In the last nine months I've built up a fundraising infrastructure as a lone fundraiser, within a charity that had never done any fundraising, despite them having 70 years under their belt, and quite a few donors.
Thankfully during this period, I've doubled the charities fundraising income, and brought in an extra £40,000 in in-kind gifts and increased the number of major donors ten fold.
People often ask me how I've managed to learn so much about fundraising in a short amount of time, or how I've managed to do things quickly?
My answer; never stop learning! Immerse yourself in excellent books, YouTube Channels, go to events, enroll on courses, spend at least an hour a day educating yourself and get yourself a great fundraising mentor.
Why a mentor?
When I mention the word mentor sometimes people look at me as if I've just insulted them. They assume that it's meant in a loaded way, that I am suggesting that they are not qualified to do their new role or job.
Mentoring may bring back thoughts of school ( see the Oxford dictionary's defination above!) Maybe if you struggled in a certain area this is why the word 'mentor' is seen as a negative thing? Looking for a professional fundraising mentor couldn't be more different though. It's the polar opposite of negative.
To be a great fundraiser I believe it's so important to surround yourself with people that you can learn from, but enjoy spending time with. In the last six months, I've had 4 different mentors. Three that have mentored me as a one off for a few hours sporadically, focusing on one area I'd like to learn more about, and then there was Kathy.
Kathy Roddy was my *awesome* mentor from June to August. When people ask me about my enthusiasm and success in my organisation, I put it down to Kathy being such a brilliant trainer and mentor. I can't praise Kathy's mentoring enough, which is why I'm writing this without her knowing. Kathy really gave me the confidence to fly, and I doubt that I'd have achieved as much as I have without her professional mentoring service. Kathy you rock! (I hope you don't mind me writing this also- a wise man told me recently It’s easier to seek forgiveness than to ask permission.)
When I rave about Kathy during conversations, people often ask; "So what was the number one thing about working with Kathy you liked best?" - (If you've met Kathy, you will know, that is hard to answer) I've spent a lot of time reflecting over the last few months about my time with Kathy. I would now say it's a combination of her wonderful energy, that is so refreshing and the way she delivers her knowledge, every bit of guidance stuck, and it's there in my head when I need it.
So what did we do during the mentoring sessions?
Each Friday for two hours we would Skype, covering a different problem area or topic each week. I'd come away with pages upon pages of notes each time the session ended. I'd then have so many brilliant thoughts whizzing around my mind that I'd sit and write other ideas that popped into my head, or questions for next week.
The best part was that Kathy is so creative and interesting that she tells stories about fundraising that have you either laughing or sitting on the edge of your seat, which made it so fun.
Each week after the mentoring session, I'd try and implement one new idea into my work. Which continued my learning- trying new ideas, not worrying about the cost of my innovation- which is sometimes, failure. The confidence that it was ok to try new things and fail, paid off, as I doubled my organisations income from fundraising in 4 months, and then received the biggest major gift they'd ever had.
For those of you wondering the kinds of things we'd discuss, these were the things I was interested in:
Donor retention, increasing donor retention
Recruiting new donors
Contacting lapsed monthly donors
Moving donors through the fundraising pyramid/ moving donors from one off's to monthly.
Life cycles and why they're important when analysing donors.
Ability to give
A donors connection to the cause, and how to weave this into your work/ ask.
Corporate donors aims and motivations
Making corporate asks
Legal/ best practice guidelines
Community fundraising
Pitching new ideas to the team you sit within, if you're a sole fundraiser.
What to do if you haven't got a bank of case studies from your beneficiaries
Writing an awesome direct mail campaign letter
Testing direct mail ideas
The importance of strategy
The steps in creating a strategy
How to implement strategies
Customer service for the whole organisation and it's importance.
Tailoring donors interests to organisational needs
Crisis management/ damage limitation if something goes wrong outside of fundraising.
Partnerships
Recruiting potential people to leave legacies / planned gifts
Writing an awesome legacy pack
Legacy adverts and placement
... We also discussed everything inbetween.
Having a mentor is more than just having someone to bounce ideas off, although Kathy was great at listening to me! One of my bright ideas that was thought up in a mentoring session, had the potential to bring in an extra £800,000, and it was such an interesting yet simple idea.
A few weeks later, I went along and pitched the idea to a corporate supporter. He liked the idea and used the words " That is a bold and innovative idea Laura". I'm hoping it will be implemented into their plans in 2015, when they think about communication with customers.
Kathy also mentored me on strategical planning, which was something I was really keen to learn about. I think this is an awesome skill for anyone in the charity sector though- if you understand how to go about doing a strategical plan it helps you in so many areas.
As a fundraiser who wants to raise millions, I have a five year plan. I also have a list of tools I need to get me where I want to be, almost like a strategy for my career.
You might be wondering what is included in my five year plan, and unsurprisingly alot it revolves around people.
My number one tip to heads of fundraising hiring new staff, or wanting to boost creativity, enthusiasm and energy: Invest in a great mentor, it will pay off in so many ways!
Share your knowledge and experiences.
I've recently mentored a few people who have explained that they want to learn about thanking or beautiful donor care. Mentoring other fundraisers or communication teams has been interesting as I'm learning how much I have stored in my brain, that I forget is there. But, it's also making me think back over what challenges I faced when I started a new fundraising department.
If you've been fundraising for a shorter space of time, and aren't ready to become a mentor that charges, do it for free! You might want to mentor a new volunteer on how to write thank you letters, or how to talk to people at events. It makes you feel great!
Thanks Laura. It's great that you have discovered the secret to fundraising success so early on in your fundraising career.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that a good mentor like Kath is going to help you raise funds far more effectively than just learning the practicalities of different methods and channels for fundraising.
I can look back with gratitude to my first fundraising boss at Oxfam in the late 1980s: although we didn't use the word 'mentor', she inspired me and taught me a great deal in my year working with her. She was fearless when it came to asking for donations. She was also fearless in making sure her projects were successful, and persuaded everyone she met to help her in this way.
Thanks too for sharing your thoughts via this blog. With any luck, you'll find other fundraisers learning from the lessons you are sharing.
Ah, lovely reply Howard!
DeleteWhat a great story you've shared with us, how very lucky you were also to have worked along someone so fealess and driven! Who was she, if you don't mind saying? I also would love to hear more about your fundraising experiences in the 80's at Oxfam- I bet you have some wonderful stories!
I really hope fundraisers, fundraising managers and CEO's realise the importance of learning in our sector, it is a wonderful place to work, but can be quite daunting as the processes and lessons to learn aren't that well known.
I hope to see you soon!
Thanks Laura.
DeleteYes, she was Vera Jefferson. I last met up with her in September 2013 when I invited her to the first Fundraising Camp I held in Oxford.
One of her most impressive achievements was the establishment of Oxfam's first bookshop. That first one in Oxford has raised millions since, and spawned a nationwide network of Oxfam bookshops.
Oxfam did sell donated books in its shops, but Vera combined knowledge of property (her husband was a solicitor) and insight into the book business (Oxford is home of course to the Oxford University Press, plus some very experienced book experts). Plus she was remarkably well connected and seemed to know everyone who mattered - from local newspaper editors and radio presenters to Oxfam's Director Frank Judd and his wife Chris, and all kinds of business people in and around Oxford.
But it was not easy to convince Oxfam about the bookshop idea. So that was another useful early lesson: you'll sometimes have to work hard to convince your own charity that your fundraising idea will work.
Yes, you're right that it is daunting, and stays that way for a long time as you realise you need to learn and understand even more. But from what you've said, it does look like you're going about it very well. If you're not lucky enough to work for a Kath or a Vera, go and find one you respect and ask them to mentor you.
A bit more on Vera and what she has achieved.
ReplyDeleteAs of five years ago today, there were 144 Oxfam bookshops in the UK, and of course other charities have been inspired to create their own as a result. With booksales in Oxfam's other shops, Oxfam said it was "the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe".
Remarkable.