SUMMERY STRATEGY
Chapter Leadership Brief 8.9.24
by Veronica Bainbridge
Fundraising Executive
It’s the height of summer, and – while I’m not sure there’s ever truly a slow season these days (looking at you, August deadlines!) – perhaps with donors and colleagues out of town, you’ll get a moment to take a step back from the daily churn and assess how your fundraising is positioned for success.
Whether your tactics and strategies are instinctive and practiced, or whether you’re still building your program, there’s always good reason to assess your operations. I’m stealing a few spare hours to think and plan, with these questions top of mind:
- How well do we know our donors? And how much do our donors know about what their contributions make possible? I’m considering new stewardship tactics and a “menu” of experiences – including newsletters and impact stories, behind-the-scenes opportunities or program insights, meetings with organizational leaders, and anything else that brings to life what our donors make possible. I also want to document all the ways in which donor prospects come to my attention, because then I can create the right pathways for deeper engagement. As donor constituencies evolve, we constantly need to review our relationship-building practices.
- How can we ensure that colleagues across the organization understand that everyone has a role in fundraising? I believe transparency about what we do (and how we do it) underlines the need for buy-in – so perhaps now’s a good time for an all-staff presentation on fundraising that will help build a culture of philanthropy. I hope I can find time for informal individual meetings with program staff and subject-matter experts – it’s always rewarding to hear directly how the work solves a problem or serves a need, to understand more about how decisions are made, and to learn more about plans and dreams. Perhaps you’ll glean behind-the-scenes insights that your donors will love to hear – or perhaps you’ll even identify new funding opportunities.
- What will you worry about at your busiest times? If new resources – staff, systems, support – will be helpful or critical, perhaps now is the time to put the case together. And I don’t just mean financial or human resources: Fundraising is also powered by actionable information and effective communication. Can you build more reliable practices to ensure that your fundraising team gets the data and stories it needs? Advocate for what you need to maximize opportunities – and therefore revenue.
- As fundraisers, we are not always in control of incoming dollars – and while money talks, it’s not the only mechanism to assess performance. I’ve found it really helpful to consider all possible ways that the fundraising team can set and achieve goals. You may already be tracking portfolio scope, outreach and solicitations; depending on the role, you might also assess responsiveness to questions, turnaround time for correspondence, familiarity with policy, quality of recordkeeping, etc. There will be ways you can assess success that complement the key metric of funds raised.
When you’ve considered your building blocks and stumbling blocks, the fundraising plan for the year ahead will come into focus. And if you need more inspiration and new ideas, AFP is here to support! This fall’s events include an ask-us-anything discussion of galas and events on September 24, and the Fundraising Fundamentals symposium on October 15; check out upcoming events here.
And most critically: there’s you. I hope you get time and space this summer for contemplation and vacation. Happy summer!
Veronica Bainbridge serves on the Board of Directors for the New York City Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is currently Chief Advancement Officer at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and was previously Deputy Director for Development at Madison Square Park Conservancy. Veronica has also held fundraising leadership roles at the International Center for Photography, the Vineyard Theatre and Labyrinth Theater Company.