How do you get your donors to invest themselves in your mission? What does networking mean to you? It’s all about relationships and it’s not rocket science. 3 – 2 – 1 …
How do you get your donors to invest themselves in your mission? What does networking mean to you? It’s all about relationships and it’s not rocket science. 3 – 2 – 1 …
In our recent Zoom panel discussion last week, one of our guests talked about the need to keep a long- term attitude or perspective as we negotiate through this COIVID-19 pandemic. This idea resonated with all of us on the panel.
Greg Kelley, CEO & President of World Mission, shared how the current COVID-19 narrative is being driven by the media; and how much of the dialogue we hear is based in fear. The Bible, on the other hand, tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) What does this mean for us as non-profit leaders? It means we need to push back against the fear and not take a defensive posture. One way Greg and his staff countered this was by developing a long-term attitude. We are in a season and it will pass. Keeping our vision in front of us is critical. The vision is everything. It is your lifeline.
Greg shared how World Mission looked for what he called a “sticky point;” something unique they could communicate to their donors and friends to counteract the current fear, or “noise” out there. Something that would cut through the clutter. World Mission is an international evangelistic mission agency. They work in underdeveloped countries with unreached people groups. So, what they discovered is that the people they serve are more concerned about starvation than being infected with the COVID virus. Hunger and survival became the “tip of the spear” for them. It took their eyes of the COVID “noise.” As they communicated with the right message, donors and friends have responded with increased giving.
In an article entitled “COVID-19 Fundraising: How Nonprofits and Higher Education Can Adapt” (Wealthx.com, May 2020), the author states, “There is a lot of media noise, and a lot of people are looking for guardrails and foundations. Take the time to clearly re-communicate your organization’s fundamental purpose and goals to your donors. Help people to understand the enduring significance of what your organization is doing in the midst of so much uncertainty.” In other words, “double-down” on communicating vision and mission.
Remember, having a long-term attitude helps us balance our short term needs with our long-term vision. Our vision shouldn’t change, even if our needs in the short term may. Fostering and promoting this vision starts with you – the leaders. When the vision is threatened, it is no time to take a defensive posture, but to push forward. “Double down,” you will be glad you did.
Here are a few of Greg’s “sticky points” to consider:
(1) Maintain a long-term attitude. Your vision is everything.
(2) Mobilize your best team members with personal phone calls….use “ENCOURAGE, PRAY, SEED VISION”.
(3) Find a line to cut through the noise of the pandemic. What is something that uniquely states how God is using you now? For World Mission, it is ‘the people we are serving are more concerned with starvation that getting the virus’.
(4) Be a leader. Recognize the times we are living in and be a relevant voice. Always bring it back to vision. What distinguishes you?
Article submitted by Kent Vanderwood, Vice President for The Timothy Group. Kent currently resides as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). 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. 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.
As non-profit leaders, we all know the importance of good, ongoing communication with our supporters and friends. Communication of our message in a meaningful way is an essential part of the fundraising formula. It is important that we keep our vision out front. During this challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic, how and when we communicate to our donors is more than just important. It is critical.
Most of the non-profit ministries we work with have scaled back their communication in some way. Since we are not doing face to face donor meetings, we have turned to other means – phone, mail, email, and even virtual meetings like Zoom or Go-to-Meeting. Some would ask, does this require that we also change the message? The urgency? The frequency? Most ministries have realized the need to be sensitive to donors during this time. Many have lost money or investments and are not as prepared to make gift decisions. Some have been directly impacted by COVID in their family. Others are fearful or worried about the future.
At TTG, we have discussed the need to pivot from making direct “solicitation” calls to “care” calls or thank-you calls. Sharing what is going on at your ministry in a low-pressure manner is a good practice as we move through these uncertain times and look forward to a season of recovery. People need to know you are still there.
But we should not be passive in our approach. Being passive means that you do not take action, but instead let things happen to you. Passive activity involves watching, looking at or listening to things without taking action; being inactive. This is not how we want to communicate with our donors. Being low pressure in your approach does not mean you are being passive. It simply means you are adjusting your approach to the current situation.
One of our school clients described how they are calling their regular donors and saying, “We are still here. God is faithful. Even though we are closed to students, we still have operational needs.” No direct ask was made, but they shared the need in a low pressure way. Many would respond, “How can we help?” This school saw increased giving over a year ago and met their annual fund goal in the midst of COVID-19. God is faithful.
Another client, a rescue mission, reported that as they increased their focus on thank you calls, they saw a parallel increase in the number of unsolicited donations to the ministry; this included some very large gifts that were unexpected. What if they would have been passive and didn’t reach out to these donors?
Donors who love your ministry will stay faithful if you communicate in a sensitive and loving manner. Being low pressure in your approach is fine. If they can’t give today, they will when they are more able.
Recommended complimentary reading: “Ask For A Fish”. Order here.
Article submitted by Kent Vanderwood, Vice President for The Timothy Group. Kent currently resides as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). 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. 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.
How are you helping donors thrive? How authentic are you with your donors? In what ways do you speak and act from their perspective? How much emphasis do you place on eternal dividends? It is your role to help them thrive. View our short Timothy Toons series video and find out how.
Yes, donor engagement and energy continues to strengthen. People are being drawn together in ways that were unheard of just months ago. People are sewing masks for friends and family, donating meals to health-care workers and offering help to neighbors in need. Many businesses and institutions have pivoted to virtual engagement, and to a deeper level of connection than anyone would have ever guessed.
The Christian education, ministries, and missions that have seized upon these times as an opportunity to not be forgotten have learned new skills and broadened their reach and levels of support. They are strengthening plans for donor giving and expecting growth for the years to come.
With such effort, we have seen remarkable response to some of the urgent questions and needs of this crisis. How do we continue to educate our youth? How can we safely care for our homeless? How can we help kids to stay happy, healthy, and safe this summer? Many donors have stepped forward and continued to support these and other beloved missions wherever they’ve felt the call.
What seems to be working for our colleagues out in the field? Here are some ideas and encouragement shared and collected by our guest host panelists through our recent Zoom Panel Discussions. We hope it revitalizes and strengthens you!
Keep active with your annual fund planning.
Consider a cost-based tuition model with an annual fund plan that covers smaller non-operating budget projects. This model sustains well through health and economic crisis.
Continue to communicate in a low-pressure way such as “We’re still here, God is providing, help when you are able” sets a calm, reassuring tone.
Replace active asking with conversations on well-being and sharing love for the mission.
When major donor gifts come in (and they will), find a cool, new way to thank your donor and show your love and appreciation. Consider driving to their home and place a gift basket and yard sign by their front porch that says “we love you” with your school verse. Give them a call as you drive away and let them know there is a surprise for them.
Be cautious as to when it is the right time to follow through with the ask. Consider language such as “hey we are still here, we know we had asked awhile back – if you can help that’s great, if not, we’ll come around another time”. Realize the ask is still there and that you are not withdrawing it, but will come around to it another time.
(Click here for more insight from Sam Barfell of Southside Christian School.)
Move from being a big cruise ship to that of an agile kayak able to navigate through today’s changing and/or future turbulent times.
Become “lean and mean”. Look for today’s opportunities to shrink size, space and scale, streamline and/or eliminate duplication of services. This puts you in a position able to transition quickly and smoothly through crisis.
Start an educational or community initiative that collaborates and links with others in local communities that share your vision and mission.
Form a President’s Advancement Advisory Council with energetic staff, major donors, community members and others that share your vision and mission.
Don’t be afraid to go “against all odds” with fundraising events or galas. Seek new ways to hold them or invite big-hearted celebrities to join you in sharing your mission. They are very willing to help during challenging times.
Put prayer, marketing and ministry together and be spiritually creative. Try a series of prayer or other meaningful short, 30 second videos to show it’s “our turn to pray and care for you”. Try 30-minute virtual lunches to pray and share how things are going out there for your students, staff and donors.
(Click here for more insight from Bill Blocker of the College of Biblical Studies.)
Place focus and emphasize on how to keep new donors (via the current crisis) on board and engaged for the long haul. Even with lack of funds from storefront sales, giving is ticking up.
Yes, do keep up with the personal donor phone calls. Donors will ask, so be prepared to answer when donors ask, “how else may we be of help?”
Gently steer donors to your website to give online via your phone calls or inbox e-News. Keep your “give button” front and center on each webpage. Provide current testimonials and update all content. Keep needs out front.
Blast social media with 30-second snippets featuring clients and their stories.
(Click here for more insight from Tony Gooch of Durham Rescue Mission and Greg Kelley of World Mission. An article featuring more of Greg’s thoughts will be posted next week.)
(Click here to see the recent article submitted by Amy Carlson of Youth Haven Kids’ Ministry.)
Do you have any ideas or encouragement to share? We’d love to hear from you. Please share your comments below. Thank you!
The lesson from Joshua’s battle against the Amalekites is crystal clear: When you pray, you win; if you stop praying, you lose. Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill for a strategic view of the battlefield. Moses stood with his arms raised holding the staff of God to intercede on behalf of Israel. When do you think they realized that the position of Moses’ arms impacted the outcome of the battle? Yet, it was too difficult for Moses to continue. So, they improvised and pulled up a stone for Moses to sit on while Aaron and Hur stood on each side holding up his hands.
Who is the MVP of this battle? Would you vote for Joshua and the army on the battlefield, Moses lifting his staff in prayer, or Aaron and Hur? The correct answer is everyone. This has a direct fundraising application. Your organization needs soldiers on the field telling your story – your leadership team, major gift officers, and board. You also need a major donor prayer team fervently praying for open doors, great conversations, and God’s favor. But this all falls apart without staff to support your efforts.
Rally your troops to pray for your fundraising efforts. Send out regular prayer emails to your most dedicated prayer warriors. You don’t need to share details about your donor visits, just your call to action. Then when God answers, “many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many” (2 Corinthians 1:11).
Have a Spirit-led fundraising week,
Ron
Ron Haas, current Vice President for The Timothy Group has also served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.
A board member profoundly said, “Every one of our board members should constantly be in conversations with people to find out where God is hiding money!” Some organizations schedule time in each board meeting encouraging members to identify, cultivate and solicit their friends and family. Andrew would have been a great board member! He believed John’s message and made a life changing decision to follow Jesus. Andrew became an evangelist. His first response was to find his brother Peter and tell him about Christ.
Your board members must become your greatest evangelists for your ministry telling everyone they meet about how your ministry is accomplishing incredible things for Christ. Encourage your board members to engage in these four action steps.
You can only share your mission with enthusiasm, if you are fully convinced that your ministry is meeting critical needs. Light up your board’s passion by sharing stories of changed lives.
The first networking question is, “Who do you know?” We jump to a list of famous, wealthy people that we probably don’t know (Bill Gates). Instead, we should look closer to home. Consider prospects in your church, community, and even family who would align with your mission.
Finding the Messiah motivated Andrew. Your ministry meets many human needs, but the most compelling message you can share is how your ministry leads people to Jesus.
Andrew did more than share the good news with Peter, he physically brought him to Jesus. Encourage your board members to bring their prospective donors for a tour, a special event, or lunch with your executive director. Inspire your prospective donors as they experience your mission.
Andrew didn’t know it, but he brought the person whom God would use to bring many into the Kingdom. Won’t you begin recruiting donor evangelists? Perhaps God will use the person you bring to bring many to your ministry and many more into the Kingdom.
Have a Spirit-led fundraising week,
Ron
Ron Haas has served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.
Is it okay to ask for specific gift amounts? How can you tell if a donor is on board? What does the Bible say about asking for gifts? This top guide shares how to assess your donor giving capacity. BONUS: Several donor case scenarios are provided.
Guide authored by Ron Haas.
Ron Haas has served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.
Survey results are in! Check out our 1-page pictorial report on the current State Of Donor Affairs. Please also make sure to view the individual comments, words of encouragement, and “go-to” verses by our survey respondents located below the report. A big thank you to the respondents who took the time to share their thoughts!
Survey Comments:
“A special thank you to your group for being an excellent resource and encouragement during this time.”
“Giving has not declined over our monthly average. Received a significant gift unsolicited.”
“We are praying more as Administrator…Daily. We meet at 9 AM M-F and we really pray. Not a bad plan.”
(2 Corinthians 12:10b) “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
“Pray for seniors, many of which are rightly isolated and some that are lonely. Thanks for what you are doing!”
“Thankful that no cases of COVID-19 in any of our shelter guests or staff in the last 5 weeks. This is one of the things that I have been able to share with our donors in phone calls, emails and handwritten notes and it so resonates with them. Many say that has been my prayer. The first time donors I have spoken with say they gave because we are there for the homeless at this time and plan to continue – which is a praise, too. With some donors working from home, I have connected with them and they are open to talking and sharing their feelings and fears. Many times, a scripture comes to my heart of what they shared & have given it to them. And then, praying with them before ending our call. For me, Psalm 91 had been my ‘refuge and my fortress’ scripture for comfort, strength and peace for 30 years and especially my 9-1-1 scripture at this COVID-19 time,”
“I am reminded of the song “Only King Forever” during this time-one of the lines is, Kingdoms once strong now shaken, we trust the name of Jesus.”
“He continues to Provide!”
“Value loss of appreciated assets is our major concern.”
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Jay Riemersma is a family man, a passionate follower of Jesus, a past congressional candidate, a gifted stewardship director, and he’s Dutch. Oh, by the way, he played tight end in the NFL for nine seasons. For the past eleven years Jay has served as Senior Director of Advancement for Family Research Council in Washington, DC. He has a unique perspective on what football and fundraising have in common.
Like all of us, Jay has been practicing the Michigan stay at home order, but he has used this time to stay very active with mega/major donors. Jay notes, “These are unprecedented and uncertain times. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” He and his team launched a donor touch program called, “Check Ins;” making pastoral calls with their key ministry partners via phone, text, e-mail and Zoom. They even hosted some Zoom conference calls in a live radio format vibe with key FRC leaders sharing information and donors asking questions and getting immediate answers.
Jay played seven years for the Buffalo Bills playing the New England Patriots twice a year. There was not much love loss between teams, but a whole lot of respect for Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, perhaps the best coach in NFL history. Belichick is an offensive and defensive mastermind designing new plays for every game.
Jay shares, “We tossed the scouting reports because whatever we prepared for during the week had nothing to do with the actual game because his plays were often unprecedented and uncertain.” Sound familiar? Often at the end of the first quarter they would have to seriously adjust their game plan and go back to the basics: running good routes, opening holes for running backs, executing good blocking schemes, and of course, finishing good tackles. It’s the basics; back to the fundamentals of the game.
As you ride out this COVID slow down and prepare to re-open your ministry, go back to the basics.
(1) Play to your strengths. What were you doing well before the pandemic and what will you be able to do when this Season of Recovery begins? Jay commented, “Great coaches and great leaders know the strengths of their team and utilize their experience and expertise.
(2) Be prepared with personalized donor messages for your key ministry partners. Share real ministry needs, critical stewardship opportunities, and a team perspective, ‘We are all in this together and we need each and every one of you.’
(3) Pray for your ministry partners and invite them to pray for you.
(4) Visit your key donors in person. Sit at their kitchen table or out by the pool. Be flexible with travel. Tell them you love them, you need them. Go back to the fundamentals of communication, personal input, marketing, messaging, and ministry. It’s almost as basic as blocking and tackling.”
Good advice from an experienced stewardship officer who has raised millions in gift income. So, what do football and fundraising have in common? You need a game plan, good communication, clear goals and expectations, and a true love for people, your ministry partners – it’s a team effort! This too shall pass; we don’t know what ministry will look like in the new normal. Be ready and don’t fumble!
Article co-authored by Jay Reimersma and Pat McLaughlin.
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