Build Your Fundraising Capacity!
Working closely with staff and boards, Janet Levine Consulting will help you increase fundraising capacity and build sustainability. Our philosophy is one of collaboration, where together we develop and implement comprehensive programs that fit the needs and resources of your organization. Call or email today for your FREE 30-minute consultation
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GET GRANTS!
A comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide to writing winning proposals that will teach you to:
--Assess your organizational readiness for grant funding
--Develop programs that are fundable
--Turn those programs in successful grant proposals
--Find appropriate funders |
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Greetings!
It's quiet at my sister's house. I rise much earlier than she, and I enjoy the silence; the ability to be inside my head and not have to pay attention to anyone else. At my house, with three extraordinarily affectionate dogs-and a terrifically affectionate  husband, who happens to get up even earlier than I-this kind of solitude is difficult. I have to go outside my home to find it.
I'm not complaining, I like my dogs. I really like my husband. But sometimes, being encased in silence is wonderful.
I'd like to say that I think profound thoughts, but truth be told, I am a noisy thinker. In the Meyers-Briggs schema, I am off the charts for extroverted thinking. That means I talk to learn what I am thinking. I talk to ensure that what I am thinking is what I am truly thinking. I probably talk to decide once and for all that this or that is NOT what I am thinking. I hope I also stop talking long enough to hear the thoughts and perceptions of the person with whom I am conversing.
In truth, I like the give and take of group think (as long as I am free to make up my own mind). I worry about my husband, for example, who is off the charts in the opposite direction, being an extremely introverted thinker. He thinks things through and only talks about it once a decision has been made. Does he only hear his own voice? Is he stuck only looking at a situation from one angle?
This is often my concern with the one-person who is toiling in the one-person development office. I fear that too often that person gets stuck doing what has always been done; what is in front of his or her face; rather than seeking potentially new, probably more effective ways to increase support. As I always tell the participants in my workshops, developing work relationships with each other will be far more valuable than anything I will be able to share with you.
It's also the value I think I bring as a coach or consultant-a different view; another way of thinking; an opportunity to talk things through and travel on paths that are not usually taken.
This month, the focus is completely on fundraising. What are the common traits of successful fundraising organizations? If you are lucky enough to be more than a one-person development office--what do you need to know about managing fundraising staff? And, think outside of the development box--how do you break out of your silo and become a true member of your organization's team?
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Need help in increasing your fundraising capacity or getting your Board to participate? Help is here. Email me or call 310-990-9151.
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Common Traits of Successful Fundraising Organizations
When I was Dean for External Relations at a community college, I managed 9 programs and had 22 staff members-only two of whom were managers. This meant that for 7 of the nine programs in my portfolio, I was the manager as well as the Dean. My days, therefore, were crowded with...what else?...meetings, and fundraising was that city on the hill far, far in the distance.
I asked my president to PLEASE either free me up to work with my foundation board and fundraise, or allow me to hire a development director. He, of course had a better idea-"Let's get together with Steve Sample (then president of USC) an find out how HE fundraises."
I worked at USC for years; I knew why they were such a successful fundraising powerhouse, but my boss did not believe me. That is cautionary tale # 1. Tale number 2 is that when we met with Steve, he was very articulate about what it takes to raise money-and he had no magic bullets, which annoyed my president. He had been hoping to hear about the one thing-preferably something that didn't involve him-that would ensure that we could raise a lot of money with a minimum of effort and resources and which, by the way, would cost us exactly nothing.
I spent nearly 20 years working primarily in higher education-both private and public institutions, research universities, community colleges and finally as VP of Advancement at a public institution. In my practice, I work with a lot of different kinds of nonprofits. What I've learned over time, is that there is a commonality within organizations that are successfully raising major gift. These common traits?
- Successful fundraising starts at the top. All of the successful-and I am talking about fundraising success, not programmatic success-nonprofit organizations with whom I work have CEO's who are charismatic, can tell the story of the organization, and are willing and able to go out and create relationships between the prospects/donors and the nonprofit.
- They all know how to ask. Well, no. Not always. But if they are not willing to ask, they MUST be willing to:
- Be at the solicitation meeting,
- Ensure that someone-often the development director, sometimes a volunteer-who will make the ask. When I worked at USC, my Dean would never ask, so I always did-and every single donor would tell me that "If the Dean hadn't asked me, I would never have made that gift." Did that make me chopped liver? Of course not-It made my Dean and I good teammate
- The CEO must also lead the way to ensure a well-resourced development department. More about this in a bit, but it is important that the CEO make the case internally.There is often the notion that salaries are best spend on program people, and unless the CEO is clear about the value of the development department, there will be trouble. (READ MORE).
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Shutting Down the Silos
Is there anything more irritating than discovering that the prospect you have been dying to get a meeting with has been regularly
meeting with one of your program staff? Maybe finding out that a donor has been complaining to the administrative assistant to the CFO-and the admin has neglected to let you know that this donor is really annoyed and may cease to be one of your donors.
These kinds of things happen all to often. It's as if we are stuck in our cubicles, afraid to look over the top. We define ourselves narrowly, by title, department, the person to whom we report. But when it comes to nonprofit organizations, everyone is in reality a fundraiser.
Every staff member-and every volunteer-needs to understand his or her role in development. Alas, no one is born with this instinct, nor does it come automatically upon hire or when a volunteer signs on. It is something that the development department (or whoever at the organization is formally charged with fundraising) must take on. It is-if this is you-your responsibility to ensure that every single person who is involved with your organization is able to speak about the organization's mission, what it does, what it accomplishes and yes, what it needs.
It is also incumbent on you to make sure that everyone has this information and feels comfortable sharing it with others. This means training-formally and informally. And that means that you must be out there, talking with your colleagues and finding out what it is that they actually do.
As you do this, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover a whole host of things happening at your organization that you can share with donors and prospects. Any boy, doesn't that make your job easier?
You may also find that you no longer need to rely solely on your board to help expand your prospect pool. Program and administrative staff are frequently hooked up with people and other organizations who-if they only knew more about you-could be fabulous supporters (by donating their time, their treasure, their talents, and their tentacles) for you. (READ MORE)
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Managing Fundraising Staff
My first fundraising job was at a large, private, research  university. I arrived for my first day of work, reported to my boss and was brought to my office. He introduced me to my secretary, showed me to my desk , then punched me in the shoulder and said, "Make money, kid." I kid you not. That was the sum and substance of my training.
For the next 4 plus years, I sat through development meetings where staff reported on what meetings they had had the prior week without any reference to where those prospects were in the solicitation cycle. Names would be introduced, then fall from sight. Occasionally gifts would be announced, but I found it hard to connect any dots. Who was working on those gifts and how did they come about? More, what could I learn from these successes (and what could I learn from our more frequent failures)?
These things were never discussed. Instead, my boss would harangue us about going out on more calls or caustically comment on how much money we had left on the table with every gift received. He wasn't what I think a manager should be-mentor, cheerleader and yes, the person who should be setting the strategic directions for development staff.
I had had quite a few years of sales and marketing experience in the for-profit sector, and had felt quite confident that the skills I had were transferrable. And, in no small part because it was a large, private, Research University with over 100 years of fundraising behind it, I ended up being quite successful.
But think what I could have done had I had appropriate training and had my boss understood his role in our successes or failures.
Fundraising managers, have a primary responsibility to ensure the success of their staff. How well staff does, reflects on the manager's ability to train, motivate and provide them with the tools to be successful. That means helping them to understand how to be a productive fundraiser. Simply telling them to go out on calls, cultivate donors or take the appropriate person on the call with them doesn't cut it. Nor will sending your staff to a workshop provide that level of help.
This even more true if the "staff" you are "managing" is your volunteer board of directors. (READ MORE)
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- Are your fundraising results down?
 - Board members bored?
- Or are thinking about a campaign?
Whatever your capacity building needs, Janet Levine Consulting can help.
Send me an email or give me a call at 310-990-9151 to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.
I look forward to meeting with you.
Sincerely, 
Janet
Janet Levine
Janet Levine Consulting
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