Building Fundraising Capacity

Building Fundraising Capacity
Bloomerang Webinar
July 2019

The Curtis Group
 Celebrating 30 years of fundraising success
 We offer fundraising and capacity-building services
 We’ve raised hundreds of millions for nearly 200
nonprofits
 Member of the Giving Institute

Session Goals
 Data analysis
 Activity tracking and reporting
 Appointment setting
 Donor communication
 Provide practical suggestions!

Giving reached $427 billion
amid a complex year
$298.5
$332.52
$357.6
$424.74

2018 Giving by Source
 Individuals  1.1%
 Foundations  7.3%
 Bequest = 0%
 Corporations  5.4%

Individual Donors
Focusing on
fewer
nonprofits
Giving as
investment
Need
individual
cultivation &
relationships
Must see
impact

Five I’s of Fundraising
IDENTIFY INFORM INTEREST INVOLVE INVITE

Where Does the Time Go?
Cultivation/
Stewardship
Donor Solicitation
Desk Work!

Where it Should Go!
Donor Cultivation and Stewardship
Donor Solicitation
Desk
Work

Knowing Your Data
GATHER ANALYZE PLAN EVALUATE

Using Data to Set Goals
 Not just looking at last year’s totals!
 Be strategic: not just filling a hole in the budget
 Key measurement points
Donor retention rate
Number of gifts in each donor category
Individual/corporate/foundation totals
Constituency groups
 Importance of setting attainable goals

Sample Gift Chart
Range
# Gifts to
Reach Goal
Range Total
Increase
from Last
FY
Prospects
Identified
$50,000 2 $100,000 0 4
$25,000 5 $125,000 1 8
$10,000 12 $120,000 1 8
$5,000 25 $125,000 1 35
$1,000 30 $30,000 3 15
$500 40 $20,000 10 25
$100 100 $10,000 10 200
$50 150 $7,500 20 500
Under $50 Many $12,500 0 250
TOTAL 364+ $550,000 46

Additional Reports
 Number of in person meetings
 You should also be looking at
LYBUNT/SYBUNT
Top 100 donors from last 5 years
Wealth screening data
Longevity donors
 Set these reports up in Bloomerang and run frequently!

Appointment Setting
 Train support staff to assist
 Alternate phone/email
 Be unapologetic and persistent
 Two touches per week
 10-20 minutes per day: Treat it like an appointment!

Sample Language
“Good morning, Mrs. Smith. This is Mary from the
Foodbank. I would love an opportunity to get together to
update you on your investment in our summer meals
program. I know how busy you are, so I will also follow up
with an email with date options.”

Appointment Setting
Phone
Call
Email
Phone
Call

Successful Development Plan
 Focuses on donor retention
 Timeline style (not narrative!)
 Clear benchmarks
 Regular review
 Clear assignments
 Accountability

Sample Goal Chart:
Individual Donors
Last FY Next FY Goal Responsible Party
Total
Number
364 Increase by 10% DOD/BOD/CEO
Total $ $500,000
Increase 10% per year
over next 3 years
DOD/BOD/CEO
In-Person
Visits
20
One each per week for
DOD and CEO
DOD/CEO
Board Asks 10 20 BOD
Number of
Gifts >$1k
75 Increase by 15% DOD/BOD/CEO

Sample Calendar
Cultivate Solicit Steward
January
3 Tours
10 Meetings
2-4 in-person asks
Board and Staff
Thank You Calls to
Year End Donors
February
10 Meetings
In-Home Event
2-4 in-person asks
Program Specific
Appeal
Thank You Calls
Prep for Annual
Report
March
3 Tours
10 Meetings
2-4 in-person asks
E-Blast Appeal
Post Annual
Report
Print/Mail Annual
Report
Program Staff
Thank You Calls

Donor Communication
 Simple but effective!
 Impact reports every other month
One story, one side of a sheet of paper
 Eliminate bulky/time consuming annual reports
 Board and programmatic staff calls

Donor Communication
 Look for “excuses”
Success to report
Benchmarks hit
New staff
Sector issues/thought leadership
Get their advice
 Segment how you communicate

Stewardship Matters
 Big gifts rarely come from new donors
 Donor acquisition is expensive
 Relationships take time to build
 Donors must see impact
“I haven’t heard from them since their last major campaign.”
“I only hear from them when they are asking for money.”

Capacity Building Pitfalls
 Not understanding how your time is spent
 Bad data/research
 No concrete goals
 Unrealistic expectations
 Trying to do too much at one time
 Not willing to ask for help
 No real accountability

What Donors Want
 Be updated on last gift before being asked again
 Feel appreciated—receive thank you calls and one-on-one
communication
 Have a relationship with organization
 Know what you intend to do with their gift
 Know their gift makes a difference

757.496.2224
curtisgroupconsultants.com
facebook.com/thecurtisgroup
twitter.com/thecurtisgroup

Building Fundraising Capacity

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