Fundraising Buzzwords: Integrated Ask

Trinity Knot

Fundraising has a lexicon all its own.  Each year, there are a few new buzzwords that become the focus of fundraising professionals and we like to use and abuse those words.  Fundraising became development and now development professionals want to be called Advancement professionals.  One of the hottest terms right now is "Integrated Ask."

An integrated ask is when you ask your donor to support multiple opportunities at once, whether it be annual, capital, endowment or other, you are asking the donor to support multiple projects while sustaining their already existing level support.  If you have a donor that has traditionally made a gift of $3,600 annually the last thing you would want to do is ask for an additional gift that might make them reduce their annual support to fund an additional endeavor.  Even worse would be to secure their gift and then a few weeks or months later, ask them for an additional gift which makes them feel like their $3,600 was not good enough.

Peek-A-Boo Knot

During the 2015-2016 fiscal year, Temple Beth Am will have a $1M Annual Giving Goal, we are still in the midst of our $20+M Campus Expansion and Renovation Project and we will officially launch our Endowment: $20'20 Vision ($20M in cash in pledges by December 31, 2020).  We will still have needs for scholarship directed gifts as well as some other funds.  With this many needs to be addressed, the best way to avoid donor fatigue is to approach them with an integrated ask, however to do this correctly it takes time, it takes education, it takes understanding the donor's passions, interests and what opportunities will resonate with them.   Often the integrated ask will be the best way to go - you can share your hopes of their support for the next few years so they will not be surprised.  They can also plan their giving over a few years and how they best can structure their giving to balance their needs with institutional needs.  Who knows, they may even commit to a multi-year annual pledge, which means a thank you meeting in the future instead of yet another solicitation meeting. 

Cape Knot

It is possible that an integrated ask may not resonate with the donor, however I have found that when you present how all the gifts fit together, the donor appreciates the longer term vision rather than just the donation by donation approach.   We have even found that we received higher gifts from an integrated ask than if had done each ask separately.

While I am a big fan of the integrated ask and have many hopes for the potential enhanced successes as we do more integrated asks, priority number one is always keeping the donors' interests in mind.

Integrated Knot - which includes aspects of the Trinity, Cape and Peek-A-Boo knots.  While the other three might be easier to do alone, I personally like the Integrated Knot more, however others might like one of the others, or a different combination more (while the knot looks complex, it is relatively simple to complete - much like an intergrated ask)

The Beautiful Game

While, I have joy of tying fancy knots, my number one hobby and you could call it an obsession, is soccer.  What else would call waking up at 4:30am on a Sunday morning to make Fantasy League Transfers and staying up to watch an English Premier League game and that is regardless whether my children may have woken up at night or not.

Even though most soccer leagues in the world are on break right now, there is a lot of

The Layered Knot

international soccer between the Women's World Cup, Copa America (Latin American Countries), Euro 2016 Qualifiers or International Friendlies (games that have little meaning other than pride).  It has always been fun to see players who are on rival teams during their club season become best friends on their international teams.  They put their club differences aside to chase the cup for the betterment of their country.  Fundraising professionals in many ways are no different.

During the year, we all have our financial goals that we must meet.   Some institutions succeed others struggle.   We are very aware that there is a limited capacity for the Los Angeles Jewish Community and in many cases, there is significant overlap.  A Pressman Academy grandparent could have synagogue membership in one community but care deeply about their grandchildren's education.  They know they have a certain amount of dollars to donate, so now the two Development Departments are fighting for funds, however the next day, the Development Professionals could be out to coffee together sharing best practices with each other, helping each other be better, knowing that we all need to succeed in best interest in the future of the Los Angeles (and world) Jewish Community.

I love learning from other professionals and enjoy having the opportunity to share my insight with others as well.  Our ultimate goal is to reach our goals and if we can share new insights and ideas that help each other be successful than that is wonderful because it helps the community as a whole.  

Finding the balance of protecting one's own interest while also understanding the greater goals of the community is not easy, but it is a critical piece to not only being viewed as a successful fundraising professional, but also being respected.

CO-OPETITION

School's Out!

June 17th may be the last day of the 2014-2015 school year for Pressman Academy, however for the administration team, that means some of our hardest work is just beginning.  As of July 1, our fiscal year begins again and the Annual Giving Total resets to $0.  I am very much looking forward to the upcoming year, but prior to that, I wanted to share a little bit of what I learned over the past year, my first officially as the Director of Development.

We had a very successful year, between Annual Giving, the Pressman Gala and the Temple Beth Am Gala we raised over $1,030,000 to support the operations of our community.  With those funds we were able to provide dues relief to many families, tuition assistance to numerous others.  We were able to hire a new STEAM specialist, continue to enhance our curriculum, send staff to various conferences all over the world, bring in world-renowned speakers.  Most importantly through the ups and downs of joyous occasions and the loss of loved ones, we were able to be there for each other however was needed for our fellow members.

I am also grateful for having a wonderful team to work with, the TBA Staff, the Pressman Academy Administrative Team, the Senior Staff and a fantastic group of lay leaders!  Thank you for being team players and  making our community great!

My key takeaways from this year are (and these will form future blog subjects where I can delve into them deeper):

- Don't assume the answer will be no:  If you never ask, you are guaranteed a no, if you ask, there is a potential of a yes, and perhaps even a greater yes than you expected.

- Don't be afraid to ask people why:  If someone increases their gift or chooses not to give, if someone pulls back or someone gets very involved, it is perfectly ok to ask them why.  They often will appreciate that you want to know more about them.

- Putting it on Paper can be powerful:  One of my greatest challenges is that I do much of my work in my head, so to have people in tune with my thought process can prove difficult.  I have learned that even though it may take more time, I need to show my work, much like a physics exam (yes, in 1997, I got a 46% on a physics exam in college, but the curve was so great that I only missed an A by 2% pts!)

- Professional and Personal are not necessarily in conflict:  Even more than a successful fundraising year, I believe my greatest accomplishment this year was the relationships I was able to cultivate and the others I was able to strengthen.  It feels wonderful when fellow Pressman Parents see me as a parent who happens to be the Director of Development rather than just the Director of Development.  

- Don't be afraid to advocate for something you believe in:  In the past I would propose an idea, get a no or a "wait on that" and just let it go, but I have realized that if I truly belief that this idea is correct, I need to advocate for it and inspire others to see why I am so passionate about a certain idea.

- A negative experience can actually open the door to something significantly more positive:  I can look back on the past year and remember a few times things did not go my way, whether this was something I had control over or not.  Often what I learned from those experiences taught me more about myself or ways to better strategize for success.

Love Knot - In honor of my anniversary!

These are just a few areas and I look forward to exploring each one in more depth. But the thing I love more than anything (except for my family) is being a Pressman Academy Parent!  I have been a member of the TBA Community for many years and built strong relationships, but there is something wonderful about having my daughter go to school where I work.  Having those few moments with her driving to and from TBA/Pressman each day when she shares what she is excited for or what she learned.   To have her leading Motzi (blessing over the bread) each Friday Night, or wanting to sing the Alef-Bet (Hebrew Alphabet) before bed - these are experiences that may not be happening had one negative experience not occurred.  I am grateful to the Pressman Academy Leadership for finding a way for my daughter to enroll in school in the middle of the year when unfortunately and unexpectedly her day care closed.  What a wonderful positive for her growth and development that came from a difficult experience.

What a successful year 2014-2015 was but as a fundraising professional, you are only as good as your last campaign, so there is a lot to do in 15-16!

Casual Fridays?

Earlier this week, a colleague shared with me the article "How Casual Fridays Suppress Creativity," letting me know that when she read it, she immediately thought of  Fancy Knot Friday and how it completely reinforces the message of the article.   The article cited a study, "The Cognitive Consequences of Formal Clothing," in which the researchers conducted a study to see how one's dress impacts their ability to think creativity and efficiently.   The study found with 95% certainty that those individuals that dressed more formally were found to think more creatively than those dressed more casually.  So now I have scientific support for #FancyKnotFriday.

While these scientific findings may be surprising it is something that the Rabbis have know for centuries.  Tractate Shabbat page 113a recognizes that Rabbi Yohanan discusses wearing his best clothes for Shabbat and on page 113b,  the Rabbi Elazar refers to the book of Ruth 3:3, where it states, "Wash yourself, anoint yourself and put on your rainments."  People were commanded to put on their best clothes on Shabbat because it allowed them connect better with their Sabbath observance and to better connect with their prayer.  Non-Jewish communities also recognize this and often refer to people wearing their "Sunday Best."

While I fully want to wear my best on Shabbat, why not start to prepare for Shabbat by wearing my best or thinking creatively of what could be my best.  Much like there is Kabbalat Shabbat (the Receiving of Shabbat) to help get us in the spirit and ready to observe the Sabbath, I treat my Fridays as such, helping me close out the week efficiently, with confidence and creativity.

Scepter Knot

Wearing one's best also shows respect to whoever you may be meeting with that day, whether scheduled or unscheduled.   My co-workers in the office used to notice when I wore a tie and would ask "Who are you meeting with today?"  As time progressed and I became more ingrained in the community (and would leave my desk more) I had various conversations with more and more members over the course of a day.  At that point I decided to show respect to my community, I would wear a tie every day.  Not only do I see this as showing respect to the prospects, but also to my co-workers (not that I didn't respect them before) and the caliber of people I am surrounded by each and every day.  We truly have some amazing staff people at Temple Beth Am/Pressman Academy at all levels and all responsibilities.

The concept of wearing one's best is a wonderful case where science has complemented religion and more importantly allowed me to justify to my supervisors and colleagues that #FancyKnotFriday makes me a better professional and co-worker.  So that makes me feel like a King and in honor of that, I share with you the Scepter Knot (ok cheesy ending, I know).

Article: How Casual Fridays Suppress Creativity 

Study: Cognitive Consequences of Formal Clothing