Cultural Heritage Matters

In these days of economic hardship, cultural heritage institutions are relying on their donors more than ever. It’s therefore imperative that professionals working at all levels in these institutions have training in proper donor stewardship.

Lists like the following (a one-page “donor bill of rights”) make that task fairly easy. Post it on the wall above your phone, make ticklers on your calendar, and implement processes to be sure your donors are well-cared for. Thanks to the Association of Fundraising Professionals for developing this handy reference.

1. Inform donors of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for intended purposes.

2. Inform donors of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

3. Give donors access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

4. Assure donors their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

5. Ensure donors receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.

6. Assure donors that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

7. Assure donors that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

8. Inform donors whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization, or hired solicitors.

9. Give donors the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

10. Give donors the freedom to ask questions when making a donation and give them prompt, truthful, and forthright answers.

Over the last several months, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been asked to participate in a number of panel discussions at the University of Denver. Each time the topic has been on some aspect of nonprofit fundraising. I just wanted to pass along two points I found interesting in those discussions.

1. All of the panelists (including me) agreed that cultivating new donors is a process. Those relationships are about getting to know the donor as an individual and finding if/how the donor is connected to your organization’s mission. The point is to find out if there is something about your organization that makes the donor feel good.

It is quite possible that a year or more will go by before you ask a new donor for financial support. And it may be that you won’t even have to ask the donor for money – if you’ve taken the time to build a genuine relationship, s/he may offer to fund a special project before you even ask.  Raising money without ever overtly asking for it is what I’ve found to be the most fun and interesting part about fundraising. It is certainly among the most artful ways to build support.

2. Keep your donor database updated. I cannot stress enough the importance of having a good piece of software and implementing processes with your staff to ensure the database stays updated. Record all of your interactions with donors with the greatest possible detail.

I knew a development officer at one organization who took a donor out to a nice restaurant. Turned out that the donor didn’t like nice restaurants at all. He was a pizza and beer kind of guy (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too). If the development officer had read the database notes left by the previous development manager about that donor, she would have avoided making an embarrassing mistake. Don’t assume anything about your donors.

Writing thank you letters is probably the single most important aspect of donor relations.

I spent about half a day last week streamlining my process for getting these important pieces of mail out the door as quickly as possible. Now I have a template that’s easily customizable, in addition to a system to track letters I have sent and those I haven’t. My goal is to get them out within two days of the donation. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m close.

Whether it’s for a $10,000 gift or a single book, I spend some time thinking about why each donor might be giving to our institution and work those thoughts into my letter. Approaching correspondence in this way also gives me a point from which to start my next conversation with that person. The whole point is to build a relationship, which means taking a genuine interest in our donors. It not only ensures future gifts, but it also gives me a chance to get to know our donors as people. The latter is what I find the most meaningful and fun.

And few things are more satisfying than printing the letter on thick stock letterhead, signing my name, and dropping the envelope in the mail. There’s a tangibility to those acts that gives my day a sense of accomplishment and purpose.