Fundraising: It’s Gotta Be A Team Sport

If you’re a fundraiser, you know no money, no mission. The charitable selfless intent; the good work for the community, kids and animals, hunger, the homeless, etc. none of these great missions are addressed without MONEY! Behind all the heartfelt feel-good messages and images your Executive Team tries to convey, it’s still about cash money.

The Money Game is the most important aspect your team needs to understand. And yet, for Executive Directors and Board members, money is the taboo subject they just can’t bring themselves to even talk about, much less ask for. The truth of the matter is, Fundraising is a Team Sport.

So, how do we address the problem? Start by teaching your “team” about the importance of Relational Management. Build the relationship between your mission, executive staff, board and ultimately, your donors, with authentic, timely, and personal communication. Emphasize the importance of small talk. Help them understand that asking about the kid’s soccer match, the husband’s arthritis, her preparation for your 5K run, establishes trust, opens doors, and eases the path to monetary support of your mission. With a lot of trust, and sometimes a little wine(!) donors become open to talking, discussing and finally, to giving money.

The challenge, too often is, fundraisers are tasked to go it alone. They’re expected to do it all; research, connect, cultivate, steward; all the best practice steps that lead to a request for support. Executive Directors and Board Members need to understand that their leadership participation is required for successful fundraising.

It’s the fundraiser’s job to educate both Executive Directors and Board and staff, about fundraising best practices; about the holy grail of relationship building and get them actively involved.

Educate, Coach, & Lead Your Team to Success!

The following four steps are a great way to educate your leadership and integrate them into your relationship management system:

1. Start by building individual relationships with your board members that puts them front and center in the process of relationship building. Meet them for coffee or lunch. Get to know them better, just like we get to know our donors and prospects. Ask board members why they joined the board and what they think they can do to help. This is an opportunity to gage their interest in actively getting involved with frontline fundraising.

2. Facilitate an interactive fundraising workshop for your Executive Director and Board of Directors that not only teaches them fundraising and solicitation best practices, but gives them opportunities to practice their new skills. Stage mock major gift ask/solicitation meetings using board members role playing as solicitors and donors using scripts. Staff leadership and board members get to sit in the driver’s seat practicing face-to-face asks in a controlled, nurturing environment.

3. Provide trained board members with opportunities to put their knowledge into action. Accompany board members and hand-hold their first peer-to-peer solicitation. This is a win-win proposition that gives board members confidence and real-time experience, while you assist, observe, and if needed, step in for that all-important “ask”.

4. Have board members make thank you calls to donors for their recent gifts. This a great first step for board members to connect externally with donors. Thank you/stewardship calls are completely feel-good opportunities with no ask/solicitation involved. Board members can relax and chat in a stress-free conversation with donors who appreciate the personal touch of being thanked by a board member.

These steps create a non-threatening, no pressure, entrée into relationship building. With coaching and support, board members ease into donor conversations that lead to thoughtful solicitations for support. Before you know it, your leadership is having fun socializing with prospects and donors. And the first time they hear “YES!” to their “ask”, there’s no stopping them. So, fundraisers, isn’t this what you want; a winning, energetic solicitation team that helps you bring home the bacon?

The team approach worked for me—it can, and will, work for you!