100 Days of Gratitude, Day 5: "Planting Pecan Trees"

The most gratifying thing about my job is meeting the amazing people who change the world around us with their generosity and compassion. They lead by example in creating healthier communities and by extension a better world.  And sometimes... that's a world they won't live to see.

Alice and I are completing a series of interviews for a Capital Campaign Feasibility Study for Summit Healthcare serving Eastern Arizona. It's grueling work. Back to back interviews all day long, day after day, each of them filled with hope, expectation and uncertainty. Who will we meet this hour? Who will walk in a stranger and part as a friend? Who will inspire and humble us?

A few days ago, we were in the home of long-time community benefactors. I was looking from the eyes of the husband to the wife and being awed by the impact of their philanthropy, and I got a little chill, like I do when I've learned more than words have taught me. I saw in their eyes that this couple has spent their long life together "planting pecan trees."

As we parted, I thanked them for all the good they've done and the lives they've touched. I asked the gentleman if he knew the story of the old man who planted pecan trees. He shook his head and looked at me cautiously.

I explained...a young man comes upon a elder who is planting pecan trees. He asks the old man, "Why would you plant a pecan tree? They'll take so many years to mature that you'll never enjoy the pecans." The old man responds, "I plant these trees because all my life I've eaten pecans from trees I did not plant."

Our new friends smiled and in their eyes I saw that they intend to plant many more pecan trees, and I got another little chill.

Greek Proverb: "A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

As we drove away from their home, Alice suggested, "Our next Day of Gratitude should be titled "Pecan Trees." I nodded, said "That's a good idea." And thought to myself... "Okay, I'll plant this one."

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Jim Anderson      GoalBustersJim

Alice Ferris      alice.ferris

Donors are from Mars, Fundraisers are from Venus

Do your donors feel like they give and they give, but you're always asking, "what have you done for me lately?" With apologies to John Gray, the way that donors and fundraisers "keep score" can be fundamentally different and affect our long term relationships. Here are a few things that donors and fundraisers may see from different perspectives:

What is a "current" gift? 
How many times have you received a call at your agency from someone who "donates all the time" only to discover that their last gift was five or six years ago? To a fundraiser, the definition of a current gift is usually a donation or gift commitment within the last 12 to 18 months. To a donor, it might mean that they've given a gift, PERIOD. The donor expects that their gift should count for a while. The donor generally doesn't care about your budget, your fiscal year, or your preset timeframe for donations. They give when they can and when it moves them, which may not be every 12 months. 

What is a "major" gift?
Members of our team once had an in-depth conversation with a donor who was insistent that she belonged in our major donor club. She very respectfully explained that over the course of several years, she had given well over the qualifying amount for the club. Of course, on our side, the qualifying amount was supposed to be given on an annual basis. She was absolutely right that she had given very generously over time, but our existing recognition programs had no way to recognize her.

Why am I an "annual fund" donor?
The term "annual fund" is irrelevant to your donor. Donors don't want to be put into silos; they want to help your organization make an impact on the community, and that's where they want to direct their gift. How can you tie the gift to an effect?

What to do about it:
Rethink your recognition programs
Figure out ways to recognize longevity, cumulative giving and quickly update donor recognition.

Tear down those silos
If you have multiple people engaged in donor cultivation and stewardship, make things as fluid as needed to make the donor feel welcome and a part of your organization. Always consider the donor experience, rather than your systems.

Every donor is a current donor, and probably a major donor
Even if they haven't given in years, if they consider themselves a donor, treat them as such. Never, ever, call someone a "lapsed" donor. Of course, feel free to remind them of giving opportunities on a regular basis, and ask for their leadership support!

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Alice Ferris, ACFRE      alice.ferris
Jim Anderson      GoalBustersJim

Big Gifts for Small Shops

There's a myth that smaller nonprofit organizations have a harder time securing big gifts than larger organizations. In fact, any size nonprofit organization can be the beneficiary of significant philanthropic gifts, but when you have a smaller staff, you have to be extremely diligent about what you do to make these transformational gifts happen. Don't just wait for the contributions to drop in your lap! Here's what you can do:

Think BIG. Small organizations sometimes sell themselves short. We remind the organizations we work with, "you're small but mighty!" Transformational gifts only happen if you have a transformational idea. Come up with the big dream and sell it!

Determine what you can get donated in-kind. It's often easier to get physical items donated rather than cash. Be careful, however, to determine what quality you are willing to accept. Don't take something sub par just because it's available. Also, I'm not talking about a wish list in the newsletter--you actually have to ask for items just like you would ask for a cash gift.

Mine your files. Nonprofit organizations notoriously under-utilize the data they already have. Do you have a donor database? A vendor database? Even if it's just a list in the checkbook, you have a list of people who have an established relationship with your organization. If you look at the list, you might find some hidden gems. If you don't recognize the names on your list, ask around--your board, your other staff members, even the donor! Also, look for consistency of giving rather than just size of gift. People who have been giving to you consistently have established a certain level of loyalty; even if they don't have the capacity for a larger gift, they may know someone who does.

Start a planned giving program. Now. Today. It's easy--read Starting a Simple, No Hassle Planned Giving Program.

Start a monthly giving program. This is a hugely easy way to get people to up their investment in your organization. Think about it--it's a lot easier to do $100 a month than it is to give $1,200 in one lump sum. Even if you start low tech, like giving a donor 12 envelopes, it will bring in more consistent revenue throughout the year.

Ask, ask and ask again. It's a game of numbers--larger shops seem to have more success with major gifts because they are asking more! At least once a month, ask someone for "too much." Preferably, ask twice a month or more. You may discover what you thought was too big of a gift is actually quite do-able. As the old adage goes, you don't get what you don't ask for!

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Alice Ferris alice.ferris

When Developing Your Year Long Fund Raising Plan, Conduct a SWOT Analysis

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Excepted from the GoalBusters' Webinar: "Developing a Year Long Fundraising Plan"
Reprinted in The Major Gifts Report, November 2009

In the process of developing a year-long fundraising plan, it’s important to analyze any previously developed fund raising plans, say James Anderson, a partner at Goal Busters Consulting, LLC (Flagstaff, AZ).

One way to do that is to conduct a “SWOT” analysis, he says, in which you look at your organization’s strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats.

Anderson outlines what to look for when analyzing each of these areas:

Strengths (internal)
What do you do well or exceptionally? What unique value do you offer? Often this will be your primary strength. What are the things you want to keep doing that you do better than other organizations?

Opportunities (external)
What could you be doing or doing more of? Where are the areas you could extend your offerings, your services, your programs? Where could you potentially tap into donors and donor bases that you may be currently overlooking or not fully capitalizing on?

Weaknesses (internal)
What are the things you know you are not doing well? Are there things you need to change because it feels as though you just keep pounding your head against the wall? or are they things you simply don't do well either because you don't know or don’t have the resources to do properly?

Threats (external)
What things will potentially negatively impact your plan and your organization? When you identify a threat, one way to assess it is to ask yourself what the worst-case scenario is. Some examples of external threats: 1) You are heavily grant-funded and funds are going to dry up and you know that; 2) You are heavily funded by a foundation and investments aren’t returning as strong as they used to and you know that will negatively impact gifts to your organization. “When assessing threats, you'll be facing either ‘conditions’ or ‘problems,’” he say. “Conditions are things you may have to address or handle but you have no real control over. You have to Manage, Accept or Adapt to conditions. However problems are something which you can Solve, Resolve or Fix."

When looking at your SWOT findings, you want to look for intersections, says Anderson:

· Where strengths and opportunities intersect, invest. You want to invest more of your resources, time, and capital on these opportunities.

· Where weaknesses and threats intersect, You may want to consider divesting yourself of that project or program, unless it is something you truly must maintain.

· Where strengths and threats intersect, defend. “If you have an external threat to one of your strengths, don’t let that negatively impact something that you do well, “ he says. “Instead, analyze what that situation is and determine how you can best continue to capitalize on that strength.”

· Where weaknesses and opportunities intersect, you should identify what you can improve on. “It may be a situation in which you can bolster the area of weakness or capitalize on what the opportunity is with the investment of additional resources, but that is a decision where you will have to look at whether your internal resources will allow it, and whether the return on investment (ROI) is worth the commitment of the additional resources,” he says.

Sources: James Anderson, Partner, GoalBusters Consulting, LLC, Flagstaff, AZ. Phone (928) 890-8239. E-mail: jim.anderson@goalbusters.net

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