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
May 18, 2015
Fundraising in theFundraising in the New Normal New Normal
Nonprofit Leadership SymposiumFriday, March 23, 2012
Gainesville, Florida
Alyce Lee Stansbury, CFREStansbury Consulting LLC
©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.
“Fundraising is the gentle art
of teaching peoplethe joy of giving.”
- Henry A. (Hank) Rosso
©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
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.
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.
(#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”
(#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.
(#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.
(#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.
©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
©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”
(#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.
“In tough financial times people
actually give more…
but they give to organizations
they care deeply about.”
- Jerold Panas
©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.
(#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.
©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.
(#2) Tell your BEST story
“Think of your
case statement
as a series of
ah – ha’s”. - Tom Ahern
©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
©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.
(#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.
(#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.
©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.
(#4) Fish where the BIG FISH are!
©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
©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
(#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.
(#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.
(#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.
©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.
(#6) Get your Board on Board
PASSIONATE volunteers
raise money.
Your job:
Cultivate. Teach. Engage. Involve.•
©Stansbury Consulting LLC. 2010.
Fundraising in the New Normal
Are you the lion or the gazelle?
©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
©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
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.