10 Top Lessons Learned From Thirty Years of Professional Fundraising Experience

One of the many benefits of attending professional fundraising events are the series of seminars, workshops and lectures that are available to encourage continuous learning and growth for even the most seasoned professional. Last week I attended the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Toronto Congress 2011 and I had the privilege of participating in several learning workshops. One of the seminars that stood out was Guy Mallabone’s ‘Top 10 Lessons Learned From Thirty Years of Fund Development Experience’.  Mallabone is a consultant for the nonprofit sector and was recently named 2011 AFP Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the AFP Calgary Chapter. Guy has worked with SAIT Polytechnic, University of Alberta, Canadian Red Cross Society and Calgary Chamber of Commerce. His presentation was packed full of useful tips acquired from an impressive thirty years in professional fundraising.

The audience was engaged from the start as Guy delved into his top 10 Top Lessons from Thirty Years of Fund Development Experience:

1. ENTJ – (Myers-Briggs personality indicator) You have to know who are.  Understand your weaknesses and exploit your strengths to strategically assist with your organization’s ongoing fundraising efforts and overall mission.
2. PASSION – Passion for your cause is essential to success.  Understand the mission of your cause and reflect that mission in everything you do across all forms of communication. Be passionate when engaging potential donors.  Look for volunteers who can express passion for your cause and help attract donors.
3. OPPORTUNITY – Be an “Opportunity Offerer”.  Don’t simply ask for a monetary donation.  Position it as an opportunity to support the great work your charity does.
4. MALLABONE’S FUNDRAISING LAW – Get out from behind your desk, your cubicle or office and outside your building.  You have to get out, to be able to bring people closer to your organization.  Supporters donate to causes that have impacted their lives and it’s vital that people feel close to your mission. A lot more can happen when you are face to face.
5. MAKING THE CASE – To make the case you have to consider two main points: 1) How compelling is the cause?  2) Are you creating a sense of urgency for your cause?
6. DONOR CENTERED RELATIONSHIPS – Understand donor interests and match them up with your needs.  Donors primarily give based on their belief in the mission, without that belief you have lost your donor or prospect.  Focus on developing, nurturing and maintaining each relationship.
7. IT’S ABOUT THE MONEY – Ultimately, it’s about the money.  That’s why you do the work you do, to raise money for your great cause. Is enough face-to-face fundraising occurring? It’s time to do more external communication (with your donors) and less internal communication (too many meetings).
8. FIVE MOONS  – The ideal situation is when these five areas (moons) align perfectly.  Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.  You will increase your likelihood of securing a donor the closer you are on each of the following five areas: i) Amount – The number will never be right but Guy recommends specifying an amount, not a range. ii) Timing – Are there any red flags to consider in the proposed timeframe? Has a prospect been involved in a scenario that has made excess funds available (i.e. Inheritance, asset liquidation, etc.) iii) Project – Identify a major project that requires the funding to engage a prospect, this gives their gift more meaning.  Match their interests with the project. iv) Who Is Asking? – Advance planning and preparation of who will be doing the ‘ask’ and how it will be approached is essential to a successful ‘ask’.  Always assign people who are know the case best. v) Who Is Being Asked? – Regardless of the level of support being sought, you have to understand and take into consideration who the prospect is and what approach to take.
9. POWER OF THE PEER – Find volunteers to help open the door to your prospect.  Clearly define the fundraising and your mission to every volunteer.
10. STAY FOCUSED – Establish goals and make yourself accountable. It takes time to land a six or seven figure gift, but focus and persistence can often yield great results.

Guy’s experience speaks volumes and these ten lessons can help improve the impact of your professional fundraising initiatives.  Our thanks to Guy for an informative and energetic session.  To read more about Guy Mallabone’s nonprofit fundraising experience, you can visit his website.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.