My First Fundraising Mistake
Imagine if you really cared about homelessness and happened to think of it while you passed by what looked to you to be a homeless person while driving down the road. You tell yourself that you want to support efforts to mitigate the problem. Are you really likely to remember that after you have gone to the bank and the grocery store? Are you going to come home, write a check, look up the address, find a stamp and mail a donation to the nearest homeless shelter? Do you even know of a homeless shelter you would like to support? No, you need an opportunity to give, to make a difference in what you care about. Someone has to ask you so that you can say “yes.”
Individual giving is the best, most cost-efficient source of unrestricted, sustainable financial support. When I took on my first job as a development director, I inherited a pretty big individual direct-mail giving program. With experience only in grant writing and special events, I knew nothing about how this worked, but was not terribly keen on the idea. It seemed tacky. But, I set about the process of learning the ropes, albeit with a skeptical eye. We had direct mail consultants to guide us through strategy, handle the production and mailing and analyze our data. Armed with no experience, I was putty in their hands.
At my first meeting with our consultants, we discussed “major donors”. Our previous practice had been to mail a solicitation letter to them in September and then again in November to catch those who might not have given the first time. I was crystal clear that we would not be doing that again. It seemed disrespectful and I didn’t think we should bug people. So, our consultants dutifully (and reluctantly) did as I instructed.
I felt much better about the way we were treating our donors. I thought that perhaps I was bringing a little discipline and class to the endeavor. I assumed I was respecting the donor’s desire not to be hounded. I thought I was protecting the reputation of our organization.
Nine months later we reviewed and analyzed our performance data to help us plan for the coming year. The significant drop in major giving jumped off the page when looking at results. Our major donor segment had brought in $68,000 ( a number I will never forget) less than the prior year. Alarmed, I turned to our consultants to get an understanding of what they might have done wrong. With respect and tact they pointed out that we didn’t mail to those donors twice in the fall, so they didn’t have the opportunity to give. That was enough to make me think twice about what I felt so good about doing. The fact was that we could have distributed enough food for over 200,000 more meals if we had asked for that money by mailing a second letter. My arrogance had prevented that from happening. Maybe I should have listened.
Financial donors (and volunteers, advocates and other stakeholders) change the world by supporting what they care about . They want to make a difference in realizing your mission. This is true at any giving level from $20 to $20,000. Not many people write a check because their arm is twisted or they feel hounded, they do so because they care, because they want to. But, they can’t write a check unless you tell them about what you do, the vital need it addresses, and ask them to support your efforts.
The bottom line is simple - people need an invitation and a mechanism to make a financial investment in your work, and your organization needs their generosity to be all that it can be in service of your mission.
Not many people come to the dance floor without being invited. Invite them. Respecting the donor is making it possible for them to support what they want to see done in the world. The highest form of respect is using that money wisely and efficiently.
So, I guess it’s fair to say that failing to solicit donations was my first mistake. A pretty big mistake for someone whose job it was to secure financial support for mission achievement…….I like to think I got better at it over the next 25 years.