Definition of Fundraising Success
"Success is the measure of how manylittle things you do right." Jeffrey Eisenberg
In the world of nonprofit fundraising, success is often measured by the grand events like how much money was raised in the capital campaign or how many people attended the last event. I once worked in a development office where success was measured by whether or not the development staff met their "quota" of calls on prospective donors. "It's all about the numbers," the administrator would say with a giggle. To make matters worse, the administrator arbitrarily chose a quota each year and handed it to each of us in the form of a marching order.
The major donors I was responsible for liked to sink their teeth into discussions about the activities, reports, policies and decisions of the institution and these appointments were typically longer than what was allocated for donor cultivation time. These donors were subsequently labeled as "high maintenance" by the administrator. Even so, the tally at the end of the year more often than not showed larger and more frequent gifts by these same donors. I considered them stakeholders rather than quota-meeters because they were informed, invested, engaged.....and loyal. Ok, so they took more time, their investment proved it time well-spent and they invested for the long-haul.
The idea of meeting a quota was not motivating to the development team either, a point that was challenged by the administrator. Sharing, comparing, and brainstorming experiences, conversations, and challenges with donors was exciting and due to the administrator's harsh criticism for wasting time, we met outside the office. When one was stuck, someone else would suggest a strategy that might move things along. We laughed a lot at the suggestions and when something worked for one of us, the rest of us felt great about that.
Quotas don't measure development success. By doing the small things well, like knowing your donors, understanding and relating to their value and belief systems, shifting them from annual givers to investors in thought, word, and deed, supporting team players AND having fun.....now, that's success.
In the world of nonprofit fundraising, success is often measured by the grand events like how much money was raised in the capital campaign or how many people attended the last event. I once worked in a development office where success was measured by whether or not the development staff met their "quota" of calls on prospective donors. "It's all about the numbers," the administrator would say with a giggle. To make matters worse, the administrator arbitrarily chose a quota each year and handed it to each of us in the form of a marching order.
The major donors I was responsible for liked to sink their teeth into discussions about the activities, reports, policies and decisions of the institution and these appointments were typically longer than what was allocated for donor cultivation time. These donors were subsequently labeled as "high maintenance" by the administrator. Even so, the tally at the end of the year more often than not showed larger and more frequent gifts by these same donors. I considered them stakeholders rather than quota-meeters because they were informed, invested, engaged.....and loyal. Ok, so they took more time, their investment proved it time well-spent and they invested for the long-haul.
The idea of meeting a quota was not motivating to the development team either, a point that was challenged by the administrator. Sharing, comparing, and brainstorming experiences, conversations, and challenges with donors was exciting and due to the administrator's harsh criticism for wasting time, we met outside the office. When one was stuck, someone else would suggest a strategy that might move things along. We laughed a lot at the suggestions and when something worked for one of us, the rest of us felt great about that.
Quotas don't measure development success. By doing the small things well, like knowing your donors, understanding and relating to their value and belief systems, shifting them from annual givers to investors in thought, word, and deed, supporting team players AND having fun.....now, that's success.
Labels: development success, donor cultivation, fundraising
posted by Jean Long at
12:24 PM
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