Philanthropy
Philanthropy Revolution, How to inspire donors, build relationships, and make a difference, by Lisa Greer and Larissa Kostoff, Harper Collins 2020
"When I started writing this book I was driven by the conviction that the bottom would fall out of the world of nonprofits, something I saw happening in eight to twelve years."!!! Lisa Greer
Well hello virus, here we are - the clock sped up and we could hear the sound of money leaving our nonprofits - churches, schools, local and global charities, wild life foundations, food banks, free medical and homeless organizations. When you think about this list it can only get longer and fill with more sad surprises.
But some non-profits are surviving and looking ahead to "after the vaccine." We know that the survivors must plan ahead now, and build new methods to do best for their mission. For-profit businesses are doing the same thing - evaluating, preparing, and flexing for rapid change.
What should we be doing now?
Pre-pandemic there were, say the authors, 1.5 million nonprofits in the US. But Ms. Greer believes that even before the virus struck, the finances could have been better. "People aren't giving as much because the process of giving is fundamentally flawed, unproductive, and often downright unpleasant." Donors have changed, but, the authors say, the system hasn't. Like so many other institutions during this crisis time, the changes must make the donor/fundraiser relationship personal and authentic, and communications must be shared that create a strong picture or story for donors who need to know what and how their favored cause is being served.
When nonprofits think through their strategies, one important point will inevitably surface as it has in other segments of life - pitching to millennials is different. The mission and now the message and the language of giving has changed, and despite an intensified push to build relationships among supporters, it is crucial, says Ms. Greer, to understand the listener, speak the right message, and deliver communications the right way. One hundred years ago church volunteers knocked on doors, were invited in and made their pitches; one hundred years later, that exhausting approach is proven to produce low-yield results.
More than 60 - 70% of donors fail to contribute to an organization a second time. "If you 're trying to generate funding in order to keep a nonprofit alive, that's terrifying... But," says Greer, "These donors want to continue to love you. They even want to hear from you - just not always in the ways that you might think." The authors offer specific recommendations and examples of the right kind of communications to maintain and sustain giving. And they remind us that it is more expensive to acquire new donors than it is to retain existing ones. In fact, continually acquiring new donors can easily cost an organization 50 - 100% more than what those donors actually give. Readers will appreciate Chapter 7, "Good communication, the real work of relationships," - storytelling, the role of social media, the role of print vs. web communications and other successful approaches - most useful as they contemplate organization and process changes.
Chapter 7 is filled with useful charts - what not to do and what to do. We specifically like the guidelines on "Connecting with Existing Donors". Here's an example:
The usual way
Lunch...fawn...
socialize... fawn.
And then the requisite, 'Before you go...' followed by a pitch.
How Its Received
I will never get back these two hours.
How to do better
Let me know in advance that our meeting will involve an ask. At the meeting, engage in friendly conversation but please don't fawn. Introduce your new initiatives and ask for my support.
Finally, know your target audience. The best constructed best delivered fund appeal for a Renaissance lute society won't work well with country rock blues aficionados.
Patricia E. Moody
FORTUNE magazine "Pioneering Woman in Mfg"
IndustryWeek IdeaXchange Xpert
A Mill Girl at Blue Heron Journal, on-line resource for business thought-leaders and decision-makers, pemoody@aol.com, patriciaemoody@gmail.com