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Capital Campaigns, Client Impact, Major Donors

Small Town… Big God!

by The Timothy Group
November 4, 2020

Paul the Apostle set up shop in the city of Ephesus; for three years he taught, trained, discipled, and mentored a young understudy named Timothy. They became close friends and Paul even penned two intimate books to his young Pastor friend canonized in the Holy Writ (1 & 2 Timothy). The Timothy Group has been teaching, training, discipling, and mentoring our clients around the world for more than 30 years. It’s not rocket science, it’s all about relationships. If you can clearly identify your story, mission, vision, core values, and your need, you too, can be successful.

We have been privileged to mentor a college president in the booming metropolis of Haviland, Kansas, population 683; only 2,516 individuals live in the entire county. Dr. Royce Frazier has been President of Barclay College for 10 years. He has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, not fundraising, yet Dr. Frazier and his team have completed two campaigns in the past three years. In 2018, Barclay dedicated their new fine arts center, a beautiful $8.5 million facility. And in this pandemic year, Royce led a campaign to raise $800,000 to launch their new Nursing Program.

As they were nearing their latest goal, Dr. Frazier and their director of nursing approached the county hospital foundation with a request for $40,000 a year for three years. Three times during his presentation, Royce mentioned $400,000 a year for three years. WOWIZER, the directors sat there in shock. One of them finally asked, “Let me get this straight, are you asking us for $400,000 annually for three years for a total of $1,200,000?” Royce was just as shocked as the board. Finally, he realized his misstatement and adjusted his request to $120,000. The next day the foundation notified him that they had granted his request. Maybe he was implementing some sort of crazy reverse psychology, but in any case, the Barclay College Nursing Program is now oversubscribed at $920,000. God is Good!

Barclay College is planning a $6.5 million campaign for 2021 for a new wellness center/gymnasium. Two weeks ago, a donor mentioned he might want to put their name on the new building and asked how large of a gift it would require. Without skipping a beat, Royce said, “About half!” This mild-mannered family counselor went from fear to faith and asked a donor for a $3 million lead gift.

We have been in the field with Dr Frazier; we’ve taught, trained, discipled, and mentored him. We helped him fine tune his asking skills and he has taken it to a whole new level. Let’s be honest, many times you have not… because you have asked not. We teach our clients to utilize “Holy Boldness,” not a spirt of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). If we can help you become a great storyteller and an asker, give us a shout. Very likely you already have the relationships, they just need to hear your story, review your plan, and be encouraged to give!

Author: Pat McLaughlin, President/Founder

Fundraising

#GivingTuesday: Ready…Go!

by The Timothy Group
October 21, 2020

Autumn is one of the most enjoyable times of the year for me. I love the fall colors and looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. In this 4th quarter, you will most likely receive more donations than any other time of the year. Every ministry needs an annual development calendar that outlines your plans and financial goals for each fundraising activity and appeal. Fundraising success just doesn’t happen; it takes hard work and a prayerful, strategic approach to reach your goals. Year-end has a flurry of activities with end of year mailings, major donor solicitation, and special events. You might think, “We’re too busy to squeeze in another project.” That may be true, but maybe not.

#GivingTuesday can give you and your organization more energy and motivation to finish the year strong. You may have tried it and not done so well. You may have tried and did OK but are not sure you should try again. Or, you may have done it several times, learned how to do it, and now raise some serious dollars.

#GivingTuesday is December 1, 2020. Here are some helpful ideas! 

  • Find a small starter project for your #GivingTuesday. It could be carpeting a classroom, purchasing musical instruments, adding a piece of equipment to your STEM Lab, etc. Raise money for something already in your budget. Do something that is exciting that will engage many people.
  • Engage your entire constituency: parents, grandparents, friends, family members of employees, students, ministry prayer warriors, teachers, professors, community leaders, and churches. EVERYONE needs to be involved. Who do you know? Don’t underestimate the power of peer-to-peer fundraising!
  • Determine an amount you can reach in one day. Set yourself up for a win that makes everyone feel good and energized.
  • Do not forget that #GivingTuesday is a one-off type of event each year. It lasts one day and does not interfere with your other fundraising plans. Ask people to give over and above their current giving. Have fun. It will work.
  • #GivingTuesday gives your organization an opportunity to sharpen your online/social media presence by amplifying your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Engage some new volunteers to help!
  • Your email list is key. Continue to update your database with current contact information. Use e-blast software like MailChimp, Constant Contact, SendInBlue, MailerLite, etc. to promote and initiate your campaign.
  • Aggressively promote #GivingTuesday. Keep people updated on your fundraising progress during the day, so they can join in the excitement.
  • Ask a major donor to give a matching gift.
  • Follow up with everyone, especially those who donated – thank them. Ask them to pray with you and your organization to have a strong year-end fundraising effort.
  • Now, you have a starting place for next year!

#GivingTuesday is a collaborative effort – locally and globally to make your presence known. Learn more at: www.givingtuesday.org

Author: Dr. Jim Johnson, Senior Consultant

Fundraising, Major Donors

Two Minute Warning: A Late Game Offense That Worked!

by The Timothy Group
October 20, 2020

It’s football season and we all love exciting finishes. You know the scenario: two minutes left on the clock…deep in your own territory… down by a couple of touchdowns, and somehow out of nowhere your team makes a series of spectacular offensive plays and the crowd goes wild in a victory celebration!!! The final minutes of close games bring a sense of urgency. It’s now or never. Each play is critical. All the details of your last-minute plan must come together, or you lose. 

We ran a two-minute offense recently with one of our Christian College clients. I received this e-mail from the president. “Pat, your plan looks great. My only modification is on the amount needed to close out our fiscal year. The actual need is $2.4-$2.8 million dollars, which includes money for scholarships already budgeted. Our fiscal year end is June 30th, therefore we have approximately 120 days.”

“OK, Mr. President, let me get this straight? Your board wants you to finish your fiscal year in the black or they may not let you open next semester. Did I hear you right?”  “YES!”  “So, we must meet or exceed this God-sized goal or you’re out of business?” Once again, “YES!”

We often say at TTG, “Pray like it’s all up to God… work like it’s all up to us.” James teaches, “Faith without works is dead.” The only way our “two-minute” plan would work was with lots of prayer and lots of hard work. This fundraising effort was for the annual operating fund, not a capital campaign. It wasn’t for shiny new stuff; it was for survival. Donors are motivated by urgency, and we certainly had that working in our favor.

I laid out the game plan and said to the president, “You will need to own this. You will need to be in the field with me making donor visits, making asks!” He said, “YES!” I outlined everything it would take to accomplish this goal and he said “yes” to every point. We agreed on a plan and began executing our two-minute drill. 

Here was our plan:

  • Identify the “Top 10/Next 20” key donor visits, and the next 50 donor prospects and suspects.
  • Create a personalized Gift Proposal for each donor and request a specific amount.
  • Prioritize time in your daily schedule to make phone calls and insist on seeing the donor prospects and suspects in person. We could not allow the prospect to say, “Come on, ‘Doc.’ I love the college; just send me the proposal.” Mail has a 1-5% close ratio, personal contact closing jumps up to 80%-85%. Remember, we very likely had only one opportunity with each of these ministry partners. 
  • Build a Team. It was all hands on deck. I asked the question, “Mr. President who on the board, faculty, and staff could help us as ‘friend raisers’ and ‘fundraisers?’”
  • Recruit and hire a full-time, top notch, productive Chief Development Officer. A producer who raises new and renewed gift income. 

YES, I said we could do it. We created a plan, timeline, training manual, and materials. This became a campus wide event. The president even installed digital clocks all over campus to count down the last thirty days. We wanted faculty, staff, and campus visitors to be reminded to pray and help open new doors of opportunity.  

Guess what? They Won!!! We exceeded the gift goal of $2.4-2.8 million. God opened the floodgates of heaven and blessed us with $3.2 million. We found not one, but two stewardship officers, a chief development officer and a major gift officer. YES, it was a miracle, a miracle I have experienced with clients around the world since I stepped into this fundraising arena in 1981. 

What do you need to replicate this opportunity? A clear vision, specific dollar needs, a committed board, staff, faculty, a willing president who is committed or soon will be committed, and a sense of urgency. If you are down this fourth quarter of 2020, let us help you with your two-minute drill!

Author: Pat McLaughlin, President and Founding Partner

Capital Campaigns, Donor Relations, Major Donors

Fundraising Tips from John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

by The Timothy Group
September 24, 2020

Today, when you hear the word, “philanthropy,” you think of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or Chuck Feeney. Perhaps one of the most generous philanthropists in the past century was John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960), the only son and principal heir of John Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil. Historians estimate that during Junior’s lifetime he gave away $537 million dollars, which adjusted for inflation, is more than $10 billion.

Junior had many giving interests including conservation, preserving historical landmarks, collecting fine art, promoting world peace, and supporting religious causes. Countless charities turned to him for support. Not only would he give, he would also invite his friends to give, and train organizations in the finer points of asking. In 1933, he delivered this speech, “The Technique of Soliciting,” to campaign volunteers who were raising funds for the Citizens Family Welfare Committee. Listen to his counsel and apply his suggestions to your fundraising efforts.

“I have been asked to say a few words on the technique of soliciting donations.

Perhaps the best way to acquire a knowledge of that subject is to ask ourselves the question, ‘How would I like to be approached for a gift?’ The answer if carefully thought out, may be relied upon as a pretty safe guide to the task of soliciting. I have been brought up to believe, and the conviction only grows on me, that giving ought to be entered into in just the same careful way as investing — that giving is investing, and that it should be tested by the same intelligent standards. Whether we expect dividends in dollars or in human betterment, we need to be sure that the gift or the investment is a wise one and therefore we should know all about it. By the same token, if we are going to other people to interest them in giving to a particular enterprise we must be able to give them adequate information in regard to it, such information as we would want were we considering a gift.

First of all, then, a solicitor must be well informed in regard to the salient facts about the enterprise for which he is soliciting. Just what is its significance, its importance? How sound is the organization back of it, how well organized? How great is the need? An accurate knowledge of these and similar facts is necessary in order that the solicitor may be able to speak with conviction.

It is a great help to know something about the person whom you are approaching. You cannot deal successfully with all people the same way. Therefore, it is desirable to find out something about the person you are going to — what his interests are, whether you have any friends in common, whether he gave last year, if so, how much he gave, what he might be able to give this year, etc. Information such as that puts you more closely in touch with him and makes the approach easier.

Again, one always likes to know what other people are giving. That may be an irrelevant question, but it is a human question. If I am asked for a contribution, naturally and properly I am influenced in deciding how much I should give by what others are doing.

Another suggestion I like to have made to me by a solicitor is how much it is hoped I will give. Of course, such a suggestion can be made in a way that might be most annoying. I do not like to have anyone tell me what it is my duty to give. There is just one man who is going to decide that question — who has the responsibility of deciding it — and that is myself. But I do like a man to say to me, ‘We are trying to raise $4,000,000 and are hoping you may be desirous of giving $_____.  If you see your way clear to do so, it will be an enormous help and encouragement. You may have it in mind to give more; if so, we shall be glad. On the other hand, you may feel you cannot give as much, in view of other responsibilities. If that is the case, we shall understand.

Whatever you give after thinking the matter over carefully in the light of the need, your other obligations, and your desire to do your full share as a citizen, will be gratefully received and deeply appreciated.’ When you talk like that to a man, he is glad to meet you again, and will not take the other elevator when he sees you in the corridor because you backed him to the wall and forced him to give.

Of supreme importance is to make a pleasant, friendly contact with the prospective giver. Some people have a less keen sense of their duty and responsibility than others. With them, a little urging may be helpful. But with most people a convincing presentation of the facts and the need is far more effective. When a solicitor comes to you and lays on your heart the responsibility that rests so heavily on his; when his earnestness gives convincing evidence of how seriously interested he is; when he makes it clear that he knows you are no less anxious to do your duty in the manner than he is, that you are just as conscientious, that he feels sure all you need is to realize the importance of the enterprise and the urgency of the need in order to lead you to do your full share in meeting it — he has made you his friend and has brought you to think of giving as a  privilege.

Never think you need to apologize for asking someone to give to a worthy object, any more than as though you were giving him an opportunity to participate in a high- grade investment. The duty of giving is as much his as is the duty of asking yours. Whether or not he should give to that particular enterprise, and if so, how much, it is for him alone to decide.

To recapitulate, then, briefly: know your subject; be so sold on it yourself that you can convincingly present its claims in the fewest possible words. A letter may well precede an interview, but personal contact is the most effective. Know as much as you can about the man to whom you go; give him a general idea to the contributions being made by others in his group, and suggest in a gracious and tactful way what you would be glad to have him give, leaving it entirely to him to decide what he shall give.

Be kindly and considerate. Thus, will you get closest to a man’s heart and his pocketbook.”

Resource: “The Technique of Soliciting” by John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874-1960), a speech he delivered to the Citizens Family Welfare Committee in New York City in 1933.

 

Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors

Do I Have to be a Donor’s Best Friend to Ask for a Gift?

by The Timothy Group
September 21, 2020

This is a fair question that the men and women of TTG have been asked many times over the past 30+ years. Please allow me to go out on a limb early and give you a simple answer… “NO!” Let me harken back to my high school algebra class where you can give the right answer, but then you must produce the equation to show how you got there, so here goes.

We have been conducting executive searches for more than 25 years. One of the questions we ask development directors, major gift officers, vice presidents, and presidents is, “If you began your new position on November 1st, how long would it take you to schedule a donor appointment and make an ask?” Are you ready for some of their answers? Two years, eighteen months, twelve months, six months, three months—we too, are baffled by these responses. These candidates assume that they must be the donor’s friend and, in some instances, their BFF to make a gift request. Can you imagine how long donor acquisition, cultivation, education, inspiration, and solicitation would take if you had to become everyone’s best friend to ask for a gift? Apparently, according to some people, it would require at least a year and perhaps two.

A few years ago, in a search for a major gift officer for a well-known ministry, I asked that question and received an absolutely refreshing answer. My candidate responded that he would be ready to make an ask the first week on the job. What? How could that possibly work? Here’s how he envisioned his first week as a new fundraiser/relationship officer:

·       Day 1 – Orientation and paperwork.

·       Day 2 – Find my desk and begin reviewing the solicitation materials and the giving history of his donor portfolio.

·       Day 3 – Meet with his immediate supervisor and other team members to hear their presentation/pitch.

·       Day 4 – Visit the president to hear his mission, vision, and core values of the organization.

·       Day 5 – Call close friends and schedule personal appointments to share the ministry and make a request.

In addition, all week this new major gift officer spent time in the dining commons having breakfast, lunch, and sometime dinner with students asking them why they attended this institution. He listened to what God was calling them to do now and in the future, because he wanted to share their stories as part of his presentation.

We helped him with the phone script for scheduling appointments, but much of his donor engagement strategy was just his innate, God-given relational skills. The script went like this:

Bill and Mary, this is John. I wanted to tell you about a wonderful new opportunity God has given me. I have the unique privilege of sharing the incredible work God is accomplishing though ABC Ministry and inviting people to partner with us. Don’t feel under any obligation to our friendship; I just want to share with you this unique organization and ask for your prayer and financial support. Could we meet Tuesday evening in your home? I will update you on the ministry and bring along a personalized proposal for you to consider and invite you to give. I only need an hour of your time so we can both plan our other Tuesday evening activities.”

He included this phrase in the presentation to those who were already donors:

“Jim and Joan, the president would like to visit with you personally, but time and his travel schedule will not allow it. So, he asked me to meet with you on his behalf and invite you to consider a generous year-end gift. Would you be available next Tuesday evening?”

As a fundraiser, it’s not your relationship with the donor that’s the most important. It’s the donor’s relationship with your ministry they have known, loved, and supported with their prayers and dollars for many years.

Back to answering our question; No, you do not have to be everyone or anyone’s best friend to ask for a gift. The real issue is connecting with the donor’s passion for your ministry. When you tell them you are bringing along a proposal, you open the door to ask on the first visit, if the opportunity is right.

OK, OK, I hear you, “but what about building relationships?” We encourage our clients to “date your donors.” You may not be ready to ask your donor on the first date, it may require a second date. But it certainly doesn’t take five or six dates to reintroduce yourself and make a request. Overcome your FUD—Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. Pick up the phone, text, write a hand-written note, and schedule a personal visit (in a mask, of course), or a Zoom call. This step of faith will impact your bottom line the next 90 days as we head toward calendar year-end.

A few years ago, I evaluated a chief development officer’s performance. We visited a donor couple in early October. While driving there, he informed me this would be his sixth visit. Count them, six! My role was only to observe and evaluate. Twice during the presentation, the couple mentioned they had some funds still available to give yet that fall. This was the ultimate donor research information. They were screaming, “ASK US!”

My friend never missed a beat, he just kept talking. He ignored all their giving signs. No ask… no close… no money. It was very apparent that he was attempting to become their best friend or even their BFF before he could make an ask. It will come as no surprise that this former gift officer is now pastoring a small church on the west coast. Allow me to say it again, “No, you don’t need to be your donor’s best friend to invite them to upgrade their giving or consider a new gift to your organization.” Be bold! Ask!

Author: Pat McLaughlin, President and Founding Partner

Fundraising, Stewardship, Strategic Planning

The Ultimate Fundraising Power Tool

by The Timothy Group
August 11, 2020

I was reading a home improvement magazine recently and noticed an article, “Ten Basic Tools for Every Homeowner.” What do you have in that special drawer in the kitchen to help you do-it-yourself? First, you must have a hammer; not that a hammer will fix every problem, but sometimes it just feels good to pound on something that’s not working.

Don’t forget screwdrivers, pliers, an adjustable wrench, and a tape measure. If you’re going to hang your art piece, it helps to have a nifty electronic sensor to find the studs in the wall. A utility knife is another essential tool that will either solve your problem or make a bigger one.

I was somewhat disappointed not to find any power tools listed in the article. Maybe it’s my go-to, but I feel like they at least should have included a cordless drill for installing face plates on electrical outlets.

While you might be able to take care of all your minor household repairs with a few hand tools, when it comes to raising money for your organization, there is one ultimate fundraising power tool that you must have:

THE CASE STATEMENT & GIFT PROPOSAL

This solicitation power tool effectively tells your story to a potential donor. Here are 8 key elements to consider when writing your first fundraising power tool:

(1) The gift proposal must be professional but doesn’t need to be fancy. Colorful printed and digital brochures can be compelling, but they don’t raise money; they educate.

(2) Tell your ministry story — where you have been, where you are, and where you are going.

(3) Be optimistic, easy to remember, and brief.

(4) Communicate clearly what the donor’s investment will accomplish.

(5) Include information that will reach your donor’s mind and touch your donor’s heart.

(6) Share a story of how your ministry has met a need.

(7) Express a sense of urgency to complete the project.

(8) Describe your project and outline a simple budget for each phase of the campaign.

STEWARDSHIP PROFILE & SCALE OF GIFTS

An effective way of communicating the range and size of gifts you need is to include a suggested “Stewardship Profile.” Showing the summary budget and scale of gifts quickly conveys the scope and needs of your project. Major donors will scan your list to identify how they might be involved.

Here is an example:

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Purchase Land   $1,500,000
Building addition   6,000,000
New Program   1,000,000
Annual Fund for 3 years   1,500,000
Total   10,000,000

STEWARDSHIP PROFILE

Proposed Scale of Gifts for the Campaign

Giving Units   Gift Amount   Total
1   $1,000,000   $1,000,000
2   750,000   1,500,000
3   500,000   1,500,000
6   250,000   1,500,000
15   100,000   1,500,000
20   50,000   1,000,000
40   25,000   1,000,000
40   10,000   400,000
60   5,000   300,000
80   2,500   200,000
100   1,000   100,000
Numerous other gifts …        
Total       $10,000,000

THE ULTIMATE ASK

The final tool in an effective gift proposal is the call to action. Ask your donors to help your ministry in 4 ways:

(1) “Would you pray for the success of our campaign?” As a ministry leader, you understand the necessity of prayer. Enlist your donors for their prayer support.

(2) “Would you consider a generous, sacrificial gift to this project?” Ask this question to get them thinking how they might get involved, but come back and expand upon it, after you ask the next questions.

(3) “Would you consider volunteering your time as a ‘friend-raiser’ by introducing your friends to our ministry?” Some of your greatest opportunities could come by networking with your current donors. Remember: proposals don’t raise money, people do.

(4) “Would you consider remembering our ministry in your estate plans?” Be gracious but ask boldly. You do not have bequests because you do not ask.

The last page of your leadership proposal has one purpose — to request a specific amount for the campaign.

Ask them, “Based on the need presented and your appreciation of our ministry, would you prayerfully consider a gift of $1,000,000?” Ask for a specific amount. Major donors anticipate an “ask.” They want to know what you want.

The leadership proposal is the ultimate fundraising power tool that will help you focus your conversation on why you are meeting with the donor in the first place — to ask for their financial support. If you add this power tool to your fundraising toolbox, you will become a master craftsman as you build your ministry.

 

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.

 

Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

Your Fundraising Desert

by Ron Haas
July 25, 2020

“Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
    looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
    staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
    He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
    that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
    the starved and hungry got plenty to eat” (Psalm 107:4-9, The Message).

When Eugene Peterson penned The Message paraphrase, he had no idea how his phrases in Psalm 107 would speak to fundraisers. Does this describe you? Are you in a fundraising desert “half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion?” Unfortunately, this describes many in the fundraising world. Asking for money is difficult and can be exhausting. Even the best fundraisers face dry spells and wonder why what they are doing is not producing results.

But there is hope!

Your financial condition might look desperate now, but you serve the living God – the “God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome” (Deut. 10:17). When you are in distress, you can call on him because he will answer you (see Psalm 86:7). Cry out to him, “because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people” (Isaiah 43:21).

God’s answers to your fundraising challenges are perfect.

If you need more donors, he can guide you to the strategies that will yield results. If you need more volunteers, he can lead faithful people to you. If you need a significant major gift, he can touch someone’s heart to say “Yes!” to your gift proposal. God can change your perspective and pull you out of your desperate condition. He can quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger. He can “put your feet on a wonderful road and take you straight to a good place to live” (vs. 9). But remember, many times he answers just in the nick of time!

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.

Major Donors

Hitting The Donor’s Sweet Spot

by The Timothy Group
July 15, 2020

Where’s The Sweet Spot?

In personal solicitation with major donors, we often talk about the importance of the romance process. This takes place before the actual ask. One part of that is getting to know the donors – their interests, their passions and what motivates them most about what you do. We sometimes call this their “sweet spot.” 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!

Did You Stretch Enough?

On a recent visit with a client who is engaged in a major capital campaign, I saw this happen first hand. I accompanied the development director on a major donor visit. We had prepared a leadership proposal for him and his wife for $30,000. This number was based on their giving to the last campaign (8 years ago) and also their annual giving since that time. It was a bit of a “stretch” over their past giving.

Should You Go To The Next Level?

The visit went well. He liked the projects described. We completed the solicitation for $30,000, He told us he would talk to his wife and have an answer in a week. We then showed him a list of prepared “named gift opportunities,” starting at $100,000 and as high as $1 million. We do this with all of the donors so that, even if they can’t do (or are not interested in) a gift at that level, they may know someone else who might be.

Game On!

Little did we know that one of the items on that named gift list hit a cord, a “sweet spot.” Four hours after our initial solicitation visit, the donor showed up at the office with a completed pledge card for $150,000! That is right – not the $30,000 we asked him for, but 5 times that amount. He said he went home, discussed things with his wife and they decided to put their name on an outside amphitheater that the ministry plans to construct. Their family’s interest in music, drama and the arts had gone largely undetected. It is an area they are passionate about and they want to leave a legacy in that way.

Win-Win For All

Just think of the success we could have with every major donor if we took the time to find their “sweet spot.” It doesn’t always happen the way I described above. In most cases, it is hard work and something you need to be intentional about. But, in the end, the rewards are well worth the effort.

Feature article submitted by 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 resides 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.

Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

Asking A Friend

by Ron Haas
January 12, 2020

Luke 11:5-8 “Then Jesus went on to say: Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, “Let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine has dropped in, and I don’t have a thing for him to eat.” And suppose your friend answers, “Don’t bother me! The door is bolted, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you something.” He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, simply because you are not ashamed to keep on asking” Luke 11:5-8 (CEV). 
 
Jesus told this parable to teach his disciples to pray boldly. This passage also reveals four lessons about fundraising. 

Our friend was asking to meet an urgent need for someone else. When you engage your donors, your motivation is to serve others. 

Our friend turned to his friend for help. Sometimes we dream about gifts coming from people we’ve never met, but we must ask those who know and appreciate our ministry. 

His friend wasn’t interested in helping. Fundraisers hear a lot of “nos.” Some reasons for not giving seem valid, some seem like excuses. 

His friend finally gave only because our friend kept asking. One of the most admirable qualities for a fundraiser is persistence. 

Asking is an important part of the giving process. Yes, some are prompted to give on their own, but others need encouragement. Luke 11:8 (GW) “I can guarantee that although he doesn’t want to get up and give you anything, he will get up and give you whatever you need because he is your friend and because you were so bold. Keep praying boldly! Keep asking boldly! 
 
God bless, 
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.

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