Carol Weisman, , Carol@BoardBuilders.com Fundraising in Uncertain Times May 20, 2009 Presented By:...

Carol Weisman, www.BoardBuilders.com, Carol@BoardBuilders.com

Fundraising in Uncertain Times

May 20, 2009

Presented By: Carol WeismanProduced By: Society for Nonprofit Organizations

Fundraising in Uncertain Times

I’m so pleased you are going to bring your bridge group on our special “behind the

scenes tour!”

I’m so pleased you are going to bring your bridge group on our special “behind the

scenes tour!”

Of course your Argentinean

uncle can make a donation in

honor of your son’s graduation

on our website!

Of course your Argentinean

uncle can make a donation in

honor of your son’s graduation

on our website!

Of cours

e we ta

ke Cre

cards. W

e’d be glad to

put $50/m

onth on your

card to

help our cause.

Of cours

e we ta

ke Cre

cards. W

e’d be glad to

put $50/m

onth on your

card to

help our cause.

My goal for today is for you to leave with a clear

strategy on how to keep the money flowing.

Fund raising isn’t easy in the best of times. (But you already knew this!) In uncertain times, you need to go back to the basics, but you might have to change the mix. It’s a little like high altitude baking.

Do not make assumptions!

With 8-10% unemployment, that means 90-92%

employment.

Also, many people are reprioritizing and

reconsidering how they use their discretionary income.

That might be good news for your organization!

What are “uncertain times?”

Uncertain times are when people either have less money to give or perceive themselves to be economically vulnerable.

The Big PictureThe Big Picture

1. We are a global community. This is true for the spread of disease and for philanthropy. You need to think of your organization as global.

2. More nonprofits-more than twice the number in 15 years.3. Churches still get the largest percentage of our charitable giving.4. Misfortune comes in many forms

• Communities can be devastated by natural disasters such as the fires in California and Melbourne, Australia or the Tsunami in Asia.

• Individuals and foundations can be taken unawares by crooks like Bernie Madoff.

• Decline can come slowly as with the economies of Detroit and other manufacturing cities

5. While there is bad news, there is also good news. • Chattanooga has a new Volkswagen plant. Jobs are being created and

capital is going into the community. • With the sale of Anheuser Busch to InBev, hundreds of millions of

dollars were paid out to shareholders. • If you’re are in the repo or bankruptcy biz, you are doing well.

The latest stats on giving in America

From the Association of Fundraising Counsel:

$260 Billion GivenCorporations gave 5%

Individuals gave 75% Foundations gave 12% Bequests resulted in 7%

Lets say a donor lost 50% of a 2 million dollar portfolio. Your donor now has 1 million. You might think this is a lot of money, and it is. However, if she but plans to live off the interest for the rest of her life, at 5%, she is looking at $50,000 a year and might be scared. It will take a while before she starts giving again. If she has isn’t employed, the thought of losing even more might be paralyzing. The old lightning might strike twice, or three times, theory.

What it means to be a millionaire….

If you don’t have a strategy that involves

soliciting individuals, why not?

An individual approach should have a heart and head component

Buying has changedWe buy on credit.We will also give on credit. The wealthy will give on a credit card and so

will those of modest means.If you can’t take credit cards, you need to

make it happen NOW.

Question and hopefully answers!

How are you training your board in fundraising?

Make fundraising part of every board meeting by having

a “mission moment,” celebrating a victory, sharing a

need etc. Be deliberate.

Make fundraising training a part of your annual board

retreat!

Make fundraising training a part of your annual board

retreat!

What kind of continuing education is your staff getting in fundraising? For board members listening to this

webinar, training such as this should be a part of your annual budget. For staff, don’t forget to

include it!

Avoiding the “Amway School of Governance”

Board Commitment Letter

Attendance policy Financial expectations Committee assignment Role in special events Send two copies, one for board

member, one for office

Remember the checkers

versus chess school of board

management!

The three steps in fundraising:

1. Cultivation2. The Ask3. Stewardship

Cultivation in uncertain timesCultivation in uncertain timesPeople are wary. They need to know more

about your organization. It takes longer to cultivate your donors now. You have to spend more time letting your potential givers get to know what you do and how you do it. The exception is nonprofits with well known brands who are responding to a specific crisis.

Web based cultivationWeb based cultivation

1. Sending a news clipping to friends, donors and supporters

2. Researching a potential donor3. Looking for funding sources4. Creating an e-zine or blog5. Putting event photos on your web site6. Writing informational articles for your

web site7. Writing e-books that can be sold

High touch cultivationHigh touch cultivation1. Invite a friend, relative or business

associate to the agency2. Have a meeting of a group you are

involved in at the charity and organize a tour

3. Have an “at home” and have a rep from the organization tell the story

4. Initiate a lunch, dinner or other visit with a “closer” and a potential donor

5. Invite a potential donor to a special event

Mass Market CultivationMass Market Cultivation1. Write an article for publication. Don’t

forget the national media and the web based media. Connect your organization with breaking news. (Remember Carol & Warren)

2. Go on the speaking circuit. Rotary, churches, temples, Junior League etc. NEVER leave without getting their contact info including e-mail address. Remember to ask for more than money…time, volunteers, clients.

The ask in difficult timesThe ask in difficult timesKeep asking. Stress that others are having a

rough time. Talk about building a bigger pie, digging deeper. Another point that will resonate is good stewardship of funds. Don’t gang up on donors. This is time for a velvet touch, not a hammer.

The AskThe Ask1. The folks who ask for money need

to study the case and know how to overcome objections. There is a different rhythm to development than other sales processes.

2. Set up meetings with clients, friends and other potential donors with someone who can fill in pieces of the case that you don’t know.

1. Work with someone who knows the case and then close the sale at speaking events. Create a powerful tag-team approach. Tell your story and ask the audience to get involved.

2. This works in person, on video, can be on the web, sent to TV stations, DVD, shown by others at home events and in offices etc.

Mass Market AskMass Market Ask

StewardshipStewardship

1. Thank people often, creatively, graciously and cheaply!

2. According to researcher Penelope Burk, as high as 94% of all donors will give a second gift and a larger gift if thanked by a board member!

3. When you thank a donor, instead of asking for more money, consider asking for more information and advice!

Change in stewardship in uncertain times:

More important than ever before. People are feeling fragile. Make sure you not only thank them, but follow up with how their money is being spent.

Traditional Ways to Thank FolksTraditional Ways to Thank Folks

1. Hand written thank you notes2. Phone calls3. Lunches, dinners, thank you events4. Naming buildings, walls, rocks, animals,

plants, anything that is nailed down or not nailed down after the donor.

5. Remember, these are tried and true and work on the Millionaire next door!!!

1. Behind the scenes tour2. Ask to be involved in a focus

group (people love to give their opinion even more than money!)

3. With permission, publicize the gift with the media, internally, on your website.

Other Ways to get involved in stewardship:

Collect e-mails and keep them currentCollect e-mails and keep them current

You can do this using free or low- cost e-mail list server software that is available from google/yahoo/ISPs. You then have the ability to use your list to cultivate donors, request funds, thank your supporters, and keep your donors informed.

Make it easy to give a memorial or celebratory donation online

You need to be able to make giving easy. It should take under 5 minutes to make a donation online. In addition to making a donation, your donor needs to be able to sign up for more information or to opt out. A “snail mail” as well as an e-mail notification should be sent to both the donor and recipient using an auto-responder.

When friend and client Denise Harris Nuehring had to put down her beloved dog Emily, I was working in Australia. In about 3 minutes, I was able to send a donation to the Humane Society near Denise. By the time I returned home, I had a receipt and a lovely note from Denise.

SEO is the science and art of getting your name to pop to the top of the list when you search for a specific topic. You can purchase words through Google and your name will pop up on the right of the search, depending on what you pay. You can also use words in specific places to get higher rankings.

If you are a nonprofit day care center in Detroit, you might want to purchase, “Detroit day care,” as well as 10 other combinations of words people might Google. Or, if you want to reach out to donors and clients, and you are a hospice, you might want the links for “hospice San Francisco.”

Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to let your donors know about

your site

Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to let your donors know about

your site

Set up a Google Alert for your major donorsSet up a Google Alert for your major donors

This is incredibly simple. You go to http://www.google.com/alerts and follow the instructions. You will receive an e-mail when donors’ names appear anywhere on the web. Then write a note or make a call to acknowledge events. It might be the opening of a new office, the marriage of a child or the death of a parent.

You will also want to type in the name of your organization as well as your own name to find out when you are mentioned.

If you try this, you will appreciate having a unique name like Cassandra Smyrniotis rather than a common one like John Smith.

Suggestions to Tweak Your Fundraising Plan

1. Don’t expect 5 year gifts. Think 3 years.2. Acknowledge that times are tough. And that is

why your donor should increase their gift. 3. Plan to spend more time on effort cultivation

and stewardship4. Keep asking5. Train your board on the process of fundraising.

Remind them that its not an event.

Always, always, always have an on-going wish list.

Have your wish list available:Have your wish list available:

In your newsletterOn-lineIn your waiting roomIn the newsletters of contributorsIn the holiday letters of staff, board &

volunteersIn hotels, restaurantsOn the beachIn bathroom stalls……

Additional Resources for Training:

www.BoardBuilders.com for a free newsletter

www.AFPNET.org The National Association for Fundraising Professionals

www.BoardSource.org BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards)

Produced By:Produced By:

Society for Nonprofit Organizations5820 Canton Center Rd, Ste #165Canton, MI 48187Email: info@snpo.orgWeb: www.snpo.orgPh: 734-451-3582 | Fax: 734-451-5935

Carol Weisman, , Carol@BoardBuilders.com Fundraising in Uncertain Times May 20, 2009 Presented By:...

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