One of the things about which I have been thinking came to light just the other day. I drove a friend of my daughter, Cameron, up to Lake Forest College on the north shore of Chicago. This friend wanted to look at the College, and I just happened to be going in that direction. It was fun to be back on the Lake Forest campus, where I served as vice president for development in the early eighties. Much of the campus is exactly the same (right down to the carpet in the administration building, which needed replacing when I was there and still does!). The College, however, has made a number of important physical improvements, including a beautiful addition to the Donnelley Library and a major addition to the student union. All in all, the campus looks great.

What I remember most about my days at Lake Forest is not the beauty of the campus, however. I remember the incredible strength of the College’s board of trustees.

There are three individuals in particular that come to mind when I think about the Lake Forest board. These three gentlemen were the real leadership of the College’s board, and they made an amazing difference in just about everything that happened at the College.

Since we are working with a client on strategic planning at the moment, I was thinking specifically about the attributes that made these three individuals such outstanding board members for Lake Forest College. I think that these attributes describe an outstanding board member for just about any organization.

To begin with, these three individuals were fully engaged in the life of the College. Now understand, these were not retirees with plenty of free time on their hands. These were highly productive, senior-level executives who traveled extensively and worked really hard at their jobs. And yet, they could always find time, clear their calendars, or return our phone calls when assistance was needed. We could count on them.

Perhaps just as important, they were extremely supportive of the College. Now, I know what you are thinking—they were big donors! Well, it’s true, they were. They gave generously, they gave regularly, and they gave with enthusiasm. Sometimes, they gave when we weren’t expecting it. I remember one day when a huge flatbed truck arrived on the campus with an enormous load of trees. I got the call, asking what we were to do with all of these trees. It turned out that one of these board members had been noticing that the campus was looking a bit too barren (it is Lake FOREST, after all) and had purchased trees to be planted around the campus. When I called him, he told me that he had also arranged to have the trees planted—they just needed to know where we wanted them. Yes, these three board members were supportive donors to the College, but they were also supportive in so many other ways. The supported the President of the College and the staff in so many ways—nice notes when something went well, special phone calls to ask how we were doing, invitations to their homes for special occasions. They were supportive of the faculty as well—one of them always threw a party at the beginning of the school year, to welcome new faculty members and recognize returning ones.

These three were perhaps the College’s best ambassadors, particularly in the community of Lake Forest. They brought friends to campus, they encouraged others to support the college. By example, they set a very high bar for their colleagues on the board.

One more thing. These three board members were thoughtful, could be critical, were well informed about the College’s activities, and really cared.

You may be thinking that I am describing super-human board members, but these three really existed. And, during the course of my career, I can think of others at other organizations that performed their roles as board members at an equally high level. Unfortunately, it’s not the norm, but I suspect we can all think of some individuals who qualify as “super board members.”

Share your recollections of great board members that you have encountered here if time permits. Our non-profit organizations are richer and stronger thanks to these individuals and I think we should recognize their contributions. Certainly, Lake Forest College is a stronger institution today because of the three board members that I remember so well.

When we arrived at Occidental, we noted that there was a special celebration going on. It was Founder’s Day, the 125th anniversary of the College’s founding. There was a carnival, complete with Ferris Wheel (note the connection to Galesburg, where Mr. Ferris was born). At the newly completed Occidental Alumni Center, a group of influential alumni were gathering for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The campus looked great (notwithstanding the construction projects that are currently underway) and there was a clear sense of pride in all that has been accomplished over the first 125 years of the College’s history.

Institutional history is a point of pride for most organizations, as it should be. But as a fundraising consultant, I tend to want to focus on futures more than pasts. Yes, it is important to highlight accomplishments and to articulate important milestones in an institution’s history. The keys to successful major gift fundraising, however, are future outcomes, not past accomplishments.

We regularly meet with clients who are contemplating major fundraising campaigns. One of the first things that I want to know is for what purposes they are thinking of undertaking such a campaign. In my opinion, no organization should ever plan a campaign just because they need more money. I’m afraid that is just not a good enough rationale to undertake a major fundraising effort. The reasons to engage key volunteers and prospects, to overwork your fundraising staff, to re-calibrate the responsibilities of your organization’s senior management team must be more compelling than that. And those reasons must revolve around OUTCOMES.

Donors want to invest in outcomes. They want to know how their commitment will make a difference. And experience suggests that the largest prospects tend to need the most information about outcomes. As those engaging in the fundraising campaign, it is our responsibility to accurately articulate just what the outcomes of a particular fundraising effort will be.

As you begin to plan for a major campaign, focus considerable attention on the outcomes being considered. A college with which I worked a number of years ago wanted to build a new science facility. The old one was out of date, dark, the roof leaked, it was inadequate. But the rationale to build a new facility (and raise $50 million) was more about what could be accomplished in that new building, not what was lacking in the old one. What new programs could be initiated? What additional research might be possible? How would students and faculty benefit from working in the new facility?  In other words, what are the outcomes?

Build your campaign rational around outcomes. Experience suggests that by doing so, you are positioning your effort to attract major prospects. And let’s face it, those major prospects are what will undoubtedly make your campaign a success.

Fundraising was pretty new at the University, and we all wore a number of hats. One of mine was to oversee a major fundraising gala for the academic programs at the University, kind of a counter-point to the huge events held in support of the University’s athletic department. One year, a local hotel (in Reno, they are hotel-casinos) offered us the opening night performance of a revival of a big broadway show that was coming to town–”Hello Dolly,” starring Carol Channing. Of course, we jumped at the chance to raise academic funds from what we knew would be a very popular event.

One of my jobs as the “project manager” for this event was to help publicize and promote it, and in that role, I was given the task of interviewing Carol Channing for the University’s weekly television program a few months prior to the event (I know, some of you were assuming that TV had not been invented yet, but believe it or not, it was, and we were already shooting in color!). I prepared carefully for the interview, reading about Miss Channing’s career in detail, listening to her recordings, learning about “Dolly” and preparing a series of questions designed to get her to speak about the show and the University’s academic fundraising program.

The day came for the interview, and I will admit that I was more than a little nervous.  I had done a bit of television in the past, but here I was, a twenty-six year old development officer, interviewing one of broadway’s greatest stars. We met, sat down, she adjusted the cameras to her liking, and we began.

My first question was a softball–designed to get her talking. “So, Miss Channing, why did you decide to return to the stage in the role of Dolly Levy?” Simple question. As she began to talk, I was glancing down on my pad, to get ready with the next question.

I never got a chance to ask that next question! Carol Channing spoke for forty-five minutes without me ever uttering another word! Every now and then I nodded my head, perhaps laughed at her jokes, but mostly I marveled at how she took over the interview and covered everything that we hoped she would cover.

At the end, when the camera was off and the lights were dimmed, she turned to me and said “you are the best interviewer I have ever had.” In that moment, I will assume she really meant it.  I was a great interviewer because I let her go–I let her talk. The interview, after all, was about her, not about me. So, in that respect, I will accept her complement. I really did a great job of interviewing her, because I asked her the right question to get her started and then I got out of the way.

I am reminded of this story every time we train volunteers or new major gift offices in the art of soliciting gifts. Listening, not talking, is a vital skill in major gift solicitation. Sure, the prospective donor may want to learn more about your organization, or may have a specific question about one area of your work. But at the end of the day, you, the major gift officer or volunteer, is there to listen, to learn as much as you can about that prospect and to pick up clues that will help you more effectively solicit that prospect in the future.

I’ll admit that it is a good deal more complex than my interview of Carol Channing, but the principles are the same. Don’t plan to do all (or even most) of the talking. Plan on doing most of the listening, however.

By doing so, you will gain valuable information and knowledge that will help you be a more effective fundraiser with that prospect in the future.

The fact is that I am getting old.  Oh, I can hear you now.  “Of course you are getting old.  We all do.”  Or, “what was your first clue?”  Well, it isn’t only that I have lost distance on my driver.  It’s not just because I go to bed at 9 pm and wake up numerous times during the night.  No, what has hit me hard on this aging issue is noting that just about every development officer with whom our firm works is now considerably younger than me!  Ouch!

It seems like only yesterday that I was a fundraising “wunderkid” myself.  I remember being told at the University of Nevada that I might be qualified to be the head of the development office, but I was far too young.  In my next job at Lake Forest College, I became vice president for development at age 29—certainly the youngest chief development officer in the school’s history.  Seven years later, at 36, I was chief development officer of the largest science and technology museum in the US.  People with whom I worked were probably saying “who is that brash young guy?”  Well folks, that young guy has gotten old!

And, thankfully for our industry, others, undoubtedly well qualified and ready to take on new challenges have stepped up.

These days, I often speak with young people who are just starting out in development, or who are trying to get into the field.  “How do I break in?”  “What is the best way to get my first job?”  “In what area of development should I concentrate?”  There is no right answer to these questions, but here are a few suggestions that might be helpful as you plan your career in development:

• Break in wherever you can.  I suppose it goes without saying, but it really doesn’t matter if your first job is as a gift processor or a prospect researcher.  Get into a development office and start working.
• Observe.  Listening carefully, paying attention to subtle nuances—these are skills that are essential to effective major gift fundraising.  Cultivate those skills NOW.  Watch what is going on in your office.  Observe what those in more senior positions do, how they interact with donors and prospects.  Learn from your observations.  This will make you a more effective development officer as new opportunities arise.
• Don’t ever stop learning.  Some of our clients have the budgets to send staff members to conferences and seminars.  Take advantage of that.  Go to local AFP meetings.  Ask if you can attend a CASE conference on a particular topic.  If your office does not have a budget for such activities, they certainly still receive copies of the AFP journal and the “Chronicle of Philanthropy.”  Read those.  Get on the routing list for professional publications.  Keep learning.
• Offer to help whenever the opportunity arises.  In every development office, there are numerous opportunities to assist with special events, board meetings, and cultivation activities.  Always volunteer.  These are excellent opportunities to mingle with your organization’s key prospects and to show that you are comfortable in important social settings.  And let’s face it, those that volunteer to help-out are always appreciated.

Our firm has taken a leadership role in the development of up-and-coming fundraisers through our establishment and sponsorship of the Development Leadership Consortium.  If you are a young development officer in the Chicago-area, I would encourage you to explore the opportunities available through the DLC.  You can find more information at their website, www.chicagodlc.org

Yes, development officers are getting younger, but this is definitely a good thing.  Young ideas, new ways of doing things, lots of energy.  This is what our non-profit sector needs for its future.  And let’s face it, it’s what we brought to the table in our day, along with the intent to listen to those with experience.  I sure hope that listening part does not go out of style!

As campaigns get past the initial quiet leadership-gift phase, volunteers become even more important. Solicitations at this stage are often spreading out beyond the organization’s “immediate family,” and it is essential that teams are put together who know each prospect and who are willing and able to ask for the gift. We have learned over the years that it is absolutely critical to ensure that all volunteers who participate in solicitation activities be properly trained prior to taking their first assignment.

I think that preparation is the most important element in volunteer success. We tell solicitation teams to prepare a tactical plan of how they envision the solicitation will occur. Obviously, they must have familiarized themselves with the case for support and have agreed in advance on the size of the request and the purpose.  Equally as important, they should be ready to talk about their thought process regarding their own personal commitment to the campaign (yes, they must have made such a commitment before you send them out to ask others).

With that type of preparation, we encourage role-playing exercises, so that they can test various ways of asking for the gift, and find out what makes them most comfortable. I have often suggested that first-time solicitors test their “asks” in front of the mirror a number of times, to become familiar with the actual words.

We also walk volunteers through the entire solicitation process, encouraging them to develop a dialogue with the prospect—avoid making the meeting a monologue with the volunteer doing all of the talking. It is human nature to keep talking after you have asked for the gift, but volunteers must take a breath and let the prospect respond, particularly at this very important moment. Finally, we encourage active listening, and sharing information with the development team after the solicitation is completed. How many times have you asked a volunteer (or perhaps even another staff member) to play back an important prospect meeting, only to find that very little is remembered? When I was calling on prospects, I would often arrange four or even five appointments in one day. There was no way to remember all of what was said during those meetings, so I developed a habit of dictating my notes into a hand-held recording device immediately after the appointment was completed. This way, I could remember more of what was said, and hopefully could fulfill any promises that I made to the prospect during the meeting. You might have seen me standing in the cold on Michigan Avenue, talking into my hand—I am sure it was quite a sight! I feel that volunteers should be encouraged to jot down notes or record their remembrances of the meeting in a similar fashion. These notes can be particularly valuable in future solicitations of the prospect.

We are big believers in the power of volunteers to expand and enhance the fundraising function for our clients. However, we must properly prepare them to be most effective in their work on behalf of our organization. In future blogs, we will discuss specific activities and how to best prepare our key volunteers for success. In the meantime,  please feel free to share stories or specific questions regarding the use of volunteers in fundraising that have come up in your organization.