November 28, 2018 | Read Time: 6 minutes
Wendy Brightman had a big task ahead of her: Raise $26 million in a comprehensive campaign for United Methodist Retirement Communities, an organization more than a century old, in Chelsea, Mich., that provides care and services for elderly people, including frail elders with dementia.
The campaign posed a number of challenges. For a proudly faith-based organization, Brightman and her team at the UMRC Foudation needed to either find donors who were willing to embrace their religious affiliation publicly by making a big gift to help inspire other donations — or figure out how to make the most of generous gifts by donors who preferred to remain anonymous.
The three fundraisers, 14-member board, and 10-member campaign cabinet also had to drum up support for a cause that gets little love from donors: older people. Of the $410 billion that Americans gave to charity last year, according to “Giving USA,” the annual tally of philanthropy, less than 3 percent went to charities serving older people. It’s a troubling trend when Census projections say Americans age 65 and over will outnumber children by 2030.
“We’re generous with kittens and puppies, which I love,” says Brightman, president of the UMRC Foundation. “But I love my grandmother more.”
And yet: The campaign, launched publicly last November, announced in late September that it had already hit its $26 million goal, with three more months to go.
The money, raised from more than 1,800 donors, will support capital projects, including construction of a wellness center; enhanced services and activities at two of UMRC’s residential facilities; and the charity’s Benevolent Care Fund, which pays for the care of older adults who have outlived their savings.
The foundation’s efforts are inspiring other charities. “My phone rings every week from other organizations, wanting to know how we did this,” Brightman says.
Voting With a Check
So, how did UMRC Foundation do it? Largely, Brightman says, through in-person conversations and direct-mail appeals.
The campaign embarked on its “quiet phase” in October 2015. A consultant had told the foundation that it could raise $7 million, which would not be enough for UMRC to implement a new master plan.
United Methodist Retirement Communities, which runs on an annual budget of $65 million, was concerned about the future of its region. Twenty-five years ago, no county in Michigan had more adults age 65 or older than it had school-age children, Brightman says. Today, 33 counties do.
Brightman and her fundraisers got to work, having conversations, some with the elder-care organization’s closest supporters.
One board member, Brightman says, was so in favor of the campaign and its goals, even ahead of the board’s approval of the effort, that the trustee wrote a million-dollar check on the spot. “I never had anybody vote with a check like that,” the foundation leader says.
Early gifts like that totalled $6 million, kickstarting the campaign, which had 69 percent of its goal raised when the drive was announced to the public late last year.
The fundraisers made personal appeals to donors who had long supported UMRC. The Kresge family, for instance, gave a $2.5 million gift, even though elder care isn’t part of the foundation’s mission.
“We have a lot of buildings on this campus with the Kresge name,” she says. “They were deeply involved in Detroit with the Methodist Church.” Part of the campaign will go to expanding and renovating the Kresge Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, to create private bedrooms and bathrooms for all residents.
Quiet Giving
The trustee’s initial gift was given anonymously, which presented a challenge, Brightman says: “The biggest gifts we received have been given anonymously. It’s been hard to tout and share: ‘Something great has happened, but I can’t tell you about it.’”
The organization found, however, that careful negotiation could allow it to enlist the donor’s help in inspiring other deep-pocketed donors to give while still honoring the donor’s wish for privacy. “I had permission from the donor that when I was with a donor of equal or greater value, I could use [the anonymous donor’s] name. But in a public setting, I couldn’t,” Brightman says. The anonymous donor later gave another $1.5 million in matching gifts.
“Our donor wall is probably going to be very interesting: We have gifts, but we don’t have names we’re allowed to publish,” the foundation president says. “We have very demure donors.”
The campaign contributors who withheld their names did so for the same reasons supporters of other charities often choose to remain anonynous: out of modesty or a desire to prevent requests from other fundraisers. But UMRC’s explicit connection to a religious denomination inspired other supporters to go public.
For instance: a $2.5 million naming gift from Tom and Debby McMullen for UMRC’s McMullen Wellness Center. Tom McMullen, a retired Realtor, is a foundation board member; the family, Brightman says, was motivated in part by the faith connection.
“When so many people are holding their faith at a distance, UMRC really embraces and holds it up,” she says. “It’s a big deal for so many of our donors.”
Tips for Small Campaigns
As of November 9, the campaign had $26.6 million raised, with roughly $22.7 million of that coming from gifts of $100,000 or more. The foundation will continue to count donations toward the drive through the end of 2018, as it originally scheduled.
Brightman offers some tips to other small or midsize organizations seeking to embark on an ambitious campaign:
Tell your story succinctly. “You have to have a purpose,” Brightman says. “Our master plan was well thought out, well executed, and we had a beautiful story to tell.”
Remember: It’s a marathon, not a sprint. A campaign can be exhausting, the foundation president acknowledges. All the more reason to take time to celebrate the little victories. Minicelebrations can help keep fundraisers’ morale up for the long haul. At the UMRC foundation, Brightman says, “We have a marine ship bell; it has a pretty good-sized rope on it that hangs outside of our office. When something great happens, we ring the heck out of that bell.”
Master stewardship. “We don’t just do one thing. We don’t just get together with people when we want to make an ask,” the foundation president says. “We get together with people because we truly know and love those who we serve, and those who helped move the needle. And I think our donors know that.” Among the things the UMRC campaign fundraisers do:
- Send a written summary of the donor’s gift and what it made possible at Thanksgiving time
- Share the campaign’s impact statement
- Invite donors in to tour facilities they support.
Announce anonymous gifts, while respecting donors’ wishes. For some donors, the option to give anonymously is a draw. “The anonymous giving seemed to fuel other donors to give, and when they gave, they gave anonymously,” Brightman says. “People realize they could do it that way. We’ve had press releases when we can for big gifts. But otherwise, we talk about [the anonymous gifts] as much as we can, and let the numbers do the talking.”
If you’re a religious nonprofit, wear your faith proudly. “We are inclusive and open for all, but we are guided by the faith in our Lord,” Brightman says. “Don’t hide it. It’s something we should be embracing because of the service it’s allowed us to do.”
