Guest Resource: Fundraising for everyone, even those who aren’t fundraisers

Connecting Coffee is a networking program for nonprofit professionals in the Philadelphia region. It’s also a place where nonprofit professionals can talk about issues without the charged atmosphere they might sometimes face back at the office. Connecting Coffee is a peer-based information-sharing group, where we learn from others’ experiences and share our own.

Each session we tackle a different topic. Earlier in September we talked about fundraising for people who aren’t fundraisers. We covered a lot of ground and heard a lot of helpful tips from the group in the room.

When you’re not a fundraiser

1) You know more than you think and you *are* an expert.
There are a number of people who work for nonprofits or who volunteer for nonprofits that don’t think they know enough about the agency to talk about it. Fundraising is about building relationships and having conversations. No one is asking you to write a dissertation. There is a reason you’re involved, and it’s actually pretty interesting. Talk about what you know and why you are passionate about the mission and you’ll be great. Your insight is valuable.

2) It’s OK to say “let me get back to you on that”.
Knowing that you don’t have to be perfect in your fundraising effort is really important for people who aren’t fundraising professionals. If you are working with volunteers or program staff, let them know that it’s OK to not have every answer. Give them a script if that helps them get started and encourage them to put it into their own words.

3) Practice, practice, practice.
The more you get out there and try your “pitch” the better you will be at it. Fundraisers, you need to give your non-fundraisers lots of practice tries before you put them into a high-pressure environment. Take them to your events, let them hear what words you use. Let them try out their skills in low-pressure events, like staff meetings or with other volunteers. When you’re the fundraiser working with program staff

4) Program staff do not understand why fundraisers need stories.
Recognize that program staff have jobs too and what you’re asking them to do is outside of the way they think. Many have been trained to keep information confidential. Some are just plain busy. Have a conversation (not necessarily an email) with your program partners to explain why you are asking for the information you need.

5) The more program staff know about what you need and why, the more likely they will become advocates for fundraising.
Fundraisers, not everyone understands what you do and how you do it. They don’t know that the grant making organization is asking for the number of pencils they will use in the after-school program. And they don’t realize that great success stories can move hundreds of people to make donations. Tell them your plan, help them understand the method to your madness. All of the program people I’ve worked with want additional funding for their programs. They just need to know what you know.

A special note for fundraisers:

6) Take a minute to have face to face conversations about what you need and why.
Sometimes, fundraisers get stuck in the technical details of what we do and how we do it. A lot of people don’t know how you do what you do, so you need to say it out loud. As comfortable as you are with talking with donors, you should apply those skills to working with volunteers and staff to encourage them to contribute to your tactics. Fundraisers are born motivators. And you know better than anyone that an in-person conversation is better than an email and that it might take several “touches” before you get that contribution.

Ashley Tobin is the Principal of Work Better Consulting and hosts Connecting Coffee, a monthly discussion for nonprofit leaders