Those are, of course, realities that the Development Director has to cope with. But with all that being said, soliciting in a down economy is very similar to soliciting in an up economy—it just requires more resilience from you. After all, in any economy, the first rule is KNOW YOUR DONOR. Obviously, you don't solicit from a parent who has just his or lost her job! But everyone hasn't, and understanding and having insight into the individual situations of each donor, particularly lead donors, will still enable you to be effective.
"Great fund raisers don't whine about the economy," Reynold Levy, President of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, told participants at the annual Independent Sector meeting. "They believe in Noah's principle: No more credit for predicting rain. Credit only for building arks." So what other principles can you follow? The first rule is always, know your donors. Here are some others for you to think about.
Second Rule: Ensure that your Board of Trustees is fully engaged and participating in your development program. Are they giving? Are they part of the Annual Fund? Are they continuing to learn how to be part of the donor process—identification, cultivation, solicitation, recognition, and stewardship?
Third Rule: Check who your solicitors are. Reynold Levy says that donors give to people as much as they give to causes. The right person will get the kind of gift that would be impossible for the wrong person to solicit. Sort of goes back to knowing your donor, right? And understanding the strengths and strong relationships that your volunteers have. So …
Fourth Rule: Look after your volunteers extra hard during hard economic times. Appreciate them regularly—send them a little note, flowers for their birthdays, notice them and have a conversation with them, remember all their names and use them.
Fifth: Don't stop! Don't even slow down! In fact, work even harder!! Oh, you may not make the ask as much, but you're going to cultivate like crazy, and steward with imagination. Plenty of people still want to give to your school and you need to be ready when the opportunity arises for them to do so.
Let's finish with Mr. Levy again: "There's never a bad season, or year, or day, or economic climate for soliciting donations for a worthy cause," he said.
To read more about Mr. Levy's presentation, click here.
Mr. Levy's new book is Yours for the Asking: An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management. Click here for details.
