I once conducted a campaign readiness study for a client in which a participant who had made a 7-figure gift some years back stopped our interview and asked, “I have a question for you. . . Is this institution still Christian?”
A bit caught off guard, I responded by saying, “I’m not on campus every day, but I’ve had a chance to interact a good bit with people there. And, from what I’ve heard and seen from administration, faculty, program leaders, and students, my impression is that their faith foundation remains very strong.”
She responded by saying, “I don’t know. I’m not there much either but I’ve heard other people in the community say that they aren’t really Christian at all today. So, I’m not so sure.”
“Have you reached out to the people you know who work there to talk with them about your concerns?” I asked.
“No,” she said, “It’s not that important.” Clearly, it was that important to her.
“Well,” I continued, “I wouldn’t take my word for it. And, I probably would question anyone else’s thoughts who aren’t closely connected either. It might be best to talk to the people you trust on campus and ask them this question. Give them a chance to respond and see what they have to say.”
“I don’t know,” she said, “I’m just concerned.”
Her question wasn’t really a question.
Instead, she had already formed an opinion based on what someone in the community said, (i.e., “the institution probably isn’t as Christian as I would like”). If that opinion wasn’t countered by others, “in the community,” her care and support could easily melt away over time.
This episode reminded me of the power of organic marketing – that powerful, authentic, word-of-mouth marketing we should be doing first and foremost with our campus colleagues, our close friends, and our volunteer leaders.
Helping them respond to important questions of the day.
Giving them talking points.
Workshopping with them how to respond to questions they may get asked.
Reviewing with them mission, vision, and values statements and providing updated stories that show evidence of progress and support.
When advancement professionals lean into our work of consistently educating, equipping, and engaging those who are closest to our institutions with key aspects of progress, points of distinction, and other value-laden information, we not only tremendously expand our institution’s capacity to market well and inexpensively.
But because those who are close to our institution have various spheres of influence, we also may find that more of our major donors stop saying, “I have a question. . .”
If everyone already in the pool is talking about how warm and wonderful the water feels, far more people will jump in.
