What Does History/Experience Tell us About Fundraising During COVID
In today’s blog post, Lou Bruggman, lead strategist for Contour Strategies captures insight and advice from an interview with Bill Hautt, executive advisor to the Contour Strategies team.
Bill has nearly 40 years of fundraising experience compelled by relationship building. While acknowledging that we are in uncharted territory, Bill relies on history as he encourages non-profit leaders to press onward. He offers seven specific pieces of advice:
History Should Give Us Confidence
When you look at the recessions since 1959, charitable giving in the United States has only fallen once—in 2009. Even then, it fell much less drastically than the market. Understanding the correlations (or lack thereof) between charitable giving and the economy may help you to put less emphasis on the recession and more on building relationships with donors who have “the gift of giving.” When donors demonstrate the gift of giving, they show up in the face of the storm. Bill maintains that there is a segment of givers who give freely in both good times and bad. While that segment might be 20% or less, identifying them is key. Think back on your experience with donors. Who are the donors who sprung into action, asked a few questions, but made a big impact?
Find Encouragement in COVID-19 Giving Trends
While we are in uncharted waters, reports indicate that giving for COVID-related relief programs are up $13 billion dollars—more than for all disasters combined since 9/11. This is a huge outpouring of support for the work that organizations are doing. While some non-profits are struggling, those who find relevance today are experiencing increased revenue.
Block and Tackle
Bill suggests that fundraisers and non-profit leaders continue to rely on the basics of blocking and tackling. By focusing on donor retention rather than new donor acquisition, organizations are able to uncover the buried treasure within their donor base. Only 25-35% of donors give consistently in a five-year period. If we can find a way to engage people through annual or even monthly donations, we can see incredible movement within our organizations.
Don’t Take A Siloed Approach to Fundraising
Case, Donors, Strategy, Leadership, Plan. All of these are important tactical components to integrating effective fundraising into all that you do. By driving all of your fundraising off one central representation (the case) you have a cohesive approach to donors and the strategy, leadership, and plan needed to execute with efficiency and capacity.
Understand Strategy vs. Plan
Strategy and plan are not synonymous. Strategy is leverage within your donor database. Strategy is the point where you identify the 20% that can give 80% of the funds you need to be successful. When you examine your database to find the strategy, you can then find the leadership to help you execute. When you’re able to identify the leverage and leadership, then it’s time to develop a calendared plan.
The Donor is the Hero
Too often we make our organizations the hero of the story. Instead, try writing your next appeal with the perspective that your donor is the hero and the non-profit is the guide. Put your donor in the story to make it personalized and effective. After all, we’re living in a time where we want to believe in our ability to make a difference and maybe even our ability to be the hero! To learn more, check out the letters that Bill uses as examples and check out Donald Miller’s book.
Focus on Donors Like you Focus on Fundraising
We often take fundraising very seriously. We plan fundraising events and labor over the most minor details. What if we took donors just as seriously? What if we invested in our donors the way we invest in fundraising? What if we meticulously planned cultivation and stewardship strategies for individual donors and treated these connections as our top priority? Now is the time to prioritize our donors by asking for advice, increasing their ownership in our vision, and demonstrating their value to the organization, community, and world!