Some guidelines to maintain quality donor communication throughout the year:

• Includes 1-2 personal contacts annually with top donors, mixed with other media. Remember last week I defined personal as in-person or on the phone.
• Keep your mission relevant without being intrusive.
• Maintain some sort of monthly contact via newsletters, e-alerts, annual report, special donor message, etc.
• Whenever possible, send a special message to a segmented group of supporters. e.g. Multi-year donors get an “Insiders” message a couple times a year or are invited to an exclusive meeting with your CEO.
• Don’t let too much time pass with no communication. Especially if you want the donor to give again this year. The “void” of time between asks is especially important.

This tool has been refined and used by many organizations over the years. I first started using a plan like this many years ago as both a development and executive director. Then, when I worked as a senior instructor at Raising More Money, now called Benevon™, we coached organizations to create plans similar to this one.

More information can be found on how to create a donor communication plan in chapter 14 of Raising More Money: A Step By Step Guide to Building Lifelong Donors, by Terry Axelrod.

Notice the red circles on the chart below. Those indicate there is too much time with little to no communication for key supporters on this plan.

To keep this manageable: You don’t have to create the whole year-long calendar all at once. Start with a couple of months at a time. Just be sure that before January 2011 you have a full year completed and ready to guide you.

Scheduling time to complete a plan like this one is invaluable. It allows you and your team to decide which months are too busy, which months need more touches and where to “put” the personal touches with key supporters so they know you’ve noticed them and their gift is special to your organization.

I’d love to hear from you about what kind of plan you’ve created.

Priest. Someone who listens with discretion. It’s important when talking with people about money that information learned be held close to the vest due to all the important and private things that may be shared.

CEO. The person with the vision who creates an amazing plan. In this case it’s the annual development plan. This is the take-charge attitude. Development officers exhibiting CEO-type behavior motivate others to help them reach the agency fundraising goals.

Entrepreneur.  Great development officers are self motivated with a drive for results. They don’t need someone looking over their shoulder to meet their goals and often exceed by using new, outside the box strategies.

Ringmaster.  This one is really important. They get in the limelight when it’s important to do so. And then they take themselves out of the limelight to shine the light on others: donors, staff & volunteers.

As Chad explained to me, awesome development officers are all of these at some point in their day. And sometimes they are all of these in the same meeting. Which are you today?

Three things can help you be a financially savvy organization: Monitor, Stay Focused, and Ask Good Questions that lead to action.

What to monitor? Throughout the year but definitely in times of uncertainty some things to take a look at:

1.  Financial track record.
2.  Be aware of changes to income source(s) and cost structures.
3.  Note how diverse & flexible your financial support is or isn’t.
4.  Know pledge redemption history and be prepared for changes.
5.  Note how financially sophisticated the board, staff & donors are.

And for more, last week, colleague Laura Deaton from Third Sector Connector posted a great list titled: 20 Questions That You Should Be Able to Answer At Any Given Time About Your Organization’s Financial Health.

Stay focused on core programs & services. Remind yourselves why you exist in the first place. Then identify any weaknesses in funding for core or peripheral programs. Reach out into your community to shore up collaborations or partnerships if necessary to maintain what is core to your mission. For some groups I’m working with this has been a difficult conversation because state or federal funding cuts are eliminating programs. Now is when it’s critical to have your strategic plan front and center to guide the decisions that may need to be made.

Ask questions. Your organization may or may not have the answers to all the questions you are asking, but asking the right questions is key. Financially savvy organizations know the costs of their programs, where the strengths and weak links are, what the contingency plans are for cost cutting and they share that kind of information with more than just the “insiders.” I’m a fan of sharing the good news and the not so good news with donors, volunteers, board members, staff – virtually anyone who is a stakeholder.

Just a week ago, a CEO I work with, we’ll call him Charlie, shared with me that he was surprised and proud that two of his board members made it a point to ask about the funding gap for the organization. The board members brought up the topic at a recent board meeting, Charlie didn’t. 

What Charlie said is: “we’ve really trained our leadership to be asking questions and aware of what our financial situation is so they can share it with others and help us to raise the dollars we need.” Sounds like a great board to me.

The second part of asking the questions is being able to make decisions and take action when you’ve collected the information. Don’t let the indecision paralyze your organization.

One of my passions is to raise awareness of the “money” conversation that often goes on behind closed doors and doesn’t get shared until it’s too late. I believe talking about finances and fundraising costs & goals allows others to see that you have a place for them when they are ready to give.

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.

Whether you take 30 minutes, 3 hours or 3 days, it’s one of the best investments you can make to create the framework for your annual development efforts by drafting a plan.

Some questions to ask to figure out the plan:

• What is the shortfall in each of our program areas?
• What is our total goal for fundraising?
• What methods of fundraising do we have in place that we can count on? i.e. grants, government funding, multi-year pledge payments, etc.
• What does each fundraising appeal or event need to generate in dollars, new donors, new money and retained donors, to be successful?
• What communication will support our goals?
• How will the board be involved in helping reach our goals?

I’ve posted two sample annual fund development plans here on my site to get you started. Use one of these, or combine them and make them better, or use your own framework. Just use something to plan so you can be sure you DO make your goals this year.

A thoughtful read on the topic that I tweeted out recently: It’s a New Year — Do You Need a New #Fundraising Plan?

My goal is to help YOU be successful in raising the dollars you need. Let me know if you have other ideas on how to create an annual development plan that work better for you.

Go forth and multiply!

His answer: It’s a process, not an event.

And further he went on to say: “Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.”

I’d say the same about fundraising v. fund development. Often organizations I work with or encounter are looking for the “quick fix.” They invest in the transaction to obtain contributions. They send a letter in the mail and assume I’m going to keep giving forever, no matter how much they do or do not tell me about their work. No matter if they keep me “in the loop” or not about what’s going on with increases in demand for service or the cost of providing their amazing service.

I’m often asked at a 1^st or 2^nd meeting with an organization to make a financial contribution. There often hasn’t been any thought put into the invitation. They have simply decided they like me and THEY want my support. The “ask” almost feels like now that I know more about them – I OWE them or something. Hmmm. That may be the wrong thing for me to feel, but it’s true.

Development efforts are about the process. My definition of development: Gentle conversations (in person, on the phone, via email or printed mailings) over time that allow both parties to feel as though it’s a mutually beneficial thing to be connected via contributions of time, dollars, advice, in-kind services and so on.

In an effort to “get the job done” and show the board or CEO that we are good at increasing the number of or size of gifts, the development process is often shortened or ignored.

As you set your plans for this new year, I encourage ALL organizations seeking to raise solid, ongoing financial or other kinds of support to invest in the development process. The “getting to know our investors” kind of work that will ensure support in good times and bad.

Fund development takes longer, has a plan and engages more of the staff and board to produce better long-term results.

Oh, and yes, invest in the process of social media too. Combined, both social media and true fund development work provide astounding results.

I am a firm believer in the power of one person. An effort by one devoted human can make a world of difference in many situations. However, a strong, effective individual donor campaign is not a one-person show. To put it simply, the long-term work that must be done to cultivate and maintain relationships with individual donors requires a considerable amount of time. Yes, one person can devote themselves solely to that task—but if the staff, volunteers and board members don’t support them with additional efforts, the campaign will not succeed.

If you have the resources for development staff, the CEO/Executive Director and the board chair must be the biggest advocates for that staff. If you don’t have a development staff, I believe the CEO and board chair must take the lead in making sure there is a focus on individual fundraising beyond a simple annual appeal and the passive invitations to make a contribution in the newsletter.

In many of the organizations I come into contact with, nearly everyone shies away from the responsibility of taking care of the donors as thoroughly and carefully as they take care of the clients. Often this is because as volunteers or staff are brought on board, no one sets expectations for them to participate in development work. Any time someone is brought into the organization—whether as a board member, staff, or volunteer—I recommend there should be clear and explicit conversations about what’s expected of them when it comes to fund development. In some cases, that might mean direct fundraising; it certainly means making a financial contribution themselves; it might mean having volunteers or other staff help with acknowledging donors, and keeping long-time donors connected by personally inviting them to events. Whatever you decide about the tasks to have a successful individual donor effort-make sure everyone knows it.

Story Example: The board as team players —in theory

Beautify the Bronx (BTB) in New York has a mission of keeping neighborhood streets clean and safe, something they’ve been doing for 25 years. They’re an amazing environmental foundation with an endowment of $17.5 million that, like most investments, saw a reduction of 30-40% in the second half of 2008.

BTB has a 13-person board. People who love the organization and are thrilled to serve on the board and they’re proud to be able to keep their community clean and safe. Recently, a few energetic board members decided that if they could raise an additional $125,000 annually from individuals the group could greatly increase their annual grants and be able to make a bigger difference.  Board members Alicia and Hugh, young professionals in their early 30’s, were willing to spearhead the effort of raising additional funds and were not at all daunted by the idea of inviting individual donor gifts from the community.

Sounds like a great idea, right?

And it was. However, no one had ever had a frank discussion when the long-time board members joined the board to outline what the expectations were in terms of them being involved in fundraising. There was no staff person dedicated to maintaining momentum of the tasks needed to engage individual donors. The very mention of the word “fundraising” was causing sweaty palms and queasiness for most of the board and the small staff. In fact, some of the board members had never made a financial contribution to BTB themselves. As far as they were concerned, the organization has an endowment generating interest, so why should they make financial contributions?

I was brought on to help this group and we quickly determined they’d need to get full board agreement before launching a fundraising campaign. Part of launching that campaign meant hiring a staff person, part-time, to spearhead the effort. Lots of discussion ensued, what I call the “fixing to do” kinds of discussion. Time passed and the economy got worse. So much time had passed since Alicia and Hugh proposed raising additional funds, their passion now waned and the endowment has declined to the point that they’re now in emergency mode.  

The board is proud of the organizations accomplishments—but pride alone will not generate financial contributions. Beautify the Bronx finally decided to pare back their grants for the time being and do some work getting the board more engaged in individual donor fundraising before they launch their $125,000 annual campaign. They’ve had some big discussions, gotten more agreement and they are slowly moving forward to shift internal thinking and fear.

The good news is: The discussion about fundraising has shifted and most board members are now in agreement. They are clear that a staff person is needed to maintain momentum with an individual donor campaign. New board members are being brought on into an environment where there is a clear expectation that financial contributions are made by the board members, and donors are being kept in touch with at a much more personal level. All of these changes are setting the stage for a successful individual donor fundraising effort.

Moral to the story: A successful individual fundraising effort MUST have at least one staff and one board member who lead the charge & keep the momentum going. And it takes more than one staff person to hold others accountable. Without buy-in from the entire organization focus can be lost, passion wanes and the work it takes to keep donors connected and giving simply won’t get done.

Next week’s guest blog post will be from Blase Ciabaton, www.TheDirectMailMan.com!

I’m in the process of writing a short tips booklet about ways to enhance communication to have the most effective individual donor program. I’ll have the e-Book ready soon but in the meantime, here’s the first excerpt:

Communication that is powerful, clear and compelling is absolutely critical for success. I break communication into four key areas:

1. Sharing Your Story. This is critical. You must be able to let the community know who, exactly, your organization serves, and what is missing for you to keep doing your work. Doing this in an emotionally connecting way is what will allow your organization to stand apart from others.

Telling a story can be done in a few sentences and the very best stories are less than two minutes in length. Stories paint a picture of the person you are talking about and about your work. I often work with organizations on storytelling and I know that this is a “muscle” that needs constant exercise. Tell stories at your board meetings, staff meetings, at volunteer meetings, on tours, at events, on your website – everywhere. Allow others to feel as connected to your work as you do.

2. Asking or Inviting Others To Participate. It sounds simple: Ask people for time, talent, stuff or money to support your organization. I see people stumble when asking all the time. They are nervous, they expect me or someone else to say no and they make the invitation all about themselves. And guess what? They often receive a no.

I consider asking both an art and a science. The person being asked must feel welcome, and they must know very clearly what you need. The conversation must be meaningful and not totally centered on the “ask.” A good “asker” gets a “yes” often; a great asker rarely has to ask—the other person often offers before “the ask” is even made. Which are you?

3. Cultivation or Maximizing Your Relationships. There are both internal and external people to pay attention to, to keep connected and to maximize their relationship with you. Does your organization treat them all the same way?

External: Communication with your volunteers and donors about the good news and the not so good news can make a huge difference in how much time or money is given. Sharing information about what’s missing, who you had to turn away today, or who made you proud of the work you do – communication about these real topics and more will keep real people engaged and connected. Communication is especially critical on your website, via email, in your newsletter and direct mail pieces.

Internal: Communication clearly with your board and staff about expectations in terms of supporting your fundraising programs can take a mediocre fundraising effort to a stellar effort. I often work with organizations to develop an accountability structure that gets reported on each month by both the board and the staff. Transparency about what it takes to get the job done and who is doing the job, will create a more engaged and successful fundraising program.

Join me for a fun hour to focus on communication on September 24 at 11 am. Special guest speaker, Barbara McAfee, keynote speaker, performer and voice coach will take members through The Five Voices of Leadership so you can maximize ALL of your relationships.

4. Data Management. Your donor database is as important as the money you have in the bank. How do you track your donor information? Do you have more than just you keeping good records? Is donor communication something everyone is part of, or just you? Do you know how managing your data can make you a better fund development professional? All contacts with donors, whether personal visits, phone calls, board meetings, emails—all of that information is crucial to taking a good development effort and turning it into an extraordinary one.

To learn more about how to answer these questions and get your data working hard for you, join me and data base guru, Mark Panger on October 20 at 9 am for a mini-session: Dynamite Data = Money.

Watch for next week’s excerpt from 9 Tips for A Successful Individual Donor Campaign: Tip #1: “Successful individual donor campaigns are led by key volunteer and/or staff leadership”.

It can sometimes feel like extra work that you just don’t have time for, but even a small nugget of information can turn a prospecting conversation into a deeper discussion when you have done your homework. I’ve been able to WOW potential donors by keeping great records on our previous conversations or knowing something about them they haven’t yet shared with me – like the name of another organization they volunteer their time or financial support.

So how do you track down good information? With Google and Bing you can find LOTS of great information on most anyone. I’ve compiled a short list of places I often use to do a quick search for information before a meeting with someone. I’m sure there are more. If you know of other good places to conduct FREE searches please add them in the comments below. NOTE: The list below does not include any information on the many firms that specialize in conducting fee-based donor research.

A very important rule of thumb: Spend no more than 15 minutes per person when doing your searches. In fact, about 10 minutes should give you plenty of background. And doing this kind of donor research is a great intern or volunteer project.

• First thing I do is to check LinkedIn to see if the person has a page. If they do I usually find LOTS there. You can also check MySpace and Facebook to learn some things if they have a public page. Other sites I use less often but work fine too: Plaxo, Classmates.com, MyLife and there are lots more listed on the Wikipedia List of Social Networking Sites.
• Next I type their full name into Google and/or Bing and see what comes up. It’s helpful if you know a middle initial or middle name so you can be certain you have the correct person in your search. I take just a few minutes to dig around on the various pages that come up. You often can find recent business transactions, event listings, contribution information, associations they are a part of, schools they attend or their children attend. Anything that is listed on the internet can usually be found through a simple search.
• Next I do a search with the person’s and add the word donations.
  For example: Lisa A. Swanson Donations
  By doing this I may pull up some information that the previous search may have missed. Either search SHOULD provide places where the name is listed on annual reports and other ways the name has been posted online. It’s often that the name is listed with a gift amount range.
• If I know it, I also do this same process for a married couple and include both names. I’ve found some pretty obscure information about people’s weddings, births of their children and more.
• To learn more about the value of a home I type the address in at zillo.com and an estimate on the price comes up.
• Another site I use is www.pipl.com – there is no fee and it sometimes can bring up some deeper information on the person.

All of this information is only good if you actually get into communication with the person. Capture what you learn in your web-based donor tracking system and then set your meeting with them. You can feel more confident when you have done your homework about someone and learned where they are already giving their time and financial support.

Last week I met with Ann, from a local mid-size organization serving youth. We talked about their eNewsletter and whether or not it was effective. She said, “Our click-through rates are low and I know we are missing something.” So we took a look at some of the past articles.

What we found is all of the articles were either thanking others for support or inviting readers to an event. Nowhere was there a message about why the dollars raised at the event were important, or why the youth needed that specific event.

In the articles that were inviting readers to attend something it was not clear what would happen for the youth if people DID attend. Example: When you join us at this event we will raise $15,000 — Enough to allow 300 low-income, troubled youth ages 6 – 16 to feel safe and have the fun a child deserves to have.

Here’s one article headline example:
Rockland Bank Sponsors Youth Day

The article went on to tell readers about all the fun that was had at a recent youth event. The event was in the past so I couldn’t attend but the newsletter used a good amount of space to acknowledge the sponsor. And I wasn’t clear WHY the youth needed this event in their lives.

Here’s what I suggest your headlines and articles do:

1. Have a subject line or headline that causes me to want more information. The subject line for the eNewsletter is as important at the titles of each article.
2. Tell readers something about the outcome of what you do.
3. Briefly explain why your organization needed the money and let people know if you need more for future programs, youth days or whatever was sponsored.
4. In the copy of the article give acknowledgement to the sponsor by bolding their name a couple of times. Frankly, the sponsor doesn’t often care if they are listed in the headline. They want to know their work mattered and made a difference.

Here is a re-write of the headline with short article that conveys some “meat” about why this event was held:

$10,000 Allows Youth Experience of a Lifetime.

For six hours, 75 troubled youth, ages 6 to 16, got to forget their worries and play like children are made to at the Rockland Bank Youth Day on June 16. Surrounded by caring adults, youth like Dashawn (include photo) were able to laugh, run, cook and eat two healthy meals and create memories that will last a lifetime. For a few hours these youth were free from peer pressure and the struggles of living in low-income neighborhoods.

In addition to $10,000, Rockland Bank provided 80 volunteers who participated in the amazing Youth Day experience.  Each volunteer was paired one-on-one with a youth to teach them a new skill or simply mentor them for a few hours.

This year we have the resources to hold 3 of 6 planned Youth Days. More than 500 youth who would normally participate in these fun, safe day-long events will not be able to due to funding challenges this year. There is still time to schedule the remaining 3 Youth Days if your company is interested. Please contact Ann@Youthdayevents.org for more information.

Our sincere thanks to Rockland Bank!   

Remember to cause readers to learn something in your communication.

Focus on the outcome of what your organization does rather than the logistics of how great the event was or will be and you will likely create better understanding about what is needed and MORE participation.