WHAT does the Community Foundation do? Connect People Who Care With Causes That Matter

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1 WHAT does the Community Foundation do? Connect People Who Care With Causes That Matter connect like-minded peers Let Your Legacy Make a Difference make personal & collective community impacts For Good. Forever. meaningful engagement in sustainable philanthropy Grow Philanthropy 28 W. Market Street, West Chester PA (610) info@chesocf.org 1

2 HOW does the Community Foundation do it? LEARN site visits, behind the scenes tours workshops, forums EXPERIENCE community volunteerism create your own grantmaking fund & make grants - family donor advised fund - field of interest fund - corporate social investment fund give to an existing fund Imprints next gen giving circles ENJOY meaningful engagement social & networking events 2

3 AMBASSADOR to STEWARD CONTINUUM Developing and sustaining major donors is a circular process that is ongoing and regenerating. Over 95% of the nonprofit-donor relationship has NOTHING to do with actually asking for money. There are six ways that Board members & volunteers can help develop enthusiastic donors for the Foundation. Attend Serve Oversee Advise Contribute Promote #1-BE A DONOR Make your own stretch gift. It confirms your own commitment and conveys worlds of commitment to others. #2-BE AN AMBASSADOR An ambassador naturally talks about the Foundation wherever they go. To be a good ambassador: Understand and overcome your own roadblocks to talking about the Foundation. Observe good ambassadors in action. Identify future situations where you could share your personal feelings about the Foundation with others. Select potential campaign donors to talk with about the Foundation Practice! Practice! Practice! Talk about the Foundation at home. Talk about the Foundation with close friends. Talk about the Foundation at work. Talk about the Foundation with strangers. 3

4 AMBASSADOR to STEWARD CONTINUUM #3-BE A SLEUTH A sleuth is always looking for potential donors. Active sleuths find out, when talking with another person, if they are open to the possibility of learning more about the Foundation. Quiet sleuths explore, through third party means, viable prospects. To be a good Sleuth: Know what kinds of people the Foundation aims to develop partnerships with. Test if someone is given to philanthropy by recounting a personally fulfilling experience with the Foundation as a lead into evoking a parallel feeling from the prospect about a nonprofit of their choice. Establish common ground. Ask the prospect if it s alright to add them to the Foundation s mailing list. Ask if they would like to visit the Foundation. Take the opportunity to ask people who know the Foundation to suggest other individuals that might be interested, too. Look for leads in the media and other nonprofits materials. Think of the obvious/not obvious names. Often people are unnecessarily overlooked because it is assumed that they would not have the time or be interested. Attend Serve Oversee Advise Contribute Promote 4

5 AMBASSADOR to STEWARD CONTINUUM #4-BE A CULTIVATOR A cultivator actively participates in structured activities that are part of the Foundation s organized development process. Cultivation is pre-planned and carried out explicitly as a precursor to soliciting the prospect. Multiple touchpoints are involved: Ways to extend involvement with the Foundation: Lincoln Building tour; Legacy Awards Celebration/Annual Meeting; Smart Giving Series forums; Sweet Charity; Investment Forum; Chester County Funders forums; website; 1:1 meetings. Materials such as website, fact sheets, brochures. #5-BE A SOLICITOR A solicitor, working with a team member, asks a prospect, face-to-face, to consider making a direct gift and/or suggests creating a fund at the Foundation. #6-BE A STEWARD A steward makes sure care is taken to sustain and grow partnerships with the Foundation s donors after receipt of a gift. Attend Serve Oversee Advise Contribute Promote 5

6 CULTIVATION CONVERSATION 1. Lead prospects > their own interests and values Get them to talk about their motivators. 2. Listen. Feed back their ideas. Attend Serve Oversee Advise Contribute Promote 3. Share the concept of the Community Foundation growing philanthropy, connecting people who care with causes that matter in our community share programs, services & ideas (not costs and Foundation needs) 4. Based on their motivators, refine your action appeal. What is the best next step to get them more involved? People or Things? 1:1 or Group? Get them an annual report Add them to Foundation mailing list Urge them to view Attend Smart Giving Series tour, forum Visit Lincoln Building Coffee/tea/lunch in Lincoln Tea Room 5. Make sure to actually ask if they would like to become more involved with the Foundation Be direct. Then be quiet. Let them think & respond. See what questions they have, to help shape follow up. If no: Ask them to set their conditions for saying yes What would have to happen to get them more involved? Find out why not: priorities? timing? concerns about the Foundation? If yes: Tell them you ll be in touch again soon to arrange follow up. Contact staff to track and arrange for follow up. Special events (legacy awards, Sweet Charity, Golf, Gala, Investment Forum) Talk with other board, staff, fund advisors, committee members 6

7 7 Faces of Philanthropy Researchers: Russ A. Prince and Karen M. File Where Do You See Our Donors Faces? The Communitarian Doing Good Makes Sense If I m going to help someone, it s sure going to be my neighbors. We ve got to stick together and make life for everyone here in the community just a little bit better. The Devout Doing Good is God s Will Thanks to the Almighty, I have the means to improve the lives of others. I believe God intends for me to help the deserving, those less fortunate than myself. The Investor Doing Good is Good Business Giving only makes sense when everyone comes out winning. If I don t consider the financial repercussions of giving, my charitable relationships will not be very strong for very long. 7

8 7 Faces of Philanthropy The Socialite Doing Good is Fun We all get together, my friends and I, to raise money for charity. When one of us decides to help a charity, that charity gets all of us. It s a group effort. The Repayer Doing Good in Return I am very successful, but never into giving to charity before. After I found out someone in my family had received services from your organization, I began to make gifts to help other people like my family was helped. The Altruist Doing Good Feels Right For me to continue to grow as a compassionate person requires that I care. Philanthropy is a process of personal development and a way to move things forward. The Dynast Doing Good is a Family Tradition Charity was always what my family did. We just all grew up with discussions about it, with going to charity affairs, with people interested in community issues. 8

9 Help Our Donors Understand Why They Give Family: Honoring and appreciating ancestors, setting an example for living family members Faith: Giving due to spiritual beliefs and/or religious practice Legacy: Giving to influence the future and to be remembered Experience: Inspiration comes from an individual s own life Analysis: Donors objectively identify areas of greatest need and develop a method to accomplish goals *Excerpted from Your Philanthropy Roadmap, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors 9

10 Shift from Transactional to Relational Conversations Where were you raised? What values did your parents strive to instill in you and your siblings? These days, what is most important to you and your family? How did you choose your profession/decide your line of business? To what do you attribute your success in life? Who inspired you? What is most important to you in life? What causes do you care about most? Why? How do you involve your family/neighbors/friends in causes you care about? How do you pass along your values to others? What is the most meaningful gift you have made? What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered? What are your proudest accomplishments? THE BIG QUESTIONS 10

11 CCCF Cultivation Meetings 1. Summarize the Foundation s mission, vision & key initiatives 2. Ask the prospect about their charitable & community involvement 3. Provide a personal experience or value that conveys why the Community Foundation is of great personal meaning to you 4. Ask the prospect to recount a similar feeling they ve had 5. Relate the prospect s interests to the Community Foundation s initiatives 6. Summarize 2 recent accomplishments & 2 key assets of the Community Foundation 7. Leave with a next step that deepens the relationship between the person and the Community Foundation. Just one follow-up thing to do 11

12 The Ask: Solicitation Meeting 1. Lead prospects > their own interests & values: help them talk about their motivators 2. Listen: feed back their ideas 3. Share/sell the idea of the Foundation s mission; discuss programs & ideas, not costs & needs 4. Based on their motivators, refine your appeal 5. Make sure to actually ask for $$$ Be direct; better to ask for too much than too little a. ask our prospect to consider a specific gift b. name the amount or range c. then be quiet. Let them think and let them respond If no: a. ask them to set their conditions for saying yes: what would have to happen to make them donate? find out why they're turning us down: priorities? timing? concerns about the organization? credibility? 6. Have donor initial a pledge form at the meeting 7. If you need to set up a second meeting: arrange it within a week + consider who else to bring with you 12

13 Summary: Major & Planned Giving 1. Compelling Purpose Strong, moving case for support that addresses personal needs & interests Specific goals: clear understanding of what the donor is being asked to support 2. Effective Strategy Structure & methods to promote engagement & ownership Solid plan for meeting goal & completing the defined work Evidence that their gift will have impact, to feel meaningful Opportunities for recognition, if desired 3. Meaningful Relationships Strong leadership (board, staff, volunteers) Understanding donor s motivations & frames of reference Cultivation, solicitation & stewardship by people who have already given, and are asking others to do the same Evidence of other support Avenues for involvement & meaningful participation 13