SuddesGroup

CEOs and Development

Tom Suddes | November 25, 2006

Case Currents published this great article 10 years ago for senior staff and administrators. In a nutshell, here it is:

There are 12 qualities that make a nonprofit Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Executive Director a GREAT partner in the Fundraising/Development Department.

1. Vision and Leadership.
   A nonprofit CEO should have:
   • A well-articulated vision of where the institution can go
   • Goals to achieve the vision
   • A credible strategic plan for meeting the goals
   Good leadership and good management of resources will inspire prospects to invest.
2. Commitment to the Institution. A CEO should truly believe in the institution’s mission.
3. Commitment to Development. The CEO should make fundraising a personal and institutional priority. Development should organize, develop a strategy and keep the fundraising program on track.
4. Integrity and Honesty. Moral fiber is essential in a CEO. The consistency (or inconsistency) of responses to issues, questions, and problems will show up over time.
5. Perseverance and Patience. Virtually every major “Ask” follows many years of cultivation. The CEO should be prepared to spend long periods of time in pursuit of a gift.
6. Optimism. The ideal CEO believes success is possible and keeps perspective–and hope–when minor setbacks occur. Fundraising requires a positive outlook and a long view.
7. Communication Skills. All CEO’s should learn how to speak effectively to large groups, small groups, a TV camera, and individual constituents. Being a good listener is also critical.
8. Energy and Pacing. CEOs should work with their staff to pace themselves and handle their schedules wisely because of all the extra events, meetings, and calls after normal working hours.
9. Openness to Advice. A CEO and Chief Development Officer CDO should be a team with complementary strengths. They should be able to share advice and ideas often and easily.
10. A Sense of Humor. A CEO can relieve everyone’s tensions by seeing the humor in situations that go awry.
11. Creativity. When the original plan for a solicitation falls flat, a creative CEO can keep the door open for another proposal.
12. Understands “who should” and “how to” ask for money. Sometimes a CEO will make “the ask,” and other times a volunteer will be the primary solicitor, while the CEO supports the ask. Good CEO’s understand this duality.

A CEO should also:

• Make the CDO a part of the policy team.
• Trust the CDO and delegate authority.
• Provide adequate resources.
• Handle differences in private.
• Support and encourage the staff.
• Offer candid and constructive criticism.
• Make decisions in a timely fashion.

The Only Presentation Tool You Need

Tom Suddes | November 25, 2006

Simplify your message so that it fits on a napkin.

It’s not easy. In fact, it’s really hard to simplify your message/model/meaning on a back of a napkin. However, I believe that your ability to engage someone with what you do, why and how is proportional to how clearly and cleanly you can communicate your message.

This is a really big deal. When sitting down with someone new they should ‘get it’ in a matter of seconds. Too often we overwhelm people with powerpoints, three-ring binders, slick brochures … don’t do it.

I’ve made many ‘million dollar calls’ using ONLY a napkin. I believe it is the BEST and ONLY presentation tool you need.

Just for kicks … see if you can identify these industry changing businesses from the napkins below (click to enlarge). I will buy a subscription to Fast Company for anyone that gets all four. E-Mail with your answers or your own napkin (I’m happy to respond … add thoughts, etc.)

No More Major Gift Officers

Tom Suddes | November 21, 2006

Don’t freak out! If you ARE a Major Gift Officer … or have just HIRED a Major Gift Officer … or HAVE multiple Major Gift Officers … THAT’S GREAT!!!

What I’m strongly urging you to do is to CHANGE THEIR TITLE!!!

• It’s soooooo development-y and fundraise-y!
• It’s such an insider’s word.

We should wear a sandwich board that says “I’m a MAJOR GIFT OFFICER. I’m coming to ask you for a Major Gift. Get ready.”

Nobody OUTSIDE your organization deals with “MAJOR GIFTS”.

Nobody INSIDE even knows what they are.

As always, I challenge you with the NO MORE … but offer an alternative SOLUTION.

Change the TITLE of your “MAJOR GIFT OFFICERS” to something that includes the word RELATIONSHIP!!!

• Could be a CRO: Chief Relationship Officer.
• Could be a RRO: Regional Relationship Officer
• Could be RDOR: Regional Director of Relationships
• Could be a CRO: College Relationship Officer
• Could be just R.O.: Relationship Officer

More Vocablary Changes

Tom Suddes | November 21, 2006

Wherever we go people really seem to be impacted by the For Impact Change in Vocabulary. This week, I wanted to leave you with more word changes …

I would encourage you to share these vocabulary changes with your entire team including your board. Go one step further and develop your own ‘team vocublary’ or team language.

How does this change the way you FUND your Vision??

Present, Then Follow-Up

Tom Suddes | November 21, 2006

I had a chance last week to be with the COLORADO COLLEGE SALES TEAM. They’re on fire and doing a great job.

One of the issues/challenges that came up was around the FOLLOW-UP LETTER … and then the FOLLOW-UP PHONE CALL or VISIT.

What follows is a relatively SIMPLE way to look at this 3 STEP PROCESS.
I hope it helps.

P.S. It won’t help at all if you’re not actually making the VISIT/ PRESENTATION in the first place! JUST ASK!

COMMENSURATE COMMITMENTS
THE BIG 3

IN THE COMMITMENT PROCESS …
EACH OF THESE HAS EQUAL WEIGHT (IMPORTANCE)!!!

The beauty of this model is that by FOLLOWING-UP … IN WRITING … with a DATE for the phone/visit FOLLOW-UP makes it really hard NOT to do the follow-up!!

P.S. Take it from someone who has made over 6,000 presentations: The LONGER you WAIT before you send the FOLLOW-UP LETTER … the weaker the response (yours and theirs)!!! ‘Git ‘er done!’

Your Funding Plan Supports Your Case

Nick Fellers | November 21, 2006

I’ve been a road warrior the past two months. For schools, entrepreneurial start-ups and other organizations a big epiphany continues to be the idea that your funding plan actually is part of your case for support.

To me, the funding plan is the HOW behind the big picture dollar goal and the big picture dollar goal is what you need to deliver on your vision. So, in essence, this is HOW you will deliver on your vision. Is that important? You bet!

I’ve found that most organizations don’t have a funding plan.

Three simple action steps here:

• Determine the dollar amount you need for both operations and projects. What is the lump sum? Do the math! 80% of organizations can’t answer this question.
• How many investments would you need - and at what amounts to achieve this goal?
• When? (One year? Three years? Five years?)

The funding plan does a few things as it relates to your case:

• It makes it believable
• It shows a potential investor how she/he would fit into the funding vision.
• It also illustrates that you’re not just picking a number out of the air - there is logic.

Extra bonus: There are times when you can actually ask the potential investor, “Where do you see yourself in this plan?” Then, you let them select a dollar level.

Return On Energy

Nick Fellers | November 20, 2006

Here is a simple idea you can use to frame your thinking around your funding plan:

.

This seems to be especially big for organizations trapped in a transaction-based system of special events (life-sucking, volunteer-draining) with often and incredibly low RETURN ON ENERGY.

If that describes your organization then think about this rhetorical question: What would happen if you did away with one event. Then, you focused all that energy (time, urgency, people, resources) on building a great relationships with one or two prospects that could invest $1Million in your vision?

Remember:

• Special Events As Fundraisers Stink- they’re not special.
• Major Gifts: Raise the most money at the least cost.
• 97/3: 97% of the money/investments comes from 3% of your family … focus on the 3%

Story:

Last week I was with a school in Albuquerque. The bulk of the funding strategy revolved around special events … in fact, they were running FIVE events. The board was drained. It made a commitment to CHANGE the way it FUNDED the VISION. In only one week so far, the board has generated more than $80,000 to fund student scholarships by working only a few key phone relationships. To really see the ‘WOW’ you need to know that they these events were consuming hundreds of volunteer hours and netting an average of $30K - $50K each (with a funding cost as high as 70 cents to raise a dollar - yikes).

To me, this is a wonderful example of stopping to think about the RETURN ON ENERGY, making a commitment to change and enjoying IMMEDIATE RESULTS.

Final Note: This applies to EVERYTHING you’re doing. Take a moment this Friday morning to think about your RETURN ON ENERGY.

Sustainability

Tom Suddes | October 14, 2006

I see and hear and review a lot of organizations’ plans for “funding”, for a “campaign” and for “fundraising”. It seems like they’re always FOCUSED on a big word, for them: SUSTAINABILITY. For some reason, I hate that word.

“SUSTAINABILITY” is a function of IMPACT! (Not INCOME.)

It seems like every “nonprofit” in the world is looking for “ENDOWMENTS” for “SUSTAINABILITY”.

Rather, if you FOCUS on your IMPACT… and your DELIVER on your IMPACT… there will always be INVESTORS who will help you FUND YOUR VISION.

Casting and Funding a Vision (intro)

Nick Fellers | September 13, 2006

This introductory teleseminar offers a condensed version of our popular 1/2-day introductory worskhop. Change the way you FUND your Vision with these simple nine guiding principles that range from the For Impact vocabulary to the introduction of the Major Gifts Process.

This seminar is led by Nick Fellers and is 38 minutes in length.

Intro Seminar

MP3 File | Download Call Notes

Culture for a High Performance Sales Team

Tom Suddes | September 1, 2006

This nugget may be geared more towards the SALES MANAGERS in the For Impact world. But, I love the closing chapter of Wilson’s CHANGING THE GAME.

Wilson’s definition of a HIGH-PERFORMING WORK TEAM:

“A group of committed people who, by working and sharing together, are getting optimal results over a long period of time because they are doing they want to do and being who they want to be.”

WOW!

Wilson closes with his FIVE FACTORS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAMS, listed in order of importance:

Wilson and Suddes agree that you need to write out the following and put it where you can see it every day.

“YOUR RESULTS ARE BASED ON WHAT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO.”

–Larry Wilson

“YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE A RESULT OF YOUR FOCUS.”

–Suddes