Archive for the ‘Weblog’ Category

Perspective on a Fundraiser’s Perspective

May 31, 2011 Weblog

I’m thankful to have Lilya Wagner as a mentor, colleague, and generous friend. She’s been an encouragement these past several weeks but has also been challenging me (in a good way) as we work together on a project. Recently Lilya forwarded me a link to an article relating to our project.

The article, Who are we to talk?, is written by Emily Cavan Lynch, a public health consultant and freelance writer. She poses the question, “would development aid be more effective if it was delivered by people whose life experiences are more similar to those of the supposed beneficiaries?” I find this question quite intriguing.

It has been several years since I took the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) exam but I vaguely recall one of the questions asking about the demographic profile of a board of trustees. This particular question related to the fact that one of the potential members under consideration to join the board represented, not wealth but, the perspectives of the non-profit’s beneficiaries (if memory serves me correctly, the potential board member represented a racial profile).

In my research of the culture of philanthropy in Ghana and my Ethiopian travels to work with an NGO located there I’ve learned that the best practices of the West don’t translate well to the circumstances of the cultures represented in these countries. I agree on the importance of making a priority to use cultural perspectives to inform the programmatic/strategic aspect of the NGO. The fundraising strategy is no exception to this and should also mirror the cultural characteristics of the native demographics… but how is this done?

Research can get you quite far, but it is no substitute for active listening and deep engagement with benefactors and beneficiaries that represent a different perspective. Let their experience and judgement help guide your work.

Tags: , ,

“Good Things” File

Feb 17, 2011 Weblog

Two weeks ago I came across the “fundraiser’s daily affirmation” by Katya Andresen (if you’re not already following her weblog, you should). The timing couldn’t have been better. It prompted me to give thoughtful consideration about my chosen career and inspired me to print off her entry to add to my file of “good things” and to leave the following comment on her page:

Fund-raisers share a lot of similarities with Spider-man, the Wizard of Oz, and Red from Shawshank Redemption.

Like Spider-man we work between the silos. We thread together people, ideas, and facilitate connections within our organization. We weave a web of collaboration, communication, and inspiration. Since “great power comes with great responsibility,” humility is essential… lest our web become a Sir Walter Scott cautionary tale.

Like the Wizard of Oz, we work behind the scenes to give our case for support the best face and to transform words and ideas into a great show that inspires those around us to have Heart, show Courage, and think and reflect (Brain) on the transformational power of philanthropy.

Like Red, we are known and respected inside and outside our organization as the person that “knows how to get things.” We may be restricted by available resources or may have to work with difficult people in order to accomplish great things, but we press on and act as catalysts for action.

Our work as philanthropic facilitators is rarely formally recognized. Our names don’t appear in the press releases, we’re not in the photographs… by design we deflect accolades to the philanthropists that invest in our organizational mission and draw attention to the lives that are transformed because of their generosity.

Because of this, I thank you for the encouragement. I will print off your post and add to my “Good Things File” for when I need that extra boost.

The “good thing file,” or what I call the GTF for short, has been a great source of encouragement over the years. I’ve filled it with unexpected letters from benefactors and beneficiaries, e-mails and notes from co-workers, meaningful quotes, and news articles that help refocus my negative and selfish attention to the transformational effect of philanthropy.

Katya’s posting came at the perfect time. Just the evening before I learned that a fellow fundraisier had accepted a job out of state. In two-weeks time I would have to say goodbye to a respected co-worker, trusted confidante, and loyal friend. Today I was thumbing through the file and realized that my colleague has also been a consistent contributer to the GTF over the past four years.

Linda, I’ll miss seeing you every week… but I’m excited for the next chapter as you turn the page toward the future.

Tags: , , ,

Understanding Context for a Philanthropic Plan

May 5, 2010 Weblog

The opening segment of a philanthropic plan helps provide context that informs latter sections. If you are reviewing and revising your strategic plan on a three-year cycle, the context segment should serve as a general reference and typically only needs to be revised if the board decides to change the organizational mission or if historical changes have occurred that may affect the philanthropic landscape.

The “organizational context” section should include the organizational mission, vision, history, and values. These areas should be self-explanatory. A good resource for examples can be found in “Strategic fund development: Building profitable relationships that last”  by Simone P. Joyaux (2001). See the appendices (A through D) for chapter 6. These begin on page 285. I highly recommend purchasing this book, but you can also find the relevant material through Google Books (http://bit.ly/JoyauxSFD). In her book Joyaux uses mission and vision consistently, but uses an assortment of alternate headings for the remaining context section. These section headings include both overview and assumptions.

The context segment should be concise and should not go so far as a fundraising resource audit or SWOT analysis. These areas will be covered in the next segment highlighting the philanthropic environment effecting the organization’s development efforts.

Next: Philanthropic Environment

How to Build a Philanthropic Plan

May 2, 2010 Weblog

Over the past several months I have been participating in the mentoring program with my local chapter of AFP. The majority of the meetings with my mentee have focused on helping her articulate a case for support and building a philanthropic plan for the organization’s integrated strategic plan.

To extend the value of the work done with my mentee to others looking to improve their strategic planning skills, we will  spend the next several weeks breaking down the parts of a philanthropic plan. The philanthropic plan typically consists of five basic parts. These parts build on one another as your plan progresses to give your strategy clarity. The early sections give detail so that the latter sections can concentrate on providing a concise road-map of actionable items to achieve your development goals.

As with grammar, these parts are listed below to simply to provide structure and a general guideline, but rules are made to be broken (provided you understand the rules and the reason for them). These parts include:

  • Organizational Context – mission, vision, history, values
  • Philanthropic Environment – fundraising resource audit, SWOT analysis
  • Philanthropic Goals – strategic, financial, timetable
  • Philanthropic Strategy – cases for support (audience, case, and implementation)
  • Benchmarks – staff performance metrics, strategic, financial

Next: Organizational Context

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Long Will It Take You to Raise the Money?

Nov 17, 2009 Weblog

All too often well intentioned staff or board members will come to you, the seasoned fundraising professional asking for help securing funds for a need not originally in the strategic plan and more specifically, the integrated development plan.

These requests are usually for last minute programs, non-budgeted expenses, “silver bullet” fundraising events, and my personal favorite consultant fees… upfront payment for somebody promising to write grant requests.

When these requests come across my desk I’ll typically ask these questions:

Is the (insert urgent need here) worth alienating the donor most likely to fund the request? Not usually. If you have been properly cultivating and stewarding your donors you might have somebody interested in helping with urgent needs. If this is true, be sure to link the funding need to your mission and provide a clear case for support that resonates with your donor’s personal interests.

Why wasn’t this in our original budget? Usually last minute financial needs are not considered in the original budget because they are not essential to your ability to satisfy the organizational mission. If the emerging need is critical for organizational success, ask yourself (and the board) “what can we cut from the planned budget to fund this unplanned item?”

If we pay upfront for somebody to write grant requests, how do we keep them accountable for meeting performance benchmarks? You can’t. Staff performance should be built into the strategic plan and should be reviewed by the board at least quarterly. Adding staff or consultants to the payroll without clear performance expectations, and which are paid irrespective of performance sends a terrible message to the remainder of the organizational staff being held accountable by the strategic plan and proper board governance.

So when I’m asked “how long will it take you to raise the money?” I typically respond that it will take anywhere between four months and a year. This range varies depending on how the specific item relates to organizational mission, strategic plan, integrated development plan, budget priorities, board oversight, and donor linkage, ability and interest.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,