Presentation delivered for Willamette Valley Development Officers on September 22, 2011

1. Building an Individual
Giving Program
Presenters:
Cynthia Thompson, Macdonald Center
Sandy Wright, Friends of the Columbia Gorge

2. 2010 contributions: $290 billion by source
of contribution
 Individuals - $211.77 (73%)
 Foundations - $41.00 (14%)
 Bequests - $22.83 (8%)
 Corporations - $15.29 (5%)
Giving USA

3. “It constantly surprises me how
much time organizations spend
with grants and businesses when
there is so much more money in
individual giving.”
Small Change Fundraising Blog

4. “I’m always surprised with how much time
is spent focusing on business giving. I
believe it is because people are afraid to
ask for money. When you ask for money
from a business often you are not asking
someone directly for their money.”
Why do you think people tend to focus so
much on business & foundation
fundraising?
Small Change Fundraising Blog

5. Businesses and foundations:
 annual budget cycles
 systems and guidelines that must be followed
 usually the decision is not made solely by one
person – it’s more of a process
 the competition is fierce for a smaller pool of
money
Individuals can give when and as
often as they see fit!
Business vs Individual Giving

6. Friends of the Columbia Gorge:
 Mission: To ensure that the beautiful Columbia Gorge remains an unspoiled
treasure for generations to come.
 Founded in 1980
 Annual Operating Budget - $1.2 Million
 Annual fundraising Budget - $850,000
 Development staff - 1.5 FTE
 Revenue by source:
 Individuals –65%
 Corporations –5%
 Foundations – 30%
 Current members (donation in past 15 months) – 3300
 Number of records in the database – 15,448
Organization Snapshots

7. Macdonald Center:
 Mission: To enhance the lives of the forgotten poor through relationships,
service and housing.
 Founded in 1991
 Annual operating budget - $2.3 million
 Annual fundraising budget - $880,000
 Development staff - 1.75 FTE
 Revenue by source (of private funds):
 Individuals – 58%
 Corporations – 3%
 Foundations – 39%
 Active donors (donation in past 18 months) – 668
 Number of records in database - 2,740
Organizational Snapshots

8. The Development Circle

9. Goals:
 1. Inform (the head)
 2. Inspire (the heart)
 3. Capture contact information
Point of Entry

10.  Events
 Guided hikes
 Tours
 Tabling
 Website
 One-on-one meetings
 Newsletter and E-newsletter
 Volunteer orientation
 Other?
Point of Entry: inform

11. Goals:
 Take an action
 Cultivate
 Deepen relationship
 Learn about donor
Engage

12.  Volunteering
 Tours
 Hikes
 Activism (sign petitions etc)
 Serve on Board or committee
 Events
 Give input
 Newsletter, Enewsletter, Facebook, Twitter
 Other?
Engage

13. Goal:
 Get a donation
Ask

14.  By letter
 By email
 In person
 On website
 Fundraising event
 Newsletter
 With invitation
 Others?
Ask

15.  Matched amount of gift that was over what donor gave the
previous year.
 From August 1 – Dec 31, 2010
 Initial goal was to raise $50,000 and get a $50,000 match
for a total of $100,000.
 Campaign exceeded expectations and raised $157,674 in
new and upgraded gifts.
 Recruited 2 additional donors to match
 Raised a total of $315,348!
 This fiscal year we increased our individual donations by
49%!
Step Up for the Gorge Matching
Gift Campaign

16. Goal:
 Thank
 Give recognition
 Steward the relationship
Thank

17.  By letter
 By phone (Board member, ED, DD)
 In person
 By email
 Special event
 Special tour
 Stewardship reports
 With gift, recognition or award
 Ask for advice / input
 Others?
Thank/Steward

18.  Referral
 Events and Tabling
 Website
 Purchased list (quality)
 Events
 Business partnership
 Others?
List Building

19. The Development Circle

20.  An individual donor (major donor)
 An event
 Your program
 Your resources (Board)
 Your time
Evaluate / Plan

21. Understanding your existing donors will
help you engage, acquire and steward
new individual donors. You need to
understand how your donors become part
of your organization…..
 History
 Research
 Database
 Cultivation & Stewardship
First year with a small shop

22. Securing new gifts from individuals
can be influenced by your
relationship with….
 Board of Directors
 Executive Director
 Program Staff
Keys to Success

23.  Open door policy
 Board Action Forms
 Find the strengths of each individual
 Keep the lines of communication open
 Get involvement in each stage of the
Development Circle
Board of Directors

24.  Relationship based on mutual respect
 Relationship based on trust
 Balance each others strengths and
weaknesses
 Provide guidance and direction on
fundraising strategy and tasks
Executive Director

25.  Try to get past the natural divisions
 Understand where they are coming from
 Educate and inform on fundraising
strategies
 Thank and recognize their role in the
fundraising process
 Develop a fundraising culture
Program Staff

26. Success with individual giving at Macdonald
Center – Focused on these key points along the
giving cycle and beefed up efforts in areas of
weakness:
1. Appeal of the program/mission
2. Awareness of the organization
3. An appropriate method of giving
4. Right tone, message and vehicle for “the ask”
5. Proper type and amount of stewardship
Macdonald Center case study

27. Questions
and/or
Breakout Session