 Welcome and happy Friday. I always like it when it's Friday, just to have a little bit of fun, right? And Fundraising Academy has been a fantastic sponsor of our Friday ask and answer episodes. And so each and every Friday, Julia and I, you know, have the ability and opportunity to answer a lot of questions that come in. And from time to time, we have some fantastic guests joining us from Fundraising Academy. And today we have just that. So Adriana O'Donnell, which is a CFRE, Certified Fundraising Executive, also Director of Philanthropy at San E. Ciedro Health. Now, I told you, Adriana, from the beginning, if I ever mispronounced your name, the organization, please correct me. So I would like to invite you right now to please properly say your name in the organization. Thank you, Jared. So it's Adriana O'Donnell, and the organization that I work for is called San E. Ciedro Health, which is located in San Diego, right along the border. But we actually provide services throughout the county. Fantastic. Thank you so very much. And I'm Jared Ransom, your nonprofit nerd, CEO of the Raven Group. We are honored to have the continued support of our presenting sponsors. Those of you that are watching, you can see their logos right in front of you on the screen. But many of you that might be listening to our broadcast or just tuning in from the audio, I wanna give a thank you to Bloomerang, your part-time controller, Fundraising Academy, nonprofit nerd, American Nonprofit Academy, Staffing Boutique, Nonprofit Thought Leader, and the Nonprofit Atlas. These companies keep us going and growing, and they are truly here for you and your mission and to help you and your community. So please check them out. I always like to remind you not now, but in about 29 minutes is a really good time to dive into their websites and learn more about them. These companies have kept us on the airwaves truly. We remain the nation's only nonprofit live webcast. We have almost 600 episodes now, and you can find us on Roku, YouTube, Fire TV, Vimeo, and wait, there's more. If you buy now for 9.99, I feel like a big like infomercial, right? But really looking truly for those podcasters. I'm a huge podcaster. I start every morning listening to a podcast. We are now on podcast forums. So if you're interested in today's episode, Friday is a big popular day because of the questions that come in from our viewers. So Audrey, I am excited to have you, thrilled to have your expertise, your brain power behind this. And so for all of our viewers, what we'll do is I will read the questions aloud, we'll pass over so that you can answer this. And if I feel inclined to add to it, I will do just that. So if you're ready, I'll start off with our question from Denise. Yes, perfect. Yeah, so Denise writes in from Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's a fantastic place to be, I love it there. Denise wants to know, she says, we're trying to take actions to help our nonprofit retain in all capital letters, R-E-T-A-I-N employees. Should we be rewriting our employee handbook to define work from home issues and standards? That's a good question. What do you say? I think a lot of nonprofits are struggling with the same issue. And I can speak to what's currently happening here at San Ysidro Health. And yes, the handbook would be great to have things delineated and writing and making it very clear about what expectations are. But a question for the organization is, have you considered putting together a formal retention strategy for your employees? You know, are you compensating fairly? Are you offering training and development programs for your employees? Is there room for them to growth? Do they trust your organization? Is there transparent? I mean, there's so many things that goes along with feeling like you are valued at your organization and that you are acknowledged for your hard work and dedication to the mission. And is there truly work like balance? These are things that I can speak to for myself. And what I look for when I am working for an organization, obviously mission is very important, but also, you know, if I feel valued within the organization. So I would say that maybe going back to putting together a very thoughtful retention strategy with leadership in your board, I think that's such an important practice and one that will make a difference for your organization. Great thoughts. And I don't think that I've considered what that formal retention strategy looks like, but you hit a lot of the marks and I really appreciate that. You know, one of the things that I've heard of often, and I always say, I am not HR, but is a stay interview, right? Instead of exit interviews, what are these stay interviews? Now, that's not necessarily speaking to your handbook, but one of the things to include in your handbook is truly this work from home environment. And I know that came up immediately during, you know, the height of COVID-19 and our pandemic is really looking at are we, you know, secure in our privacy measures? What about our cybersecurity? What about, you know, do we allow our, bring your own computer to work kind of thing or did we have the ability to send our staff, you know, to their remote location, mostly home, right? With the technology and those like hardware assets that are needed. And so Denise, great question, great foresight to think about, you know, your employee handbook, but truly to retain your staff. I always like to say you want to keep your rockstar staff, you know, so what are you doing? What are you doing to that? So thank you, thank you for those answers. Great, great input. I love it. Let's move into the next question. This comes from Charlene in Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. How many donors would be appropriate to have on a portfolio? We have never been very organized about this and I am trying to get a handle on managing our donors. Next step is a more refined donor database. Well, you as a CFRE, Adriana, I'm sure you have some wonderful insight on this. So let's take it away. I'd love to hear what you say about donor portfolios. Right. And so I can tell you what has been drilled in our heads, you know, as far as best practice and it's, you know, not more than 100 to 150 people within one professional's portfolio and treating that more as a cap, not a minimum, but to be frank, to be honest, I can speak from my own experience and I think that that's too much. It really is because fundraising is relationship-based as we all know and 100 to 150 is overwhelming. So really looking at your donor database and prioritizing based on, you know, what's important, whether there's a donor that has been with you for 20 years or has increased their amounts over the years or has communicated, you know, a linkage and an interest in a specific program. These are better ways to be able to build your portfolio. And for me, 20 to 30 seems a more manageable way to handle it. I know that different organizations based on their size may have different views, but truly for me, what's been a recipe for success in relationship building is really focusing on 20 to 30. That is interesting. That is a big difference, between that, you know, what we've been drilled down is that 100, 150. This is a curveball question, but curious, I told you unscripted, right? And I too, fundraising is a big piece of my wheelhouse of fundraising and strategy. Doesn't matter the donor level because I'm thinking, you know, high touch, you maybe have less within your portfolio, but if it's a lower touch portfolio management, is there ability to maybe go to that true 100 or kind of, you know, ballpark? What do you see for that and educate me because maybe there's not a high touch and a lower touch? You know, it's really about staying connected to your donor database. That's the backbone of fund development, philanthropy office, yes. And so taking a look at what the trends are, you know, I gotta say 2020 to now, we've really, it isn't fundraising as usual and it's not by the book, if you will. You really, The book is gone, I mean. The book is gone and you really have to take a look at what your donors are interested in, what the trend is for your donors. And, you know, maybe it's that you've had someone that has donated to your cause for many years and there's a bump now. And it could be because your mission is aligned with what they are prioritizing at the moment. You know, what's affecting us as professionals is also affecting our donors. So paying attention and reaching out to thank them and to listen to why they've chosen you, your organization over the many other organizations in the area and really communicating to them what your organization's priorities are and seeing if they align. So, I mean, this takes time, but I think it's well worth it, especially since these are known to your organization, these are known entities to your organization. So that's how I've been approaching it. And like I said, it's not fundraising as it was, you know, 10 years ago, 20 years ago, you really have to lean in, if you will, and pay attention to your database. Thank you. And the cost selling education model truly has, you know, this phase approach and it's not a one size fits all, you know, it's kind of like, I know many of us have gone shopping and it's a one size fits most kind of label now, not a one size fits all, but really looking at that donor journey, you know, everyone in your portfolio is gonna take a different time and they all have a different journey. And so you might stay within the same phases, you know, but everyone is unique in the ability of that timeline. And so thank you for sharing your insight and your years of experience there is really insightful. Well, now we're going to Vegas. So get ready, get your casino money because Sean in Las Vegas, Nevada writes and wants to know how important is it for you to have a board member present at a major donor ask? We are trying to determine if this should be a basic part of our ask process. Again, fantastic for a CFRE. So Adriana, what do you say for this? Is it important to have a board member president? I think that if they have the time and express interest and wanna represent your organization in that manner, absolutely encourage it. And yeah, it is important, but it's also important to, you know, possibly have a program manager, frontline staff go with you so that they can also speak to the, to the organization's mission. Actually, that's what I've been doing lately too, which has been really helpful. Boards are coming all shapes and sizes and some are very comfortable with the fundraising process and some may not be and it takes a little more encouragement, training and communication. So if you have a board member that's interested, take the time to prep them, to give them as much information about the meeting as possible. If they have a personal connect or professional connect with that major gifts donor or ask, it's a no brainer. It would be fabulous, but taking the time to prep them is very helpful and they'll appreciate you for it. But if that is not available to you, then look within your own resources. Perhaps it's having a volunteer come with you that may have a connection or may not. It's important to hear it from someone that isn't paid by the organization to have why it's so important to support and where this funding is going and what the impact of the funding will be. I have to go back to your comment, you know, boards come in all shapes and sizes and I heard someone say this and it just really hit home. Once you know one board, you know one board. These are all so different, right? As you said, shapes and sizes, experience level, you know, interest and I remember I have to give a shout out to Tony Bell with Fundraising Academy, you know, very similar question and he said, you know, what you don't wanna do is bring someone in and the final ask that has not been a part of the cycle of the cost of education model previously and that might hinder the experience with the funder during that major donor ask. And so really, as you said, Adriana, looking at what is their role in that capacity, how will they serve? Because I remember, I mean, let's go back to when we started Fundraising, okay? For me, it's been a long time and thanking the hardest part for me was to sit quiet. And I know that's the hardest for so many people is because we're passionate and we wanna share the mission and the ask and these stories, but truly during these major donor ask, it is equally, if not more important, to listen. That's great. And actually that's been my motto for a long time, especially now, to really listen and to understand where the donor is as well as prepping to, prepping, listening and ensuring that your board member, your volunteer, your colleague feels comfortable in that setting too. I love bringing in the program staff, as you said. I mean, they see everything firsthand. They can literally paint the picture with their words of the programming. So I love that tip and glad to hear that that's one of the ones you're implementing very strategically right now. So, okay, from Bismarck, North Dakota, name with help. Have you heard of hiring an interim director of philanthropy? I know there are interim CEOs, COOs, along with CFOs. Where would we even start to find such talent? Great question. That is a great question. And it's not as common as interim CEOs, COOs and CFOs, but I feel like the fit of the professional is very important because you're really trying to build, lead, have leadership at your organization that will stick around because it's relationship-based, philanthropist relationship-based fundraising. So I would say to look within professional organizations your association of fundraising professionals, your fundraising academies, all of these great networks and see if they have job posting capabilities. And even the job post has to be very clear and strategic about the type of professional you'd like for your organization and what that fit needs to look like. So look within your area, find those professional networks because we're there. And even look at CFREs, the CFRE listing in your state, in your town, or make it national. I mean, you know, work from home opens up the door. Absolutely. It opens more to so many talents, so much talent. Exactly, exactly. So I feel like there are a lot of resources, but if I may, I'd also like to take it a step further. I'm very involved with our local AFP chapter and what we've seen is the different forms of postings that go up. And some are more inviting than others. And you can tell that the ones that have language that is thoughtful, that is very precise to that organization and what they're looking for is the ones that get the most response. So language is important as well as transparency. And in that setting for AFP, we do ask that salary ranges are part of the post. Yes, and that goes to equity and equality and really feeling valued for the expertise that you bring to the table. So that's my tea sense about job postings. Thank you. Thank you for waving that flag. I wave it as well. And I get a lot of, you know, LinkedIn inquiries that'll say, well, you share this post and I don't if it does not have a hiring salary range. And I just let them know, you know, from an equitable standpoint, this is not a practice that I practice, but if you're willing to update this with that hiring range, absolutely. I'd love to share it with my network. So thank you for AFP mentioning that. And then also your personal beliefs in that space as well. Name with how I feel like you might be writing to me because I actually have served in this interim director philanthropy. I've served as an interim CEO and an interim COO. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever a CFO because that's just not my jam. However, everything you said, Adriana is really that relationship and you're so right. For me, name withheld, an interim director of philanthropy is used very strategically. And it's either you've never had this position before and you really want to develop that role in the culture of philanthropy, both internal and external, right there for your organization. But I don't want you to see this as the end all be all position, right? So to me, it's very strategic. You use this opportunity to lay the groundwork and to prepare for the next level and to hire your full-time, permanent director of philanthropy for your organization. So that's where I see the best use of an interim director of philanthropy truly to carry on those relationships. When I serve in this capacity, most of that time, as you mentioned, Adriana is truly relationships. So it's a lot of conversations, it's a lot of really just letting the funders, the investors, the partners know about the strategic placement and the growth within the organization. So that's how I come to it is truly this, this is a strategic step and to share it as such in full transparency. So that's really good. And I love the remote. I served in this space for a client out in Seattle and I live here in Arizona. And so it was really nice to have that. And believe it or not, this is before COVID. So we were a very progressive team, apparently. Great. Yeah, well, we have one more question from Alabama. I'm looking at the time. I think we've got a little bit of time to answer this but that's fine. Paul will give you what you deserve here. We are thinking about extending our programming to a neighboring state. How do we determine how the legal issues would impact the decision? More importantly, how do you think donors would think about their donations being used out of state? We are wondering if this might be a huge issue in fundraising. Very thoughtful, Paul. Take it away, Audrey. And, you know, I cannot speak to legal issues but what I can offer is advice on getting the expertise that you may need to take this important step for your organization. So have you looked into, you know, getting legal support, hiring, you know, a legal team to help you out or who sits on your board? Can you gather expertise from your board? Do you have a lawyer on your board? If not, maybe recruiting one would be great, you know, to help out. So that's what I can offer as far as, you know, the legal issues that would impact your decision but, you know, to take it a step further, if this, there's a reason why you're thinking about going out of state. It's probably to support your mission and, you know, make a bigger impact within your region. And that speaks volumes and may be part of your strategic plan. So if it is, if you're already there, I think that having conversations, full transparency with some of your closest donors and really listening to what they have to say about, you know, what your next steps are to go to a different state and if they support it, if they have any concerns, hearing it straight from them is so valuable. So that's one piece of advice. The other is, you know, I've thought about your answer because I mean, your question and I'm thinking, yes, it might have an impact but it might have a very positive impact because you're widening your reach and you're widening your mission within your region. So this can open the door to other funding possibilities and additional donors. So again, transparency, reach out to your current donors, your current supporters, your most loyal supporters and let them know of your plan and hear what they have to say. And if it is aligned with your mission and it's part of your strategic plan, then really it's, you know, full speed ahead and I congratulate you for taking the steps. Yeah, this is such a great question and a great topic. You know, it makes me think I was working with an international organization and they had a presence in the US but also internationally and we got that question a lot, you know, is where do our dollars go? And having that back to transparency, that's definitely been a theme in our conversation. And then as you said, you know, talking to the donors, listening, another theme, listening to what they say, what they ask if they pose any concern, and then you know how to address it, you know? We can of course always have restricted dollars and so of course we want unrestricted, that is the best ever, but there is ways in accounting systems to restrict a donor's funding so that it is specific to program, specific to geographic, specific to, you know, anything just about, I mean, it can become an accounting nightmare and again, we're really hoping and praying for, you know, the unrestricted dollars. However, there are measurements within financials to separate that and report on that. So I think as you said, it is a win-win. This is, you know, a great opportunity to say we have made such positive impact here in our community and there's a greater need in another state, maybe a neighboring state. So we are taking our program that has done X, Y and Z here locally to another state for these recipients, our community members to receive very, you know, very similar programming. So messaging is important. Yeah, good stuff. Well, such great questions that we have today, Friday or Friday, as I like to call it, is my favorite day and really going through these questions because if you joined us earlier or for any of our other shows, we are marching towards our 600th, yes, 600 episode. And so every Friday we dedicate to our ask and answer, we have received questions across the nation, even international, and we've been able to witness the change and shift in evolution in our leaders. So Adriana O'Donnell, thank you for joining us, Director of Philanthropy with, I'm gonna try this, San Isidro Health. Beautiful, thank you so much for having me, Jared. It's such a pleasure to be a part of it. Thank you, it's fantastic. We are lucky to have you in our community, Fundraising Academy is lucky to have you in the cause selling education model. And we are so lucky also to have the continued support of so many of our presenting sponsors. Again, I wanna give a shout out to Bloomerang, your part-time controller, Fundraising Academy, non-profit nerd, American non-profit academy, staffing boutique, non-profit thought leader and the non-profit Atlas. Today is Friday, Monday's a holiday, Memorial Day, so we will not be on Monday. We hope that all of you have a wonderful, restful, safe weekend. Please join us back on Tuesday and until then, please stay well so you can continue to do well. Thank you so much for joining us.