When The Fund-Raiser Is You

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, April, 2000 by Ronaleen R. Roha

GIVING | No one likes ASKING FOR MONEY, but these tactics get results.

MAKING YOUR favorite charity a success takes more than volunteering or writing a check. Somebody has to ask for all those checks--and someday that somebody might be you.

If you are tapped to take part in-or even run--a serious money campaign, you could learn a lot from a guy like Robert Brown. As president of the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown, Pa., Brown helps raise $750,000 a year for the club's operations. And even though he has been asking people for money for years, he says, "it is one of the most difficult things to do for 98% of us."

You could be asked to be an asker if you're already a giver--a large donor, an active volunteer or especially a board member of a nonprofit organization. But if you're approached by your alma mater, the local public radio station, the city symphony or some other group you support and you don't want to be a fund-raiser, say so.

"Ask yourself, `Is this really where my heart is?'" suggests Maggie Shannon of Washington, D.C., a 25-year veteran volunteer fund-raiser who currently devotes most of her efforts to the Washington Hospital Center and Second Genesis, a nonprofit drug- and alcohol-rehabilitation program.

Brown, an Allentown lawyer, has no doubt where his heart is. He has been involved in nonprofit groups since high school--from a local senior-citizens group to a rape-crisis council. He was drawn to the Boys & Girls Club six years ago, he says, because "I saw that it provides services where they are most needed in the community."

The Allentown club operates seven havens for about 500 children, including three after--school centers in public housing and one for teens, a year-round camp, and a variety of programs to counsel kids and their families. As president, Brown works closely with David Ross, the club's executive director, and 35 members of the board to raise part of the club's $1.3-million annual budget. A gala dinner dance, a golf tournament and other events help attract cash. The rest comes from such sources as grants, United Way contributions and payments for services the club provides for the city and county.

But the fund-raising effort also relies on people asking people for money--the proven best way to get donations, especially sizable gifts or pledges, from individuals and corporations.

Practice, practice, practice

BEFORE ANYONE makes a single request, the organization must have its house in order. "It is not enough to be doing good. You have to be doing good well," says Ross.

As the one who will do the asking, you also have to be prepared with answers because donors are becoming more sophisticated and increasingly expect measurable results, says Ross. Be sure you're clear about the organization's mission, how the group differs from its competitors and how it measures success. (If the group has any problems, be ready to explain how they are being addressed.) Fund-raisers for the Boys & Girls Club, for example, emphasize that helping one child avoid repeating a grade--through intervention from the club's after-school educational programs--saves $7,000 in school costs.

If the group has a development director or has hired outside consultants to lead the campaign, you can count on training and leadership from them. The organization's staff also has to be ready to support you with brochures, annual reports and anything else that will help you learn all you need to know about the group. Ask for a written description of what you will be expected to do--such as attend meetings, ask a certain number of prospects for donations, recruit other volunteers and participate in training sessions.

As part of your training, a staff member should meet with you to expand on written materials and answer questions. Often, a successful volunteer fund-raiser will tell you what works for him or her. "Every board has people who have done well in the past who can pass on their skill and enthusiasm," says Brown. The training should also give you a basic understanding of the tax laws relating to charitable gifts.

"Like almost anything else," says Brown, "people get better at asking by just doing it awhile." But if you've never asked for donations before (or if you'd like to refine your technique), ask the group to schedule some role-playing. Awkward as it may seem at first, such practice makes it more likely you will succeed--and maybe even enjoy it.

Charlotte Schmidt, vice-president of the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, in Englewood, Colo., often conducts practice sessions with pretend donors so that fund-raisers can practice meeting with them and asking for donations of a specific size. Not only can role-playing teach you the ropes, Schmidt says, "it can help you deal with rejection" when, inevitably, some people say no.

That's when it also helps to keep your eye on the prize and remember what you're really working for. "Every program we do, especially research, is subsidized with charitable dollars," says Schmidt. The MS Center, with an annual budget of $2 million, does medical research, maintains the world's largest brain-tissue bank for medical researchers, and operates a day-treatment center for about 100 patients with multiple sclerosis.