It was this picture that inspired me.

Recently I had the pleasure of touring a wonderful new day care center opened by the Door County YMCA.  Outside of each room was a sign that included a charming picture representing what goes on inside.  While all were cute, it was this picture outside the office that inspired my question:  Who’s really in charge here?

I once attended a church that was struggling with growing pains.  The addition of a new service was being discussed, focusing on an evening service that would work best for the congregation.  Even though the congregation came to a consensus on a day and time, we were told that it wouldn’t work, because it wouldn’t be convenient for the staff’s schedule.

Ever try to do business with a company, agency or organization whose work hours don’t align with the needs of their core client base?  Whose hours seem to be set for the convenience of the employees rather than the hours during which their services are most needed?  Ever have an important question for your health insurance company and find out they are located in another time zone and closed 2 hours ago?  The message is clear:  they aren’t open for you.

There is a reason most day care centers are open until 6 pm (and some even later).  It’s because the little guy in the picture needs it to be.  His needs (and his mommy and daddy’s) set the hours.

Now I’m not foolish enough to think that the work force shouldn’t influence hours.  After all, I need to get done early so I can get to my bank before it closes…oh wait.  That’s the old banker hours.  Now even they are open late and on Saturdays.

How about your organization?  Who sets the hours?  Who’s really in charge? 

Share/Bookmark

As the Executive Director, you are the manager of your annual campaign (Yes, even if you have a financial development staff). Your role as the leader of your YMCA is to inspire, challenge and motivate your campaigners weekly.  As you near the end of campaign, do it daily.

Make sure your Campaign Chair is by your side in all you do.  This means including them in your strategy sessions and communications.  They should be one of your best advocates, leaders and cheerleaders for the campaign.

Go ahead and steal this checklist for “Taking Your Campaign To Goal.”

• 100% Board Giving – If not, WHY?

• Board “Give and Get” % – How can you help board members be successful?

-Include them in your visits.
-Ask them to introduce you to their contacts and you make the ask.
-Ask them to talk with their buddies at the Y. Encourage the group to earn a banner!

• Staff Giving – 100% asked

• Figure out how close you will come to goal with gifts you expect to receive and then determine your gap to reaching goal. Challenge the board to find the extra.  Guide them individually in identifying these folks.  (Group prospecting seldom works.)

• 70-80% Renewals – 100% asked

-Major Gifts follow-ups should be completed.
-“Clean up” call nights are scheduled and staff expected to bring a friend/volunteer.  Use past donor lists and member lists.
-Include prizes and fun!

•  50-60% Upgraded Gifts  – Is everyone asking for upgrades?  Do your volunteers really understand why your campaign needs more money?  If not…tell them.

• Using the Tools:  Do all your campaigners/board know and understand your recognition tools?  These aren’t just for thanking donors.  They are tools for asking and encouraging upgrades.

-Banner Recognition Program.
-“500 Club”  (recognition for small/local businesses that may include “clings” in their storefront windows).

• Weekly Goals Communicated and challenges made

• Create a “New Urgency” – Increase weekly communications to every other day for the last 2 or 3 weeks.  Ratchet-up the energy and excitement!  What will be different and get everyone’s attention?

-Your chair can simply “reply to all” to your email campaign updates.  Add a personal note of encouragement and engage his/her fellow volunteers on a new level.
-Post team results daily (if not done already) so all campaigners can see where they are.

Bottom line:  You are in control of your campaign.  If your board is not responding, it’s your job to find a way to inspire and motivate them.  The level of engagement and motivation of your campaigners lies in your hands. Share your passion.

How will you choose to change things up and get your team going toward goal?  Be the Campaign Manager and rally your team to success.  Then the best part:  celebrate together!

Share/Bookmark

Let’s hear it for my medical team!  WOO HOO!

All my doctors – take a bow for your fine work!  WOO HOO!

And a big thanks to the nurses!  You rock!  WOO HOO!

And a special shout out to Chuck and Steve!  WOO – Huh?

You heard me:  Chuck and Steve.  You know, those critical medical team members, Chuck and Steve??  Woo Who?

Ok, maybe you don’t recognize Chuck and Steve.  They wear white coats like my doctors, but their office is my small town’s Walgreens Drug Store.  These guys, who are such a critical part of my medical team, are my pharmacists.  They don’t get the great accolades or credit for medical healing like the doctors do.  But in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, they are pretty critical to those of us who have been healed.  And frankly, they make the doctors look good.

As I dealt with a magnitude of prescriptions after each round of chemotherapy, it was Chuck and Steve who sorted through how drugs react to each other, helped me to deal with side effects and even told me I was allergic to a drug I was prescribed. (I told them they were wrong, but when I went back with a rash, I asked them to add a note to their records to remind me next time that I really am.)  And it wasn’t the doctor, but my pharmacist who comforted my wife when she was overwhelmed with filling yet another new round of prescriptions.

I imagine if we dig into our successes in work and life, we will find that surrounding us were a group of Unsung Heroes.

Here are a couple of signs that someone may be unsung at work:

• You don’t know exactly what they do, but you sure know what goes undone when they aren’t around.
• Their name probably isn’t on your agency’s newsletter.
• The board isn’t recognizing them for last month’s success.
• They make everything seem easier than it really is.
• They are the people your members or clients know by name.

So look around.  And give a big WOO HOO! to an unsung hero in your life.

Share/Bookmark

Over the winter, our team got together to explore the latest in thinking regarding health care/YMCA partnerships and to learn from an architectural firm as they explained their process to build facilities that are useful as well as beautiful.

During that time, we had a fun conversation about who we are and what we believe. Corporate culture is something that we take seriously – especially because we don’t work in the same office day in and day out. As we work together, we always want to lift up our individual personalities and strengths while still focusing on providing the best service to our clients.

When people ask us “What makes Donor By Design different?” this is how we’d answer.

 Have you worked with us?  Would you agree?

Share/Bookmark

While re-watching the movie Amistad recently, I was struck by how well it depicted storytelling as a powerful way to establish empathetic human connections.

Based on actual events that took place between 1839 and 1841, Amistad portrays the tragic journey of 53 kidnapped Africans aboard a slave ship bound for America, their bloody mutiny against their captors, and their subsequent arrest and imprisonment in the United States.

The courtroom drama that ensues is complex and emotionally charged.  The Africans are up against daunting plaintiffs like the United States government and the Queen of Spain under the scrutiny of a jury of their “peers” – 12 white men.  Their lawyers have the impossible task of getting justice for defendants who are considered no better than “cargo” in a country where slavery is legal.

A major turning point in the movie occurs when former President John Quincy Adams is asked for  advice regarding the case for the defense.  Adams tells the lawyers, “When I was an attorney, a long time ago, I realized after much trial and error, that in the courtroom, whoever tells the best story wins.”

The attorneys defending the Africans followed his counsel, found a translator, and learned first-hand about what actually happened at sea.  When the Africans’ story is finally told in court, it is so compelling that no one who hears it can deny them the justice they deserve.

Amistad is a dramatic demonstration of storytelling transforming an “intellectual” understanding of slavery to one that resonates on a very personal, emotional level.

That kind of transformative understanding is what we hope to achieve when we tell stories about the great work of our not-for-profit organizations.  Stories appeal to emotions that connect supporters to our cause in personal and significant ways.  Storytelling enables us to demonstrate our mission’s impact by putting a “face to our case.”

Can you think of a time when a story drove you to take action? 

Have you discovered the power of storytelling in your own development efforts?

Share/Bookmark

For many organizations embarking on a capital campaign, naming opportunities are used as a tool for donor recognition.  Often we find that this process of determining values for naming rights brings up questions for the nonprofit leaders.

Here are some things to think about when you’re thinking naming opportunities:

• Naming recognition levels are tied to value of the opportunity, not to the cost of construction.  How do you define value?  It’s visibility, traffic, historical value and size of the space to be named.
• Naming rights aren’t forever.  Each situation is different, but as a building is significantly renovated or expanded, naming rights can be reconsidered.  Whenever possible, outline these limits in the original gift acceptance letter.
• Naming a building or room isn’t just about seeing your name up in lights.  It’s also about honoring someone special, offering a memorial to those who have gone before, and reminding future generations of the heritage of your organization and your organization’s founders.
• Several donors can work together to secure a naming opportunity.

It’s important to remind donors that, even if they don’t care about recognition personally, public acknowledgment of gifts makes a statement about a nonprofit’s support level.  The donor has an opportunity to inspire others to consider their own giving.  And it reminds everyone who visits the facility of the generosity of all those who made it possible.  This applies to the recognition for the annual major gift donor as well.

So what’s in a name?  A chance to tell a story.  A way to remember the past even as you build the future.  It may even be the seed for a future gift!

Share/Bookmark

At the end of 2011, I challenged our clients and friends to consider “cutting through the noise” by writing five notes of thanks or encouragement to donors, prospects and friends each month.  It has been terrific hearing first hand how this lost form of communication is making a difference.

I have three personal examples of the difference a simple handwritten note can make:

Hampton Inn, Butte MT

In my work with YMCAs in Montana, I have stayed at the Hampton Inn in Butte on several visits.  It has been three months since my last trip.  Recently I returned home to find this hand-written note from the front desk staff in my mail at home.  Wow!

Mayor of Pensacola, Florida

During a recent visit to the YMCA of Northwest Florida, I had the privilege of meeting with the Mayor of Pensacola.  We discussed his vision for the city and how institutions like the YMCA are part of the answer.  In that same stack of mail, I found a hand written note from Mayor Hayward thanking me for my time and insights.  Double wow!

Camp Director

I had a surprise call from a camping professional who attend a 2011 training of the American Camping Association I facilitated.  He indicated that he was inspired to send a note of thanks to the donor who provided the funds for the director’s home at camp.  This unexpected note prompted a call from the donor thanking the camp director for his note.  The result?  A relationship is now re-ignited.  Nice work!

How are you cutting through the noise to your prospects, donors and friends?

Share/Bookmark

One afternoon, Mark and Debra Scoular from YMCA Camp Carson and I had an appointment with Leonard Schlamp, a long-time supporter of the camp.  We wanted to thank Leonard for his generous contribution to Camp Carson’s endowment fund – a contribution that had been triggered by an endowment gift made by the camp’s board chair and that would provide the funding for kids to go to camp for generations to come.

Leonard and his wife, Anna Belle, live in a modest home on the north side of Evansville, IN.  Leonard was the first camper ever to enroll at Camp Carson back in 1940 and he delighted in sharing camp memories that he had carried with him for over 70 years, as well as newspaper articles and camp memorabilia that had been carefully preserved for seven decades.

Following Leonard’s first four years at camp, he had joined the Navy and was awarded five battle stars for his distinguished service in World War II and the Korean War.  In 1951, he returned to Evansville and started what was to be a 38-year career as a riverboat captain on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

He also returned to Camp Carson as a volunteer, donor and board member.  He did all that he could to assure that kids from Evansville would have the same great experiences he had at Camp Carson.  Leonard retired in 1987 and in the years that followed had even more time to give to Camp Carson.  In 2008, Leonard was elected into the Camp Carson Hall of Fame and today he continues to serve on Camp Carson’s Board and Endowment Development Committee.

As our visit to thank Leonard was drawing to a close, he mentioned that he had one regret regarding his endowment gift:  that was that he had not made the gift sooner!  When asked why he had waited, he replied that he just wasn’t sure what to do and how to do it.

As we walked out to our car, Leonard said “There is one more thing I should probably tell you.”  He proceeded to tell us that he had also set up a charitable remainder trust, a planned gift that would benefit both Leonard and Camp Carson!

Think of your organization’s best friends.  It’s likely that many of them are making decisions about the generational transfer of assets.  How many of them are there that actually don’t know how to make an endowment gift to a charity and how it can also provide a significant benefit for them?

Getting positioned to receive endowment gifts is one way to assure the future strength and viability of your organization.  Plus, it’s easy to do!  We’d be pleased to help you get started!

Photo of C. Leonard Schlamp surrounded by campers from a recent YMCA Camp Carson Heritage Club brochure.

Share/Bookmark

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Steal Like An Artist:  10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon.  And, while I’m sure it’s available for e-readers, treat yourself to the visual experience of the physical book.

“But I’m not an artist,” you protest.  Do you have to solve problems?  Inspire people?  Communicate ideas?  Choreograph a complex schedule?  Then you my friend are the artist of your own life, and this book has something to teach you.

Kleon’s book lists 10 rules for creativity.  They are all wonderful, but three of them stuck out to me because they’ve been at the heart of the way we work here at Donor By Design Group.

.

IDEA ONE

Kleon says:  Fake it ‘til you make it.

DBD says:  Build the bike as you ride it.

A lot of people are wasting a lot of time and opportunities waiting for the perfect plan.  Sometimes, you simply have to figure things out as you go along.  You have to try, then try something else, measure your results and measure your failures and swear a little bit under your breath and tweak and remodel until one day, you’re doing it right.  And chances are, “doing it right” looks nothing like you thought it would.

So you’ve never raised this much money before?  You’ve never actually led a committee?  You’re not sure what a great strategic plan looks like? Terrific!  Time to get started.

.

IDEA TWO

Kleon says:  Step away from the screen.

DBD says:  Fill your bucket.

Work hard.  But take a break when you stop doing work that matters.  Your to-do list will still be there, but your passion, drive and motivation won’t be unless you step back to play, breathe, get hands-on, listen and fill your bucket.

The magic in the mission of your nonprofit isn’t found on your laptop.  It’s out there where your mission changes lives.  Go visit it once in a while.

.

IDEA THREE

Kleon says:  Do good work and share it.

DBD says:  Build a tribe.

Many of us in nonprofit and church work are pretty familiar with the cheerful “sharing” (read: stealing) of ideas from colleagues around the country.  I’d add an important caveat:  if you steal, improve.  As Kleon puts it:  “You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.”

When you borrow a great idea, make it better.  Reverse engineer it, take it apart it make it work smarter and harder.  Leave a better trail for others to follow.  And then be as generous with others as others were with you.

As a company, we’ve been so inspired by Seth Godin’s Tribes and have been delighted to watch annual campaign directors support each other in the Breakfast Club or to follow the fantastic Great Summer Camp Ideas Pinterest board. Sharing good ideas is good business… and good for your soul.

Have you read “Steal Like an Artist”?  What did you think?  Have you put any of these ideas to use in your work?  Tell us what happened in the comments below!

.

Share/Bookmark

I must admit that one of my favorite shows on TV continues to be the same one I grew up with:  The Andy Griffith Show.  I sometimes wonder if this is a reflection of how good this show is or how bad today’s shows are (offenses meant for Snooki, The Donald and those not very real housewives).

Many have written nostalgically about how the show portrays a slower time (just how long did Barney and Thelma Lou date anyway?), sense of community (anytime someone left, the whole town – band included – came out to send them off) and relationship of a father and son (Pa learning as much from his son as Opie from Andy).

But my favorite lesson is from the actor Andy Griffith himself.  If you watch the very early episodes, you will notice that Andy plays the role as the funny one.  Andy Taylor has that goofy drawl and starts out as a bit of a simpleton.

But Andy Griffith soon realized that the magic of the show was in the other characters.  He became the straight man to Barney, Otis, Gomer and Goober.  Who knows how long the show would have lasted or if the lessons would still resonate today if Andy hadn’t realize what role he needed to take.

I think there is a lesson here on leadership.  We all bring certain skill sets and qualities to our work.  But I think our success can be measured in what role we choose to take with those around us.  Good teams need members who play certain roles.  As a leader and a team member, I think it is important that we look at those around us and play the role that best supports success for the group.

Have you ever had to change your style in order for your team to be successful?  Was it easy or a challenge?  How do you know when it’s time to alter your role to let your team shine?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Share/Bookmark