How to Work With Bosses and Volunteers to Raise More Money

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of speaking at the Western North Carolina chapter of AFP in Asheville.  I had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones.

Can you imagine me anywhere not having fun?

I spoke to them about working with bosses and volunteers in fundraising, especially when you don’t like your boss or volunteer.  I know this is (unfortunately) a common issue for lots of people and I’ve experienced it myself.

I remember working as a Development Director and not liking my boss much.  It wasn’t easy, but we were able to be successful in fundraising as a team.

Here are some of the things I shared with the group.

There are three keys to being able to work with a boss or volunteer in fundraising. 

The first is communication. We must learn to be clear in asking for what we want and in sharing information.  And we must learn to set clear expectations when we set out to work with someone else.  This above all I think is critical in relationships!  I see lots of problems on Boards because people were not given a good idea of what to expect when they agreed to serve on the Board.  Being clear in the beginning can prevent a lot of problems later.

The second key is trust. No matter how much we like or dislike someone on our team, we must work to build trust with them.  Otherwise, we aren’t going to get very far.  Some ways you can build trust are to act consistently and keep your word.  Do what you say you will do.  And treat people with respect.  Remember, if you don’t respect someone, it’s your problem, not theirs.  It’s yours to fix.  Again, I know this isn’t easy, but it’s what will help you be successful in raising money.

Finally, I talked about ‘leading from the chair.’ There are an awful lot of Executive Directors and Board chairs out there who have little in the way of leadership skills.  If this is your situation, then you can try providing leadership without actually being in charge.  It’s not easy to do, but with some grace, it can be done.  When I was in this position, I found that it was a matter of gently (and I mean gently!) sharing information that my boss needed to know, and making suggestions as to the action that was needed.  Over time, my boss turned to me repeatedly for advice and insight into lots of situations.

Sometimes the relationship with your boss or your volunteer is so damaged and broken that no amount of trust and respect will repair it.  That’s when it’s time to dust off your resume and go find another job.

The good news about working with bosses and volunteers in fundraising is that you can get a lot more accomplished when working as a team.  They may have connections in the community that you need or knowledge of your organization that you don’t have.  Either way, presenting a united front to your donor prospects will get you much farther down the road of raising money for your good cause.

Work rhythms are common. We all fall into ways of doing things that serve us in some way. We host the same special event each year or we submit the same grant application each year. It works for a while, but then attendance starts to drop off or our grant is no longer funded. But it’s a good idea to evaluate your work habits periodically to make sure they still work.

I was talking with a client yesterday and she was telling me about someone in her organization who has become a problem child. Every time others talk about changing things or trying something new, this woman says “that’s not the way we do it.” She’s not willing to hear a new idea. She’s so stuck in the old ways of doing things that she’s starting to impede the progress of the organization. In fact, she clings so tightly to the old ways, that she’s gotten quite negative with others and has lost sight of the mission of the organization. Others are now avoiding interaction with her because of her negativity. It’s become “me vs. them” and she’s determined to win.

I can remember working with a couple of people just like this. In one case, I came back from a conference with new ideas ready to implement, and she did her best to discredit me and squash my enthusiasm. I never could understand why she was so negative, unless she was terrified of change. Either that or she wanted to be the “Star of the Show” and I was stealing her limelight. Either way it was holding the nonprofit back from doing bigger and better things.

So, back to my original question. What happens when you do what you’ve always done? You get what you always got.

If you aren’t happy with the fundraising results (or any results for that matter) you’re getting, then you MUST change what you’re doing. Simple as that.

You have to find a way to get these negative folks on board with moving forward, or they need to be let go. I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. You have way too much important work to do in the world to be held back by someone who has their own agenda.

Have you had experience working with negative people in your nonprofit who were reluctant to change? I’d love to hear your story. Click on the comment link and share.

“78% of individual donors said they would definitely or probably give again to a charity  that provided them with prompt,  personal gift acknowledgement followed sometime later with a meaningful update on the program they had funded.

Penelope Burk

What can you do to provide your donors with a meaningful update?

Too often, nonprofits get the gift and then move on, forgetting the most important parts of fundraising.

Acknowledgement and stewardship are crucial for building relationships with donors. Acknowledgement you probably understand.  It’s about thanking donors and recognizing them for their support.  But what is stewardship?

First, here are some definitions of a steward:

• —An administrator for the property of others —
• A person put in charge of the affairs of others
• —A person morally responsible for the careful use of money, time, talents or other resources of a community or group

Stewardship is important because it builds trust.  When your donors know that you are using their gift wisely, they’ll be more likely to want to give again. And when you get a reputation for using donations wisely, you’ll attract more donors.

As I see it, there are two key pieces to effective stewardship:  1, you have to do it and 2, you have to communicate it to your donors.

The first piece is simple – make sure that the donor’s money is spent appropriately and wisely.  Make sure their gift is set to work as it was intended when it was given.  The second piece requires you to let your donors know that their gift was used wisely and had the desired impact.

How do you do that?  A simple update email or letter can accomplish it, or you can include something in a print or email newsletter.  The important thing is that you are letting your donors know how their gift is being used and you’re connecting with them.  You’re respecting your donors and pulling them closer to your organization.

Your donors are not ATM machines.  They want to be a part of the work your organization is doing.  So, treat them as partners.  Be a good steward of their gifts and build relationships with your donors.  You’ll be glad you did!

On most Tuesday nights, you can find me and my daughter on the couch watching our favorite TV show – Biggest Loser.  We love watching people working hard to meet their goals. If you’re unfamiliar with Biggest Loser, it’s a reality show where contestants lose weight.

Tonight showed the contestants each working an 8-hour day for a week at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. I was so excited to see them there!  Food banking has a special place in my heart – I spent 5 years working as the Development Director for the Food Bank in East Tennessee. If you’ve heard me speak, you know I tell a lot of Food Bank stories!

Tonight, what caught my attention was that 2 of the contestants worked in the Call Center at the Food Bank, calling donors to thank them for their support.  Yay!  The LA Food Bank has it right – donor appreciation is important.  In fact, it’s critical to cultivating relationships.

That got me to thinking – how can you recruit volunteers to help thank donors?  Sometimes a call from a volunteer or  Board member carries more weight than a call from a staff person. If you can find the right person, they might be able to make calls from home,which is attractive to some volunteers.

The important thing is to take the time to connect with donors and thank them.  No matter how you do it, you’ll be glad you did.

There’s nothing more important than thanking our donors. We need to make sure donors know how much we appreciate them and their generosity.  So thank your donor 7 times. The 7 Thanks don’t have to be elaborate or expensive – just sincere.

The initial Thank You should be timely.  Your quick response to a donor’s gift lets them know that you did in fact receive their gift and that you are glad to have it.  Ideally, you should get an initial Thank You letter out within 48 hours of receiving a gift.  There’s nothing worse for a donor than waiting weeks or months for a gift acknowledgement.

Subsequent Thank Yous may be spread out over several weeks or months.  Letting a little time go by between Thank Yous shows the donor that you haven’t forgotten about them.  And, it helps you build a relationship.

Ideas for the 7 Thank Yous:

• Computer-generated letter
• Hand-written note card
• Phone call
• Email
• Call or note from the Executive Director
• Call or note from a Board member
• Call or note from another staff member (NOT a Fundraiser)
• Note from a client
• Photograph of your organization in action
• Written update about the use of the donor’s gift

So get busy and thank your donors!

Taking a few minutes to thank a donor is some of the best time you’ll spend as a fundraiser.  Don’t overlook or underestimate the importance of this small task!  When done well, donor appreciation can bring big rewards later on.

Here are a few tips for thanking a donor.

1. Send a Thank You letter promptly.  Ideally, you want to have a Thank You letter in the mail to the donor within 48 hours of receiving their gift.  If you can’t possible do 48 hours, then figure out what you CAN do and be consistent.

2. Personalize the letter.  This is NO time for ‘Dear Friend.’

3. The Executive Director of the organization should sign the letter.  This shows the donor how important their gift is.

4. Include meaningful information in the Thank You letter.  Let the donor know how their gift will be used and what impact it will make.

There are probably dozens of other things you can do to strengthen your Thank You letter.  If you have a good one, hit the comment link and share.  We’d all benefit from what you have to say.

One of the most powerful ways you can thank a donor is to send a hand-written thank-you note. Almost no one does this anymore and it will really set you apart.

Jerry Panas wrote recently
“Think back to when you were a kid. Remember how excited you were to receive a handwritten note or a letter from relatives and friends. Most of us have saved special ones over the years.

There was something about the pen strokes, the crossed-out mistakes, smiley faces, and knowing that time was taken to write especially to you. It meant you were important to the writer.

Although many think we’re too busy to read (and certainly write) hand-written notes, it’s no different for us as adults. Everyone likes to feel special.”

If you’re tight on time, I suggest you write hand-written notes to your top 10 donors once a quarter. It’s a great way to let them know you appreciate them.

When you work in a small fundraising office (or shop), you’ve got to be judicious with your time to get everything done.  I know.  I’ve been there.

I once worked in a nonprofit where one other person and I shared all the administrative and fundraising tasks, and some of the program tasks.  It wasn’t easy.  But it did teach me that I HAD to prioritize my “to do” list and focus on those things that would bring me the most bang for the buck.  What I figured out pretty quick was that spending most of my time on special events was not the best use of my time.  Making thank-you calls or taking major donors to lunch was a much better way to spend my time.

If you are the only person working on fundraising for your organization, you’ve got to work smarter, not harder.  Make sure that whatever you are doing is worth doing, and moves you toward reaching your fundraising goals.  You’ve got to move to being proactive instead of reactive.  In fact, when you don’t have a plan and you spend all your time putting out fires, there is no time to work on things you should be doing.

Once you prioritize your activities, look for ways to systematize your activities.  Using a donor-tracking software will help you streamline gift-entry processes and easily generate thank-you letters.  Anything you do more than once, you should be thinking about how you can do it more easily.

Thanking donors should alays be a priority, no matter how much time you have on your hands.  There’s no better use of your time as a fundraiser than thanking your donors.

My friend Kivi Miller of Nonprofit Marketing Guide recently shared the results of her annual giving experiment.  And it’s pretty bad.

She sent $20 donations to 10 national charities online and waited to see who would thank her and how they would do it.  These were national organizations and you would think they’d have their act together for thanking donors, no matter what level of gift was given.

As you can probably guess, not many responded. By Feb 18, she had heard from only 3 organizations.  Pitiful! 

Come on folks!  No matter what size organization you work for, you should ALWAYS have time to thank a donor.  If you have lots of donors to thank, then create a system to make it more efficient for you.  Not thanking donors is a good way to lose them.  And you can’t afford that.

Every donor deserves to be thanked for every gift.  Appreciation should be expressed promptly, warmly, and sincerely.  Don’t make the donor sit and wonder if you got their gift – get a thank-you letter out to them within a couple of days.

You can read Kivi’s summary of her experiment on her blog at http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2010/02/18/10-donations-3-thank-yous-7-failures-to-communicate/.