Kelly Pierce-Bulger posted a comment to my blog post “Separate The Pits From The Juice” in the MojaLink group on LinkedIn.* I love her question because it’s very basic, very simple, and something many, many small and mid-size nonprofit fundraisers struggle with: how should I allocate my time?
MojaLink’s 45,639 members had nothing to say. Not a single comment. Maybe we can help Kelly out, and thousands of others who are similarly frustrated.
Here’s her question from LinkedIn:
It’s definitely true that development people need to use their time as productively as possible, but this is easier said than done! Do you have any advice for someone who is the only development staff member of a small nonprofit and struggling to determine what the best use of her time is? (between connecting with existing donors, prospect research, grant research and writing, corporate sponsorship research (and hopefully one day actual corporate sponsorships), and a growing online fundraising presence, not to mention various admin. and volunteer management tasks).
I’ll start with the first comment. I hope you will help Kelly, too.
(* For the LinkedIn.com links you’ll have to have a LinkedIn account and be logged in to see those links.)
I find that having my development plan/or fundraising plan in place certainly helps to prioritize. I do everything, from the planning to grantwriting, marketing and more. It can be overwhelming at times but I just try not to let myself panic. If I have a grant that I know is up for writing, I plan ahead so I can work on it and also focus on other important things, like cultivation of donors. Right now my focus is on cultivating new donors and revitalizing the old donor base, which was ignored before I came here. It can seem like a daunting task at times but I have also worked to motivate the board to become more involved. As long as everything I do has a purpose then I am ok!
Wow.
I am so overwhelmed (in a good way) and impressed with all of your responses! I cannot thank all of you enough for taking the time to share your experiences and strategies with me. Thank you Tony Martignetti, for highlighting my question this way! It is truly the most basic and important question I have been wrestling with since beginning my development position and while I had heard or thought of some of these suggestions before, to have all of them laid out like this was incredibly helpful. I’m sure there are many other young development professionals who are dealing with the same kind of question and are grateful to see your wonderful responses as well!
Thank you all so much for your time and generosity!
Reading the comments ahead this old man can only tell you that your answers are included somewhere above. You have raised support over the past months telling your story, outlining your need, if this was productive then you say “Thank You” and relay the success achieved. You have a constituancy and at this time of the year they also need to be thanked for their financial and volunteer support, and do give them an opportunity to give prior to the end of the year.
I really do not believe that supporters are there for the tax incentives or advantages, however, at year end an accurate record of giving for tax purposes is a door opener for a year end giving request letter and remembered by those who have supported you. Back to your constituancy for a moment – those who will benefit from a special year-end gift or some form of deferred gift should be scheduled for year end contacts and cultivation if needed.
While telling your story to your constituantcy at year end it is also time to evaluate your success and the story you are telling. You and other staff around need to take time at year end to evaluate how the year has gone and the reality of telling your story.
As development people we far to often get involved with the financial contributing section of our constinuancy and often forget the as important volunteers who contribute their time and effort. These are the individuals who really raise the funds for supporting our cause. There is really nothing we do as development staff that is not enhanced by volunteer input and effort, therefore these individuals need our appreciation and cultivation efforts on a full time basis. We really can not do it by ourselves.
I could go on however I will just pass on the information of an old boss of mine, Identify people, get them Interested, then get them Involved, and they will Invest, then you Acknowledge their investments and provide ways for them to help Identify, Interest, and Involve others. You and your cause will grow. I wish there were a great magic secret – it just boils down to someone has to ASK someone else.
Good luck.
If your job is fundraising that is your first priority. Make plans to visit donors personally on a regular basis throughout the year. Nothing beats meeting people face to face, telling them how much you appreciate their gifts and support, and asking for their continue support or even sharing a new project or giving opportunity for them to consider. Added to that is good stewardship of those donors by sending a quick, hand-written note to them after your visit, thanking them for their time. (Forget the e-mails, those are two impersonal!) You might even want to have one partially written out and mail it on your way back to your office (an idea I picked up somewhere in my reading). One of my VP’s reminded me/us constantly that you don’t raise money sitting behind a desk. That same VP spent a good part of his day on Fridays making calls to donors to set up visits for the next week or two weeks or longer. So you need to nuture the donors you have because as we all know it is easier to keep a “customer” than to find new ones. Several people have already suggested making good use of volunteers. I have had the pleasure of working with several volunteer fundraising committees in the organizations where I have worked and having members of those committees taking on the challenge of widening the circle of donors by either asking people in their circles of influence to become donors to the organization and/or introducing me to those people and having me assist them in making the ask for financial support. Volunteers are also good for signing letters to particular segments where they are known and respected and they can share Why they give to your organization. The administrative duties come with the job when you are only one person or a couple of people running a development shop so you need to carve out time to complee those tasks. Volunteers are especially important when planning and executing events–either for the purpose of stewardship or fundraising. Use them, give them specific responsibilities. Hold them accountable through meeting at least once a month to keep everyone on task. Asking the board to set priorities may or may not be the best thing to do, especially if they are not closely tied into the development function of the organization. Board members can be helpful as another group of volunteers that can hook you up with potential new donors but they will also balk if they think that you are expecting them to do the majority of the fundraising–that is why they hired you. They probably want to be used so use them. But you also need to know their comfort level as individuals in the area of fundraising. Anytime you are the sole person (or one of a few people) with the responsibility of fundraising, there is always the pressure of planning what to do first, which in my mind and experience is to maintain your connections with donors–either face to face, by note or letter or phone call–and make that a consistent priority.
I have had the luxury of running a one-person shop and had to keep very organized. I broke up my months into four weekly themes with the following priorities:
Week #1 – focus on all foundation grant proposals that are due in the next month. I would also add in corporate sponsorship requests in this week for the annual gala
Week #2 – schedule visits with top donors, board members, volunteers, etc. (note: schedule these visits for the 3rd week of the next month); work on direct mail project (either appeal, donor newsletter, eblast)
Week #3 – go on visits previously scheduled from last month or last week. Write thank you notes and update database with information; enter gifts, etc.
Week #4 – work on fundraising event (or cultivation events, donor recognition events, etc.) logistics
If you focus on these main activities on these weeks, there will be time to do the other stuff as well, but you’ve got the important stuff done!
Where to focus depends, somewhat, on how big you are, how long you’ve been around, whether you already have a constituency of donors (and a donor database), what kind of commitment your E.D. and board have made to growing fundraising, and what your most natural target audience may be. For purposes of this post, I’m going to assume you have a fundraising database as well as some sort of CRM software that enables you to communicate online. I’m also assuming you have a website with a user-friendly donation page. If you don’t have these things, you need to address your infrastructure. It’s a precondition to your ability to raise funds.
Okay. As a solo development practitioner, I’d go in this order:
(1) Get to know your existing donors (especially the major donors). Call them up. Meet with them. Ask them why they got involved. Ask them how they think your organization is doing. Ask for their advice on ways you could be an even more effective organization; how to reach out to people who could benefit, and how to reach out to others who may share their values and be willing to support you. Take notes. Record what you learn in your database. If anyone would like to volunteer to be involved more, make this happen and follow up. Start to build relationships with your supporters. They’re the foundation of everything.
As an aside, if you already have an online presence, and are engaged in social media, take a look at what your constituents are telling you by their actions. It’s imperative to learn what they care about and value. I’ve posted on this subject http://clairification.blogspot.com/2011/10/opinion-above-knowledge-common_24.html
(2) Since it’s the end of the year, prepare a simple fundraising appeal to go out to your existing supporters. You don’t want to lose anyone who’s already been giving, as it’s much more costly/difficult to acquire new donors than to renew those who’ve already made the decision to support you. If possible, have personal notes written on these appeals (from your E.D., board members, volunteers, etc.). You’ll get a much better response the more personal you can be. Donors want to know that you know them. Accordingly, mention in the letter that you hope they will RENEW their support. For prospects, send a slightly different variation of the appeal.
(3) Assure that you renew any ongoing foundation grants. If you don’t have many (or any) do some prospect research and make connections with funders who look like a good match. Start with the really good fits; not the long shots. Go for the ones who make larger grants first. See if anyone on your board has connections at these foundations to improve your chances for success.
(4) 80% of giving comes from individuals, so corporate sponsorship research (and hopefully one day actual corporate sponsorships) should be towards the bottom of your list. You might try to find a volunteer who would be interested in building this. Also, if you have an event, you should bake corporate sponsors into the revenue plan., and a growing online fundraising presence, not to mention various admin. and volunteer management tasks).
(5) See if you can hire someone to help with your marketing communications, including your website and online communications. Ideally you’ll want some sort of e-newsletter so that every communication with your constituents is not an “ask”. The ability to create a dialogue with your constituents, and potential constituents, is another pre-condition to fundraising success. And it’s a way to build your list.
(6) Work on building your mailing list of potential individual donors. Get names from board members. Ask them who they know who might like to learn more about what you do. Start with your inner circle, and work outwards. Check donor lists from similar organizations. Ask your board to review the names and see if they know any of these folks. Ask those who refer names if they’d be willing to add a personal note when you send out an appeal.
Good luck!
My advice to fundraising clients is to look at where the revenues come from and budget their time management proportionally to those constituencies or activities. If 75% of your income comes from major gifts, then 75% of your time should be in that area. This is an ideal, of course, but it’s an easy way to do a quick assessment of your time. A big bright red flag should go up there’s a significant imbalance: i.e. if special events are generating 25% of your income but consuming 50% of your time, that’s a problem.
Kelly,
I agree with Marilyn and Karen re strategic planning and a development plan. If these aren’t in place, and you aren’t in a position to move the board and your director to put them in place, do you own plan for your work. You need a set of yearly big pictures goals so that you know where you are headed.
I used to create long to-do lists but discovered I hated them. I have found setting three daily goals a better way to go. You have the big picture goals to help you choose your daily goals. Being a solo development director is a long journey and three daily goals can take you a days journey. Three goals a day also leaves room for the unexpected like a donor dropping in to chat. And at the end of the year, you can look back and say, “Wow, I’ve come a long way.”
Hi Kelly
You have too much to do and, best will in the world, that makes focussing very difficult. Can you get any volunteer assistance? If not, perhaps you need to see what will underpin your activities, ie. if the money isn’t coming in then will the organisation flounder? What are the ways to achive some quick fixes for your organisation? Our patron is a comedian/producer so a quick fix for us is a one-off performance. Also apply to trusts and foundations. But I think bottom line is you need proper support. Some people benefit from a 30 min rule – 30 mins a day spent on each thing very productively as opposed to 30 mins wondering how to get through it all. Good luck and Take care
Susan
Kelly,
I agree with much of Marilyn’s comments. Encourage your Board of Directors to put both a Development Plan and Strategic Plan into place. Use them as your road map.
On a more practical / every day note, Sunday night / Monday morning make a list of what you want to accomplish for the week. Perhaps it is a cross section of items from grant research and writing, building an online presence and connecting with donors. Make it a priority to use your list as a guideline for each day and avoid distractions!
Best of luck in your endeavors,
Karen
Kelly (and others):
I recently presented a couple of workshops and webinasr on Getting Started in a Fundraising Position that gave step-by-step details for maximizing development efforts. I am happy to share the power points with those who are starting out.
Having been there (I was the only staff person for a VERY small nonprofit), it took me a few months to try and figure out how to prioritize and focus, especially after I found myself attending seven board committee meetings in one day! Whether it is fundraising or finances, staff have to learn how to prioritize…and it starts with the board putting together a simple strategic plan based on the six core elements: administration, volunteer/board development, community involvement, resource development, marketing and programs (www.ideaencore.com/item/six-hour-strategic-plan). Once the board has identified the priority one-year goals for your division (fund-raising/resource development), then you will be able to develop a work plan. If the board has not done this than it will be difficult to focus.
For example, good resource development will have the following components that must be balanced: donors (identification, recognition, etc.), strategies (events, direct mail, planned giving, etc.), promotion (in a larger nonprofit there would be a separate marketing staff, but my guess is it is part of your job, too), and evaluation (which must be a part of every component listed above). There will also be administration aspects (like good record-keeping, data bases, working with a resource-development committee, summary reports on every event, thank you’s, etc.), too.
A class in fund-raising at your local college, or books on fund-raising will also help. I know it can be overwhelming so, as the African proverb suggests: eat the “elephant” one bite at a time! Feel free to contact me if I can be of further help: marilyn157@aol.com
Because we’re 9 weeks from December 31, you probably should focus on year-end giving. I’ll have many ideas about that on my show this Friday, “9 Weeks & A Wake-Up: 4 Essentials For Year-End Fundraising” with guest Mary Allison. In the new year, engage your board and other volunteers maximally.
Prospect research could be a great volunteer activity for someone who is internet savvy. Search on my blog for “prospect research” to get many show segments talking about free or low cost research sites. There’s a lot more than Google. Those ideas come from the show’s regular contributor, Maria Semple.
Volunteers can also help you with corporate sponsorship work, especially if the companies are local. Even if not, you can still ask for help crafting pitches and making follow-up phone calls. For grants research and writing, any chance of hiring a freelancer? Perhaps you have a donor who’d be willing to fund that work for a year. That solicitation would be better made by you.
Finally, prevail upon your executive director to unburden you from administrative work that isn’t directly related to fundraising. It’s not fair to hold you responsible for all fundraising, and then add more to your plate. For that which is directly related, can you get a part-timer for, say, 5 or 10 hours a week?