Seth Godin is one of today’s foremost business authors and bloggers. We at Asking Matters read his blog daily and are often struck by how applicable his ideas are to the nonprofit world and particularly to fundraising. So with huge thanks to Seth Godin, we publish here another installment in our WWSS (What Would Seth Say about … ) series by Andrea Kihlstedt, Cofounder of Asking Matters.

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Read Seth’s original post Transparent or Translucent

Transparent or Translucent?

There’s an argument for transparency. If you make it easy for people to see right through you, the thinking goes, you are easier to trust.

Our donors, though, often seek out the translucent. Things that make their hearts glow. They’re drawn to the glow, to the illumination and warm feeling it brings.

Donors like the tools to be transparent. They want the funding transactions to be totally clear and easy, so they can get out of the way and can focus on what’s true.

But the nonprofit organizations that create the heartwarming stories — it would be better if they glowed instead.

Like our adaptation of Seth’s blog? Check out another post from our WWSS series about What Donors Want.

Do you know your Asking Style? Find it out today.

Not a member of Asking Matters yet? Join NOW.

by Andrea Kihlstedt

We want you to feel more comfortable asking. That’s the idea at the heart of the Asking Styles system. We believe that if you feel more comfortable you will:

1. Be more likely to get out and ask

2. Ask in a way that’s more authentic

Why does it matters if you’re authentic? If you’re the real you when asking for a gift? It matters because when you are authentic, you’re most likely to connect with your donor. And by connect, I don’t just mean converse.  By connect I mean that remarkable coming together that sparks the best, values-based conversations. Those authentic conversations are the ones you remember because you and someone else spoke from your heart in the way that was true for both of you.

Conversations like that take courage of the sort researcher and writer Brené Brown talks about. According to Brené, courage wasn’t always defined as the heroism we think of today.

Originally, someone was courageous when they “spoke their mind by telling their heart.” And that’s the kind of courage we need when we talk to donors. We must be comfortable and open enough to speak our minds by telling our hearts and sharing our values.

In the video below, Andy Robinson gets it right! It’s great, he says, to feel comfortable asking, but in the end, you’ve got to get over yourself and remember that what’s important isn’t how you the solicitor feels; what’s really important is how the donor feels.  And when a donor has an authentic conversations that result in a gift, he feels great!

Like this video? Watch more videos by Andy Robinson.  Be sure to read Andy’s new book How to Raise $500 to $5000 From Almost Anyone. Andy is a well-known speaker, trainer, consultant and author who lives in Vermont. We thank him for his generous and inspired contributions to Asking Matters.

And check out these Simple Strategies for Success.  Note: this is in the Members-only section of the site. Not a member yet? Join now.

For more information about Brené Brown, see her remarkable TED talk on The Power of Vulnerability.

Here’s the full list of monthly webinars through the end of the year. Members can register for any or all of these great sessions by going to the homepage. The webinars are presented by Andrea and Brian with an occasional surprise guest.

If you are a member, log in and go to this members-only page to sign up for these webinars.  

Not an Asking Matters member? Join NOW.

March 21: Dealing with Objections When Asking: Turning No’s and Maybe’s into Yes’s

April 26: Asking Your Board to Give: The Who, HOw and When of Asking Board Members for Gifts

May 16:  Five Simple Steps to Creating a Culture of Asking at Your Organization

June 20: Train Volunteers to Ask: Keys to Developing a Year-Round Training Plan

July 18: Gearing Up to Ask: The Fall Campaign

August 22: Need Vs. Vision: Make the Strongest Case for Support

September 20: Best Practices for Supporting Your Askers

October 17: The Arc (and Art) of the Ask: How to Have an Intentional Conversation with Donors

November 7: Top Strategies for Closing Gifts Before December 31

December 4: Making Everyone Feel Special: Thank You! Ten Tips on Making Donors and Askers Feel Great

Not an Asking Matters member? Join NOW.

Xan Blake, former ED of Planned Parenthood of the Mercer Area talks about how she relied on her case for support to ask for campaign gifts.

by Paul Jolly

Taking the Asking Matters assessment helped me to understand why I am good at some aspects of fund raising and vexed by others. Here is what I have found.

A ceasefire in “class warfare”. I can get as wound up as the next guy about the growing gulf between the privileged and the rest of us. But when I am talking to a gazillionaire about an organization we both care about, I unwind.

  It has given me great satisfaction to craft a fund raising career out of being plain ol’ me.

It takes all kinds. Donors who are passionate about a cause are fun to talk to. It doesn’t matter if they are cringing introverts or raging extroverts. My interpersonal skills are at their height when I am with a committed donor. We are kindred spirits together!

Asking is no big deal. Whatever gene makes people squirm about asking for money is missing from my DNA. If I can help an important organization do good work by asking for a gift, and you can help by being generous, let’s do it.

This is not say that I am a five star fund raiser. I get lost in crowds, so I am mostly useless at events. Donors who ask tough analytical questions can often throw me off guard. And I can’t work for organizations whose fund raising is based on prestige, because I can’t promote elitism with a straight face. Not even for a good cause.

The stereotypical fund raiser, working his way around a crowded room with a firm handshake for everyone, is my polar opposite. It has given me great satisfaction to craft a fund raising career out of being plain ol’ me.

Paul Jolly has been a fundraiser for over 20 years, in development shops ranging in size from 1 to 30. His consulting practice focuses on helping organizations strengthen relationships with their best donors. He has given numerous workshops in the Mid-Atlantic region, serves as an “expert” on the Asking Matters Web site, and is a peer reviewer for Maryland Nonprofits’ Standards for Excellence program.

The Best Kept Secret of Successful Fundraising 

by Amy Eisenstein, MPA, CFRE specializes in fundraising consulting for local and national nonprofits. Her “no-nonsense” approach to fundraising yields big results for her clients and readers.

What I’m about to share with you is actually no secret at all, but many nonprofit executive directors don’t seem to know it. So this might as well be the best kept secret out there.

Are you ready?

Okay, here it is:

Development staff members must work together with board members in order to achieve the best fundraising outcomes.

You may be thinking to yourself, “No duh, Amy! What kind of secret is that?”

Amazingly, development directors frequently complain that they’re left out of board meetings and denied contact with the board members by their executive directors. It always makes me sad to hear.

My conclusion is that executive directors must understand this most vital piece of information.

Fundraising is a Team Activity

Yes, that’s right, and it bears repeating. Fundraising is a team activity. Your fundraising efforts could be many times more successful if all the members of the team were playing together.

If you’re a development director and you don’t have relationships with your board members it tells me that your executive directors doesn’t trust you and doesn’t understand fundraising – a dangerous combination for your organization.

Of course, it’s not all executive directors. Some may truly not understand what the relationship between development staff and board members should be. So here it is…

If you want to raise the most money possible, it’s important that the executive director, development staff members, and board members work together. Each member of the team has their own special role. When you restrict contact between development staff and board members you might as well be leaving money on the proverbial table.

Why Must the Development Director and Board Members Work Together?

Organizations where board members are actively engaged in the fundraising process raise more money. Period.

Here’s how to ensure your development director and board members are working together effectively:

1. The development director should attend all board meetings.

It’s critical for the development director to have a good working relationship with board members and be viewed as a part of the leadership team of the organization. Attendance at board meetings will ensure that the development director is up-to-date on the most important pieces of business of the organization. Regular attendance also ensures that is board members are familiar with the development director and that he or she is on hand to answer questions that arise at the meeting.

2. The development director should “staff” the development committee.

The development director should be the staff member handling the business of the development committee. They should work closely with the chair person of the development committee to provide agendas and help lead discussions. The development director is responsible for implementing fundraising programs of the development committee and, therefore, must be present during discussions.

3. The development director should meet with each board member annually.

In coordination with the executive director and board president (or development committee chair,) the development director should meet with each board member to determine how they can best help with fundraising efforts. This annual, in-person meeting is an opportunity to get to know board members better, discuss their connections and networks in the community, and learn how they are willing to help with fundraising.

If you or your development director is not doing all of the above, it’s time for a change.

Going Further: Building a Winning Team

If you’d like additional information about building a winning fundraising team, click the link below:

http://www.tripointfundraising.com/do-you-have-a-winning-fundraising-team/

TAKE THE ASKING STYLE ASSESSMENT NOW.