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Capital Campaigns, Development, Fundraising

“And They’re Off!” Starting Your Campaign Right

by Kent Vanderwood
June 1, 2021

If you’re a racehorse, the starting gate can be a scary place. It’s just barely wide enough to squeeze into. The air is filled with commotion as jockeys and gate crew coax the shy, prod the stubborn, and calm the anxious. When all the horses are finally poised and looking straight ahead everything quiets down for a just moment… Bang! The gate flies open and they’re off—galloping to the finish line with all their might! With the right trainer and plenty of practice, horses eventually learn the “ins and outs” of gate etiquette and how to break fast and clean. Races can be won and lost at the gate.

Just like a horse race, a clean start is essential for your capital campaign. Prepare well so you don’t get stuck in the gate or stumble in your first steps. Between the conclusion of your pre-campaign/feasibility study and launching the quiet/leadership phase, there is typically a period of reflecting on the study results, deciding the best path forward, establishing the campaign size and scope, and developing your plan and strategy. This foundational or preparatory phase can take a month, three months, or more. Some organizations even prepare for a year to launch their campaign.

You should address at least these five items during this preparatory phase before you launch your campaign.

Campaign Organizational Structure
A great start depends on great leaders. Recruit your campaign chair(s), along with additional sub-committee directors, assign staff and board roles, and provide training and orientation for your steering committee. Strong volunteer leadership is the heartbeat of every successful capital campaign. It is critically important to carefully select and properly train your campaign leadership.

Campaign Timeline and Calendar
Concurrently with committee organization, you should establish a realistic timeline for the campaign. Start with key dates such as the launch of the quiet phase, benchmarks for the transition into the public phase, kick-off events, dedication or ribbon cutting ceremony, projected end of the campaign pledge period, and moving into pledge fulfillment. Realize that your timeline is a guide that should remain fluid and subject to change.

Campaign Theme
Every campaign needs a catchy, compelling theme that projects growth, change, fulfilling your vision, enlarging your footprint, and moving forward. Add a tagline and find just the right scripture reference. This campaign theme will help your steering committee and leadership “define” the campaign to your constituency and community.

Material Development
Create some persuasive collateral materials to help tell your ministry story. Generally, if you conducted a pre-campaign study, you already have a compelling case statement which shares your vision. Make any edits to strengthen your case and convert it into an “ask” piece, or gift proposal. Develop a “Frequently Asked Questions” document, commitment card, letterhead, stationery, and thank you notes. Prepare a campaign video to use in your public phase.

Your “Top 100” Donor List
This is the most important step of all. You cannot raise money until you know whom you will talk to. Ask these questions: Who has the capacity for a 7-figure leadership gift? Who can provide a large 6-figure mega gift? Who are our friends who can give $25,000, $50,000 or more to our campaign? Who should be on our Top 10/Next 20 list? Developing this top 100 list is extremely important. Don’t rush the process. The time you spend researching your donors now will pay off in the end.

And You’re Off!
As you evaluate your team, you may need to coax the shy, prod the stubborn, and calm the anxious. But when your leadership, board, and staff are finally poised and looking straight ahead—Bang! You’re off to the races! Pray fervently, recruit well, plan carefully, and run hard!

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising

Throw Your Perfect Elevator Pitch

by Kent Vanderwood
May 5, 2021

What’s your elevator pitch? If you bump into someone important on an elevator who asks you what you do for a living, what would you say? Have you scripted your talking points that quickly and simply define your organization and its value proposition?

Your elevator pitch should express why your non-profit matters in thirty seconds or less. If your conversation is compelling and sparks interest, hopefully you will keep talking after you’ve arrived at your floor and exchange business cards. The goal for every elevator pitch is to secure a follow up meeting.

An elevator pitch is not simply reciting your mission statement. It is different than a mission or vision statement although these can be woven in to your “pitch.” Write down and memorize three or four short sentences, statements, or even phrases so you are prepared at a moment’s notice.

Your elevator pitch should be…

•  Simple – Avoid getting too wordy. Don’t use too many fancy words or jargon. Get to the salient points as soon as possible and do NOT try to tell your whole story. Save that for later.

•  Emotional – The listener needs to hear emotion, excitement, and passion from you. If you are boring why would your listener want to hear more? Provide them with an “Aha” moment!

•  Credible – You don’t need to quote facts or numbers, but if you do, make sure they are accurate. Avoid stating, “we are the ONLY organization that…” You must sound sincere and believable.

•  Relevant – Your cause is relevant, or you would not serve there. In the same way, your “pitch” must be relevant to your audience.

I worked for a ministry named Gospel Communications, International. Our mission was hard to explain. So, I developed an elevator pitch that I used often when people asked, “Tell me about GCI.”

Here’s my script:

At Gospel Communications International, we provide access to the Good News of Jesus Christ to people around the world in the language of their hearts.

For more than 50 years, we have shared God’s Word and other critical information through culturally relevant, evangelistic films, videos, TV broadcasts, and internet-driven messages.

Based in West Michigan, our passion is communicating the Gospel worldwide, using media, to change lives.”

I wrote this elevator pitch when I worked for Mel Trotter Ministries:
Mel Trotter is located in the Heartside Neighborhood of Grand Rapids. We proclaim and demonstrate the compassion of Christ toward hungry, homeless, and hurting men, women, and children from the West Michigan area. We do this by providing the life-sustaining services they need without cost or obligation to them. In short, we bring hope to those who have none.

Don’t Forget to Follow Up
Once you deliver your pitch, you need a plan of action to follow up. Ask the person if they’d be interested in learning more about your ministry and offer to email some additional information. Obviously, make sure you get their email address! A great elevator pitch can get your foot in the door, but exceptional follow-up can really set things in motion.

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising, Stewardship

Squeezing Fundraising onto Your To-Do List

by Kent Vanderwood
April 20, 2021

Do you feel like a circus performer juggling multiple tasks competing for your time and attention? Have you been asked to write your ministry’s strategic plan—and then implement it all by yourself? Are you responsible for training and coaching your staff, but can’t seem to find time to meet with them regularly? Do you finally schedule a meeting, only to cancel it to prepare financial reports for the board meeting? Has your board chair asked you to ramp up your fundraising efforts because the budget is a little tight? You might think to yourself, “And just how am I supposed to squeeze that in?”

Don’t laugh! This is an every day, real occurrence in the non-profit world.

The “tyranny of the urgent” is not just a cliché, but a reality in many ministries. Charles E. Hummel wrote a small pamphlet bearing that title (Inter-Varsity Press, 1967) and commented, “When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities.” So, how can you maintain both your sanity AND priorities and still raise funds your ministry?

·  Is the answer more staff? Maybe, but that’s not always possible.

·  Is the answer less responsibilities or tasks on your plate? Maybe, but which ones should you eliminate?

·  Is the answer better time management, as in “shall I sign up for one of those time management seminars when it comes to town?” Maybe. This may help you cope with the immediate challenge but not alleviate your problem long term.

Finding more time in your day, week, or month is a fundamental management challenge. One executive director described his avalanche of paperwork, “It’s horrendous and getting worse. Sometimes it seems all I do is shuffle papers without ever making progress on the real work that needs to be done.” All of us have “real” work and “not so” real work. How can you tell the difference and strike the right balance?

Setting the right priorities.
Name three things your organization must do well to thrive. Then ask yourself, “What are three things in my current job description that only I can do?” Involve your board or others in your evaluation process. Fundraising should land near the top. The CEO or executive director is typically the most effective fundraiser in any organization. The position carries influence; many donors want to talk directly with the boss. You may need get rid of some responsibilities to add fundraising to your plate.

Sticking to these priorities.
Maybe you have heard the expression, “keep the main thing the main thing.” Once you establish the right priorities, jealously protect your fundraising time. Schedule a day, or two half days each week to meet with donors and prospects. Use this time to educate, cultivate, and nurture your relationships. Be persistent. Interruptions and other “important” things will always try to crowd into your fundraising time. Unless it is in your job description, and only you can do it, don’t let anything get in the way. Your ministry success depends on your fundraising efforts. Bottom line–free up your schedule for fundraising.

Delegate Wisely
In his book, One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard poses the question, “Why is it that some managers are typically running out of time while their staffs are typically running out of work?” Some leaders think they are indispensable, or that some tasks can only be completed by them. Yes, this is partly true, but most of us struggle with delegating properly, thus adding to our stress. No one is indispensable. That thought process limits the work or growth of others.

Delegation is “the ultimate form of management” because it allows your people to achieve more and more with less and less from you. And guess what? Effectively delegating one project, or task, frees up time for you to delegate more responsibilities to others. As you achieve higher levels of delegation, it will free up your time to focus on what is most important. If someone else in your organization can do or be trained to do a task you currently do, let them do it.

Whom should you delegate these extra tasks to? It may be someone on your staff or team. If not, can you identify some faithful volunteers? Recruit true biblical stewards who desire to serve the Lord. They may have time and talent in areas you may not.

Is there a risk when delegating? Of course, but the greater risk is being overwhelmed and ineffective as a leader because you can’t get to everything. With all those plates spinning in the air, it is only a matter of time until some of them crash to the floor. Delegate every task that keeps you from “the main thing.”

Fundraising is essential for every ministry leader. It is not about “squeezing fundraising onto your to-do list.” Embrace fundraising as one of your top priorities and then reassign everything that gets in the way. Your ministry will thank you!

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising, Stewardship

Boost Your Annual Report!

by Kent Vanderwood
April 6, 2021

One of the best strategies for reporting your success to your donors and stakeholders is through an Annual Report. You may or may not currently produce one, but if your non-profit organization is like most of those we serve, you probably ask these questions every year:

·  Is an annual report required of our non-profit?

·  If not, why should we do one?

·  Who is our audience?

·  What should be included?

·  How long (or brief) should it be?

·  Is there one format that is better than others?

·  Should it be printed or digitally produced?

·  What are the best practices to consider when preparing our annual report?

Do we have to produce an annual report?
Your ministry is not required to produce an annual report, but there are many persuasive reasons to create one. However, all non-profits with 501c3 tax-exempt status must file Form 990 or the Annual Information Return with the IRS. An annual report is an optional informational report that non-profits produce to serve their OWN purposes. Here are some benefits to consider:

Inspire your audience about your mission.
One non-profit executive’s perspective is, “The annual report is a comic book. They look at the pictures and glance at the words.” If you only have a glance, make sure your photos include captions that communicate your impact, your stories are brief but compelling, and your financials are clear and convincing.

Show the results and impact of your organization.
Donors are your target audience. Show the tangible results of your work to prove your return on their investment (ROI). Share the spiritual impact to authenticate your spiritual return on investment (SROI). What were you able to accomplish, with their help, over the past 12 months? Do not be afraid to “toot your horn.” Donors give because they love your organization. They keep giving and give more because their dollars are making a difference. Some organizations have wisely renamed their annual report to “Impact Report.”

Build trust through financial accountability.
Being transparent with how you present your numbers will help build trust. Your audience can review your 990 Report on their own to check your financials. It’s much better to tell them first in your narrative with your charts and stories. There are many ways to share this information. Make it simple and clear. They need to see that you are a good steward of their donations.

Show appreciation for your current donors.
In the past, annual reports would generally show a list of donors over the past 12 months. At least those who have given at significant or notable levels. Of the 15 annual reports on my desk right now, only one of them includes this list. And that one is an insert sheet that can be added or removed based on the audience. That is not to say the other reports fail to show appreciation and give thanks. It is just more general and less specific to individuals. Hopefully, you are engaging with your major donors enough that you need not depend on your annual report to say thanks.

What are some “best practices” for writing an Annual Report?

·  Create a plan for your non-profit annual report. Have a strategy. Define your purpose and your audience. Include great photos. Compile financial information and key metrics. Interview key supporters or service recipients for stories. Plan enough time to do it right.

·  Focus your annual report on the good your non-profit accomplished. Write from your donors’ perspective. What did their donations and volunteer support accomplish? Put them first. Allow them to “own” the results.

·  Use visuals in your annual report to keep readers engaged. Remember the “comic book” analogy? Use more visuals and less words. “Info-graphics” help. Transform complex data into easy-to-understand information.

·  Be honest about your non-profit’s progress. You want to show success, but that may not be possible 100% of the time on every project. Feel free to mention some of the challenges faced over the past year; show how you are being proactive in solving problems. Transparency builds trust.

·  Inspire supporters to act. Your annual report should include a call to action for your readers. Your report will share success and accomplishments. Some will be asking, “What’s next?” Make sure you include the answer to that question and how they can be a part of it. Volunteerism, corporate matching programs, upcoming fundraising events can be shared.

Should your annual report be a printed hard copy mailed or hand delivered to your stakeholders? Or should it be produced digitally and available for downloading as a PDF via an email or on your website? The answer is, “YES!” A combination of hard copy and digital annual report versions will reach the widest audience.

Here are three great samples: Haiti Teen Challenge, Immanuel Schools, and Lakeland Christian Schools.

Your annual report can be an effective fundraising tool as you inform, explain, narrate, and persuade your ministry partners to increase their impact through your ministry.

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising

Donor Research Basics – (Part 2)

by Jody Fausnight
March 22, 2021

In our last article we reviewed three sources of donor prospecting research available to all ministries: internal, advocate, and external resources. We also categorized donors as general, mid-level, or major. Now that you have identified your donors, the next steps are qualify and cultivate.

Qualifying Donors
Major donors typically represent the top 10-20% of your donors. These individuals have given, or you believe have the capacity to give at your major donor giving threshold. Your time is limited, so you should qualify your major donor prospects to make sure they are genuine major donors. Some gifts meet your major donor criteria, but as you follow up you might learn that the donor made a one-time gift because they tithed an inheritance or sold a property. These donors may be great supporters but should probably be categorized and cultivated as mid-level donors.

The 4C Rating System
Qualifying donors requires some investigation work. Uncover this key donor information:

1. Connection – Does this person have a current or past connection to your ministry?

          • As a service recipient, or family member of a recipient?
          • As a former staff member of your ministry?
          • As a current or past advocate?
          • As a current or past volunteer?

2. Current – Is this person currently involved, or recently involved in the last 12-36 months?

          • As a donor to our ministry in the last three years?
          • As a service recipient, or family member of a service recipient?
          • As a current or past volunteer?
          • As an attendee at a recent community ministry or fundraising event?
          • Any of the above but more than three years prior?

3. Capacity – What do internal, advocacy, and external sources tell you about this person’s ability to give at your major gift level?

          • Are they someone who has given a major gift in the past to your ministry?
          • If not, has their pattern of giving or involvement indicated that they may be able to increase their giving?
          • Would advocacy sources such as your board members or development committee volunteers know these prospects and be willing to make an introduction?

4. Commitment – Does this prospect have a demonstrated commitment to your ministry mission? What is their interest level?

          • Are they a current donor or past donor?
          • What are their interests/hot buttons reflected in giving records or CRM notations?
          • Are they a current volunteer, past volunteer, or leader, but perhaps not a donor yet?
          • If so, how have they served?
          • Have they seen the impact of your ministry in a loved one, friends, or neighbors in the community?

Use the following 4C Score for each prospect based on the information you discover:

Prioritize your initial efforts with those donors and prospects having a 16-20 combined ratings total, then focus on those in the 12-15 range. Those who are mid-level donors or prospects may fall in the 8-12 range and should be engaged after you have reached those with higher ratings.

Cultivating Donors
Treat every donor with kindness and respect but concentrate your time with donors who have the capacity to significantly advance your ministry. You should invest 50 percent or more of your time cultivating relationships with these key donors through phone, direct email, and in-person or zoom meetings. In every phase of your donor relationships, you should always be in a discovery mode.  Never stop learning about your donors. Consider these questions to cultivate a deeper understanding about what connects them to your ministry.

          • What or who first ignited your interest in serving with or giving to our ministry?
          • What inspires you most about our mission? Why?
          • How would you relate your involvement with our ministry to your spiritual walk and life?
          • Can you think of a time when a ministry did something or responded in a way that surprised or delighted you? What was that experience like?
          • What strengths or opportunities do you see for our ministry?

Listen well to every donor conversation and record key points in your CRM to help build your institutional knowledge about each major donor.

Ask good questions and listen for your donors’ passions. Then you can present a tailor-made proposal that aligns perfectly with their capacity, interest, and heart!

About the Author: Jody Fausnight, CFRE, has worked in the fund development field for more than 25 years serving as a director of advancement, a community/public relations director with four non-profit organizations, and as a consultant. Jody has expertise in Christian school recruiting, public relations, fund development, and major gift cultivation strategies. He has successfully raised many millions on behalf of numerous organizations and has grown ministry development programs from the ground up on more than one occasion.

Development, Fundraising, Major Donors, Stewardship

Fundraising with Heart!

by Kent Vanderwood
March 22, 2021

We often talk about fundraising metrics: donor retention rate (DRR), donor attrition (DA), donor churn (DC), donor frequency (DF), donor lifetime value (DLV), return on investment (ROI), cost to raise a dollar (CRD), the stress levels of advancement personnel (SLAP). Wait, I made that last one up. You get the idea. We have devised many ways to measure many things, but when it comes right down to it, relationships are the key to all successful donor engagements. Let me share a brief testimonial.

As consultants, we often work on behalf of our clients—meeting donors, assisting with solicitation calls, making thank you calls, and more. Recently, I delivered some donor appreciation gifts for one of my clients. The gift was a beautiful picture and “thank you” inscription framed in a nice plaque. One of my deliveries was to an elderly donor whom I first met in December, when I called on her for a year-end gift. She has been a widow for two or three years and became a major donor last year when she attended the ministry’s fall banquet with her church group. No one from the ministry had met with her personally before me. We had an enjoyable visit as she shared how she and her husband made giving decisions. He loved supporting Christian ministries that made an eternal impact. So, when I called her last week to ask if I could stop by to deliver a gift, she quickly responded, “yes!”

When I arrived at her home, she graciously led me to her kitchen table. I noted that her speech was somewhat slurred but did not draw attention to it. I asked how she was feeling. She shared that she had recently had a tumor removed in the back of her throat—that explained why it was difficult for her to speak clearly. She was scheduled for radiation therapy next week, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. We talked about how her sons and friends would rotate driving duties to and from her treatment sessions.

I asked her if I could pray with her and she readily accepted. As we held hands and prayed, I felt God touching her body as I spoke words of peace to her. When we ended, I told her we would add her name to the ministry’s prayer list, and she thanked me. I asked if I could call her halfway through her radiation treatments to see how she was doing. We hugged and she led me to the door, but not before handing me an envelope—inside was a $5,000 gift to the ministry.

Now, here is the point I want to make. Was she going to give that money anyway? Perhaps, but maybe not now, or in this way. I noted the date on the check was the date of my visit. She wrote that check knowing I was coming. She could have mailed it, but instead personally handed it to me. I believe that was intentional. I am sure this was not the last time I will meet with her or pick up a donation at her kitchen table. Her hug was the metric I value because it shows that this ministry has connected with her heart!

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising

Donor Research Basics – Identify (Part 1)

by Jody Fausnight
March 10, 2021

How do you find the right people with the capacity and heart to advance your mission? You have limited time and resources to cultivate relationships with your donors and must be strategic by fishing where the fish are likely to bite. Who in your database are most likely to support the mission, initiatives, and impact opportunities of your ministry? Where do you start? Begin with methodical research and move to appropriate segmentation activities and communications.

You have three research resources available to you:

Internal sources – your database/CRM provides historical giving records as well as notes on past involvement in events, activities, and volunteer engagement.

Advocate sources – your board members and key volunteers can offer confidential anecdotal input about prospective donors’ interests, capacity, and potential support for your mission. Great starter questions for board or committee members are:

•   “Who do you know on this list and how do you know them?”

•   “How long have you known them?”

•   “Do they know anything about our ministry?

•   “Are they aligned with our mission?”

•   “Who is not on our list that should be?”

External sources– third-party wealth screening resources can help you determine potential giving capacity.

The first two choices are great qualification opportunities that only cost your time and effort. Limited external research is also available at no additional cost through Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social media sources. Wealth screening services such as Wealth Engine and DonorSearch can help you develop a clearer picture of your donors’ interests and capacity.

Donor Segments
Prioritize your current donors and prospects as major or general donors. First, define what a major donor is for your ministry. For smaller organizations, a major donor might be $500 or $1000 given in a year (one-time gifts or a series of gifts). In larger ministries, a major donor may give $10,000 or more annually. Many ministries also develop special mid-level donor strategies to reach those who fall between your general and major donor categories.

Donor Communication
Your ministry should be cultivating relationships with individuals, business owners, and foundation representatives using multiple tools like newsletters, appeals, event invitations, email, and social media. Some people in your database are lapsed donors that you need to reconnect. Many times, it’s easier to rewin a friend than to make a new one. Perhaps some in your donor base have never given. These could be current or past volunteers, past recipients of ministry services or family members of those recipients. You may not be able to invest lot of time cultivating these donors face-to-face, but you can cultivate them through your communication channels.

Look for creative ways to share your story. One ministry sends weekly prayer emails and occasional video updates. Recently, when the executive director met a new donor, the donor said, “I’ve never met you, but I feel that I know you because I read your emails every week and watch your videos.”

In part 2, we will discuss how to qualify those donors we’ve identified.

About the Author: Jody Fausnight, CFRE, has worked in the fund development field for more than 25 years serving as a director of advancement, a community/public relations director with four non-profit organizations, and as a consultant. Jody has expertise in Christian school recruiting, public relations, fund development, and major gift cultivation strategies. He has successfully raised many millions on behalf of numerous organizations and has grown ministry development programs from the ground up on more than one occasion.

Development, Fundraising, Major Donors, Stewardship

Leadership Giving

by Kent Vanderwood
March 10, 2021

Your first question might be, what exactly is leadership giving?

Leadership giving is a principle introduced in the Old Testament that is still relevant today. Two main passages teach this concept. In Exodus 25, Moses asked for gifts to build the tabernacle:

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breast piece.’” (Exodus 25:1-7).

In 1 Chronicles 29, David gathered resources to construct the temple:

“Then King David said to the whole assembly: ‘My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?’  Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly” (1 Chronicles 29:1-9).

We see a model for giving in each of these passages. God told Moses to start with gifts of “gold, silver and bronze” (Ex. 25:2). Who had valuable gifts like this to give? The leaders of Israel, presumably. But He also added the phrase, “from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.” Moses invited everyone to give, but he asked the leaders to give first.

King David followed the same model. The first gifts were gold, silver, bronze, iron, followed by wood, fine stones, and marble. The key phrase appears in 1 Chronicles 29:3-5, where David gave his OWN treasures for the temple. He did not ask others to do what he was not willing to do himself. He set the pace, and everyone followed his lead.

This is how the 1 Chronicles 29 campaign ended, “Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work (all) gave willingly” (vs. 6). When the people saw their leaders give, they rejoiced for what God was accomplishing (vs. 9). When your leaders set the pace, others will be inspired to give.

Who are the “leaders” in your organization? Who should be the first to give? Depending on the type of non-profit you are, this would include the trustees, foundation board, steering committee (if you are engaged in a capital campaign), staff, parents, and possibly even service recipients. Each of these groups serves in leadership in some way and together they form your “leadership giving.”

Four Takeaways:

•  Start with your giving. David gave first in 1 Chronicles 29:1-5, then the other the leaders gave (vs. 6-7), and finally the rest of the people joined in (vs. 8-9).

•  Start at the top. Top-down giving begins with the leaders (gold, silver bronze).

•  Move inside-out. Giving should start with those who are the closest to the ministry, then move to those who are less involved.

•  Invite everyone to give. Exodus 25:2 and 35:4, “Everyone who is willing…” It’s important to ask everyone in your constituency to partner in fulfilling your mission.

So, how much should each person give?
This is a very personal matter, between the individual and God, leading through his Holy Spirit. Moses said, “From what you have, take an offering for the Lord” (Exodus 35:4). Can you give a gift of gold? If so, you should. Maybe your gift is fine linen, acacia wood, or onyx stone. Giving is about “equal sacrifice, not equal gifts.” If you pray and ask God with a sincere and open heart, he will speak to you.

Paul gives this instruction for leaders:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:15-17).

Leaders demonstrate their leadership through their sacrificial giving. Lead by example and others will follow.

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications Inte
rnational, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Development, Fundraising, Major Donors

Fundraising Superpower: Mind Reader

by Kent Vanderwood
February 10, 2021

Perhaps you’ve heard this famous fundraising axiom, “Successful fundraising is the right person asking the right prospect for the right amount for the right project at the right time in the right way¹”.

So, how do you know the right amount to ask for? What if you ask too high? Or, too low? Can you go back for seconds if you asked for the wrong amount the first time? Here’s where the fundraising superpower of reading your donors’ minds would come in handy. You could nail the right ask every time. This superpower doesn’t come by gamma radiation, exposure to chemicals from another planet, a science experiment gone wrong, or a radioactive spider bite. But it’s not as complicated as you might think.

Asking for the right amount starts with research. Who is this donor or prospect? Have they given before? How much? What do you know about them personally? What other ministries do they support? How much do they usually give? You can research this donor with internal and external data. Internally, you should review your donors’ giving records, talk to staff who know them, ask board members if they have any personal or business relationships. Check out external online wealth screening resources such as Blackbaud Analytics, Donor Search, Donor Scape, iWave, and Wealth Engine to name a few. Both internal and external research provide key datapoints to help you determine the right gift amount.

Rules of Thumb

•  Start with their largest annual gift. If you are   asking for another annual gift, suggest the donor increase their gift by 25% or more.

•  If you’re asking for a capital campaign multiple year pledge, you could request 10 to 25 times their largest single gift, depending on their capacity.

•  If in doubt, ask high. It is usually better to ask a donor to “stretch” their stewardship decision, rather than feel like you asked too low. If it is too high, they will tell you. Rarely will they say, “You didn’t ask enough, I was planning to give $_______.” Charles W. Phillips of the McLellan Foundation once remarked, “No large ask should be a surprise; every smaller ask is an insult.”

A client shared a recent capital campaign ask where the donor responded, “You’re leaving money on the table. You asked for $4,500 but we could give $10,000.” Their largest single gift was $1,500, so she tripled it for the three-year campaign ask, but she didn’t realize that this donor was silent partner in a very successful local car dealership whose profits were up this year. If she had done her research, perhaps she would have asked for more and received more.

“Sweet Spot” Solicitation

Personal solicitation is built on relationships which you cultivate before the actual ask. Get to know your donors – their interests, passions, and what motivates them most about what you do. The more you know, the more accurately you will discern the right project and the right amount. A donor’s “sweet spot” is not always easy to detect or uncover, but once you do, you have a better chance to hit a home run. Just like in baseball, hit the sweet spot, and watch it fly out of the park!

I saw this principle happen firsthand on a recent visit with a client engaged in a major capital campaign. The development director and I visited a couple and presented a gift proposal for $30,000, based on their last campaign gift eight years ago and their annual giving since that time. It was a bit of a “stretch” over their past giving.

The visit went well; they loved the campaign components. After our $30,000 ask, the donor said that he and his wife would talk and have an answer in a week. We then showed him a list of named gift opportunities ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. It’s helpful to share this information even if the donor can’t give more or is not interested in recognition, because they may know someone who might be.

Little did we know that one of the items on that named gift list hit a “sweet spot.” Four hours after our visit, the donor came to the office with a completed pledge card for $150,000! That is right – not the $30,000 we asked him, but five times that amount. Their family’s interest in music, drama, and the arts had gone largely undetected, but they wanted to leave a legacy. As they discussed the campaign, they decided to put their name on an outside amphitheater.

Just think of the success you could have with every major donor if you took the time to uncover their “sweet spots.” It doesn’t always happen the way I described above but you need to be intentional about discovering your donors’ true interests. It’s hard work, but the rewards are well worth the effort.

You really don’t need to be a superhero to know how much to ask your donor. Listen to their heart and passion, then you can pitch the right project and the right gift amount!

Resource: ¹Weinstein, Stanley. The Complete Guide to Fundraising Management, 4th Ed. Wiley. 2017.

About the Author: Kent Vanderwood, Vice President – Kent offers clients over 35 years of non-profit experience including teaching, administrative, consulting, and directorships. Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. He currently serves as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Client Impact, Development, Fundraising

Rejoice! Sterling College

by The Timothy Group
January 27, 2021

Sterling College recently dedicated the new Gleason Center Expansion, the first of three building projects that are part of a $25 million SterlingNOW campaign. The College also plans to build Zaid-West Science and Research Center, a 30,000 square foot science and math building, and renovate Thompson Hall, a 24,000 square foot building that currently houses the science, math, and business programs.

The Gleason addition features 32,000 square feet of new and renovated space, including three classrooms, 20 offices for faculty and coaches, the Dudrey Center for Health Sciences, the Mabee Wellness Center & Weight room, the First Bank Lobby & Hall of Fame, new and additional locker room space and the new Wilkey Fieldhouse.

For the first 13 months of our campaign, we employed another fundraising consulting firm to lead us through the College’s first campaign in over thirteen years. Among other concerns with the firm, we became aware that the feasibility study this firm conducted on our behalf was dishonest. Not the start that a first-time President, a new Vice President for Advancement, and a Board of Trustees had in mind.

 

Then Pat McLaughlin and Ron Haas of The Timothy Group (TTG) stepped in. They quickly helped us organize and re-tool our campaign. The training delivered by TTG to staff, board, and campaign committee members was outstanding and customized to who we are and where we were in the campaign equipping us very well for campaign success. Their research and evaluation of our campaign status provided our President and board the assurance that we were on track and that we could achieve our goal.

More specifically, TTG coached us through the intricacies of major gift solicitation. They sharpened the case for support when making the ask, refined our listening skills, and accompanied us in the field with donor briefings and solicitations. TTG built our confidence and helped us be bold with our prospective donors. They helped us craft the proposal and took part in our presentation that secured a $2 million matching challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation.

Personally, Pat and Ron were invaluable to me as they provided insight, encouragement, and took evening and weekend phone calls to help me in some of the most challenging times and situations during the campaign. The Timothy Group was integral to our success.

About the Author: Scott Carter is the former Sterling Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations. After leading Sterling’s successful campaign, he now serves as Director of Development-Athletics at University of Colorado Boulder. Scott, Heather, and their two children live in Estes Park, Colorado and enjoy occasional visits from black bears and mountain lions.

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