Give & Take

Some people in our industry have made planned giving so moribund that they can put a cat on speed to sleep. Vendors included.

Are you relying on dumb ways to seek donations? A few years ago, a darkly humorous Australian public service ad to promote railway safety went viral. Called “Dumb Ways to Die,” the campaign was set to a catchy song with lyrics including, Set fire to your hair. Poke a stick at a grizzly bear. Eat medicine that’s out of date. Use your private parts as Piranha bait. I have to admit, it was catchy enough (definitely not vanilla marketing!) to get my toes tapping — and it made me think, “there’s some pretty dumb ways to ask for donations, too.” And so, without further ado, I present, Dumb Ways to Seek Donations: 1) Approaching a prospect for an ask without research. Your chances of turning a prospect into a donor increase exponentially when you have a little background info. What causes are they passionate about? Do they have kids? Did

Too busy? Or are you placing Planned ­Giving on the back burner, again? So many fundraisers make excuses, claiming they’ve placed planned giving on the back-burner because of tight budgets, smaller staffs and not enough time. Bull. There’s an underlying ­reason that none of us wants to acknowledge: Four years ago we asked fundraisers whether they believed planned giving is “where the money’s at.” A whopping 74% in the survey answered “yes.” But on the very next question, “Where do you spend your time?” a large number (82%) answered “raising cash gifts.” So if they know the correct answer, then why do they consistently place planned giving on the back burner? Because most fundraisers attend to the urgent, not to the important. An analogy can be made here between getting a toothache and visiting the dentist. If we never attend to the important (regularly visiting the dentist) one day we’ll

Most “experts” place the practice as having been birthed in the 1970s — or maybe as far back as the ’40s. So it’s safe to say the first planned gift must have been made sometime in those decades. Right?

"It's never government, the economy, or tax laws that are our enemy. It's ourselves."— A CEO of a healthcare foundation, remaining anonymous.

Annual giving tends to focus on immediate needs. Planned giving is more focused on long-term growth. Although we need both, focusing on long-term growth creates stability.

There is a perception that many fundraisers are job-hoppers, never staying in one role or with one organization for long.

What’s the most popular food served at conferences? You guessed it. Chicken. What’s the most popular flavor of ice cream? If you said “vanilla,” kudos again. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with chicken or vanilla. Although I do like both, I’m more of a seafood and habanero lover (yes, there’s even a habanero ice cream — it’s pretty good actually). But here’s the thing: Both of those options sum up what’s wrong with the nonprofit world. We’re plain. Boring. In the vanilla zone. And non-confrontational when need be. Our organizations all seem to blend together — only we can see what differentiates ourselves from our peers. Vanilla zone marketing abounds, because they’re afraid to be edgy. And that means to our audience, we all look homogeneous. Bland. Blah. Banal. Dull as dishwater. How do you ever expect to raise any real money that way? Until we make it very clear

Random acts of kindness? Pfui. How about consistent acts of kindness. Same goes for marketing... and that's why many nonprofits fail because a little bit of this and a little bit of that ...

I recently saw a post on LinkedIn mentioning that “it’s all about the relationship, not the ask.” If you want to be in the top 5% in your career, read on ...

Should personal beliefs prevent accepting a major gift? If a donor offers mineral rights but the gift officer opposes fracking, what then? Yet that same officer would accept Chevron stock—a "back-door yes" to the same industry. Royalties from minerals, music, patents, or franchises can significantly boost your endowment. If your nonprofit won't accept these gifts, another organization will. Have a gift acceptance policy—and use it.

You do not need a Ph.D. All you need is Street Smarts. Look at what John Ready did at Valley Gives Back.