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Special Focus Nonprofits aren't used to having it all. They have long operated on a philosophy of scarcity and suffering and a fear of raising money from individuals.
Communicate Your Passion to Win Sustainable Funding by Tammy Zonker
28-29 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.il-ipra.org But in a world full of abundance, there is a way to create sustainable funding, said Terry Axelrod, the founder of Raising More Money, a Seattle-based organization that has trained more than 2,000 nonprofits in fundraising. "The way to tap into this abundance is to communicate your passion. People are so ready to give to you," she said. "It's all about telling your story and connecting with them emotionally." "Raising More Money: Sustainable Funding for Your Mission" is session number 106 at this year's IAPD/IPRA annual conference. The two-hour session, which starts at 8:45 a.m. on Friday, January 28, will introduce you to Axelrod's four-step fundraising system, the Raising More Money Model. This model has been used by all kinds of nonprofits, including the national or local offices of five of the top ten charities in the country- The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Goodwill Industries and the International and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Schools and hospitals have already found success with this model. So has the Blaine County Recreation District in Hailey, Idaho. Dave Keir, the executive director of the Blaine County Recreation District, said his team had the challenge of selling an "unsexy" agency in a high-wealth community bombarded with requests from nonprofits. Hailey, Idaho is home to celebrities like Demi Moore and Bruce Willis and is adjacent to the famous Sun Valley Resort. The organization didn't just want to focus on wealthy donors. It wanted to reach all residents of Blaine County, including the community's huge middle class who benefited every day from the parks and recreation program and didn't know it, said Keir. The recreation district is famous for its Nordic ski trails, and sells more than 4,000 season passes a year, making it one of the premier destination spots for cross country skiing. It also oversees a 22-mile bike path, an aquatic center, summer youth programs, affordable summer camps, baseball and softball leagues, adult programs and a youth activity center. In October 2003, the Blaine County Recreation District sent a six-member team to a two-day Raising More Money workshop in Vancouver, B.C., where they learned how to establish a fundraising system and tell their story. They now offer "dream tours" at least once a month in an old high school now converted to a teen center. Originally, the dream tours were created to get people dreaming of what the high school could become. People were led through the old building and asked to imagine a place where kids could come and take classes. Today, the school has a gymnasium, cafe and auditorium. It also houses a local college (Southern Idaho) and dance studio. The school is a showcase for how the parks and recreation district works in the community. Now the recreation district is trying to get people to dream about financing a public golf course. Keir said he likes the Raising More Money Model because it's common sense fundraising that everyone can relate to: "It's a tried and true system all our volunteers and everyone can buy into because it's what we should be doing every day." Steps of the Model The Raising More Money Model' incorporates the elements of fundraising that nonprofits know work and many are already doing. This model takes those elements and puts them into a comprehensive, four-step, circular process for building lifelong relationships with individual donors. As groups cultivate and take care of these loyal donors, they naturally spread the word and introduce other potential donors 30 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.il-ipro.org
Step One is the introductory event called the "Point of Entry," a succinct one-hour event that educates and inspires guests with the facts and emotional appeal of the organization's work. Names of the guests are captured with permission. Step Two is "Follow Up and Involve," which begins with a five-step follow-up call, where potential donors are called for feedback on the Point of Entry and to see if they would like to get involved in any way. If they are interested in becoming involved, they continue to be cultivated through a process known as the cultivation superhighway. Step Three is "Asking for Money," which can occur through one-on-one asks or through an "Ask Event," a free one-hour powerful and emotional event that inspires guests to action. Guests at the event are invited to join a multiple-year giving society by making a five-year pledge of $1,000 or more. The event is carefully constructed to avoid pressure or awkwardness, and it honors all donors and supporters, regardless of their giving level. Step Four is "Introducing Others; Reconnecting Existing Donors" and occurs primarily through free gatherings such as ice cream socials or holiday parties for donors. Donors are encouraged to introduce others to the organization by inviting them to the event, which then becomes a Point of Entry. In Axelrod's fundraising approach, the key to successful, terror-free asking is the answer to only one question: "Is this person ready to be asked?" Another way of saying it is, "Have we gotten to know this person enough so that it would feel natural to ask him or her to make a financial contribution to the organization now? Would asking this person now be nothing more than nudging the inevitable?" www.ilparks.org January/February 2005 31 Groups want donors to feel as though they have sprinkled fairy dust on the most worthy organization in the world. They want donors to feel so good about giving to this organization that they have no need for others to know they did it. They want donors to feel as if supporting their organization is a source of personal pleasure. It sounds easy, but as the Raising More Money fundraising coaches like to tell their groups, "Don't confuse simple with easy." To help organizations be successful, each group is assigned to a Raising More Money coach, someone who has successfully implemented the model. Speaking From the Heart Organizations have to strip away the fluff and get to the heart of their stories. The Toronto Zoo Foundation, for example, has a researcher who tracks endangered jaguars in Brazil. But when a Raising More Money coach heard about this researcher's recent misadventure, she had this advice: Instead of just talking about the global positioning system this researcher is using, the zoo should tell a more personal story. Potential donors needed to know that on a recent trip, bandits staged an explosion in the researcher's car so they could rob it when she got out. Someone later stole her purse. And once she was "safely" in the jungle, she brushed her arm against a poison thorn. Despite all this, she remains passionate about her mission. "Donors give from their heart and they are looking for a reason to do it," said Shirley Freek, the senior development director at the Toronto Zoo Foundation. The St. Louis City CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which trains community child advocates to act as guardians ad litem for abused and neglected children living in foster care, has gotten very good with the emotional hook. Executive Director Mary Taylor says that at a typical Point of Entry for St. Louis City CASA, people cry. "They stay and talk for ages. They give us a million ideas, and then ask us to do a Point of Entry at their place of work, home, church. Most of all, they say, 'I had no idea—I have to do something!'" In addition to these touching Point of Entry Events, St. Louis City CASA has now held three successful "Voices for Children" breakfasts, which have raised both money and awareness. "Our last Ask Event had the mayor (he came early and left late), judges, senators, representatives, heads of industry, several news anchors and reporters. And over half the tables were captained by our volunteer advocates. This event has become a destination in our community. The head of the school board and his table of men were crying during my speech, and the video just finished them off. The real task is bottling it afterward into action," says Taylor. Reaching New Donors On average, nonprofit organizations trained and coached by Raising More Money raise more than $150,000 in gifts and pledges within a year of attending a two-day workshop. Most of this money — 60 to 80 percent — comes from new donors. In the first eight months of 2004, 60 percent of the Raising More Money trained groups in the coaching process hit the Raising More Money formula:
For example, an Ask Event with 200 people should raise $100,000 including pledges. The Blaine County Recreation District is one of those success stories. Seven months after their training, members of the agency held a "Celebrating Dreams" luncheon in May 2004 that raised nearly $150,000. Mary Crofts, the district's executive director (who has since retired after 20 years with the agency) wrote about their success: "We all have been deeply reconnected to our mission and the amazing work we do in our community." She suggested sharing the model with parks and recreation agencies throughout the world: "I think there are great possibilities for the thousands of parks and recreation agencies and professionals to 'stop their suffering,' share their mission and vision more clearly — and raise more money — so every child and every adult, regardless of income, has the opportunity to enjoy a healthy, happy life!" 32 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.il-ipra.org |
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