Additional Document #1

1. More Askers = More Money:
An All-Staff Approach to Major Gifts
BY ANDY ROBINSON
D eep in the heart of every development director you’ll
find an enduring fantasy: volunteer board members
who ask for big gifts face to face. This vision is so pervasive
meeting with community groups, and organizing both
formal and informal networks of residents to fight corpo-
rate and government misbehavior.
and persistent that an entire industry — books, articles, After five years of building their major gifts program,
workshops, consultants — has emerged to promote and Toxics Action now raises $110,000 per year — one-quarter
service it. As a member of that industry, I can report that of its annual budget — from individual major gifts of at
demand never ends and business is brisk. least $250. Using the time and talents of eight staff mem-
This worthy fantasy can come true, but progress is bers, only one of whom is a full-time fundraiser, the
usually measured in small, incremental steps. However, organization conducts 250 to 300 donor visits each year in
given all the challenges associated with board members’ homes spread across six states.
participation in fundraising, it surprises me how few
organizations turn to the other available “human ALL TOGETHER NOW
resource”: their staff. At Toxics Action, the first rule of fundraising is that
To raise money successfully, nonprofits need at least every staff member participates. If you’re on the payroll,
three things: a strong case for giving, prospective donors you meet with members and ask for big gifts. Period.
to solicit, and people to do the asking. Grassroots activists Everyone is trained together (regardless of previous experi-
tend to assume — incorrectly — that they lack the second ence), everyone works the phones together, and everyone
element — prospects for big gifts. However, most donors schedules appointments during the same weeks. This egal-
can and will give much more than you think. For example, itarian approach leaves no fundraiser (or prospective major
people tend to contribute five to ten times more money donor) behind. Here’s what makes this strategy work.
when asked in person than they 1. A campaign model
do when solicited by mail. If
you can’t or won’t meet with
Most donors can and will give with specific goals, dead-
lines, and a very tight
your supporters, you’re leaving much more than you think. calendar. Twice a year,
money on the table. in January and Septem-
For most organizations, the biggest barrier isn’t, in ber, Toxics Action shuts down most regular activities for
fact, a lack of donors, but rather a lack of askers. Perhaps two weeks to concentrate on major donor fundraising.
it’s time for a different approach to major gifts — one that The first week of each campaign is dedicated to staff train-
deploys your human resources in a different way by focus- ing and phoning donors to set up appointments. On the
ing a little less on your board and putting a lot more second week, everyone hits the road for donor meetings.
energy into training and motivating your entire staff. Staff can and will do a bit of their normal work during this
Consider Toxics Action Center (www.toxicsaction.org), period, but for two weeks, fundraising is the priority.
which works in neighborhoods across New England to Conversely, organizers and support staff do very little
address the human health impacts of pollution, pesticides, major donor fundraising between campaigns, so when it’s
workplace chemicals, and other poisons. They use a tradi- over, it’s really over.
tional community organizing model: canvassing neighbor- A third campaign is organized each May to follow up
hoods by knocking on doors, sitting at kitchen tables, with remaining major donors and prospects, but this one
12 MAY /JUNE 2007 • GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING JOURNAL

2. is limited to a few senior staff. The rest of the staff
canvasses through the summer, improving their door- Sample daily schedule for
knocking skills and building up the membership base. the first week of the campaign
2. Devotion to the numbers. During the campaign, all
8:45 – 8:55 AM Introductions
goals are stated and tracked numerically (see the campaign
analysis chart on page 14). Each staff member begins with 8:55 –9:15 AM Phone practice
a list of between 55 and 70 members and is expected to 9:15 –10:30 AM Phone calls
reach half by phone during the first week, with the goal of 10:30 –10:45 AM Debrief
scheduling 15 to 18 visits for the second week. These num- 10:45–11:00 AM Break
bers are tallied and discussed at the end of each work day,
11:00 AM –noon Storytelling workshop:
so a dose of daily accountability is built in to the process. How to collect and shape our stories
3. A commitment to storytelling. Everyone is encour-
noon –1:30 PM Donor meeting training: Putting
aged to tell and develop their own stories — why they’re
together all the pieces for the first ask
personally involved, why they do the work — and trained
1:00–2:00 PM Lunch; write confirmation notes
to elicit stories from the members. They all learn and tell
for scheduled meetings
organizational success stories. According to consultant
Valerie Reuther, who helped Toxics Action to develop and 2:00–3:00 PM Phone calls
perfect this approach, even the pitch —“why you need to 3:00–3:15 PM Debrief
give now” — is framed as a story. 3:15–3:30 PM Break
4. A “culture of practice,” in the words of executive 3:30–4:30 PM Donor meeting training: The close and
director Alyssa Schuren. Training week feels a bit like boot second ask
camp: a typical 12-hour day includes repeated role plays 4:30–5:00 PM Approaching renewals (previous donor
interspersed with actual donor phone calls, sharing stories visit) vs. upgrades (never been visited)
from the organizational “story bank,” point-by-point 5:00–6:15 PM Phone calls
training on conducting donor meetings, followed by more
6:15–7:00 PM Dinner; write confirmation notes
phone calls and role plays (see daily schedule).
for scheduled meetings
Every stage in the solicitation process is discussed,
modeled, and practiced. “We break it down into very 7:00 –7:15 PM Phone practice
small pieces,” says Schuren. “We learn them one by one 7:15 –9:00 PM Phone calls
and then we put the pieces together.” 9:00 –9:15 PM Debrief; review daily and running totals
Picture this: a series of practice stations encircling the of calls made, meetings scheduled
room dedicated to the most common telephone excuses
— “I don’t have time to meet with you,” “Just mail me
something,” and so on. During one training session, solici- 6. A culture of mutual support. Everyone is account-
tors spend more than an hour rotating through these able for both individual and collective goals, but the cam-
stations, practicing their responses until they feel prepared paign leaders — Schuren and development director Mia
to address any objection they might hear on the phone. Scampini — are encouraging and even gentle in their cri-
After such rigorous training, the actual phone calls are tiques. People laugh a lot, especially at their own behavior.
much more manageable. While facing difficult work together, a tangible esprit de
5. Persistence powered by a dose of realism. During corps is modeled and reinforced by the leadership. Mutual
training-and-telephone week, staff members spend about support is built in at every
15 hours total on the stage. For example, during
phone with the goal New employees are told that they will be donor visit week, three con-
of scheduling their ference calls are scheduled
15 to 18 appoint- accountable for raising money, and that so everyone has the chance
ments. That’s about they will also be trained and supported. to share notes, commiserate,
one appointment and inspire each other.
per hour, during which they also confront a lot of voice 7. Transparency in recruitment. Before they sign on,
mail, the occasional wrong number, and a taste of rejec- new employees are told that they will be accountable for
tion. Everybody is given clear expectations from the start: raising money, and that they will also be trained and sup-
one meeting per hour is a good result, so keep working ported — and everyone, regardless of job title or seniority,
your way through the list. If you make enough calls and will be doing the same work. Once hired, nobody can
talk with enough people, you’ll reach your goal. credibly complain that “Fundraising isn’t my job.”
GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING JOURNAL • WWW.GRASSROOTSFUNDRAISING.ORG 13

3. 8. The courage to ask for much bigger gifts. Toxics TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
Action members who have sent in $50 checks are gener- This model, which works very well for Toxics Action,
ally asked for $1,500 during the meeting; those who have also has its quirks and disadvantages.
sent $100 checks are asked for $2,500. The result: during Lots of time, no dependents. All current employees are
the fall 2006 campaign, the average gift was $538. These under the age of 35; none have children or other depend-
visits can lead to even ents. (This hasn’t always been the case —
larger contributions toward the end of his tenure, the former
over the years, as
Each donor meeting is, in effect, executive director was raising three kids
$500 donors increase an organizing meeting. — but the staff has always been rela-
their gifts to $1,500 tively young.) Yes, they have lives outside
or more. of Toxics Action, but they also have enough flexibility to
Scampini tells a typical story: “It was a working-class participate in a two-week fundraising blitz with several
neighborhood. The family had previously given $45; 12-hour days and lots of travel. Of course parents can
the man was a surveyor and his spouse worked as a home- travel and put in long hours — many do — but with young
maker. Looking around their house, I
had my doubts, but they had both been
active in our local campaign, so I asked Fall 2006 Campaign Analysis
for $1,500. The husband said, ‘We were
thinking about $500, so why don’t we In this chart showing the results of Toxics Action’s fall campaign, the
meet in the middle and we’ll give you wide range of individual results — average gifts ranging from $85 to
$1,000.’ I was blown away — but this $1,716 — reflects a variety of factors, including the previous giving history
happens to us all the time.” of the donors, the difference in response rates and gift size from donors who
9. Embracing the wisdom that had been visited previously compared to those being visited for the first time,
fundraising equals organizing. If you and the varying levels of experience, comfort, and aptitude of the solicitors.
calculate staff expenses in the cost per At Toxics Action, the usual practice is to pair the most generous donors
dollar raised, the Toxics Action model with senior staff, who in many cases know them personally from previous
starts to look less profitable. But this campaigns. In this instance, the executive director focused on top-tier
analysis misses the larger point: every renewals, generating more than half the money raised (and skewing the
contact with constituents is a chance to averages in the process). This approach provides a kind of insurance policy
deepen commitment, strengthen rela- for the organization — it makes sense to match your best solicitors with your
tionships, and encourage members to best prospects — but the unintended consequence is a harder slog for
accept responsibility for the health and everyone else. It might make sense to team up seasoned staff with less
growth of the organization. Each experienced askers when going out for some of the bigger gifts, for a two-on-
donor meeting is, in effect, an organiz- one approach. Although it would take the less experienced staff away from
ing meeting. Fundraising provides some of their own visits, this approach might propel them into more suc-
another opportunity to sit with mem- cess. Nonetheless, even when the two primary fundraisers (executive direc-
bers in their homes, ask about their tor and development director) are removed from the equation, the non-
concerns, discuss how they want to fundraising staff averaged $243 per visit — a very respectable result for a
participate to address those concerns, grassroots organization.
and involve them in the work.
This method also helps the staff to
PROSPECTS YES, MEETINGS TOTAL AVERAGE GIFT
become better organizers. They STAFF POSITION TO CALL WILL MEET NO MAYBE COMPLETED RAISED MEETING
improve their listening skills, discover Executive director 26 25 1 0 22 $37,755 $1,716
the value of persistence, and learn to Development director 100 27 25 2 25 $11,430 $457
speak about the organization in a com- State director 57 19 17 1 16 $9,630 $602
pelling way. If for a similar campaign
Organizer 70 17 12 1 17 $1,451 $85
you wanted to recruit board members
Organizer 58 15 16 2 12 $3,860 $322
and other volunteer leaders to join
Organizer 61 16 22 3 12 $1,270 $106
the campaign, they would gain the
Organizer 57 13 26 0 13 $1,770 $136
same skills while expanding the pool
of askers and potentially reducing Administrator 61 13 17 2 11 $1,735 $157
your costs per donor reached and Totals 490 145 136 11 128 $68,901 $538
dollar raised.
14 MAY /JUNE 2007 • GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING JOURNAL

4. children at home, it could be challenging to honor this • Recruit a smaller staff team. Rather than taking
campaign schedule. every staff person off their other work, you could focus on
Staff turnover. The flip side of employing a relatively development and executive staff. According to trainer
young and childless workforce is that they tend to relocate Valerie Reuther, you can reach “critical mass” for a cam-
more frequently than the general population. New staff paign like this with as few as three or four staff solicitors.
must be recruited and trained all the time, which means Other lessons from the Toxics Action approach can
that donors often be applied to your fundraising
meet with different program even if your program doesn’t
solicitors each year.
You can reach “critical mass” for involve such concentrated campaigns.
However, the group’s a campaign like this with as few Here are a few:
major donor income • Share the numbers. For those
also rises each year, as three or four staff solicitors. who don’t do it every day — and for
so although this situ- some who do — fundraising is myste-
ation is a challenge for the group, it does not seem to be an rious. Require time at staff meetings and retreats to talk
obstacle to the success of the campaigns. about where your money comes from. Discuss the pros
Limited board involvement. Toxics Action has had and cons of various types of nonprofit income. The mes-
limited success in engaging its board or other volunteers sage: by providing more money, especially unrestricted
in these campaigns. Because most of their board members income, a successful major gifts campaign benefits every-
have jobs and family commitments, it’s hard for them to one, regardless of job title.
join in such rigorous schedules. However, board members • Collect and share stories. Successful fundraising is
do provide prospect names, contribute money themselves, based on compelling stories. Every organization needs a
and occasionally participate in donor visits. “story bank” that details the group’s history and accom-
plishments along with the individual and collective stories
ADAPTING THIS APPROACH FOR YOUR of the participants. All staff members can contribute, even
ORGANIZATION if they do no direct fundraising.
Although the Toxics Action model may seem daunt- • Build a fundraising component into everyone’s job
ing — very few nonprofits can shut down the office for description. Even if you can’t corral your entire staff into
two weeks while the entire staff raises money soliciting big
gifts, how can
— perhaps you can redesign it to meet the Successful fundraising is based you match their
needs and circumstance of your group. Here
are a few suggestions to spark your thinking: on compelling stories. talents and pas-
• Reduce the time commitment. Spend two sions to your
days on training and phoning, and three days on visits, for fundraising needs? Perhaps they could participate in a
a total of one work week instead of two. This approach donor visit by sharing a story, and then listen and learn
might work well for local groups where most constituents while someone else does “the ask.”
live within the neighborhood, city, or county. The When fundraising is left solely to the development
fundraising days don’t have to be consecutive — you could staff, it reinforces three all-too-pervasive myths: that
do training and calling one week and schedule donor fundraising requires specialized skills or a unique person-
meetings for the following week, with a few days of regu- ality, that it’s not the “real work,” and that it’s somehow
lar work in between. demeaning or corrupting. Let us pledge to destroy these
• Spread out the time commitment. For example, you myths once and for all. Requiring that everyone on staff
might dedicate half of everyone’s work hours for a month, participate would be a great way to start. GFJ
with scheduled time for collective training, phoning, and
donor visits. As a variation, you could devote four or five ANDY ROBINSON IS A CONSULTANT AND TRAINER BASED IN PLAINFIELD,
consecutive two-day-per-week blocks of time to this work, VERMONT. HIS LATEST BOOKS ARE BIG GIFTS FOR SMALL GROUPS
say every Wednesday and Thursday for a month, divided AND GREAT BOARDS FOR SMALL GROUPS, PUBLISHED BY EMERSON &
among training, calling, and donor visits. If any of your CHURCH. YOU CAN REACH HIM AT WWW.ANDYROBINSONONLINE.COM.
SPECIAL THANKS TO VALERIE REUTHER FOR HELP WITH THIS ARTICLE.
board or volunteers can make a regular time commit-
ment, this might be a viable strategy for involving them.
GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING JOURNAL • WWW.GRASSROOTSFUNDRAISING.ORG 15