Title: Getting Organized for Fundraising
1Getting Organized for Fundraising
- NGO School - Moscow
- Workshop
- 8 October 2008
- Kay Sprinkel Grace, Presenter
2Agenda
- Welcome and introductions
- The challenges and opportunities of being a
professional fundraiser - What we have to organize
- How we can organize
- Special strategies and requirements
- Using your skills for success
- Close
3A Challenging Profession
4Why Development is Such a Challenging Profession
- Many constituencies
- Many different people to work with
- In your organizations, the need to engage program
and administrative staff in the development
program - Many bosses to report to
- High expectations sometimes unrealistic
- Confusion people have about what fundraising is
5Why Development is Such a Challenging Profession
- 2
- Constant deadlines
- The need to develop donor relations while raising
money - People are impatient with the process
- Staying focused on long-term results
- Ensuring that your mission, vision and values are
in all the messages of the organization
6What We Have to Organize
- People (including ourselves)
- Paperwork
- Technology
- Time
7Organizing People
- People who work with us
- People who work for us
- We need to staff our programs adequately
- People who are sources of revenue (including
those who represent government or corporations) - Ourselves need to know basic management
principles
8Organizing Paperwork
- Records management is very important
fundraising begins with accuracy of records about
donors - Requests for money and thank you letters when
money is given - Marketing and fundraising materials
- Interoffice exchange of memorandums and requests
9Organizing Technology
- Technology is a powerful tool
- Email can be a time-saver or a time-waster
- Technology can help make a fundraising office
work smoothly Internet, email, fax machines,
interactive and passive web sites - Having a staff person for technology is important
10Organizing Time
- The time demands on a fundraising professional
are extreme - Make sure you have time for planning, thinking,
writing, reviewing materials and interacting with
people - Keeping your life in balance is very difficult
here is a typical day in the life of a
fundraising professional
11A Day In the Life.
- 730 a.m. breakfast with a donor
- 830 a.m. meeting with CEO
- 900 a.m. start doing what needs to be done
today - Research information for proposal for major
project - Telephone call with government funder about
renewing grant
12A Day - 2
- What needs to be done, continued
- Problem-solve a software situation
- Review/sign off on direct marketing campaign
materials - Lunch meeting with colleague you want to partner
with on a program - 230 p.m. Meet with program staff to get latest
fundable ideas share potential funders with them
13A Day - 3
- 4 p.m. Interview with potential new staff member
- 5 p.m. Oversee set up of tables/chairs for next
mornings full staff meeting and make sure LCD
projector is working and presentation is on the
computer (with flash drive back up) - 7 p.m. Join donors for a thank you event at a
private home
14Issues in Managing Your Day
- Little time in the office
- Little time for planning
- Little time for thinking
- Little time for reviewing progress or evaluating
activities - Need to make sure that every day is not like the
day described
15How We Can Organize
16What We End Up Organizing
- Ourselves first
- Staff
- Deadlines and priorities
- Relationships with donors, program staff,
development staff, executive staff - Planning and budgets
- Vital records
17How To Organize for Results
- Engage donors in ways that motivate them
- Work in a supportive way with staff
- Communicate with donors often and honestly
- Enroll program and administrative staff in your
vision and plans - Keep yourself renewed
- Speak up and speak out for what you need
- Set realistic goals that require effort but are
attainable
18Special Strategies and Requirements
- Getting Good Results from Building Relationships
19If You Are to Meet the Challenges, What
Strategies Will You Need?
- Build your staff resources as your financial
resources grow - Engage your staff in vision and tasks
- Become better at keeping donors informed and
involved - Understand philanthropy (love of humankind,
voluntary action for the public good) - Understand what donors look for in organizations
they fund
20Three Guiding Principles
- People give to you because you meet needs, not
because you have needs - A gift to you is really a gift through you
people are investing in their community and they
see you as a good way to invest - Fund raising is not about money, it is about
relationships build the relationships, and the
money will come. Ignore the relationships, and
the money will go away.
21Organizing for Success
- With staff
- Clear communications
- Specific assignments that will motivate them
- Coaching, training and rewards
- With donors
- Information about the impact of their investment
- Treat them like investors
- Remember that the gift is a symbol of the
relationship
22Organizing for Success
- With administrative and program staff
- Clarity
- Communication
- Respect
- Be the reminder of the mission
- With those who serve you or sell to you
- Engage them in your mission
- You are not just another customer
- Give recognition for special service
23Organizing for Success
- Personal relationship-building with donors
- Appreciation
- Education about philanthropy
- Meetings that are enjoyable
- Engagement in programs, not just fundraising
- Technology to enhance relationships
- Website
- Emails, E-newsletters
- Telephone and cell phone
24Organizing for Success
- Educating the community
- Help people with wealth understand the benefit of
giving - Offer examples from other countries where giving
has transformed communities - Listen for the donors dreams and helping them
find a way to fulfill them through giving to you
or others
25Using Your Skills to Achieve Success
- Your organizational responsibilities
- and your career
26Succeeding With Your Organizational Tasks
- Find someone who is experienced who will help you
if you are new to the field (a mentor) - Build good relationships with other staff
- Be a good listener
- Be willing to do what you ask others to do
- Ask for a clear explanation of what is expected
of you - Understand the need you are meeting in your
community so you can measure your success against
your results
27Succeeding With Your Organizational Tasks - 2
- Be patient with the time it takes to fully
implement a fundraising program - Learn your organizations mission, vision and
values and use them in all your messaging - Help others grow professionally as you become
more experienced - Keep and convey a spirit of abundance and
possibility - Be respected as a person who is making a
difference through your work
28Organizing Your Own Career in Fundraising
- Be sure you have a good fit with your
organization (values, vision, mission,
environment) - If it doesnt fit, do what you can to change it
or move on - Ask for what you need and want, including regular
evaluation - Pay attention to your intuition (subconscious
intelligence)
29Organizing Your Own Career in Fundraising - 2
- Learn the ethical standards of our profession
- Read the literature of the field
- Take classes
- Ask to be part of meetings that set budgets,
deadlines or limits for work for which you are
responsible - Maintain excellent professional and personal
records
30Why We Must Be Organized for Success
- Why systems liberate
- Summary and Conclusion
31Good Systems Liberate
- When systems are in place and we are organized,
we are much better able to be out of the office
and making relationships with people - Our internal systems (technology, non-technology
communications, others) also have to work - Good systems help us manage
32Why Our Work is So Important
- We connect peoples dreams with opportunities for
dreams to come true - We are an excellent community investment
- We inspire with our vision for our society
- We attract donors with our mission
- We offer people opportunities to make a
difference in the future
33Why You Are Important to Your Communities
- You are connectors with organizations that can
help fulfill a donors dreams - You provide, through your efforts and
accomplishments, programs and results that affect
people in whatever community you serve (local,
national, global) - As agents of philanthropy, you ease human
suffering and/or enhance human potential - As NGO leaders of a new Eastern Europe, you have
significant potential for impact
34Leadership
- Where ever you are in the organization, you can
lead by example - If you are organized and inspired, others will
become organized and inspired - Donors look to NGOs for leadership and action
we must commit to organizing for success
35Closing Thought.
- Be organized. Be ready. Here is a great
quotation - The secret of success in life is for a man to be
ready for his opportunity when it comes."
Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister
36Getting Organized for Fundraising
- NGO School Moscow
- 8 October 2008
- Kay Sprinkel Grace, Presenter
- kaysprinkelgrace_at_aol.com