Building a Culture of Philanthropy
- Your fundraising is constantly in nickel-and-dime crisis mode.
- Your development staff is paying for its own training and books.
- The responsibility for fundraising is assumed by one or a few people (usually the development director or your executive director).
- You rely on activities such as special events or direct-mail campaigns, rather than focusing on a comprehensive strategy embracing multiple streams of income.
- When major gifts or bequests do occur, they're surprises. There's no one in charge of making asks, and staff is rarely, if ever, out of the office meeting donors face to face.
- You've never surveyed your donors.
- You know that when the founder leaves next month she's taking half of the donors with her.
Where does your organization stand? Remember, as the development director (or executive director), you are primarily responsible for building a culture of philanthropy. Don't ask for permission to lead. Take the reins, and be prepared to lead your organization's staff, board and, yes, even your executive director.
Pamela Grow is the publisher of The Grow Report, the author of Simple Development Systems and the founder of Simple Development Systems: The Membership Program and Basics & More fundraising fundamentals e-courses. She has been helping small nonprofits raise dramatically more money for over 15 years, and was named one of the 50 Most Influential Fundraisers by Civil Society magazine, and one of the 40 Most Effective Fundraising Consultants by The Michael Chatman Giving Show.
