List or no list?

For many years I would listen to fellow fundraisers and leaders in the non-profit world talk about their lists. It's how they were successful in planning their days and weeks, and they would speak enthusiastically about how making lists of tasks helped them be successful.

I never understood, or at least I never allowed myself to understand.

Last year I organically created a list. I wasn't thinking about it and hadn't made a decision to make the list, it just happened. It was a Friday morning and I wanted to make sure I finished certain projects before leaving for the weekend.

I got excited. The list kept me engaged and focused. A little more focused than usual. Before I headed to a lunch appointment I looked it over to see how I was doing. On my way home that day I smiled thinking about a hugely productive day.

Sometimes I need a simple reminder. Sometimes I need to take a hard look at everything I have said yes to. And sometimes I just need to know that I am on track.

Lists have helped me. Yes, I have changed my mind! These days I create one on Monday morning for the week. It includes team ideas, donor actions, event goals, time for board members, and time to be off email. Oh wait, that's for another post!

Are you a list person? I would love to hear more ideas!

Thank you for reading!

Procrastination

Not that word!

It's time we talked about this. Procrastination is taking our best efforts and turning them upside down.

I should speak for myself. Yet knowing many of you and having had honest conversations with you has led me to this post.

It is difficult to believe that we are already in mid-October. As a non-profit fundraiser, this means that I am at the start of my year-end fundraising plan. Fortunately I did not procrastinate about this, nor did my team. We were up and running ahead of time and all systems are go for everything we want to do between now and the last day of the calendar year.

It doesn't always work out this way, especially on a more personal level. Day to day actions I wanted to take that I put off. By mid-week I am under water and by Friday I can't believe it's already the end of the week as I look at all of those tasks that have not been completed.

Typically they are simple tasks, ones that wouldn't take more than a few minutes: a quick report, a touch-base with a vendor or donor, re-reading emails, doing a quick budget or doing a quick social media post. These action items add up during the week, especially if I put them off one moment for another time.

My personal worst is with email. Read an email, take action, delete it or file it. Pretty simple. This morning I have way too many emails in my box that I have read but are still somehow just hanging out. The more they add up the more I want to put them off. To be clear, not to put them off in regards to reading them, as I have read them all, but to take action on them and delete or file. I see that some I have even taken action on!

I wish procrastination only affected my email but that's not the case. It truly lives everywhere, as long as I allow it. And as long as it is present, I am not being as successful as I can be and not having as much impact as I want to have.

As simple as the solution is, here you go: Just do it. Yes, Nike has it correct. Based on personal experience, you will feel so much better about everything if you just start knocking out projects and taking action. I guarantee it. I can do that because I have experienced this and my best days are days when nothing could stop me and I simply went from one task to the next. It's possible to not let procrastination win!

I hope this helps!

Thank you for reading!

Is LinkedIn helpful?

Like many parts of social media, LinkedIn seems to have it's positive and negative moments for people. I recently have seen some peers in non-profit fundraising post about their challenges with LinkedIn and after reading all of the comments on their posts (by far negative) I thought I would share some of my experiences.

Just to be clear, I'm not an employee of LinkedIn nor am I paid to write positive things about them.

I have been on LinkedIn for many years. Two years ago I decided that I wanted more from LinkedIn and decided to put more effort in it. Before creating strategy around that I decided to clean it up. I wanted to be connected with people I actually knew, people in my field (non-profit development and fundraising) and people in fields I could collaborate with (corporate leaders, recruiters, activists). This took a while as it was before one could delete from the profile. I had to go through each profile and decide if there was relationship or partnership potential there.

All of that time totally paid off. I ended up deleting almost half of all of my connections, quickly realizing that I had too many connections with people I didn't know and couldn't think of how we could benefit each other.

I started fresh. My goals include building relationships with people in my field, those who I can learn from and those who I potentially might want to work with one day. Another goal is to engage with people and businesses who might want to partner with me and the non-profit I work for. By partner I mean that they get something out of the relationship and we get something out of the relationship, not just me as a non-profit wanting them to donate and then see you later. A true partnership. Finally, and this can be inclusive of the partnership part, I want to engage with the community around the children served by my non-profit, specifically who we are as a non-profit and why we need to exist.

In other words being on LinkedIn for me can't be all about me.

Additionally, like all of social media and most things that end up being good for you in regards to goals, I need to work it. Seriously work it. That doesn't mean being on LinkedIn 24/7. It simply means that I need to be proactive if I want results or if I want to feel it's worth my while. On LinkedIn that means adding posts and articles that might benefit my connections and/or my goals, liking peoples posts, engaging with their posts (writing a comment), introducing people and sharing job openings/searches.

In the last two years my LinkedIn experience has totally changed. I hope what I have shared can be helpful to you! My LinkedIn profile is here if you would like to check it out.

Thanks for reading!

Shout out to non-profit fundraisers!!!

This is a big shout out to all of those professional non-profit development fundraisers out there!

Non-profit development folks rock this world. Every day they build relationships and connect visions so program people at non-profits can change the world and make it a better place.

I'm talking about those development professionals who are filled with passion and purpose and bring it everyday for the benefit of their non-profit.

I am honored to be in your company and grateful for the work you do.

If you are in non-profit leadership, on a non-profit board, a non-profit recruiter or a donor, take a minute to thank the fundraiser you work with. It goes a long way!

Thanks for reading.

Passion with purpose means successful fundraising

What are you passionate about?

One of the traits I immediately see when looking at someone I consider to be an amazing fundraiser is the amount of passion they have for the cause they fundraise for.

It makes sense. Work for an agency that serves in an area that you are very passionate about and your passion is bound to support your fundraising efforts. This has certainly proven true for myself. Yet it's also true that passion alone might not be enough. I also need purpose.

There are many in our field who are in fundraising for some other purpose other than being able to allow their non-profit mission to totally rock.. Perhaps they believe it's a good stepping stone to something else or perhaps they needed a break from the corporate world and this position fits for them at this time. These scenarios don't really benefit the agency, and they could detract from successful fundraising. There is little we as fundraising professionals can do about this except ask more questions when hiring and keep the passion alive on our teams.

I would personally much rather have someone on my team who is hugely passionate about the cause, and whose constant actions and thinking will be focused and purposeful on the success of their work, not thinking into the future about what might come next. Focus is huge in fundraising.

I have met all types of fundraisers since I entered this world and those making the biggest change have passion and purpose.

Just something to think about when considering a new staff member or when thinking about what makes for success in fundraising.

It's also something to think about when you are thinking about a move. It's always something good to consider when taking a look at yourself in the mirror, whether for a new position or your current one.

Thanks for reading!

Individual giving - thanking donors

When boards and non-profit leadership talk about fundraising, individual donors are typically, and easily, talked around or even not thought about. Meanwhile, so many of us have donor retention rates under 40% and direct mail response rates are under three percent. I can see why many in our world don't see the intense value of individual donors, or even think that there is a way to increase the amount of individual giving for their non-profit.

Although I subscribe to the philosophy of donor-centered giving, I'm not even writing about that. I think many non-profits have a lot of work to do even before they start working within the ideas of being donor-centered.

Here's an example. A few months ago I attended a luncheon that was a fundraiser for a popular LA-based non-profit. It was my first time attending one of the events and I was blown away by what they presented, so much so that I made a donation.

First donation to them ever. I felt so good about being part of their incredible impact.

Time when by and one day we received their newsletter. It reminded me that I hadn't received a thank you letter or a tax letter yet. 

More time went by, and six weeks after I made the donation I received my thank you/tax letter.

Six weeks! Seriously? I couldn't believe it.

Even though I am now on their mailing list, I don't feel any more a part of them as I did before I made the donation.

I like what we do at the non-profit I fundraise for. Once we see a donation we call the donor to thank them. This happens within 24 hours of receiving the donation. Then a thank-you letter goes out within three days. Three days is the absolute latest it will go out, that's our goal. It doesn't mean that we don't do all we can to get the letter out earlier.

Individual giving can change your mission and impact. It's much more sustainable than corporate giving and even foundation giving. Growing your donor relationships will be totally worth your while. You can start by thanking them.

Thanks for reading.

Time to reignite your fundraising?

I've presented conference sessions called "Reignite your fundraising" and love engaging with other fundraisers and development peers about my ideas regarding what we can do to take our fundraising to another level.

Before, I begin, it's important to note that although the title of this post if about reigniting your fundraising, all of this starts with you.

I recently ran into a donor who was volunteering at our office. I shouldn't say "ran into", as I heard her voice and immediately got up and went to greet her. I was ecstatic to see her and thanked her for a recent generous donation.  Of course that wasn't the first time I thanked her as I called her the day of the donation and then sent a thank you letter. Nonetheless it was my excitement in seeing her that made her day.

"The person before you didn't even know my name. Every time he saw me I had to re-introduce myself."

Reigniting your fundraising will only work if you are on board, if you have endless energy and passion for your cause, and if you are willing to be the main cheerleader.

Let's start.

My first idea is to respond to a donor email with a phone call.  You will surprise them, and your relationship with them will be stronger. In other words, you are investing in the donor relationship. Building these relationships is key in reigniting your fundraising. Try it.

Speaking of the phone, I suggest getting used to using it. Email doesn't show emotion. A donor can't hear your excitement over email. So call them. Once you see their donation pick up the phone. It changes everything.

Another reason to use the phone more and email less is that, especially in huge cities like Los Angeles where I live, face to face meetings with donors don't happen as often. The phone call brings at least a little bit of a personal touch to the relationship.

More to come.

Thanks for reading

Staying focused in LA

I recently celebrated my one year anniversary at the non profit where I head development and communications here in LA. Time flies when you're having fun.

The longer I am in LA, the smaller the city I came from, Denver, feels.

LA is huge. Our agency serves the entire county. That's a county of some ten million people. And 32,000 kids in foster care, the population we serve.

It can become overwhelming if you let it. When those feelings start for me, I go back to basics.

Like passion for mission.

An abused kid is an abused kid, no matter where she lives.

Homelessness is a societal issue everywhere. It's in the news a lot here in LA because the homeless population is very visible. Yet those calling the streets and alleys home are not any better off than homeless people anywhere else.

The non-profit community here is huge, and the corporate philanthropy is not huge. Similar to many other cities.

What has worked in this amazing, magical city for me as a development person and fundraiser are the same things that worked for me back in Denver: relationship building, passion for mission, and donor-centered fundraising.

Whenever I get overwhelmed I jump back into these basic tenets of my work.

In general, many development people and fundraisers for non-profits get overwhelmed. This is why the average time in position is only 14 months. This is why so many of us are looking for jobs.

When I stay focused on my basics, things are good. When I move into other people's negative opinions, lack of passion for mission, or frankly anything that I have no control over, things get messy.

When I stay focused, everyone benefits, including me, the abused kids we served, and all of those who are passionate about serving those kids.

Thanks for reading!

We must be inclusive in fundraising

I recently met with a development person from an organization that we support financially. We are new to LA and they were one of the first organizations we donated to upon our arrival one year ago. Our first donation was not our last, and now we are "members" as well as being vocal supporters.

NOTE: As long as I have been writing this blog and as long as I have had my @FundraiserDan Twitter account, I have gone out of my way to keep my fundraising world separate from my personal world. With this encounter that I am writing about, I believe it's necessary to bring in my personal life. I won't necessarily make a habit of it.

Donors come from all walks of life. We are different genders, races, martial statuses, gender identities, orientations (as in sexual), faiths, classes and this list could go on and on.

We as development professionals and fundraisers need to be inclusive. Yes, there are some non-profits that might not want donations from certain parts of society, yet for me, serving and agency that advocates for abused kids, I work to be as inclusive as possible, and as honorable as possible to all donors.

I say "I work to be" because I give it an honest try. I may not always succeed.

From how we use salutations in our donor letters to how we refer to a donor's significant other, to how and who we thank, this is something we really need to pay attention to.

As a donor and a huge supporter, I was pretty disappointed when the development person I was meeting with referred to my husband as my partner. In our conversations prior I had used the term husband and even in that same conversation I had used the word husband twice.

I'm sure it was not her intention, but in one swift sentence, she demeaned my marriage.

Too sensitive, no way. This is a new world. Yes, gay people are actually married these days (and have been for over 10 years.) Let the donor inform you as to how you should be referred to or as, and I did that.

Yes, not all gay couples are married, or want to be. I am, and I very much do.

We have to pay attention to this. And not only this. Gender pronouns are important, as is making sure we thank the wife if she is the donor or at least both people in the couple. Too many donors are thanked via their spouse and their spouse only.

If you don't know, ask. I assure you there will not be any offense taken. In fact, you might just catapult the level of your donor relationship.

Thanks for reading.

August is almost December in the fundraising world

Yes, it's already August.

August is the time I create our end of year fundraising plan. What does it look like? What would success look like? Who is involved? When does it officially begin?

August is the time to create your end of year fundraising plan. Invite your team for a meeting. Ask everyone to bring their calendars, creativity and ideas.

Sitting down with your elite team of fundraisers and development staff (you choose who this is for you) start plugging in dates. I start further out and work back. For example, when do do I actually want our first direct mail piece of the campaign to land? I write that in and then work back all the way to the date where we first discuss the piece.

Who do I want to be involved in the end of year fundraising? Do we do just one mailing or more? Any events?

#GivingTuesday is right in the middle of my typical campaign so I have begun using that to support my efforts. Any board or other donor holiday parties or gatherings can be helpful too.

Then there all of the face to face meetings with donors, my favorite!

Finally, when everyone else is taking off, the last few days of the year here are spent calling every donor who gave the year prior but has not yet given. It could be several hundred calls. Where I currently work, our office is actually closed the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Yet the development team is here making calls, answering the phones and making sure we are here for any last minutes donor needs. Then we take the next week off!

How you work your end of year fundraising is all up to you. It can be the most fun part of your year. The main thing is to start planning it now.

Thanks for reading!

One priority today

Recently in our development team meetings we have been talking about our priorities. Not just as a team, but individually.

As each team member talks about what they are working on for the week, they share with the team their main priority for the week.

Just one.

It's so helpful. So powerful. Just one priority.

Cancel out the noise of the daily craziness and think about what one thing you want to rock today. Make a solid choice to go for it today. Don't let anything or anyone get in your way.

This cam make a huge difference for any development team, but the idea of focusing on one priority isn't exclusive to non-profit fundraising.

Go for it.

Thanks for reading!

Pick up the phone!

It's so easy.

In donor-centered fundraising, it's crucial.

Every day I try to respond to emails by picking up the phone and calling the person who just emailed me. They are usually happily surprised.

Then we get to talk. How is their day? How are we doing in our programs?  Yes, our Gala was incredible. Our relationship just got stronger.

Calls don't have to be reserved for donors. Call your vendors too. Build relationships everywhere you can. Your development and marketing efforts can only get stronger because of them.

Plus, in some cases, who will make someones day.

It's easy. Just pick up the phone.

Thank you for reading!

I made a mistake

I don't think mistakes are only made by fundraisers or those of us in non-profit development. Yet I do think that the more we make as fundraisers the stronger we become, the more knowledgeable we become, and the more successful our fundraising efforts are.

It's not easy when confronted with a mistake. Whether it's around your style of leadership, a fundraising campaign, a special event, an interaction with a staff member or board member. I guess this list could go on and on.

I definitely learn from my mistakes. That's the whole point. If I can't learn from them I am pretty much doomed. If I can't figure out what was going on or what happened, or even care to take the time to look at all of that, I'm doomed.

If I am afraid to take risks or try something new, success is not going to happen.

I have to constantly be open to learning, to the feedback of others, and to be taking those risks.

Fundraising/development is ever-changing in our world. The way we build relationships, or even how we think of donor and partner relationships, is different than it was just five years ago. Direct mail is changing and how we look at special events is changing. And then there are those things we don't know until we know, especially if you are new to your development team.

Learn from your mistakes. Take risks. Be donor-centered. Rock it with your team. Honor them. Remember that those doing the amazing, life-changing work for your agency cannot do it without your successes. They and those your agency serves are counting on you.

Have an awesome day!

Losing a donor

Let's face it, if you are a development and fundraising professional who is hugely passionate for the work your non-profit agency does, losing a donor can be heart breaking.

I remember getting an email from a donor who I had been trying to connect with. Being new, I had only met them once while they were in the office, and it was a great conversation.

I had no idea that while I planned meetings with them, trouble was brewing.

While none of my emails were being returned, a decision was being made to not donate again.

Not because of anything program wise or due to any lack of program work. When I finally heard from them, it was a simple email about a challenge in their perception on some things the agency was doing with staffing. I say perception because for the agency and those served, the changes were great. This donor perceived them to be negative. And because of this they would not donate again.

I of course looked in the mirror. After a lot of time going back and forth in my head, I realized I had done everything right in regards to my profession. There was nothing I could do.

The breaking up email was sent to me and our CEO. At least I was included. My response was thanking them for the honest feedback, and letting them know that the voiceless and invisible population we serve needs them, so to please connect with me if anything ever changed.

Being one of the most positive people I know, I feel they will come back one day. They haven't yet. I will check in once in a while with a personal note.

I allowed myself time to be disappointed and then I jumped right back into being as strong of a development person as I could be, focusing my eyes on the prize and constantly working to ensure the donors that sustain our work always feel in positive relationship with us, to the extent that I have control over that.

Thank you for reading.

Los Angeles!

I'm here!

After years of dreaming to live in southern California we took the risk and made the move. We both left amazing jobs and a great life for warmer weather, more culture and of course surfing!

I am thrilled about so many incredible non-profits in the Los Angeles area doing so much for those with nothing, those in need and making huge efforts to make the area a better place to live for everyone.

I was fortunate to have so many amazing interviews with many of the organizations and on August 17th I begin my new path. I am super excited.

I am also super excited to take the rest of my days off and continue getting to know the city, as well as more surfing!

If you're in the LA area I would love to meet you!

Once I get started I look forward to creating an amazing fundraising team and once again work hard to make a difference in the lives of others.

Thanks so much for reading!

Making the right hire

Before I begin about my thoughts around hiring for your fundraising team, please remember that I a  fundraiser. I am not a recruiter or a human resources person.

I do, however, hire people. I hire people to be part of an elite fundraising team.

So here are some thoughts:

The hiring process begins long before there is an open position. Whenever I meet people out and about who I think would make an incredible part of my team and seem passionate about the cause, I stay in touch with them and add them to my "back pocket" list. We all meet people who intrigue us or who we constantly here are doing incredible things in fundraising. So start that list.

Keep you job descriptions up to date. This is crucial. Make sure that the position you are putting out there matches the actual day-to-day expectations of the position. Job duties should match for sure.

Be very clear in your job posting. If you need someone to rock with corporate giving, make sure that is clear in what you post. It's also nice to put if the position is 9 -5 only or if occasional evening/weekend work is required.

Look at your budget with your team and see how the new person could support what you are trying to accomplish.

Start with ten-minute phone interviews. If you have a human resources person, take advantage of their expertise when creating questions.

Once you have a list for in-person interviews think of two others who might be able to do the interviews with you. Consider someone on your team and consider a program person.

In-person interviews are very important. Do not start preparing five minutes before. If you do, you are doing a disservice to you, your team, your agency and those you serve. Remember that you are looking for an individual to help your team go to new levels. Invest in the process. I will also add here that it is important for me to use the same questions for each candidate and to do each interview with the same co-workers.

If you have any past negative experiences in hiring, keep those in mind when interviewing. Be frank. Be clear about performance and expectations. Dig deep into your candidate's past experiences so you have a clear picture of what they can bring to your team.

With final interviews, it's great to include five minutes with the ED/CEO and/or someone on senior staff.

Finally, remember that the longer a future employee stays on your team and the more they bring to your team the better off everyone will be. Take your time.

Thanks so much for reading.

Making the move to Los Angeles!

My family and I have decided to follow our many-year dream and move to southern California. We will be living in the suburbs east of Los Angeles.

Leaving Urban Peak is tough. This is truly the most remarkable organization I have ever been a part of. On a daily basis we serve youth with nothing, youth who have been discarded and who in many ceases society has simply failed. The successes at Urban Peak to show youth that they are cared about and can rock it in life no matter what has happened to them is truly mind blowing.

I will be at Urban Peak through early July then we will pack up the U-Haul and head west.

I have begun the search for a development position at an agency serving those most people would not like to think about and rocking their mission. There seems to be an endless list of those types of organizations in LA and I am looking forward to getting to know many of them.

After a little beach time and getting to know our new surroundings I will be all set to rock it for those with nothing and hopefully become a part of another truly amazing non-profit.

If you are in the LA area I would love to meet you.

If you know of any amazing opportunities at non-profits in the LA area please let me know. My email is fundraisingdan@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

I started using lists

There seems to be  a lot of solid opinions on whether or not making lists help with finishing tasks or don't help.

For years I have met folks, speaking of fellow fundraisers here, who make lists and they work from them. I always thought that this was a great idea for them and I'm glad it worked for them.

Then, last year, while preparing for our weekly development team meeting, I realized that I was one of those fundraisers who works from a list. Just like that! And I had been doing it for some time.

You see, every Monday morning I prepare for our weekly team meetings. I create a list of items I want to chat with the team about and during our meeting we go over those items. Then, that LIST becomes a check off of items I will work on for the week.

It could include meeting with a particular staff member, something to bring up with my boss, starting an event invitation or working and working on a direct mail piece.

The simple fact is that for me, starting the week with a list of items, regardless of whether or not they are already on my calendar or in notes or whatever else I use to plan, helps me considerably.

It shows me the intensity of the week.

It allows me to celebrate as I cross things off.

It keeps me focused, which does not come natural to me.

It allows to continually throughout the week check in with others about what we are working on, how things are going with those items, and how others can support.

I could on. I won't.

For me, lists work. Or should I say, a Monday morning list for the week works for me.

I have met many fundraisers and work with many fundraisers. I realize we all have our tools that support us and the successes we have. This may or may not work for you. I wanted to share it because it works for me.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

Vote

I am slowly getting back to writing blog posts and thought today I would jump right into it.

Please vote.

It's so important.

I personally believe it's important for everyone, yet I also believe that it is even more important for those of us in the non-profit world.

Who will be the voice for those we serve if we don't vote?

If those of us who have a good pulse of difficulties and challenges of the people we serve don't vote, how can things ever get better?

I could list quite a few other examples of why I think you should vote, but I will stop here.

Please take a moment and vote. In Colorado, it's super easy to either send in the mail ballot or vote early.

Thanks for reading!

I don't like meetings. Unless...

If you know me personally, you know that I do not care for meetings.

This reaction to meetings hasn't always thrilled my bosses.

I have worked some places where I spent way too much time in meetings.

What I have realized in the past several years is that I sincerely do not have a problem with meetings, as long as the meeting is productive and a good use of my (and my teams) time.

These are the things I think are crucial to a meeting:

First and foremost, an agenda. I want to know what we'll be talking about so I know in advance what might be expected of me and what I need to be thinking of before the meeting. Walking into a meeting without an agenda definitely takes the meeting down a few notches in regards to how strongly I can participate.

Please start the meeting on time. If the meeting is a weekly or monthly meeting and there are folks who consistently arrive late, please address them (privately of course) and let them know how important it is that we begin on time as a group.

Please don't have a meeting just because you always have a meeting on that day at that time. If you as the person charged with the meeting believe that all is well that week or month and that meeting isn't necessary, make the leadership decision and cancel the meeting. Brilliant!

Please make your meeting a safe place for expression. If the meeting is about asking those attending for an opinion, pleas ensure that the meeting is a safe place to express such an opinion. I have been fortunate in my career that this has always been the case and it certainly adds to the honest productivity of a meeting.

If you have a meeting over the lunch hour, please serve lunch.

If you are planning to go over something that those attending needed to read, please make sure you have given them ample time for the reading. I personally would like one week. There is nothing worse (except not having an agenda) than being in a meeting where more than half of the attendees have not read what you are discussing, especially when you took the time to read it. It's important to give folks ample time.

Please keep the meeting on topic. Believe me, I know how difficult that can be. I love the words "let's discuss that outside of this meeting"! That's a great way to honor the point but continue with a focused discussion. I also think it's fine to create another meeting from the current meeting so folks present can talk further about something that has come up.

Please honor people's time. So important. And in my view just plain courtesy. People plan their days around meetings and in many cases go from your meeting right to something else of equal importance.

Thinking of all of this can make your meeting more productive, and create an environment where staff actually want to attend!

I would love your thoughts of what makes a meeting better.

Thanks for reading!