Dear [First Name],

I hope your fall fundraising has been going well, including Giving Tuesday if you participated. I know you're now in the thick of closing out the calendar year and that's always a highly-pressured time for fundraisers. How many of us have had to deal with gifts (including stock transfers) coming in on New Year's Eve?!

Capital Campaigns and Asking: A Chat with Peter Heller

What are the particulars of asking in the context of a capital campaign? How does the board’s involvement differ? Are successful campaign asks being made by video chat?

Peter’s had his own firm for 20 years, and it specializes in capital campaigns, so he’s in the trenches and has amazing perspective on the field.

If you’re considering a capital campaign, in one now and trying to light a fire, or just curious, I think you’ll get a lot out of our time together.

Download the audio as an MP3

People often ask if one’s Style can change over time. I believe we come wired a certain way, but over the years we learn to adapt. It might feel as if we’re more analytic or intuitive, for instance, but chances are we’ve just learned how to manage best in the world.

For instance, many executive directors rise from the program side. While some have strong budgeting and planning backgrounds, that is not always the case. Now, as the top banana, they’ve got to figure out how to direct and oversee those functions. So, they work hard to put on their analytic, planful, systematic hats, though at heart they might still be gut-driven.

So glad we brought Board Fundraising Essentials back after a 3-year hiatus. Great energy from hundreds of board members representing 20 different organizations who joined their peers to learn the essentials of board fundraising…which includes board giving. Among the key points, here are two – one staff loved hearing and one board members loved hearing. Can you guess which was which?!

• All board members should contribute and fundraise to the best of their ability. And that includes making a personally significant gift. Nothing else raises as much money. “Give or get” is unfair to those with less capacity and lets those with more capacity off the hook. Minimums end up being as much a ceiling as a floor.
• While every board member must be involved in the cultivation, education, and stewardship of donors, every board member should not be expected to ask for gifts. Some will do it terribly and/or with great anxiety. This is not a recipe for success. Further, staff can almost always close gifts if board members have engaged donors all year.

As many of you know, I’ve done a ton of work for Ys over the years, including presenting at the annual conference of the National Association of YMCA Development Officers (NAYDO).

In October, I was honored to be chosen as the keynote speaker for the YMCA of San Diego annual fund kickoff conference. It was my first keynote on “Fundraising for Introverts” after a year of webinars and conference break-out sessions. 200+ YMCA staff and volunteers brought their usual energy and enthusiasm.

I also fulfilled a year-long fantasy to present, even for just a minute, with my paper bag over my head! I’ll admit I wished I could have kept it on longer!

Watch out for news on Board Fundraising Pro, our program to give your board members ongoing fundraising training and motivation without breaking the bank.

We’re adding some bells and whistles to make it even more helpful, and our first free webinar will be on a key topic – “How to Approach Friends Without Stepping on Relationships.” It’s the #1 reason board members give for not wanting to be more involved in fundraising, and I’ll address it head-on in this BFP-only webinar. So stay tuned for more info in January.
 

Here's to a wonderful holiday season, successful end-of year fundraising, and some well-earned downtime before the new year starts.

Brian

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