Donor Cultivation

There’s interesting stuff out there in our fundraising and nonprofit world.

See what you think:

• Two articles by Kyle Crawford, the Fundraising Genius: “The 5 Biggest Benefits of Nonprofit Automation” and “3 Genius Copywriting Secrets for Nonprofits”
• Sandy Rees at Get Fully Funded.
• Rachel Muir and her resources.
• Bloomerang blog.
• Kivi Leroux Miller blog.
• Hardy Smith‘s blog.

What would you like to share?

Check out The Grow Report. Pam Grow’s stuff is sooo good. I was reading her January 5 new year hello. And the examples she gave. And the book about justice… And the blog roll. And how about your very own “Donor Love Crib Sheet?” Maybe you oughta subscribe?

Pam focuses on the small development office. BUT… I suggest that even the larger offices check out her stuff.

♥  ♣ ♦ 

That Tom Ahern guy has done some very interesting writing recently. I particularly appreciated the following: His newsletter article “HOAX!!!! Raising awareness unmasked.”

And his personal blog about Siegfried Vögele. And his personal blog of January 5, 2017 about communications:  It’s built backwards from your target audience.

Maybe you should find a better place to work.

Visit Tom Ahern’s new website. Pretty cool. I’m impressed.

Check out “The TEST Your Boss MUST Take!” 

Click here. Take it yourself first, of course. (I’m taking it shortly. Not sharing what I score but making darn sure that I learn the right answers if I fail questions!!!)

Share with your staff colleagues. (Maybe do it as a group in secret somewhere?)

Make sure your fundraising boss (and CEO) take it and learn this stuff and expect you to know the answers and make sure you know the answers. And teach the questions and the answers to your fundraising colleagues and your fundraising boss and your executive director / CEO person.

It’s kinda okay if your boss fails the test, but only if your boss is the ED/CEO. It’s only okay if your ED/CEO boss fails the test if that person says: “Well, of course I don’t know all the answers. But I expect you to know the answers and explain to me. And when you tell me to do stuff, I do it. Including that letter that I thought was kinda icky. But I sign it because you know the answers to these 20 questions. Thank you thank you. I was so smart to hire you!”

And if your ED/CEO doesn’t say what’s above…And continues fighting. You fight back. FIGHT BACK!!!!! No more whiny fundraisers. Your job is to fight back and explain and pass on your learnings. And if you fight for a couple years (yes…it can take that long) — and still no change in behavior from the bossies… THEN FIND ANOTHER JOB. YOU DESERVE BETTER!!!!

Doris, Tom, and I go to the theatre together. We subscribe to the Gamm. Just saw Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. Amazing play. As usual, great acting and directing and……….. (See the screen scroll. Good website, by the way.)

Ushered to our seats. Envelope on my seat, “Simone Joyaux.”  (Wow. That’s cool. I don’t see envelopes on other seats. Really cool!)

“Dear Simone, Enjoy the show! I think it’s smart, sharp and challenging. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for your support! All good wishes, Kate.” (Business card enclosed from Kate Anderson, Development Director)

Yes, Kate. The play was smart, sharp and challenging. (Talking about the play, our shared experience. Because of course Kate has seen the play!) And so well done, as usual by the Gamm players. And the set and the director and and …

How nice that Kate wrote me a note. Special. I was surprised. (Surprise is good.) Totally unexpected. (Core element of relationship building.) I’ll be she does this with other subscribers and donors, too.

Good for you, Kate. Hey Kate’s boss and board…. really nice work by your Kate. I think she understands relationship building. Kindness to subcribers (yay retention). Kindness to donors (yay retention). 

I’m not a big donor. Not at all.

Thank you Ms. Pam Grow and the Grow Report. The headline… Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow… So of course, I remembered Carole King.

Why does Pam say this? “Commercial businesses retain 94% of their customers while the nonprofit sector retains only 41% of their donors.”

I keep promising to write a series of blogs or newsyletters about fundraising….using song lyrics. Try this scenario!

“You’re So Vain You Probably Think This Song is About you”  … Donors are yelling at us. Hear them shout. I give through your NGO to fulfill my own aspirations. The song is about me, the donor. Not not you the organization.

“You Don’t Own Me” … You don’t own your donors. Your donors choose. And Lesley Gore is speaking for every single donor everywhere. “You don’t own me. I’m not just one of your many toys. You don’t own me…Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” Who’s singing here? Maybe the fundraiser, alone in her office. “Tonight you’re mine completely. You give your love so sweetly….But will you love me tomorrow?” But maybe this is the donor singing. Just think about that. Tonight, your NGO seems to love me completely. The thank you letter was great. And a board member even called to thank me. But I’ve been abandoned as a donor before. You don’t tell me how you’re using my money. You don’t know what customer centered and donor-centered mean.

“I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Look in the mirror, Ms. Organization. Think long and hard Mr. NGO. You can’t make me love you. You can’t “educate me” so I love you. Stop it! You actually make me disrespect you.

Thank you, Pamela Grow and the Grow Report…. for motivating me to write more stories with song lyrics.

Hey Simone Uncensored readers, visit the Grow Report. Check out the 2016 Donor Love Toolkit.

Who should influence the future of fundraising? Just read Mark Phillips “Queer Ideas” fundraising blog.

I’m so proud to be on the list with other cool people like Shanon Doolittle and Rory Green and Roger Craver and Jen Love and more…

Here’s why you need to read this blog:

• Because Mark himself is marvelous. Check out his blogs and tweets and his company, Bluefrog.
• Because you’ll meet some people you may not know. You can visit their websites and tweets and blogs and…
• And please please… Watch the imbedded video, Fundraising Theatre 2012. If you haven’t ever seen Tony Elischer, watch close. Tony died too young and too early. But he invented and created some of the most fun and illuminating and weirdly different presentations and extravaganzas that you’ll ever see.

Step #1: Read this issue of The Agitator about giving across generations. Read my response, posted at the Agitator.

Step #2: Study the infographic.

Step #3: Review the original report from Blackbaud.

Step #4: Share the infographic with your boss, the program staff, and the board. Explain the implications. Offer insights. And, of course, make sure your development staff understands, acknowledges, accepts, and performs accordingly!!!

Step #5: Stop the crap. (“Oh my gosh, we need to focus on millennials and get gifts from them.”)

Step #6: Pay attention to research. You know: FACTS. SCIENCE. Destroy ill-informed personal opinion as soon as it rears its silly, ugly head.

Step #7: Please please please. Could we please build a profession? Could we please behave like professionals?

Thank you.

Have you been reading (and listening!) to my series about learning from songs and their lyrics?

•  https://www.simonejoyaux.com/2016/05/songs-lyrics-fun…ising-life-stuff/ ‎
•  https://www.simonejoyaux.com/2016/04/more-songs-to-learn-from/

So here’s a suggestion from David Kravinchuck, the chief Advice Dispenser at Fundraising Pharmacy. Such a cool company name! (And David is planned the new Western Canada Fundraising Conference!)

• The song: Blue Monday
• http://www.covermesongs.com/2012/09/watch-stunning-new-order-cover-in-a-castle.html 

Here’s what David says about the lyrics: “It’s a lament that so many donors could be sharing with the charities they give to. ‘When you’ve laid your hands upon me and told me who you are…’ is just about the perfect way to describe most of the … communications sooo many orgs STILL use.”

I very much agree with David!

Here are some of the most hard-hitting lyrics … for the donor (or lover!)

How does it feel
To treat me like you do
When you’ve laid laid your hands upon me
And told me who you are

I thought I was mistaken
I thought I heard your words
Tell me how do I feel
Tell me now how do I feel

………

I thought I told you to leave me
While I walked down to the beach
Tell me how does it feel
When your heart grows cold
(grows cold, grows cold, grows cold)

One of my clients sent me a lovely email. Reading this email was an extraordinary experience for me…something to cherish and remember…causing me to smile and reflect on our time together. Reading this email reminds me how important “thank you” is….And how special a thank you is that shares memories of our time together and…

The executive director wrote: “You have been on my mind a lot lately, first the terrible Paris event and then the Planned Parenthood in Colorado. Our world seems to be so out of control and we grieve with you; by knowing you and your passion for both Paris and Planned parenthood, your causes have become our causes. Please know that we are watching to see where our advocacy can be effective. In February, we’ll be attending a D.C. conference and will be looking to voice our concerns not just on housing but on violence as well.

“Thank you seems like such a small thing when you have had such a huge impact on our board. Last night was our first board meeting since the Board retreat and people were talking about what was new to them and eagerly signed the Board Member agreement and approved the Board expectation agreement as well as the new Board committees;  Governance, Finance and Resource Development. (Executive committee and HR committees were nixed by consensus). Chris is doing a great job of highlighting what are management responsibilities  and what are Board responsibilities.  All good stuff.”

How often do I send those kinds of notes? How about you?

Three really great blog reads.

• Increase our visibility! Build community awareness of our greatness! (From Tom Ahern’s personal blog.)
• Applying psychology to fundraising (From The Agitator)
• Fundraising change is like climate change (From The Agitator)

Read. Learn. Share with staff colleagues, bosses, and boards.

Explain why. Help staff, bosses, and boards understand and accept and own and focus on the right stuff.

That’s your job. To use the right stuff from the right people. Explain the why. Help all those others accept and own and focus on the right stuff, not the wrong stuff.

This takes time. And I’m not talking weeks or months!

Persevere!

And if you can’t get this done… Look in the mirror first. Maybe you’re the problem. But maybe you’re not the problem. Maybe they’re the problem.

Find an ally (or two) to help you help them get it.

And if that doesn’t work…. Look for another job. You deserve better.