By Marion Lee, CFRE
“A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”
— Sir Francis Bacon (a better known Bacon)
This is a lovely profession! Every time you turn around there is something new, different and puzzling. Over the years, we here at Bacon Lee & Associates have been asked to sit on panels that have been challenged with a myriad of questions.
We’re asked everything from, “Should I go into fundraising as a profession?” to “How do you go about raising $70 million?” – but that one really couldn’t be answered in a panel setting with limited time.
So, we would like to launch something a little new and different in our newsletter to help you in your day-to-day job. Call it what you will, “Ask the Experts” or “ Query the Consultant” we want to address the issues and questions that are affecting you now.
Here is how it will work. Please send us your questions either through our blog or to my email (mlee@baconlee.com). We will pass the questions around to our associates or other experts in specific areas and respond to you either through our blog or directly to your email. Each month, we will select a few of the questions and answers to feature in our Ask the Experts section.
So to get us started, let me toss into the ring one of my favorite and most often asked questions:
Question: How do I get my (board, committee, advisory group) to give to our annual fund?
Answer: This is not a one-size fits all answer but certain basic tenets will prevail.
First: Take a look at the way you are asking them for funding. Do you say and do practically the same thing every year? Is it always staff making the asks directly or indirectly? Do you get almost the same response- about 50-60% participation, but never get to 100%?
Second: Look over the board or committee members carefully. Is there someone you can educate and engage to be your spokesperson for the annual fund?
Third: Once you identify and educate a leader, give them the facts and outcome information that they will need to ask or encourage their peers to make their gifts.
Fourth: Come up with something fresh! Find a challenge matching gift or some kind of innovative way to get their attention. The best challenges come from peers.
Fifth: Track the response and report it directly to your annual fund leader or chair. Make sure that they see the progress and the shrinking number of people on the list that they have to call.
Finally: Give the volunteer group the good and bad news. Provide accolades for the progress and honest feedback on what still needs to be done.
We all fall into the trap of grinding through our annual fund, relying totally on the staff vis-à-vis direct mail, email, and subtle packets placed on the board table. We forget that the board should lead, the initial phase of this endeavor, thus we fail to use one of our best resources.
We would like your feedback so if you have any thoughts or questions you would like to submit, send them through our blog at www.baconlee.com or to me at mlee@baconlee.com.