Faith, Not Panic

            In today’s information age, it is hard to turn around and not be confronted with more bad news.  And for many of our donors, some of the new policy initiatives related to social security and charitable deductions creates an uncertain future.  All of this may cause you, your management and you board members to want to retreat when it comes to asking for support.       

             This is not the time to retrench or retreat.  If your board truly believes in your cause, then it is time to have them take a more active role in the true development function.   That is to manage relationships between key stakeholders in your organization.

 

            We know that in past economic downturns, including the great depression individual giving, which makes up 84% of giving, has remained steady and at times even increased.  If you organization is encompasses in the DC area, the news is even better.  During the past three recessions, growth in the DC region has stayed steady and even increased, although at a slower pace.

             This is the right time to lay the ground work for future support.  Many individuals with good jobs, who have steady employment, should be challenged to support the annual fund giving now.  If they will not do it, who will?  This includes your board, your committee volunteers, your long term supporters and your staff. 

 This is also the time to develop a list of future funders who you believe have a strong link to your organization and the capacity to give.  Begin to build relationships with these potential donors, and get your board involved.  It may be months before you are ready to ask for support, but you are laying the foundation for a strong development function as the economy strengthens.

Be sure to communicate to all of your important constituencies a steady drumbeat of the important and unique work that your organization is accomplishing.  Let your communication become that positive news that distinguishes your information from all communication. 

Faith is the refusal to panic. --David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

When did you last thank your donors?

When did you last thank your donors?

It is nearly the end of the summer. And no matter what the economic situation, all non-profit organizations should be thinking about stewarding* their largest donors.  This effort distinguishes your organization, and promotes long-term relationships with your most generous donors.

Plan to contact the top 20% of your donors and then enlist your board members to assist.  They are the best people to deliver this message.  Stewarding donors is an effective and comfortable way to get your board members talking to your largest supporters.

The message is simple:

We appreciate your support. It is important to us!

A board member might say the following to a donor:

Good evening, Mrs. Smith.  I am Mr. Adams, a member of the XYZ Organization Board and I’m calling tonight to thank you and Mr. Smith for your generous support of our organization last year.  Your support helped us to reach XXX people with xxx services.  We want you to know how important your support is to fulfilling our vital mission.

Board members should be prepared to:

·         Let donors know that the purpose of this call is to thank them for their support

·         Answer any questions that might arise

·         Listen for any indications of the donor’s interest

If the caller reaches voicemail, the script can be delivered as written above with the offer of a phone number in the case that the donor might want to return the board member’s call. 

          Try making a few of these calls yourself and then enlist your board members to enjoy this essential work of stewarding your most important resource, your top donors.  Your board members will thank you for this opportunity!

* The process whereby an organization seeks to be worthy of continued philanthropic support.  This is single most overlooked, and yet most important, step in the fundraising process.

Disney Inspiration

My family and I are huge fans of the Disney Parks.  I revel in the customer service of their “cast members”, whose only purpose seems to be to make our family feel welcome.  (I am also wary of the vast marketing machine that drives guest to purchase more things than they could possible use.)

Our recent trip to Disneyworld was different in that our son is 14 years old.  Disney with a 5 year old is very different than Disney with a teenager. 

It was fascinating to see him looking at Disneyworld through the eyes of a young man.  While he  still enjoys attractions such as Pooh’s Honey Pot ride and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster, the “E ticket rides” (for those old enough to remember when your entrance to a Disney park included a book of tickets) were the Disney experiences that we enjoyed the most on this trip.

He rode the Everest at Animal Kingdom and the Rockin’ Rollercoaster at Disney Studios for the first time.  Typical Disney - neither ride is just a rollercoaster.  There is an adventure associated with each experience.  The Rockin’ Rollercoaster features Steven Tyler and Arrowsmith.  They –via video- “invited” us to join them in their concert across town.  As guests, we were loaded into a stretch limo-looking car for an express trip across Los Angeles, in the dark, with Arrowsmith music blasting in our ears.  (And yes, this 53-year-old loved every second of the speedy, twisty, up and down ride!)

But the best part of the ride was to watch my son observe the detail that had gone into making this an experience.   He mentioned the detail of the paint, how the spaces were used, and how we were entertained while waiting in line.  Rather than reduce the “magic”, it increased his enjoyment of the Disney parks. 

The Magic Kingdom is under-going an expansion of Fantasyland.  The fences that kept us from peaking at the progress were decorated with favorite quotes from Walt Disney.  The one that caught my attention was, “Everyone needs deadlines”.  I had not ever equated deadlines with Disney before – but of course, there are deadlines.  How else would they deliver such a high quality experience on a consistent basis?

My Disney vacation inspires me to think about the quality of service I give my clients, to be creative and deliver a high quality project, to pay attention to detail, to be sure that I meet my deadlines and most of all  … to have fun while doing it!

Is Everyone on Vacation?

I am delighted to send you some thoughts I had this week while on vacation.  My husband and I traveled to DisneyWorld with our 14 year-old son this past week and we very much enjoyed the time as a family.  My husband and I also got a kick out of seeing this place through the eyes of a teenager.

We arrived home last night and I am ready to spend the next two months building relationships and raising funds for my clients.  I have heard from many professionals in fundraising that you cannot raise any money in the summer.  “Everyone is on vacation and out of town,” is the comment I heard recently from another consultant. 

Waiting until summer is over means that we lose one sixth of the year.  I will admit that many people are out of town and those who have families may have very different schedules from the school year.  Sometimes it is more difficult to contact potential donors, but there are also many fewer organizations attempting to contact them because “everyone is on vacation”.

This summer, I am encouraging my clients to select a handful of major donors to cultivate during the next eight weeks.  Learning about a donor or prospect’s visit to an exotic place or their visit to their grandchildren can be valuable time spent in learning about their interests. 

Do not buy into the fallacy that things do not happen in the summer. Ask what can you do next week to make your fall more successful.