Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

30
Fundraising in Fundraising in the the New Normal New Normal Nonprofit Leadership Symposium Friday, March 23, 2012 Gainesville, Florida Alyce Lee Stansbury, CFRE Stansbury Consulting LLC

Transcript of Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

Page 1: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

Fundraising in theFundraising in the New Normal New Normal

Nonprofit Leadership SymposiumFriday, March 23, 2012

Gainesville, Florida

Alyce Lee Stansbury, CFREStansbury Consulting LLC

Page 2: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

“Fundraising is the gentle art

of teaching peoplethe joy of giving.”

- Henry A. (Hank) Rosso

Page 3: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Defining the New Normal

• Tighter budgets and few staff

• Increased competition for fewer dollars

• Need for more complex funding strategies

• Emphasis on collaboration

• Greater demand for accountability

Page 4: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

Defining the New Normal

• Greater demand for transparency

• NPOs must demonstrate results

• Savvy donors asking tougher questions

• Greater access to information

• More “asks” to get same results

• Bigger gifts take longer to cultivate©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 5: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

Six Strategies forFundraising Success

1. Know where your time should be spent

2. Tell your BEST story

3. Build long-term relationships

4. Fish where the BIG fish are

5. Maintain Public Profile

6. Get your Board on Board

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 6: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#1) Know where your timeshould be spent

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

• Stewardship– Review thank you letters and overall

recognition process– More personalization (show me that you know me)

– More hand written notes – Involve Board members & volunteers– Say more than “thank you”

Page 7: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#1) Know where your timeshould be spent

• Fundraising programs spend: – 70% on “churn”– 30% on donor retention

• 65% attrition between 1st and 2nd gift• Penelope Burk – Cygnus Applied Research

• 1000 donors – how many left in 5 yrs?• Jerold Panas

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 8: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#1) Know where your timeshould be spent

• Stay in touch with donors/stake-holders

• Call top 20 donors. Prepare talking points

• Involve Board members.• Make visits and phone calls a TOP

priority.

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 9: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#1) Know where your timeshould be spent

Introduce new people to your cause

– Review database to uncover hidden potential

– Increase meetings with donors and prospects

– Do your own “prospect research” (LAI)

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 10: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#1) Know where your time should be spent

If Development Director:• Identify strengths and skills of CEO• Know difference between asking CEO for

help and asking to do your work*• Meet routinely to discuss status of prospects

and next steps• Keep CEO well informed• Make it easy for CEO to help

* James Donovan

Page 11: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#1) Know where your timeshould be spent

If CEO:

• Be prepared to participate in fundraising

• Donors want to give to well-managed

organizations• Among $1 million donors:

“Unbreakable bond of regard and respectbetween donor and CEO.”

- Jerold Panas, “Mega Gifts”

Page 12: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#1) Know where your timeshould be spent

• Keep asking.

• Never apologize for asking.

• Don’t make donors feel bad for giving less.

• Don’t assume donors can’t or won’t give.

• Value the donor, not just the donation.

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 13: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

“In tough financial times people

actually give more…

but they give to organizations

they care deeply about.”

- Jerold Panas

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 14: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#2) Tell your BEST story

• Make sure you know what you’re selling

• How are donors changing lives?

• Turn mission statements into BECAUSE statements

• Review case for support and MAKE IT BETTER

• What’s new? unique? dramatic?

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 15: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#2) Tell your BEST story

“Think of your

case statement

as a series of

ah – ha’s”. - Tom Ahern

Page 16: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#2) Tell your BEST story

• Tell your story. Use anecdotes.

• Stories have a beginning, middle, and end.

• Pick ONE statistic that dramatically reveals something worth knowing.

• Pick the juiciest testimonial: the one that makes a point and depicts your organization as effective.

• Be donor centric instead of donor optional.• Tom Ahern

Page 17: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

If we want people to

give better…

…we have to do a better job

of explaining why

they should give better.

Page 18: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#3) Build long-term relationships

• Cultivate relationship first: engage them in your work before you ask.

• Communicate before you ask again

• Take Relationship Quiz

• Only timing that matters is the donor’s

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 19: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#3) Build long-term relationships

• Add stewardship activities to development plan

• Identify steps after events to deepen relationships

• Visits (no ask) are vital

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 20: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#4) Fish where the BIG FISH are!

Page 21: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#4) Fish where the BIG FISH are!

• Think BIGGER

• Ask for what you really need

• Ask for more rather than less

“Big, bold programs sell.” -Jerold Panas, Mega Gifts

Page 22: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#4) Fish where the BIG FISH are!

• Learn to ask well. Practice! • Don’t wait for the “perfect” time to ask.• Cultivate a board member to make asks• Think about challenge gift or other

incentive [LEVERAGE]• Consider a small, compact campaign for

specific project = achieve success; build momentum

Page 23: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#5) Maintain public profile

• Be visible - Be active• Speaking engagements• Community-wide events• Earned media• Newsletters• Website• Social Media• Free stuff

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 24: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#6) Get your Board on Board

• Connect them to their passion

• Keep Board well informed

• Bigger gifts require bigger trust in leadership (board & staff)

• Meetings: less reporting; more discussion

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 25: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

(#6) Get your Board on Board

• Strategic plan: driving force of activity

• Sustainability must be key goal

• Enforce Board expectations

• Board must hold each other accountable

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Page 26: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

(#6) Get your Board on Board

PASSIONATE volunteers

raise money.

Your job:

Cultivate. Teach. Engage. Involve.•

Page 27: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Fundraising in the New Normal

Are you the lion or the gazelle?

Page 28: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

Good Luck - You Can Do it!

Alyce Lee Stansbury, CFRE

Office 850-668-2569

Mobile 850-509-2374

Email: [email protected]

www.stansburyconsulting.com

Page 29: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.

References & Resources:

• AFP Toolkit for Fundraising in Bad Economy– Articles, research, books, and related links

www.afpnet.org• Ahern, Tom . “How to Write Fundraising Materials”• Ahern, Tom and Joyauax, Simone. Keep your donors: the

Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships (Wiley, 2007)

• Bradham, June. “Board members want to lead – then give,” AFP Resource Center,, March 2010

• Chronicle of Philanthropy, How Charities Cope with a Troubled Economy - Recent stories, live discussions, and stats

Page 30: Alyce Lee Stansbury: Fundraising in New Normal 2012

References & Resources:

• Donovan, James. “Five Tips for Fund Raising Staff in Working with the CEO and Board”, July 2009

• Giving USA www.givingusa.org• Klein, Kim. “Fundraising in times of Crisis”, Jossey Bass.• Lord, James Gregory. “The Raising of Money”• National Council on Nonprofits, “Nonprofit Economic

Vitality Center” • Panas, Jerold. “Mega Gifts”• Panas, Jerold, “Institute for Charitable Giving”• Rosso, Hank. “Achieving Excellence in Fund Raising

©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.