Put the right idea in front of the right door in the right way at the right time.
The more consistently you do that, the more support you will receive. Let’s look at each part of the equation:
The Right Idea: It’s not your need for operating cash. It’s not your strategic pillars or your hope for more endowment. It’s a compelling “imagine what if” or “who we could better serve” or “how we make an even greater impact.”
The Right Donor: It should be someone you know and know to care about the idea in question. If not, it should be someone who has a history of caring about the idea. The more you think of donors as interchangeable parts, generic entities or as reserves rising to the call for your needs, the more you will waste and wander. It’s about matchmaking.
The Right Way: The donor should see it coming. It should be the outgrowth of a discussion. You should have tested receptivity to it and you should put it forward as an idea, not a proposal.
The Right Time: Your organization should be fully prepared to implement and steward the idea should the donor decide to back it. You should not be floating ideas if they are not backed by organizational leadership, investment, capability, history, and determination.
Fundraising is animated by the production of compelling and credible concepts, and that’s where most systems break down. They simply produce too few “major gift-worthy ideas” or produce ideas that are somewhat compelling but can’t be implemented readily.
And remember, you need “major gift-worthy” ideas to animate every phase and aspect of giving – including annual and estate.
Jim Langley is the president of Langley Innovations. Langley Innovations provides a range of services to its clients to help them understand the cultural underpinnings of philanthropy and the psychology of donors and, with that knowledge, to develop the most effective strategies and tactics to build broader and more lasting communities of support. Jim has authored numerous books including his most recent book, The Future of Fundraising: Adapting to New Philanthropic Realities, published by Academic Impressions in 2020.