Archive for Fundraising

Great Free Way to Keep Up With Donors

October 27, 2008 at 2:46 pm · Filed under Fundraising, Governance

You know, some times you just think people know what you know if they are young and smart and a great leader? Welllll, last weekend I was working with just such a CEO, Beth Lloyd at Volunteer Hampton Roads in Norfolk, VA. We were strategising about her board retreat that I was facilitating the next day, and I asked how she was keeping up with current donors, most of whom foundations and corporations. I mentioned, “Of course you are using Google Alerts.” Her pretty brows furrowed and she said, “No.”

It took literally about 2 minutes to set it up with just the words, “Volunteer Hampton Roads.” All you do is go to the home page of google.com, type in “google alerts” and fill in the words or phrases that you want reports about. Then a message is sent to your e-mail address, you confirm that you indeed want this info, and Bob’s your uncle, you are in business.

Ten minutes after setting this up, Beth got an alert. One of her collaborators had thoughtfully posted a job on his website for a position she wanted to hire for, thereby helping her expand the search. I said, “You need to thank him.” Beth said, “Of course I will.”  Now this is where being an older, bossy consultant comes into play. I said, “Pick up the phone this minute and make the call before you touch the computer again.” Beth, being a quick learner and realizing that I outweighed her, picked up the phone and left a very gracious message. Another message came a few minutes later from a colleague touting Volunteer Hampton Road’s programs. Beth picked up the phone, another quick call, leaving a message.

At the board retreat, we suggested that one of the “ask averse” board members take on the role of helping with relationship management of a portfolio of donors so that Beth can continue to go into the community and make the major asks. All this person would need to do is keep a google alert list of current donors and send cards, notes and make the occasional call on what is going on with the individual, foundation or company.

You got to love a free way to keep up with donors. And getting to work with smart boards and leaders who implement immediately compouds the joy.

Mildly tech-savvy Granny, Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP

p.s. Beth, you are no doubt getting an alert about this. Have a great week!!!

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What Great Donor Customer Service Looks Like

October 23, 2008 at 11:58 am · Filed under Fundraising, Governance, Uncategorized

Great customer service to donors is almost a nonsequitor, which is why it is so important to celebrate it when it happens. Last weekend, I went on the website of The Missouri Botanical Gardens to make a small donation in memory of a friend’s partner’s parent who died out of town. I had only met my friend’s partner Scott twice and never his parents. It was simple and easy to make the donation. Since I didn’t know Scott’s deceased parent’s name, I filled in the on-line form with “Scott’s Mother.”

First thing Monday morning, I got a call from Ann in the development office of The Missouri Botanical Gardens. She called to alert me that she had looked up the obituary and it was Scott’s Father who had died! She then proceeded  to offer me her name and phone number in case I needed help in the future with a gift.

I am sure Scott would have forgiven me if I had botched the gender of his parent who had passed, but I didn’t have to ask for forgiveness thanks to Ann. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to give a larger donation!

Gender-confused fan of Ann, Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP

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Special Events: One Step to Save Your Stomach Lining

May 29, 2008 at 2:20 pm · Filed under Fundraising, Uncategorized

One of my favorite nonprofits is in a pickle. And a common pickle it is indeed. A board member suggested a smallish event a few months ago. It is now crunch time. The staff didn’t get the invites out on time. The board has a bit of post-holiday malaise and bloat and the event chair is going ballistic. Where is all the support that was promised? Or was it?

 

Here is the most common scenario: A board member says, in best Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney fashion, let’s put on a golf tournament, skeet shoot, wine tasting, wild boor hunt, you fill in the blank. The board hears, “I will put on the event.” The board member thinks she is saying, “Together, WE will put on the event.” Everyone agrees to the event, a date is set, and then fast forward, its crunch time. The board is dismayed that the event chair expects the board member to bring 10 people. A few of the board members confide, “The truth is, This really isn’t my kind of thing, you know!.” This is the stuff of antacid commercials.

 

How to avoid this? If this is a small event and you are counting on the board rather than an outside committee to bring in the guests, take ten minutes, ask the board for a conservative count and ask them how many people they can deliver that night. Take names and write it down. If you want 150 to attend and the board can deliver 37, this might just be the wrong event, wrong evening, wrong committee. This one step will make all the difference.

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, not a fan of small events

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Special Events and The Board, Forgetting The One Crutial Step

January 4, 2008 at 10:24 am · Filed under Fundraising, Uncategorized

One of my favorite nonprofits is in a pickle. And a common pickle it is indeed. A board member suggested a smallish event a few months ago, it is now crunch time. The staff didn’t get the invites out on time. The board has a bit of post-holiday malaise and bloat and the event chair is going ballistic. Where is all the support that was promised? Or was it?

Here is the most common scenario: A board member says, in best Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney fashion, let’s put on a golf tournament, skeet shoot, wine tasting, wild boor hunt, you fill in the blank. The board hears, “I will put on the event.” The board member thinks she is saying, “Together, WE will put on the event.” Everyone agrees to the event, a date is set, and then fast forward, its crunch time. The board is dismayed that the event chair expects the board member to bring 10 people. A few of the board members confide, “The truth is, This really is my kind of thing, you know!.” This is the stuff of antacid commercials.

How to avoid this? If this is a small event and you are counting on the board rather than a committee to bring in the guests, take ten minutes, ask the board for a conservative count and ask them how many people they can deliver that night. Take names and write it down. If you want 150 to attend and the board can  deliver 37, this might just be the wrong event, wrong evening, wrong committee. This one step will make all the difference.

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, not a fan of small events

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Under Promise and Over-Deliver on Special Events

December 22, 2007 at 4:27 pm · Filed under Fundraising

The opening of the new gambling casino in St. Louis last week crapped out. My husband and I weren’t invited, but many of my friends who are married to big shots were. My husband would rather be invited to an autopsy than the opening of a gambling casino. (Being a physician, this is also more likely). Anyway, the invitation promised big things. The uber expensive invite indicated that there would be visible grandeur and perhaps fireworks.
     Just getting to the black tie event was a problem. No one thought to have spent time or money on signage. Once you arrived, getting a drink was damned near impossible. And food? Well, one of my friends found the sushi table and planted herself there. Another friend said that she couldn’t even see the food. Guests were given coupons to shop at the stores, but they weren’t open.
     But the real talk of the town is that with all the hype, they dragged the grumpy, hungry and still sober guest outside in the cold to witness the magnificent lighting of of the building named Luminarire and it didn’t work. A few bulbs flickered, but then nothing.
     The valet parking took one of my friends an hour. Another friend’s husband stayed to gamble. She took the car and left. He won $27. When he asked the valet to get him a cab, no one knew how to do it. He finally got one using his cell phone. The cab was only $25. At least he was working in the black! The next day, he realized he had forgotten his driver’s license which he had left as collateral for chips or some such thing. The phone number for the casino was unlisted. The mailbox the the PR firm was filled. The meeting planner is no doubt in rehab.
     One of my clients is having the mayors from a number of municipalities in for a meeting in two weeks. The trick to events is to under-promise and over deliver. I’ve suggested to indicate that there will be sandwiches, then have goody bags. Their mission is healthy living. Fill reusable bags donated from a local grocery store with a pedometer, snacks etc. If you tell them, as Luminarie did, to expect the event of the century, and then fail, you will wind up in the blog of someone who didn’t even get an invite!

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Amuse ‘em, Use’em or Lose’em, The Board and Fundrasing

December 9, 2007 at 11:53 am · Filed under Fundraising

I recently did a board retreat with a dynamic foundation board. The development director was tearing her hair out trying to get trustees to show up. The folks who did show were amazing. They were CEO’s, dedicated community volunteers, people of wealth and affluence and influence. I was wowed. The  “A Team was in the building. The problem: They were being asked to work on a golf tournament. Period. Not only that, if you deducted staff time, they were-making about $11.00. They were like using a race horse to pull a beer wagon. The power balance to the mission was off kilter.

What would get the whole team together? A massive goal that matched the talent pool. One of the members had just funded a building for a hospital that will bear his and his wife’s names. He alone could have written the check for the golf tournament gross amount and everyone else could have gone to jazzersize or watch reruns of the West Wing.

If they don’t get these folks excited, use their talents they will for sure lose these dynamos. The questions: Does your fundraising goal match your board? Too staggeringly high and they will feel overwhelmed. Too low and they will disengage.

You can bring this up with the board as a whole, or ask them individually. The questions are:
1. Is our fundraising goal going to meet our organization’s needs to drive our mission?
2. Do we have the right people in the room to achieve this?
3. Are we using you, our board member, effectively?

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, wanting to spread all this talent.

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Choose Your Clients Wisely

December 5, 2007 at 5:38 pm · Filed under Fundraising, Governance, Professional Speaking

I really blew it on Monday morning. I got up at 4:30 a.m. I read my notes. I did my hair. (Everyone knows you can’t do adequate strategic planning with bad hair). I stopped by Northwest Coffee for a double latte. I was loaded for bear.

I showed up 15 minutes early to begin facilitating the meeting. I was to run a series of committee meetings to help the board and stakeholders create a strategy for growth over the next 5 years.

We began at promptly at 7:30. 30 minutes into the meeting, one of the board members said, “I am really confused here. What does all of this have to do with governance.” I brilliantly replied, “This is the program committee meeting.” Everyone assured me I was in error. All 7 members of the governance committee were suddenly reassured that they weren’t crazy. It was their consultant who wasn’t making any sense.

I had done something I am truly embarrassed about. I had wasted my client’s time. They couldn’t have been nicer. They even rescheduled a follow-up meeting to work on real governance issues, not the program issues I had been prattling on about for the first 30 minutes of the meeting.

I felt like a total moron. Has my life been difficult lately? Yes. Should it be my client’s problem? No.

Not only will I make an end of the year contribution to these wonderful people, but I will also find a way to make this up to them.

Choose your clients wisely. We all fall on our faces periodically. It is nice to have someone lend a hand to help you up rather than stomp on your crumpled body.

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, embarrassed in St. Louis

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Is $4 Million A Lot of Money? What Does Your Nonprofit Board Think?

November 19, 2007 at 11:10 am · Filed under Fundraising, Governance

Is $4 Million dollars a lot of money for your board? Well, it certainly is a lot of money to pay for a dress, a pair of earrings, a pair of golf clubs. Is it a lot to pay for a condo? A 12 family apartment building? A payroll for 80 employees?

I asked this question during a retreat, “What would it take to deal with this problem for the entire city.” Someone came up with the figure $4 million.” To most of the people in the room, it could have been $4 billion. Only one person said, “Is that all?”

Every board needs someone who is used to dealing with big numbers and has a comfort level with them. The member doesn’t have to have the money, but a familiarity and comfort with thinking big and expanding the horizons of the group. (Although if someone would be able to write the $4 million check, it would have been interesting to see what the reaction would have been!)

I did a retreat for a group where more than 51% of the group were on disability. The CEO’s salary was so low, it wasn’t even on the chart on the Association of Fundraising Professionals Salary index. No one in the room, including the CEO, had a clue. If something happened to her, she could not be replaced for anywhere near this salary. No one was financially literate about salaries. Good, caring people. But NO ONE knew how underpaid the CEO was.

If you can’t talk about the big numbers, you can’t ask for them. Every nonprofit does not have to be large, but if there are people you want to serve and aren’t, get someone in the room who doesn’t think $4 Million is big bucks!

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, Asking big, but shopping the sale rack.

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The Accidental Fundraiser

November 4, 2007 at 11:47 am · Filed under Fundraising

If you ask my friend David Strom what he thinks of fundraising, he’ll tell you that he hates to ask people for money, but in fact, he is a phenomenal fundraiser.

Here is what he has to say about it in his own words,

“For the past 8 years, I have been doing fundraising but I didn’t really realize it until lately. I am an avid bicyclist, and during the warmer months it is my main source of exercise. In my 20s, I was a big biker and actually went across country one summer to get to grad school.

So I took it up again a few years ago and remember seeing a sign advertising one of the NYC-Boston AIDS rides. These were well organized group rides that took several days and involved thousands of people camping out at different spots and riding 70-100 miles a day.The first one that I did was in 2000 and it was a real blast. I spent months training, and raising money, and getting myself psyched up for the ride. I did the entire route and came home on a high.

david-and-shirley-2-big.jpgThat was all it took to get me started. Now I do one or two events a year. I have raised thousands of dollars for various causes, met my lovely wife on one of the rides, and gotten my sister and several friends involved in doing similar activities. My sister does a “Think Pink” party with a DJ for teenagers, asking each one to bring $25 as a donation for her cancer walkathons. Last year’s party raised several thousand dollars, and she is looking for a place in Manhattan to host her next one.

I don’t think of myself as a fundraiser, but more of a fundraising mentor. I don’t like to do the whole “ask” thing. But this year on the Mo. MS 150, my chum Steve (who has MS) 147_0345.jpgwas the top fundraiser and his first time out. He went on and did another MS150 in California and raised even more money for that. And this is after being unsure that he could do the ride and was afraid of asking his friends to support him. “

So, to summarize, because David likes to get exercise he has

1. Raised money for causes he believes in

2. Met his fabulous wife Shirley at one of these events

3. Can proudly wear spandex in middle age

4. Has found an activity to do with friends that benefits others

5. Has given other friends an opportunity to participate by giving money (always asks by e-mail, never a hard sell)

6. Has had a ridiculous amount of fun

7. Has inspired others

David’s hobby is cycling. When I look what he’s done with it. I’m inspired. My hobby is shopping, and believe me, its not for spandex!

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, Thinking about cycling.

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The Most Common Misconception About Fundraising

October 30, 2007 at 9:33 am · Filed under Fundraising

When I do a board retreat and ask trustees what they would prefer not to be asked to do, the most common answer is “Fundraising.”

 The reason is that they don’t understand what fundraising is. That is only a teeny, tiny portion of what fundraising is all about.

There are so many things that a very shy, person can do in the process of fundraising. A person who loves to cook. A person who is great at research. Someone who can do calligraphy or type or speak passionately about a cause. Or write a thank-you note. All without asking for money.

Fundraising can be a team sport or be done in solitary. The beauty of it is that if you care deeply about a cause,there are ways to ensure the resources to meet the needs of an organization, whether your idea of a good time is a liter of coke, a bag of Doritos and the newest Newt Gingrich book, or getting together with 2000 of your nearest and dearest and running a marathon.

I will be spending some time in my blog exploring all of the ways to raise funds for all of you who care, but are ask averse. The truth is, although I ask, I am one of you!

Carol Weisman, MSW, CSP, Ask Averse fundraiser

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