Category: Finance

Here six key objectives I set for every fundraising letter I write. I use these as standards to review and rewrite a draft appeal until I can’t improve it further.

1. Create a personal connection. Always use the first person singular (“I,” “me,” “my”), never the snooty-sounding, disembodied “we.” Talk to me as if we are sharing coffee together. Use the word “you” as often as you can. Finding ways to use the word “you” naturally helps make your writing conversational and friendly.

2. Tell a story. I know you’re saving the world. Now, can you show me one specific person (whose life you’ve changed? Can you name them? Quote them? Introduce that person and a problem. Then tell me what happened. Or better, tell me what can happen if I get involved.

3. Appeal to emotions. We give with hearts first, heads second. That story you’re telling should arouse my pity or pride or fear. Your first-person narrator (the “I” in your letter) can express emotions directly, prompting the reader to reflect your own feelings of anger, sadness or hope.

4. But still make sense. You always need to make a logical connection between my gift and important results. Who else will your organization help with that extra dollar? How will you make a bigger difference in their life?

5. Show donors the benefits. Your organization’s direct outcomes, such as meals served, acres saved or patients treated are great – but they are not benefits to the donor. Tell me what I can expect to get out of my donation. Benefits may be direct and tangible, (free admissions and publications), indirect, (a safer, more prosperous community) or emotional, (the warm feeling of helping a child).

6. Give readers one thing to do. And make it easy. If this is fundraising letter, then ask for money early, and again at the end – don’t ask for volunteers, phone callers, etc. Suggest a specific amount for my gift, but provide opportunities for larger gifts with an “ask string” of gift amounts above the target amount and an “other amount” option for those who can’t send your target gift.

Remember that you get only a small slice of a reader’s attention when they first look at your letter. Pursuing these goals from your very first word will earn more time with your reader, engage their interest and convert interest into donation action.

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Next Week’s posting is a piece by John Elbare
on the “value” of getting your constituents to donate
stock and mutual fund shares.

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Jon is Vice President of Cause & Effect, Inc.
He has helped nonprofits develop successful direct response strategies and
effective donor communications for more than 25 years.
Contact Jonathan Howard or
visit the Cause & Effect website
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

October 29:

Six Goals For A Direct Mail Letter
by Jonathan Howard

…six key elements for every fundraising letter – standards to use to review and rewrite a draft appeal until it can’t be improved further.

November 5:

Remind Your Donors to Give Stocks and Mutual Funds
by John Elbare

Stocks and mutual funds make great charitable gifts…. Once donors learn about the tax advantages of donating stock, they often become consistent stock donors.

November 12:

Dear Millennial, Pick Up The Phone. Love, Your Boss. (Part I)
by K. Michael Johnson

I don’t love making phone calls … but it didn’t take me long to realize that the top performers in our line of work are good on the phone.

November 19:

Dear Millennial, Pick Up The Phone. Love, Your Boss. (Part II)
by K. Michael Johnson

Many Millennials don’t love talking on the phone … especially with people whose numbers aren’t already programmed into our phones … but phone skills are a must.

November 25:

Staff Involvement In Strategic Planning & Keeping in Touch With Donors
by Tony Poderis

Two short pieces from Tony: The first addressing whether staff should/must be involved in strategic planning, and the second discussing some common and some creative ways to stay in touch.

December 3:

Revisiting The Gift Table
by Hank Lewis

Of all the topics addressed by the contributors to this blog, this one, Gift Tables, which has had relatively little written about it, is one of the oldest and one of the most visited topics we’ve posted. This, then, is an updated version of a four-year-old posting.

December 10:

Special Events: Why A “Tasting” Is An Essential Part Of Event Planning
by Natalie Lewis

This is the first half of a two part posting on the elements of, and the absolute need for “Tastings” as part of planning for an event.

December 17:

Special Events: Why A “Tasting” Is An Essential Part Of Event Planning
by Natalie Lewis

Part Two of a posting on the elements of, and the absolute need for “Tastings” as part of planning for an event.

December 23:

“We’re A New Organization. Where Do We Find The Donors?”
by Tony Poderis

An all too common question, that usually arises far later in an organization’s forming process than it should have been asked.

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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks.
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you would just like to offer your thoughts on this posting, and/or you would like to suggest topics you’d like us to address in future postings we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.”

In my last post, I shared a few thoughts with fundraising managers about supervising “digital natives.” Today, I have some tech-related advice for my fellow Millennials.

1. Stay open to the possibility that the internet may not be the solution every time.

Sometimes, for example, emailing your prospect just won’t get it done. You may need to pick up the phone or meet face-to-face to move the conversation forward. I’ll talk more about this in the weeks ahead.

2. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from your older colleagues.

Fundraising is about people – other people, specifically.

I mentioned earlier that many of the best frontline fundraisers I know have been at it for decades. These gift officers are beloved by whoever they meet and can build trust quickly with just about anybody. And a little secret: some of them don’t use a computer. Ever.

If anyone like that works at your organization, get to know them … in as great a depth as you can. Ask if you can listen in when they call prospects, or if you can tag along on donor visits.

In particular, focus on how they establish rapport and nurture relationships. What language do they use when speaking to prospects? Listen to their tone of voice, and watch their body language and mannerisms. It will be an education in people skills, I promise.

3. Be skeptical of your multi-tasking abilities.

A growing body of research shows that multi-tasking doesn’t lead to higher productivity. Why? There’s a small cognitive “cost” to switching between tasks – these add up over time. Moreover, Stanford professor Dr. Clifford Nass has shown that multi-taskers have a harder time tuning out distractions.

So, my recommendation is to test it. Schedule a few 45-minute windows in your day where you focus exclusively on your highest priority tasks. Put your phone on silent and place it out of reach. Close down your email program, along with unnecessary web pages.

Whether you’re making outreach calls, writing an appeal letter, or developing a project strategy, commit to focusing on nothing else for those 45 minutes. Try this for a few days and see if you don’t find yourself getting more of the most important things done.

That’s it for this topic, but keep coming back. In my next posting, I’ll talk about something most Millennials would rather avoid: phone calls.

In the meantime, leave a comment and share your funniest story about generational differences in the workplace.

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K. Michael Johnson is a major gift officer at a large research university
and the founder ofFearless-Fundraising.com ,
where he discusses the inner game of deeper relationships and bigger asks.
You can contact him at K. Michael Johnson.
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

On June 18 & 25, Lynne deLearie wrote about “Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals.” Coincidentally, I’ve recently been involved in some discussions in which some folks were leaning much too far in one direction or the other.

Those conversations were prompted by what one participant reported as an interesting article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy (April 4, 2014) about “grantors acting more like investors.” An excerpt:

“For at least a decade, movers and shakers in philanthropy have been trying to persuade donors to behave more like data-driven investors.

But the so-called effective-philanthropy movement suffered a significant setback last month when the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a prominent champion of the idea, announced that it was ending an eight-year, $12-million effort to get donors to rely as much on their heads as their hearts.

After this year, it is dropping support for groups like Charity Navigator, GiveWell, and GuideStar that provide publicly-accessible information about the financial performance and social impact of nonprofits. (Editor’s Note: The previous sentence has been revised to more precisely describe the initiative.) [The Foundation, however] is continuing to fund groups that provide research on philanthropic strategies that produce measurable results.

The decision pleases some critics worried that philanthropy has become too heavily focused on short-term measurements at the expense of worthy efforts that may not bear results for years.”
……….

That excerpt has a few points made which are not as I have come to know them – the first being the relatively short time span cited by the writer of “at least a decade” of the philanthropic community working to convince donors to be more data-driven. (Head over heart.)

The head part of the dichotomy was in place over four decades ago, in 1971, when I began my career in non-profit fund-raising. I believe those contrasting approaches to what prompts donors to give their money had a head-related history long before my time. (Flexner/Carnegie and Rockefeller/General Education Board, as prime examples.)

Fast-forwarding to the 90s, I really saw the head rearing itself when the tech bubble was at its peak, and those tech billionaires greatly influenced the head, not only for reasons of giving, but as well bringing their entrepreneurship methods of making millions into non-profit board rooms – expecting, even demanding, that those non-profits operate in the same bean-counting manner as their Silicon Valley businesses.

Most of our local foundations, for the most part, still operated mainly by the heart, though some were beginning to weigh in on how to use financial ratios as units of measurement to gauge the sustainability of non-profits.

Thus, the worthless and harmful self-proclaimed arbiters of the worth of non-profits were created – such as CharityNavigator. (Interesting how those self-appointed judges of non-profits had no similar evaluations made on their own effectiveness.)

I also believe that the Chronicle writer ascribed too much worth to Hewlett’s decision to end an eight-year funding program. Over my long career, I could count on one hand the number of foundations granting for more that five years.

As well, what I interpret as conflicting are statements that Hewlett was ending grants to charity evaluators whose mission was head-based, but that Hewlett would continue to fund groups that provide those very same head-based outcomes. So, I do not see Hewlett’s action as a trend, rather than a grant program simply reaching the end of the line.

The argument which we continually make regarding head and heart giving differences implies – indeed asserts – that they are somehow far apart.

For the most part, I do not think they can be all one or all the other. It’s mostly a blend of head and heart. It must be, to some degree.

Few, if any, major granting foundations would make feel-good grants which had little or no operational or outcome sense. Conversely, they would not be inspired to give money to the best constructed, rational, proposal which did not excite or move the heart.

But, there are some caveats.

The granting foundation Program Officer does indeed have a heart. She or he could really care about your institution, but the money they help give away is not theirs. Except in the case of a tightly controlled family foundation, those people are stewards of other people’s money.

Stewards must, to a great extent, base their gift recommendations on logic and the value proposition placed before them. They are going to feel less comfortable making a judgment call from the heart, and are more likely to feel compelled to rely upon the reassurance of sound numbers. Further up the line, when there are volunteer review and distribution committees, heart-giving could indeed hold sway.

But, let’s not get too heart conscious when dealing (solely or mostly) with the Program Officer “gatekeeper,” whose very job depends on much more than gut instinct and having a heart.

So, carefully crafting proposals with the “right” blend is the challenge, and we more likely will know the correct weighting of head and heart when we know our prospects.

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Next week we offer some Tech Advice for Millenials
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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

In my previous two posts, I’ve suggested that checklists can be very valuable in helping your non-profit achieve success with its enrollment in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

One reason that a checklist is valuable is that it helps you create consistent results over time. Notice that I said, “helps.” I didn’t say that a checklist guarantees success. You are, however, more likely to achieve the results you desire with one than without one.

And while it is simple concept, I do think the thought of “checklists” can be intimidating for some people, evoking images of the life or death scenarios in the operating room, or in an aircraft experiencing an emergency.

Actually, we have all used checklists before, particularly when we want to ensure favorable results in something that almost all of us does at some point – cooking.

At home, we frequently use checklists, some of which may be decades old, handed down from our grandparents. We do, however, call those checklists, “recipes.” That’s really all a checklist is, a recipe for success.

In non-profits, checklists are valuable tools that can help you achieve success with your Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) fundraising effort.

The exact nature of your checklists will vary according to the type of non-profit you are: local, national, or international, and whether you have only one, or multiple locations.

If your non-profit’s CFC strategy includes participation in CFC charity fairs, there are a number of items to have on your checklists:

Marketing Information: Brochures with your CFC number, Display Board with success stories, marketing giveaways, etc.

The Fair’s Site Information: Name and location of charity fair, including parking information and what’s required to get onto the facility. If it’s a military base with many visitors it may take a half-hour to get through security, allow enough time.

Thank You Information: In addition to the person organizing the charity fair, get the name of the agency head and of the CFC campaign manager so you can send them a letter of thanks.

CFC Non-profit Solicitation Campaign Checklist for All Staff
As I’ve noted in many previous posts, if your non-profit is in the CFC, there are two questions that all staff – paid or volunteer, should be able to answer:
1. Are you in the CFC? (Yes).
2. What is your CFC number? CFC Code 12345.

Any other questions: “Let me have my CFC project officer contact you. His or her name is ___________.”

The CFC solicitation seasons opens on September 1st of each year. And, by having your CFC Action Team work on and develop checklists for the various components of your non-profit’s CFC fund-raising program, you can develop the tools that allow for consistent and successful CFC results!

As you get some practice and experience with the technique you’ll find yourself applying it to other aspects of your non-profit’s fundraising program.

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Next Week Tony Poderis posts an Essay
inspired by Lynn deLearie’s (two-part) June
piece on Reason & Emotion in Grant Proposals
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector,
Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles.
If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues,
or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.”

Last week I ended with the thought that a good reason to work with a consultant is to help you avoid disaster. Considering that, here are a few more reasons you might want to talk with a development/fundraising consultant.

When you want/need to dramatically increase your fundraising goals.
Too many nonprofits, wanting to expand their services, arbitrarily
increase their fundraising goals … without first determining if the
new goal is attainable.

A fundraising goal is determined by a number of factors, and a
development consultant can help you identify and evaluate all those
elements – so that you don’t adopt a goal that’s unattainable. Not
reaching fundraising goals “tells” your constituency that you don’t
have the support of the community, and/or that you are poor planners
… and shouldn’t be running a nonprofit.

No one wants to support an organization that’s perceived as a loser!

When you’re in need of, but don’t have effective volunteer fundraising leaders.
Too often nonprofit board members decide that they don’t/shouldn’t have
a role in the fundraising process … except to tell staff how much money
they have to raise.

A consultant might be able to help you identify/cultivate/train a cadre of
(non-board) volunteers who would care enough about your organization
and its mission, and would recognize how they could benefit, to want to
help you obtain the funding you need.

======================================
Have you heard about The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive.
========================================

When you have the finances to pay the consultant.
An organization cannot even consider engaging a consultant if it doesn’t
have sufficient funding to cover a long enough period of time to allow the
consultant to determine what actions/activities will support the nonprofit
in pursuing/attaining its goals, and to work with organizational leaders to
implement those actions/activities.

When you have and will take the time to work with the consultant.
Too many NPOs hire a consultant, get the consultant’s report, then put the
report on a shelf – with the intention of implementing its recommendations
“when they get the money.” What a waste !!

If board members and/or staff can’t or won’t take the time to work with an
objective outsider, then don’t waste your time and your organization’s money.

When you need a mentor, someone who can help you grow in your leadership/development position.

When you want to make a point with your board members and/or executive director and need to have them hear it from an outsider.
It’s weird that, so often, a board (or executive director) will “listen” to the
same recommendations from a consultant that staff has been suggesting
for years !!

Need some other reasons?

Consultants are (should be) the folks who have been there and done that. So, when you aren’t sure, talk to a number of consultants … to find the one with whom you are the most comfortable, and who matches your needs and those of your organization.

And, remember, an ethical consultant will first chat with you about your situation and suggest whether s/he can help; and, if s/he can, will only work with you on a fee basis – never a commission or percentage.

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Next Week is Part III of the Use of Checklists
to increase your likelihood of success in the
Combined Federal Campaign.
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating
or expanding your fundraising program?
AskHank
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you heard about
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99-$4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

The need to engage a Development/Fundraising consultant depends not only on whether or not your organization already has the specific expertise it needs; but, also, if an outside perspective is needed to help you identify your strengths and/or weaknesses, or if an outsider is needed to help you break up your internal logjam … and get things moving.

This is the first in a two-part series addressing the questions of when and why to engage a fundraising consultant. Please note, fundraising consultants are not fund-raisers – they don’t (shouldn’t) do “it” for you.

Consultants can teach you how to do “it.” They can help you design the process to make “it” happen. They can coach you while you’re making “it” happen. They can work with you to help you make it happen. They can (in the proper circumstances) go with you when you’re making “it” happen. They can suggest changes in how you do “it,” and in how you think about doing “it.”

But a good consultant knows that s/he is not the best person to be asking your (potential) donors for gifts. The consultant is an outsider, and outsiders cannot be as effective in making “it” happen as can be committed insiders.

You should consider hiring a consultant:

When you want to know if your fundraising program is as effective as it could be.
It’s sometimes called a fundraising audit, and the essence of the
process is that you get an objective outsider – with the appropriate
background and experience – to take a look at your fundraising
programs, and provide you with a report of his/her findings. Said
report should include observations, comments and recommendations
on what you’re doing right, as well as what you could be doing more
effectively.

When you are thinking about or are desirous of implementing a new (type of) development program.
Once in a while someone might ask why you aren’t doing what that
other nonprofit is doing, or why don’t you try this great fundraising
program that they’ve heard stories about. Asking those questions
is good; but, leaping into a new program without sufficient information
expertise and funding can be disastrous.

The right consultant can help you determine if you’re ready to take
that leap, or if there’s specific information, expertise and budgeting
you’d have to acquire first.

When you think there might be a need for a capital campaign in your organization’s future.
Much has been written about readiness and preparation for a capital
campaign (Book Five in The Fundraising Series – Capital Campaigns),
so I’ll try not to repeat a lot of what’s been said so many times before.

Except that … “A capital campaign can not only be a great fundraising
and leadership generating process, but it can also be the riskiest step
any organization could take.”

Considering that, and the need to begin the capital campaign “process”
years before you actually start soliciting campaign contributions, the
right consultant can help you determine if such an effort could be
successful, and what you’d have to do to be sure that it is. Keep in
mind, no organization can afford to risk a failure … the consequences
could be disastrous.

There’s that word (disastrous) again. So, one reason to engage
a consultant is to help you avoid disaster.

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Next week we continue with our discussion of when
you might want to hire a fundraising/development consultant
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating
or expanding your fundraising program?
AskHank
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you heard about
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99-$4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

1. Your Bequest Program: It’s Easy Getting Started by John Elbare, CFP

The simple bequest, which is a charitable gift in a donor’s will (or living trust), still accounts for most planned gifts. Bequest marketing should be a part of every fund raising program. Simple marketing messages can reap huge future revenues for your organization.

All of your loyal donors are good prospects for a bequest. Let them know that you are interested in gifts by will. The idea of arranging a bequest simply does not occur to most people. Provide them with a steady stream of reminders.

Put your bequest reminder in all of your communications. The message is simple: Please remember us in your will. Include that tag line on your stationery and your donation receipts. Make sure every newsletter contains a brief article or simple display ad about leaving a bequest. Add basic information on bequests to your website.

Let your donors know how important bequests are to your mission. Use testimonials and stories from people who have already arranged bequests … telling why they did it. Emphasize the idea of endowment. Many people like the idea of leaving their bequest to an endowment fund that will support your organization long after they are gone.

Prepare a simple fact sheet that tells your donors how to arrange a bequest. Make sure you include your organization’s exact legal name, address and tax ID number, so their lawyers can write the bequest correctly. Improperly worded bequests can cause major headaches during probate, when it’s too late to correct your organization’s name..

Use every opportunity to get your fact sheet to your donors. Offer it in your newsletter and on your website. Include a check-off box on your donation envelopes, that says “Please send me information about arranging a charitable bequest.” And, always carry a few copies when you visit with your donors.

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John Elbare, CFP, has spent the last 30 years helping non-profits
raise more money through large, planned gifts.
He shows them how to add an effective planned giving
strategy to their current fund raising effort
without a lot of extra expense or staff.
You can contact him at John Elbare, CFP.
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2. Being Quick and Genuine with Your Thanks To Donors by Tony Poderis

Thanking donors seems like something so basic that we shouldn’t even have to talk about it. But more mistakes, with more devastating results for donor loyalty, are made in the thanking of donors than anyplace else.

So, let’s go over six, absolutely essential rules for saying, “Thank you.”

— Thank A Donor Immediately. Send a thank-you note for a gift no later than the day after the gift is received. Nothing is more important than a prompt thank-you.

— Be Humble. Don’t act as if or communicate the thought that you were expecting the gift as something that was the donor’s responsibility to do.

— Praise The Donor’s Generosity. Do not stint. Let the donor know how important the gift is. You met goal; You are on your way to meeting the goal; Their gift is among others which set a new record for donors contributing.

— Praise Your Donor’s Leadership. Anyone who gives is a leader and should be treated as such, and call attention to the fact that their gift will influence others to give. This is important as a way to let the donor know that your cause is worthy and attractive when they see/know of the endorsements of others.

— Thank Your Donors For Past Support. When you receive today’s gift remind the donor how appreciative you are of past support, but do not talk about future support. Do not say thanks out of one side of your mouth and hint at future requests out of the other. Some organizations I know actually send along with their thank you for a donation received, yet another gift return envelope – that’s a bad practice.

— And finally, Never Let A Hint Of Disappointment Show. Never, ever show a lack of gratitude for a gift, whatever its size. Never make mention that the gift was lower than that which they had given previously. Chances are they had a very good reason for the reduction, something which could be troublesome to them. Don’t make them even more uncomfortable by reminding them.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you would like to comment/expand on either of the above postings, or would just like to offer your thoughts on those subjects, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page.

In January 2009, a US Airways jet taking off from LaGuardia airport jet hit a flock of geese 3 minutes after takeoff and immediately lost power in all engines.

With two minutes of altitude left, Captain Sully and his crew reached for their checklists dealing with loss of engine power and emergency landings; and, in what is now known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” safely executed an emergency “landing” on the Hudson River.

This is a great example of bravery, coolness under pressure, flawless execution, maybe divine intervention (I’ll leave that up to you), and a least a little good luck. It is also an outstanding example of preparedness.

Where it’s obvious that the crew was prepared, the question here is, “What does all that have to do with your non-profit?”

Three weeks ago, I introduced the idea of checklists as an extremely valuable tool that can be used for your non-profit’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) fundraising effort.

Checklists are valuable, in and of themselves, and in certain occupations – flying, medicine, scuba diving, they can be, literally, life-saving….

In other arenas, such as the building industry, well designed checklists and processes can save millions of dollars, by avoiding mistakes before they happen.

As Dr. Gawande explained: “…the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely or reliably.”

So what are the benefits to a non-profit of using checklists?

There are three key points that I want to share with you, two directly from the book, and my analysis of what industry is most similar to the non-profit industry.

The first consideration is that the act of preparing the checklists is as important as the checklists themselves. (A first draft can be done by an experienced member of your CFC action team, it can be done by an experienced staffer, or it can be a great learning/training assignment for someone new to your non-profit or to your team.)

Second, no checklist starts out being perfect. They must all be tested and revised based on experience and actual use.

Third, one of the most valuable techniques available is one used by the building industry, where “double checklists” are now an industry standard. For every project there are two checklists, with the first being the actual Project Checklist, and the second is the Communications Checklist.

As the project steps are completed or problems are noticed and reported, the second checklist specifies what must be communicated to what other involved parties. In the building trades, there are sixteen different types of contractors, plus inspectors, financial reporting requirements, etc. … and everyone must know the current (and pending) status of all elements of the project.

While it may sound surprising at first, I think that the non-profit world is very similar to the construction industry because of the number and variety of different people working within a non-profit: full- and part-time paid staff, volunteers, and members of the board of directors.

In most NPOs, there are three requirements for every task: First, knowing what the task is … that it exists. Second, performing the task. Third, communicating the task’s successful completion to someone. While the “someone” varies, there is almost always a required communication in addition to the task.

In my October 1st posting, I’ll discuss the specific areas for which your CFC Action team should develop needed checklists.

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Next Week, another Two-Fer:
A piece on starting an effective Bequest Program, and
A piece on the Importance and Timing of the “Thank You.”
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector,
Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach,
served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal
Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions,
contact Bill Huddleston
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.”

1. A Love Note From Your Millennials

Dear Boss,

The Internet, The Internet, The Internet.

Love, Your Millennial.

I had a boss who would yell questions at us from his desk chair. Didn’t matter what people were doing, or who was around. If he wanted to know something, he’d just blurt it out and expect an answer.

Now, we, his mostly-Millennial staff, weren’t really bothered by his gregarious personality. But his questions tended to be the type that could be easily answered with a quick internet search. This we found a little annoying.

So, our running-joke response became, “Did you Google it?” Which, of course, he found annoying.

As the first generation to grow up online, Millennials have an internet-first mindset when it comes to communication, problem solving, shopping, you name it. Now, contrast that with the network-first mindset (“Who do I know who can help?”) of many in older generations. These different approaches are a recipe for tension in the workplace.

Well, the internet isn’t going away. As it evolves, so must the business of fundraising. Good leaders will help their organizations adapt and move forward. They will align strategy with mission and talent with strategy. And, given that roughly 40% of their talent will be Millennials, they’ll need to leverage the techy know-how of younger staffers and position them for growth and success.

On the other hand, there are things the internet has not, and never will change about fundraising. A person’s motivation for making a major gift is a great example.

Philanthropy is very personal and very emotional. And at its best and most impactful, it is worked out within the context of relationships: donor to organization, donor to executive director, to volunteer, to development officer, etc.

Building trust relationships takes face-to-face interaction, shared experience, and time. Pretty un-digital stuff. And the best fundraisers I know have been doing it for decades. Millennials must be prepared to learn a lot from these folks.

2. A Few Things That Fundraising Managers Need to Keep in Mind When Working With Tech-Savvy Millennials:

a. Stay open to the possibility that technology has enabled a better way to do something.

Technology has completely changed the game in some areas of fundraising. New research tools have made it easier to find information about prospects; there are more ways to communicate with donors, including texting and social media; and there are new ways to solicit and receive gifts … internet crowd-funding is just one example.

Don’t ignore these trends. The Millennials on your staff certainly aren’t. Why not task one or two of them with investigating and developing recommendations for you?

b. Stay open to learning about that better way from someone younger than you.

According to MTV’s No Collar Worker study on Millennials in the workplace, 76% believe “my boss could learn a lot from me,” and 65% say they could be a technology mentor for older workers.

Perhaps this is nothing more than hubris, but keep in mind that Millennials tend to pair technological know-how with an entrepreneurial spirit. We don’t want to work for organizations stuck in the past and we love the idea of being part of new, innovative solutions.

Engaging Millennial employees in the process (yes, even at the strategic level) will keep them energized. And it will prevent the best ones from jumping ship as soon as the next opportunity comes along.

c. Yes, they’re checking Facebook at work. And it’s not the end of the world.

Millennials are indeed chronic multi-taskers. In an always- connected world, it’s not uncommon for us to text with friends, check our Facebook feeds, and stay on top of the day’s news, all during business hours.

Yes, there are potential productivity issues here (more on this below), but my advice for you is to not go there. If you’re worriedabout how your Millennial employees are spending every minute of their time between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, then you’ve got bigger problems.

When evaluating performance, focus on real, measurable outcomes that matter: dollars raised, prospect visits per month, etc. If your employees are making it happen in these areas, who cares if they’re multi-tasking during business hours? Stay focused on the main objectives and your employees will too.

Millennials, be sure to watch for my posting on October 15,
That one is for you!

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Next week, watch for Bill Huddleston’s second piece on
The Use of Checklists to Ensure Better Outcomes
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K. Michael Johnson is a major gift officer at a large research university
and the founder of Fearless-Fundraising.com,
where he discusses the inner game of deeper relationships and bigger asks.
You can contact him at K. Michael Johnson.
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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