June 21, 2002 | Read Time: 9 minutes
VOLUNTEERISM
By Janet Tate
The Knoxville-Knox County Animal Center broke ground this month on a new, expanded facility, a $3-million building project that depends, in part, on the efforts of volunteer fund raisers. And yet, though the Tennessee charity’s mission — caring for homeless pets — should be an easy sell to donors, the center sometimes has difficulty turning its volunteers into fund raisers.
“We have a small-events planning committee that’s very enthusiastic,” says Taylor Slemmer, the center’s public-relations director and volunteer coordinator. “But even so, when you ask them about fund raising — the actual going out and soliciting money — even the most dedicated volunteers tend to duck their heads.”
It’s a common dilemma. Volunteers are the backbone of most charities: They will answer phones, organize walkathons, stuff envelopes, just about anything. But their ardor cools quickly when they are asked to request donations — the very thing charities need the most. It’s a common problem, but not a particularly surprising one, say nonprofit managers and consultants. People often harbor anxieties about money in general, but specifically about asking for it. “Some feel like it’s begging,” observes Linda Christopher, a management consultant for nonprofit organizations in Santa Rosa, Calif. “It is a psychological thing,” says Ms. Slemmer. “Friendships and marriages break up over money. For many people, money is just ugly.”
It’s frustrating when even the most passionate volunteer proves to be a reluctant fund raiser, but sometimes providing the right kind of inspiration can make a big difference. Here are some key steps for prodding volunteers into chasing after much-needed donations:
Give a pep talk. Patrick Atkinson, executive director of the God’s Child Project, in Bismarck, N.D., which helps build schools and other child-centered facilities in the United States and Central America, has a “core belief” philosophy that he describes to reluctant money raisers. “When volunteers say, ‘I feel uncomfortable raising funds, or working a phone bank, period, ‘ I explain three things,” he says. “One, most people really do want to help others. Two, most people can afford to help others, in one way or another. And three, most people just don’t know who to help or how to do it. It’s important to let volunteers know that when you’re a fund raiser, you’re creating an opportunity for people to get involved in something good.”
In her experience, Ms. Christopher says, prospective donors are usually willing to listen to a fund-raising pitch from a volunteer, even if they ultimately don’t give. “As I tell volunteers, people not only want to be included, they’re actually less comfortable when they know you’re involved in something, but you don’t ask them to help out, than if you do,” she says. “As long as you’re just as comfortable with them saying no as saying yes, it’s not a problem. People are not uncomfortable about being asked, but about being pressured.”
A pep talk can also help remind volunteers why they have come into the fold in the first place. “If somebody isn’t comfortable asking for money, then they don’t really understand what they’re there for,” says Mary J. Vogen, who specializes in nonprofit clients as director of foundations and family services with Vision Capital in Davidson, N.C., a for-profit financial advising company. “You need people who truly are aware of the purpose behind what they’re doing.”
Encourage passion for the charity’s cause. There’s simply no substitute for a true believer, and those with the most passion for a charity’s mission need to be convinced that no one can articulate the organization’s goals better than themselves, says Ms. Vogen. “Whether they see themselves as a fund raiser or not,” she says, “people who are not comfortable asking for money can still tell other people about what they’re doing, then tell the real fund raisers, ‘I talked to so-and-so.’ Then give it over to the person who’s comfortable calling on the telephone.”
Dole out appropriate jobs. Some volunteers are just not good at asking others for money. This doesn’t mean they can’t help raise funds by stuffing envelopes or doing other low-key tasks. A wise manager of volunteers, says Ms. Vogen, tries to discover who can give speeches, who can persuade and influence, and who prefers to work behind the scenes.
WYPR, a public radio station founded this year in Baltimore after its founders purchased the former station WJHU from the Johns Hopkins University, aims to make the most of its supporters’ talents via its newly formed Friends of WYPR volunteer group. “Their job is to identify our volunteers’ strengths, and then train them in that area,” says Deborah Davis, WYPR’s director of member and media relations. “While some people are good at on-air fund raising, others may be really skilled at going out to corporations for ‘challenge’ money,” donations offered by businesses on the condition that other donors match the amount. “Those are the differences we strive to identify.”
Then again, sometimes a volunteer is simply recalcitrant, or their skills don’t fit in any area of the organization. “I have had to part ways with a volunteer before,” Ms. Davis says. “Some people are just looking for an area in which to volunteer, but they’re not really public-radio fans.” In the case of passionate supporters who are shy about fund raising, she says, the station’s priorities are spelled out bluntly: WYPR is currently focusing on retiring the debt it incurred when it acquired the station from Johns Hopkins. “We have a large loan to pay back now, so if a volunteer is reluctant to help raise money I try to find other places for them,” Ms. Davis says. “But in terms of fund raising, I have found that it’s much more successful to put it into the context of, ‘We really need to concentrate on this right now.’”
Keep volunteers well-informed. Ms. Slemmer relies on a thorough volunteer-orientation session, during which the animal shelter’s policies and procedures are painstakingly reviewed. “You tell them, ‘You represent our center, ‘” she says. “‘You may not want to do exactly what we do, but it’s policy and procedure and you need to stand behind it.’”
The information provided to volunteers about a charity should include a discussion of the group’s plans for its donations. “There’s nothing worse than to have volunteers who doubt the financial integrity of the cause they’re working for,” says Mr. Atkinson. “So we’re up front with our figures right away: If, say, we’re raising $50,000 for a new schoolhouse, then $48,000 is for construction, $2,000 for extraneous expenses. We talk about the program and who it’s going to serve. We want to make sure our volunteers know that very well, because they need to be able to answer the questions.”
Having facts and figures about the organization’s operations not only helps volunteers feel more confident as they raise funds, says Ms. Christopher. That confidence also translates into a more impressive community representative for the charity.
Give supporters a “toolbox.” A charity’s fund-raising “toolbox” might include nothing more than talking points to help volunteers articulate the mission. Or it might offer more direct how-to tips. When Ms. Christopher helps clients begin their fund-raising drives, she has them put together packages with all the essentials to aid volunteers. “There are letters already written, all the materials they need,” she says. “We give suggestions for the kinds of activities to raise money, like a walkathon or a dinner-dance, and provide descriptions of how to put those together, as well as links to other people who have had that experience. We basically offer ideas and suggestions and a kind of step-by-step guide for how to make it happen.”
Be sensitive to tough sells. Some causes really do sell themselves — building schools in developing countries, finding homes for abandoned puppies and kittens. But charities that may be considered controversial, or politically charged, may face tougher challenges in persuading volunteers to put themselves on the line as fund raisers.
In those cases, some supporters have found that it is disarming, and defusing, to lighten the message up, perhaps with humor. The National Organization for Women, for example, has done regional appeals by offering prospective donors chocolates, accompanied by the message, “We’re not asking for Mounds of money….” Charities whose missions may render them controversial might consider creating partnerships with large, mainstream volunteer organizations that seek out causes to promote, such as the Junior League, suggests Ebby Halliday Acers, a Dallas businesswoman who won this year’s Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Set a good example. Nonprofit organization leaders planning a major fund-raising event should look first to their trustees for a firm, visible commitment, preferably of cold, hard cash. For example, Ms. Christopher is currently working with one nonprofit health-care group on a leadership campaign for legislative activity, which will require each board member to bring in $2,000 each. This, she says, sends a strong message to volunteers about the core supporters’ faith in the fund drive.
Another way to reinforce volunteers’ efforts is to have an event’s committee members make personal commitments to the cause. “One thing I’ve seen that works well is when each of the main committee people is given a certain goal to commit to individually,” says Ms. Vogen. “Each person is responsible for a certain chunk of the event, whether it’s contacting 100 people or filling five tables at a dinner or whatever. Set the goals, and each person gets a piece of the pie.”
Counsel patience. Remind volunteers that their efforts build over time. Say a group decides to hold a golf tournament, something it hopes to institutionalize over the long term, says Ms. Christopher. “You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable if you only bring in $10,000 a year for a few years,” she says. With a strong foundation, it may eventually bring in 10 times that annually. The event’s leaders, she says, must help their volunteers understand that “they’re not going to expend all this energy, then have it go away. You’re creating something that’s going to last over time, and get better and better every year.”
How do you persuade volunteers who are reluctant to help raise funds? Tell us about it on the Volunteerism online forum.
