December 2, 2012 | Read Time: 4 minutes
Look at who already gives. Andrea Kihlstedt, who worked as a capital-campaign consultant for 25 years, always encourages charities to look more closely at people who give small sums.
“It amazes me how little attention we pay to existing donors, how we assume that someone who consistently gives $50 doesn’t have capacity to do more,” says Ms. Kihlstedt, who now runs Asking Matters, an online training program for fundraisers. “Maybe 10 percent of those $50 donors have capacity to give many times more, and they’re already inclined to support you.”
She urges charities to use wealth-screening software tools to help identify loyal supporters who are affluent enough to afford big gifts.
Work your network. Ann-Robin Anthony, senior managing director of major gifts at Teach for America, advises asking loyal supporters to recommend other people who might give generously. “Board members, others who have already shown support financially or in other ways: These are natural connectors,” she says. “Ask them to think of potential supporters and then provide an introduction.”
Keep building that network, she says: “Any time you go to an event, a lecture, a social gathering, you’ll be meeting people who could be supporters, or who can connect you to potential supporters.” She recommends keeping an ear open for potential common ground between a new acquaintance’s interests and your charity’s mission and following up soon after with a friendly phone call.
Ask for advice. Gail Perry, a fundraising consultant in Raleigh, N.C., suggests requesting a meeting with a prospective donor, asking for advice, not money: “Something like, ‘We are working on this plan to address this community issue, and I’d love to get your thoughts.’” People who have never supported a cause are more open to a first meeting when they know they will not be asked for money, she says. “People like to be asked for their input, and this approach not only opens the door but gets them taking ownership, and then a relationship begins,” Ms. Perry says.
Pay attention to small talk. When she joined the development staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Eli Jordfald had to build her own portfolio of donors, largely from cold calling. She has worked hard to perfect the art of the “discovery call,” which she defines as a first contact with someone not already known to an organization. Ms. Jordfald uses what she calls “soft questions that come naturally as part of the conversation” to determine a person’s capacity to give.
“I am often calling former patients, and I will say something like, ‘Now that your treatments are behind you, do you plan to do any traveling?’” says Ms. Jordfald. “Answers can be very revealing, ranging from ‘Gosh, I’ll be paying these medical bills for the next decade’ to ‘Yes, my husband and I are taking a cruise around the world.’ So, a very natural, uninvasive way to discover information.”
Study social media. John Westfall-Kwong, director of development at Lambda Legal, recommends close examination of Web sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. “These sites can provide clues for potential avenues of approach to a potential donor,” he says. “I look up the person, then take a look at who their friends or colleagues are. I try to see if they perhaps are connected with someone who is a volunteer or supporter for our organization. That person can get a meeting for us a lot better than we could from out of the blue.”
Rehearse the phone call. Before picking up the phone, take a moment to think through your approach, says Kim Klein, a fundraising consultant in Oakland, Calif. This includes having a plan for what to do if you get voicemail as well as being prepared for standard objections about being too busy to meet.
“It’s OK to push back politely,” she says. “Be ready with very clear statements: ‘I’d like to meet with you. I promise I won’t take much of your time. I’d be happy to come to your office. Is Wednesday good for you?’”
She also advises fundraisers to “hang in there. It might take three or four calls before you actually get the person, and then go back and forth setting up a meeting.”
Mainly, she says, be persistent but maintain perspective. “There’s no cut-and-dried series of steps for approaching someone—first they say this, then you do that. Just call and be genuinely friendly and open to creating a relationship, and follow your instincts.”
Stay calm. “Don’t be intimidated by wealth,” says Ms. Klein. “Remember that money is just a tool: The way someone has a hammer or a cup of sugar you might use, these people have money. It’s not a big deal.”
