Not everyone appreciates what we do!

Media Management and crisis communications are jobs usually reserved for the comms manager rather than the fundraising manager but it's certainly something we all need to be aware of. A very minimum requirement is that the organisation should have a risk management plan that includes fundraising issues.

Recently in Australia, as was reported in a recent issue of Fundraising New Zealand, a news media reporter registered and attended the annual fundraising conference.  Surely this would be  a good thing? At long last the public would hear of our good planning, our donor stewardship, our love of people, our great success at our chosen profession and all the good we are doing for the community. Oh no, from the public point of view we were presented as cold, calculating and money hungry! How could this be?

The worst headlines came from a session on bequests. A few unfortunate jokes (you can imagine what they might be!) cracked by a presenter were used to demonstrate how callous our fundraising strategies might be.

So we need to think carefully about how we present ourselves at all times. Ditch the  jokes, however internally they may be intended! Remember at all times that our donors are amongst us. Remember the higher calling of our profession and that what we do is a wonderful thing.

Our own Fundraising Institute, along with the FIA, is looking at media management. Currently there is little budget for media work. But our professional reputation is important so we should be supporting our professional body to represent us. We need to let Council know that this is an important issue and that we support budget going towards media management.

In your own organisations make sure you are prepared for media crises. Identify the potential issues, how things may be interpreted, the questions the media may ask. Prepare answers and decide who will represent you to the media. Make sure everyone knows who has the media speaking rights. Only one person should speak for all. Make sure they are trained. Yes, its expensive but it's an investment for your brand. Perhaps your corporate partners will help you with this. You may be able to attend media training courses for their staff at no additional cost. Finally ensure you have contact details for all important stakeholders so you can alert them to any upcoming headlines.

Let's hope its something you don't ever need but better to be ready, than lost!

Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving

The latest Blackbaud survey of charitable giving shows that fundraising in the US has returned to pre-recession levels. In fact it has above the level of giving last seen in 2007.

My gut reaction, because we don't keep regular statistics in this way, is that New Zealand's donation levels will be fairly static across the board but increased for emergency causes such as the Canterbury earthquake.

Blackbaud is able to gather such significant statistics because it runs a benchmarking product with regular subscribers. The benchmarking product is available in New Zealand but there are insufficient subscribers to create a regional group.

Otherwise we are reliant on the annual statistics collected by the Charities Commission, which of course, relate to the previous financial year.

The appetite for measurement and evaluation of one' s success is poor. There are few organisations that I talk to that want to invest in benchmarking. Chief executives don't understand enough about fundraising to know that the service is available and fundraisers may not want to put their efforts to the test.

For a number of organisations that I've come across the job descriptions don't specify the actual financial targets, even when a performance bonus is part of the remuneration. So why would these organisations be interested in benchmarking?

I talked recently to a senior fundraiser in a well known organisation who was struggling to satisfy a new CEO who was setting objectives. I had a look at what the CEO had proposed. There was no simple financial target. Instead a list of wishy, washy, unmeasurable challenges. The CEO called an emergency meeting, without consulting the fundraiser and announced that the organisation was in a poor financial position. Feeling very miffed, the fundraiser resigned. Later I did some research on the organisation. Its bequest income was very successful and the organisation would be held up as a model for its active bequest strategy. The results found through the Charities Commission register showed the organisation to be doing well. This is obviously a justification for benchmarking but without any comparison to go on, the fundraiser could not prove that she was doing a good job!

Too much communication?

Direct mail is a topic so close to the heart of all fundraisers but when you are starting out on your fundraising path you might ask the question “how many times should I be sending out communications to my stakeholders?”



I think the simple answer is that you send out as many mailings as your donor’s want to receive. So this means asking them!


Some organisations set up systems that allow for once a month pledges. Others communicate only a few times a year, one of which would be around the publication of their annual report. Not all communications needs to be a fundraising ask, once or twice a year it might be a copy of the stakeholder newsletter.

Campaigns are often based on time of the year, tax time or Christmas appeal for example. This might be supplemented with a special appeal for a crisis situation or a response to an emergency.

Some organisations that have multiple mailings each year may segment their database so not everyone gets every single communication. I know of one organisation that gives donors a pass for the next appeal. If they have responded to a particular appeal, they are not mailed for the next appeal.

Writing to regular donors is another contentious area. Some organisations will not send ordinary appeals to regular or recurrent donors. Sometimes this is a deliberate strategy not to over communicate with people who have already demonstrated their loyalty. However this must be balanced with a lack of communication which leaves regular donors thinking you don’t care any more. It’s especially important to build loyalty with recently acquired donors, particularly if you secured them through face to face or telemarketing or even on line. These donors will quickly leave you if you don’t build a more personal relationship with them.

There is no easy answer to “how many times should I communicate?” But my recommendation would be to err on the side of caution. If you communicate too much, the donor will probably tell you, and that’s good because a donor who calls up is one of your most loyal supporters! Communicate too little and the donor will think you don’t care!

Bequests, what to do with them

Bequests were in the news over the holidays. A well known and loved charity was concerned that over the last three years it had received less bequest income. I checked the figures to check whether this was a universal phenomena and it isn't. Bequest income has actually  increased over the last three years.

However that wasn't what I wanted to comment on. It's about what you do with bequests that I think is worthy of comment. For many organisations the thought of receiving a bequest is a pipe dream yet it's probably one of the easiest fundraising tools to get started. You simply have to change your will to include a bequest then talk to your board members and supporters about why you have taken such a step. Easy, peasy.

But while you are getting that sorted out, you need to make a decision about how you will use the bequest money. There are two options. One is that you will use it to supplement your annual income. In other words spend it today. Otherwise you might establish an endowment fund which maintains its capital to generate income. Once you get to this point you are truly a sustainable organisation! Oops, Sorry, to get diverted. Back to the endowment fund! Personally I believe that an endowment fund would be attractive to your potential donors. Better that their support for you can continue to provide assistance over many years, than to be used up in one or two years. This doesn't mean that endowment funds can't ever be used. Your policy would probably determine what constitutes an emergency situation. A bequest is a legacy gift so it makes sense to keep it as a legacy.

Another issue for your bequest policy is donor recognition. I'm in the camp that says celebrate the gift while the person is around to appreciate it. You won't know for sure that someone has left you a legacy until their death but in the meantime you can presume that if they tell you they've done it, they probably have. Once you know they are making a bequest, you must do something with the information. You really only have one shot at this because if you miss the mark, the donor will go somewhere else.

What's in a name?

It may seem supremely obvious but getting someone's name right is the first step in building a relationship with them. Getting the name right isn't necessarily going to increase the size of  their donation but getting it wrong will certainly impact on your fundraising success.
Checking details like the spelling of the name, the address, the postcode etc will pay dividends if you do it systematically. Every time you have someone on the phone, check their details, correct them if necessary and read back the changes to your supporter to confirm.

Don't presume that a simple sounding name is a given. I've seen all sorts of strange spellings for the simplest of names. You will also want to check preferred names. People change around their first and second names and many people claim to know when a list has been shared around - their real name features in the mailing address, not the preferred name. Watch out for shortened versions of names. Rod instead of Roderick for example. Double check with your supporter that this is the preferred version. I once worked with Dr Roderick Deane and everyone in the company knew that you should call him Roderick. When I see him named Rod in the media I cringe. Perhaps he's changed his mind, but I would certainly check if I had him on my database.

A simple way of checking is to google names but a quick phone call is highly desirable. It makes a great impression with your supporters if you show you're taking the time to call up. For new donors you are always going to phone to thank them (it increases their giving in year two!) so while you are on the phone, double check details and preferences.