How to Approach Fundraising When Your Mission Doesn’t Fit in a Neat Box

Jeff Schreifels  

When it comes to fundraising, talking about your mission may seem pretty straightforward if you work for an organization that provides meals, housing, or other tangible programs, but what if the impact of your work is indirect? So for example, if you’re an advocacy group working to influence public opinion, how do you communicate the difference that donors are making by supporting your mission? On today’s podcast, Karen Kendrick joins me for a conversation about how you can share your story with donors when your mission doesn’t fit into a neat box. Telling that story is just as important and maybe even more necessary, when your impact is less direct.

Recorded  

Welcome to the Nothing But Major Gifts podcast from Veritus Group, featuring Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels. Twice a month, we bring you the latest and best thinking about major gift fundraising, so you can develop authentic relationships with your major donors. Here are your hosts, Richard and Jeff.

Jeff Schreifels  

Welcome to the podcast today. I’m Jeff Schreifels, and Richard is off today. So I’ve invited Karen Kendrick, our Senior Director of Learning, to join me for today’s conversation. Now a challenge we see regularly in non-profits that have a mission that seemingly doesn’t have a direct impact is a struggle to speak boldly and unapologetically about your mission in a clear way to the donor. And truthfully, it’s harder to show impact and share your story when you don’t provide direct services. But it’s not impossible. And ultimately, it’s absolutely vital to your work as a fundraiser. And Karen, I gotta say, I kind of, I’m a little angry that we actually even have to have a podcast about this.

Karen Kendrick  

I hear you, Jeff, I hear you. It’s so true, Jeff, we’ve seen some organizations who work with, get creative and find their rhythm and get clear about their impact, in a huge way with donors. However, we block ourselves so many times from doing this. So I’m looking forward to unpacking all of that. And hopefully, this will really inspire folks to move beyond the blocks that come up around the value of what you do every day. So Jeff, let’s kick this off by you sharing a little bit about why does this even matter? And, you know, why is it so important to get it right?

Jeff Schreifels  

Well, if we don’t get this right, your organization is going to lose money. You’re not going to fully realize the potential from your donors, if you’re not able to really convey the need, the solution, and then the impact that that solution has. Okay, so we have to get this right, you know, we hear all the time. Gosh, you know, we’re not like the food bank, who can say they help 25 families an hour through food distribution, or over the year, we fed 15,000 people. Or it’s so much harder for our organization, because you know, we do advocacy, or we’re an arts group. We hear this all the time. But if we don’t do this right, if we don’t figure out the need, the solution, and the impact, we’re not going to really create meaningful relationships with our donors.

Karen Kendrick  

Yeah. And to me, what I’m thinking about right now, Jeff, is because it’s a little bit more of a stretch, this is gonna be really creative, like, how do I really step into this and open my mind and be creative about how I connect with that myself, and then connect that with donor? So let’s keep moving and figure out what are some ways we do that?

Jeff Schreifels  

It’s, it’s hard to show that raising action and awareness actually leads to something, it is hard. But that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. So, you know, when I hear this from major gift officers or development directors, like, you know, it’s not easy to show that this legislation is going to be able to do this and how we do it and, okay, I get that. But that doesn’t mean that it still can’t be compelling. You have to work at it. It’s harder, yes. But you have to go beyond the one or two steps that you normally would take, go through or four or five steps. And we also know that, you know, it’s harder to find these stories. But if I have found that if you can connect the impact with the need, in that need is where the real compelling stories are.

Karen Kendrick  

Yes, exactly. There’s so many ways to connect with the story, right, the story of the human piece, and all of this right, and the nature piece or the animal piece, or the the long-term impact, or the pain and suffering that it impacts.

Jeff Schreifels  

So I get these are some of the big challenges that non-profits have that don’t have, you know, that direct impact. And, you know, there’s other things like one of the big things, Karen, is, I always go back and ask the fundraiser, who says, you know, it’s really difficult for me to like, show impact, because, you know, we’re not, we don’t do direct services. And I say, Do you believe in this mission? Yourself? Do you see what the need is that you’re addressing? Because if they don’t believe it themselves, then how are they going to be able to talk to donors about that?

Karen Kendrick  

Exactly, exactly. I think that’s a perfect place to start, Jeff. I mean, I would like to start with with alright, I have this thing I need to do at work. Let me start with myself. Like, what about me, my thinking, my belief system, my history, my story is holding me back. Right? So if I’m believing, I’m not as valuable as another nonprofit, for whatever reason, I’m never going to be able to be creative. I’m never going to get beyond that. It’s hard. Right? I’m never going to be strategic and be confident and come up with ways to really find that story. It’s like I’m apologizing. You know, Oh, I’m so sorry I’m not as wonderful as the other folks down the road. But would you give me a little money? I mean, that’s not attractive. That’s not exciting. That’s not inspiring for your donors. So I think start with getting real about your beliefs about your mission. Right? What’s holding you back? Be curious about it. You know, if you’re let’s say you’re an organization that gets kids in nature, you’re a radio station, you’re something that’s not always direct, meeting that direct need. If a donor loves your mission, is giving to your mission, why would they give less? Get clear about what it is that you’re believing. And is it because you just think people only care about direct needs? And somehow yours is not direct, so it’s not as important? What is it that you’re really believing that’s actually not true that’s holding you back? And then I think it might help to start breaking down why you are where you are. You got to get in touch, like what you were saying earlier, Jeff, why are you there? What’s your passion? What made you take this job and show up every day? 

Karen Kendrick  

And maybe you need to go back and meet with some program people, meet with your advocates, meet with whoever is doing the work of your mission, and spend some time with them and ask them questions and find out more and like reconnect. Sometimes we can get our heads down busy, and we sort of forget our hearts, right. So start with your heart, start with your beliefs. And then I think what I found really as powerful Jeff is to reach out, let’s say, find five donors that you have a relationship with, and go to them and say, you know, sometimes I struggle. Because I you know, I know there’s organizations that do direct services, and we’re kind of not quite in that sphere. And so tell me about why you care about what we do what inspires you and I tell you what, those donors are going to knock your socks off. Because they’re going to, you know, really ask them those great questions and have them re-inspire you, and then share their stories with other donors.

Jeff Schreifels  

I really liked that about the donor because I think many times non-profit leaders project their own insecurity about their mission, their offer, their solution, their, you know, the impact onto donors. And that they say, well, we’re not like the organization down the block, who’s doing all this other stuff, you know, like, we’re, our donors just don’t won’t give the same types of gifts to our organization as that organization. And they make up all these stories in their head about why. And it’s really their own insecurity about the whole thing. You know, it’s their own questions about the mission and the need that they’re addressing. The thing is here is you have donors that care about what you do. They are with you, that this, that the need, whatever your need you’re working on that needs to be addressed. They believe in what you do and how you address it. And they believe in the impact that you’re making. So if you have that understanding about your donors, you will do everything you can to ask them boldly, and then go out and say this. And then after they made that gift, how did that gift make an impact? You’ll do all these things to try to make that happen. But you got to believe that about your donors.

Karen Kendrick  

You know, one story, Jeff, that comes to mind. I was at a classical concert someone invited us to and a donor got up and shared about, this was from, connected with a radio station, shared about how they love this organization so much they gave to them significantly, because when their wife was dying of cancer, the music that that they brought to her was what sustained her. And we forget that, I think we forget that humans need so much more than the basic pieces to be sustained. I remember a woman said another story, a woman was saying to me, there was like a Christmas tree where women who were in poverty could put what they wanted, things they needed. And a lot of them were putting things like, you know, I want my nails done, my hair done. And she was like, wow, I thought they would put different things on there. Like some basic needs, I’m like, but we’re human. We have a wide variety of needs, right? We need those basic needs, obviously. But we need to feel beautiful, we need to feel valuable. We need music, we need the power of that. All those different parts in our lives to be fully human and sort of reconnect with that is a powerful thing.

Jeff Schreifels  

So in talking about donors, so how do you pursue understanding a donor’s passions and interests when your mission isn’t direct?

Karen Kendrick  

Yes. So really, even if your mission is direct or indirect, I think it’s the same way, Jeff. It’s all about curiosity, and listening and open-ended questions. And being prepared with that, because so many times we go to a donor, right? And even with a direct mission, it doesn’t matter. Hey, you know, tell me about why you started giving to our organization. And they’ll say something like, I just think you all are great, or I really trust you, right? And then you’re like, oh, I don’t know what else to say. Yeah. And so learning how to get past that sort of sort of overarching feedback, right, from donors and to say things like, “I love it, that we’ve we’ve gained your trust. Would you tell me more about how we did that?” Or they say, I think you all just great. “Wonderful, I love that you have that positive connection with us. Through the years, you know, what program we’ve been doing has drawn you or got your attention?” Then they say, you know, I think they’re all great. “Well, we have these three different categories, which category interests you the most?” Start helping them unpack what their heart connection is by asking those open-ended questions and really being curious about, you know, like, for example, let’s say your advocacy, Jeff, yeah. Be curious about, you know, what outcome are they wanting in the world as a result of your advocacy work? And if that were to happen, you know, how would the world be different? And where does their passion for that come from? What’s the story behind that? Because about that, I’m sure there’s, you would find some really interesting heart connections from your donors. And our let’s say, the one I mentioned earlier about getting kids in nature, you know, asking questions about, what was your experience in nature as a kid? What does it mean to you now? What are you hoping it does or how it impacts kids in their future? And I think if you’re able to not do the leading question thing, when you’re leading donors down a path, but really sit back and be present to wherever a conversation goes with great questions, you’re going to find out some really beautiful ways your donors’ hearts are connected with the work you do.

Jeff Schreifels  

Yeah. Yep.

Karen Kendrick  

So, alright. So you start with yourself, you kind of unpack what’s in your way. Yes. Reconnect your own passion. Get some passion from donors, hear their stories, learn to really ask those questions. But what are some strategies organizations can use to communicate the impact, Jeff? Now I got myself straight. How do I communicate that out?

Jeff Schreifels  

Yeah. Well, I think there’s a number of ways. I think a big part that you could do is get third-party information about what you’re doing. What’s happening out in society. So you find outside of your own organization, what, you know, what are some statistics, things that are going on in the world that other people have written about that helps you and helps the donor understand the need, but also the impact that they’re making, your organization is making.

Karen Kendrick  

For example, Jeff, I was working with someone who worked with kids in preschool. Right? So there’s amazing research out there about the impact long-term impact on who goes to college, level of income, house ownership, according to who went to preschool or not. So there’s, how do you go beyond just your organization and really look at what’s out there?

Jeff Schreifels  

You know, like, I think about cancer research. This is another one. So like, okay, so a lot of I’ve heard this from some development directors who work on the cancer research side saying, Well, it’s not easy, because, you know, these are years and years of scientists in a laboratory, you know? So if you tell it like that, gosh, that’s, that isn’t very compelling and doesn’t, you know, it’s like, well, 20 years from now we’re gonna have a cure. So, you know, it’s just like, that’s tough. But, yeah, but you can be creative and talk about, well, what’s compelling this research to happen? Well, did you know that there was this little boy who had a very rare disease? They found out it was this type of cancer, only 100 in a million kids have this. And then you talk about this child and what their life is like. And you bring it all back to that, and then you talk about the research that’s being done, is giving hope to this family. And things that happen along the way, so that, at some point, the research that has been done, could help this boy, you know, you notice that you’re bringing it back. And you’re being creative about how you’re telling that story and the impact it’s going to have, by talking about that need and connecting it to the solution. And the impact that it’s having.

Karen Kendrick  

Yes, and you could even talk about some of the research you’ve made some progress in, and the impact it’s made. And so it’s like, you know, this research really does lead places. Right, there’s all these these things over here that have been changing this many lives. And this is how it’s changed Sue’s life, because research was done. Yes. I love that. So Jeff, break this down into some examples. I think you’ve given us a lot of great ones share a few more just because I think it’s, if I was kind of stuck, right? And not really clear about how to do this, the more examples I hear the more I’m like, Oh, I could do this, this and that. So, what are some other ideas we’ve heard from our clients and folks we work with?

Jeff Schreifels  

Yeah, I think we might, we’ve touched on this a little bit already. But, you know, be unapologetic about what you do. I hear a lot, oftentimes, from development directors, or even executive directors of organizations that don’t have direct impact. Like, they’ll start out by saying, Okay, we’re not like, you know, the food bank or rescue mission that is feeding these people. But we’re, we’re trying to do this, well. Don’t do that. No, you have a reason to be. There is a compelling need. And so don’t apologize for being the organization you are. Be bold in that conversation. And you can be bold by talking about a compelling need. So if you have a compelling need and a believable solution, we talked about this all the time about the offer, right? A compelling need, a believable solution, then that’s all you need to say. Because then out of that is talking about the impact that you’re making from that believable solution. So be bold in your conversation with donors. Love the mission you’re that you have, and that you’re passionate about it. And we talked about this too earlier, but you need to love what you’re doing. And then this goes beyond just understanding or having a grasp of the impact that you’re making. It’s just like, you love this work. This means that you’re deeply committed to it. And from that love of the work, understanding the mission, the impact that it’s making, you can be bold and direct with your conversations with donors. So that’s what donors want to hear from you. They don’t want you to be apologetic about what you do. They’re in this with you. So be bold in that.

Karen Kendrick  

And it’s not bold in an insecure way, you know, I keep imagining people in middle school. Not being bold in a way that’s that you feel insecure, so you’re over the top right, and you’re pushing, but like really grounded and present and excited and clear about your value, right. And speaking from that passion and that heart in an authentic way. One client, we worked with, this is an advocacy group, they shared an update to donors about a recent bill that was passed. So they spoke to the need for the bill, they shared the story of how their advocacy team had been working tirelessly to move this issue forward. I think this is something we forget too is that people are interested in the human story of the impact, but also like your program people. Like if you’ve got this advocacy team, and they’re like, eating, sleeping, working 24 hours a day for 28 days straight and like you give them you send them pictures of them sitting on the floor with pizzas working in the middle of the night. I mean, that’s cool that, you know, these humans care so much that they’re doing this. I mean, I think that story is motivating too. So they spoke to the continued need and what was yet unfinished, but celebrated the big accomplishment. So like, every little piece, even getting a bill in whatever it is every little step of the way, have donors feel like they’re in there with you, right. 

Karen Kendrick  

So on cancer, we should we mentioned this earlier, the American Cancer Society, another client of ours. This is a really cool one, they did a year-end impact statement where they broke their work out into discovery, advocacy, and patient support. And then they highlighted the achievements of that year in real specific numbers. So that was a powerful way to show the importance of each aspect of what they do, and what they’re able to achieve in partnership with donors. And like that would be a really cool piece to use with donors if you’re really wanting to explore their passions, right? You have discovery, advocacy, and patient support. 

Karen Kendrick  

And then I love this story from public media. So when Texas was hit by a huge snowstorm last year, one of our public media partners send out a note to donors, sharing how their building manager and broadcast engineer had slept in shifts to maintain the equipment so they could continue to send out this vital information to Texans as the storm progressed. So they spoke to the impact of the donor’s gift, including the fact that they could maintain such an incredible and dedicated team. So I love that piece. Because yeah, it was you know, not only the fact that the impact of their station and what they’re doing, but the value they bring each day around the team members. So that was a really cool, inspiring story.

Jeff Schreifels  

I love that. Because there again, it goes back to the human element. People can people can visualize that, you know, that whole idea of like, wow, okay, they they slept in the equipment room, you know? Because they’re so dedicated to making sure that people get the news, they get information that they need. And that’s powerful.  Karen, thank you so much for joining me today on this conversation. 

Karen Kendrick  

This was fun.

Jeff Schreifels  

I know, and I hope it’s inspired you to continue sharing about your mission impact in new and creative ways. If you’d like to learn more about this topic, be sure to download our free white paper on Transporting the Donor to the Scene. Go to veritusgroup.net and under our resources tab, you’ll be able to see our white papers, Transporting the Donor to the Scene. So thank you, and we’ll see you next time.

Karen Kendrick  

Thank you Jeff.

Recorded  

Thank you for joining us for the Nothing But Major Gifts podcast from Veritus Group. Richard and Jeff also write an ongoing blog that you can subscribe to for free at veritusgroup.net. Please join us again next time.