SPECIAL FOCUS

You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late. — Proverb

CAPTION: "Children simply love the wading pool at Mitchell Park" reads the copy near this photograph on the Deerfleld Park District's Adopt-A-Park program brochure. Mitchell Wading Pool is listed among nine Adopt-A-Park projects that have benefited from donations to the district.

Who is responsible for fund raising or "development" at your agency? Oftentimes this question is posed to the agency director or to a board member or a frontline staff member. Sometimes the question comes from a resident who calls to ask questions about a program or from someone who wants to make a donation. Often it comes from a staff member who needs help in order to ask a business or an individual for a donation. It might even come from a board member who has an idea for a fund-raising project.

Whatever the source, the question of who handles development is important to an agency that relies to any degree on donated funds or alternate revenue resources.

So, what's the answer? Every person in an agency or organization shares in the responsibility for development and fund raising. When you understand what this means for your organization, you will see how some simple changes to your orientation process for volunteers, board members, and staff will positively impact charitable giving to your program.

Every client, every user of your services, is a potential donor or volunteer. And, your organization often is judged, fairly or not, by the first person from your office they encounter. In most agencies, this is the receptionist or even a volunteer who answers the phones for you. When people learn how important their roles can be to the mission of the agency, they will willingly take an extra minute to show hospitality and tact to everyone they meet. This, then, creates a more positive impression on members of the public who call or visit your office. Secondarily and equally important, kind and considerate behavior improves the workplace for everyone.

Development and fund raising are not about begging for donations. Instead they are about matching organizational needs with individual interests.

May/June 2001 | 17

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON DEVELOPMENT

Raising funds sometimes involves asking for donations, but the agency can help make this easier for everyone involved. Often when seeking a donation, someone who knows the prospective donor will accompany a staff member who knows the program. Or, agency staff can prepare background information for the request that will facilitate the process.

In a park or forest preserve district, the primary fundraiser might be a paid professional. Often, however, the successful fund raiser is a board member, the agency director, a passionate ombudsman, or a staff member. In any case, success in securing funds comes to those who embrace the mission of the agency, value it, and are able to speak about it with conviction.

A Success Story Shared in the Giving Brochure of the Lake County Forest Preserves: "We've made annual donations to the Youth Conservation Corps since 1992. We're impressed by the projects these high-schoolers carry out and the education they receive. It's very rewarding to hear them report on what they're doing and why. They're our future." - a Gurnee, Ill, resident

No one can do this effectively without knowledge about the services and statistics of the agency such as:

• number of volunteers in district programs;
• areas where volunteers are needed;
• percent of programs sustained by fees versus general revenues and tax dollars;
• program scholarships awarded annually;
• opportunities for donor recognition; and
• areas in which donations are most needed (e.g., scholarships, uniforms, equipment).

Staff and board members also need to know your success stories, such as how a local youth was helped by a donation to the district's after-school program. These stories come to those who have the most frequent and direct contact with the public. We need to keep our boards and volunteers informed about our programs, statistics, and our success stories.

For example, on its "Green Gifts" development brochure, the Lake County Forest Preserves uses testimonials from people who have donated to their programs. Showing that other benefactors believe that giving is important and worthwhile is a terrific way to inform other potential donors as well as your agency's ambassadors.

An organization needs to think about how it might educate all of its staff and volunteers about both services and programs. How can it gather and retell the stories about people who really appreciate the agency's programs? How can we easily obtain releases for pictures and stories that can be used for development or marketing? Each agency can develop simple procedures to facilitate this process.

One concept that helps us restructure our volunteer or staff orientations is to think of development as an inverted triangle with those with the most public contact at the top (see diagram on page 20). In this model, the director and development staff will get stories from the direct service staff that can be used to present the case for their cause.

A good way to assess the background and talents of your new volunteers, board members, and staff is to survey them during the orientation process. You will learn that some will have experience in public speaking, some will be good salespeople, some will need a little help to do either of these. A little education or support often is all it takes to make a super fund raiser or "friend raiser." Remember that passion for the programs will be more impressive to most donors than a slick presentation.

How would fund-raising activities differ using the idea that all staff and volunteers are friend raisers? Each special event would include an educational aspect for the public. This might be a brochure included in the packet of materials, or pictures showing people using the services. It might include a video with endorsements from grateful participants of the programs.

Staff who attend various activities as part of their jobs need to understand that their role is to further the agency programs, to interact with the public. They need to be prepared to speak about what they do and the needs of their program. Too often staff spends time at the golf tournament or other special event socializing with each other. Their time should be spent networking with those who do not know about their programs.

Staff are the front-line ambassadors for the agency. It is a good idea for staff, board members and volunteers to know how to access information on the needs of the agency and opportunities for donor recognition. A simple publication can tell how a tree can be planted in the name of a family or in memory of someone. This is often a good way to solicit donations for equipment that

May/June 2001 | 19

SPECIAL FOCUS

Inverted Triangle in Action At Catholic Charities in Springfield, Ill., there is a terrific example of the inverted triangle in action. St. John's Breadline is a meal distribution program supported by Catholic Charities. In the past, it served a soup meal made from the leftovers from a local hospital, St. John's. Today the facility serves meals to many families who come because their food budgets cannot stretch to their paydays. And the food today is a balanced meal that includes fresh vegetables, fruit and dessert. St. John's Breadline has become a community center that schedules parenting classes and clinics. Donated surplus food comes from all over our community. Dan Frachey has been the manager of this facility for the past six years. He has brought with him, in additional to many other skills, a spirit that welcomes volunteers, staff, and meal recipients alike. He refers to the Breadline clients as his "guests" and that attitude spreads to everyone who comes there—whether to work, to help, or to eat. Two years ago, Dan began a campaign that asked his staff, volunteers and guests to contribute toward a mission in Haiti. He did a little education about the poverty in that country as part of the daily prayer. Would you be surprised to learn that many guests donated their pocket change on a regular basis? Dan keeps everyone posted as they reach milestones of support. St. John's Breadline has a very positive reputation in the Springfield area. One day while I was visiting, a representative from a new bakery in town was calling on Dan to see if he could use their day old products. This bakery was not even open for business yet. Members of our community clamor to help at this facility. Holidays often have too many volunteers. This outpouring of help is the result of Dan's valuing his volunteers, clients and staff. He treats all of them with respect. Take a minute to think about how this would work for one of your programs. • — by Judy Comerio

the budget does not include. Opportunities are missed when adequate responses are not made to donor inquiries.

Planned giving is an area that staff often know little about. It is helpful to have simple brochures or publications on wills, bequests, and trusts for staff to use. These can be made available to the public with your other program publications. If you use a donor recognition wall, staff and volunteers should know where it is and how it is organized and how donors can be recognized.

Staff and volunteers also need to get in the habit of referring members of the public who ask them about giving opportunities to a designated staff member or the development office. And, agencies need to know the names of professionals in the community, such as attorneys and financial planners, who will help donors set-up trusts or special donations.

In seeking funding from a private or public foundation, the inverted triangle concept involves using success

20 | Illinois Parks and Recreation

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON DEVELOPMENT

stories that support the case for funding. These would need to be gleaned from the people who actually work and volunteer in the programs, from the people who give service to the public. Staff and volunteers often have stories about citizens who have thanked them and told them how much they appreciate, for example, their after-school program, or the craft program or the organization in general.

A tool that can be very effective in fund raising is the call card. (See sample call card below). These cards are used to alert the chief fund-raiser that someone has shown special interest in the organization. The individual might have asked how someone can help the program. They might have donated to a specific cause. In any case, the information would be communicated by staff to the chief development person or fund raiser who would follow-up on the tip. A brochure on the program might be sent, or a personal call or visit, depending on the circumstances.

Board members, staff and volunteers are sometimes asked questions that they are unable to answer. They need to learn to be comfortable with saying that they will refer the question to the development designee or that they will research the question and get back to them. Call cards can be useful for these referrals.

Each of us encounters people in our personal and social lives who ask about our work. We can view these questions as opportunities to involve others in our mission either as a donor or as a volunteer, or maybe even as both. It really only requires a change in our thinking about ourselves as partners in the development process. We need to remember the facts about our services, and the hearts of our missions as well.

When board members, staff and volunteers work together to promote the mission of the organization, positive possibilities for development will multiply. •

JUDY COMERIO
is the development director for Catholic Charities in Springfield. She received her certification as a fund-raising manager from the Fund Raising School at Indiana University, Center on Philanthropy. She can be reached at 217.523.9201, ext. 14.

JOHN COMERIO
is the development director for the Illinois Association of Park Districts and manager of the Friends of Illinois Parks. He received his certification as a fund-raising manager from the Fund Raising School at Indiana University, Center on Philanthropy. He can be reached at 217.523.4554 or jcomerio@ILparks.org.

About the Call Card A "call card" records a contact for follow-up by the chief development staff person. It can be as simple as a name and telephone number on Rolodex card or more sophisticated, such as a one-page profile involving a series of questions about the contact. In either case, the purpose of the call card is to provide staff, board members and even volunteers with an easy way to record a contact who is a potential donor for your agency. Sample Call Card Name (Last First Middle)________________________________ Address ( Street, City, State, Zip)________________________________ Home Phone (__) ______ Business Phone (__) _______ Describe interest discussed (e.g., volunteer, donation, gift program) Do you have any additional insights? _________________ Your name ____________________ Date _________ Your phone (__) _______________ Follow-up call made on (Date)_________________ by (Name)__________ Outcomes _______________________________

May/June 2001 | 21