2020: A New Decade of Fundraising Goals (Summed up in a Countdown of Ten Songs from my Favorite Decade - the 80s)
I graduated high school in 1993, so I spent my elementary and middle school years in all the glory of the ’80s. There I was, dolled up in tights and alternating between perms and feathered hair.
Do you remember getting those deals in the mail where if you purchased 3 records then you could get 10 more for a penny each (or was that just in Iowa)? It was the thrill of my life when that came in the mail - and a bigger thrill when my mom let me order from the catalog! To top it all off, my best friend had a record player that lit up when you played the record. She had the Go-Go’s album, so life was amazing!
Here we are, heading into a new decade and I’m feeling a little nostalgic. January 1 can be a little overwhelming for nonprofit fundraisers. I know. You’ve got to climb that hill again and raise even more money next year. But, when you have a step-by-step plan in place to pivot from all those small-dollar donations into a diverse, mid- and major-level gift portfolio then you can truly grow!
Let’s take this one step at a time! Here’s my best 2020 Fundraising advice in the form of ten top countdown of hits from the 80’s:
Living on a Prayer ‘86 // Bon Jovi
Don’t live on a prayer, make a plan! If you’re hoping you’ll start securing larger donations this year, when people will finally understand what you do and give a larger gift on their own... it’s likely not going to happen. You need a programmatic plan, and a fundraising plan, and a budget to show your donors what your true need is. Then you’ll be more than halfway there.
Donna Summer ‘83 // She works hard for the money
Executive Directors, you work so hard. Make it worth it, by making sure that every hour you spend fundraising results in the size gifts you can really feel every month on the bottom line. Focus on building investment-level relationships with 20-50 donors who can give you investment-level gifts. When you learn how to do that, you’ll be moving toward FULLY FUNDED.
Jack and Diane ‘82 // John Cougar Mellencamp
Let’s imagine life went on, and Jack and Diane, are now major-donor prospects who want to know how you’re going to grow your organization from $500K to %1M annually. "
How will you show them this hope is more solid than Jack’s adolescent plans to be a football star?
✔ Let them know that 91% of nonprofits will never reach $5M of annual revenue - a statistic you hope to shatter.
✔ Prepare a few exhibits that show what it would look like for your organization to grow annually and reach $5M in year 20XX.
✔ ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE & FEEDBACK
✔ Then execute that plan like nobody's business - AND keep Jack and Diane updated regularly.
Let it rock, let it roll!
Call me ‘80 // Blondie
Your larger donors need time, attention, and intentional asks made of them. They need to hear from you on a regular basis - in person and on the phone. Emailing rarely counts with our top donors. I can almost hear them now asking ‘Call me!’ (See what I did there?)
I sat in on a solicitation one time where a donor’s gift grew from $12K to over $100K. And what was his response when my client ‘asked him’ for the first time? “Wow, you’d never asked me before.” Boom.
Don’t Stop Believin’ ‘81 // Journey
I want to talk to the visionary founders whose organizations are under $500K. You know fundraising is not easy. Maybe it’s even harder than you thought it was going to be.
You can help donors understand your real financial need, and lead them in a way that makes it easy for them to say yes. You don’t have to dread fundraising. There is a step-by-step plan for the top gifts you need every year to fund your organization. You can take a salary, hire people, grow and become fully funded. Don’t stop believin’!
How will I know? // Whitney Houston ‘85
I hear all the time, “I meet lots of donor prospects, but how will I know if they are going to be a good fit or eventual major donors?”
But, once you have the right tools in hand, you can start having the right conversations that put prospects on the track to donors even sooner.
Today, this is the EXACT training I teach in my program - and my clients are getting in front of the largest donors of their careers.
Into the Groove // Madonna ‘84
There is a rhythm (might I say, groove) of tasks you must be doing all year long to attract, cultivate, and retain your large donors. These are all the things that grow your success rate exponentially when you are in ‘the ask’.
We all know there are lots of quick-fix fundraising activities that don’t lead to size gifts we need to grow our missions. It’s easy to think that if we keep trying long enough they will eventually be lucrative. But you need to closely align your time with the activities that will produce the largest gifts.
Keep on loving you ‘80 // REO Speedwagon
Want to keep donors engaged and giving? Then you have to keep on loving them with thanks and acknowledgment. Showing donors the impact of the gift they made is the most direct line to the next donation.
Our Lips Are Sealed ‘81 // The Go-go
I hear two phrases all the time:
“I hate asking for money.” and “I’m really bad at asking for money.”
Lips are sealed and no asks are happening!
Overcoming the fear of asking will help you get off the small-dollar spin-cycle and start securing the size gifts you really need. You can overcome that and finally put aside the constant dread and get back to fulfilling your mission.
Barenaked Ladies ‘88 // If I had a Million Dollars
What if you had the skills to confidently secure a Million Dollars of the size donations you truly need to make sure your nonprofit is around for years to come?
It could happen! It’s a matter of you knowing exactly how to ask and get large donations on a regular basis.
One of the biggest challenges I hear from nonprofit leaders is that donors only want to fund your programs - not your ops or salaries. GOOD NEWS! You have more control over this area that you might think.
There is only one person who can educate your donors on how you plan to grow your impact by investing resources into the structure of the organization. This is your core message to investment-level donors.
To the Future!
This flashback journey has been fun, but I know what you care about most is the future of your organization. If you want to fully fund your mission, and head into the next decade ready to rock and roll, you should start by reading below.
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your nonprofit revenue:
1. Follow me on LinkedIn for content and resources first
I give away trade secrets and insider info every week - the same lessons I teach my clients about what they can do to start attracting larger dollars and generate more unrestricted money for your nonprofit.
2. Read my WHITEPAPER to see if your overall approach to financing your mission every year might be keeping you from growing.
Here you’ll learn THE BIG FUNDRAISING SECRET that keeps organizations from having the funds to achieve what’s in their strategic plans. Click here to get it.
3. Work with me to reimagine your overall approach to revenue generation
If you'd like to add 7+ figures of charitable revenue to your nonprofit, just send me an email at Sherry@QuamTaylor.com with the subject line “grow.” Tell me a little about your nonprofit and what you need to raise this year. I’ll get you the details! 🎯
