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Steier Tips

Back to the Future

As 2007 begins to wind down and we critically examine our development and fundraising methods and models, it might be good to step back in order to move forward in 2008.

In our society, whether it's business or in our personal lives, we tend to hold onto the notion that bigger is better, more means growth, stature means success. While in theory that may be true, in reality, it is only true if all of the above are based on relationships and sound organizational strategy.

In fundraising, it is true to the core. Simply put: great development work begins and ends with relationships and organization.

     ·  Do you know your donors?
     ·  Do your donors know your mission?
     ·  Can you articulate your needs so that your donors feel compelled to address         those needs?
     ·  Are your donors actively involved in shaping your vision?
     ·  Who is articulating your vision and how are they communicating it, in what         format and how often?
     ·  Do your volunteers feel appreciated and find joy in your mission?

Relationships

Relationships are built on personal contact. Get back to the basics. Could it be you simply need to make appointments, sit down and talk with those who support you the most? Make a list of ten donors/volunteers per week. Your first action step each morning is to call two donors/volunteers to simply say thank you for their kindness and support.

Another avenue to foster relationships is through events.

     ·  Who is your audience?
     ·  What is your objective for this event?
     ·  Is the event a fundraiser or "friend-raiser?"

The answers to these questions will help you plan and allocate the appropriate resources for the event. Are they designed to maximize your ability to foster relationships through education and communication or rather are they implemented to garner funds for short-term success?

Organization

To be truly organized means you are using your time/talent and your staff's time/talent wisely and efficiently. If that is the case, your donors will benefit from coordinated communication, solicitation and wise use of their gifts.

A communications plan is useful to determine what is being articulated, in what format and how often. It can help craft and define your message to a broad audience using newsletters, the web and the media. The communications plan should also be discussed and utilized by your staff so that everyone involved in your nonprofit can easily and succinctly talk about your mission, vision and needs.

A coordinated and organized solicitation strategy also follows the same outline. Who is being asked for support, in what format and how often? Using a solicitation plan eliminates "donor burnout" by coordinating your requests to one or two projects or appeals each year. Over the past decade, we have consistently received feedback from our client's benefactors that they were grateful for one request to support all initiatives.

It's back to the basics (relationships and organization) to move into the future.

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