A Small Change » Guest Posts & Reviews

Note to self: This is not a hat in hand.

Edward Sumner — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:00:11 +0000

I have a friend who has recently stepped into a new role as a fundraiser and is struggling. Lots of calls + lots of effort = no new money for his organization. It’s a tired and challenging equation that if we are not careful can erode our posture of passionate advocates for our respective organizations into anxious and worrisome cold callers, complete with signature white knuckles and high blood pressure. He told me the other day that it ‘feels like I’m going to have to start begging.’

Hopefully, none of us have been where he is at. More likely though, and if we’re honest, we all have.

The fruit of our labors are relationships that generate investments of treasure, time, and talent. In seasons of fiscal and donor management drought there are many dangers, but perhaps the greatest is our losing sight of and trust in the mission. Though giving may decrease at times, and relationships may dwindle, our passion and trust in the work must not waver. We must never resort to philosophical posture of begging, no matter what.

I’m totally guilty of the hat in hand mentality myself. After 7 years in this bizarro world of development and bearing witness to some amazing giving, I am still convicted all too often of how much I think about all the reasons someone has not to give. When I need to get out of this rut and recharge, re-focus, and re-dedicate I lean on guys like Henry Nouwen to give me the juice:

“Fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer people an opportunity to participate with us in our mission and vision. Fundraising is precisely the opposite of begging. When we seek to raise funds we are not saying, ‘Please, could you help us out because lately it’s been hard.’ Rather, we are declaring ‘We have a vision that is amazing and exciting! We are inviting you to invest yourself!”

Let it be known that it is a privilege to participate in the organizations we represent! Let it be known that people have the need to give just as much as our organizations have the need to receive! Let it be known that even if giving has stunk for the last few months, our mission is still worth it! Lives are being changed, goals are being met, and we continue to invite you to join us! Phew, that’s better. Now back to work.

How do you stay excited about your organization when donors aren’t responding how you’d like them to? What are sources of encouragement that you lean into when you’re not seeing the results you hope for?

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Edward Sumner is currently serving as the Director of Development at Puget Sound Christian Clinic. He is a Jesus guy, proud Papa, and an advocate for social justice deeply committed to loving and serving the least and the lost in our communities.

Getting An “A” In Nonprofit Board Fundraising

Jane Kuechle — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:00:11 +0000

I saw this title to a blog recently and thought, “Wow, three words in one sentence that make most board members shudder: Nonprofit – Board – Fundraising.” For far to many board members they’d rather die than be asked to be on the fundraising committee. “Let me help out with program or communications or governance issues, but please don’t ask me to ask for money.”

And the number one complaint by Nonprofit CEO’s and Development Staff are board members who won’t fundraise. Why is this so hard? I had an acquaintance recently tell me of his experience on a board. He didn’t realize when he joined the board that he would be so uncomfortable with the prospect of fundraising and he resigned rather than try his hand at it.

The author of the blog went on to briefly list three things that help to effectively involve board members in fundraising. They deserved more discussion.

Clearly define and communicate expectations. Sometimes people are recruited to a board without explicitly spelling out expectations. The organization is eager to fill board spots and doesn’t communicate the fundraising responsibility that goes along with the job for fear they will scare the person off, and then are disappointed when the new leader doesn’t clamor to help raise money. Board job descriptions need to be specific. Board members should be expected to give and the amount or the range should be stated. They also need to help draw resources to the nonprofit by actively participating in fundraising events.
Appropriately equip them with the training and resources needed. As fundraising professionals we spend a lot of time learning the latest best practice for our profession. We attend conferences, hear presentations through our professional associations and take trainings. All designed to make us better fundraisers. But how much time do we spend training our board members for their fundraising responsibilities? It’s rare to find a natural fundraiser among your volunteers. Let your board know you’re there to help and provide all the support and training they need and then hold their hand through the process.
Sufficiently empower them to execute those specific responsibilities. Board members should feel confident as they step outside their comfort zone to make that critical ask. Help them learn to express their own passion for the mission. Create board mentors who have been through the process before, who can provide advice and support as the volunteer new to fundraising makes that first foray into the unknown. As they gain confidence they will find that their own excitement and commitment to the cause will make asking easy and fun.

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Jane Kuechle is an independent consultant to nonprofit organizations and to individuals who want to make a difference. To read more of her work and connect with her visit her blog: http://www.kuechleconsulting.com/blog/

Fundraising in World of Abundance

Joe Garecht — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:00:20 +0000

When it comes to fundraising, there are two basic types of people in the world:

There are those who see the world as a place of great scarcity, where a limited amount of money and resources are fought over, where one person competes against another for a dollar from a donor or an hour from a volunteer, and where, when one organization receives a donation, it lessens the pool of donations available to all other charities, and…

There are those who see the world as a place of great abundance, where there are far more resources available than could possibly ever be used, where there exists much more money, time, and talent than all of the non-profits in the world could possible use, and where, when one organization receives a donation, it does not at all lessen the total pool of donations available to other charities…

What type of fundraiser are you? Do you see the world as a place of scarcity, or as a place of abundance?

When I first started fundraising, I saw the world as a place of scarce and limited resources. I saw other organizations as competitors for donors’ time and volunteers’ efforts. But, as I have progressed through my career, I have come to see the world as a place of great abundance, with almost unlimited wealth, time, and talent for the asking.

I came to realize that there were thousands of people who would be willing to give to non-profits, but who didn’t, because no organization had cast a compelling vision for them.

I came to realize that there were thousands of current donors who could give more, but who didn’t, because the organization they supported hadn’t asked for more, or hadn’t developed big enough goals to support even bigger asks.

I came to realize that there were thousands of people with free time on their hands who would enjoy volunteering, but who didn’t, because no organization had given them a job worth doing.

You see… I came to realize that the reason many people didn’t give of their time, talent, or treasure (or didn’t give more than they already are giving) isn’t because they couldn’t afford to, or because they didn’t want to, but because no one had cast a bigger than life vision for them, and asked them to support that vision in a meaningful way.

Fundraising is different when you see the world as a place of abundance, not scarcity.

In a scare world, non-profits don’t hit their fundraising goals because no one has money to give, the economy stinks, or other organizations are “stealing” their donors. In an abundant world, non-profits don’t hit their fundraising goals because they aren’t thinking big enough, aren’t communicating with enough people, aren’t making big enough asks…

In a scare world, organizations don’t have enough volunteers because people are too busy, no one wants to get their hands dirty, and people like other organizations more than yours. In an abundant world, organizations don’t have enough volunteers because they aren’t giving people enough responsibility, aren’t getting them invested enough in their mission, aren’t saying thank you for their work.

Seeing the world as a place of abundance changes everything. How does your non-profit see the world? How do you see the world?
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Joe Garecht is the creator of The Fundraising Authority, a free source of fundraising advice and tutorials for non-profits of all sizes.

Nonprofit Blog Carnival: Handling Objections

Jason Dick — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:31:04 +0000

I am hosting this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival featuring common objections. Each of the authors below has provided some great content for us. The question I asked was, “What are common objections you hear at your organization and how do you respond to them?”

“Most of our employees just don’t make enough to give to charity.” This is a quote that Jane Kuechle on her blog Kuechle Consulting heard many times when she worked for United Way. Jane submitted a great post, Who Has The Capacity to Give? This post is an excellent reminder that giving is valuable at ever level. Don’t pass over asking someone for a gift just because they are not a millionaire.

“We need to spread our sponsorship dollar to other areas of the community.” Brett Ridge from CDS Global for Nonprofits writes a great post, Sponsors Change Personnel, Can You Roll With The Punches? Here are some great words of wisdom as you are handling your corporate relationships as part of your sponsorship program. Thanks Brett!

“I already know the needs – use your time to talk with others who don’t.” Check out The Collins Group Blog’s post, Overcoming Objections from Obstacle to Opportunity. We all know the difficulty of setting up a meeting with a new prospect. Barb Maduell has some great tips for how to L.I.S.T.E.N. and how to start a fruitful conversation.

Responding to Negative Feedback. Pamela Grow in her post, Successful Fundraising – Not for the Thin Skinned, has some great advice about receiving negative feedback. Take one person’s negative feedback for what it is – one person’s feedback.

Submit your post to the July Nonprofit Blog Carnival, hosted by Britt Bravo, focusing on your best time management tips. Thank you for your great submissions!

The Whole Life Offering

Jason Dick — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:33:08 +0000

We are all on a quest for significance whether it is through our work, giving, or service. When I first met Eric Foley I was impressed by his vision for and understanding of philanthropy. He spoke of the development process as transformational not transactional. His newist book, The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy, is a book for donors, volunteers, nonprofits, and philanthropists that breathes life into giving.

Eric brings us back to the original definition of Philanthropy which comes out of the ancient greek as “a gods love towards human beings.” He talks about Philanthropy as a way of living and a way of responding to a benevolent God.

“The focus of Philanthropy is on who one is and what one is becoming as one makes the donation.”

Too often I live my life in boxes. I can be one person at work, another online, and another at home and with my friends. This book makes a bold declaration that everything is connected and how we give should flow out of who we are. If you are a Christian, this book will change your perspective on how you live out your faith and give. If you are not a Christian, this book makes some remarkable claims about how faith can and should impact your giving.

The Whole Life Offering walks the reader through a number of principles that govern how we think of philanthropy. Each of these principles is explained from seven perspectives using these Works of Piety: Searching the Scriptures, Learning, Worshiping, Praying, Self-Denial, Serving, and Giving. This book has helped me to think deeper and act more intentionally. Here are a few of my favorite quotes.

“Sharing one’s bread is something more than giving to organizations that help the poor.”

“Every act of opening one’s home is more than a response to human need.”

“As one immerses oneself in an ever-widening circle of human need, one stops giving to fund-raisers and becomes one instead.”

On this quest for significance, the ideas found in The Whole Life Offering can help to bring your work, giving, and service all together. This book is a valuable tool in guiding us to be the kind of people that live and give well.

To learn more about Eric Foley and The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy visit his website or read the book.

Eric Foley’s Blog & Website
Purchase The Whole Life Offering for Kindle on Amazon
Purchase The Whole Life Offering in paperback on Amazon

Carnival Submissions: Handling Objections

Jason Dick — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:00:54 +0000

I’m hosting the Nonprofit Blog Carnival for the month of June featuring links and summaries of the top posts from around the blogosphere around handling objections. I also wanted to reach out see if anyone from the A Small Change community had anything to add on an earlier conversation.

Every nonprofit professional has a list of objections they hear regularly. “Why should I give money to a government organization?” or, “I’m focusing my giving, who can afford to give in this economy?” I will be posting some of the most popular objections from you, my readers, and expert bloggers will provide some targeted advice.

What are popular objections you hear at your organization and how do you respond to them?

For bloggers, submit a response by June 27 (special consideration will be given to posts that answer the objections presented below by my readers). Next, enter your submission by:
- Filling out the Nonprofit Blog Carnival form here
- Or, emailing your post’s link nonprofitcarnival (at) gmail.com
For my readers, leave a comment below with an objection your organization often hears.

Breaking Out of a Fundraising Plateau

Joe Garecht — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:00:32 +0000

It happens to every development professional at some point in their career. Things are going well… you’re meeting with prospects, cultivating contacts, making asks. The days seem to be humming along, and then: nothing. No calls being returned. No pledges being made. No progress… nothing.

You’ve plateaued.

Sometimes, a fundraising plateau lasts for days, sometimes it lasts for weeks. Fear not! These occasional ruts happen to every fundraiser. Occasionally, they are just a result of bad luck, when you happen to strike out on asks an inordinate amount of times in a single week or month. Other times, they are the result of an unforeseeable event, or a bit of bad PR for your non-profit. Most often though, they are the result of some planning missteps on your part. Luckily, these missteps can usually be easily rectified. If you find yourself in a fundraising plateau, use these tips to help jump start your efforts:

For Immediate Action
If you’re in a rut, reaching your goals (and restoring your confidence) will require that you take immediate action to start seeing positive results. One great way to generate “yes’s” is by taking a break from prospecting to start soliciting from current and lapsed donors. They are far more likely to say yes, and the positive reinforcement will do wonders for your self-esteem. Taking a week off of cultivation / prospecting to focus on making asks to current donors may be just the jump start you need to get back in to the game.

Another great way to immediately see positive results is to take a break from your current solicitations / prospects to work on some low hanging fruit that others on your team have been cultivating. For instance, if you are a director of development that works closely with your board, take a week to set up meetings with contacts your board members have been cultivating. Ask the board member to go with you to see these warm contacts. As with current donors, these warm leads may be far more likely to want to get involved than your standard prospect list.

For Long Term Planning
Once you’ve reignited your efforts, be sure to put a plan in place to help you avoid fundraising plateaus in the future. The most important thing you can do to avoid plateaus is to make sure you have enough prospects in the pipeline at each different level to supply a steady stream of asks. By balancing out the number of new prospects, warm cultivations, and current asks you are working on, you can be sure to have a ready supply of asks teed up at any one time.

Similarly, keep your board, development committee, and volunteers constantly networking. They provide a great source of leads, but generally require constant handholding and motivation. Be sure to supply it to them.
Finally, if you’re not already integrating all of your fundraising campaigns into your individual ask program, now is the time to do so. For example: do you have a plan in place for meeting, cultivating, and doing an individual solicitation with your direct mail donors? How about your online donors? What about your event guests? Have a funnel in place for building longer-term relationships with these donors.

Don’t Wait — Do!

Every fundraiser gets into a rut once in a while. They key to getting back on you feet is to DO something about it. If you just stay the course, often, you’ll find it harder to break out of the rut. Be active, develop a plan for reigniting your efforts, then get out there and make it happen!
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Joe Garecht is the creator of The Fundraising Authority, a free source of fundraising advice and tutorials for non-profits of all sizes.

Let’s Have Lunch Together

Jason Dick — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:00:38 +0000

I just finished reading, Let’s Have Lunch Together: How to Reach Out and Build More Powerful Relationships, by Marshall Howard. It was probably the best fundraising book that I’ve read in the last couple of years. The book is written in such a way that it benefits both the beginning and seasoned fundraisers. It isn’t a long read—183 pages; it is written as a story about an executive director named Oscar, whose board chair, Victoria, challenges him to think differently. Victoria walks Oscar through a transformation in relationship engagement with his donors and board members.

The book has some really great and easy-to-use tips on how to build solid relationships with your volunteers, donors, and other stakeholders. The focus is about taking time to make a personal connection and to recognize that the relationship should be more important than the money. The connections that many of our major donors bring into an organization and their long-term partnerships are more valuable than monetary contributions. If a strong relationship is built, then a byproduct is often money and relationships.

The core mantra of the book is…

Be more curious
Put the other person first, your needs second
Uncover common interests, values, and goals

I am a big fan of checklists that I need to do to be successful. Marshall has done a great job creating some great checklists with tools we can use to build relationships. As I was reading this book I thought it fit really well with the theme this month of putting the donor first.

“If you want to be shocked, amazed, and aghast,
look at a stakeholder as a person at last.”
Marshall Howard

I would love to leave you with more of Marshall’s tips and tell you more about the story between Oscar & Victoria. But I know I’ll be quoting it in some future posts and will use it as an inspiration for much of what I will be focusing on over the next couple of weeks… plus, I don’t want to spoil the excitement of reading it yourself. Howard thank you for a great book!

Stop the Madness!

Joe Garecht — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:00:24 +0000

Many small and medium sized non-profits face a common problem… they only have one, or maybe two development professionals on staff, and yet they have a seemingly endless amount of fundraising work to do.

There are calls to be made.
There are letters to be written.
Someone has to do follow-ups.
You can’t forget about cultivation calls.
And our big event is only 3 months away!

Time and again, I’ve seen small development shops pulling their hair out trying to get everything done. At these organizations, desks are usually piled high with unorganized work. Dozens of ten minute meetings get held, where the Executive Director tries to get everyone on the same page, and the development staff tries to figure out where they stand on any of the dozens of plates they have spinning at the moment.

If this sounds like your organization, stop. Right now, drop what you are doing and stop. Gather your development staff, put the phones on hold, and cancel your afternoon meetings. You are going to spend one afternoon – THIS afternoon – getting organized and ready to be an effective fundraising operation. Here’s the 5 step plan:

1. Get Organized
If you’ve got a million things going on, papers piled high, and calls waiting to be made, chances are no one person at your non-profit has a good handle on the overall status of your efforts. Have everyone take an hour to go back to their desks and sort through what they are working on. This does not mean that they should try to get anything done. On the contrary, the only thing they should be doing is sorting papers and keeping a list of the 5, 10, or 50 projects they are currently engaged in.

2. Hold a 30 Minute Meeting
Get your team together, and tell them to bring the lists they created in step #1. Each member of your development staff should take a turn explaining, as briefly as possible, what they are working on. There should be no discussion. Just a list. The goal of this meeting is for the Executive Director or Development Director to get a handle on every single thing that is going on in the organization. At the end of the meeting, allow 5 minutes for people to ask questions and get answers. Keep this meeting to 30 minutes or less.

3. Prioritize Your Projects
After the meeting, everyone goes back to their desks. At this point, it’s time for the Executive Director or Development Director to lead the way. One of the key responsibilities of a leader is to prioritize the work of his or her team. The director should sit down with everyone’s lists, and rank priorities.
Use the 80/20 principle here – what 20% of the work is going to result in 80% of the benefit to the charity? The end goal is for the director to come up with a priorities list for the organization that includes all of the important tasks that must be done. For each task, the director should list what person or persons are responsible for the project, and what the deadline is for completion. Project priorities are no good without deadlines, and won’t get done unless everyone knows who is responsible.

While the director is sorting priorities, the team should take an hour to go back to their desks and clean up their work spaces, file papers that have been sitting around, and clean things off. Assuming that they have given all of their tasks over to the director on the sheets they brought to the 30 minute meeting, they can throw out all those to do lists and post-it notes on their desks.

4. Hold a Timeline Meeting
You’ve got your priorities. You know who is responsible. You’ve got deadlines. Now, hold a 45 minute meeting with your entire team. Hand out a spreadsheet showing each of these items. Run through the list. Ask for problems, concerns, suggestions, changes. Get your team invested in this spreadsheet. Tell them why it is important. Take their feedback seriously, and revise the list as you deem necessary.

Tell your team that, instead of trying to hide it when projects are behind schedule, they should bring it to your attention. They should ask for help if needed. They should speak up if something goes wrong that affects their ability to meet a deadline. Let your team know that everyone (including the director) is expected to meet their responsibilities on this sheet, as well as handle the day to day tasks that are in their job description.

5. Execute the Plan
Now, perhaps for the first time, your team has a well-defined plan. It’s time to execute that plan. Your team should have a 30 minute priorities meeting every week to discuss how everyone is progressing on the plan. As things change and new projects emerge, make changes and additions to your list. You may be surprised at just how effectively your team works once things are organized and prioritized!
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Joe Garecht is the founder of The Fundraising Authority, which provides free articles and how-to information on fundraising for small and medium-sized non-profits.