9 Ways to Convince Donors your Organization has Changed (for the better)
Posted by Jim Berigan on 29 Apr 2008 in: Donor Development, Leadership
If you work in a school that relies on significant financial contributions to meet your yearly budgetary goals, it is possible that at some point there will be or has been a breakdown in confidence within the organization. As a result, donations have dropped, enrollment has likely declined, and school spirit is in serious jeopardy.
In essence, the overall health of the organization is very poor and the prognosis isn’t very good.
At these times, if the board of directors wishes to save the school, drastic measures must be taken to both “stop the bleeding” and set a new course to the future.
Below, I have suggested ten ways for schools to regain the trust and confidence once shown to it by parents, alumni, and donors.
1. New Leadership
The quality of leadership is vital to the overall success of any organization, especially a school. If your school is in dire straits, I would look at the person in charge of the day to day operations, whether he or she is called the principal, administrator, or superintendent. What has this leader done to either help or harm the community? What has he or she done to foster alumni development and what is the current status of donor relations? Has enrollment increased or decreased? All these factors are important when judging the leader. These questions can be summed up, however, when gauging the predominant “mood” of the school. If the teachers and students aren’t energized and happy to be in the school everyday, I would submit that the leader is not doing a good job. continue reading
While it is totally understandable and commonplace for someone to have strong alumni passion for his or her university or high school, it is more unusual for a person to get fired up over a former elementary school. I mean, nobody is out spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on season tickets to a fourth grade intramural basketball game. And although I can’t prove it has never happened, I highly doubt people from one end of this country are purchasing clothing apparel from an elementary school on the other end.
When I was employed at the summer camp, we worked very hard to raise enough money to supplement our annual operating budget. Like a vast number of non-profits, the revenue we generated by offering services and products (i.e. the money we “earned”) did not cover our yearly expenses. Therefore, we had to turn to fundraising events. This is pretty standard these days in the 501(c)(3) world.
Having worked at non-profit organizations for years, I know from experience that product fundraisers can be very effective. There is a built-in sense of obligation for parents to at least “try” to sell to family, friends, and co-workers. If you hook up with the right company, you will get a quality product coupled with a respectable (50% or more) cut of the profits. Overall, product sales are safe, predictable, and reliable.
It is not uncommon that when you take a new job at a non-profit, you discover that at some point in the past, there was a donor or a group of donors who somehow became alienated from the organization. Perhaps thank you notes weren’t sent out in a timely fashion (or at all), a decision was made by the administration that didn’t sit well with the donors, or a long-standing tradition was discarded. Whatever the cause, you learn that there is a significant donor base that once gave generously to your group but now has nothing to do with you.
Everybody knows that you should send a thank you note to a donor. And, in a previous post, I have written about 
A couple of years ago, one of our auction volunteers entered a local electronics store to ask for a donation. She happened to be there on a day that the owner was manning the shop.
