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Snagging corporations in your fundraising efforts
By June Bradham
Q. With so many great companies in Charleston and so many more big corporations relocating to the area, we want to expand our fundraising efforts to include corporate giving. These asks are a bit intimidating. How can I prepare my staff and increase the likelihood that these companies will give?
A. Now is a great time to embark on this essential element of your development operations. A study was recently released by The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy which found that corporate giving was up almost 5% last year. In general, service-oriented companies gave more than manufacturers, and technology companies showed the biggest increase in giving of any industry. As more companies like Google come to what is truly becoming an “innovation corridor,” your pool of potential donors will only continue to grow.
My first recommendation in approaching corporations for donations is to work from the inside out. This means, rather than calling Bill Gates, call the CEO of the tech support company you use. Start with those partners—get away from thinking of them as vendors—you already know and build upon those relationships you already have. Work with your entire team to identify as many of these relationships as you can and begin ranking them in order of potential gift size, just as you would individual donors. You’ll be surprised by how many potential corporate donors you already know.
As you approach these vendors, take special care to absolutely avoid implying that continued business depends on their making a contribution. Any such suggestion is illegal. Rather, you first want to stress that their contribution can help the nonprofit continue to grow and prosper. (Obviously, that growth will be in the best interest of the corporate partner in the long run.)
The next thing to keep in mind is that while corporations like to appear altruistic to the community, they are also not likely to give if there is no business case to be made. Your ask, therefore, needs to be about you but also about them. Ensure them that their name will be used in association with the project (in press releases, media coverage etc.), their company logo will be displayed prominently on a donor recognition wall and so on.
Another incentive to consider is to ask corporate leaders to join your organization in a volunteer capacity. Not only will this demonstrate that you really aren’t there just for the check, but that you value them as effective leaders. So, the old, transactional model for fundraising—ask your vendor for a check—has been replaced with the new, transformational model. This model is built on partnerships and donations of time and expertise as well as on financial gifts.
There are quite literally billions of dollars in corporate gifts just waiting to be asked for. You certainly need confidence but more important, you need to capitalize on relationships you’ve already worked hard to build.
Q. I am on a board for a nonprofit I am very passionate about. I enjoy my fellow board members and support the mission of the organization but I am not able to devote as much time as I know I should. How can I stay involved without feeling like I’m holding the board back?
A. People are chosen to serve on boards because they are experienced, dedicated, and influential in the community and it follows that these people are busy. Your problem is not an uncommon one and unfortunately, many organizations are not clear about what their expectations for time participation really are. That lack of clarity about expectations can produce lots of confusion for board members and nonprofit administration alike.
If you are looking for ways to continue supporting your organization without it completely monopolizing your time, here are a few ways to scale back. Discussing these with your chairman and the executive director is a good first step.
• Evaluate the plan for the year and choose those events/programs that mean the most to you. Volunteer to lead those few initiatives rather than participating in everything on the board’s plate.
• If you can’t attend a meeting, at least review the agenda and send an e-mail to the chair with a few comments or recommendations.
• Stay connected with other board members through e-mails, brief phone calls or meetings. This will keep you up to speed without investing lots of hours at the boardroom table.
• Use your time away from the organization to talk it up to colleagues and friends.
• Do attend board retreats and annual meetings. These are the best opportunities to learn about upcoming challenges and to get reenergized.
Remember, too, that your No. 1 responsibility as a board member is to lead by example. This means that even though you can’t give of your time as much as you’d like, you must give of your treasure when called upon to do so.
June Bradham is president of Corporate DevelopMint, a fundraising consulting firm with offices in Charleston, Greenville, Blowing Rock, N.C., Atlanta, Ga., and Richmond, Va. E-mail her at cdm@corporatedevelopmint.com.
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