‘I’m not a professional fundraiser’

FS: What advice can you share with other organizations that don’t have a fundraising staff, per se?
RLS: I would say view your donors as your partners and they’ll view themselves as partners. And, you know, people give to organizations that they’re interested in more than they’ll give to an organization that’s just another organization. But in order to do that, you really have to bring them in, and you really have to feel that your donors are your partners and share the joys of the organization with them — send them updates, keep them involved, and listen to their ideas on how to move the organization. These are smart people; take their advice. That creates the cycle of increasing their vested interest, and then you won’t have to ask for money. They’ll be happy to give it to you.