INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

1. INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT The Key to Your Success

2. Why are they important? The most reliable, cost effective source of financial support Validate your reason for existence Advocates for your cause Volunteer assistance Potential leaders Can leverage funding from other funding sources Your power base

3. It’s not about the money!!! Radical Notion: Relationships are desirable results in themselves

4. Donor centered fundraising Your organization is the means by which donors and volunteers live out their philanthropic interests and aspirations -Simone Joyoux Goal: A mutually beneficial relationship • The key is to discover what the donor is seeking • You find that out by building the relationship

5. Why donors give They care about the cause They are moved by how the gift can make a difference They feel financially secure They trust that the organization will use their contributions efficiently

6. LIA Linkage Interest Ability If you don’t have all three – move on.

7. Start where you are Inside out If those closest to you can’t give, why should anyone else? Board - staff - neighbors – beneficiaries – former clients – alumni – Reach out to each other and – community – those who care about your cause – friends of insiders Why not write to Bill Gates?

8. How do you learn about them? On-line research Public records Your own database Who knows them? Social media Best source: the donor

9. How to reach them Direct Mail Place of entry for individuals Expensive to start; cash cow when it matures Major donors can be hiding in your list Targeted appeals can be most effective Use direct mail to learn more about your donors – e.g. surveys Do it well or don’t do it at all – work with professionals

10. How to reach them Fundraising Events Your friends bring their friends Get staff and board to help greet and chat Identify the ones to follow up Some donors will be loyal to the event only Evaluate event ROI in terms of increasing involvement

11. How to reach them Cultivation Events Targeted invitation list Compelling presentation about your work Educational seminar on your area of expertise Many staff, board, supporters on hand to give attendees individual attention Keep track of what you learn from attendees Follow up calls within a week

12. How to reach them Face to Face Solicitation Most often the result of cultivation over time Donors who start making smaller gifts and build a stronger relationship Choice of solicitor is key Peer-to-peer is best for top level gifts; CEO can be just as effective Not a single event; part of an ongoing process

13. How to reach them The Ask Actually a small part of an ongoing process Know the donor well Should never be considered a one time event Specific dollar amount Solicitors should be well trained and prepared Excellent books about technique in the bibliography

14. Get their attention Reinforcements Good community relations Know how you are perceived by the community/general public Media and press relations Website Social media Rented donor lists Clients and staff

15. It takes a village Does your culture support individual giving? Board capacity for giving and getting Willing and informed participation by board, CEO and program staff Openness to donor questions and desire to participate Listening to feedback from the outside Respect for professional and ethical fundraising principles

16. Final thoughts DO DONT • Value the relationship for its own sake • Consider individual philanthropy as an ongoing process that can involve different means of fundraising • Learn as much as you can about the donors needs • Communicate only when you are asking for money • Try to bring a donor around to your way of thinking • Get so caught up in techniques that the individual donor gets lost