California Dreamin'

If you've wanted to learn more about fundraising for animal welfare, or, if you have a board member or Excutive Director who you'd like to get up to speed with fundraising, consider attending American Humane's conference in San Diego, CA, September 18-20. On the 19th and 20th, I'll be leading American Humane's National Fundraising School, a two-day workshop that covers all aspects of fundraising, especially tailored for animal welfare organizations. Even development professionals with several years of experience benefit from the training. Information about the conference is available at www.americanhumane.org.

What we can learn from politicians

Every Presidential election cycle, we can count on fundraising records being broken. No matter the economy, candidates and political parties manage to raise staggering sums, and not just in Presidential election years, but also in races at all levels. No matter your political bent or whether you care for or distain the political process, there are valuable lessons that as fundraisers, we can adapt and use for our work in saving the lives of animals in need.

Here are a few:

Sense of urgency. Election Day is looming. We have a clear deadline by which we must raise the money. Imagine how difficult it must be to raise money after the election. Especially if you lose. How can you create a sense of urgency for your organization? But remember, if you have an emergency all the time, your message will soon fall on deaf ears.

Our side is right. Our cause is just; our candidate is fair and wise. We must prevail. Translate this into saving lives. Our organization has a solution to pet overpopulation. We are making a difference. With your help.

Every gift is important. Of course the big gifts make the most difference and big donors get all the attention (plus those photo ops with the candidates). But, if you’ve ever been called by a political telemarketer, you know they will accept a gift, no matter how small. Don’t neglect the small gifts.

Treat your big donors like kings. That’s right. The big donors do count for more. All the candidates have “clubs” for the people who raise the most money (campaign finance laws prohibit large direct gifts to candidates.) These top fundraisers get face time with the candidates, dinners, etc. Are you doing all you can for your top donors? How frequently do you communicate with them? Do you ask for their input?

Taxes aren’t everything. With all the talk about the sour economy, people are concerned that donations may falter. And, they may. But remember that people are still making record political contributions, and these contributions are not tax-deductible. For those cynics who say that the only reason people donate is to get a deduction, political fundraising is a perfect counter-argument. But, you may argue, political donors are looking for something in return, a quid pro quo. All contributions are a quid pro quo. We are giving donors the opportunity to solve a problem that they care deeply about. And, in return, they get a very powerful sense of satisfaction. That is perhaps the most lasting quid pro quo there is.