J.Paul Fridenmaker’s Post

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Post 2 of 4 (You can search hashtag MajorGiftsExternalReadiness to see intro and previous posts) Are you externally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my second “external readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: 🤝Strong existing network of potential givers and connectors🧑🤝🧑 If you are hoping that your hire will bring a new portfolio of major givers, you will almost certainly be disappointed. You’ll need to work ahead of time to assess the current network of supporters, including those who might not yet be major givers but have significant influence and connections. Do you have "activated" connectors who can facilitate new relationships?  (If you’re not sure what I mean by that, send me a DM or put a note in the comments below and I’ll send you a one-pager which will help).  Your preparation here will help the new fundraiser to quickly build a pipeline of potential major givers. #majorgifts #leadership #vision #mission #preparation #readiness #networking #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email): https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Many of you are thinking about whether it would be wise to add fundraising staff to the team as we enter into the second half of 2024.  June through August is a good time to set aside space to think about goals, strategies, organizational capacity, and staffing for the future. I encourage charities to consider this: Invest in a major gift fundraiser (and corresponding strategy).  This is a big decision for a small charity but major gift fundraising is, pound for pound, the best return on investment that you will experience in all your fundraising efforts.  A few weeks back, I wrote a series of posts asking questions about your INTERNAL readiness for this kind of hire.  You can find those by searching the hashtag MajorGiftsInternalReadiness.  Essentially, I was asking whether you are willing and ready to support this kind of a role with healthy leadership, culture, and professional development. Now I’m asking about EXTERNAL readiness.  If you are expecting someone to start with a blank page and raise lots of money for your mission, you are not externally ready.  Here are some keys to making sure your investment pays off: 👉Does your messaging pass the ‘mother-in-law’ test? 👉Do you have a strong existing network of potential givers and connectors? 👉Are you ready to sustain relationships with major givers? 👉What specific goals will define the new fundraiser’s success? I’ll write more about each of these in the coming days.  What would you add to the list? #majorgifts #leadership #ROI #externalreadiness #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email):  https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Post 1 of 4 See the intro post here:  https://lnkd.in/dbwDvDuj Are you externally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my first “external readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: ✍️Strong and Inspirational Messaging of the Vision and Mission😯 Your messaging should cause people to sit on the edge of their seats and ask for more.  And it starts with the people you are recruiting to help with major gift fundraising.  You want them to be excited to passionately support the mission and vision. Ensuring that the vision and mission are clear and inspiring is essential for motivating your new fundraiser to build trust with major givers. #majorgifts #leadership #vision #mission #recruitment #readiness #messaging #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email): https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz

#MajorGiftsInternalReadiness Post 3 of 3 (you can search the hashtag MajorGiftsInternalReadiness to see all three) See the intro post here:  https://shorter.me/5uahB Are you internally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my third “internal readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: 🔮Coaching and Mentorship🫴 Don't allow your new hire to go it alone! Prepare to engage a fundraising coach or mentor who specializes in major gift fundraising and can provide personalized guidance and support. This should include strategic advice, roleplaying approaches, help in navigating challenges, and accountability for the goals you hope to achieve. DM me to talk more about what this entails.  You can also search #SaturdayStandouts to see dozens of posts where I highlight content from some of my favorite follows on LinkedIn who are helping major gift fundraisers. #majorgifts #coaching #mentoring #setupforsuccess #fundamentals #sacredness #playfulness #fundraising

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Post 3 of 4 (You can search hashtag MajorGiftsExternalReadiness to see the intro and previous posts) Are you externally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my third “external readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: 🫰Ready to build and sustain strong relationships with major givers🛫 Major gift fundraising is highly relational. It requires understanding the personal stories, passions, and motivations of givers. This means your new hire is going to need to have a generous travel budget so they can spend time face to face with givers and prospects.  It means they will need to lead vision trips.  It means playing with people which might include a ski trip to Vail or fly fishing in Montana. If you’re not prepared to give your new major gift fundraiser a reasonable budget for this kind of relationship building, I highly recommend that you resist making the hire. #majorgifts #leadership #vision #mission #relationships #fun #readiness #networking #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email): https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz 

Looking for insights from my network! I’m currently helping a charity that is run entirely by volunteers and they’re preparing to hire their first employee. One unique challenge they’re facing is that this employee will be line managed by volunteers. If anyone in my network has experience or exposure to this kind of setup - where an employee is managed by a volunteer or volunteers - I would love to hear your insights! Your thoughts on how to make this work effectively, balance responsibilities, or share any challenges would be incredibly valuable to help this charity get off to the best possible start with their new team member. Feel free to drop a comment below or reach out to me directly! #Charity #Hiring #EmployeeManagement #NonProfitLeadership

I want to to take a moment to talk about fundraising shame. Over the course of your career, you may have felt someone shame you for your approach to fundraising, or maybe it was your organization's major gift size, or maybe it was your profile size. Whatever it was, it wasn't right. If you are working to advance the mission of your organization, you are doing great work and you should never feel shame. Here are AMPO we want to meet you where you are. Maybe you have a full department of fundraisers working at all levels of the donor pyramid. That's fantastic. You are making an impact in your community. Maybe you have just hired your first full-time fundraiser- that is amazing. You are going to see more funds for mission delivery, in your community. Or maybe you view fundraising as "another duty as assigned", it isn't your passion, and often it feels overwhelming and disjointed. I ask you, can you find some time to work with one donor. That will make an impact for your organization and you will have more funds available for mission delivery. These videos are designed to give you small wins. Doable ways to move your program forward without having to add another plate to your already full plate. Think about how you can add fundraising as an enhancement to what you are already doing. Maybe you are speaking to a service group. Watch the video to hear a message you can add to your remarks to bring fundraising into the conversation. Let me know how it is going. and if you need anything, just reach out. I am here to walk with you on your fundraising journey. Have a great week- Amy #AMPO #annualgiving #fundraising

ESSENTIAL READ: Giles Pegram CBE article on the history of fundraising and what the future needs to include. Did you know... ‘In 1983, fundraising became a profession…’ ‘By 1992, fundraising had become an activity to raise money, not a vehicle to connect donor and cause. Even though relationships with donors should be long term, fundraisers were judged by monthly performance against budget…’ The 10 important principles that Giles Pegram CBE (one of the founders of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising) notes are key today, are: ‘1. Anyone who gets a great experience when supporting a charity will, over their lifetime, give significantly more than someone who doesn’t. 2. While fundraisers should exemplify both passionate commitment to their cause and appropriate professional standards, passionate belief in the cause is usually more valued by donors than technique or slick professionalism. 3. Fundraising should be measured long term, not just on immediate returns. 4. Integrity and consideration will underpin each and every contact with a donor. 5. Donors must be in the ‘driving seat’. 6. Every communication with donors should leave them feeling better about their support after the communication than before it. 7. All supporters will be treated equally at all times with care, consideration, integrity and respect. 8. Whenever practical we will be available to our donors, eager to listen to what they have to say and to take action appropriately. 9. Our charity will report on the differences donors make with honesty, clarity, precision and impressive promptness. 10. ‘Fundraising isn’t about money. It’s about important work that needs doing. If you start by asking for money, you won’t get it and you won’t deserve it.’ – Harold Sumption – founder, The Resource Alliance’’ * Fundraising should be about relationships, not transactions! * #fundraising #fundraisingsuccess #fundraisingideas #fundraisingeducation #donors #donorengagement #donorrelations #donorappreciation #essentialread

The last few days I’ve posted about #MajorGiftsInternalReadiness with the hope that smaller charities will consider investing in a person to lead major gift fundraising.  These posts (which you can find by searching the hashtag MajorGiftsInternalReadiness) are intended to help set you up for success in hiring someone to join your team in this role. I was privileged to come alongside Hanna Räsänen and the Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission for this kind of coaching.  Thank you Hanna for your kind words in this video about my live coaching. (and a *big* shoutout to Josh D Stanton for working his video magic on these testimonials) This is a big decision for a small charity but major gift fundraising is, pound for pound, the best return on investment that you will experience amongst all your fundraising efforts. Being internally ready for this can make or break the return on investment for your cause.  My consulting practice was built with this in mind.  I want as many charities as possible to be equipped with a major gift fundraising channel.  The return on investment is extraordinary! If this holds interest for you, you can access a lot of my content for free by: 👉Following me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribing to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising:  https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz My paid content starts at USD$50 and my most premium package (including live coaching) is USD$3,600 - all prices are clearly listed on my website.  By the way, these are one time investments.  You should never have to spend more than this for major gift fundraising consulting.  Ever.  Check out these offerings here:  https://lnkd.in/gbjngd79 Happy to talk with you ‘no-strings-attached’ if you’re not sure what might be helpful.  I love hearing from you!  Feel free to add a time to this link:  https://lnkd.in/duEhJdby #majorgifts #listen #learn #apply #networking #fundraising

𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀? Are you finding it challenging to retain donors, reach your fundraising goals, or tap into hidden funding opportunities? 😓 You're not alone, and we are here to help you turn things around! 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: 1️⃣ 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 Nonprofits that personalize their communication can see up to a 27% increase in donor retention rates! Something as simple as addressing donors by their first name in emails can make a HUGE difference. Time to make it personal! 2️⃣ 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 Approximately 75% of all charitable donations are $100 or less. This means that encouraging many small donations can help you reach your fundraising goals faster than relying solely on large contributions. Every little bit counts! 3️⃣ 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 Nearly 31% of annual giving occurs in December, with 12% happening in the last three days of the year! Don't miss out on this end-of-year generosity—plan your campaigns now to leverage the holiday spirit and significantly boost your fundraising efforts. 4️⃣ 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘰 𝘜𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 🤝 An estimated $4–7 BILLION in matching gift funds go unclaimed each year because donors are unaware their employers offer matching programs. 😱 Promoting matching gifts can double or even triple donations without asking donors to contribute more. That's a win-win! 🏆 - Ready to transform your fundraising efforts? - What fundraising efforts have worked for your organization? 🩵💰🩵 #𝘣𝘤𝘴 #𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵 #𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 #𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 #𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 #DonorRetention #MatchingGifts #YearEndGiving #SmallDonationsBigImpact