I thought today I’d talk about what it means to be an
ambassador for your organization and how you inspire people to play that role
for you.
The dictionary provides some insight into how important the
role of ambassador is to an organization.
Here are a couple entries from the Miriam-Webster online dictionary:
“an official envoy; especially: a diplomatic agent
of the highest rank accredited to a foreign
government or sovereign as the
resident representative of his or her own government or
sovereign or appointed for a special
and often temporary diplomatic assignment
a: an authorized representative or messenger b: an unofficial
representative
ambassadors of goodwill>”
Consequently, the recruitment of
people who you would like to be an ambassador for your organization should be
viewed as a very important process.
Every staff person should be expected to act as an ambassador for your
organization assuming they have been provided the proper training to do
so. Likewise, the number one role of
your board members is to be an ambassador by tirelessly promoting the
organization in the community at the very least.
By the way, this is where the case
statement fits in. Once you have
recruited enthusiastic ambassadors, you want them to share your organization’s
story in a way that is compelling, concise and consistent so that all that
promotion results in increased awareness and building a brand.
So, here are the steps to recruiting
and putting your ambassadors to work:
Step #1 – Inspire people with your story.
Shemagne, who is my VP of
Relationship Strategy is a walking billboard for Alverno College. Why?
§ Passion. The most important
reason is because she feels that her education at Alverno changed her life and
therefore her future possibilities. Shemagne
starts by sharing her own story about how Alverno changed her life. People are really moved by what moves someone
else.
§ Story. But the second
reason is that Alverno is so clear on its unique educational philosophy that
all their students talk their language when they’re talking to anyone about
Alverno. So, first comes inspiration,
then comes the communication tool to empower people to promote the
organization.
§ Vision. The fourth piece is
having your story be driven by a vision for the future. While the day-to-day work of your
organization is very important, it’s not what inspires people. People are inspired by what the world looks
like because of your work; what a child’s future looks like because of your
work.
Step #2 – Be able to answer the question, “What do you
need?”
I cannot believe how many times I
witness this scenario. I’ll be at an
event and be part of a conversation between the director of an organization or
principal of a school and someone who expresses interest in what they’re
doing. In fact, the prospective
supporter even asks, “What do you need, or what are your top priorities?” My jaw just drops when the organization
leader responds, “We’re doing okay,” or “We need money.” The conversation just kind of ends
there. Wow! What a lost opportunity. Don’t do that.
If everyone on staff and at least
your board members doesn’t know how to answer the question, “What do you need
and how can I help?” then you are leaving so many opportunities on the
table. Let me share a story to
illustrate the point. I was the
co-founding board member of a charter school in Milwaukee’s inner city. After three years of planning, we were ready
to open the doors in about three months.
My board colleague and I decided that it was the right time to bring one
of our relationships to the table. This
was a very influential and busy person in the community. We invited him to a compelling tour of the
school and then sat down for lunch. He
quickly got to the point and asked the founder, “what are your top three
priorities?” We were prepared for that
question. The founder went on to answer,
“We can’t open our doors in three months without a new HVAC system, and that
will cost $75,000. Our gym is disgusting
and cleaning and painting will cost $20,000.”
She was about to go on to the third priority when the guest stopped her
and said, “Consider those two things done,” and he arrived the next day with a
check for $75,000. That is the power of
story and being clear about where you’re going, what you need and how people
can help.
Step #3 – Cultivate the relationship
Recruiting ambassadors or raising
money isn’t about asking for anything.
You can do that and you will get donations, but the really magical stuff
happens when the process is more genuine and organic. When you inspire people and then you’re clear
about what you need and how people can help, then people choose what resonates
with them and in turn what piece they want to own.
After inspiring and clarity comes
cultivating. But I don’t mean
cultivating with an agenda. I mean
genuinely being interested in people and what they care about. Now, this is a radical notion. I’m not talking about generating a list of
people with lots of money and then figuring out how to get to them. We sometimes do that, but that’s not where
the magic happens. I’m talking about
doing something really innovative – listening to people talk about
themselves.
So, how does this happen? To illustrate the point, I’m going to share a
true story about what this DOESN’T look like but is what you’ll see in
organizations. I was facilitating a workshop, and we were doing a role play. The attendees were to pretend they were at a
family wedding or other event, and someone asked them about what they do. In this case, the attendee of my workshop
shared that they shared something about the organization they worked for. So far so good. Then she shared that the person she was
talking with very solemnly shared the story of her relative that was dealing
with this disease. Instead of asking
questions about how this disease affected her family member and her family, the
organization’s staff person went on to promote the programs and other
information about the organization. I
hope you can see the absolute missed opportunity. This person was actually impacted be the
issue the organization works on.
Here’s what you do instead. When you are at an event, plan to have a
couple high quality conversations instead of gathering the business cards of as
many people as possible. This is where
quality over quantity is absolutely true.
When you introduce yourself to someone, be the first to ask about
them. Go beyond the usual, “What do you
do,” and ask something like “Where did you take your last vacation,” or “What
are your hobbies?” Now, just listen, ask
more clarifying questions, listen, ask more questions, and listen. Something will probably speak to you and you
will feel connected to the other person.
At some point this person will ask you something. Now’s your chance to share the work you’re
passionate about. But just share your
elevator speech (10 to 60 seconds). Now
say, “What do you think?” Let them
respond. You will be amazed at how
people will immediately share a story about how this issue has impacted someone
they know. Don’t go on to talk about
statistics or programs. Ask them more
about the experience and talk to them like a human being, not a prospective
donor.
If they express a lot of interest,
you may want to share the top priorities of the organization and what is needed
to make those happen. If they’re really
interested, you may want to ask if they see themselves getting involved, and if
yes, offering to schedule a tour or special time to share success stories. You may want to ask them who else they think
should know about the work of your organization and if they would be willing to
connect you to them.
Let’s say they respond favorably but
offer that they are very involved with another organization. Please do not see this as rejection. There’s no such thing as rejection in this
work. You have just had the opportunity
to promote your organization, and if you did it well they will likely share
that with someone else who may be interested.
From now on, you will continue to
stay in touch and build this relationship by sharing success stories and being
clear about what the organization needs and how people can help. If you do this well, people will choose how
they want to make a difference.
Step #4 – Empower people with tools and track these
relationships
When it’s clear that this person is
very inspired by the work of your organization and wants to help, they can be
an effective ambassador. You will want
to provide them with a tool though so they are helping you build awareness and
a brand. Providing your volunteers with
your case statement makes them feel important and empowers them to confidently
share your story. Even most board
members, based on my informal surveys, often don’t feel confident sharing the
story in the community, but they won’t admit it. The case statement helps them talk about the
organization.
Also providing sessions on
relationship cultivation vs. asking helps people to feel more comfortable. Most people, even board members, are not
comfortable asking people for money or other items. When you can help them change their mindset
and see that their role is to share something they’re passionate about and be
clear about the vision and what’s needed to get there, they often do a complete
turnaround. Executive directors have
shared this with me over and over again.
How they had a board member that had many connections but was adamant
that they would not approach them. After
seeing their role in a different way, they often become the biggest
fundraisers.
Make it easy for your ambassadors to
bring opportunities to you. If they were
able to inspire someone over the weekend, provide a way for them to share what
happened with you via email and then talk with them about what to do next.
Step #5 – Value the relationship with your ambassadors
You can never say thank you enough
times to your volunteers! I don’t care
if you’ve got volunteers that don’t show up when they say they will or start
something and then don’t finish. If
you’re not happy with your volunteers, it’s the organization’s fault, not that
of the volunteers.
People intend to volunteer because
it helps them feel valued as a contributor to the world. Finding the right place to contribute their
energy, talents and connections is difficult, and there should be a class or a
process on how to help people find the right place to make their meaningful
contributions. If you don’t turn out to
be the right place, you didn’t do something right.
In most cases, if board members or
volunteers are not doing what you think they should do, it’s because of a lack
of direction. Volunteers usually have a
job, a family, a busy life, and they need almost a shopping list of specific
ways you want them to contribute. It’s
not their job to figure out how they can help you. I didn’t say this was easy, but if you want
to build a huge pool of ambassadors, you need to understand that it’s your job
to cultivate the relationship, not the volunteers.
I know a woman who does this better
than I’ve ever seen. Pat has been
involved in starting multiple nonprofits and she’s the consummate relationship
person. In fact, she met Shemagne at
Curves four years ago, and her organization has been a client of ours ever
since. Pat always prioritizes the
volunteers. In fact, recently she found
herself really tired at the end of a day where she and a group of volunteers
was cleaning up the four-plex the organization purchased to use as a transition
home for young women who have aged out of the foster care system. This place was really disgusting, and by the
end of the day the only thing Pat wanted to do was take a shower. But one of the staff people reminded her that
she needed to talk to the volunteers before she went home. She shrugged her shoulders and admitted, “of
course.” She went on to inspire five men
in their 50’s and 60’s about her organization.
Then she went home.
Two weeks later, she got a call from
one of these gentlemen, who said, “I haven’t been able to sleep in two
weeks. Until last night, when I realized
I just have to do something for this organization. Pat was thinking, “Great, a $1,000 donation
would be awesome right now!” The man
shared that he event felt compelled to make a donation of a certain dollar
amount.” He came to see Pat with a
$50,000 donation. Pat later learned that
he and his wife had felt abandoned during their child hood and they saw their
contribution to this organization as a way of helping young people who may be
feeling the same way. That’s one of the
most powerful stories I’ve heard.
If you follow all these steps you
too can inspire people with your story, recruit ambassadors and engage your
community in ways you haven’t before.
And once this happens, always remember to tell them thank you again and
again!
Let me know if you’ve got stories to
share about what happens when you inspire people about your organization!
FIRST, in the hustle and bustle of planning family gatherings and shopping for presents, many people take a step back and think about the idea behind holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. These are opportunities to think about family members, neighbors and community members, people we don't know but are in need, and organizations doing good work. 
