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More Askers = More Money: How Everyone Can Participate in Building Philanthropic Partnerships Presented by Andy Robinson Sponsored by The University of Arizona Foundation GIFT Center Slide 2 To raise money successfully, you need four things: A strong case for giving Prospective donors to ask People to do the asking Systems and resources to track data, money, donor recognition, etc. Slide 3 Most nonprofits and institutions can be stronger in all these areas, but the biggest challenge is: A strong case for giving Prospective donors to ask !!! Not enough askers Systems and resources to track data, money, donor recognition, etc. Slide 4 Many organizations emphasize encouraging board members to ask, but board members are volunteers and how much influence do you have over a volunteer? Slide 5 Why cant we deploy our faculty and staff more effectively? Slide 6 Case study: Toxics Action Center, www.toxicsaction.org www.toxicsaction.org Mission: Organizing with residents to clean up and prevent pollution since 1987. Slide 7 Annual budget +/- $500,000 Revenue split between grants and community-based fundraising Major gifts category = $250+ 250-300 donor visits per year Slide 8 All-staff model (really, ALL staff) Two-week major gifts campaigns twice per year A house list of donors whove given at least $50 via canvas and/or mail Program work is severely restricted during the two-week campaign Slide 9 Week one: Training, role plays, phoning (and phoning and phoning) for visits Week two: Donor visits, with a goal of 15- 18 visits per staff member Slide 10 Slide 11 What makes this model work? 1. Leadership buy-in and follow-through 2. A campaign structure 3. Devotion to the numbers Slide 12 Slide 13 4. A commitment to storytelling 5. A culture of practice 6. Persistence powered by a dose of realism Slide 14 7. A culture of mutual support 8. Transparency in recruitment 9. The courage to ask for much larger gifts Slide 15 Rule: Donors will give 5-10 times more money in person than they will send through the mail. Slide 16 10. Embracing the wisdom that fundraising equals Donor engagement (not just asking) Advocacy Education Market research Slide 17 Challenges and barriers Why wouldnt this model work with your organization or institution? Slide 18 1. Staff and leadership resistance: We dont do it that way 2. Geography: National donor pool, hard to meet in person 3. Logistics and coordination are always more challenging in large institutions 4. Timing: Our work never stops Slide 19 Adapting this strategy for your organization Given the challenges and barriers weve identified, how can you adapt this model to work for your institution? Slide 20 1. Reduce the time commitment 2. Spread out the time commitment 3. Recruit a smaller faculty/staff team 4. Share the numbers keep everyone informed about how fundraising works in your organization Slide 21 Collect & share stories; build a story bank: Statistics raise eyebrows but emotions raise money. Testimonials Favorite anecdotes Photos Videos News clippings An organizational timeline on your wall/website Slide 22 Develop a fundraising culture within university departments and centers Create a faculty/staff fundraising menu so people can choose how they want to participate Challenge gifts based on faculty/staff engagement benchmarks Option? Use the money raised for professional development or other benefits Slide 23 Questions? Slide 24 This presentation is based on the article More Askers = More Money, available from the Grassroots Fundraising Journal, www.grassrootsfundraising.org. www.grassrootsfundraising.org Slide 25 Good luck and stay in touch! www.andyrobinsononline.com