Upcoming Seminars: Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

Almost everyone now in the non-profit and education fields focus on raising money.  It makes sense.   For years, most of us depended on government grants or funds.  But now we have come to a point where this mindset is just not sustainable anymore.  Government funds to organizations and education are being cut, despite the fact that money is needed to fund all the great work our schools and non-profits are doing.  We are at a crossroads where we can either continue to depend on funds that are dwindling or take a new direction towards long-term sustainability that begins with inspiring people to help.  At first this might seem scary or risky, but rest assured this does NOT mean asking for money or anything else for that matter.   You only need to inspire people to want to help by showing them all the great work that you do.  This is where the case statement comes in, and it is the first part of the formula for effective community engagement.   

Story + Direction + Relationship = Effective Community Engagement

The purpose of the case statement is to articulate the essence of your organization in a compelling, concise and consistent manner.  It’s the gathering place for your official story, and it’s a helpful tool for staff, board members, donors and volunteers in raising awareness of your organization.  Finally, our format is strategically designed to answer all the questions a prospective supporter would have before deciding he/she would want to learn more.  

I was wondering if any of you have taken a stab at developing your own professional case statement.  I’d love to see what you came up with.  If you’re stuck, don’t feel bad, because it took me six months to develop the alinea case statement, and it takes us a full 10 hours to develop one for our clients.  And that’s after doing about 100 of them over the past seven years.

I have also received some questions about how you go about developing “ambassadors” for your organization.  Guess what?  The answer is the same one.  It all starts with being able to inspire people to want to help.  

In this blog, I thought I’d highlight two seminars that cover both these topics.

Upcoming Seminars – Case Statements and Recruiting Ambassadors

First, I will be facilitating a FREE workshop sponsored by PNC Bank and Reilly, Penner & Benton accounting firm on Wednesday, November 2^nd, 7:30-9am in Milwaukee (details at www.alineaconnect.com).  During this workshop, we will walk through how to develop a professional case statement.  If you’ve already started your case statement, but you need to take it to the next level, or if you haven’t started one yet, you won’t want to miss this opportunity.  If you’re not in town, join us via skype or other technology.  

Second, I will be facilitating a workshop for the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee titled “Engaging Volunteers in What You Do,” where you will learn about giving the inspiration and direction necessary to fully engage volunteers in your organization?  We’ll focus on using your story to recruit and retain more volunteers, inspire ambassadors for your organization and develop support for volunteers within your organization.   This seminar costs $40-60 and will be held on Thursday, November 10, 9-11:30am at the Volunteer Center of Milwaukee.  (details at www.alineaconnect.com).

Part III: #1 Fundraising Tool, Your Professional Case Statement

Writing Your Success Stories, Goals, How You Can Help, and Credibility Text Box

Your case statement is almost ready!  In my previous two posts, you learned how to write your Did You Know, Mission, Vision and Unique Approach Sections. Now I will show you have to complete your case statement through writing a compelling success story, articulating specific and measurable goals, how people can help your organization and what you need to include in your credibility text box located on the left hand side of your page.

Section #5 – Success Stories 

The purpose of your professional case statement is to inspire people to want to help.  Nothing inspires people more than bringing your mission to life through stories.  Your case statement should include at least one success story that illustrates the magic of your unique approach.  The formula for an effective success story is:  What was the situation or challenges before this person came to your school or organization + What happened at your school or organization + What does the future look like now and what are the person’s goals after benefiting by your organization’s mission. 

Example – SOS Center  www.soscenterinc.org

“I dropped out of school when I was in the 10^th grade.  By 16, I was pregnant and married.  I raised two children who finished school and some college.  I took care of my grandchildren so that my children could work. I’ve been a housekeeper for over 20 years.

Now I find myself at 52, divorced and no more children to care for.  One day I passed the SOS Center and saw a sign on the lawn, Free GED Classes.  I went in and signed up.  I’ve been going to the classes three days a week, for a year.  The classes are not easy; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to just give up, but I keep coming back because I’m doing this for me, and I want a victory!

I’m so grateful for this lab; I have this opportunity to achieve something that I passed up a long time ago.  I’m sure everyone here feels the same way.  Thank you for your continued support of the lab.”

Darlene has since earned her GED in June 2011.  But the big news is that she scored a perfect 800 on her Reading Test where a score of 410 is all that is required to pass!

Example – Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School 

Twins, Miguel and Tito, came to Mt. Lebanon for 4^th grade barely reading at a 2^nd grade level, way behind in math and not engaged in school.  Being premature babies, tragically, their family was told not to expect high academic success.  Immersed in a culture of high expectations and nurturing support they needed from teachers, today in 8^th grade, Miquel and Tito are internally motivated to succeed, and Tito will make the honor role this quarter.  Miguel and Tito plan to attend WI Lutheran H.S.

Example – Victory Christian Academy  www.vcaschool.org

Naomi arrived at VCA in 4^th grade illiterate and with severe discipline and emotional issues.  A well mannered and respected student of her peers and teachers, as well as scoring proficient in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies (WKCE 2009), she will graduate in just a few days and attend WI Lutheran High School.  Naomi plans to study criminal justice. 

Section #6 – Achievements

I’m always surprised at how difficult it is for nonprofits and schools to identify their successes and accomplishments.  They are always focused on doing a better job, which is a good thing, but people want to support an organization that has shown it can be successful.  It doesn’t matter if you’re not as far along as you would like.  Share your successes to get people excited about what your organization is capable of.   Here are some examples of client successes.

Example – Day Care Services for Children, Inc. – www.daycareservicesforchildren.com

• Ninety percent of our children are determined to be  “ready for school” according to the Chicago Early Assessment and child developmental assessment administered five times during the school year.

• Collaborate with more than 60 partners, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists and the Milwaukee Health Department to provide immunizations, physical and dental exams and support services to 100% of our children at our sites. 

• Staff people are among the most qualified in the field. One Hundred percent of center managers and administrative staff have bachelor’s degrees; more than 70% have associate degrees, and of that 40% are working toward bachelor’s degrees; one-third have worked at DCSC for more than 15 years.

Example – Connecting Youth, Inc. 

§  Served more than 150 young men since founding in 2002.

§  99% of these men successfully achieved their program goals and were reunited with their families.

§  Tens of young men continue their relationship with our staff, reporting education and employment success and seeking guidance in overcoming challenges

§  100% of staff people have at least three years experience working with at-risk youth, are enrolled in the Youth Professional Development Program (School of Continuing Education at UW-Milwaukee) and complete 50 continuing education hours yearly.

Example – A2 Charter and Jackson Elementary Schools 

• Jackson’s Magic Tree House Reading Center Project featured on the August of 2008 cover of “Teaching Today” magazine.
• 2008 Recipient of Sheboygan County Green Scene Grant Award.
• Known for strong education programming and extensive free-of-charge after-school enrichment activities.  Only elementary school in the Sheboygan Area School District with a student-run newspaper and Yearbook Club.
• 98% parent and student satisfaction for 2007-2008 school year.

Section #7 – Goals

Remember the formula for sustainability through effective community engagement?  Story + Direction + Strategic Relationship Cultivation.  Direction means being clear about what your organization needs and how people can help.  Everyone inside your building plus your ambassadors must be able to articulate your top three priorities when it comes to recourses.  If not, you will surely miss some opportunities when someone at the next cocktail party says, “How can I help?”  Some client examples.

Example – TBEY (Tessas’ Black Entertainment & Youth Center)  www.tbey.org

 

• Provide a $3,000 annual stipend to every instructor, totaling $60,000.
• Increase our scholarship fund by $14,400 to allow 40 additional students to attend TBEY.
• Grow annual revenue to $200,000 in 2012/2013.

Example – Wauwatosa School of the Trades

• Educate the public about trades as a true profession and trades unions as community partners
• Increase enrollment by 60% by eventually adding freshman and sophomore classes
• Increase trades instructor  teaching days by 20 – $15,000
• Recruit Co-op Placement Partners to provide more opportunities to work while in school
• Transportation for students to trades training centers - $5,000
• Library renovation including trades books and journals and full library- $10,000
• Consumable materials and technology upgrades annually - $15,000
• CAD program and the training certification for teachers to teach it - $7,000

Section #8 – How You Can Help

When people finish skimming your case statement and they become inspired, they should know exactly what they can do to help.  This section should contain specific items that people can help with immediately.  Here are some client examples.

Example – Divine Savior Academy – www.divinesavioracademy.com 

• Visit!  Tour our school and witness excellent education and student success in person.
• Donate!  Help expand our science and music programs. 
• Serve!  Contribute your talents by joining our Marketing or Fund Development Committees.
• Sponsor!  Connect with our students, families, faculty and supporters by sponsoring one of our events, like Winter Festival or one of our Parent Sharing Nights.

Example – Shiocton International Leadership Academy

§  Visit!  See hands-on learning and global awareness in action.

§  Give!  Your time, money and talent can make a huge difference.

§  Volunteer!  Offer your home to a foreign exchange student. 

Example – BHK Child Development Board  www.bhkfirst.org

• AmeriCorps: Make a difference by serving in a school, child care center or community agency in the western Upper Peninsula and receive a $12,700 living allowance and a $4,725 education award for one year of service. For more information contact Chrissy Karry at (906) 482-3663.

• Volunteer: Assist in the classroom, extend school activities at home, participate in home visits, be a bus monitor, attend parent meetings or share your talents and gifts in other ways.  For more information contact Lisa Schmierer at (906) 482-3663.

• Donate: The BHK Foundation was founded in 2006 by community leaders and parents to meet the need for excellent early childhood programs and educational support in our community.  Your gift will directly support local children's services and scholarships for area students. Please send your tax deductible contribution to: BHK Foundation, 700 Park Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931.

Section #9 – Credibility Text Box 

Your case statement should include a text box on the left side of the front page, which lists the leadership, board members, major donors and supporters and contact information.  People like to see what other people they respect are supporting.  For example, if you have received a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, that fact adds credibility to your case for a lot of potential supporters.  

You are now finished!  Make sure you present this document to your organization’s board for feedback, input and agreement.  Once approved it is time to put this document in the hands of as many people as possible so that they in turn learn how to speak of your organization, just as I described in the first posting of this series. 

If you would like to see examples of some case statements, please email me at Deborah@alineaconnect.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Part II: #1 Fundraising Tool: Your Professional Case Statement

Writing Your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach

In my previous post, How to Build the 10 Sections of Your Case Statement, I discussed with you why it is so important for your story to be clearly articulated by as many people as possible in order to cultivate the relationships you need in order to attract resources.  With a compelling and concise case statement to put in the hands of as many people as possible, you will be on the path of attracting resources in places you might never even expect.  So many of my clients have been surprised by the resources they have attracted once they learned to tell their story.  If you haven’t already, check out my blog, Making Relationship Fundraising Work for your Non-Profit or School, for more inspiration!

I also discussed the keys to grabbing your reader’s attention in the beginning of your document with a “Did you know?” section that also emphasizes the need for the work your school or organization does.  Now it is time to discuss the next 3 sections of your case statement:

1. Your mission and how you achieve your mission  
2. Your vision for the future 
3. Your unique approach

Let’s get started!

Section #2 – Mission and how you achieve your mission

Your mission should be short and sweet and clearly describe why your nonprofit exists.  It is extremely important though that your mission statement never says you do more than three things. As much as we would like, people will never be able to remember more.  You should also use language that everyone can understand.  The language we use within our field could sound completely foreign to someone outside of it. 

Next, following your mission statement should be no more than three bullets that describe how you achieve your mission.  Here are some examples from our clients’ case statements to give you a better idea.

Example – Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association www.wccaa.org     

The Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association (WCCAA) collaborates with government, individuals, agencies and companies to increase access to quality early care and education for all families.  We achieve our mission in three ways:

• WCCAA influences public policy to increase standards, quality and access to early care and education for all families.
• WCCAA provides professional development on early care and education to strengthen best practices and increase quality.
• WCCAA supports its members via access to a network of center administrators.

Example – Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship  www.ceoofme.biz

The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship (CTE) empowers young people ages 9-24 to see themselves as the CEO of Me as they experience personal and professional growth through programs and coaching related to financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

We accomplish our mission through:

•  Personal and professional enrichment experiences that allow young people to see themselves in a variety of roles and build personal character traits like self-discipline, business etiquette and perseverance.
• Entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs that teach young people how to launch small businesses, manage and invest money and develop critical thinking skills.
• Individualized coaching to prepare young people for success as entrepreneurs and professionals in contemporary business settings. 

Example – BHK Child Development Board – www.bhkfirst.org

BHK Child Development Board serves children and families through innovation, collaboration and comprehensive services that set high standards of excellence.

We accomplish our mission through:

• Bay

  Child Development and Education Programs for Children that are research-based best practices taking place in a caring and nurturing environment in order to build a solid foundation for each child's success. 

• Programs for Families that transform ordinary interactions with their child into extraordinary learning experiences!

• Health and Wellness Programs that  help families, staff and health professionals overcome barriers that prevent families and children from receiving needed health services.

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute 

Through a hands-on learning community focused on understanding the Earth’s systems, Red Cedar Environmental Institute provides middle school students with an academic experience tailored to inspire and challenge every single student.

How we achieve our mission:

• Engaged students – We tailor our curriculum to students who learn better through hands-on projects and scientific inquiry.  No matter a student’s starting point, they will be challenged accordingly and be free to maximize their progress according to their ability.

• Project-based learning – Projects related to natural resources in the Chetek area will act as the vehicle to learn core subjects like math, reading and language arts as well as 21^st Century skills of collaboration, problem solving and communication.

• Earth’s systems – Focusing on the natural resources of the Chetek area inspires projects that will benefit our local community and allowing students to deeply research projects empowers them to make their own conclusion. 

Section #3 – Vision for the Future

People are much more inspired by your vision for what the world looks like because of your nonprofit that what you actually do.  Your work is important, but often nonprofits lose sight of what their ultimate goal is.  Your vision for the future should paint a colorful picture of the impact you hope your organization will have.  Ideally, your stakeholders (people and organizations that are impacted by your organization) should contribute to this vision.  If they do, they will feel like they have ownership of helping make it happen. 

Here are some examples of compelling vision statements:

Example – Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association  www.wccaa.org

All children are prepared for personal and educational success

• WCCAA is a global model for collaboration to influence public policy and professional development to impact best practices for early care and education.

• WCCAA inspires a family-friendly philosophy empowering early care and education centers to care for children and assist businesses to achieve goals through secure and productive employees.

Example – St. Marcus Lutheran School & Church www.stmarcus.org

St. Marcus is a nationally recognized leader in urban educational reform and a welcoming and inviting force of transformation for the Milwaukee Community.

Example – CAPITA Productions, Inc.  www.capitalproductions.org

Through world-wide support of its endowment and scholarship fund, CAPITA offers unlimited opportunities for people seeking to grow as performers and as members of diverse communities.  

CAPITA’s unique inclusive approach to uniting communities through meaningful theatre experiences is a model adopted by communities around the world.

Through its quality productions, mentoring and touring opportunities, CAPITA is a pipeline of talented performers for professional performing arts companies around the world.  

Section #4 – Unique Approach

Funders don’t like duplication.  If your nonprofit is addressing a similar issue as others, it will be very important to distinguish your organization from others.  What is special about your approach to the same issue?  For example, St. Marcus Lutheran School emphasizes a “no-excuses” philosophy, and if a child is not succeeding it means that St. Marcus is not succeeding.  They don’t care what the background of the child is, and once that student enters the building their focus is on educating that child.  Bottom line, they focus on the students inside the building.  Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School requires that its teachers and staff appreciate how poverty impacts the students they service, and offers programs to families in order to increase the likelihood that students receive support at home.  They focus on students inside the school but also try to impact the support they receive at home for their education. 

Here are some other examples of how our clients describe their unique approach.

Example – Shiocton International Learning Academy www.silacharter.com

Our learning model takes personalized learning to a whole new level.  There are three key components of our model that ensure students are maximizing their learning: 

• Project-based learning allows students to explore areas of personal interest deeply and use a variety of learning styles to master core subjects key abilities.  Community partnerships provide mentors and opportunities to take learning out of the classroom to engages students and offer opportunities to apply knowledge to real-life scenarios.
• Additional support is offered immediately when it becomes apparent that students lack a particular skill.  For example, a short-term seminar may be used to teach a specific skill.  Or a web-based computer program, partnered with standardized testing, will identify remaining knowledge gaps to be used to further tailor learning for that student.
•  Accountability:  Five-year student achievement goals are included on our website.  Progress toward achievement goals will be published on the website and updated annually. 

Example – House of Love  www.house-of-love.org

Loving Family Environment + Personal Development Plans = Successful Independent Living:

• A safe and loving family environment full of positive encouragement, clear expectations and immediate feedback allow our youth to gain confidence and preparation for adulthood.
• Self sufficiency is achieved through individual personal development plans and rigorous support services in the areas of

o   life skills

o   education

o   holistic health

Take some time to review your Mission, Vision and Unique Approach to make sure they fit within these guidelines and are agreed upon with your board.   Once again, all sections should be compelling, concise and communicate the essence of your organization.  Please feel free to contact me for advice or even share your work here!  I’d love to learn more about your organization!

In my next post I will be discussing the final sections of your case statement.  You are well on your way to begin relationship fundraising!

#1 Fundraising Tool – Your Professional Case Statement

How to Build the 10 Sections of Your Nonprofit's Professional Case Statement

Building a brand happens when your story is heard by many people told in a similar fashion. In order to cultivate relationships to attract the resources you need, you need to grow a following of ambassadors that are compelled relate your story to others. In order to do that you must first be able to tell your own story. What you need is a professional case statement for your school or organization.

Your professional case statement is essentially the gathering place for your official story. This is a document that should be put in the hands of as many people as possible. It contains all of the vital information that a prospective supporter would want to know in order to decide whether they wanted to learn more. 

Over the next few blog posts I am going to demonstrate for you how to build a professional case statement that is:

• Compelling: Your story should resonate with people who are not familiar with your organization
• Concise: The themes should be limited and not repeated throughout the 2 page document that is no greater than 1 sheet of paper with lots of white space. The goal should be to say a lot with as few words as possible. The font size should be no smaller than 11 point.
• Consistently told by your ambassadors, board members, staff people, families, volunteers, etc.

Now that you know what a case statement is and why every organization needs to have one, I am going to start out showing you how to grab your reader’s attention right from the start, simply by asking a question. 

Section #1 – “Did You Know . . .”

Your professional case statement should begin by getting people’s attention with some very compelling questions that pique people’s interest. This way, they want to continue reading. Here are some examples from our clients’ case statements.

Example – Wauwatosa School of the Trades

Did you know . . .

97% of college graduates will make less than people who work in the trades?

The average apprentice will earn $250,000 in wages and benefits during the 4-5 year apprenticeship program?

Apprentice trained trades professionals have a greater income potential than 96% of four-year college graduates?

Example – Red Cedar Environmental Institute

Did you know...

Increased demand for green products and clean energy means the need for more environmentally- based businesses leading to economic growth and employment opportunities?

The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser School District contains six school forests totaling 380 acres filled with lakes, rivers, wetlands and environmental areas?

The Red Cedar Environmental Institute will act as an important stepping stone to careers in sustainability?

Example – Shiocton International Leadership Academy
 

      Did you know . . . 

      All learners benefit by personalized education plans and by being in groups with students of different ages and abilities.

      Special-needs, at-risk, average, and gifted students who have personalized education plans are more engaged, motivated and build self-respect and confidence. They are challenged to achieve their potential without traditional limitations.

How did you feel after reading each of these intro’s? By starting out with a “Did you know?” section, you not only are attracting the attention of the reader but also reinforcing why your organization is needed.  Think about your service and your readers. Post your intro below or send me an email and I will be happy to discuss. 

Next week I will continue this series with how to include your Mission and Vision in your professional case statement.

Your Organization’s Banker Should be One of Your Biggest Cheerleaders!

5 Steps to Making this Happen:

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about how nonprofits and schools can strategically cultivate relationships in order to secure the resources they depend on for long-term sustainability and I hope you have been inspired through the real-life stories I illustrated for you of many of my other clients who have successfully implemented this strategy. Today, I’m going to share with you some more examples of how you can grow another relationship with a specific type of stakeholder – your bank. 

When you think about it, your organization’s bank has a big stake in your success. Why?

 

1. When your organization is financially stable, you are less of a risk to them.

2. As your organization grows its revenue, your bank benefits because their assets grow.

3. Your bank serves a neighborhood or community just like your organization does. When your organization is strong and has a positive impact on the community, you have more clients who need a bank to save money with.

4. Having nonprofits like yours as clients offers the bank an opportunity to say they support community organizations that help make the community a better place for everyone.

Clearly, banks benefit when they have you as a client. But the benefits to your organization of banking with a certain bank should go way beyond the ability to have a checking and savings account. Let me show you how:

 

1. Your banker should offer solutions. Your banker should be sitting down with you, quarterly, to review your situation to offer solutions that help you better manage your cash flow. If you contract with a county government to provide group home services to teens that are in the foster care system and receive large chunks of money at a time for expenses over a three or six month period, your checkbook is likely not paying interest on all that extra money it’s sitting on. When all’s said and done, all that excess money could be doing something other than just sitting stagnant for a month. Shouldn’t your banker suggest transferring a big chunk of that money into a special savings account or money market fund that pays some interest? Depending on the interest rate, this could be a significant amount. This happened to me once. As my business grew, I found myself spending a lot of time making trips to the bank to make deposits. I wanted to deposit my client payments so efficiently that I found myself making trips to the bank the second the mailman walked up my steps with my check. I got to the point where I was making 10 trips to the bank a month. Out of curiosity, I calculated this out and found I was spending five hours every month driving to the bank instead of using this time to help more clients. Ridiculous, right? When this finally dawned on me, I called my banker and asked what I could do about it. Within a week I received a remote deposit scanner and software that allowed me to make deposits literally, from my desk. After six free months, the cost was only $50 a month. Seriously, $50 is just a fraction of the value of my time working for my clients or connecting with new clients.

2. Your banker should be your cheerleader. Your banker should have an interest in your organization’s mission because you are their client. While your mission probably resonates with them, it’s up to you to empower them with the knowledge about how to talk about your organization and your needs. Bankers are relationship people out in the community, and great bankers should constantly look for connections and opportunities for their clients. Your bank probably has a foundation that’s a match for your mission. Great bankers guide you through the process of educating the right foundation about your organization and perhaps submitting a grant application.

Do you see what I mean? It’s extremely important to find the right bank and/or banker to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with. Why? It’s all about relationship cultivation. Let me show you.

 

I met my current business banker with PNC Bank in Milwaukee while working for an alinea client. My banker fell in love with our client and facilitated a major sponsorship donation for their annual event. She constantly talked about the school (still does) and connected the school to people who could help. At some point, she sat down with the decision makers of this school to talk about their current banking relationship and gained an understanding of this school’s needs. She presented a proposal that showed she could significantly reduce banking fees, and that PNC Bank could also offer some kind of financing for the organization’s expansion project. I literally watched her become a cheerleader for my client.

After observing what alinea was doing for this client, she sat down with us and admitted she was so inspired by our work that she immediately became our cheerleader. She told us, “When I’m meeting with a prospective client that happens to be working with alinea, they get extra points, because I know they’re looking outside their four walls.” From here on, she was always referring me to nonprofits. At this point she hadn’t even asked about my current banking relationship. After knowing her for almost a year, she asked to sit down with my husband and me to talk about my business and personal needs. She immediately found a way to help us consolidate some debt, secure a short-term loan, open a business line of credit, and save money on fees. I was sold, and I haven’t looked back since. I banked with my past bank for 25 years, and in all that time no one suggested I sit down with a business banker to review my business needs. I’m now a cheerleader for PNC Bank because I feel like I’m my business banker’s only client. 

Whenever I sit down with a prospective client, I now always ask them about their current banking relationship. Sometimes nonprofits look at me funny because they’re not sure what a banking relationship is supposed to look like. Recently I sat down with a nonprofit that had a small budget of $150,000. They were paying $90 per month in fees. I told them I thought that seemed high and I connected them with my business banker who immediately saved them fees. I worked with a larger organization that had $300,000 sitting in an account earning no money. It was a kind of endowment. When I asked them how often their banker came to see them to talk about their account, they laughed. I connected them with my business banker, they moved their money and they were also encouraged to apply for a significant grant from the PNC Foundation because their interest in serving children from birth to five matched the organization’s mission to provide early child care and education to low-income families.

Real relationship cultivation takes time and thought. Here are the steps you should take beginning today so your bank can become your cheerleader:

Steps

1. Start by assessing your relationship with your current bank. If you’re not happy, you could start by asking for a meeting with someone who is supposed to serve your account and ask them to meet with you to review your financial situation and make recommendations about how you could be doing things better. If you decide your current bank is not a match, go to another bank branch in your neighborhood or try to get a referral from another nonprofit that is excited about their bank. 

2. Once you find a bank you’re interested in, call them and ask to schedule a meeting with a business banker who specializes in nonprofits. Tell them you’re checking out some new banks because you’re not happy with your current bank. At the meeting, educate the banker about your organization and its financial situation. Tell them you’re looking for a banker that will be interested in your organization’s success and will be willing to spend the time to work with you to do a better job with your finances. You’re interviewing them. 

3. Once you choose a bank, remember strategic relationship cultivation is not about asking for money or other things. Reach out to your banker and offer to take some time to share your story through a tour. Remember to tell your story in a compelling, concise and consistent manner and be clear about where you want the organization to go and what you need to get there. Ask them what they think and don’t forget to ask them, “Who else needs to know about us?” They likely will think of five other people who will be interested in your organization’s mission. They might even ask, “How can I help?” That’s it. That’s all you ask for except to put them on your mailing list to stay in touch.

4. Remember to send a hand written thank you note to your banker after your meeting.

5. Mark in your calendar that you need to do some kind of follow-up in about a month. That could be an email to your banker sharing a success story, it could be a personal invitation from one of your board members to an event, or it could be you noticed the banker was written up in the local business journal because of an award they received. Just reach out.

6. Begin to reach out to the other people your banker thought would be interested in your organization. Call them, mention the connection and ask if they would be interested in learning about your organization or taking a tour. If not, no worries. Ask them if you could just put them on the email list. If not, no worries. Thank them for the opportunity to spread the word about your mission. 

7. If you do this right, and you’ve inspired people and been clear about where you want to go and how to get there, the people who are inspired will offer to help in ways that are meaningful to them, which could result in millions of dollars like it did for one of our clients.

If you’ve got stories, please share them with us. Let me know if this posting has been helpful and how you plan to leverage what you’ve learned.