A fundraiser starting a program to help immigrants asks how she can overcome big challenges in her newly created position. She asked to stay anonymous.
She writes:
“I’m new to the fundraising field (about one year in), and I was moved from within my program to fill a brand-new fundraising position for a program that provides services to immigrants, many of whom have heartbreaking stories. My position was created because our program could not financially compete against similar programs without a dedicated staff person.
“My role includes marketing, communications, donor solicitation, event planning, and other fun tidbits that come my way. I recently helped land a grant, and our executive director called to congratulate me personally.
“But there are many downsides: I am completely separated from my organization’s development team, I did not start with any existing contacts, and I have a number of restrictions, including a nonexistent budget, inability to update the Web site, and no access to the agency’s donor database. My volunteers are unfamiliar and reluctant to get involved with our program beyond office work or mentoring people we serve.
“Staff (including my boss, the program director) are clueless when it comes to fundraising. We did one fundraising event last spring, but it only broke even and took a lot of time to organize. My boss, the executive director, and the development director all did not attend.
“I’ve met with a number of development directors to learn from their expertise, and they all say to start with the board and staff. But I don’t have access to the board, and my staff are only now starting to understand their role in fundraising.
“Where should I start, and how can I cultivate new donors with so few leads?”
To offer the fundraiser advice, we turned to Barron Segar, senior vice president for development at the U.S. Fund for Unicef, which provides services to the many of same immigrant populations the fundraiser is trying to help.
He writes:
You are in a tough spot because you’re not in the development department, so you are actually competing against the department to raise money. Nevertheless, here are five things you can try:
Seek media coverage. I have worked with a lot of news organizations, and they are always looking for human-interest stories. Reach out to the news media immediately and talk about one or more immigrant families your program has helped and make an appeal that tells people how to get to your Web site and make a donation. Make sure your program’s “donate now” button is easy to find. If you can, get someone in your communications department to help with this, but approach news outlets on your own if you have to.
Get training. Since you are new to fundraising, this is especially important. For free or reasonably priced training, try approaching your local community foundation, a state or local center for nonprofits, or your local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Cancel your event. You are just breaking even, and you are putting a lot of time into it. It isn’t worth it. Instead focus on identifying one or two people who could host an event for 10 to 20 people in their home. These should be major donor prospects. You could also ask a core group of five people to form an advisory circle of “founding members.” The word “founding” is attractive to people because they can be part of a legacy that will last a long time.
Engage colleagues. The fact that your organization’s leaders do not attend your event is a problem. In creating alternative events like dinners for donors, you need to build buy-in among these leaders and get them to participate. I would try to build a bridge with the executive director who congratulated you personally, though you may need to work through your supervisor to do this. But since the executive director reached out to you, you have a reason to reciprocate. Call back and say, ‘You were so thoughtful, I’d love for you to come and meet a donor with me.’
Or try having a breakfast for potential donors and getting the executive director or a board member to speak. Give them a role. That would give the executive director and board more understanding about what you are trying to do.
Join the fundraising department. Finally, you have to be part of development, rather than competing with that team. The optimum thing would be for the development director to bring you into that department. If you cannot approach the development director because that person is not your supervisor, then try talking to your program director. As a peer of the director of development, your program director may be able to talk about the challenges you face by operating in isolation.
Do you have advice for this fundraiser? Use the below comment link to add your tips. And if you need help solving a fundraising problem, send an e-mail to askanexpert@philanthropy.com.