The 7 Habits of a Kick-A$$ Development Director - VFRI

T H E 7 H A B I T S O F A

K I C K - A $ $ D E V E L O P M E N T

D I R E C T O R

P R E S E N T E D B Y

M A U R E E N D E V I N E - A H L

P R I N C I P A L , M K F U N D R A I S I N G S O L U T I O N S

P O L L

Who…

• Is currently serving as a Development

Director?

• Aspires to serve as a Development

Director?

• Needs to hire a Development Director?

• Supervises a Development Director?

• Manages other development staff?

P O L L

Your Development Shop Is:

• Small: There is one dedicated

fundraising position or less

• Medium: There are 1-3 dedicated

fundraising positions

• Large: There are 4-10 dedicated


• XL: There are more than 10 dedicated


H O W I G O T H E R E

T H E S E V E N H A B I T S

S T A R T W I T H T H E E N D I N M I N D

K N O W Y O U R N U M B E R S

H O N E Y O U R A R T O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N

S H O W F A C E

C O L L E C T A L L I E S

B E M O R E P R O A C T I V E T H A N R E A C T I V E

B U I L D A D A T A E C O S Y S T E M

START WITH THE END IN MIND

WHY:

• Gain a different perspective

• Become destination focused

• Avoid activity trap: climbing a ladder only to realize it’s leaning against the wrong wall

HOW:

• Define “the end”: start with a clear understanding of your destination

• Develop a professional and/or departmental mission statement

• Formal goal setting process

– Broken down by month- what do you aim to achieve

– Monthly check-in

S TA R T W I T H T H E E N D I N M I N D : T O O L S

Goal Setting and Tracking

Date Set/ Reviewed

Goal Status

Goal: Identify, cultivate and solicit 5 gifts of $10K+ by June 30, 2019

7/16/18 New

Employer Comments:

Ongoing- Acceptable/ Unacceptable

Employee Comments:

Final Result: Achieved/ Incomplete

Date Set/ Reviewed

Goal Status

Goal: Implement quarterly board thank-a-thon Q3 & Q4 7/16/18 New

Employer Comments:


Employee Comments:


Date Set/ Reviewed

Goal Status

Goal: Implement formal moves management system in database by June 30, 2019

7/16/18 New

Employer Comments:


Employee Comments:


S TA R T W I T H T H E E N D I N M I N D : T O O L S

Sample Development Planning Calendar

FY 2017 (July 2016 - June 2017)

FY 2018 (July 2017 – June 2018)

FY 2019 (July 2018 – June 2019)

Key

Fundraising Event

Point of Entry Event

Stewardship Event

3rd Party Event

Appeal

*Received ◊Goal

July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016

Summer Appeal ($5,545*) Friends Tour Transformations Breakfast

($52,056.00*) Fall Newsletter ($12,785*) Golf Outing ($17,503.96*)

Phoneathon ($400*) Holiday Appeal ($32,065*)

Friends Tour

January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017

Friends Tour Friends Tour Fired up for Housing

($1,410*) Spring Newsletter

Transforming Lives Gala Friends Tour

Planned Giving Workshop Friends Tour

Summer Appeal Friends Tour


Wine Tasting/Restaurant

($8,000◊)

Friends Tour

Port City Brewery ($500◊)

Friends Tour

Food Truck Festival

($5,000◊)

Fall Newsletter Friends Tour

Golf Outing ($20,000◊)

Friends Tour

Casino Event ($80,000◊)

10,000 Villages ($500◊)

Brewery Tour ($2,500◊)

Friends Tour

Annual Report Appeal Vendor Fair/Home Tour

($10,000◊)

Friends Tour


Friends Tour

Bingo ($5,000◊)

Distillery Tour ($2,500◊)

Friends Tour

Hops for Housing

($1500◊)

Spring Newsletter Friends Tour

Transformations Breakfast

($80,000◊)

Friends Tour

Distillery/Winery Tour

($2,500◊)

Bingo ($5,000◊)

Friends Tour

Summer Appeal Friends Tour


Friends Tour Friends Tour Spring Newsletter

Friends Tour

Transformations Breakfast

($80,000◊)

Friends Tour Friends Tour Summer Appeal

Friends Tour


Friends Tour Friends Tour Fall Newsletter Friends Tour

Golf Outing ($20,000◊)

Gala ($160,000◊)

Friends Tour Friends Tour Annual Report Appeal

Friends Tour

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:S TA R T W I T H T H E E N D I N M I N D

Get leadership

involved!

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

WHY:

• Because it’s your job!

• It’s the data that supports your plan, and your next move

• B4, not after

HOW:

• First, know your buckets:

– Annual giving, planned giving, major gifts, events, restricted

• Second, know what’s currently in them, what’s been in them, and what could land in them

– Year to date totals, year over year totals, participation rates, and pipelines

K N O W Y O U R N U M B E R S : T O O L S

Direct Mail

$882,953.83

17%

Bequests:

$1,917,849.33

37%

Events:

$407,080.90

8%

Annual Giving:

$1,882,080.01

37%

Programming/Targeted

Need:

$14.00

0%

Grants:

$8,000.00

0%

Restricted:

$25,888.27

1%

3-year Revenue by Source

Revenue Buckets FY16 FY17 FY18 Totals

Direct Mail $246,839.80 $332,453.35 $303,660.68 $882,953.83

Bequests: $617,845.44 $533,478.46 $766,525.43 $1,917,849.33

Events: $120,704.97 $157,801.29 $128,574.64 $407,080.90

Annual Giving: $613,677.73 $606,079.77 $662,322.51 $1,882,080.01

Programming/Targeted

Need: $14.00 $14.00

Grants: $1,000.00 $7,000.00 $8,000.00

Restricted: $13,840.00 $6,345.45 $5,702.82 $25,888.27

K N O W Y O U R N U M B E R S : T O O L S

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

400000

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Monthly Total Comparison

FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19

January February March April May June July August

Septemb

er October

Novemb

er

Decemb

er

FY16 30000 12000 108000 15000 8000 10000 5000 4000 35000 18000 55000 350000

FY17 35000 15000 100000 15500 12000 80000 4000 5000 42000 19000 57000 358000

FY18 37500 8000 110000 16000 10000 95000 6000 4000 44000 21000 58500 363000

FY19 36000 13000 150000 18000 12000 105000 6500 5000

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:K N O W Y O U R N U M B E R S

Work with your

finance person!

HONE YOUR ART OF COMMUNICATION

WHY:

• 2015 Microsoft study on attention spans

• The science of giving

– Ruled by hearts

– Fundamentally a social act

• You’ve got to ask to get

“In Maine we have a saying that there’s no point in speaking unless you can improve on silence”

–Edmund Muskie, former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/mar/23/the-science-behind-why-people-give-money-to-charity, “You’ve Got 00:00:08 Seconds, Communication Secrets for a Distracted World,

by Paul Hellman”

https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/mar/23/the-science-behind-why-people-give-money-to-charity

HONE YOUR ART OF COMMUNICATION

HOW:

• Think like the audience. Avoid the “curse of knowledge”

• Fast Focus Method:

1. Why should I listen (or read this)?

2. What exactly are you saying?

3. What should I do with this info?

• Use different ways to persuade

1. Head: influence thinking with facts, data and logic

2. Heart: influence feeling with compelling stories, share how you feel

3. Hands: influence doing by modeling the desired behavior, call for action

H O N E Y O U R A R T O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N : T O O L S

• Establish a Communications Calendar

• Get professional help and/or befriend your

communications person

• Understand your communication/thinking style:

personality tests (Meyers Briggs, Enneagram)

• Read :“You’ve Got 00:00:08 Seconds, Communication

Secrets from a Distracted World” by Paul Hellman

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:H O N E Y O U R A R T O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N

Practice!

SHOW FACE

WHY:

• A good director is a good relationship manager

• Best giving experiences are personal

• It will pay off

HOW:

• Call one donor a day

– Tip: It’s not always about asking for money

• Set (and hit!) meeting volume goals

• Encourage this practice across the org

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:S H O W F A C E

Get leadership

involved!

COLLECT ALLIES

WHY:

• Definition: combine or unite a resource or commodity with (another) for mutual benefit

• Fundraising works best as a team sport

• It’s how to get things done. Period.

HOW:

• Regular, personal check-ins

• Find common ground

– “Even when an alliance looks great on paper, cultural differences between the parties or mismatched expectations can

undermine the arrangement.”

• Always be strategizing

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:C O L L E C T A L L I E S

Just be human!

WHY:

• Donors will feel the difference

• Board/staff will feel the difference

• Avoid perpetual “hair on fire”

• Business-based approach

“Make small commitments, keep them. Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic.

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

–The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

BE MORE PROACTIVE THAN REACTIVE

HOW:

• Proactive Fundraising: fundraisers and programmatic staff develop, focus and prioritize their

ideas and capabilities behind a strategy that targets where and with whom they need to form

long-term relationships.

– Needed: right skills & contacts + investments in time, people and resources

• Reactive Fundraising: organizations compete in the marketplace to establish they are the best

to utilize funding to solve a critical need and/or deploy quickly

– Needed: well-rounded, responsive, innovative and competitive programs, ability to articulate and

produce proposals, concept note, grant applications, communications strategies.

Source: https://www.nonprofitpro.com/article/fundraising-fundamentals-proactive-vs-reactive/

BE MORE PROACTIVE THAN REACTIVE

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:B E M O R E P R O A C T I V E T H A N R E A C T I V E

Invest in a development

assessment & plan!

P R O A C T I V E V S . R E A C T I V E : T O O L S

FOUR PILLARS OF FUNDRAISING

CASE LEADERSHIP DONORS SYSTEMS

A clear and compelling

case for support is the

core of successful

development efforts.

Consistent messaging

should carry through all

marketing vehicles

across the organization.

Engaged and supported

leadership, willing to

introduce the mission to

their networks, ensures

there is a larger team

advocating for the

success of the

organization.

The right blend of

research, identification,

cultivation and

stewardship for new

and existing donors,

requires thoughtful

planning and tailored

strategies.

Strong and adequate

systems, that provide

for prospect

management, moves

management,

stewardship, and staff

needs are necessary to

support successful

development efforts.

INVEST IN YOUR DATA ECOSYSTEM

WHY:

• A data ecosystem is a collection of infrastructure, analytics, and applications used to capture and analyze data.

• Used to increase user engagement, message users directly, analyze individual users or cohorts, track conversions and marketing funnels, increase user retention, integrate with other applications

• You can always find ways to make it make you look good!

HOW:

• Establish data infrastructure: your database

• Establish analytic practices: what do you want to know, track, measure?

– Hint: start with canned reports!

• Apply the data: use the data to inform action

– Hint: major gift leads, top volunteers, stewardship practices, predict outcomes, new strategies

Source: https://mixpanel.com/topics/what-is-a-data-ecosystem/

KICK-A$$ PRO TIP:B U I L D A D ATA E C O S Y S T E M

Befriend your/a data

person!

S T A R T W I T H T H E E N D I N M I N D

K N O W Y O U R N U M B E R S

H O N E Y O U R A R T O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N

S H O W F A C E

C O L L E C T A L L I E S

B E M O R E P R O A C T I V E T H A N R E A C T I V E

B U I L D A D A T A E C O S Y S T E M

H O W T O I M P L E M E N T

H OW TO F O R M

H A B I T S

Source: The 3 R’s of Habit Change: How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick. https://jamesclear.com/three-

steps-habit-change

Habit Reminder Routine Reward

Start with the End in

Mind

Annual Evaluations Complete annual goal setting

sheet

Celebrate achieving goals

Know Your Numbers Regular calendar notice Pull standardized reports Find and share good

statistics

Hone Your Art of

Communication

Annual appeal Write first, edit later Raise more money!

Show Face Daily calendar reminder Call a donor More relationships

Collect Allies Board elections Meet with new board

members

Partnerships and friends

Be More Proactive Than

Reactive

New fiscal year Create a month by month

plan

Less stress

Build a Data Ecosystem Board meetings Find one new data point to

report/track

New opportunities

H O W T O G E T S T A R T E D

POLL

Who…

• Learned something useful today?

• Plans to implement something they learned today?

• Wishes they had more time with this material?

• Wishes they had less time with this material?

• Thinks this was a total waste of time?

Q U E S T I O N S & S H A R I N G

Documents

The 7 Habits of a Kick-A$$ Development Director - VFRI