The Gift of Giving to Non-profits

As a development professional, I am passionate about my belief in the gift of giving to non-profit organizations. At this time of year, mailboxes are brimming with appeals from a variety of organizations, many groups who rely on fundraising dollars to support their worthwhile missions.

Aviv Centers for Living recently sent out an appeal that quoted the Talmud as saying, “One person’s candle is a light for many.” We took a walk down memory lane recalling that when the original founders of Aviv gathered in 1945, the world was a very different place. Gasoline cost about 15 cents a gallon. Elvis Presley debuted at age 10. Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States as George and Barbara Bush wed and the United Nations was formed. While the darkness of World War II clouded the universe, a group of citizens gathered in Lynn to create light for seniors and founded the Jewish Convalescent Home, fondly called “the Home.”

Well over 66 years ago, while the world was a different place, the desire for good people to galvanize for grand purposes was just as important as it is today. As you prepare for the holidays, take a moment to look in your heart and make a donation to a non-profit organization. It may be the best gift you give this holiday season.

Fundraising in a Turbulent Economy

So the stock market is a mess, and all signs point to a very weak recovery, if not a double-dip recession. What's a development officer to do?

First, DON'T PANIC! Well, actually a little panic probably won't hurt. I met with a friend today who just started a new development job. In her first two weeks on the job, two major donors to the organization have said they will be reducing their gifts next year by a total of $400,000! Interestingly, neither one of them cited the economy or the stock market as the reason. That said, finding a new $400,000 in the current economy probably won't be easy. So what do you do?

I would suggest sticking to fundamentals. Remember that development is about building relationships, and that people make gifts (especially major gifts) to the organizations they feel closest to. So now is the time to turn to your organization's current friends for renewed, increased, and new gifts. Don't make the case that you are in trouble because of the economy; rather, make the case that their help will help you keep your programs strong and ride out the storm.

Now is also the time to make new friends. Ask your board members and other volunteers to think about people they may know who could become interested and involved with your mission. Look for people with some connection to what you do. Then ask them to join you! Ask for their advice and involvement first; then ask for their gift. Remember, the more involved the person becomes, the more likely it is that you'll get a major gift for your organization.

These tactics may not increase your fundraising results immediately, but they will build your base for the long haul. And your current friends might surprise you by stepping up with the gifts you need! Don't fall into the trap of thinking you shouldn't ask people for gifts right now because of the economy. Remember, the number one predictor that someone won't make a gift to your organization is that they weren't asked. So ask, and ask often. It is our job to ask, and the donor's job to decide on the answer! Turbulent economic times require us to ask more than ever. The answer won't always be the one we hope for, but often it will be, and the more you ask, the more you'll get!

If you need some ideas for strategies for building stronger relationships with your organization's friends - old or new - or asking for support from them, let me know.

Volunteers: Friend or Friend?

One of my favorite volunteer board members - the chair of the development committee at a university I worked for - once said to the entire board, "Remember, WE volunteer board members are the fundraisers here. The staff is hear to help us do our jobs." This resonated for me because I started out in development as a volunteer for one of the large Jewish Federations. We (the volunteers) always understood that the task of asking for gifts was OUR responsibility, and that the campaign wouldn't be successful if we didn't do our jobs. Believe me, it was difficult, and took a lot of time; and we all had day jobs, too (mine was in the real estate business.)

By the time I was working at that university, development had changed - fundraising was much more in the hands of the professional staff, with limited support from the volunteers. That trend has continued, and the large size of the development staff at some institutions is evidence of it. But that volunteer chair still understood the power of the volunteer ask!

I still believe, as he does, that the best development work is done by volunteers. When a business person asks a peer to support an organization that he or she believes in, the ask is almost always successful. When a development staff person makes a similar ask, the result is not nearly as assured. Peers asking peers still works best! Perhaps it works even better today because it is not as common.

This is not to say that development staff isn't important. I still work in development, and believe that my work in cultivating and soliciting major prospective donors is crucial to the success of the organization I work for. But I also believe that when I can get the Board Chair, or another volunteer, in the room with the prospect, it is much more likely that we will get the gift we are seeking. Sometimes it takes a volunteer just to get the phone answered or the appointment set! Someone once said that when you get the right person doing the ask for the right project at the right time, magic happens. As a professional development officer, I aspire to succeeding at that task, and really try to find the "right person", knowing that it is sometimes me, but is much more often a volunteer!

It really pains me when I hear development staff members deriding volunteers as unskilled or "adding work" to "our already busy days." I am currently volunteering myself (yes, I sometimes take a "bus man's holiday") with an organization that has a half-time development officer who wouldn't be accomplishing nearly what she does if it weren't for a small group of volunteers dedicated to the success of the organization who are doing the hard work of developing strategies, cultivating, and soliciting major donors. I have never heard her complain about a volunteer!

Volunteers are our best friends in development. If you would like some help in figuring out the best ways to work with yours, give me a call.