A presentation made in November 2008 to Young Life staff as they prepared to begin fundraising for their organization.

1. Fundraising and Stewardship
Hall County Young Life
Frank McKay
j.franklin.mckay@gmail.com

2. Some Common Fundraising Myths
(There are many more!)
• People give to meet “needs”
o Need doesn’t inspire action (every charity needs more money)
o Providing your donor the opportunity to change lives inspires their
giving
• If 1,000 people gave $100…
o 80/20 Rule (now 90/10, perhaps?)
o Higher end donors are essential (and require personal attention)
• Corporate sponsorships are the answer
o In 2006, 83 percent of all charitable gifts came from individuals (Giving
USA)
o Gifts from corporations/foundations probably came through an
individual who was a link between the charity and the giving entity
• I have to do it all myself
o As with any aspect of your job, going it alone is rarely a good idea
o Seek counsel from others; garner volunteer support; etc.

3. 10 Laws of Fundraising
• People give to people
• People give because they are asked
• 80 percent of the money comes from 20 percent of the donors
• People will give to a winning cause
• People give in relation to the person who asks
• Giving is contagious
• Previous donors make the best prospective donors
• High sights plus managed expectations result in success
• Personal visits result in larger gifts
• Correlation between number of requests and number of gifts

4. Key to Fundraising Success:
Involvement
• Think about where you invest your time and finances
o “The more involved, engaged, and passionate your donors are, the
more likely they are to give.”
o “Building a community that is more informed, involved, and invested”
• It’s as much about helping your donors meet their needs as it is about
your cause
• How do we get people involved?
o Ask for their advice (people love to feel important)
o Ask for their help (host an event, speak to kids, etc.)
o Ask them to serve on a committee

5. Donor Cultivation Cycle
,GHQWLI
6 WHZ D U G 5 HV HD U F K
$ VN & X O WLY D WH

6. Identify
• Every organization is different, so identification methods
will also be different
• At Young Life, the two primary items to look for are:
o A heart for Christ
o A heart for lost kids
• Develop your “elevator speech”
• Take every chance to speak to groups, meet with others,
etc. to tell them about Young Life and see who expresses
an interest in your mission
• Follow up and seek their continued involvement

7. Research
• Once you’ve identified someone as a potential friend, there are
certain things you need to learn:
o How true are her desires to help Young Life?
o How large of a gift might she be capable of?
o How large of a gift might she be willing to make?
o What else occupies her time?
o Where else does she invest her time and resources?
• How do you do this?
o Personal visits
o Google/Internet searches
o Fact gathering through friends; prospecting meetings with
community volunteers; etc.

8. Cultivate
Because cold research isn’t enough – you’ve got to learn about the
prospect and get him engaged in your cause
Getting to know your prospects:
• “When you were young, who spoke into your life about Christ?”
• “What do you think young people need today?”
• “How do you think ______ would resonate with kids?”
Helping your prospects know you:
• Send them an “insider” newsletter
• Invite them to special events (dinners with other prospects, etc.)
• Invite them to participate in a focus group for important feedback
• Provide a mix of group & one-on-one activities (avoid pressure from
too much close activity, and don’t create distance with too much group
activity – plus, through group activities, you can determine how
effective a volunteer that person might be)

9. Ask
• A successful gift request takes into consideration:
o The right donor
o The right cause
o The right amount
o The right solicitor
o The right timing
• “Would you join me with a gift….”
• Silence is “Golden”
• Turning objections into objectives

10. Steward
• What is the most effective stewardship?
o THANK YOU
o Seven “Thank Yous” for every gift
Letters, cards, calls, notes from those who benefit
Spread them out –remind the donor of her gift throughout the
year
• Delicate balance
o 80% of donors give relatively small amounts
o 20% of donors give significant amounts
o Treat all with respect while focusing on those who require special
attention for the benefit of your organization
• Remember: fundraising is about relationships
o Between you and the donor
o Between your organization and the donor
o Between one donor and another
o Build all of these relationships, and your organization grows
stronger

11. Steward (continued)
• Gift retention is the key to long-term stability and growth
• Better said in Ask Without Fear, “Love your donors”
o (How would you want to be treated?)
o Each person deserves an individual plan
o What does this plan do?
Inform
Involve
Garner investment
o How does this plan look?
Mailing list and yearly request
Phone call once a quarter to stay in touch
Insider newsletter quarterly / between other publications
Lunch once a month to seek counsel
Bi-weekly contact of any sort to keep informed

12. Donor Cultivation Cycle
,GHQWLI
6 WHZ D U G 5 HV HD U F K
$ VN & X O WLY D WH

13. Other Tips
• Seek out some blogs and online publications to refresh your
fundraising efforts and strategies, such as:
o Fundraising Coach
o Donor Power Blog
o Non Profit Times
o Fundraising Success
o Etc.
Benefits – they aren’t a book that you read once and put on a shelf
– they provide constant reminders of how to improve your
fundraising efforts with new ideas that reflect current trends.
• Use blue ink
• Put yourself in their shoes
• Pray

14. Bibliography
Books
• Ask Without Fear, Marc Pitman
• Essential Principles for Fundraising Success, Douglass Alexander
• Fundraising Fundamentals, James Greenfield
Articles/Presentations
• Enjoy the Ride! How to effectively raise funds in a roller-coaster
economy, Mary Ellen Collins
• Fund Raising in a Difficult Economic Climate, Derval Costello
• Non-Profit Fund-Raising Demystified, Tony Poderis
• Growing and Nurturing Your Donors: Cultivation Tools for Today and
Tomorrow, Frank McKay
• Face to Face Fundraising Techniques – the ABCs, Frank McKay