Monday Morning Musings
Becoming a Better Fundraiser
January 16, 2011
This tragedy made me stop and think about how those of us in the development profession are so important to the nonprofits who deal with these types of tragedies on a regular basis. Hospitals and first responders who save lives, agencies that deal with addictions and mental illness that heal broken lives on a daily basis. The arts and cultural institution who help us understand our world and each other better. And so many more. Without the fundraising staff and volunteers, these organizations would not be able to do the work they do, and our world would be in constant chaos. So how do you become a better fundraiser? How do you keep yourself focused on the important work that results from your efforts, when you're surrounded on a daily basis with a software system that just doesn't work for you, with a board that does not understand their role, with an executive staff that is not willing to invest in philanthropy?
A couple of things I've found over the years that have helped:
- Be sure to take time to get away now and then and do something for yourself, a relaxing vacation, an educational course that you've always wanted to take (not relating to fundraising — maybe photography or salsa dancing). Release the creative part of your soul.
- Read an inspiring book on philanthropy, learn more about our profession by attending a Think Tank, a Symposium or a high level one day course. Focus on the art rather than the science of fundraising once in a while.
- Set personal goals for you career — becoming a CFRE or an ACFRE, becoming a consultant, writing a book, speaking at a national conference.
- Be a mentor or a mentee. Both roles can be fulfilling, you can even do both at the same time!
Check out my book, Fundraising as a Career: What, Are You Crazy?, for more ideas.
Nonprofit Leaders
October 25, 2010
- Integrity: A leader of the nonprofit community would need to, above all, be a person of integrity, who adhered to a code of ethics, who has a strong moral compass and who acts in the best interest of those whom the nonprofit community serves-its clients, donors, staff, the community at large.
- Passion: This leader would also need to have passion for the nonprofit community and for those served by it. This leader would need to have a "fire in the belly" that would not let them rest until the nonprofit community has all the resources it needs to succeed in serving its community.
- Commitment: This mythical leader would need to be committed to the sector, to the people served by the sector, and to the community at large.
- Enthusiasm: The ability to inspire the leaders' staff and supporters, to be "up" all the time (at least all the time the elder is visible in the community) would be critical.
- Leadership Skills: This person would need to be a visionary—to dream, to present a vision for what our world could be, and to help the community to live that vision.
- Management Skills: This leader also would need the management skills to plan, develop a budget, to work with all sectors to bring about the vision.
- Ability to Inspire: A good leader would also have the ability to inspire the entire community, to make them understand the vision and to be able to inspire and mentor other great leaders to follow in their footsteps—to keep the dream alive. (Martin Luther King, Jr. comes to mind.)
- Good Communicator: This person would need to be able to communicate in writing and verbally the case for support for the nonprofit sector, to help others understand its importance, its vision, its mission, its history and its future.
Now, what if we took this mythical leaders of our entire sector, and put those qualities into what we look for in leaders of our own organizations—our board members, our executive directors, our administrators, our chief development officers? What changes do you think would happen in your organization if your leaders had all these qualities?
Hidden Treasure
September 6, 2010
Happy Labor Day!
As I write this I am getting ready to go on a vacation to Elko, NV; Wendover, NV; and the Salt Lake City area in UT. Now I know most people who live in Las Vegas don't go to Elko or Wendover on vacation. But they're probably missing something great!
So, as you get ready to celebrate this great holiday celebration all those who labor (and I think that is all of us), how about thinking about something "in your own back yard" that you might be missing?
A donor, perhaps? Many of us think we have to always be out there looking for new donors, but have you really thought about the donors you already have — your supporters, your cheerleaders, those who really love your organization? Why not plan to go visit your top three donors this month, just to tell them how much you appreciate their contributions, let them know what's happening in your organization, and find out what really excites them about your mission!
Maybe it's a potential board member? Perhaps there is a volunteer who is ready to step up and serve on your board? Someone who has been an active fundraiser, an ambassador par excellence, or a program volunteer who is passionate about your mission? Make a list of those folks you think might fill an important seat on your board and explore the options with them.
It could be a staff person who is ready to move "up the ladder?" Many times we have hidden treasures right before our eyes. You might have an administrative assistant who could help research or write grant proposals. It could be that you have a development assistant that can coordinate events or manage donor relations. This person might just need a little training and encouragement to help them advance. Why not invite your clerical assistant to an AFP meeting where they can learn more about the profession of development.
So, I have an assignment for you while I am exploring the Lamoille Canyon, the Salt Flats and one of the few spots on earth where you can see the curvature of the earth. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to arrange a meeting with your top three donors, to make a list of volunteers who might be potential board members, and to meet with your staff to find out what their goals and visions are for their own careers.
Can YOU Be Found?
August 30, 2010
A couple of weeks ago I was on vacation and one of the towns I visited was Ames, Iowa. Cute little town with a charming Main Street lined with interesting little shops, among them a fine Netherlands Chocolatier. I, of course, stopped in to make a small purchase of this fine chocolate and several hours later, when I checked my Blackberry, to my surprise I found:
- A Facebook message
- A LinkedIn Message
- A Tweet on my Twitter account
- An email posted through my website, and finally
- An email from my daughter who had also been contacted through Facebook by the owner of the chocolate shop.
It turns out that I left my credit card in his store and being a former detective, the owner knew enough to Google my name and found my website, my LinkedIn account, my Facebook account, and my Twitter account. On my website, he checked my travel calendar and noticed that I was traveling in Ames. This was enough to convince him (as if my unusual name wasn't enough proof!) that he had the right Linda Lysakowski. We chatted for a while and next day I picked up my credit card (and sampled the gelato, of course!)
Now what does all this have to do with fundraising? Well, it really showed me the power of social media. Had I not been that accessible, I would have been in another state several days later before I realized my credit card was missing. It got me thinking about how nonprofits can and should be using the various social media networks to their advantage. I think there are two sides of this coin to consider:
- Are you "out there" so you are visible to all your potential clients, donors and volunteers?
- Are you using all the available Internet resources to help you research your potential donors? Do you know to what networks they belong, where they are traveling, and what their interests are?
If not, get started now!
By the way, the owner of the chocolate shop was a volunteer for a community theater capital campaign. If I had stopped by his shop a few months earlier, I might have had a client to really put the icing on the cake. Of course, the chocolate and the gelato made up for it all!
Board Giving
August 9, 2010
Board giving! Always an interesting debate. How much should they give? Does it really matter if they all give or not? I've even heard of some organizations that want to "pay up" for a reluctant board member and "fake a gift" from that board member just so they can say they have 100% board participation. Perhaps the board chair offers to make a gift in the reluctant board member's name so they can report 100% giving. What is wrong with this picture?
Besides the obvious ethical considerations, think about it this way. If you are a human service agency that treats drug and alcoholic clients in a counseling program, would you "fake success" by saying well this client has been clean for twice as long as anticipated outcomes, so we can take her 6 months and credit them to this client that did not stay clean?" Or take points from the student with the highest grade point average and give them to a failing student to improve your success rate? You get the idea!
These may sound like extreme comparisons, but board giving cannot be "faked, fudged or overlooked."
Funders will ask if you have 100% giving and in some cases, will not find your project or program if the answer is no, "yes." But should you have minimum levels of giving? I know this works for some organizations, but I much prefer the philosophy that all board members make the organization one of their top two or three priorities. Not only does this make it clear that board members should be fully committed to the organization on whose boards they sit, but it if practiced widely it could discourage some of those professional "board sitters," (and every community has them) who really do not contribute much, financially or otherwise, to any of the boards on which they serve. And, most importantly it saves embarrassment of someone who cannot afford to give at the same level other board members are contributing. The board member that may not be in the highest income bracket is giving sacrificially, by making this organization a top charitable priority for them. And, unless someone is not charitable at all (which is unlikely if they have agreed to serve on a nonprofit board) you will get a meaningful gift from every board member.
Another reason I object to the minimum giving levels is that is discourages those who can make a larger gift from doing so. A "minimum $1,000 board gift" for example will result in a $1,000 gift from some board members who may have the capability and even the propensity to give much more. "Well, they say $1,000 so I guess that is what they expect."
Try changing your board expectations and stating that every board member is expected to make your organization one of their "top two or three priorities for charitable giving" and see what happens!
The Development Reporting Dilemma
July 26, 2010
I guess I will never cease to be amazed at why any organization would hire an excellent fundraiser with years of experience, pay them a decent salary, and then have someone else in the organization write the fundraising materials!
So, how do you avoid this happening in your organization? First, I think you need to make sure that the development officer reports directly to the CEO of the organization and not to the PR or marketing department. Now, I come from a marketing background myself and I have nothing against PR and marketing people, but in most cases development people understand the importance of, if not all the techniques used in, marketing. But most marketing people have never had any training in fundraising and really do not understand the development process (I know I didn't when I moved from the marketing department of a bank to my first development position in a nonprofit), so how can they be expected to produce fundraising materials without input from the development staff?
In many smaller organizations development also seems to be responsible for PR and marketing. But in larger organizations where there is a separate PR or marketing department, my best advice to the development staff is to make sure you have a good working relationship the that department and ask that you have input and final approval of any fundraising materials, such as case statements, annual reports, 990s (they are, or should be, fundraising pieces) and the biggie, the website!
If you are taking a new job in development, ask these questions before you accept the job:
- To whom will I report?
- Who develops fundraising materials?
- What is the working relationship between marketing and development (they need to be on equal levels within the organization?)
If you are already in this position, you might want to engage the services of a consultant to do a development audit, in which case, there will certainly be recommendations for staffing structure and how fundraising materials are developed.
