Jan. 25, 2022

The 5 Elements of an Effective Fundraising Case Statement

The 5 Elements of an Effective Fundraising Case Statement

When creating a fundraising plan for your institution, the very first step is developing your fundraising case for support.

Bill Stanczykiewicz is the Senior Assistant Dean for External Relations and the Director of the Fundraising School at IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, which is the world’s only school on philanthropic studies.

Needless to say, he’s THE expert on institutional philanthropy.

In this episode, he explains the steps you should take to develop an effective fundraising case statement.

We discuss:

- 5 elements of an effective fundraising case for support

- Other considerations for a major gift marketing or communications initiative

- Why you shouldn’t fear fundraising during challenging times

Resources mentioned during the podcast:

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Transcript
WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:07.190 You are listening to the Higher Ed Marketer, a podcast geared towards marketing professionals 2 00:00:07.230 --> 00:00:11.910 in higher education. This show will tackle all sorts of questions related to student 3 00:00:11.949 --> 00:00:16.269 recruitment, don'tor relations, marketing trends, new technologies and so much more. 4 00:00:17.030 --> 00:00:20.829 If you are looking for conversations centered around where the industry is going, this 5 00:00:20.989 --> 00:00:30.420 podcast is for you. Let's get into the show. Welcome to the hired 6 00:00:30.460 --> 00:00:35.770 marketer podcast. I'm troy singer and with my cohost and Gi Joe Action figure 7 00:00:35.850 --> 00:00:40.570 collector Bark Taylor. Today, Martin, I speak with bill stands, a 8 00:00:40.570 --> 00:00:47.969 Kevitch from the Lily School of fundraising about creating an effective case statement for fundraising. 9 00:00:48.009 --> 00:00:50.840 Yeah, troy, it's been a it's a really good conversation. Bill 10 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:55.479 is very, very knowledgeable. He teaches at the Ius School of Philanthropy here 11 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:59.280 in Indianapolis and he does a great job of outlining, you know, the 12 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:02.280 case for support. And a lot of times we as marketers are going to 13 00:01:02.359 --> 00:01:06.510 be asked by the advancement department to help them with whether it's a capital campaign, 14 00:01:06.909 --> 00:01:11.150 whether it's, you know, you're end fundraising or just ongoing fundraising. 15 00:01:11.189 --> 00:01:15.469 A lot of times we as marketers need to understand what that's all about and 16 00:01:15.549 --> 00:01:19.420 then be able to understand how to craft the stories and the marketing around that 17 00:01:19.540 --> 00:01:23.140 to make it most effective and build as an excellent job of outlaying that and 18 00:01:23.219 --> 00:01:26.379 really helping us to understand that. And you and I have to know that 19 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:30.859 bill also has a background in radio. That comes out in his voice. 20 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:37.209 That comes out and the energy and delivery and this will be twenty very fast 21 00:01:37.370 --> 00:01:41.890 and enjoyable minutes and also, most importantly, very informative. Yeah, so 22 00:01:42.370 --> 00:01:48.879 let's check in on our conversation with bill. It is our pleasure and honor 23 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:53.120 to welcome bill stands a Kevitch to the high it marketer podcast. He serves 24 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:59.719 as the Senior Assistant Dean for External Relations, clinical associate professor and director of 25 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.109 the fundraising school. Bill, thank you for coming on the PODCAST. Were 26 00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:09.150 excited to talk to you about fundraising and best practices and some of the things 27 00:02:09.189 --> 00:02:13.750 that you teach at the lively school of Philanthropy. Yeah, Troy, thanks 28 00:02:13.789 --> 00:02:17.340 for having me on. If you would give us a little bit about yourself 29 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:23.099 and the school? Well, the fundraising school has been around since one thousand 30 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:28.780 nine hundred and seventy four invented by Henry and dotty Rosso when they foresaw the 31 00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:34.370 coming growth of the nonprofit sector. Back then the sector was still growing. 32 00:02:34.409 --> 00:02:38.569 In many ways, the profession of fundraising was in its early stages. A 33 00:02:39.050 --> 00:02:43.490 Lot of times what a nonprofit would do is kind of bring somebody into fundraise 34 00:02:43.569 --> 00:02:46.199 and, when the campaign was over, send them on their way. Not 35 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:49.879 Profits, more and more, were hiring fulltime fundraising staff, and so hank 36 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:54.960 and dotty decided to formalize the profession by creating this school with evidence based principles 37 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:00.110 and techniques of fundraising. So we train all over the world, before the 38 00:03:00.150 --> 00:03:02.550 pandemic, about six thousand people every year and, of course, because of 39 00:03:02.590 --> 00:03:06.710 the pandemic, more so now online than in person, although we do have 40 00:03:07.150 --> 00:03:12.270 significant in person offerings. And the fundraising school is housed within the Indiana University 41 00:03:12.509 --> 00:03:16.500 Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, which is the world's only school on Philanthropic Studies. 42 00:03:16.580 --> 00:03:20.580 So think about you know there's a school of law, School of Medicine, 43 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.620 of school of business. We are the School of Philanthropy Different From nonprofit 44 00:03:23.699 --> 00:03:28.729 management, is important as nonprofit management is. Instead, philanthropy is part of 45 00:03:28.729 --> 00:03:31.169 the human condition. It's who we are. As people. It's part of 46 00:03:31.210 --> 00:03:36.370 our behavior and lifestyle in the ways we express our generosity to each other and 47 00:03:36.610 --> 00:03:39.129 in our communities. And so we have bachelor, master and doctoral degrees in 48 00:03:39.169 --> 00:03:44.479 the school philanthropy. We also have a robust research team that's continually discovering new 49 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:49.960 knowledge about philanthropic behavior, including charitable giving. All of that informs the curriculum 50 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.719 of the fundraising school. We don't just have a fundraiser in front of the 51 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:57.870 room saying here's how I had success. You can to our faculty are accomplished 52 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:01.349 fundraisers. This is practition or focused, but our curriculum as much as possible 53 00:04:01.469 --> 00:04:06.870 is evidence based with that research. Thank you. And where do your students 54 00:04:06.949 --> 00:04:12.020 typically come from? So primarily in the United States, but we also do 55 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:16.259 teach all over the world where we cover all nine subsectors of the philanthropic sector. 56 00:04:16.939 --> 00:04:21.339 And you know all budget sizes, so you know the largest universities and 57 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:27.689 hospital systems to the Corner neighborhood nonprofit with a budget of less than a hundred 58 00:04:27.730 --> 00:04:31.850 thousand dollars. We have different curriculum tailor to each of their respective needs as 59 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:36.170 they come to the fundraising school to strengthen their fun development skills. Thanks Bill. 60 00:04:36.170 --> 00:04:41.040 I appreciate you kind of explaining a little bit about the school of Philanthropy. 61 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:44.160 I know that when we first had our initial conversation we kind of talked 62 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:46.480 through some different subjects and one of the things that you agree to talk about 63 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:50.920 was kind of the the elements of the traditional fundraising case for support, whether 64 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:55.589 that's using in fundraising, whether it's used in capital campaigns. There's an element, 65 00:04:55.829 --> 00:04:58.310 you know, kind of a kind of a metric to that. I 66 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:00.949 guess that you teach that it. Would love to hear a little bit more 67 00:05:00.990 --> 00:05:03.550 about that. Well, your higher ad audience will appreciate, you know, 68 00:05:03.750 --> 00:05:06.339 the kind of the letter V and the academy. That's how we work, 69 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:10.259 right. We start with a big concept and then we continue in Arrow down 70 00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:13.660 to the specific. So let me take a step back and invite your audience 71 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:16.180 to think about, let's just say, painting a room. Right, you're 72 00:05:16.180 --> 00:05:18.379 going to do your own painting. It's going to be, say, your 73 00:05:18.420 --> 00:05:21.370 living room or dining room or so forth. You do we just take the 74 00:05:21.449 --> 00:05:25.529 can of paint and throw it up against the wall. You could. That's 75 00:05:25.569 --> 00:05:28.449 called abstract art. Some people might even pay a millions of dollars for that. 76 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:30.850 But no, actually probably going to be a lot more planned and disciplined 77 00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:33.329 and careful about that. So what do we need to do? We need 78 00:05:33.370 --> 00:05:36.040 to take the furniture out of the room. We need to make sure the 79 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:40.600 floor is covered. We need to make sure that we're taping off the trim 80 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:44.319 so the trim doesn't get the same color as the the wall paint. We're 81 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:48.800 taking off the covers for the light switches and the electical outlets. Were cleaning 82 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:53.230 the wall where maybe filling in some some pock marks that might be there in 83 00:05:53.310 --> 00:05:56.189 smoothing that out. Maybe there's an oil stain, so we have to prime 84 00:05:56.310 --> 00:06:00.589 that part of the wall. All of these things need to happen before we 85 00:06:00.750 --> 00:06:01.910 can paint the room. And then, by the way, now we need 86 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:03.819 to go to the store and you say, well, we're going to paint 87 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:08.180 the room blue, and the woman at the hardware store shows you literally three 88 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:12.660 hundred shades of blue right and different, you know, gloss finishes and all 89 00:06:12.660 --> 00:06:15.220 of them. I got to choose one of those. A lot of planning, 90 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:17.060 a lot of thinking, a lot of strategy, and that's what we 91 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:20.529 want people to think about in terms of fundraising. Is that it is the 92 00:06:20.649 --> 00:06:24.930 multiple steps of planning that go into this process. I think a lot of 93 00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:27.970 people are hesitant to fund raise. They think, well, I just can't 94 00:06:28.009 --> 00:06:30.009 go up to people randomly and ask them for money. Good, because we're 95 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:33.360 not asking you to do that. Instead, there's a lot of planning that 96 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:38.720 needs to go into this process, and that planning is a fourteen step process 97 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:43.519 called the fundraising cycle. And in the fundraising cycle we have things like getting 98 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:46.750 an initial idea of who could possibly fund us, amongst individuals, foundations and 99 00:06:46.829 --> 00:06:51.990 corporations, some initial ideas about our needs based on our program costs and other 100 00:06:53.269 --> 00:06:57.910 forms of revenue. We engage our board with their oversight and their insight into 101 00:06:58.310 --> 00:07:01.420 this process. Then we get more specific about our needs and finalize those and 102 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:08.819 more specific about categories of fundraising opportunities, again individuals, foundations and corporations. 103 00:07:09.019 --> 00:07:14.220 Then we name names of individuals, name names of foundations and corporations and kind 104 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:16.370 of give an estimate of a range we could fundraise from them in the next 105 00:07:16.449 --> 00:07:20.610 coming year, for what reason, attached to which programmer, service or unrestricted, 106 00:07:21.170 --> 00:07:25.290 and knitting that all together is called the fundraising plan. Now, before 107 00:07:25.329 --> 00:07:28.569 we move forward, we need to make sure our marketing materials are aligned. 108 00:07:28.610 --> 00:07:30.240 Do we have a theme? Do we have a logo? Are there going 109 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:33.000 to be handouts? What about social media in the website? Are we going 110 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:38.319 to buy these ads that break into streaming services now right, whether it be 111 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:42.199 spotify or Youtube TV or whatever people are watching from? You got all that 112 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.189 planned out? Then we're still not done. We need the board's approval and 113 00:07:46.389 --> 00:07:49.550 only then can we go make the ask, which is stage thirteen of this 114 00:07:49.750 --> 00:07:57.670 fourteen stage process, the fourteen stepping stewardship that were maintaining relationship with those donors 115 00:07:57.709 --> 00:08:01.980 and funders in ways that don't continually ask them for more money, but just 116 00:08:01.139 --> 00:08:05.259 treating them with human dignity, honoring them for their gift, maintaining that relationship 117 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:11.180 over time. So that's the fourteen step fundraising cycle. The very first step 118 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:16.209 is your fundraising case for support. This is what sets you apart. This 119 00:08:16.329 --> 00:08:22.569 is your most unique aspect, most strongest description of why you are distinct. 120 00:08:22.170 --> 00:08:26.449 There are, in the United States alone, about one and a half million 121 00:08:26.610 --> 00:08:31.560 nonprofits, and that doesn't even include all of the religious congregations. We included 122 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:37.000 them. The numbers about two million, and donors are receiving requests from multiple 123 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:41.350 nonprofits every single year. How do you set yourself apart with the fund raising 124 00:08:41.429 --> 00:08:45.669 case for support? So, Bart and troy, it's a very specific tool 125 00:08:46.230 --> 00:08:48.350 that without that you're not going to be able to distinguish yourself and make your 126 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:52.509 fundraising case when the time comes to talk to the donor. Thank you, 127 00:08:52.629 --> 00:08:56.899 Bill, and if we can, we'd like to break down the fundraising case 128 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:01.340 of support. I believe there are five elements and the first element is what 129 00:09:01.700 --> 00:09:07.620 is your compelling idea, or what is your big compelling idea? Correct? 130 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:11.610 Yeah, when we think about the corporate sector, I think just about everybody 131 00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:15.690 has flown southwest airlines right and even back in the day. Those, those 132 00:09:15.730 --> 00:09:18.450 have been around for a while. Remember that when the other airlines had their 133 00:09:18.529 --> 00:09:22.929 flight attendants and really fancy uniforms and were serving us like chicken and steak dinners 134 00:09:22.009 --> 00:09:26.840 and things like that, you know the southwest flight attendants were in their cargo 135 00:09:26.919 --> 00:09:30.360 shorts and their golf shirts, making jokes as they toss their bags of peanuts 136 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.759 across the airplane. But the one thing is is that the southwest was always 137 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:39.389 very customer friendly and highly affordable. What's their big compelling idea that has led 138 00:09:39.470 --> 00:09:43.429 them to win. You know, the customer satisfaction award decades in a row, 139 00:09:43.710 --> 00:09:48.230 and the big compelling idea southwest airlines is giving people of all incomes the 140 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:52.549 freedom to fly. That's the big compelling idea and every decision they make falls 141 00:09:52.590 --> 00:09:56.460 within that big compelling idea. What is your big compelling idea at Your University, 142 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:01.220 at Your College, at Your Department or your division within Your College, 143 00:10:01.220 --> 00:10:05.259 at Your Research Institute, at Your Athletic Department, in Your Music Program what 144 00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:11.169 is your big compelling idea? Because don't owners are interested in those big ideas? 145 00:10:11.610 --> 00:10:16.690 The number one of the key reasons that people give is impact, results, 146 00:10:16.970 --> 00:10:20.809 making a difference. And what are you asking me to make a difference 147 00:10:20.850 --> 00:10:24.480 in? And it's that big compelling idea. So a good place to look 148 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:28.679 is the organization strategic plan. What is Your Vision Statement and what are your 149 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:31.799 value declarations? These should be, you know, just very highminded, big 150 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:37.590 concepts, inspiring words and phrases that move us towards that cause of why the 151 00:10:37.629 --> 00:10:41.309 school exists. And it's that big compelling idea that's going to define everybody else 152 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:46.509 and really grab the donor's attention up front as to why they could be interested 153 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:48.750 in your school. That's great and I know that's what kind of go into 154 00:10:48.830 --> 00:10:52.700 that, because I've worked on some case statements before too, and many times 155 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:56.139 it's, you know, in collaboration or we get the big idea and we 156 00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:58.500 get these other elements and put them in, you know, in a marketing 157 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:01.460 speak and things like that. But I guess the second one is kind of 158 00:11:01.820 --> 00:11:05.210 then starting to understand what the problem is you're trying to solve. Is that 159 00:11:05.250 --> 00:11:07.610 correct? Yeah, there are a couple different ways look at this. Either 160 00:11:07.690 --> 00:11:11.409 you have a specific problem you're trying to solve. So I'm on the board 161 00:11:11.450 --> 00:11:15.090 of our local food bank and we're trying to solve food in security, right, 162 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:18.529 and so then we would describe food and security in the region that we 163 00:11:18.570 --> 00:11:22.159 serve. Use Data, how that compares to other regions. How many people 164 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:26.039 are being served, the repercussions if they're not served, the positive consequences if 165 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:28.679 they are. All of these things. Were describing the problem, but we 166 00:11:28.759 --> 00:11:33.710 can also put this in a positive term, and that is describe the opportunity 167 00:11:33.789 --> 00:11:37.750 you're trying to fulfill. And so especial and higher at are we starting? 168 00:11:37.070 --> 00:11:41.909 You know, a new program a new research institute, a new line of 169 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:45.590 research, a new faculty chair, a new degree program you know, those 170 00:11:45.590 --> 00:11:50.340 are all opportunities or just overall, the relative advantage of who we are as 171 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:52.139 a school that, you know, I might be a liberal, a small 172 00:11:52.179 --> 00:11:56.899 liberal arts campus, but I also have this strong science college that maybe distinguishes 173 00:11:56.940 --> 00:12:01.289 me from other small liberal arts schools. That's going to be an opportunity to 174 00:12:01.450 --> 00:12:07.090 fulfill for some donors. So again we're it's either problem to solve an opportunity 175 00:12:07.129 --> 00:12:11.090 to fulfill. It's tied into that big compelling idea and we're being as specific 176 00:12:11.210 --> 00:12:16.679 as we can with data, with research reports and study findings, perhaps with 177 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:22.480 a testimonial of somebody who has used our program or the typical person who would 178 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.879 use our program if we're getting started, a way to understand the real why 179 00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:31.470 of what we're doing, tied into that big compelling idea of how we're going 180 00:12:31.470 --> 00:12:35.789 to make the world a better place. So after that problem is identified in 181 00:12:35.230 --> 00:12:41.149 the cases made, then the next step is offering the solution or explaining the 182 00:12:41.269 --> 00:12:45.820 solution. Yeah, and this is probably the easiest step of all because you're 183 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:50.019 describing your programs, in your services or the programs and services that you're launching 184 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:52.539 and you know, this is especially where our board members can come in, 185 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:58.009 because they should be able to describe this in very clear terms without necessarily having 186 00:12:58.009 --> 00:13:01.210 to get into the nitty gritty and the details. And so we can describe 187 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:05.889 our research project, checked our degree program you know, the new initiative, 188 00:13:05.970 --> 00:13:09.210 the way we're partnering with the Community Around Community Development or with a business sector 189 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:15.159 around economic development. So just describing our programs and our services in great detail 190 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:20.600 so that the donor can see exactly what we're doing to accomplish the why in 191 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:24.000 very specific practical terms. And I think when I'm looking at the number four, 192 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.080 when it's it's kind of like the idea of the outcomes. What are 193 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:30.029 the outcomes going to be? Who? What? What is the intended results 194 00:13:30.110 --> 00:13:31.190 going to be? Is that? Is that how it works? And so 195 00:13:31.429 --> 00:13:35.830 again, the big compelling idea, especially with you about major gift fundraising. 196 00:13:35.669 --> 00:13:39.870 Big donors want big ideas, right, but they want to know that these 197 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:43.980 aren't just flighty ideas, that these are very thoughtful ideas, that these are 198 00:13:45.059 --> 00:13:50.379 going to be long standing, long term ideas and solutions that are going to 199 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:54.259 have a steadfast contribution to making the world a better place for a long time, 200 00:13:54.730 --> 00:13:56.929 and one way we're going to do that as to measure for results, 201 00:13:58.409 --> 00:14:01.490 and so we're going to be able to describe to our donors, because of 202 00:14:01.610 --> 00:14:05.610 this program, this is going to happen, we anticipate this is going to 203 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:07.769 happen and why, or if the program has been in existence. Here are 204 00:14:07.850 --> 00:14:13.000 our program data, not just our outputs, the number of students who graduate, 205 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.960 but our outcomes. What are our alumni doing these days? What type 206 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.519 of work are they doing, what type of impact are they having and, 207 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:22.919 yes, what type of salary are they drawing and, you know, being 208 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:24.429 able to care for themselves as well. So we're going to be able to 209 00:14:24.470 --> 00:14:28.269 measure all of these things and make that part of our description to the donor, 210 00:14:28.590 --> 00:14:33.149 because it on one of the top reasons that people donate is they want 211 00:14:33.149 --> 00:14:35.029 to fund impact, they want to be able to make a difference. You 212 00:14:35.149 --> 00:14:39.019 can also some of those results can be testimonials from people served by the program 213 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:45.299 or people providing the service, say a faculty member WHO's leading a research division 214 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:48.379 or a particular, you know, line of instruction at the school. So 215 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:52.730 big compelling idea. What is the problem we're trying to solve or the opportunity 216 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:56.490 we're trying to fulfill, describe how with our programs and our services, and 217 00:14:56.649 --> 00:15:01.649 then what results do we anticipate or are we enjoying, or can we magnify 218 00:15:01.730 --> 00:15:05.049 and multiply because of charitable support from the donor? And then, finally, 219 00:15:05.730 --> 00:15:11.360 it's very apparent of why should the donor care? Making that emotional impact and 220 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:16.000 making sure how you communicate that is relevant to the donor. Make sure it's 221 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:20.120 tailored to the donor. And that's exactly right. We're now customizing all this 222 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:26.710 information for this particular individual or foundation or business sector funder as well. And 223 00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:31.789 so instead of me going to the department store to just buy a suit off 224 00:15:31.870 --> 00:15:35.500 the rack, now I'm going to a tailor to customize a suit specifically for 225 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:39.139 me. That's this stage of the fundraising case for support. We could have 226 00:15:39.340 --> 00:15:45.139 ten people who support our college, Ten people who support our university, but 227 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:48.460 that could have ten very different reasons for doing so. Maybe one is an 228 00:15:48.460 --> 00:15:52.129 alum, maybe another one is a parent of a student who graduated, maybe 229 00:15:52.210 --> 00:15:56.929 one is a business leader who relies on the college for the next round of 230 00:15:56.009 --> 00:16:02.090 of employees. All sorts of different reasons. Religious faith taxes can figure into 231 00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:04.600 this. My reputation, not an ego way, but in a positive way 232 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:07.320 to say this is why I want to be known as out in my community. 233 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:12.200 All these myriad of reasons why people donate, and as fundraisers we're going 234 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:17.799 to know the specific reason or reasons for each of those ten different donors and 235 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:22.309 that's how we're going to tailor this fundraising case for support so that it's not 236 00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:25.870 a one size fits all. The first four aspects are but in this fifth 237 00:16:25.950 --> 00:16:30.710 one we're now translating it to this particular donors strongest interests, with their filmthropic 238 00:16:30.750 --> 00:16:36.019 values and their philanthropic motivations. I love that. I now know a lot 239 00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:38.700 of times, as marketers, sometimes we can get excited about, you know, 240 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:41.980 taking a lot of this information and putting it into a real nice and 241 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:45.419 brochure or a real nice, you know, presentation piece. But I think 242 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:48.009 one of the things that we forget, even as we're copyrighting and doing other 243 00:16:48.049 --> 00:16:51.929 things, is that we've got to focus on like that last part. You 244 00:16:52.009 --> 00:16:55.809 talked about the tailored aspect of who the donor is, remembering that the donor 245 00:16:56.250 --> 00:16:59.929 really wants to be able to they in a way that I mean there's there's 246 00:16:59.929 --> 00:17:03.120 this idea that the hero of the story that they want to be able to 247 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:07.119 steward, they want to be able to serve and they're not looking for just 248 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:10.440 being asked, they want to be able to be a part of what's going 249 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:12.079 on. And so I think sometimes, and correct me if I'm wrong, 250 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:15.710 Bill, but sometimes we need to make sure that the way that we are 251 00:17:15.109 --> 00:17:19.390 crafting the message, the way that we are connecting the donor with with with 252 00:17:19.630 --> 00:17:25.230 our opportunities for them to join us in stewardship, has more to do with, 253 00:17:25.670 --> 00:17:29.190 you know, tailoring it toward them rather than just giving them a Lett 254 00:17:29.589 --> 00:17:33.099 laundry list of Santa Claus. Here's what I am want for Christmas, and 255 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:37.099 this is where our marketing colleagues are essential to fundraising and the fundraising case for 256 00:17:37.180 --> 00:17:41.660 support and, to amplify a word that you just use, their part, 257 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:45.650 and that's story. People might not always remember data, they might not always 258 00:17:45.650 --> 00:17:49.609 remember research findings, they might not always remember the details of your program or 259 00:17:49.650 --> 00:17:53.089 your service, but more often than not they will remember a story, or 260 00:17:53.130 --> 00:17:56.410 at least the essence of a story. And we can even think about how 261 00:17:56.569 --> 00:18:00.920 marketing experts, or even think about our television and movie producers, the Typical 262 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:06.359 Story Arc. Here is our main character, our protagonist, and let's learn 263 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:08.759 about this main character and some things that are true about them, and then 264 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:14.349 we learn about some either challenges that they have in their life or some opportunities 265 00:18:14.430 --> 00:18:18.589 that could come across their way. But then there's kind of this fork in 266 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:22.630 the road that those problems aren't going to be solved or that opportunity isn't going 267 00:18:22.630 --> 00:18:27.660 to be fulfilled until this resolution point comes about that does solve that problem or 268 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:33.299 does fulfill that opportunity. And then at the end that main character, their 269 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:36.299 life isn't a good place, but it's a hallmark movie. It starts to 270 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:40.740 snow, the dog barks and and it's all good. So our marketing people 271 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:45.130 can take that fundraising case for support and create that story, create that narrative, 272 00:18:45.529 --> 00:18:48.849 tell us about that typical student who talk to us, about that typical 273 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:52.569 member of the alumni, that typical faculty member who's doing the research, the 274 00:18:52.849 --> 00:18:57.319 typical community that benefits from the presence of the college, the typical employment sector 275 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:02.119 that benefits from our students going to intern and coop and work for them, 276 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:06.880 and talk about that story in that way. That then can also be seen 277 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:11.670 and therefore, donor, you have a role in this story. Right, 278 00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:15.349 we have a spot just for we did our casting call and you're in. 279 00:19:15.750 --> 00:19:21.269 You can see yourself as part of this story because, remember, with philanthropy, 280 00:19:21.750 --> 00:19:25.019 and especially now with technology, we can sit in our homes and we 281 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:26.619 can make a difference. We can pop open our technology device, we can 282 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:30.619 make a donation or sign a petition or forward something on social media. But 283 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:37.609 our impact expands exponentially when we join with others who care about the things that 284 00:19:37.730 --> 00:19:41.250 we care about, the causes that we want to pursue, the way we 285 00:19:41.410 --> 00:19:45.769 want to make the world a better place in positive ways, and that's the 286 00:19:45.970 --> 00:19:48.730 story that I'm joining. So I would encourage our marketing people, you are 287 00:19:48.809 --> 00:19:53.680 essential to fundraising, help us craft those stories of which the fundraising case for 288 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:59.880 support fits within, so the donor can see themselves in that story. That's 289 00:19:59.880 --> 00:20:02.839 great. That's great, Bill. What are some of the other elements? 290 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:08.269 Are Topics that should be considered when approaching a major gift marketing or communication initiative? 291 00:20:10.109 --> 00:20:11.990 You know, I think you know, we certainly want to think about 292 00:20:12.029 --> 00:20:15.630 all the the leading edge ideas. Like you know, how do we now 293 00:20:15.789 --> 00:20:22.299 get those ads that are tailor to each individual listener and viewer on our streaming 294 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:26.259 devices. You know, I'm tuned into my serious Xm channel, listening to 295 00:20:26.339 --> 00:20:30.460 my favorite sports talk show. I reside in Indiana, but at the moment 296 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:34.930 I'm in Illinois. This is a true story. And suddenly the host takes 297 00:20:34.970 --> 00:20:41.690 a commercial break and I'm hearing a radio AD ON SATELLITE RADIO FOR NONPROFIT BACK 298 00:20:41.809 --> 00:20:45.650 IN INDIANA. Why? Because somehow, you know, my technology device is 299 00:20:45.730 --> 00:20:48.609 registered in Indiana and they found out. Well, just go find the Indiana 300 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:52.119 people and, you know, plug in this this spot into the satellite show. 301 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:55.519 We see that. For those of you who've cut the cord and stream, 302 00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:57.319 you know Hulu, Youtube TV and so forth. You know, suddenly 303 00:20:57.359 --> 00:21:02.400 I'm getting a TV AD. I'm watching my ball game and it's our local 304 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:06.349 community college in Indiana. HMM, how did that write that? So all 305 00:21:06.390 --> 00:21:08.869 the sophisticated, cutting edge things that are happening at the same time, let's 306 00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:12.829 not leave out kind of the old school right to make sure that we're still 307 00:21:12.950 --> 00:21:17.150 in the the local media, whether it's the newspaper, even if it's not 308 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:19.539 on paper anymore and it's on the tablet, the local radio, the local 309 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:22.660 television, the local billboards that those are still important. And I'll give you 310 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:26.539 an example again. I'm on the Board of my Regional Food Bank here and 311 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:32.660 the New York Times comes a calling and interviews two of our staff members about 312 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:37.769 how the supply chain problems in our economy are actually affecting the provision of food, 313 00:21:37.170 --> 00:21:41.170 especially for marginalized communities. Exactly the people were solving at our food bank. 314 00:21:41.210 --> 00:21:45.130 Those two people part of a New York time story. One of the 315 00:21:45.289 --> 00:21:49.799 national news networks picks up on it, MSNBC, and interviews our CEO on 316 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:53.440 one of their Sunday morning programs. Nice teen in interview in the CEO did 317 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:57.079 a great job and about a week or two later, unsolicited, comes this 318 00:21:57.200 --> 00:22:03.589 twentyzero donation from a resident in the state of New York, where in Indiana, 319 00:22:03.910 --> 00:22:06.750 who said Hey, I saw that TV interview. You guys are doing 320 00:22:06.829 --> 00:22:10.630 great work. I love how you're overcoming these economic challenges that all of us 321 00:22:10.630 --> 00:22:15.230 are facing. Here's Twentyzero. Now that doesn't always happen, that's not always 322 00:22:15.230 --> 00:22:18.779 the guarantee, but it was traditional media that helped us get the story out 323 00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:22.299 right. In addition to all the cutting edge things that your firm is providing, 324 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:26.380 important leadership on it's a both and so again, help us find those 325 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:30.730 themes, help us find those delivery methods. Different people, different demographics, 326 00:22:30.890 --> 00:22:34.529 different age groups, are going to find information in different ways. Who's your 327 00:22:34.569 --> 00:22:38.450 key audience? Where do they consume information? And that's where we need to 328 00:22:38.529 --> 00:22:42.490 be with information about our nonprofit, not even about making the ass but just 329 00:22:42.650 --> 00:22:45.880 putting the information out there about who we are and what we do that can 330 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:51.039 get donor attention. One more quick example. The research shows that a key 331 00:22:51.160 --> 00:22:55.440 way for nonprofits to fund raises through their advocacy when they're out in the public 332 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:57.990 square, when they might have a public event to hey, let's reduce food 333 00:22:59.029 --> 00:23:02.950 and security, for example, let's say. or it might be raising awareness 334 00:23:02.950 --> 00:23:06.230 around an important social justice issue for an example. Well, what are you 335 00:23:06.269 --> 00:23:08.509 doing? You're creating positive exposure for yourself. So when it comes time to 336 00:23:08.630 --> 00:23:12.579 make the ask the donors like, Oh, I you guys had that big 337 00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:17.259 event or you did that big social media campaign or you hosted that that, 338 00:23:17.500 --> 00:23:21.099 you know, a very positive demonstration in our public park and I'm aware of 339 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:22.980 you. So, marketing folks, we need you to help us create that 340 00:23:23.019 --> 00:23:27.650 awareness so that the we can come in and ask those donors for financial support. 341 00:23:29.049 --> 00:23:32.970 That's great. That's great and I think that just to kind of piggyback 342 00:23:32.970 --> 00:23:33.769 a little bit on that, because I just want to make sure that everybody 343 00:23:33.809 --> 00:23:37.410 understands and they heard what you said. Bill, the idea of segmentation is 344 00:23:37.490 --> 00:23:41.960 so critical when it comes down to I mean, we talked about that enrollment 345 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:45.519 sometimes, you know, with generation Z and and talking about millennials and things 346 00:23:45.559 --> 00:23:48.079 like that, but I think sometimes we forget, especially when we look at 347 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:52.240 advancement and development work and fundraising work, that it's just as effective there, 348 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:56.150 because we're now talking about boomers, we're talking about you know, greatest generations. 349 00:23:56.190 --> 00:23:59.589 Still have a few of those around, but you know, exers. 350 00:23:59.750 --> 00:24:03.549 We've got to really start crafting not only the messaging for those audiences but also 351 00:24:03.549 --> 00:24:06.309 the delivery channels that they prefer. And Bill, I think you've made some 352 00:24:06.430 --> 00:24:10.740 really good points there that you know, while some of the technology channels might 353 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:12.980 kind of go back and forth a little bit and and you know you're certainly 354 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:17.299 going to have a boomer and an excer that might be listening to serious satellite 355 00:24:17.299 --> 00:24:19.259 radio like you, like you mentioned, you're also going to have some more 356 00:24:19.299 --> 00:24:25.569 of those traditional elements you're going to have letters that still work in in traditional 357 00:24:26.089 --> 00:24:29.730 mailings and things like that, and so we've really got a as marketers, 358 00:24:30.170 --> 00:24:33.410 do our homework to understand who the audience is that we're going to be communicating 359 00:24:33.410 --> 00:24:37.250 with and the fundraising case or support, to go back to our key topic 360 00:24:37.329 --> 00:24:42.799 here today, is the baseline and the foundation for all of that. Whether 361 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:48.759 I'm going to try to fundraise on twitch with a Gamer, which is leading 362 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.319 edge right now, or if I'm going to try to get on my local 363 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:57.829 television station community affairs program that fundraising case for support is that same foundation, 364 00:24:57.950 --> 00:25:03.069 that same kind of basis of talking points that we're going to use and grow 365 00:25:03.109 --> 00:25:07.619 from, regardless of, you know, which demographic and where they consume information. 366 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:11.019 As we approach our time limit, would like to know if there was 367 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:15.220 either a point that we didn't get to that you would like to leave us 368 00:25:15.220 --> 00:25:21.019 with, or maybe a quick tip for fundraisers out there that have really benefited 369 00:25:21.059 --> 00:25:23.730 from our conversation. Well, I would just encourage people, and you know, 370 00:25:23.769 --> 00:25:27.809 obviously we've been through and continue to be in some highly stressful times, 371 00:25:29.690 --> 00:25:33.849 whether it is a worldwide health pandemic or what people have talked about. That 372 00:25:33.009 --> 00:25:41.119 we're into pandemics with a wonderful reawareness around social and racial justice and reconciliation issues 373 00:25:41.640 --> 00:25:45.880 and the the challenges or stresses that sometimes folks can feel can can make people 374 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:49.789 hesitant to fundraise. And I would just tell you from our school our data, 375 00:25:49.910 --> 00:25:52.710 not opinions, but our data show this is a great time to fund 376 00:25:52.710 --> 00:25:56.589 raise. People are responding and it's not to say that there isn't a lot 377 00:25:56.630 --> 00:26:00.309 of economic distress. There is and there will continue to be, but there 378 00:26:00.309 --> 00:26:04.259 are still significant number of folks who were able to keep their jobs, we're 379 00:26:04.259 --> 00:26:10.339 able to stay healthier, relatively healthy, and see the needs that are around 380 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:15.220 it have been magnified by these twin pandemics and as fundraisers we need not hesitate 381 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:17.980 to still be out there asking. Remember, at the end of the day, 382 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:22.410 philanthropy is a message of hope. We have the audacity to believe that 383 00:26:22.529 --> 00:26:26.369 we can make the world a better place and when you're bringing your message to 384 00:26:26.529 --> 00:26:30.210 your donor, even over zoom or teams or whatever format that you might be 385 00:26:30.289 --> 00:26:36.200 using electronically, they are watching the news and seeing these health challenges and economic 386 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:40.720 challenges and and social concerns that are being brought to the forefront and you're coming 387 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:44.000 to them with a message of hope. We see that in the data. 388 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:47.430 Folks are still responding. Two Thousand and twenty was a record year for charitable 389 00:26:47.470 --> 00:26:51.470 giving. Even though we intentionally slam the breaks on the world economy, it 390 00:26:51.589 --> 00:26:55.269 was a record year for charitable giving. We see those trends continue. Develop 391 00:26:55.430 --> 00:26:57.869 your strong case for support. That doesn't allow you to compete with the other 392 00:26:57.950 --> 00:27:02.700 nonprofits? No, we're not in competition. That's a scarcity mentality. It 393 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:07.700 allows you to set yourself apart and meet each donor at their area of specific 394 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:12.859 philanthropic value and motivation. I'm shared. There are many people that you've inspired 395 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:18.450 today. For anyone that would like to either contact you or like more information 396 00:27:18.529 --> 00:27:21.690 about the school, what would be the best way for them to get that 397 00:27:21.809 --> 00:27:25.930 information or to connect with you or the school? Yeah, couple ways. 398 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:30.759 So my twitter account at underscore bill stand at underscore bill stand I only tweet 399 00:27:30.759 --> 00:27:36.519 about fundraising and leadership and somebody could DM me there. Art School's website is 400 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:44.869 philanthropy dot iui Dot Edu, philanthropy dot IU, Eui Dot Edu. Forward 401 00:27:44.910 --> 00:27:48.109 slash the fundraising school and, even easier than that, the fundraising school app 402 00:27:48.109 --> 00:27:52.309 or where you get your apps are APP is free and with a couple taps 403 00:27:52.349 --> 00:27:55.710 of your thumb you can get the information that you need from the fundraising school 404 00:27:55.710 --> 00:27:59.859 at the Indiana University, Lilly Family School of philanthropy. Bill, thank you 405 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:03.619 very much for such an inspiring message. I've learned a lot and I'm sure 406 00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:08.259 others will as they take in this episode. Bart, do you have any 407 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:11.819 parting words that you like to share? Yeah, I just want to highlight 408 00:28:11.819 --> 00:28:15.529 a few things that bill said and I would encourage everyone to go back and 409 00:28:15.569 --> 00:28:18.049 kind of read listen to some of the elements of the case statement. I 410 00:28:18.089 --> 00:28:21.890 think there was just so much really good information here, but just that idea 411 00:28:21.930 --> 00:28:23.730 that the case statement is really what's going to set you apart and it's going 412 00:28:23.769 --> 00:28:27.519 to be kind of what that drum beat is. Or as another one of 413 00:28:27.559 --> 00:28:33.319 our guests, another Hoosier, I you person, was Eleanor Bierman, had 414 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:36.519 talked about the idea of a North Star, you know, marketing North Star, 415 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:38.720 or that case statement is going to be the North Star for all of 416 00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:42.029 the efforts that you're going to be putting into your fundraising, and so keep 417 00:28:42.069 --> 00:28:45.829 that in mind as you as a marketer are helping to, as set create 418 00:28:47.029 --> 00:28:49.269 that through the stories, through the ways that you're developing that out. And 419 00:28:49.349 --> 00:28:52.829 then also keep in mind that as you are being asked as a marketer to 420 00:28:53.309 --> 00:28:57.619 help with advancement, to help get the case for support out there, to 421 00:28:57.819 --> 00:29:02.740 help with the different needs that come up in advancement and development, make sure 422 00:29:02.740 --> 00:29:07.740 that you're really paying attention to the segmentation of who you are talking to make 423 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:10.529 sure that you understand who is it that they're getting ready to go in front 424 00:29:10.529 --> 00:29:12.650 of? Are they going in front of a major donor or they going in 425 00:29:12.730 --> 00:29:17.849 front of a foundation, a business, so that you can craft the messaging 426 00:29:17.930 --> 00:29:22.809 and help them create those stories and those those elements very well. So thank 427 00:29:22.849 --> 00:29:25.279 you, Bill for the time today well, and I look forward to your 428 00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:29.400 assessment to see how well I'm doing marketing the fundraising school in the school philanthropy. 429 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:32.240 I hope I did that. That sounds great. I think you did. 430 00:29:32.599 --> 00:29:37.319 Thank you both. The hired market podcast is sponsored by Taylor solutions and 431 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:44.509 education marketing and branding agency and by thin patented, a Marketing Execution Company specializing 432 00:29:44.509 --> 00:29:48.589 in print, digital engagement and direct mail. On behalf of my cohost, 433 00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:52.579 Bart Taylor, I'm troy singer. Thank you so much for joining us. 434 00:29:56.500 --> 00:30:00.380 You've been listening to the Higher Ed Marketer. To ensure that you never miss 435 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:04.059 an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast player. If you're 436 00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:07.529 listening with apple PODCASTS, we'd love for you to leave a quick rating of 437 00:30:07.569 --> 00:30:11.410 the show. Simply tap the number of stars you think the podcast deserves. 438 00:30:11.490 --> 00:30:12.970 Until next time,