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Oh, the woes of a nonprofit fundraising database!

So, let’s talk database.

What? That seems like something so mundane. Well, it may be, but it is so critical to fundraising.

Throughout my professional career, I have been victim to bad databases, and I have been asked to work with bad databases.

One thing is for sure, without an initial thought out structure, problems are inevitable. I often come into organizations that have no rhyme or reason as to what they call their Campaigns, Funds, and Approaches. You know, one year it is called Spring Appeal 2016, and the next it is labeled the Mother’s Day Appeal.

Consistency is key. I see so much inconsistency that why bother having a database, to begin with at all. The way names are entered i.e. Mr. and Mrs. Smith or Bob and Laura or even Robin and Smitty or Robin & Smitty.

It drives me mad.

Having a database procedural manual developed with consistent data entry standards specified is critical. How do you pass this institutional information along when staff transition or do you? Do you let them sink or swim?

Hey, garbage in is only garbage out.

The most important thing is the question of who has access to this database? Who does the main gift entry? Moreover, I pray that your answer is a development staff person. Please, do not say that it is a member of the finance department, or even worse, a volunteer or an intern.

Provide those using the database with training in the software itself and budget for it every year. Moreover, don’t think that a cost saving is ignoring software updates and the resulting costs.

I cannot stress enough how important the database is to your fundraising efforts. It will allow you to be donor-centered in your work regarding recognizing donors and their giving the exact way that they want to be recognized. It lets you accurately report on giving and make comparisons that will affect the future of your fundraising efforts, and it will allow you to become more strategic in your endeavors through segmentation and greater personalization.In all of my career if I had to answer the question of “What impacts the success of fundraising THE most, besides the Board, of course,” I would have to answer, the database.

Moreover, folks EXCEL is not a database; it is a spreadsheet tool used by those in the finance department. Please don’t say that you cannot afford a database. Some great databases are available for a very fair and affordable price.

Pay close attention to your database – this is the brain behind your efforts.

 

 

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A season of burnout?

I have worked in the nonprofit world far longer than I can remember.  My job began in the sector back in 1992 or so, when I became a grant writing intern for a local non-profit organization as part of my undergraduate work.

Little did I realize that some twenty plus years later, I would still be working in the sector.  First as a professional at local non-profit organizations and now as an industry consultant.  This week, I had cause to pause.  I received a telephone call last Friday evening that a former client of mine had passed away due to cancer.  I cried.  And, I cried.  And, I even cried some more.

Then, after a long season of constant deadline oriented projects, finally feeling a bit of downtime between clients, I became sick with the flu and was laid up in bed for several days, still weak as I write this article.  While sick in bed, I received another telephone call, someone else in my personal life had passed on, again due to cancer.

One thing I do know is that our work is long and hard.  And, we are often fighting for the lives of others in our sector.  But, does that mean that we don’t take care of ourselves?  Do we even stop a moment to breathe, to reflect, to take in the season that we are in, to spend time with our loved ones?

I am guilty of this.  I admit it.  I work tirelessly so that my clients can be the best that they can be.

This fall, I purchased a new book out by Beth Kanter, called the Happy Healthy Nonprofit.  I have yet to read it, of course, time has not allowed.  But, I am going to make it priority reading over the upcoming Christmas break.  And, I suggest that you pick up a copy too.  There are lessons in this book about self-care, taking the time to recharge, and not burnout out.  Let’s face it; our sector is a sector of burnout.

If you can do one thing right now, stop, get up, walk around – thank your employees, take in the sights and sounds of the season, perhaps take the afternoon off, hug a loved one, give someone close to you a call just to say “hi!”  There is more beyond our work than our nonprofit.  Yes, I said it.  And, if you don’t rest and recharge, there will be little else for you to give to others.

This week, I pause and remember my former client, Fr. Stan Kolasa of the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center in Wareham, MA, I take the time to honor his life and his legacy.

And, I take the time just to be – in the season and the moment.  And, I urge each of you to do the very same.

Reflect on your life, and take good care.  The fight always goes on, but it only goes forward when you are stronger.

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OORAH – What the Marines taught me about fundraising

This weekend I took a little vacation of sorts.  I ran a marathon.  The Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.  Running a marathon is exhausting, but also, reflective.  For you see, you run for 26 miles.  That is a long time on your feet – sometimes, three, four, five, six, or even more hours.

Over the course over the weekend, there were approximately 3,000 marines – some of our countries finest armed service men and women.  And, as I reflected on my experience, I was reminded of how important it is to take care of our donors.  You see, the Marines took care of me while I was runMarine Corps Marathon and Fundraisingning.

They were there to welcome me when I arrived – how often do we welcome donors for their first gifts to us or even their second or third?

They directed me through the maze of marathon logistics – how often do we try to make our experience of being a donor easy for our donors?  Do we point them in the right direction?  Do we connect them with aspects of the charity that they care deeply?

And, then when I was running, those Marines were out there cheering me on as if I were the hero – how often do we cheer on our donors in their act of giving?  How often do we make them feel like the superheroes that they are?

When the going got tough, they were there for me, telling me that I could do – when things get tough for our donors, are we still behind them cheering for them?  Perhaps they can’t give us as much, do we abandon them as people?  Or do we still treat them the same, cultivating the relationship?

And, at the end of it all – they placed the medal on me and made me feel accomplished – “Congratulations, Maam” – do we treat our donors like they are the real heroes, even though we are doing the actual work?

Interesting questions.  I was awed and inspired by this display of honor at the marathon.  The Marine’s know how to put on a good race.  And, they also know a lot more about how to treat people.  There are lessons learned here on how we should go about treating our donors.

Giving is MORE like a marathon than a sprint.  It is about cultivating relationships with our donors over weeks, months, years – just like a marathon is about training for days, weeks, months, and years.

So, go out and run the race.  And, even though it is your organization that is doing the hard work, take some lessons from the Marines and treat your donors like the superheroes that they are.  After all, the Marines are making this sacrifice for our country, just as our donors are making another kind of sacrifice for our organizations.

OORAH!  Now get out there and train.

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“Am I asking my donors too much?” Well, Virginia let me tell you the answer.

So, here it is. I am laying this question and answer right out on the line. Especially now that we are coming to the year-end giving season.

I am asked time and time again, “Didn’t we just mail to them, won’t we be bothering them?”

No, no, and no. You can never ask enough.

Yes, Virginia, you can ask multiple times

Let’s face it. The decision isn’t ours to make. It isn’t. It is the donor’s decision to make. Only they are going to tell you, how much is too much. In most cases, if you are only asking once or twice a year, aren’t you telling them that you don’t need the donations to make a go of it? Donors aren’t naive. They know that you are a non-profit, and they know that you need donations to run your organization. Why do we believe that we must lightly tread when it comes to asking?Direct Mail YES

Donors are busy people. Just because they didn’t respond to your initial mailing, doesn’t mean that they don’t want to give to support you. In major gift work, if we don’t get the gift right away during our meeting – and in most cases, we don’t – we explore with the donor the reason for hesitation. Was it the program we were asking for a contribution? Was it the ask amount itself? Was it the timing of the ask? Why do we think that this is any different for the number of times we should mail to a donor? Perhaps the reason that they didn’t respond to your initial mailing is that it wasn’t an ask for the right project or the right amount, or it wasn’t the right timing. Maybe they had a big bill just come in that they needed to tend to or perhaps they were on vacation when the letter arrived in your mailbox. But, we won’t know this if we only mail to them once and then assume the donor will never give again.

And, I often hear clients question whether or not they should include a reply envelope in their newsletter because they just sent out an “ask.” Of course, you put an envelope in your newsletter. This envelope is a “soft” ask. Donors may feel so inspired to give after reading about your good works in your newsletter that they may want to give to support your work. How else will you capture this? And, a “soft” ask is exactly that, “soft.” We are not commanding, directing, or cajoling a donor into giving. If they choose to give using this method, then it is their choice.

Case in point, I asked a client to send out a second direct mail ask to follow up on all those who did not give to the first. And, lo and behold, the response has been tremendous. So enormous, in fact, that the client wrote back and said, “The results have been pretty unbelievable for us, believe me!

I once had a phrase that I would use quite often, “You must A S K to G E T!” And, that is true.

As we move forward into the upcoming holiday giving season, think about your strategy. You will be competing with every other nonprofit group who is sending out their calendar year-end direct mail piece at the same time. The competition will be stiff. How are you going to stand out? How are you going to assure that your donors will read your letter among all of the other letters? And, what is your strategy for follow-up? Will you ask more than once? What forms will that “ask” take? How will you leverage the December 31 tax deadline as an incentive to give?

I know one thing is for sure, this calendar year-end, if you only ask once, you are doing your donors an injustice. They want to give, and they want to give to you. But, your ask must be heard and, that it is the right ask, for the right project, at the right time.

Now, craft a plan that includes multiple year-end asks!

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Holy cow, fifty shades of fundraising consulting, which do you prefer?

Lately, I have been doing a lot of driving.  And, as a result, a lot of thinking.  I have clients all throughout the Northeast.  And, sometimes, yes, the driving does get “old.”  But, then I sit back and reflect.

You see, there are many different types of fundraising consultants.  And, lately, I have been hearing a great deal about “remote,” “outsourced” development professionals as opposed to the strategic “tell me what to do” consultants that produce a plan and then move onto to the next client.  I do consider myself one of these, in fact, all of these.

But, perhaps I am old-fashioned.  Or maybe I just have been working in the field too long.  I remember, long ago, when there were resident consultants who upped and moved to different parts of the country to live and work at a nonprofit and become immersed in their community.

And, while I don’t up and move, I do spend lots of time on the move.  I think – no, wait, I believe it is critical to the success of my client’s efforts.  Yes, many of the things that I do while sitting in their organization can be done quite easily from home.  But, it is not the same.

Two weeks ago on my blog, I noted how “culture of place” is such an important part of our work.  How can you get to know and understand that “culture of place” if you are working remotely?  Or for that measure, how can you understand the mission and culture of the nonprofit that you are working for if you never sit at a desk and be a part of all that happens on a day to day basis.  What does this have to do with fundraising?  A lot!

It makes a big difference to the quality of work.  When I am onsite, I am a strong reminder to the client that we need to focus and get work done.  So, a lot of work gets done.  When I am not directly onsite, and I work remotely, it seems like work moves at a snail’s pace.  Emails are not answered with urgency, and meetings are postponed.  I get it.  I fall to the bottom of the list.  Very different than having a living, breathing person taking up precious space/rent or whatever you call it in your office as a good reminder.

And, the kinds of things that I do go far beyond just providing advice. I do the work. I craft appeal letters; write newsletter content, solicit donors, write Case for Supports, write grants, work on board development, manage capital campaigns, conduct feasibility studies and audits, on and on and on.

So, when you are thinking about consultants – yes, personality is important – yes, credentials and experience are important, but, don’t overlook the consultant’s personal philosophy of service provision.  Will they go the distance, sometimes hundreds of miles at a time, to live in hotels, to get your work done and to understand the context, both internally and externally, in which your work happens?

We don’t expect our staff development professionals to be in the office behind their desks, so why would you expect the same of a fund development consultant?  They need to be building relationships with organizations to create impact – just as fundraising professionals must be with donors.  It is just another extension of this donor-centered relationship – creating results and positive outcomes for a mission.

While the old models of “in-residence, uproot you and your family” are not so available today, I believe that my unique model of in-residence consulting of a set number of days per week/month onsite is an excellent compromise.  And, hey while I toot my own horn, my model makes a huge difference to my clients and sets me apart from the rest of the bunch.

See you on I95 or maybe I89 or maybe Rt 66.  But, you can be sure of one thing, you won’t see me sitting at my desk at home.

P.S. – Yes, these are photos from my travel.  When I say I get immersed in a community that I am working in, I do.  On a recent stay in a client’s town, I did go to the “Cow Barn” for milk for breakfast.  And, that stretch of road is I91 heading into a client’s town in Vermont from another client located in the Stamford area of CT.

 

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The intersection between mission and mergers

There always comes the point in an organization when the natural order of things is change.  Whether that change is an executive transition, upheaval in the Board of Directors, or even things greater than that.  Things such as what should we do as an organization?  Stay the same?  Merge with another organization?  Or even cease our operations?

What does one do or how does one handle this inevitable change?

As with everything, the mission should always be forefront and center.

Case in point, I want to examine one major organizational change that many groups must addresses – merging.

Use your organizations mission as a guide to a mergerI have some experience with mergers.  For a few years, I worked at a religious order that had decided to consolidate.  Now, there could have chosen any one of several options – cea
se to exist, merge with another order, or combine their order to a larger entity.  In the end, they chose to merge the order from local areas into one community,  merging all the Northeastern states into one “community.”  And, the end results, were that the merger made them more efficient and useful in many ways including financial, in their infrastructure and support, and in their ability to do ministry to those they serve.

In all cases, the organization should base these big decisions and transitions on how compatible the two or more organizations are in their missions.  Are they like missions?  Is this mission too much of a stretch?  What will happen if they merge missions?

Then they need to determine if, in merging, the organization will become stronger or will it weaken?  Will it dilute its services in merging?  Will the organization change and become different?

But, most importantly how will this merger impact those that the organization exists to serve?  Will the demographics of who the organization serves change?  Will they serve this demographic in a different way?  Will they serve an entirely different demographic?  Will they stop serving a particular demographic?

What about the culture of an organization?  What about history?  What about past leadership?  Will they become financially more viable?  Stronger in its internal operations through greater infrastructure?  More funding?

I have seen other organizations where these mergers have not been carefully thought out, and, thus, have not faired so well.  They lost their identity to those they serve and the community; their organization’s culture of compassion and nurturance changed, and they lost their historical memory.  But, most importantly their mission became diluted into a bigger whole and lost its effectiveness.  For in this merger, long-time staff was forced to leave, and supporters turned away.

Significant change during an organization’s life cycle is inevitable and in some senses should be planned and accounted for in advance of this change ever transpiring.

If one keeps mission at the center of significant shifts in an organization, then the right decisions will be made.  However, if the mission is left out of the picture when making this decision, almost, always, the merger is doomed to fail, or if it doesn’t fail, the organization is in for some rough perceptual seas and waves of transitions ahead.

P.S. – Are you ready to shift your nonprofit Board from management to governance?  And, you want it to be successful?  Get started with my FREE Non-Profit Governance E-Book and use the same steps that I share with my clients. Click here to download your FREE Non-Profit Board Governance E-book and start shifting your Board’s culture today.   I will share with you valuable resources and tools on how to get started.

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Are all your fundraising systems in line?

Interestingly enough, I met with a wonderful and highly intelligent gentleman this past week. As we were eating lunch, we started talking about systems thinking. It reminded me of a mentor who once said that we needed to be reading people like Peter Senge.

I could never really make the correlation between Peter Senge’s highly complex writings and my practical work as a fundraiser. But, during this recent conversation, the dots began to connect.Systems thinking and fundraising

You see, Peter Senge outlines the whole concept of what systems thinking is and how to frame it within your work. It made me think of my clients.

Systems thinking, at its broadest level, believes in the interrelatedness of forces and seeing them as part of a collective process. Peter Senge notes that it was Professor Jay Forrester at MIT who outlined the nature of “system dynamics” or how complex feedback processes can generate problematic patterns of behavior within organizations and large-scale human systems. Think eco-systems, physical building systems, teams working together, etc.

For many organizations, they have the basic problem of not having enough. – enough resources, time, staffing, etc. For some reason or other, they just can’t seem to rise above the realities of this problem. They go on in endless circles always seeming to address the same issue. For many, the problem may be that they have been relying on grants and foundations to meet their budget, and they never seem to have enough, or a funding source suddenly stops funding them. For others, there fundraising has plateaued or even declined over the past few years. Others face continuing turnover in fundraising staff. I see these same problems over and over again in different organizations.

Truly, what we all must realize is that a fundraising problem is never really a fundraising problem. It is some other underlying organizational problem impacting how well an organization can conduct fundraising. We cannot begin to isolate a fundraising problem as just a fundraising problem. It is much more than that.

Organizations are living, breathing entities. One thing impacts the other which in turn impacts another. Everything in an organization is interrelated. So when, one is under stress, it has a direct bearing on the strength of the other. Nothing works in isolation.

Sometimes old models are kept in place far too long. Outdated and problematic mental models keep perpetuating cycles of behavior that impact the entire system.

Some systems that an organization should be looking at beyond fundraising itself:

  • The board of directors and its governance model.
  • Staffing patterns and their compensation and their incentives.
  • Deeply held organizational assumptions and beliefs.
  • Performance expectations both implicit and explicit.
  • Cultures within organizations.
  • Changing demographics within the community that an organization serves.
  • Demographic changes within populations of donors.
  • Marketing or lack of marketing efforts along with general overall perceptions of organization.
  • Physical conditions of facilities.
  • The overall financial and economic environment.

A savvy fundraiser and fundraising consultant will understand these dynamics. One knows in most cases that if a Board of Directors is managing the efforts of staff, then fundraising will be impacted. If employees are not given the tools or resources to be able to do their job, then fundraising is affected.   If expectations are unrealistic, fundraising is affected.

When clients present themselves to me with a fundraising problem, I often dig deep with questions. Because often and in most cases, the solutions that the client thinks they need are the ones not needed. The answer lies deep below the surface, and it takes someone versed in the language of systems thinking to be able to conduct an appropriate diagnosis and to outline a roadmap for making that systems change possible.

The consultant or fundraiser must be skilled at this work, for one should not make a change just because they see a leverage point. The amount of change, the type of change, and the scope of the modification proposed can either create the needed change or in some cases further exacerbate the problem.

So, for that gentleman who I was having lunch with, thank you! It behooves us all to have such strong mentors in our work from a multitude of disciples beyond fund development. Broadening our scope of resources allows us to care more holistically for the organizations that we steward.

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The importance of the agenda to good governance

Good governance doesn’t end at creating a Governance Committee of the board or even of establishing processes for governance such as policies and procedures, or even developing new committee structures.

Governance has only begun. It continues with a well formed and crafted agenda for all meetings both at the Board and, most especially, at the committee level.

Do you put casual thought into your agenda or do your spend time carefully constructing the flow and feel of the meeting?

I say, don’t take the agenda lightly.  It can indeed work to shift a culture from management toAgendas are key tools in nonprofit governance governance just by mear fact of the topics, the order of the items, and those responsible for reporting.

Agenda’s need to be carefully crafted and constructed to produce concrete action items.  Poorly devised agendas will cause meetings to go astray, tensions to rise, and governance to quickly turn to management.

How do you begin to structure your agenda?  Well, think about what topics are important for this group to discuss and what is the best use of their time.

Here are some suggestions for your next meeting:

  • Hold reports and updates to the end of the meeting or even consider eliminating them entirely so; that meeting doesn’t get mired in the muck.
  • Prepare reflective materials with statistics and numbers relevant to more strategic discussions.
  • Think about the natural flow of the meeting and adjust items to reflect that flow.
  • Prepare and circulate meeting materials in advance of the meeting.  The expectatAgendas are key tools in nonprofit governanceion is that one comes to a meeting fully ready to participate.
  • Put standing meeting items i.e. strategic plan report or a fund development calendar update on each and every agenda and keep them “low” on the agenda.
  • Or consider moving to a “consent agenda” where routine items that the board would approve with little comments are encompassed into one single agenda item i.e. things like board meeting minutes, financials, program reports, CEO reports, approvals of contracts, etc., etc., etc.

And, you need an effective chair of the Board,of the committee, or the task force who can work with staff to set the agenda, keep the group on the agenda, and ensure that the tenure of the meeting supports good governance. The role of the chair is to be a facilitator regarding the meeting and the agenda, and an enabler of governance.  The chair must know and understand what good governance is to serve in that role.

Meetings are that essential to good governance.  Just as reorganizing the board, or reengineering committee structures, good meetings with purposeful and thoughtful agendas can create the magic of good governance.

You can take all the other steps, but if you meeting falls apart when the gavel hits the table of what use has that all the rest been?

Good governance has only just begun!

P.S. – Are you looking for more resources on good governance?  And, you want to be successful?  Get started with my Non-Profit Governance E-Book that includes a collection of my best blog articles on that all important topic.  Email me to request your copy.   I will share with you all the best tips and resources for moving your board from managing to governing.

 

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Governance, follow the leader?

So, who leads the governance process? Is it the Board? Is it the staff?

I wondered to what role does the staff or Board play in shifting a culture that is not longer useful? In fact, sometimes a management culture can be downright disruptive after an organization has reached a particular place in its life cycle.

Is it completely the Board or entirely the staff who need to make these adjustments? Where does governance fall? Who is responsible for the governance process? Who is responsible for being a change agent on the Board level?

Well, I propose that it is a combination of both. In many cases, the Board itself realizes that it needs to change how it has been operating. Other times, the Board chair comes into his or her term and wants to shift the culture of theNonprofit governance - follow the leader? Board. So, Board driven is an option.

Other times, it is the staff itself who must start this shift. How the heck does the staff even begin to change a culture on the Board. Well, I thought about it. And, I turned to the writings of Simone Joyaux, internationally known fundraising consultant. You see, many years ago, I remember reading Simone talking about the concept enabling. And, I believe this is how it all happens.

She purports that, “Enabling is one of the most critical functions within a philanthropic organization…It is the essential role of the chief executive and development officer.” Enabling is empowering others to take action.

All organizations face changing sets of circumstances. Simone notes that “Enablers know that roles may change, depending on the particular situation or its possible implications.” As organizations move from infancy to maturing, so does their Board move from management to governance.

The staff has the biggest responsibility to enable others. But, in a great many cases, don’t see or understand that. And, trouble begins. A CEO may not know why or how a Board is treating them such and throws up their hands in frustration without realizing that they can take an active part in leading their Board to greater understanding and acting. A Chief Development Officer decides to quit after the Executive Director places undue expectations on them without realizing they have a part in leading up with their manager to understand fund development.

We all know that many a development director or CEO have quit over lack of support or because of frustration in their jobs.

So, how do we get the Board to move from management to governance? Get them out of the minutia into the strategic?

So, how does staff enable the Board to understand and support a move towards governance at a higher level?

In essence, it is the CEO’s job to be a leader and as a result, they need to be an active enabler. The CEO and management team own culture. As a result, boards tend to give the issue of culture a wide berth, expecting the CEO to raise cultural issues when needed.

Well, as a CEO here are some steps that you can take:

  • Helping to adjust agenda’s with the Board chair to focus on more strategic issues rather than operational.
  • Managing Board meetings to keep the discussion focused on bigger picture items.
  • Changing Board committee structures are moving from volunteer tasks to governance concerns.
  • Provide thoughtful training and conversation on Board governance and what it is.
  • Enlist the support of Board members who understand and support a change to facilitate change amongst others on the Board level.
  • Assist in developing performance expectations and new job descriptions focused on Board governance.
  • Initiate a Board self-assessment governance survey and discussion.
  • Evaluate the composition of the Board and make recommendations to bring on Board members who will align with a new corporate culture.
  • Develop shared governance language or framework to discuss culture.

CEO’s need to be strong leaders. And, the hallmark of a strong leader is the ability to enable others to take action. CEO’s need to do this with their staff and with volunteers above and below them. They can’t hold up their hands in frustration and decide that corporate culture is not theirs to influence. In fact, in many cases, they are the only ones who can make those changes.

This need becomes an especially critical as the organization moves from infancy to maturity, and beyond in its life cycle. You need to have strong leadership who can navigate these tumultuous changes and foster a shared vision of the future; changing culture in an organization whether at the Board or staff level or even both is an action of a leader.

When seeking leadership, in particular for a growing organization, be sure that you identify at what stage your organization is in, what your particular organizational needs are, and the type of leader who can help you manage and transition the organization to its future.

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Love me or lose me – How donor communications can do both.

We often talk about banning jargon when we speak to others about our organization.  And, that is so needed.  But, I would like to take it one step further, and say that we are not here to “educate” our donors about what we do.

They don’t care about the specifics.

There, I said it.  Truly, your donors don’t.  Just think about your experiences.  When I call an electrician to fix an electrical problem in my house, I don’t want him to explain all of the mechanics of electricity or what is wrong with my particular situation.  Right?  Tell me basically what is wrong, how you are going to fix it, and how much it is going to cost.  Don’t share with me black to black, and red to red, and copper to copper, I don’t want to know.  It is actually beyond me.Simply what you say to a donor

So, when you have a particular project, do you think that donors want to know every little nitty gritty detail?  I hardly doubt so.  For the fact of the matter is, they should have a relationship with your organization before you even ask them to give and if they have a relationship with your organization, then they should TRUST you and TRUST that if they invest in you, you will know what to do with their investment.  In fact, they believe that you are the expert in whatever part of the sector your serving.  You can’t expect your donor to know all about the legalities surrounding domestic violence victims or child custody cases; they expect you to know and to do that.

So, when you are meeting with a donor and sharing a particular project or even your organization and what it does, spare them the details.  Give them the picture of why you, why now, and for what?  Otherwise, if you share too much, you will lose your donor in the process.

We get so carried away in our “internal” thinking that we fail to see a contributor as a donor as a person.  We talk as if they are supposed to know what we are referring to; we use language and jargon to paint portraits of projects, and we go and on and on sharing minutia with them.  It is time to stop and think about your experience with your mechanic, or your plumber, or your electrician, or any other expert that you have hired.  What do you need to know, what do you want to know, and what is it going to cost you.

The adage “keep it simple,” reigns true here.  Donors expect YOU to be the expert, not them.  So, don’t shroud them in jargon and details and minutia.  Just share with them what is wrong, how you are going to fix, and how much it is going to cost.  Simple.

 

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Is Your Board Looking Through the Lens of Mission?

The lens of mission must guide everything that a Board of Directors decides in an organization. Everything.

Board members are the vanguard of the mission.  They develop it; they refine it, and they ensure it.  They ensure that Decision making through lens of missionthe organization is meeting the needs of those that they serve through assessing the community during a strategic planning process, then evaluating current services to ensure that there is alignment between need, mission, and programs.

A mission statement is nothing to be taken lightly.  It is the very essence of who your organization is and as such, such be deliberate and thoughtful in its crafting.  Mission statement crafting or refining is not something undertaken lightly.  In most cases, in happens in tandem with strategic planning.  Once a mission has been crafted or revised, the Board should use this mission in all that it does through its governance role.

Whether making a financial decision or a programmatic one, the mission is the lens by which organizations make all their decisions.  Let’s take funding for instance.  I have seen groups who will actively seek funding dollars, not based upon the mission, but because they are in need of monies to run the organization.  And, then when they receive the money, they are not able to provide adequate services.  Or, other agencies which are religious in nature that begin to solicit and accept government funding, and then when mandates come down from the federal and state government, these organizations find themselves in precarious moral and ethical quandaries because they have now engaged in these types of contracts.

Programmatically, I have witnessed groups who have started programs or provided services to new constituencies without a thorough discussion centering upon the mission.  Then years later, they are serving populations that they never set out to help and wonder how they have moved so far from their core.

Mission.  For Board of Directors, this is the lens through which they should make all their decisions.  Every strategic governance issue or question should also start with an analysis of the situation through the mission.

Will this particular change impact our mission?  If it does, what does that mean?  If it doesn’t, should it?  How do we remain faithful to our mission?  What does it mean to be true to our mission?  Should we accept this funding or will it lead to “mission creep?”  Do we serve this new population in need or is there another organization who can better meet their needs?

And, yes, sometimes our missions are met.  Horrors of all horrors, what happens when we meet our mission.  Sometimes that means a group ceases.  But, in far too many cases, we think that our organization should go on forever.  But, yet we were all started in some senses to alleviate social conditions.  What does it say when we never allow ourselves to get there.

Mission.  Don’t over gloss the importance of it.  And, don’t forget to use it as the lens of every decision made within an organization.  It is just that critical.

 

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What running Mt. Washington taught me about fundraising

This past weekend, I embarked on an event that frightened me.  Literally and figuratively.

You see, several months ago, I entered a lottery.  And, the drawing was for a chance to run up Mt. Washington in the Mt. Washington Auto Road Race.  I got in. At the time, it seemed fabulous.  Then as reality dawned, I realized that I need to step up my training, if I were to tackle this 6,288-foot peak, and not hiking it, but running it.

IMG_1787So, many months ago, I set out and found a hill.  I went up and down that hill over and over again.  Then, searching online, I found mountain races.  And, I entered them.  And, I began running up to the summits of mountains.  First smaller ones, and then larger ones.  But, nothing greater than 3,000 or so feet.

When the week dawned, and I made my trek to New Hampshire, I began to have second thoughts about what I was doing. Most everyone in my life, asked me, “Do you know what you are  getting yourself into?”  Admittedly, I thought I did.  But, when the mountain physically appeared on the horizon, I began to wonder, if this is something I should attempt.

Race morning dawned, and I was feeling more than butterflies in my stomach.  This day was the moment given to me.  I had trained for it, and now it had arrived.  All my “new” mountain running friends told me that this was going to be the most difficult thing that I was going to do.  But, they all told me I could do it.  I wasn’t even sure of the weather conditions that I would encounter at the summit.  I packed a hat and gloves just in case.

The race cannon fired, and off we all went.  I had a strategy; I worked it.  Slowly but surely, I chipped away at the mountain and tenths of miles passed.  It got hard. No, it got downright painful.   As the 5,000-foot mark appeared,  my upper body felt like lead.  Then 6,000 feet.  And, I knew that if I kept going, I was going to do this.  Slowly but surely,run-walking all the way to the top.  When the summit appeared, one last obstacle presented itself.  A 22% percent grade in the road and then the finish line.  Nothing stopped me at that point.

What does all this have to do wIMG_1780ith fundraising?  Well, a great deal.  Courage.  I honestly believe that the most significant characteristic of a fundraiser is courage.  These exceptional individuals know that even in the most difficult times, perseverance is key, and that “this too shall pass.”  Courage to get a lot of “no’s” and to be able to ask for a gift without hesitation.  It is the ability to do this, with rumblings and butterflies floating around in your tummy.

I now know that I climb any mountain.  There is no project, no tasks, that I cannot do.  Courage is something that no everyone has, but surely, the best fundraisers do.

Someone remarked to me recently, “The thing I like about you is that you live life to the fullest.  You don’t live on the edge looking in.”  And, truly, that is what we should expect of all our fundraiser.  They are making the mission possible.  And, you can’t make an organization’s mission possible by looking in from the fringes.  You need to be in the field, each and every day, living life to the fullest, in the thick of it all.

While I did know that Mt. Washington would change my life, I didn’t realize that it would give such professional perspective and insight.  Courage. A life worth living for causes life-changing and life-saving.  Isn’t that the characteristic you want for your organization?

P.S. – Are you ready to get started with your first large fundraising campaign?  And, you want it to be successful?  Get started with my FREE 7 Steps to a Majorly Successful Fundraising Campaign and use the same EXACT steps that I share with my clients.  Click here to download your FREE 7 Steps “Cheat Sheet” and start planning your fundraising campaign today.   I will share with you all the steps you need to be successful before launching your next campaign.

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