Tag Archive for: Methods

Can you believe we had 50+ at our home this weekend! The Heim Family Reunion! I was MOST excited about my gardens. All those nights Ken and I watered no matter what! It was SO worth it!  

Last week I had a chance to reconnect with a good friend, client, and active board member.  Let’s call him Paul (not his real name). Paul is a successful investor with a passion for helping others. He’s a major donor. He’s set up a 7-figure estate gift. Plus, he’s an active board member and volunteer – serving on several local non-profit boards. He’s engaged, invested, smart, and willing to dig in and talk to others about getting involved and supporting a cause.  I am a big fan.

Paul called me after hearing me teach my 3-sentence ask at a conference. Why didn’t ALL board members have this tool?   And my Artful Cycle of Successful Relationships? Indeed!

We worked out several presentations with board/volunteer groups he served with. They went well. By this time, I connected with some of the staff, too.  With one organization, the ED is bright and talented but, like many ED’s, ran the place AND was also responsible for all the fundraising. Paul and his fellow board members were pretty much on their own. The ED tried to participate as much as possible and the national organization provided “coaches.” In reality, there was not much help creating that inspiring donor journey – that joyful giver. They also lacked clear and vibrant giving options.  Sure, there were impact stories – lots of them. But those important messages that help communicate what “the money does – and REALLY does” were murky at best.

On another board Paul serves on, board members are supported the entire journey by the leadership and a dedicated fundraiser. Board members introduce their influential and capable friends to the staff who jump in and shepherd the process, WITH THEM.  They have clear options to invest in at all giving levels. They experience great success.

When we talked, Paul just sort of shrugs at the mention of Board 1. “We just don’t get much traction.” He’s excited about Board 2. “Every introduction I make we end up with someone new getting involved and making a gift! We are really making headway.” 

Here’s the point. Paul doesn’t change as he serves on different boards. He’s the same guy, with the same great talents and dedication, similar organizations. But, he has a very different volunteer experience.

What creates success for a board member in fostering Major Gifts?

Must-haves for Your Board to be Effective Major Gift Ambassadors!

1.    Board members are not expected to be major-gift fundraisers.

They ARE expected to understand the process, be connectors, help show appreciation, and participate in engagement activities.  They are not expected to create or manage development relationships.

2.    The organization has an Executive Director/CEO that understands their role in major gift development.

The ED/CEO is to support major gift relationships as managed by the development professional.

The ED/CEO’s role is to create an inspiring strategic vision, be clear on the staff, facilities, etc. needed to realize the vision and project competency to deliver the vision internally and externally.

3.    The Executive Director/CEO prioritizes development in the annual budget for the day-to-day.

What you focus on, you grow. The ED/CEO who understands major gift development insists on a few key practices:

1. The development professional is at every Board meeting and has full opportunity to engage with the board.
2. The ED/CEO reminds the board often of their responsibilities to make their personal financial investment, support of the development professional and show their appreciation for those who have given.
3. “We don’t have the budget to hire a development professional.”  Even a small budget can make room for a part-time development professional.  Care must be taken to not make this position marketing or annual fund – rather a true relationship-builder who can work WITH the Board.  The ED/CEO must prioritize the investment.

4.    Board members who are invited to serve have a clear understanding of their role in giving and inspiring generosity.

In my University of Wisconsin decades, we called this Volunteer Led-Staff Driven.  (It’s also what I cover in my board workshops!)  Simply put, Board members are strategic partners. They create connections, provide their own gift first, and can talk about giving priorities. Staff help craft the best actions and ensure that the relationship moves forward.  Board members are not expected to speak an ask – but may go along on the call to provide testimony of their own joyful and meaningful giving experience.

5.    Setting expectations and results.

Donors want to give to their passions, their way on their timeline. BOTH Board members and staff need to understand this! But the staff member uses every conversation and touch to discover the donor’s passion and vision with the organization’s to find the perfect giving option. It’s important to have activity metrics for your BOARD members – not just money goals. They are provided with simple and clear one-pagers that lay our major giving “buckets.” 

6.    Board members share their actions at every board meeting.

They share call stories. These are relationship stories, not data fields. Success is celebrated in terms of what the money DOES!

The relationship with the board members can be a very productive one. Remember they are unpaid partners. These same partnerships are possible with faculty, team heads, program staff, etc. Everyone involved with the organization can be an ambassador with the help of the development staff. Enjoy!

Invest in JOY®

So often you are told not to “cultivate” TOO LONG! Get to that ask for goodness sake!

Actually, real people can take real time with other real people – your spouse, your kids, your friends, your DONORS!

What do I mean?

• Take in a ball game.
• Go to an outside summer concert.
• Eat ice cream.
• Play pickleball. (So long as losing is ok)
• Linger over a LOOOOONNNG iced coffee.
• Blow bubbles.
• Walk the dogs together.

So how do you really DO this? 

Last week all the AFP’s in Wisconsin got together for a day of learning. I particularly enjoyed and learned from, Amy Wong, DotOrgSolutions.org whose session was, “Creating Meaningful Connections in an Over-Connected World!” Regina Lloren McConnell, East Madison Community Center and a long-time friend, decided we would capture our out-of-town guest and take her for a beer on the Wisconsin Union Terrace. In Amy’s honor, I hope this content is skimmable, curated, and tells you a story.

We had a wonderful time.

We told stories – about life, what’s important, our feelings.

There was no check off list! Just a real authentic sharing.

You can enjoy time with your donors the very same way. (Just not too many beers.)

You will, however, discover that the conversations DO drift to your non-profit.  Why? Because you are after the money???? NO!  Because you all sincerely DO VALUE your mission and your work and it’s meaningful and fun to share!

So there you have it! It’s summer.

Get away from your screen and GO PLAY!!!

Invest in JOY®

SUMMER! YES!

Here in Wisconsin, we REALLY appreciate summer! For me it means Outdoor Shows with the Highlights! Summer looks SO LONG now – yet I know WHAM – it will be September, and major year-end giving time will be here.

Yet the days can slip by. Weeks too.  I’ll argue that summer should feel different – you NEED to feel a change. It may be as simple as lying on the ground and watching the clouds float by. Ahhhh.

And hear me – your major givers feel the same way. Summer is vacations, family, reunions, weddings, music – and it goes so fast! 

What is best blend of connections that you can manage, that also keeps you top of mind with your donors and allows you the time needed to explore the best giving options for them? You may finally get that first visit or gift – be sure you don’t find yourself in December and feeling awkward about having a giving conversation after too long a lapse. This is the art and science of Staying in Touch!

The GOAL? Create enough touches that giving conversations naturally fit in without feeling “too soon.” AND, you have enough chances to HEAR from them where they are in life and how this informs their giving to you. Everyone is different but there can be some options that will feel right for many of your givers.

Some calls can be totally conversational. In fact, thank you without your hand out can be the most powerful conversation of all. And it’s harder to do than you think! Donor retention is enhanced with touches that don’t feel processed.  It can feel like a tricky balance unless you remember that you LIKE these people AND you are excited to help them enjoy their giving.

Each Artful Touch should contain:

1. Thank you. Thank you for your support and belief in us. Enough said.

2. What their gift DOES and really does. “Don’t ever forget how your gift does X.”

3. Authentic Check-In. A sincere, “How ARE you?” is next – complete with deep listening to the answer and your comments that show you care. “Didn’t you have one graduating from high school this spring?”  

4. What’s ahead for them? “What are the big plans for this summer or will you simply enjoy your beautiful home?” This gives you their next chapter…..and your next conversation content.

5. Connect their life to your mission.  “So it sounds like you’ll be away for our summer show.” “Looks like you will be around to see the gardens in full bloom. Great – I can meet up with you when you come.” “The opening of our new emergency room will be in July. Did you know it was ready to open?” “Summer is camp! Let’s figure out when you can visit.”

6. Here’s what I’m doing now. What projects, programs, experiences are you into now with the help of philanthropy? What it the next key marker in that work? A key gift that has been received and how it is helping along with your gratitude. This is 5 sentences – not ½ hour.

What touches can be ‘evergreen’?  Happen again and again…

1. Annual event that brings you together.

2. Create one or two reasons to connect at the same time every year and plan these connections. Birthday, Anniversary, Key annual date connected to something they support, seasonal change that they enjoy hearing about.

3. Talk about when/how/who they make giving decisions and plan around this.

4. YOUR annual trip to an area.

5. Specific updates to a small segment of givers that are personalized.

6. Use variety but also respect their preferred communication method.

7. Block some time to reflect on things to share in your organization’s year.

8. Mix individual touches with the less personal touches that happen to ALL donors – the newsletter, the holiday card.

9. Leave a little something behind. Perhaps this is an individually wrapped single cookie, a sticker, a refrigerator magnet, something that is not a lot of money – but just a little something.

10. Finally – LISTEN TO YOUR HUNCHES! If someone crosses your mind and you get the feeling you should reach out—DO IT!

In both our personal lives and in our donor relationships, we all experience not getting to see people we care about enough. Acknowledge this. Then, begin an annual tradition. Find at least that one time each year when you will be sure to connect – calendar it! Discover the difference in your shared joy with your givers and your family!

Invest in JOY®

Over 3600 joined me for AFP ICON. Wowza! New Orleans never disappoints – it’s vibrant, colorful and full of music! For me, the ‘highlight’ was being together.

Two people will forever bring me a smile of hope – Misty Copeland, our opening keynote, for the kind and positive way she embraces EVERYONE. (Her last comment is posted on my Facebook and Linked in pages – take a listen here – 40 seconds) and Jonah Larson, from right here in Wisconsin, who received the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy. His crochet work has funded a school in Ethiopia in the rural village where he was born. “Crochet,” he shares, “brings the world together one stitch at a time.”  Only two Wisconsinites would be in the outdoor pool when, by New Orleans standards, it was freezing! 

My thanks to Tim Logan, Nancy Gerard and ALL OF YOU who joined our session!

Here’s Part II – How we talk about our work is very different.  

Deepening our relationships with Direct Response Part II – How we talk about our work to create an inspiring donor journey.

1.    How we talk about what we are doing is different.

–       Direct Response: Using data analysis and enhanced data to identify and segment for major giving results.

–       Major Giving: Creating a culture of generosity.

As you consider the pathway you are creating for your major givers, how you talk about your work and your donors can be very different and how the words make you feel can be profoundly different. The data types can feel harsh and sterile to us relational people when really, we just talk about it differently. But how you talk about this is key to your joy!

2.    Love empowers a direct response piece, as well as an in-person relationship but it’s approached differently.

–       Direct Response: “They need to show me that they know me.” This line, from Kay Sprinkle Grace, drives “sprinkling” (pun intended) a direct response piece with words that relate specifically to that target donor or donor group.

–       Major Giving: Major giving professionals are asking, “How can I add value to this person’s life?” They are not just in the relationship to GET, but also to give the joy of giving.

3.    Creating a partnership with your authentic FOCUS on the giver is shared but implemented differently.

–       Direct Response: What mix of touches do you want to use to best be front of mind, build connection and loyalty?

–       Major Giving: How do you want your givers to feel when they hear from you, or are with you?

I bring back my oft-used quote of Mayo Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Some of our pieces can feel manipulative to get the money. What are the long-term implications of an offensive piece and how do we measure this?

4.    The goal is, of course, to raise money – or is it to inspire generosity?

–       Direct Response: Just get me the response rate.

–       Major Giving: “Making this gift was the best thing I ever did. What’s next?”

5.    Best methods to discover new potential givers have the same goal.

–       Direct Response: Prospect identification. Qualification visit.

–       Major Giving: “Do they share our values and interests?”

While both are about finding the best fit, I think the conversation will be different and feel different depending on where you are coming from.

6.    Analyzing Giving Behavior—File Analyses to Prioritize your list.

 –  Direct Response: Measures of Ability – Wealth, Assets and Measures of Affinity – Loyalty, Passion. If it’s about building a relationship, how do we measure the strength of that relationship?

–       Major Giving: How do they feel about us, giving to us, attending our events, etc and what barriers prevent them from being more engaged? It’s more from a place of curiosity than data.

When our data colleagues are discussing the procedures and tactics to collect the desired information YOU SEE PEOPLE – faces and names. They see numbers. With the help of data, you can bring the right people into your caring relationships and create the giving joy that brings larger and more giving over a lifetime. By managing your thinking around data, you can maintain your genuineness – so needed for the very relationships you are trying to create. How you talk about your donors and your work reflects who you are.

Certainly, every organization has an ideal mix of both that serves their “family.” Whatever your role – make sure it’s who you want to be.  That way YOU WILL BE MOST HAPPY in this work.  

I thank you… and appreciate you.

Invest in JOY®

Wowza. Who ISN’T talking about launching a capital campaign?

To be sure….celebrating a successful capital campaign and the TRANSFORMATIONAL impact it has on magnifying your mission is just the BEST PARTY IN TOWN! Everyone is happy and excited – filled with hope for what tomorrow will bring.

And most donors are already asking, “What’s next?” because both the tangible results and the pure joy of giving to these worthy goals is the best inspiration for donors being ALL-IN to tackle the next project!

I’ve been blessed to be at many of these celebrations. But not all campaigns end this way. Too often I’m asked to jump in after failed campaigns. Or we get into the Campaign Readiness work only to find some big obstacles. In my over 15 years consulting on increasing major giving – and then often into capital campaigns, there are times when the Check Engine light comes on.  

You can download scores of Campaign Readiness Checklists and sure, I have one too. (Just hit reply and I’ll send it your way.) But some of these issues are more subtle and truly campaign crushers.

Three BIG Barriers to Campaign Success

1. Fear of raising THAT much money.

When leaders – Deans, ED’s, CEO’s, Principals, Presidents – call them whatever you wish – cannot get past their own limiting beliefs about money and wealth – they will never really believe that their organization can raise THAT MUCH MONEY – and it never will. While many leaders may begin in this space – participating in a few key conversations and getting some experience personally involved in a relationship with a major donor’s joy in giving can often open a whole new understanding.  But some mindsets cannot be turned.  Even after a board chair gift of $100,000, one leader still fired her development director and started a golf outing instead – a sure way to insure giving would stay within HER comfort level. Sad.

2. Just what are we raising the money for yet?  

You would think this is the one piece that is really in place.  I use the phrase, “Vibrant Options for Giving” and these need to be in place every day and crystal clear for your campaign. Yet I continually find that fundraising priorities are clear as mud.

Big donors STILL want BIG VISIONS. Clarity in how your fundraising priorities lead to both current and future growth and impact is VITAL to securing lead campaign gifts. This may well take an investment into a Facilities Strategic Planning consultant and/or a facilitated conversation to get ideas and buy in to set these priorities. GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW AND QUACKING TOGETHER!

I’m doing a webinar for AFP Global, https://afpglobal.org/events

Vibrant Options for Giving! Get Clear!, May 31, 2023,from 1:00-2:00 pm ET.

3. It takes money to make money – but not THAT much!

A rule of thumb is that your campaign budget should be based on about 10% of your campaign goal. For smaller campaigns it may need to stretch a bit higher than 10%. This budget is ADDED TO your campaign goal to be raised. And, you can see that if you don’t have your act together on the campaign funding priorities and what they cost – coming up with even a beginning goal can be tough.

Getting started can be expensive – you may be thinking of campaign counsel! Actually the bigger costs involve getting the internal staffing and systems in place. Do you have one development professional wearing six hats? Is your data base version no longer even supported? Campaigns are not “business as usual” because they involve volunteers and MUST BE a major percentage of your development professional’s focus. Staffing for “events” large and small campaign conversations is needed. Someone to track all of this – and this isn’t your major gifts officer! So staffing and systems is a big investment at the start of a campaign. BUT it is the KEY PIECE to having LASTING TRANSFORMATION.  You want your development office to be different at the other end – ready to steward all those new major donors and take action on the “What’s next?” spirit that’s been created.

Now there are “do-it-for-you” campaign consultants. And generally they have the team to do most of it for you. Sadly, while they may raise the goal, too many organizations implode following the campaign because the development shop and vision has not grown! They have just been the puppets of the campaign machine. And – donors tend to drop off because the work was transactional. Campaign over – transaction over – giving over.

Celebrating successful campaigns have been some of my most cherished memories. Visiting my clients post-campaign and seeing the lasting changes of a well-executed, relational, donor-focused effort is beyond rewarding. Remember that long-term successful campaigns raise more than money. Yes, they create new buildings and programs AND they build new and deeper partnerships, friendships, relationships, legacies and memories — that LAST!

Invest in JOY®