Growing Pains Abound for Local Cancer Charity

For the Legal Information Network for Cancer, a nonprofit organization that offers legal advice and assistance to cancer patients in the Central Virginia region, expanding donor universes has been a daunting task.

When LINC was founded in 1996 by two breast-cancer survivors (who were attorneys), the organization relied heavily on the celebrity of Sarah Jessica Parker to raise funds and spread the word about its mission. Parker, who is the goddaughter of one of the founders, jumped at the opportunity to film public service announcements, schmooze with potential donors and lend her name to direct mail solicitations. But much to the chagrin of LINC, Parker could not officially sign as spokesperson because she had already made prior commitments to other charities.

Still, with grant money streaming in and its office space and utility expenses taken care of by a corporate donor, LINC felt quite comfortable -- at least for a while.

“We discovered early on that one of the problems with our institution’s services is that, unless you have cancer, it’s not something you’ll ever use or need,” says Philip H. Crosby, executive director. “Unlike American Cancer Society, we don’t do research, so we can’t say we’re looking for a cure. When potential donors come to us with that mindset, they’re not necessarily people who can turn around and give us any money.”

Crosby is quick to admit that LINC’s early successes, due in part to Parker’s celebrity endorsement, preempted an urgent need to fundraise. Unfortunately, those donors who gave during the formative years were not adequately cultivated for future giving.

“The board realized they had a problem, but what they failed to do was implement a strategic plan,” Crosby says. “I was surprised at how many donors came onto the database after the Parker efforts, and nothing had been done with that data.”

With a new, more arduous gauntlet thrown down, Crosby elected to bring in major-donor prospects for “monthly lunches,” informal gatherings of 12 to 15 people who would be shown informational videos and Power Point presentations about LINC’s work. Individuals would not be solicited on the day of the lunch but contacted a month later with a phone call or direct mail solicitation.

“Once you get people to give, they tend to continue to give, unless you tick them off,” Crosby says. “But you’ve got to get your letter right.”

Using Best Software’s MIP Fundraising-Paradigm software, LINC tweaked its data and employed personalization for all its direct mail letters: salutation, prior gift amount, if applicable, and “signed by someone the recipient knew personally at LINC.”

“Once you personalize, you’re kind of stuck,” says Crosby, a self-professed data hound. “You’ve got to do it beautifully — all out or not at all.”

One thing Crosby discovered during this fundraising overhaul: While the Sarah Jessica Parker letter worked effectively to legitimize LINC’s cause, it failed to localize the charity. Since the package came addressed by a national celebrity, prospects assumed it was a national organization.

“Our natural donor constituency is one that’s been traditionally hard to raise money from,” Crosby says, commenting on $300+ annual average-gift crowd of attorneys and health-care professionals. “It’s telling a good story of what LINC does for people that we find makes the biggest impact.”

LINC has received a number of $25 gifts from rented lists, but as Crosby attests, it’s just not enough. The organization would be better served cultivating a high-dollar audience that knows who they are.

“To do a list rental for a local community, it gets pricey to meet your needs,” he says. “I’ve always thought that donor retention is far more importnat than donor acquisition. If you gave me a limited pool of money, I would pour all that money into not only retention, but upgrading those gifts. If someone gives you a gift, chances are they’re going to give you a second one.”

Going forward, Crosby has challenged LINC’s board to increase their output by nearly 100 percent.

“If your board isn’t involved in your fundraising on a real visceral basis, you lose a connection to your community, which is vital,” he says. “If they’re not out there doing it, a really important connection is lost that you can’t always get back.”