When an institution’s leadership complains, “we have never had a strong culture of fundraising success,” there are three assessments worth making immediately.
- What is the balance between inviting gifts vs. stewarding gifts? Over time, donors who care will follow our lead. If an advancement team is not inviting gifts from donors with the same energy and consistency as they are thanking donors who already gave, it is common to hear that the “culture” is weak. For example, an organization might have almost no consistent history of directly inviting gifts – either annual or major – and yet, the team will spend hours handwriting notes for donors who make a first gift of $25.
- What is the balance of time spent by the President/CEO on internal management vs. external relationship building? Over time, leadership engagement in advancement matters. For all nonprofit organizations and institutions the top executive officer needs to spend at least part of their time consistently and purposefully engaging with donors in order to have a strong culture of philanthropy. For example, an institution with a President or CEO who approaches their role more like a Provost or COO and doesn’t consistently focus at least a portion of their energy and time in donor relationship-building will experience a weaker culture of philanthropy. It’s rarely about spending a certain percentage of time on external relationships, it’s about consistently doing so.
- What is the balance between institutional planning vs. a reactive workplace? Over time, all healthy and productive advancement outcomes emerge from consistent strategic planning. If the institution’s leadership doesn’t consistently and strategically plan for the future, then a more reactive (and far less productive) advancement program develops. For example, an advancement team at an institution without a broader institutional vision and plan will either “do what we did last year,” or will react to whatever priority is championed the loudest by colleagues or donors. Neither of these advancement strategies inspires donors to give generously over time.
Strengthening the culture of giving for an institution is not complex.
It’s focusing consistently on aligning our behaviors with the outcomes we say we want.
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