Putting Relationship Fund-raising to Work

10 Steps To Get You Started

Being able to attract resources and consistently engage your relationships requires the right mindset and the right formula for engagement. In the first two blog posts of this series I took you on a journey through the stories of some of my clients.

Now it is time to make the vision for your school or organization a reality. It's time to roll up your sleeves and get started. Follow these 10 steps and in no time you will be experiencing your own success story!

How to Get Started

Step #1 – If you don't have a professional case statement that articulates the "essence" of your organization, at least begin by developing an elevator speech that all of your staff and volunteers are comfortable using.

Step #2 – Come together as an organization and have everyone brainstorm five people that might be interested in the work your organization does. Let them know that no one will be asking them for money or taking any action without their permission. They will be involved in any strategy of reaching out to them.

Step #3 – Prioritize those relationships and together determine the best first step (i.e., inviting them for a tour, the spring concert or open house). Again, there is no asking for money going on here.

Step #4 – Strategize a "compelling" experience for them. Don't point out the obvious (i.e., here’s the cafeteria, here’s the gym). Talk about your unique approach and allow them to experience it. Are your teachers more experienced that others? Do you teach based on the latest brain research? Highlight what's special, amazing or unique about your organization.

Step #5 – After the tour, sit down with the person, ask them what they think and "be quiet" as they share their impression and perhaps something personal about themselves. Ask them how they see themselves getting involved. Ask them "Who else needs to know about what we're doing here?" If they offer names, ask them if they could be willing to make a connection.

Step #6 – Provide a packet for them to take home, ask them if you can put them on your list in order to update them with success stories or invite them to another event. Even if they are not interested, they may pass it along to someone else.

Step #7 – Send a personal hand-written thank you note.

Step #8 – If the meeting went well, follow up in one month via phone or email to share something exciting about your organization and to see if they would like to attend an event.

Step #10 – Keep track of everything in a spreadsheet. All relationships need to have a next step and due date. Each week sort the spreadsheet by due date. All of the above should be done in partnership with board members and staff people/teachers.

We Love Success Stories

If you decide to try this, let us know what happens. We love success stories!

Attracting Resources Doesn't Happen By Accident

In last week's blog post, “Making Relationship Fund-raising Work for your Non-profit or School,” I took you on a journey to a new mindset about the ability to attract resources. I discussed the stories of three different organizations that benefited from this mindset.

Within each of these stories there was an organization that was able to attract resources without even asking. What did they have in common?

They consistently and successfully engaged people. And how does one do that? There are three steps to this process.

The Formula for Consistent and Successful Engagement

First, you must be able to inspire people with your story. This means your story must be compelling, concise and consistently told, as well as be driven by a vision for the future. You must be able to depict a clear picture of what the world will look like because of your school or nonprofit.

Second, you must be able to articulate what you need and how people can help. Let's say you're out at a cocktail party, and a couple asks you about your school. You did a great job of inspiring the couple with your unique approach to educating children. But now, when they ask you what your top priorities are, do you have an answer? Would your board members have the same answer? This happens all the time, and if you are not prepared to answer this question, you may miss out on an opportunity. Below is a great testimonial of a client who without any hesitation, had the answer to this question.

"I'm a co-founder of a charter school, and while I was on the board, another board member and I decided it was the right time to invite one of our relationships, a very influential community member, for a tour."

"During the tour and the lunch meeting, the school's founder did what many founders do - offered passionate stories about the children. At one point during the lunch, the gentleman asked, "What are your top three priorities?" She was ready for this question, and offered, "We need a new HVAC system or in three months we won't be able to open our doors. This is going to cost $75,000. We also need to clean and paint the gym, which will cost $20,000, and . . ." This gentleman stopped her and told her that she should consider#1 and #2 done. The next day he dropped off a check for $75,000."

Third, you must be strategic about cultivating relationships over a long time period. What does this entail?

• Really getting to know what people care about

• Asking people how they think they fit in

• Being clear about what you need and how people can help

• Saying thank you over and over and over again

• Continuing to connect and reach out to people.

This is a huge undertaking and some infrastructure is required to do it successfully. This is also not the job of "a fund-raiser." A fund-raiser's job is to drive the strategy and empower board members, staff people and ambassadors to confidently see every moment of the day as an opportunity to tell your organization's story, make connections, identify opportunities and bring those back to the organization to determine follow-up steps.

We Love Success Stories

If you decide to try this, let us know what happens. We love success stories!