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What We Say Matters
Mar 9th
Most of the individuals that regularly read my blog are not individuals that I see on a d
aily basis. I had a great conversation with a friend of mine who also happens to be a donor. He also happens to be one of those individuals that knows me personally, professionally, and as a blogger. You can read his guest post earlier this month, “I Am Not A Prospect.”
He really challenged me to think carefully about what our terminology really means and how it impacts our thinking.
I like to think of fundraising as an opportunity for an organization to link with an individual who has similar interests and passions as the organization. Using the word prospect can dehumanize that interaction and make it only transactional, regardless of whether the word is being used publicly or privately. Maybe a better phrase is a “potential partner” to the organization.
I want to promote a conversation around nonprofits doing a better job creating authentic relationships with individuals (and businesses) who care about the issues they believe in. That means that I need to write using terminology that supports that perspective. That also means we, as a Foundation or Development Office, need to increase the kinds of partnerships we can create beyond a simply financial focus. We need to develop advocates, opportunities for in-kind gifts, and take time to engage community members as thinking consultants. A few weeks ago, I brokered a meeting between a vice- president at the hospital where I work and a potential supporter who is an executive at a technology/business intelligence consultant business. The outcome was that this potential supporter will provide perspective on some of the upcoming business intelligence software decisions we are making. This is a great example of engaging potential supporters as partners.
My friend justifiably challenged a perspective that I did not realize I was perpetuating. There is a need for a paradigm shift in the way fundraising and development is approached (fund is in the word fundraising, that’s a great example of how engrained that thinking really is). It is going to take a long time to right the way we think and talk about development. But, it is important that we do.
Related posts:
Let’s Have Lunch Together
Mar 7th
I just finished reading, Let’s Have Lunch Together: How to Reach Out and Build More Powerful Relationships
The book has some really great and easy-to-use tips on how to build solid relationships with your volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders. The focus is about taking time to make a personal connection and to recognize that the relationship should be more important than the money. The connections that many of our major donors bring into an organization and their long-term partnerships are more valuable than monetary contributions. If a strong relationship is built, then a byproduct is often money and relationships.
The core mantra of the book is…
- Be more curious
- Put the other person first, your needs second
- Uncover common interests, values, and goals
I am a big fan of checklists that I need to do to be successful. Marshall has done a great job creating some great checklists with tools we can use to build relationships. As I was reading this book I thought it fit really well with the theme this month of putting the donor first.
“If you want to be shocked, amazed, and aghast,
look at a stakeholder as a person at last.”
Marshall Howard
I would love to leave you with more of Marshall’s tips and tell you more about the story between Oscar & Victoria. But I know I’ll be quoting it in some future posts and will use it as an inspiration for much of what I will be focusing on over the next couple of weeks… plus, I don’t want to spoil the excitement of reading it yourself. Howard thank you for a great book!
Related posts:
- Waiting In Line
- A New Kind of Philanthropy
- Subtlety and Reading Between the Lines
- Building Allies
- A Donor’s Heart
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