Fundraising Integrity

When raising money for a non-profit, it's critical to understand why people give. And that means people who raise money for non-profits are more effective when they give money to other non-profits. Seth Godin writes about this and related topics today.

I have raised more than $100 million over my years in the non-profit industry. And I've given tens of thousands of dollars, while making a non-profit salary. It just makes sense. I thought "if I believe that non-profits do much of the world's most important work, why wouldn't I support causes I think are important?"

I was fortunate that I got to do really vital work every day, yet I could only work on that cause. If I couldn't give my time, did that mean I couldn't be part of other vital work? Of course not! It simply meant that I could be part of other causes through my wallet - exactly the way I encouraged donors and potential donors to be part of anti-hunger or workforce development or community-based HIV/AIDS services or community development efforts.

While I got to devote time and energy to these causes, many other things are important to me - the environment, women's right to choose, anti-hunger work and foodbanking throughout the US and world, anti-poverty work and advocacy, medical care and public health projects throughout the world, public elementary education, scholarships to the local Y daycare, my college and women's education, the Girl Scouts, pediatric cancer research and services, multiple sclerosis and diabetes research, gay/lesbian/bi/transgender rights, and political campaigns.

Some of these causes fit into the usual "giving triad" of one's school, a disease that affects a loved one, and a third that often addresses some community issue. Religious people add their church to the mix, while often seeing it as separate from their regular charitable giving. Other causes I support because I fundamentally believe the work is essential and government and business are not dealing it - at least not in the way I think it should be done. I give to other causes because someone asked me.

I learned long ago that the single most important thing to do when raising money is to ASK FOR THE MONEY. I also know how hard it is for people to ask for money for a charitable purpose. So when they ask me, I give. Every fundraiser needs a win once in a while to boost their spirits and help them keep going - I like to play that role.

And that gets me back to my original point: in order to effectively ask for money, it's important to give money, too. I always gave to the organizations that I led, because I believed in our work and because I felt it empowered me to ask others to join me in supporting this work. I knew what it felt like to feel part of something through a financial donation. I could speak convincingly about how rewarding it is to participate in a cause by contributing money.

I generally give to direct mail and e-mail appeals for money. I've written many highly successful fundraising letters, and I believe they are successful because I know what it takes for a letter to get ME to make a donation. I tap into the emotions that good letters elicit from me, to write a compelling appeal that welcomes others to support the vital cause. I tap into my own motivation as well as paying attention to what supporters say when asked why they give. If I'm not making my own financial contributions, how can I relate to donors? How could I be credible when I ask them to give?

If you're raising money, try making a donation to your own cause. See how you feel when you next ask someone else for money. If you raise money through the mail or internet, make a financial contribution to an organization that got you to open the envelope or e-mail. See how that changes your perception of your organization's fundraising appeals. If you hold events, buy a ticket to another organization's event. See what it's like to be a guest and what the experience offers donors. Bid on a silent auction item somewhere else, and see how that influences your own organization's auction effort. I've done all of these things and continue to do so, and it's made me a really effective fundraiser.

Walk in a donor's shoes by becoming a donor, and I believe you'll find yourself a far better fundraiser than you ever were before.

Leading Non-Profits

This blog is to offer on-line observations, coaching and assistance for non-profit leaders and about leading non-profits.

I led two major NYC non-profit organizations, one for 11 years. I worked with a coach the entire time, and credit her with a lot of my success. Working with me, non-profit leaders break through to another level of leadership, and are able to steer theirs organization with greater ease and skill to greater achievement and impact.

Executive Directors are often isolated, unable to share openly with staff or Board members as well as not well understood by well-meaning friends and family members who just don’t get what it’s like to be the CEO of a charitable enterprise. They don’t have to go it alone, though. Coaches are the non-profit Executive Director’s secret weapon in becoming ever more effective and successful.

People who want to become non-profit leaders can benefit, too, from my experiences and observations. I've learned a lot the hard way, and hope by sharing to help improve the non-profit arena and develop even better, more capable leaders.