Now That You're A Fearless Fundraiser, Do This

Fearless fundraisers are not afraid to talk about money. They recognize the power dynamics in the nonprofit sector but they also see that their intellectual capital is equal and just as valuable to change-making as a donor's financial capital. They also know that their mission must be attractive to the donor, inspire them and respect their resources.

If you are becoming a fearless fundraiser, or perhaps have been one for a long time, how do you continue to innovate? Maybe more importantly, how do you seek to create transformation?

You're probably thinking: "what the heck does she mean by 'transformation'?"

I'm talking about shifting the mindset and behaviors within the philanthropic sector, something as critical as grabbing onto the most innovative, new donor software and fancy, dynamic, technology for fundraising events. How are fearless, seasoned fundraisers in our field teaching us, not only to raise money well but to change the system for the better, so donors and organizations can be true partners, first and always?

I'll give you a recent examples. The good 'ole grant-maker/grantee relationship.

Recently, one of my nonprofit clients spent a full half hour complaining on the phone to me about a reoccurring grant-maker who still requires a five page application for a $5,000 grant. She told me how it took her Development Director two full work days to fill it out; time that could have been spent doing things like stewarding six-figure donors or researching for new, larger grants.

Once completed, there were about ten emails back and forth until the grant-maker felt the application was acceptable to present to their board, that time spent picking at things like the size of the font on the application and the language the team used to describe their client base. (The Development Director was actually told if she didn't say beneficiaries, the board of trustees wouldn't understand who they were supporting. She felt that term was demeaning to her organization's clients but she changed it anyway because they needed the funding.)

After all this back and forth, the grant-maker submitted and approved the grant. Then, emailed a response back asking for another five-six page impact report within six months.

I could hear my client's aggressive breathing as she scribbled away madly on the other end of the phone.

I sighed deeply into the receiver, acknowledging my client's frustration but also remembering a smart tip from one of my early fundraising mentors: "You don't get to present a problem without offering up at least one solution."

I invited my client in this moment to address this funder's behavior and practices. I told her to book a lunch and share what was working and what wasn't in their partnership. I could hear her shaking through the phone as she said, "I don't know if I can do that and risk loosing the funding but I know you're right."

They had lunch and I got this email from her last week.

We had lunch. I ate a turkey sandwich and sat outside on the patio at a Le Quotidien. I'm still in shock that when I shared how the details of the process impacted us and the fact that we had a bunch of other funding opportunities to pursue, he was so surprised. He didn't realize how much we had grown over the last year, even though he has seen our budgets. That shared, I suggested he survey his grantees (like you suggested) and ask them how he could better refine the process for each organization's staff size and grant size. He said that seemed like a wise idea and would do so at the end of this year. All in all, productive convo.

You might read this story and think, why would this Development Director take that risk? Why risk loosing money in today's tumultuous funding landscape? The truth is, you have no choice but to take a risk. If the next generation of fundraisers inherit some of the same frustrations that we are experiencing today, in 2019, we haven't done our job well. When it comes to team building, fund development and organizational sustainability, it's our job to educate donors as to what is best for our systems and structures to thrive. While we wait for the entire philanthropic sector to shift its thinking, we can, in small ways, move it forward by challenging some of the practices and patterns that prevent us from creating meaningful, long term partnerships with our funders. Truth is, funders want these types of partnerships too.

To the fearless fundraisers out there, maybe it's time to take a donor out and instead of continuing to pitch mission, share story and hope for a donation, invite them to a conversation about creating the conditions for our entire sector to ensure our missions outlive and outlast this tricky time we are in. It might surprise you how receptive, appreciative and loving your donors will be when they hear you need their practices and expectations to shift a bit in order for you to stay on a path to mission fulfillment.

As a good friend and donor told me a few years ago, "I never knew the ways I was slowing down the team until she (an Executive Director) told me. I'm grateful she didn't give me bullsh** that everything was going great and just told me what was up."