GAINS AND LOSSES
As I write this, it has been one year since most of us were sent home. And that is where most of us stayed for 12 months. Articles abound about the losses we have incurred. But in many ways, there have been tremendous gains in fundraising, especially for more grassroots organizations.
After an initial, “Oh no, what will we do,” many nonprofits began reaching out on a more regular basis to donors. This outreach didn’t necessarily discriminate according to size or frequency of gifts. If you gave, you got touched. And these touches didn’t always ask for more.
This reminding donors about you—what you do, why you matter, why they matter and what the impact of their generosity really meant—is arguably the most important and most neglected facet of fundraising. When, in a few months, things feel like they are back to normal, that normal should continue to include bringing all your donors closer.
Fundraising, for many, also became more intentional. Instead of planning for 18 months to 3 years of cultivation, fundraisers got right to the point. Meetings were about what they should always have been about—the support our donors give us.
I’ve long advocated the importance of always be talking about money. Too often, fundraisers talked about everything but, and when the solicitation meeting finally happened—long after the donor would have said yes—it was unclear how much the donor would commit to. Or even if they would commit.
Early in my career a major gift fundraiser told me that she never did an ask unless she knew the answer was going to be yes. At the time, I thought she must have left a lot on the table. But as I did more fundraising, I started to understand what she meant,
My donors and prospects did not meet with me because i was cute and adorable or had a fabulous personality (though surely I must have been all three). They met with me because they cared about my organization, and wanted to support our work. They didn’t want to be my friend. They wanted me to help them fulfill their philanthropic goals.
Once I learned that, I made it my business to learn about what those goals were and what kind of legacy they hoped to leave behind. I always talked about the size of a gift—and worked with them to get to a number to which they were going to commit. It was rare that my cultivation’s for any one gift lasted more than a month. And yes, I was asking for very large gifts.
While cultivation for a single gift was swift, cultivating the donor was ongoing. We often call that stewardship, but in reality, we are not just thanking them for what they’ve done. We are also getting them ready for what they will do.
Large gifts, however, do not get given equally. The size of your organization matters. But big gifts are not the only way to raise significant amounts of money.
Looking to your broader community and including those you have previously excluded is another great gain of this past year. That had less to do with the pandemic and more to do with issues of racial justice, but they are or should be a welcomed outcome.
As a country, we have too long considered that the color of money is not green but white. And we have lost so much with that thinking.
Understanding how people in various cultures think about their philanthropy is crucial.
One of the best way ways to do that is to truly diversify your board. That doesn’t mean looking for one or two Black people—preferably ones who have assimilated to your culture enough that you feel comfortable with them. Understand that culture covers a wide range of things. Miriam Webster dictionary defines culture as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.” Cast your net widely, and don’t forget that many people live in many different cultures.
But before you ask, make sure that those who say yes will come into an inclusive and welcoming organization where differences are embraced and the only commonality of import is the passion that ties you all to your mission and your cause.
It’s not easy. We are all, alas, most comfortable with those who look, think, and act as we do. We all have biases. Not all are bad and many are pretty innocuous. But not all, and the only way to get over those that are not is to acknowledge that they exist and work toward eliminating them. This takes a lot of work and does not happen overnight. It takes a lot of humility, and a lot of willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.
The pandemic also brought a much higher reliance on technology. We all spent time on zoom and zoom fatigue became real. But as we can get back together, we should not as my mother would have said throw out the baby with the bath water.
I, for one, love that I am not on the road all the time. And I have no intention of going back to 100% in person meetings. I can give my clients so much more — and for less cost — by keeping most meetings virtual.
A lot of my work is training. I have taught online for many years, and while it had its place, I did not feel that it was as effective as being physically together. But over this year, I have learned that there is value to workshops (and, yes, retreats) online. I hope that we don’t swing from 100% online to 100% in person but, rather, assess each workshop and audience and offer that which is most efficient.
I have just scratched the surface here. But before you rush back to the way things were, do consider they way they are right now and consider what to keep, what to change, and be thoughtful about what that change entails.