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| Fundraising / Fundraising Management |
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Fundraising ManagementThe Name Is The Game: Memberships And Named Gift OpportunitiesIn the nonprofit world, when it comes to "memberships," we seem to be of two minds. On the one hand are memberships that convey benefits in exchange for a fee, and on the other, those that recognize donors for gifts made. Fund Raising with Fee-Based MembershipsIn fee-based memberships, a patron of The Metropolis Museum can "join" that institution and become a member by paying a fee of $25 or $50 and receive a monthly magazine, free admission, a discount at the museum shop, special event invitations, etc. To my way of thinking, this type of membership is actually an earned income opportunity and is better left to the museum's marketing department. Those fee-paying members have more in common with a performing arts organization's season ticket holders than its donors, and their real value to a development effort lies in their potential to contribute to fund-raising campaigns, rather than the fee they pay for their membership. Philanthropy-Driven MembershipsRecognition-based membership programs are tools used to convert prospects into donors and to increase the size of gift. They are one of the most useful tools fund-raisers have. Donors giving at a certain level to the annual fund become Friends of the organization. If they give at increasingly higher levels they have the opportunity to be
recognized as Contributing Friend, Supporting Friend, or Sustaining Friend. Then
there are those who give more that one could ever expect from a friend and enter
the rarefied air of Benefactor or even Founder. Perhaps they become members of
the President's Circle. However, social service, education, healthcare, or community development organizations are not without the opportunity to offer tangible manifestations of appreciation of their own. Invitations to dinners and receptions at trustees' homes or clubs can be enticing benefits for donations of say, $500 or more. Another possible show of appreciation might be to have a corporation sponsor a membership program and host a luncheon honoring selected major donors and key volunteers. Donor RecognitionIn my experience, the best "gift" you can give to annual fund donors is to let
them know that their gift to the organization has made it possible to do
specific and meaningful things for the community, such as: six months of a
scoutmaster's service to inner-city children, a week of computer training for a
welfare mother to help prepare her for employment, an education outreach program
enriching the lives of 100 students, etc. If a member of the Benefactors Circle gives $1,000 each year and prospects can see that their close colleagues or neighbors are, for the most part Benefactors, then that is a persuasive argument for giving $1,000 rather than $500. Such a membership program allows us to individually tailor giving suggestions while at the same time providing subtle peer group association pressure and offering a little something extra for that larger gift. What To SayDo not underestimate how useful that is to a volunteer solicitor who is in
position to say:
One of the most important things this does is to allow the conversation to continue after the suggested gift has been stated without focusing exclusively on the dollar amount being sought. The privileges of membership become a secondary enticement for making a very
specific contribution. Which is of course the position they should
occupy---secondary. We must never think of a gift solicitation as a quid pro quo
transaction. We must never lose sight of what philanthropy really is. Philanthropy occurs when donors feel that the decision to give is justified by the merits of the project and in return they expect nothing more---and certainly nothing less---than that the organization will use their gift as promised and will use it well. Donors are well aware that the money you spend to provide material
recognition, is the money they gave you in the first place. And remember, no
response to a gift is more meaningful and more appreciated than a simple,
sincere, thank-you. Named Gift Opportunities - Endowment And Capital CampaignsRecognition membership programs, such as the ones we have been describing in relationship to annual funds, have their counterpart in capital and endowment campaigns. Named gift opportunities are offered as symbolic or commemorative gestures of appreciation for gifts of a predetermined size. It requires a certain amount to acquire a certain naming right, but the contribution need not literally offset the expense associated with what is to be named. In a capital campaign, naming rights to a classroom would not necessarily be
the exact construction's cost. Naming rights for endowing a chair in a
university do not need to be exchanged for an endowment that would actually
produce the exact income to cover the expense each year. In a bricks-and-mortar campaign, when a potential donor is considering making
a gift that is far and away the largest donation to the campaign, and when that
gift is truly a substantial portion---probably more than half---of the total
construction expense, then offering that donor naming rights for the entire
building may be appropriate and persuasive. Other, more specific, endowment campaigns abound in naming opportunities.
Faculty chairs, artistic positions, medical departments, etc., are all
opportunities for ongoing recognition of donors. The gift is made for the good
of the organization, but a donor, nonetheless, appreciates the perpetual
recognition provided by a naming opportunity. Named Gift Opportunities - Sponsorships And UnderwritingAs with capital and endowment campaigns, sponsorships offer naming opportunities---the ABC Corporation Lecture Series or the XYZ, Inc. Neighborhood Improvement Program, for example. Sponsorship opportunities often grow out of an organization's budgeting process. Programs and services which are able to be identified as having their own
cost can be lifted from the expense budget, "packaged" for sponsorship, and
presented to potential donors. Fundraising Management: The Name IS The GameMemberships, naming opportunities and sponsorships are all points on the continuum of recognition and appreciation. They are tools all fund-raisers should be using to maximize support. A good recognition membership program can energize an annual fund appeal grown tired over the years. No capital or endowment campaign should ever be undertaken without a detailed naming opportunities plan. Sponsorships can turn a small annual corporate contribution into substantial underwriting of a well packaged program. When it comes to fund-raising, often the name IS the game.
Tony@raise-funds.com Tony Poderis is a highly-qualified fundraising consultant with nearly three
decades of experience. Tony is also the best-selling author of "It's a
Great Day To Fund-Raise!" Related PagesOverview - Get the big picture of what fundraising is all about. Capital Campaigns - Capital campaign strategies for non-profit groups to increase their donor base. Donor Recognition - How to use donor recognition to increase your capital campaign results. Objectives - The importance of having the right offering and getting your message across. Maximize Results - Five tips for maximizing your fundraising results, regardless of the size of your group. Thank You Letters - Seven tips on writing thank you letters, notes, or simple donor recognition phone calls. Fundraising Letters - See what fund raising letters work for other non-profit groups. Fundraising Letter - How to generate the best response with your donation request letters. How To Write A Fundraising Letter - Advice and tips on what works and what doesn't. Non-profit Fund Raising - Organizational tips - Four ways to boost your non-profit fund raiser results. Grant Writing Tips - Ten tips on grant writing - How to write a winning grant proposal - Application do's and don'ts for getting grants approved. Raising Funds By Mail - Five success pointers for raising funds by mail for your nonprofit - How to use direct mail to increase your non-profit fund raising. Fund Raising In The News
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