TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH
My (new) client was weary. She works 50 or more hours a week, and can’t seem to get on top of anything. Making matters worse, fundraising—which is what she is in charge of—has been stagnant for a number of years.
“No matter what we try,” she told me when we first talked, “I cannot seem to move the needle.”
So that is what we set out to do.
As I do with all my clients, we started with an assessment and looked at what they were doing fundraising-wise; what the results were over the past 5 years; what resources they have to hand; and—importantly—how does the culture of the organization impact what they are doing.
The first red flag was that each year for the past 5 years, there were few consistent fundraising efforts. One year they did an end of the year special event; the next it was a pretty traditional appeal. The following year, they focused all their efforts at the end of the year on giving Tuesday. And last year, they decided to try an online auction. Alas, it wasn’t only at the end of the year that their attempts to raise money seemed to be driven by the newest shiniest thing and the ideas of the development committee (and staff!).
“Yes,” my client confirmed, “everyone has so many great ideas that we are always trying something new.”
Repeat after me: Fundraising relies on consistency for success.
There is a reason that organizations that raise the most money do what they do over and over again.
Your donors and prospects are not looking for something new and different. They are looking to support an organization whose mission meets their passions and with whom they have a strong relationship. There are certain things donors want from their philanthropy—mainly confirmation that they are supporting something that matters (to them!).
The same old annual letter that reminds your donor of the good things you do is more than an appeal; it certifies that their support impacts the things you do that they care about.
Consistency also allows you to get better at the ways you are fundraising. Instead of having to master a new way of doing things each year, you can look back at what works best for you; what doesn’t, and how to ensure you are building on your strengths. This is true for every way you raise funds.
The more grants you write, the more adept you become at framing your request in a way that will speak to the foundation. The more you study what appeals not only made people give but made your donors give more, the more you can refine that appeal. And the more relationships you develop, the more donors you will have who care about your work.
In retreats and trainings, I often put participants in two lines (on zoom, we put people in two person breakout rooms), and have the person in what I’ll label line A ask the person across from them in line B to make a gift. The person being asked is instructed to respond to the ask as they would if this were a real solicitation. Then they switch and the person in line B asks the one in line A. Then everyone in one line moves one space to the left, and we start the process all over again. It’s a little clunkier in Zoom—but there we simply move half the people into a different two person room. We’ll do this three, five or more times. After everyone asserts that no one died from this exercise, they’ll share their experiences. And always I hear;
It got easier each time
I learned from what worked
I started feeling more comfortable
Did most participants change their ask? Sure—in small increments. Over the years, I’ve heard:
“Oh, wow. When I asked for a specific amount, the response was more positive.” So each time after that, they asked for a specific amount.
“If I focused on them instead of my organization, they were more interested.” You can guess what the focus was in the next iteration.
There is a well-known exercise called Start, Stop, Continue. For fundraising, as you review your annual fundraising plans, think, what do I need to start doing that I am not currently doing? That may not—probably is not—a new way to raising funds. One thing I advocate to all my clients is that they should start showing more gratitude and impact. Whatever they are doing in this realm, start doing more.
Then consider, what do I need to stop doing. For my new client, I recommended she stop taking every “We could do this,” as an order. Keep a list of all those could’s and at appropriate times, bring up the one that seems to be most appealing.
And finally, ask what you need to continue doing. If there is a technique you’ve been doing for a while, and your numbers are still good, continue doing this. If you tried segmenting your donors for the first time last year and it increased your results, guess what? You need to continue segmenting.
Success, of course, means you do something very well. And that takes practice. Practice means you are focused on what you are doing and not always looking about for a different way to get where you want to go.