The Integrated Ask

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

I started my fundraising career after years of being in sales.  Mostly commission-based sales.  It had been beaten into me that the first cardinal sin was to leave money on the table.  So I was confused when I heard fundraising colleagues checking to make sure that their major donor prospects were not being asked for an annual gift.

Well, not at first—I assumed they wanted to be the point of contact and so they would ask for the annual gift at the same time as they would be talking about the major gift opportunities.  But no—they simply did not want their major donors to be “bothered” with annual giving.

I didn’t know from “the integrated ask” then.  In fact, that’s not a term I had actually heard until fairly recently.  In sales we called it things like, “The Total Solution.”  What you call it, of course, is not nearly as important as what you do.  And what you do is make sure that there is real clarity about the support you are requesting.

I would, in fact, start the cultivation process for a major gift by acknowledging the annual support the donor gives—and enforcing how important that gift is to the organization.  Then I would be very clear that I am hoping he or she (or they) will begin considering an additional gift for….

On a smaller scale, when you are working to sell tables or tickets for your gala, you should be clear (at least to your Board members) that this is in addition and not instead of, their annual contribution.

Oftentimes, organizations have several campaigns going at once:  Annual, capital, endowment, etc.  Many of the prospects may have only one interest, but our job as development professional, is to ensure that they know about all the opportunities you have for them.  Giving shouldn’t be an either-or proposition.

Think about it another way—from a purely economic stance.

Joe and Cathy have been making regular annual gifts to your organization.  Let’s say that gift is $5,000. You rely on their gift; it helps with critical operating expenses.  Now you’ve asked them for a $50,000 gift for the building fund.  This gift is going to be given over ten year–$10,000 a year.  You must make sure that Joe and Cathy understand that this means that for the next five years, they will be making gifts equaling $15,000–$10,000 for the capital gift, and $5,000 for their regular annual gift.

If they don’t do this—if they want their annual gift to come “out of” their major gift—they are only making a $25,000 major gift.  Not a gift you would turn down, but it is not the gift you asked for.

My clients know that I am always talking about “and” gifts.  It’s human nature to always try to give the least—but it is also human nature to get real joy when you give the most.  You have the opportunity to give your donors true joy, but only if you are very clear and upfront about the gift you are requesting and what it includes.

 

Janet Levine works with nonprofits, helping them to increase their fundraising capacity and build stronger, more engaged boards.  Learn more at http://janetlevineconsulting.com.  While there, sign up for the free monthly newsletter.

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Accentuate the Positive

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

Why is it that so often we focus on the negative?  I was reading the evaluations of a workshop I recently did and most were really favorable.  But there was one—there is always one—that made me want to pack up my PowerPoints and never, ever do any training again.

That’s, of course, the wrong approach.  Sure, I need to read the evaluation and see if there is anything valid that I need to address in future training.  And to ignore that which is more about the evaluator than the evaluatee.  And I need to remember to trust myself.

Too often we get pushed off task by a negative comment or action.  We obsess over the one small piece that went wrong, rather than the 90% that went well.  And even when it all was a total disaster, we forget that failure is the best teacher in the world—and that is not such a tragedy.

Over and over again, I’ve seen my clients—many of whom are one-person development offices—flounder not just because they are so busy (aren’t we all?) but because they missed a deadline, forgot to do something or in their rush to get it done, did it poorly, and can’t get over what they didn’t do right.  Or worse—had a boss or board member chastise them for work not done or not done well.

While blithely ignoring all negative signs is not good, neither is hyper-focusing on them.  Letting these things paralyze you is letting the wrong things win.

Over the years, I’ve learned to take that truly negative word—no—and deal with it.  I can’t change the fact that it makes me feel crummy.  I can’t pretend that the no is not personal—my business, after all, is named for me and, as a sole proprietor it is clear it IS me.  So the no is to me.  Personally.  Fine.

OK, not so fine, but that’s not the point.  I feel crummy.  Sometimes even feel that I may never, ever get another yes (even when I got 3 yeses the day before!).  That, I fear, is immutable.  But how I respond—ah, that is totally up to me.

So, no.  Fine.  In business—and definitely in fundraising—no is not always no.  So I work to find out what kind of “no” this one is.  And learn what I need to do to (perhaps) turn it into a yes.

Likewise with negative comments, bad reviews, anything less than complete adulation.  Take it for what it is worth.  Be honest about it worthiness—I do have too much information I want to share, so sometimes the activities I’ve planned get too short a shrift—and decide what you want to do about it.

That last part is important.  In one of my jobs where I was the one-person band, some of my board members took me to task because I didn’t want to add any more “fundraising” events.  And by virtue of the quote marks, you can imagine why.  I focused instead on individual meetings, focused mailings, lots of cultivation and stewardship efforts.

During the time from when we would have begun planning for the event and the date the event would have happened, I raised a fair amount of money.  But it was less than we probably would have grossed on the event (and more than we would have netted).  Moreover, I still had prospects in the pipeline that I felt confident would give over the next several months; and those who had given were being appropriately stewarded so—unlike many event attendees—would be prospects and donors for us for a long time to come.

Over time, most of my board came to agree with my strategy.  The two that didn’t were vocal and negative about what I was doing.  It gave me pause.  It made me anxious.  And in the end, I stuck to my guns, raising far more for my organization than they had ever raised before.

It reminded me not to focus on the negativity.  Consider it, yes.  Then act in the most positive way possible.

 

Janet Levine works with nonprofits and educational organizations, helping them to positively increase their fundraising capacity and develop stronger, more committed boards.  Learn more at http://janetlevineconsulting.com.  While there, sign up for the free monthly newsletter.

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When I Don’t Hate Storytelling As a Fundraising Tactic

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

In my last blog, I took storytelling to task.  Lots of people emailed me, mostly—a bit to my surprise—agreeing completely.  Then a friend and valued colleague email to add what she called her “two cents.”  Her boss does not like staff commenting publically, so we agreed that I could use her email with some changes so her anonymity would be preserved.

“I want add an idea to your “Reasons I Hate Story Telling” post,” she wrote.  “The issue isn’t to tell stories, I agree, but when to tell stories. Have good stories in your back pocket, and use them to engage the donor to talk about their connection to your mission, or to help further their story. It’s a tool of engagement, and a good one, for when the donor needs some prompting to tell their story.”

I think the last of her comment is most important:  “to tell their—underlined a trillion times—story.”

The stories we tell should be triggers, affirmations—ways not just to move our prospects but to move them to reveal their passions, hopes, and dreams.  We want them to share their excitement for what we do, to tell us what moves them and how they want to be a part of the work we do.

Our stories should focus on our impact (I know, I use or perhaps overuse, that word a lot) and how we change lives, make a difference, do some good.  These don’t have to be big things, just the everyday occurrences that really do hold sway.

One of my clients works at an organization where, she says, “nothing happens.  Things are always the same.”  And that is the point of what her organization does—provide stability and calmness into their clients otherwise chaotic, frightening, or confusing worlds.  Her stories are often about constancy and the dependability her organization provides its clients.  On the surface, this does not wow, but it reminds her donors of how they help to provide a rock for people who would otherwise feel they are drowning.

Sharing stories is a way to build relationships.  It’s when you are too focused on telling them that you may turn building rapport into performance.

I once dated a man who, at first, appeared to be witty and charming, with a wonder way of choosing just the right aphorism or telling a wonderful anecdote.  A few months into our relationship I realized that no matter what the topic, no matter who we were with, the conversation soon moved into familiar territory:  a place where he could “drop” his few memorized sayings and tell one of his three stories.  And because he had moved the conversation in a particular direction, often the others were turned into listeners instead of active participants.

 

Janet Levine works with nonprofits and educational organizations, helping them to increase their fundraising capacity, learn more about their donors, and help their board members to be more effective.  Learn more at http://janetlevineconsulting.com.  While there, sign up for the monthly newsletter.

 

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Reasons I Hate Story Telling As a Fundraising Strategy.

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Over the past several years, storytelling has become the hot topic for many development offices.   Every conference I’ve been attending has some session on storytelling. Board and staff practice stories. Obsess about having stories. Worry they don’t have the right story to tell
That is precisely the wrong direction for a fundraiser to be facing.

The story that matters is not yours. It is theirs–your prospects and donors-that matter.  Your most important role in a cultivation meeting is to elicit your prospects stories. What matters to them about your organization or cause?  What do they hope to accomplish through their gift?

I’m not suggesting that as a fundraiser you don’t share your passion for your organization. Fundraising , after all, is about relationships and those are often created by shared interests. But I’m leery of practiced stories that may not connect with your prospect’s interests. You want to show the impact–a word I use a lot– of the work your organization does in a way that meets the prospect’s passion.

It’s the same reason I wish the word “pitch” was banned from the philanthropic vocabulary. There is nothing donor centric about talking AT them.

We’ve all heard that we have two ears and only one mouth and we should use them proportionally. In other words, listen twice as much you speak. Being too focused on telling your story may turn that proportion on its head.

It’s not just that that storytelling uses a lot of word. It is the getting to that story that too often makes you control the flow of conversation and to control means you are doing most of the talking.
Instead of focusing on your story, I would encourage developing what is coaching circles is called powerful questions. And the power of these questions is that it gets the prospect to explain what matters to them and to talk themselves into translating that interest and that passion into souls support.

Janet Levine works with nonprofits and educational organizations, helping them to increase their fundraising capacity, learn more about their donors, and help their board members to be more effective.  Learn more at http://janetlevineconsulting.com.  While there, sign up for the monthly newsletter.

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Planning and Productivity

Posted on May 2, 2013 by

Not inspired. Perhaps I just need another cup of coffee. Or—because I’m in New York—to get over my jet lag, though I don’t feel lagged at all.  Or—because I live in LA—I should just forget this all and get out into the already bustling city.  But no, really it is too early. And maybe that’s it—perhaps I just need more sleep.

I could probably come up with pages of excuses as to why I’m not doing this or that—and in doing so feel somewhat productively.  Certainly more productive than simply not doing whatever it is I need to do.  But not, of course, really productive.

It’s hard, sometimes, to actually get things done.  It’s really hard to get done the things you need to get done.  And, for many fundraising professionals (as well as others, but hey—this is a blog about fundraising), it’s mostly hard to actually know what those things are that you should/must/have to get done.

I talk a lot about planning.  Not necessarily big picture—strategic—planning.  That, I hasten to add, must be done.  You have to know where you intend to end up before any plan makes sense.  BUT, and it is an important but, it is the day-to-day plan that counts.

Not long ago, I got a call from the development director of an organization who had just gone through a process of developing a development plan with a consultant.  “What a waste of time and money,” she told me.  For months—months—there were meetings and discussions and then, finally, the consultant came back with a development “plan.”  And this plan said that they needed to have an annual giving program, might look for some major individual donors, should consider getting corporate funding, and needed to beef up the grants program that, until that time, had been the mainstay of their fundraising efforts.

All I could think of as I read the “plan” she emailed me was (unkindly):  “They paid money for this?”

What they needed—what we worked on for the next 6 weeks—was an implementation plan which clearly laid out what needed to be done, by whom, by what time.

We started with a very basic calendar, putting in the things we knew needed to be done.  For example, there was the annual event that happened in May.  So in May we wrote “Annual Event”—then we backtracked and put in everything that needed to happen in order for that event to be successful.  What she had to do or manage was in blue; what she needed to delegate to someone else was in green.  We would—she would—get more specific later on.

We then added the things she would like to do that we felt, given the capacity of the organization, would be most effective.  By this time, the calendar was looking pretty blue.  So our next step was to sit down with the Executive Director and Board Chair (this organization doesn’t have a development committee) and see what they felt was missing, and what resources would be needed to accomplish those things.

Meanwhile, the development director began working on those things that needed to be done that month.  Because I am a nag, I insisted that at least weekly she document what she had been doing, what the next steps would be, and when those next steps had to happen.  I also instructed her to note what hadn’t happened that was supposed to have happened, and—to the best of her ability—honestly jot down why.

To her surprise, rather than making things harder, knowing her deadlines and documenting made it all easier.  It’s kind of like this blog.

Knowing it is Thursday, means I need to write something.  The deadline, rather than being threatening, gives me a push and even though I’m not always inspired when I start, I get more interested as I get moving.  And at the end, I feel that I have been productive—and that actually helps me to work more.

 

Janet Levine works with nonprofits and educational organizations, helping them to be more productive as they increase their fundraising capacity, build stronger boards and empower staff.  Learn more at http://Janetlevineconsulting.com.  While there, sign up for the monthly newsletter.

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