Building Fundraising Capacity

Summer 2014

In This Issue

You Reap What You Sow

Consistency of Action

Stages of Change

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

Quick Links...

Our Website

Classes & Workshops

Partners

Too Busy To Fundraise

Two Ways to Get Grants

Getting Grants is available only as an ebook from Amazon or for your Nook

Get Ready, Get Set, Get Grants is available both as an ebook from iTunes or for your Nook, or as a print book.

Stop me if you've heard this one. I walked into a coffee place and asked for half a pound Italian Roast, whole bean. The person behind the counter said, "We don't sell half pounds-only 12 ounce bags."

Okay I said.

More--especially with coffee for me--is definitely going to be drunk. So fine-12 ounces.

But no.

They don't have such dark roasts. They only sell medium and light blends.

I asked him if any would be good for espresso.

He sighed and repeated they only sell medium and light blends. I did the only thing I could do: I left.

I'm not usually touchy, but I definitely felt that he wasn't interested in selling me anything-medium, light, OR dark.

I find that all too often. It's not so much the lack of customer service as the anti-customer service. I don't really expect to go back to the days of the customer always being right-but being a little bit important would certainly help. I mean, let's face it-without customers businesses would not last long.

Nonprofits have at least two kinds of customer's-their clients, the people they serve, and their donors, those who (help to) support the work that is done.

Both are important. Both should feel valued.

_________________________

In the coffee scenario, valued was the last thing I felt. Not only did I leave that time, but I left for all time. A few weeks later, when a friend of mine wanted to meet there, I said no and suggested another place. And, as we are wont to do, I told her exactly why. I may have even exaggerated a bit, making the counter person a bit more obnoxious than he already was.

My friend, who had never been there and had wanted to go, now put that place on her don't bother with list. Not only did I leave, but I caused others to leave-even before they got there.

This will be as true of your clients and donors The better you treat them-the more you listen to their needs and explain how you can help, the more you will get.

The coffee place? They serve espresso drinks that are quite good, so I know they have a blend that would work. It could have been so easy.

Getting what you deserve is a lot of what our old friend Mitch Dorger is talking about in his piece, You Reap What You Sow. And in keeping with our "Do It Better" theme, learn how consistency is your best fundraising friend. And if change is hard, consider the states of change, and see why that might be.

Keep reading--I hope you find it all useful.

**************

Dollar and chain

Need help in increasing your fundraising capacity or getting your Board to participate?

Help is here. Email me or call 310-990-9151.

You Reap What You Sow

Mitch Dorger is the Principal of Mitch Dorger Consulting. The former Executive Director of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Mitch works with nonprofit executives, teaching best practices and helping them to get things done.

I spend a fair amount of time visiting with nonprofit executives and listening to their frustrations. Over and over again I hear complaints about their boards, such as: (1) my board micromanages me; (2) I have board members running around giving orders to me and the staff without a vote of the board; (3) the members of my board have no idea what they are supposed to do; or (4) my board is apathetic. They come to board meetings and talk, but that is all.

I empathize with these executives because at one point or another in my career I have seen all of these problems myself. Boards like the ones described above can make life miserable for professional executives and, more importantly, can severely damage the effectiveness of the organization.

While sympathizing with my friends and colleagues, I often turn the tables on them and ask what they have done to create a well-functioning board or what they did at the front end of the board development process to ensure the right outcome. Many times the answers are something like: "That's the board's job"; or "I do whatever the board asks me to do." Unfortunately, this sort of laissez faire attitude is likely to result in the type of situations mentioned above.

The chief executive needs to help the board fix itself! But that does not mean charging headlong at the board like Don Quixote charging a windmill. If you do, you will find your results as unsatisfying as the Don did.

Here are some measured steps to follow in working to build the board you need and want without appearing to try to become the "boss of the board." (READ MORE)

Consistency of Action

Fair warning. I'm up on my soapbox and in a very Peter Finch ("I'm mad as hell and not going to take it anymore") mood. I mean, how many times do you have to someone that in life-and yes, in fundraising-consistency of action is far more effective than random acts, even if those are brilliant? And why do so many people walk right up to the point of doing what is needed to be done only to pivot and decide that, no, not that but something else?

So let me be very clear-a single event with a famous person will not build your sustainability. One grant, no matter how large, will not solve your operational problems. And focusing only on one really wealthy person in the hopes that he or she will bestow his or her entire fortune on you is probably not the way to financial stability. Especially since your focus is all internal and you never, ever, get to the point of actually trying to connect in a meaningful way.

But complaining and howling into the wind is not very useful. Let's talk, instead, about how you can be consistent and how that will allow you to spend time thinking about ways to have those random acts of brilliance.

You won't be surprised that it starts with clarity. You must have a clear picture of what it is you want to accomplish. You must know where you want to go so you can then-and here's the second step-map out the best road to take to get there.

If what you have to do is part of a larger picture, you may have to set out a number of goals and have a number of paths, then pull them together to see how best to take this journey.(READ MORE)

Stages of Change

Change is hard. We say we want to change, but we fight and fight and fight. The stages of change model-nothing new for psychologists but something that can help nonprofits understand why they, their clients, their donors do-or don't do-what they do.

The first stage is called the Pre-contemplation stage. This is where we are in denial. We know that there is a problem, but we are not seeing what it is. "We don't have money," which might suggest that fundraising isn't happening, but bring that up, and arms cross, heads bend, and the conversation gets moved to something else. And because you cannot talk about the real problem, you may feel that it is hopeless. We will NEVER have enough to do our work.
Contemplation Stage is when you know you have a problem, and begin to try to solve it. The problem is, you know what the situation is, you know why it exists, and you even may know what you have to do to fix it. But you are not ready to make the change. In some ways, this is where you are planning to plan, but not yet ready to make the plan and certainly not to act on it. (READ MORE)

Are your fundraising results down?
Board members bored?
Are you thinking about a campaign?
Or perhaps you need individual fundraising coaching!

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, JHL3

Janet

Janet Levine

Janet Levine Consulting