World-Class Fundraising Isn't a Solo Sport by Buller Jeffrey L.;

Author:Buller, Jeffrey L.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

STRATEGIES THAT FIT—AND THOSE THAT DON’T

The fundraising strategies that an institution pursues have to make sense in terms of its mission and identity. A religious institution might conclude that a summer festival featuring alcoholic beverages, gambling, and students in revealing bathing suits is just not suitable for the values it represents. A college with a strong commitment to human rights might be humiliated if it was discovered that the gifts it offered its large donors were the products of child labor in a developing country.

Not all mismatches of strategy and mission are this obvious, but an A Team is always asking questions like, “Is this project appropriate in terms of who we are?” not, as an F Troop might ask, merely “Can we make a lot of money doing this?” Even when not dealing with a project’s overall strategy, members of an A Team are sensitive to the interests and mindsets of their audience.

While members of an F Troop might fill their presentations with sports metaphors and allusions to last night’s game, members of an A Team don’t automatically assume that everyone they’re talking to is fond of sports. While members of an F Troop might assume that every prospective donor has gone to college and understands the structure and terminology of higher education, members of an A Team subtly embed explanations in what they say and write.

Saying something like, “Our provost, who heads all the academic programs at the university ...” gently informs listeners who don’t know what a provost does, but doesn’t insult the intelligence of those who do.

Making sure that the strategies used in fundraising suit both the interests of the donor and the character of the institution is not only a matter of being respectful to those who support your programs; it’s also an effective practice.

BOX 3.2

Fundraising is a lot like matchmaking. You’re not really successful unless each party thinks that he or she got the better deal.

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