Fund Development Articles

The Cure For Assumptions

I recently had the privilege and pleasure of listening to a panel discussion at the AFP Calgary Compass Conference held May 16th at the beautiful St Mary’s University College campus. The questions included what we all ask at various points in our fundraising careers: how do we get and keep our boards engaged? How do we recruit and retain our fundraising volunteers? These are important questions which we wrestle/dance with depending on the situation. One of the answers provided BTW was to give your volunteers tasks that they are suited for…. which led me to the A-HA moment I had that day: don’t assume anything – ASK.

 
One of the panellists was a “next generation” philanthropist whose mother had raised millions for many charities in Calgary over a lifetime of good works. What struck me and has stayed with from listening to this panellist was: don’t assume I have the same skills and interests as my mother and don’t assume I will take on the same roles. Of course this would seem obvious, but how often do we as fundraisers make generalizations and assumptions in our volunteer and donor prospecting activities?
 
I believe we have to make some level of assumption in order to draft a preliminary prospect list. How we further research and clarify that list is something that takes time, but also relationships.
 
Something that has often perplexed me in our profession is the proper role of prospect research to gain a greater understanding of what the philanthropic appeal is of an organization to a donor or volunteer.  We seek publicly available information for the purpose of “qualifying”, or at least partially “qualifying”, a prospective donor. Depending on the information available, we can sometimes secure true insight, but most often, we gain “context” for an actual conversation. The truly “qualifying” conversation is often had by a senior volunteer representing our organization, if not by a senior staff person.
 
As a practitioner, the most satisfying part of the job for me is having the conversation with a prospective donor about their philanthropic goals and dreams. What a gift it is to receive insight into how a donor sees him/herself fitting with an organization.  We are brokers of community.
 
Reflecting back to Calgary Compass and determining “fit” for a donor or volunteer, I would offer “beware making assumptions.”  This is not just because we know the old adage, but because assumptions are made in lieu of real conversations and it is real conversations that move our organizations and their beneficiaries forward with those who can carry it, philanthropically, towards its mission and vision.
  

We welcome your comments and suggestions below.

Jolayne

In her fifteen years in the not for profit community Jolayne has served in a variety of development leadership positions in the social services, health and post-secondary education sectors. She is keenly aware of the power of mentorship in philanthropy and participates in this capacity with her professional association. Jolayne is Managing Director with Nine Lions Development Consulting, editor-in-chief of the blog and surprisingly photogenic. She holds a B.A. from the University of Calgary and a M.A in Philanthropy from St Mary’s University (MN).

It’s Not Too Late to Change for 2012

Last week I received a tax receipt, which is not uncommon in many households at this time of the year.  Unfortunately, it was for a gift that I made 13 months ago, in early 2011.  And, it was one of our family’s larger gifts from last year.

It was a reflective moment for me about donor stewardship, and it made me pause and consider my future giving to this organization.  Would it be worth giving to them again?  This reflection should be a concern to all of us as practitioners in the charitable and non-profit world.  The charity made a choice in this instance, which left me with this thought:

Instead of thinking about the good work we funded, I’m examining whether or not their practices should be rewarded with another gift.

Very scary!

I share this because I hear that many organizations send a thank you at the time of the gift, then issue all tax receipts early in the following calendar year, in advance of the tax receipt deadline.  That may be true in this case too, but I am really not sure if they thanked me up until last week.  They may have, but I don’t remember.

So, what can we do to make sure donors aren’t left with that uncertainty?

1.       Issue your tax receipts promptly for one-time donors.  Best practice is to send a thank you letter with the receipt within a week of the gift.  If you have a small number of gifts this is simple, and if your organization has a large number of gifts, implementing a regular process will lessen the burden of the large future mailing.

2.       When sending a receipt, please include a thank you that lets the donor know how happy you were to receive it and informs the donor what your organization will be using the money for.  Just sending a tax receipt in a window envelope may be administratively easy, but does not make donors feel any affirmation about the gift.  A receipt only confirms you have received the gift – it does not replace your need to report to the donor.  Also, don’t forget to alter your thank you letter every 3-6 months to minimize duplicate thank you letters being sent to the same donor.

3.       For a donor that you consider large – I use a threshold of .5 to 1% of your annual fundraising program – please reach out personally by phone to thank them for the gift.   They deserve it. You may also set other thresholds for Board engagement, personal notes or program staff connection.  This is a great way to engage others creatively in a “process”.

4.       Challenge people who generalize the receipting and thank you process as an administrative or accounting process . . . I agree that it is a process, but it requires thought, attention and a gracious attitude.  Building a culture that focuses attention on donors regularly and with appropriate frequency will advance your philanthropic culture.

For those that are concerned about the Canada Revenue agency requirements, the attached article recently outlined the requirements – visit http://www.charityinfo.ca/articles/Tax-receipts-with-and-without-benefits

Scott

Before moving to consulting, Scott guided a number of successful fundraising programs and held various leadership positions in fund development.  He understands the importance of giving back to his profession, through his many Board and volunteer roles.  Scott is currently a member of the Board and Executive of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy Canada.  He enjoys engaging in a good debate about prevailing topics and issues in the philanthropic field, even when it gets him in hot water.  Scott is President and Principal Consultant for Nine Lions Development Consulting, which he founded in 2004.  He is a proud graduate of the University of Saskatchewan.

Building a Spirit of Giving

Having consulted for nearly 8 years, I have found virtually every assessment review and study results in some form of evaluation of an organization’s culture.  The quality of this culture is one of the key indicators of our ability to ultimately be successful with the client and grow their fundraising results.

What is culture?  In a presentation that I co-developed with Tony Myers (principal consultant at Myers & Associates) in 2008, we defined philanthropic culture as “an environment in which the attitudes and behaviour support conversation discussion and action conducive to engaging members of your community in meaningful relationships”. 

In this definition note the absence of the words “philanthropy”, “fundraising”, “money” or “results”.  These are inherent in the definition, as any organization that is open to building external relationships, and truly engaging members of the community in their cause and mission, will see enhanced funds to support their work with their clients.

In the session, Tony and I posit that there are four key elements that help us define a philanthropic culture.  They are:

1. Mission Based – this is the degree to which the organization is focused on the cause, and the people that it serves.  Every gift to the organization, each volunteer and staff member should link to delivering the mission.  If we know our true impact, then we are much more inclined to support again.
2. Organization Wide – philanthropy is not only driven by the fundraising department for money, philanthropy is the basis from which all staff and volunteers must engage.  The moment we delegate philanthropy, relationships or the seeking of funds to one department, we isolate philanthropy.  Taking the time to engage program staff, the receptionist and the volunteers at events helps grow the understanding that the cause is real.  Each client benefits from fundraising success, and each client is impacted by failure.
3. Involved and Engaging – simply engaging in asking and communicating is not enough. As we are learning in the world of social media, we must take steps to engage with donors, volunteers, partner organizations or clients in a meaningful way – like we do our friends on Facebook.  We must create a more emotional commitment to our clients, and show that we not only listen to those that we engage with, but are willing to take advice.   The taking advice part is hard for a lot of us.
4. Sustainable Relationships – as we engage people at all levels, we must take steps to create long term connections with people who support our cause.  Organizations invest so much in starting a relationship, yet many are willing to cast the person or organization aside due to workload, or general unwillingness to create a mutually beneficial relationship.  In addition, relationships must be to “the organization” not just the fundraiser, volunteer or CEO.  Any relationship that can be lost due to staff change or Board member departure is not truly sustainable.  Also in this category are all those table purchasers and special event supporters who buy only because of your Chairs – take steps to engage now.

I recognize culture is never perfect.  But it is leadership’s role, including the development professional’s job, to build this culture.  Throwing up your hands without a personal action plan to enhance culture will only make things worse.  Start with what you can influence . . . this first step will make a huge difference.

To guide your action plan, Tony and I developed an assessment tool that offers you an opportunity to rate your organization in over 30 different areas.  Though we recognize that the list of “fixes” may be long, picking one or two areas to start can make a huge difference to your working environment for years to come, and in your donors’ relationship to your organization. 

For the assessment tool – Click here!

I welcome your observations on what culture means in your organization. 

Scott Decksheimer

Before moving to consulting, Scott guided a number of successful fundraising programs and held various leadership positions in fund development.  He understands the importance of giving back to his profession, through his many Board and volunteer roles.  Scott is currently a member of the Board and Executive of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy Canada.  He enjoys engaging in a good debate about prevailing topics and issues in the philanthropic field, even when it gets him in hot water.  Scott is President and Principal Consultant for Nine Lions Development Consulting, which he founded in 2004.  He is a proud graduate of the University of Saskatchewan. 

What’s In A Number?

On November 20, 2011 the University of Toronto announced a $2 billion campaign (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/universitynews/university-of-toronto-launches-2-billion-fundraising-pitch/article2242969/).

While it may seem a mighty number, it is also mighty brilliant. This announcement made the national news. It gave the University’s chief fundraiser, President David Naylor, an opportunity to share some powerful messages of success as well as some personal stories of impact – both of which are key components to any fundraising initiative regardless of size or scope.

The announcement also raised some eyebrows. A number of my peers were perplexed by the scope of the campaign, as public perception and what U of T is actually doing are arguably two very different things. A traditional campaign takes place over a specific period of time with the help of senior volunteers for a specific purpose. The old school campaign has a quiet phase and then a public phase and has a specific goal that is easy to articulate. U of T has all of that. What you may not know is U of T combines all of their fundraising results since shortly after the last $1 billion campaign closed in 2003.  Counting for this campaign began in 2005 (based on the Globe and Mail article) making this more similar to what some refer to as a “sustainable model” of major gift fundraising – a common approach in large post-secondary institutions that have the infrastructure to support what is a technically an ongoing major gift fundraising model.

Then, why a campaign? The U of T received excellent bang for their buck in announcing their goal, but what does it say about our sector if we are going to be in campaign mode ALL THE TIME? The joy of a campaign, at least for me, has always been the momentum and celebration that comes with each gift during each phase of the campaign. Is such momentum sustainable for a $2 billion goal that will take years (all told perhaps 10 or more) to complete? How does an organization keep the engagement and recognition of donors at an elevated level?  If anyone can do it, U of T can, as they have the history and the depth of team that can do this.

I would suggest that U of T is simply in perpetual major gift fundraising mode BUT they have found a better way than most to communicate their projected results. Maybe all organizations should be in that mode, but then how do we keep campaigns special, and newsworthy, if we don’t all have $2 billion goals?  President Naylor has done an excellent job of setting sights high for U of T, and thereby helping keep the sights of donors at similar levels – he is working from a plan that targets a U of T at 2030 – a bold plan requires a bold campaign . . . and a $2 billion goal is bold.  This may be ongoing fundraising, but it is nothing ordinary.

The announcement begs a final question:  when a senior fundraising volunteer from your organization reads the same headline and then ponders out loud at your next meeting “if U of T can do it, why can’t we?” How do you manage those expectations? What we all need to understand is that U of T is seemingly counting everything – creating an institutional focus on a single goal.  And maybe they are on to something. While it may be semantics, it worked for U of T in their last campaign and looks as though it will work this time around. What works for your organization?

Jolayne Davidson-Gardner

In her fifteen years in the not for profit community Jolayne has served in a variety of development leadership positions in the social services, health and post-secondary education sectors. She is keenly aware of the power of mentorship in philanthropy and participates in this capacity with her professional association. Jolayne is a Senior Associate with Nine Lions Development Consulting, editor-in-chief of the blog and surprisingly photogenic. She holds a B.A. from the University of Calgary and a M.A in Philanthropy from St Mary’s University (MN).

Listening to Our Donors

I love to be prepared for meetings. To accomplish this, I prepare an intensive briefing document for our executive team and other volunteers who call on donor and prospect calls with me. If there’s time, I’ll have a briefing session to review the document. Agendas are sent to both parties so the meeting is relevant, timely and complete. I really believe that these small steps set the table for fruitful conversation.

There is however one small ritual I have prior to meeting with prospective donors. I take out the agenda and across the top scrawl: LISTEN!!!

I do this to remind myself of the real purpose of these meetings: listening to my donors as they come to understand their own capacity to give and why they chose my charity to be the vehicle for their gift.  Listening, as many development books and professionals have pointed out, requires the vigor and attention of skilled development practitioners. Recently, a colleague and I were discussing some professionals we really admire because of their ability to listen to their donors and peers. They seem to develop conversations that convey trust, integrity and shared meaning without saying very much. I don’t have an adjective to adequately explain what they do, but I know they listen with a different skill set than most. 

Two realizations come to my mind about the way these rare few are able to listen. The first is that this level of listening to donors requires authentic humility on the part of the development professional. This type of humility is a powerful characteristic. It gives the listener the enviable role of realizing how small their role truly is in the realization of a gift. It also gives us insight into the donor’s character and the sacrifices they have made in order to arrive at the gift conversation. I believe both parties leave these conversations with a new level of trust and admiration for each other .

The second realization is that this type of listening helps these development professionals create a true and complete stewardship plan for the donor. Stewardship reports are important for our institutions on a macro level, but real stewardship for these great listeners is the means by which they keep kindled the trust granted and accepted during their previous meetings.

This type of listening and stewardship is experiential and it takes time (and often honest mistakes!) to learn how to practice them consistently. I feel a deep sense of respect and gratitude for those donors who have had those conversations with me. It was in those deep conversation that I have sometimes witnessed the reality of Whitman’s words, “Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, When I give I give myself.”

As donors give of themselves it is our privilege to see humanity’s better nature reveal itself. It is humbling to be present in those moments. To understand them is to understand the process of how the donor arrived there and how precious those moments are. We prepare for those moments by learning to listen when the gift isn’t present in the conversation.

Coy Beaton

Arriving on the not for profit scene 7 years ago, Coy has been fortunate to fundraise for organizations in the social services and post-secondary sectors. He is currently delivering Athabasca University’s Re: Imagine Campaign and volunteering for 3 organizations that make Calgary a great city. A graduate of the University of Calgary, Coy won critical acclaim for his portrayal of ‘The Fox’ in Central Elementary’s production of Pinocchio.