Everyones a Fundraiser The Boards Role in Financial Development

1
Everyones a Fundraiser The Boards Role in
Financial Development
2
The Role of the Board

• Governance
• Making local policy
• Setting direction
• Monitoring and evaluating
• Ensuring what needs to happen does

3
The Boards Role in Financial Development

• Ensure 100 percent board contribution by donating
  personally-making a financial contribution to the
  extent of your capacity.
• Review and evaluate current and future revenue to
  ensure that community needs are met.
• Participate in fundraising by soliciting
  contributions from friends, relatives, and
  colleagues.
• Many foundations and major donors require 100
  board giving

4
Fundraising Myths

• Asking is begging.
• Fundraising is a special talent that only a
  select few possess.

5
People Love to Give Away Money!

• Our job as fundraisers is to give people the
  opportunity to feel good about themselves through
  the act of giving.
• This work is not embarrassing it is important and
  noble!

6
People Give Money to People

• The most effective way to raise money is to make
  sure that the right solicitor, asks the right
  prospect, for a gift at the right level, at the
  right time.
• You must enlist all board members, staff,
  volunteers and other friends to solicit
  contributions from their friends, relatives and
  colleagues.

7
The sales pitch

• Fundraising is sales and marketing
• Our job as fundraisers figure out what the
  donor wants and sell them our product without
  compromising our products integrity.

8
People Give to Strength, Not Crisis

• Financial woes arent compelling or unique.
• What is compelling is the good that the
  organization has done and will continue to do
  with donated funds.
• Confidence breeds confidence
• Everyone wants to be part of a winning team

9
Be Specific

• The impression you must leave with the donor is
  that you know HOW the money will be used, WHO
  will benefit, WHAT the outcomes will be.
• Create a cheat sheet with important factoids
  about the organization.

10
Good Fundraising is Opportunistic

• Make asks for donations when the good work of
  the organization is in front of the publics
  mind.
• Before a specific event or program kicks off is
  an example
• Capitalize on any media exposure

11
Planning for Success

• The 1st step is the Development Plan. The
  fundamental elements of a comprehensive
  Development Plan include the following things

12
Fundamentals

• Board Campaign
• Led by the Board Chair and Executive Committee
• This is an industry standard
• 100 giving is required by many foundations
  major donors
• Annual Campaign
• Sustaining Campaign
• Traditional structure
• Assigning volunteers certain donors from the
  database

13
Fundamentals

• Direct Mail
• Program should include
• Prospecting
• Renewal
• Special Appeals

14
Fundamentals

• Grants
• Identify programs that could provide a case for
  grant support by consulting with program staff.
• United Way
• County City
• Private Foundations

15
Fundamentals

• Special Events
• Identify events based on best Return on
  Investment (expenses should be no more than 35
  of gross income)
• Ideally no more than two per year

16
Fundamentals

• Planned Gifts
• Great potential for significant gifts
• Easy to start a Bequest Program

17

• Fundamentals
• Donor Recognition/Cultivation
• Personal Phone Calls for larger gifts
• Hand Written Note from Executive Director
• Hand Written Note from Board Chair
• Lunch with E.D. and/or Chairman
• Ideas from the Group

18
Fundamentals

• Face to Face Solicitation
• (Individual and Corporations)
• What constitutes a major gift?
• Has the best chance of a repeat gift
• Individuals make 80-90 of all private gifts.
• Most individual gifts are undesignated
• Gifts from individuals can increase dramatically
  over time.

19
So, What Do We Do?

• Solicitation of gifts from individuals and
  corporations is of the utmost importance.
• The boards involvement is essential to gain
  entrée to these high end donors.

20
Making the Ask

• From the donors perspective
• Why should someone make a gift to the
  organization?
• How do you find major donors?
• Begin with your own donor database
• Read society pages to see who has made large
  gifts recently to similar organizations.

21
Research

• The more you know about a prospect the easier the
  ask.
• Board members should review a prospect list and
  give feedback on the prospects they know.
• Staff should provide formal research.

22
The Major Gifts Campaign

• Convene a committee to oversee the campaign.
• The committee determines
• The dollar goal
• The amount that constitutes a major gift
• Who the prospects are
• Which solicitors will approach which prospects

23
The Major Gifts Campaign

• Committees Role continued
• Determine how to conduct research on prospects
• Determine how to recognize donors
• Ensure that all solicitors are trained
• Committee Members must ask for the gifts
• Committee Members must make a gift to the extent
  of their capacity

24
Practice makes Perfect

• It really is easier than it sounds.