications o Government contracts o EarthSHARE (think environmental version of United Way) money comes in on a biannual basis.