Nonprofit consultants come in all shapes and sizes. Which one fits your needs? Sedate and well-groomed? Specialist or full service? Lean and hungry? Local or global? Miniature or standard size? Finding a nonprofit consultant, fundraising consultant or firm that’s a prefect fit won’t necessarily be easy.
“Enough. Enough already!” said the capital campaign donor when the performing arts center came back for the third campaign in less than five years.
Stewardship is the “careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care,” according to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. For purposes of this article, I am referring to the responsible “care” of the people who make planned gifts, rather than the gifts themselves. Planned giving donors, perhaps even more than donors of other types of gifts, expect and deserve nonmonetary benefits such as honoring the intent of the gift, paying attention to the gift process, communicating with the donor after the gift is complete, and sustaining the relationship for the long-term benefit of both the donor and the organization. Sometimes this process is referred to as donor services.
Planned giving often involves a reciprocal exchange relationship in which donors have certain expectations of the organizations they support. Planned gift donors have made investments in the long-term viability and growth of organizations that they value. They have entrusted their philanthropic aspirations into the care and custody of specific charitable organizations.
When donor recognition is considered, development professionals often think in terms of published donor lists, walls of honor in lobbies, and plaques for the donors’ offices. Yet the most appreciated ways to honor donors are often simple and personal benefits, customized to the donor’s needs and interests.
Have you ever felt that a prospective donor was so different from you that you had no idea how to make a connection? Have you walked up to the front door of a donor’s home scared that the two of you have nothing in common? I certainly have.
1) Before any talk of fundraising or planned giving, be sure your board members are excited and enthusiastic about the organization and its programs. Lead
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