Who should ask the board for money?

In my book, I suggest that it should be the Executive Director that begins the ask process of the Board, and I give detailed advice on how to go about it. Technically, I know that this is not how it should be, however.

Boards really should be asked by their peers. The problem is, this can delay you or possibly even derail you entirely. And when it comes to fundraising, that shouldn’t be acceptable. In my experience, many small and very small non-profits are just not ready to handle this, and so I recommend doing it yourself the first year.

Fortunately, at City Club, I have a really wonderful board president. Since September, she and I have met once a week for coffee. We keep our meetings to an hour, knowing that we can cover anything we don’t get to the next week.

Early on I talked to her about the need for 100% board giving. Fundraising was fairly new to her, so I felt like I had a good opportunity to tell her my vision for it, as laid out in the book. (I actually gave her a copy too, so she would see where I was coming from.)

She introduced the topic at our Tuesday board meeting, and I think it went really well. We’ve already gotten a couple gifts and they are all larger than I would have expected, thanks to her ability to frame it appropriately. We didn’t ask for a number, but instead asked for a gift that would place City Club as one of a board member’s largest philanthropic gifts. I think it was well-suited to our board culture.

Throughout the next month she’ll be calling board members and following up with them.

I hope that we will be able to get to 100% by our next meeting.

Permalink: Posted at 4:02 pm, October 9, 2009

You’ve got to be passionate about what you do

I just added an interview with The News Tribune to the sidebar. I’m very proud of how it turned out.

I always get nervous when I talk to the press and my brain starts panicking at every question. If I say I want to get younger members, does that offend older members? What if I’m misquoted? What if, what if, what if … I’m always glad to see the article, just so I can stop worrying. I believe that my passion for Tacoma and City Club really come through.

Which reminds of something vitally important about fundraising, though, and it’s something I only touch on in my book.

You’ve got to love what you do. And if you don’t, you’re doing a disservice to your mission and your organization.

When I was editor of my high school newspaper, I was so devoted and dedicated to that paper I was a force that pulled many others along with me. I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging about something that happened years and years ago (though I kind of am, I suppose). But I learned a lesson there: people respond to real passion.

I re-learned that at the Grand. I love movies. And so running a movie theater was a dream job. So many of our programs started with me saying, “Wouldn’t it be cool if … ?” Of course, there are a million steps after that question, including running ideas through sound financial channels and not surprising the board. Many ideas died along the way. But the passion I had for them, and the passion I carried for the ones that did get through, was very clear to see.

Passion will get the attention of your donors. I guarantee it. If you are passionate about your mission and trying new things, they will take note. They will take note and remember it when the request for the annual fund comes through? They will take note of it when they show up for a special event you arranged on the fly.

Think critically, be creative, and have fun. If you’re having fun, donors will see that. Everyone will see that, really. It will help transform your organization.

Permalink: Posted at 4:30 pm, September 10, 2009

Raising money for City Club of Tacoma

I find myself in the unusual place of having to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

When I wrote The Little Book of Gold, I was calling back to my experience managing the Grand Cinema, as well as many other non-profits. It was an attempt to understand just what I had learned and frame it in a systematic sort of way. In that respect, the book was just as much for myself as for anyone.

But now, I’m beginning the “fundraising season” at City Club of Tacoma and I find myself in a very similar place as when I started at the Grand: I’m the director of a organization with a long history of quality programming but virtually zero fundraising. The difference is I’ve written a book about fundraising between those two experiences.

So this time I won’t be casting about as I did before. I have the chance to document my experience as I go. This will probably be most helpful to those who have read the book, since I’ll be referring to the book fairly often. So please do consider purchasing it!

But regardless of that, this will be an honest look at our fundraising efforts — setbacks, successes, and everything in between.

First up: board giving.

Permalink: Posted at 1:54 pm, September 4, 2009

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