If We Truly Valued the Donors We Had Wouldn't we: Survey and/or interview them about what institutional attributes they find most important and impressive to ensure we hire fundraisers who embody them? Tell fundraisers their most important job is to perpetuate and deepen relationships with those assigned to their portfolios? Require fundraisers to demonstrate that they have studied donor profiles and developed engagement plans attuned to their donors' passions and sensitivities? Equip fundraisers with questions to ask so they can fill gaps in those donors' records to ensure they are managed well over time? Check in with those donors after a few months to make sure all is going well with their new development officer? Work with the development officer to learn what each donor does and does not want to receive knowing how many complain of being bombarded with information? Make sure any solicitation is well-thought-out and respectful as evidenced by the number of conversations preceding it and interest expressed by the donor in a particular initiative? Conduct annual stewardship interviews or surveys to make sure donors feel that their gifts have been well-stewarded and they feel respectfully treated, then compare results year over year to make sure gaps are not growing? Show fundraisers how they can help donors develop multiple connections to the organization? Yet, how often do we see fundraisers: Selected on the basis of bravado Pushed into the field with too little training and no review of their plans Expected to solicited after a set number of visits with no review as to whether what is being solicited aligns with donors' interests Not required to show evidence of relationship or affinity building Gone after two years so that donors not only experience giving fatigue but breaking-in-new-fundraiser fatigue So let's be honest. While many organizations have a stewardship office, few have anything that looks like an asset management plan or the awareness of how important one is. Despite what we give lip service to, is it not a fact that we care little about how positive an impression our fundraisers make or how well they treat their donors as long as they bring home some bacon? So here's the lesson that must penetrate or our thick organizational skulls: A stewardship office, no matter how good, cannot compensate for: Leadership attitudes that treat donors like cordwood Fundraisers who don't reflect values and ideals touted by the organization Fundraising imperatives that favor insensitive fundraisers or desensitize good ones Donors being made to feel like ATMs accessed by revolving fundraisers Inappropriate or inept solicitations Most organization leave much too much to chance. They need to build awareness around donors as invaluable organizational assets and, at minimum, hold themselves to ethic articulated in the Hippocratic Oath: "I will do no harm or injustice to them."
Andrew Olsen
1mo
Jim this post is 🔥 ... so much of what harms organizations' ability to deliver on mission is outlined in what you've shared. It's also a great reminder of two things for me. First, talent matters most in our industry. And second, culture work is critical if we want to achieve mission.
Evelyne Opondo
1mo
Very helpful!
Champion of Human-Centric Business Interactions that Drive Long-Term Partnerships | Preparing to Empower Those Who Help Others & Announce An Exciting Venture
1moA quick story about revolving fundraisers. When I was VP of Sales & Marketing, I was the main client contact for several large tech solutions for those worlds. I was also always an open book - willing to take the time to share background on my org, our challenges, our priorities, my personal thoughts, how I like to engage...everything. But, I only wanted to do that...once. Unfortunately, the the SasS world, there is much turnover. So I often found myself, after spending a couple of hours with the team assigned to me, getting a notice weeks later that we were getting a new team assigned to our account. Nothing is more deflating, and I didn't want to spend the time, again, sharing my hopes, dreams and needs. And usually that info got lost in translation. So now you had a customer who felt disconnected and you had a sales team that didn't really know what I wanted. I'm 100% positive major donors feel the same way when the person they established a relationship with disappears suddenly. OK, my apologies, it wasn't a quick story!