Behavior modification
Sometimes we make our lives more difficult as fundraisers through unintended consequences of how we train donors to interact with our organization or others.
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November 15, 2019
Relationships that lead to flourishing
Fund development is all about relationships. The balance to our work is not isolation from relationships.
May 15, 2019
Connection
Earlier this week, I had lunch with a friend and fund development colleague, Catherine, who is doing incredible work at the organization she serves. We were chit-chatting about fundraising in general when she made a wonderful comment. "When people ask me about my job, it's not about fund raising. My job is about building connections, connecting people to community. I love connecting people to what they care about and to each other. It's all about [the donor's] need for connection in our world." This comment came on the heels of another eNews I read recently from Marc Pitman. In his reflection, he stated, "Last week, at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, fundraising legend Jeff Brooks shared a perspective I think will help you in making your 5 – 10 calls this week. First, he showed a picture of a soldier leading an army. Everyone was marching in lockstep. He said that nonprofits tend to think of donors this way: the nonprofit is out in front (like the lead soldier) leading an army of committed donors, willing to sacrifice for the nonprofit’s cause. He then showed a reversed image: a soldier leading the same army in a different direction. He said this is how…
November 15, 2018
But, it’s all about relationships, right?
Life is rarely binary. More often, our lives are filled with "yes, and" choices. Those "yes, and" choices create tension. In the fund development sector, our mantra is "it's all about relationships." We cultivate and get to know donors. We wait to ask donors until we have built a relationship; we don't treat them as ATM machines. We steward and thank donors for their generosity. We engage them in understanding the impact of their gifts. All of these moves, these tasks, are meant to build the relationship between the donors and our organizations. And, yet, our tasks are measured by donations. How many donations did we raise for how many dollars? How frequently did we receive a donation? How frequently is a donor giving? And, more. The indicators of our success rely on data, the numbers. Those statistics, that data, often drive the stress in our field. We lay awake the night before a fundraising event wondering if the net proceeds will be sufficient or exceed last year's numbers. We look at the year-to-date budget and revenue numbers and feel the pangs of panic of the yawning budget gap. We count the number of coffee and meetings we have had and feel…
October 15, 2018