I, too, have been both a CEO and a development director for small nonprofits. I’ve found the work energizing, overwhelming, and never dull.

What I learned, as Reynold Levy tells us in Yours for the Asking, is that when a fundraising program is really humming, it resembles a ladder and the seasons of life.

“It resembles a ladder, because ideally individual and institutional sources find donations habit forming and their relationship to your organization or cause strengthens over time.”

Levy uses an example from Kenneth N. Dayton, the former chairman and chief executive of Dayton Hudson Corporation. Dayton describes the stages of giving for himself and his wife this way (p. 18):
1. Minimal response
2. Involvement and interest
3. As much as possible
4. Maximum allowable
5. Beyond the max
6. Percentage of wealth
7. Capping wealth
8. Reducing the cap
9. Bequests

Here’s the thing: These stages are only likely to occur for a donor if someone in the organization has made it their focus to maintain meaningful relationships with key supporters.

That is not to say the executive director must do all the donor tending. An engaged board, key community volunteers who may also be financial supporters, and of course staff, can all play a role in the efforts. The executive director sets the tone by their own actions and focus on individuals.

An example of a gifted fundraising executive director is Clint, a man who is the President of a large social-service organization. He has a development staff of only one, between 400-500 other employees, and an organization that delivers more than 25 different programs throughout his community.

I’ve watched Clint and his tiny but mighty development staff work to engage more people to assist them in keeping key donors connected both with their time and their dollars. Eight or so years ago the organization had maybe 30 or 40 people who gave major gifts. Now they are just shy of 400. These are people who make gifts of $5000, $10,000, and even $50,000 or more each year. Clint knows each and every one of those people by name and sight.

He’s told me, “I plan on 45 minutes when I run to the store to pick up milk. There are just too many people to say hello to and thank.”

Clint has made it a policy to personally phone or send handwritten notes to anyone who makes a gift of $500 or more. He does it the minute he learns of the gift and then is done with it, so it’s not something waiting on his to do list.

What Clint has created is an environment of caring and really “seeing” the people who love the work of his organization. Does this take him time? Yes. Does he have to make choices to not do other equally important tasks? Absolutely.

When I asked him why, he said to me recently:

“I learned a long time ago, I have to be less of a lone-ranger and more of a recruiter. My job is to keep identifying people who have a passion for our work and then regularly keep them engaged and feeling special.”

Clint’s organization has hundreds of financial supporters at all the stages of giving outlined above. People give more and for long periods of time because they know for certain their gifts matter to both Clint and to the organization.

If your organization has any individuals who have given you their time or their money for more than a year, do you know them by sight? By name? Do you schedule regular times throughout the year when you can meet with a handful at a time or one-on-one?

I invite you to reach out to someone today who is a supporter. Surprise them with your call and attention. Share a short example or story with them of how your organization has changed someone’s life this past week. And then listen. Really listen.

Does your organization have enough money to do what you want to do? To serve as many people as need your services? As Reynold Levy says in one of my favorite fundraising books, Yours For the Asking:

“The contribution of this nation’s Third Sector to meeting…twenty-first-century challenges is constrained by a lack of resources. Acquiring them with a greater sense of urgency, of competency and of creativity is a critical task. It can be accomplished, but only if the chief executive becomes personally engaged and catalyzes volunteers and professional staff with vision and by example.“

I believe, as Reynold does, that the Chief Executive must both lead the charge by example but also engage a group of volunteers and key staff to help raise the funds needed to do the work.

In my work with social profit organizations of all shapes and sizes, I’m troubled that it’s rare that I find a chief executive who is willing to dive in and make development efforts a major part of their focus. The rule of thumb for the successful CEOs I encounter is that about 50% of their time is spent tending donor relationships or inviting financial support.

Reynold says: “Put simply, fundraising is nothing more than salesmanship. It’s persuasiveness at work. It’s a performing art.” And he should know, as CEO of the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts he’s raised millions. His book is an easy to follow guidebook/roadmap for the different arenas of development: events, individual solicitation, board engagement, appeals, and on. I love this book and give it as a gift, often.

I find Reynold’s no-nonsense style to be refreshing and exciting. He is someone who loves to provide an opportunity to others to be their greatest selves by supporting the organizations he’s worked for. Reynold understands that “the ask” is not about him. And he understands that he must know his organization’s financial supporters intimately for them to feel engaged and “insider” enough to give more of their advice, time and dollars. He makes sure donors to his organization feel “seen” and therefore feel special.

So I ask you:
What amount of time have you spent, today, to connect with a donor?

• Who did you thank for their gift?
• Who did you invite to make a gift?
• Who did you contact to provide some feedback about how a recent gift was put to good use?
• Where did you deepen a connection and cause someone to feel special for supporting your organization?
• Do you know the faces & names of your top 25 or 30 or even 100 supporters?
• Do those supporters know that they are special to your organization for more than just their annual check?

Next week: A few more reminders from Yours for the Asking about what it takes to have a successful fundraising program.

The years I’ve spent fundraising myself, and coaching and training organizations to fundraise, have taught me what works and what doesn’t. Of course, there are far more than nine steps for how to keep supporters happy and giving at their full capacity, but the nine steps that follow have been derived from my own personal checklist when deciding to work with an organization.

Download the FREE e-Book with case stories and tactics that outline each step.

Use these steps as a topic of conversation with your staff and your board. These are important topics —add them as part of meeting agendas, and devote time to discussion and implementation. Go forth and multiply your fundraising dollars!

1. Are led and supported by key volunteer and/or staff leadership.
   (Board Chair, CEO, Executive Director, Pastor, Rabbi)
2. Are supported and managed by at least one staff.
   (Development Director, Dev. Associate)
3. Have ALL board members participate in some capacity.
4. Have a well defined goal, with a specific timeline, creating a sense of urgency.
5. Create an emotional connection – making it personal for people to participate.
6. Keep donors and interested parties informed and engaged.
7. Keep the money conversation visible in print, on website and via multiple forms of communication to allow transparency and encourage  widespread participation.
8. Invite participants to do very specific things with a deadline for doing them.
9. Utilize a web-based donor data management system to allow others to assist with tracking donor contacts and gifts.

I’ve got a great example that hopefully will spark some good conversation and action at your organization:

Last week I had the great honor of being invited to The Whole Learning School in Plymouth, MN. I was invited to participate in their Drop Everything and Read program which meant I got to spend 20 minutes and read a short book to children in one of the classrooms. I have to tell you it was the most fun I’ve had awhile!

As I entered the classroom, young Mr. Parker greeted me and promptly moved the rocking chair to the front of the reading area so it was situated in just the perfect spot.

Precocious Stephanie told me they had been waiting for me ALL day.

And then we began. I read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. We laughed and giggled and the whole experience lasted about 10 minutes. I stayed in the classroom and chatted for another few minutes and then was on my way. What I got from those 20 minutes was invaluable. I was reminded why this school is extraordinary and why those kids are amazing and why I gave my time and dollars in the first place.

There is literally nothing else they could have asked me to do that would have had so much impact.

My short visit reminded me that they need more dollars – before we joined the classroom a staff person took the time to show me a few things that they need, but didn’t ask me for anything. I’m now ready to make a gift when they do ask.

So, I challenge YOU.

What meaningful experience do YOU have at your organization that will impact a special donor or two or ten? It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Something you are already doing that connects them with the faces of the amazing people you serve. Watching children take their first swimming lesson. Seeing as people pack the containers for lunch deliver of Meals on Wheels. Or maybe seeing your staff greet clients as they arrive scared or hungry at the front door.

Make the phone call, invite a special person in and watch the magic unfold. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

“The organization that I work for has a great base of donors but the top of our pyramid only has 3 donors that we heavily rely on for support. How can we move some of our donors up the donor pyramid?” – from Sacha.

The easy answer is: Ask. Ask more of your donors to increase their gift size at in person meetings AFTER you have spent time with them one-on-one to learn more about WHY they give in the first place.

And, there is more to it than that.

Getting donors to give MORE once they start supporting and investing in your organization is part of what I call the “fun” of development work. Here are a few suggestions on how to create a system to always be working on this:

1. Take a look at your donor list and identify who has given faithfully over a few years, at a significant level, which might be $100 for some organizations or $500 in others and even $1000+ in others. Choose a group of 15 or 20 to start with.

2. Review this list with key leadership (board & staff and even former board members). Identify who would be the very best person to approach each donor to get to know them more deeply and engage them in the work of your organization.

3. Do some donor research next. Either use a firm who handles this or use this list of sites that I identified awhile back to help you dig around and learn more about capacity to give and their interests. Digging For Gold

4. Armed with that data and information, set a goal for what size give you want to invite from each person on the list.

5. Simultaneously, make sure the written messages on your newsletter, website and print materials is very, very clear about what you need the money for…and why more dollars are needed. Don’t ask, but share the facts about cost of your services, waiting lists, and so on.

6. Begin to set visits or phone calls with those identified on your list. Most important in those meetings is to LISTEN to them. Learn more about them. Learn what it is about your work that gets them excited and feeling connected.

7. I’m a big fan of letting the person know that I’d like to ask them to increase their gift, but that I believe they are not ready to do that yet, so I’ll be asking them to do that later, when we’ve spent some time together and I’m certain they ARE ready.

8. Always, on each visit, phone call, email and thank you letter or note, let them know about the waiting list for your services or what you are not able to do today due to limited resources.

9. Keep in touch with these special people gently, so as not to annoy them. Have a board member put a personal note on their thank you letter for their next contribution. Have someone phone them personally to invite them to see the graduation ceremony of your students or volunteers. Expect that only 20-25% will ever attend such functions, but that the phone call alone is doing the work to keep this person connected and engaged.

10. When you KNOW for certain that this person really does love your organization and has the means to say yes to what you want them to do: ASK. But WHO asks is key. It must be the very person they can’t say no to. That could be a client, a former board member, a friend of theirs or you.

11. When they do say yes, for whatever amount they agree to, acknowledge them quickly and personally. AND keep in touch all year long after the gift is given. Don’t forget them and ignore their investment.

This is a short list with lots more I could share about moving people up the donor pyramid. Check out these books for more great tips and strategies about both retaining donors and inviting gifts:

Donor Centered Fundraising, Penelope Burk
Yours For the Asking, Reginald Levy
Asking: A 59 Minute Guide, Jerold Panas