Last Look: Rebecca Raible, director of development, Equal Justice USA

Equal Justice USA was founded in 1990 as a program of the Quixote Center, a multi-issue social-justice umbrella organization based in Maryland. In 2008, it separated to become a fully independent organization and moved its headquarters to Brooklyn, N.Y., and just recently opened a West Coast office in Seattle. EJUSA's mission is to build a criminal justice system that is fair, effective and humane, starting with repeal of the death penalty and increased services to families of homicide victims. Its recent organizational accomplishments include ending the death penalty in New York in 2005 and New Jersey in 2007, and gutting Maryland's death penalty in 2009.

Here, we talk with Director of Development Rebecca Raible about the organization and its fundraising strategies and techniques.

FundRaising Success: How do you fund your mission?
Rebecca Raible: We fund our mission through grants and individuals via mailings, phone outreach, e-mail and events. We are expanding our donor cultivation and outreach to include more personalized attention through one-on-one meetings and intimate donor events.

FS: What are the biggest challenges your organization faces as far as fundraising is concerned? How do you overcome them?
RR: I see our largest fundraising challenge as diversifying our funding streams to achieve a healthier revenue balance, where we are not so heavily reliant on foundation funding. This is a difficult task in this economy; however, we are investing time and resources into our donor relationships now, so that when the economy rebounds, we will be poised for even greater success.

FS: Do you foresee any big changes in the way you reach potential donors and other supporters in the near future?
RR: We are investing resources: board and staff, time, and training into creating more personalized approaches and meeting opportunities for us to get to know our donors better and for them to feel closer to our organization.

FS: How would you describe your fundraising philosophy?
RR: My fundraising philosophy is fourfold: 1) If you don't ask, you don't get. 2) Everyone can be taught to fundraise — this is not a mysterious skill. We all have the ability to talk about something we believe in and develop a connection with someone around that common passion. 3) Asking for money for a good cause should not be personal. You are asking on behalf of a good cause, therefore rejection is not personal and your own money issues and fears should not apply. 4) Fundraising is no different from any other kind of organizing. Whether asking for a financial gift or someone to call their legislator or host a public education event at their church, doesn't matter. They all start with developing meaningful relationships with people who care about the issue, and giving them an opportunity to do something that will move the campaign forward.

FS: How do you reach out to supporters and potential supporters in ways other than purely fundraising? Are you engaged with social media sites and online social networking?
RR: We are in the process of developing our social-media strategy. We are also renovating our Web site and getting a more sophisticated database to help us manage these new types of donors, which we will be attracting in the near future.

FS: Can you describe a recent successful fundraising effort?
RR: We are currently working with our board and staff to help them become more comfortable with fundraising. We are working with them to make contact with our current donors as well as people they know. Our goal is for the board and staff to learn firsthand from the experience of reaching out to their friends and family and our closest donors that: 1) Once a relationship is established, the ask comes easier; and 2) Once people feel a real connection to the issue and the organization, they feel even better about their giving.

FS: Any major difficulties or setbacks you've faced along the way? Things you would do differently with your fundraising?
RR: The economy has been a major setback in fundraising departments everywhere, but keeping a positive attitude, making fundraising something that everyone in the organization both understands and feels comfortable doing, and investing in the future of the organization — not just the immediate present — have become my coping mechanisms to weather the economic downturn as a fundraiser.

FS: What advice would you give to organizations similar to yours, in size and annual operating budget?
RR: Invest in strengthening your organization's donor relationships, and expand your outreach by training your board and staff to help. Current donors, board and staff are our best and most accessible resources.

Equal Justice USA
20 Jay St., Ste. 808
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 718.801.8943
Annual Operating Budget: $891,000
Annual Contributed Income: 12 percent individuals, 88 percent foundations
Mission: Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) is a national, grassroots organization working to build a criminal justice system that is fair, effective and humane, starting with repeal of the death penalty and increased services to families of homicide victims. EJUSA has been a longtime leader in the movement to repeal the death penalty, partnering with state organizations to strengthen and train local leadership, provide intensive, strategic support, and build grassroots campaigns that win. We have helped promote a deeper understanding about the death penalty's harmful impact on families of murder victims and the need to refocus resources toward more common-sense criminal-justice policies, with an emphasis on increasing services for these families.
Number of employees: Eight full-time staff, one development director solely devoted to fundraising

Joe Boland is copy editor and staff writer for the Target Marketing Group at FS’ parent company, NAPCO. Reach him at jboland@napco.com