Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
Politics & Motivation
Fundraising is Not a Narcotic
Jan 23rd
Over the last few months I have been secretly peddling drugs. My blog was hacked and, unknown to me, written into the metadata was advertising for a narcotic. I’m very sorry that I did not catch it sooner. I deleted my site and reposted everything and have solved the problem.
I was thinking about what I want my website to be about and I reflected on what fundraising is about. There is not a lot in common between fundraising and drugs. Fundraising is about capacity building for good work in our communities. It is about providing people a chance they never had before.
However some people seem to steer clear of fundraising as if it was worse than you local dealer. Fundraising is not a narcotic. It is an opportunity for us individually and as a community to make a difference.
Take Initiative
Oct 3rd
I am not a particularly brilliant or innovative person nor am I fabulously talented or charismatic. Any success that I have had I’d contribute to a God that cares about me, great friends, and initiative. I am baffled by how many people will only do exactly what they are told or asked to do and nothing more. If you want to be successful, find a way to do more than is expected and asked of you.
Many organizations have a time where the office is less busy often times during the summer donors are less engaged as they are traveling. What a great time to think about a special projects you can work on that will make a difference at your organization. Think about doing a thank you campaign or working on a social media plan. Don’t take your extra time for granted or sit bored at your desk.
If you can create a habit of taking initiative, it will serve you your entire life. Bosses love hiring staff that they do not have to watch over and worry if they are working hard. Everyone will know you are a hard work and you will also get the benefit of the doubt when you make a mistake or when something you try doesn’t work.
Note to self: This is not a hat in hand.
Sep 19th
I have a friend who has recently stepped into a new role as a fundraiser and is struggling. Lots of calls + lots of effort = no new money for his organization. It’s a tired and challenging equation that if we are not careful can erode our posture of passionate advocates for our respective organizations into anxious and worrisome cold callers, complete with signature white knuckles and high blood pressure. He told me the other day that it ‘feels like I’m going to have to start begging.’
Hopefully, none of us have been where he is at. More likely though, and if we’re honest, we all have.
The fruit of our labors are relationships that generate investments of treasure, time, and talent. In seasons of fiscal and donor management drought there are many dangers, but perhaps the greatest is our losing sight of and trust in the mission. Though giving may decrease at times, and relationships may dwindle, our passion and trust in the work must not waver. We must never resort to philosophical posture of begging, no matter what.
I’m totally guilty of the hat in hand mentality myself. After 7 years in this bizarro world of development and bearing witness to some amazing giving, I am still convicted all too often of how much I think about all the reasons someone has not to give. When I need to get out of this rut and recharge, re-focus, and re-dedicate I lean on guys like Henry Nouwen to give me the juice:
“Fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer people an opportunity to participate with us in our mission and vision. Fundraising is precisely the opposite of begging. When we seek to raise funds we are not saying, ‘Please, could you help us out because lately it’s been hard.’ Rather, we are declaring ‘We have a vision that is amazing and exciting! We are inviting you to invest yourself!”
Let it be known that it is a privilege to participate in the organizations we represent! Let it be known that people have the need to give just as much as our organizations have the need to receive! Let it be known that even if giving has stunk for the last few months, our mission is still worth it! Lives are being changed, goals are being met, and we continue to invite you to join us! Phew, that’s better. Now back to work.
How do you stay excited about your organization when donors aren’t responding how you’d like them to? What are sources of encouragement that you lean into when you’re not seeing the results you hope for?
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Edward Sumner is currently serving as the Director of Development at Puget Sound Christian Clinic. He is a Jesus guy, proud Papa, and an advocate for social justice deeply committed to loving and serving the least and the lost in our communities.
Constituencies
Aug 1st
According to Giving USA in 2010, more than $290 billion was given of that 73% or $211 billion came from individuals and only 5% came from businesses.
It constantly surprises me how much time organizations spend with grants and businesses when there is so much more money in individual giving. As you can see from Giving USA and any other giving report is that the amount of money that is annually donated as a result of individual personal giving vastly exceeds the amount of money from businesses or foundations.
Business and Foundation fundraising is an important part of fund development but it can also be one of the most difficult areas to be successful. Businesses and Foundations have annual budget cycles and systems and guidelines that they must adhere to and the competition is much fiercer for a smaller pool of money. Individuals can give when and as often as they see fit.
Concentrate more of our time on talking with individuals about giving and often much of the business and foundation giving follows suit based on the connections you develop with individuals. Some Businesses and Foundations act as the way an individual give their money.
I’m always surprised with how much time is spent focusing on business giving. I believe it is because people are afraid to ask for money. When you ask for money from a business often you are not asking someone directly for their money. Why do you think people tend to focus so much on business & foundation fundraising?
Related posts:
- Embedded Philanthropy: A New Age of Giving
- Business Giving vs Individual Giving
- Competition or Collaborative
- (Red)volution
- America’s Giving Challenge #2
Sharing Stories
Jul 11th
Using stories is essential for all development work. Donors connect with stories often more than they connect with anything else. If you have a donor that is not involved as a volunteer, their most powerful connection to your organization will be the stories that you share.
Use stories differently with annual fund donors than with major gifts donors. When you are cultivating $100 gifts and reaching out to a crowd you need to tell lots of stories. Take the time to share lots of different stories that talk from many different perspectives. Use video and pictures to make these stories more meaningful and relevant to your audience. Work with your marketing department when creating annual fund stories so they are polished and persuasive. The most important thing to remember when creating stories for crowd consumption is that you need to be able to have fresh relevant content. This means that you need to have a good pipeline of receiving and publishing new stories.
When you reach out and engage with your major donors your use of stories are going to be different. These stories need to be personal. Because you are talking with these donors individually and often in-person telling someone else’s story has less meaning. It is important that you are able to convey the mission of your organization using stories that have been a part of your experience with the organization. If you do tell someone else’s story, make sure to tell that story from your perspective.
Related posts:
- Great Donor Stories
- Fact or Stories?
- Fundraising Generalist or Practitioner
- Interdisciplinary Work
- The Major Gifts Fundraising Myth
All About Relationships
May 16th
People want different things. I am often surprised how different a conversation can be between someone I know and/or like and a stranger or someone I dislike. We all have those friends who get away with everything or those friends we will do anything for just because of who they are; development is all about relationships.
Meeting new people and making new relationships is a challenge for every organization. You often have to start from the very beginning justifying the work that you do and why it needs support. You have to figure out what resonates with an individual or group and build a case to them as to what kinds of projects would interest them philanthropically. Everyone has heard the statistics about how much easier it is to retain a donor instead of find a new one.
When I first started doing development work I thought people responded to the best proposal and to proving that your organization really has it all together and is a good steward of your money. I still think those values are very important but they often come as assumptions. The most valuable technique I have ever found is to become friends with my supporters.
If you have an opportunity to sit in front of someone and have a 30 minute conversation, their willingness to make a contribution is exponentially increased. People are way more open to being asked for anything if you spend even just a little bit of time getting to know them.
Related posts:
- Relationships
- We Reflect Our Leaders
- Take Time to Make a Connection
- Tips on Building Good Proposals
- Small Talk, Big Value
It’s Good When it Works
Apr 25th
I had a great conversation with a program staff member the other day. Maybe I’ve become a little bit jaded in my time as a fundraiser in that I don’t expect program staff to like me or respond well when I ask them for answer of constructive input. I’ve worked for too many organizations where a program staff person does not feel that it is part of his or her role to spend any time explaining what the program is and how funding will impact it. Traditionally I have to drag them through the process.
I’ve also found that the funder/grantor side of the system sometimes becomes too efficient. There are hundreds (actually probably thousands) of foundations giving money for student scholarships, food for the homeless, global health. Don’t get me wrong– that is a really good thing. But, after a foundation or business has received 100 requests and given a couple of grants, they start to settle into the business of the process.
A few days ago, a program staff member came to me with a new idea about what fundraised dollars could do for their program and a new group of funders we could approach. The program staff member got really excited about the questions that I had and excited about working with me to create an inspiring proposal that would speak to this specific funder population. While we were building the proposal we started the conversation with the new funder pool. She got really excited about this new idea; about what she could do to make real change in an area that she believed in.
We will always run into business as usual; none of us have the ability or energy to work on everything for the first time. In fact, it is usually the business-as-usual organizations and individuals that make the biggest contributions and biggest difference for our nonprofits. But, it is always refreshing when you have a moment that reminds you of why you do what you do. It makes a difference in my day when, for a moment, I’ve caught a glimpse of the difference I’m really making.
Related posts:
- Plan Ahead with Your Proposals
- Gaining Fundraising Support
- I’m Not Here to Raise Money
- Tips on Building Good Proposals
- Everyone’s a Fundraiser
You’ve Gotta Be Vulnerable
Apr 18th
Relationships are built on honest communication sharing frustrations, concerns, and joys. Donor relationships are the same way. I have worked for a number of bosses and organizations that are convinced that vulnerability is the wrong way to go. There is something innate in us that wants to convince everyone that we are in complete control and without weaknesses.
There are right and wrong times to be vulnerable. The best time to be vulnerable is in a relationship-building conversation. It is more difficult to be vulnerable in the right way during a solicitation conversation as it can give off the impression that you don’t really know what you are doing.
A great way to treat a donor as a person is to let them know an area you are struggling with within your organization. Give them an opportunity to share a bit of their strengths with you to round out an area of weakness or lack of experience. This can be in how you design a new major gifts program or your donor acknowledgement process.
Vulnerability can be rather close to humility and can even be seen as a sign of wisdom or good management. Take some time to think about what it is that you do well and with what you struggle. Take a second to have that conversation with a trusted board member or volunteer and see what happens.
Related posts:
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