 Welcome everybody to another episode of the non-profit show. You're here with us. This is Friday Ask and Answer sponsored by the amazing folks at Fundraising Academy at National University. Today we have a new face, which is really exciting for us. We love all our besties at Fundraising Academy, but it's always fun to get a new voice and a new face with some new ideas and new opinions. Meredith Terrain. Okay, Meredith, you're coming to us from Florida. We were just chatting in the green room about hurricane season and your community was spared in this last hurricane and we are glad that you are safe and sound. Well, thank you. Yeah, I'm actually in Tampa, Florida. So we were largely spared, but we're just getting into the start of hurricane season. So I'm sure we'll have another one to chat about next time. Yeah, I bet we do. Talk to us, Meredith, about your work, what you do and your place in the Fundraising Academy ecosystem. Yeah, so I joined Fundraising Academy in June. So just a couple of months ago, really thrilled to be on the team with Muhy and LaShonda, just like the dream team here with the three of us and we just, we love the work that we do together. My background has been in non-profit fundraising almost exclusively for the past 13 years or so. And for the past six years or so, I've been working as a non-profit consultant. So I do a lot of work with capital campaigns, strategic planning, direct mail appeals, that type of thing. So I love being on the team with Fundraising Academy. One of the things that really kind of drew me to that was the opportunity to professionalize the fundraising process to just to have, you know, just this professional opportunity for education in non-profit fundraising. Yeah, you know, I think that's the thing I immediately said to Tony Bell when I met him four years ago was it was heartbreaking to meet him in some ways and hear about this cause selling cycle because I truly believe as just a community member, I could have raised millions of dollars more for my community. If I had just known some of these basic things, they would have made me more confident. They would have given me a clearer path and they would have helped me to understand how to be more successful as opposed to just sitting across, you know, a white tablecloth at lunch and asking for money. And so it's really cool that you're part of this family now and we're gonna get to learn more about you and get your brilliance as we move forward. All right, my friend, are you ready for the first question? I am ready, let's get started. All right, okay. And wait, first of all, I got to thank our sponsors. I got so excited to have a new voice on. I forgot like a big part of this and that's thanking our sponsors. You know, you would think at almost 900 episodes, I'd have this down, not so fast, Meredith. Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part-time controller, nonprofit.later, fundraising academy at National University, staffing boutique, nonprofit nerd and nonprofit tech talk. These are our amazing partners that are with us day in and day out. Also, just so you know, if you wanna get a hold or connect to any of our broadcasts, again, almost 900, we're in year four, you can download our sexy app that the folks at American Nonprofit Academy led by Kevin Pace put together. It's super cool. You can check out all of our streaming broadcast platforms and of course, you can find us on podcast, depending on where you like to consume your content. Okay, now we're ready. Now we're ready. Okay, this I love, nervous and Nashville writes, we have a new director of development who's asking all the members of our team to provide a detailed activity or call sheet for the week. It seems he wants to check up on our work and how we are spending our time. Should I be worried? So I think this is a great question because it's one we can probably all relate to. I think at some point, all of us have probably felt that imposter syndrome or maybe question, what are the motivations of our directors or our managers? And I think that what I would say to this is that first of all, it's natural to have some concerns when your manager or the director of development is asking for these detailed call reports. But before jumping to conclusions, I think that first we have to remember that requesting activity sheets is really a way to ensure transparency and accountability on the team. And so I think that that's a standard best practice in both management and in fundraising. So try to remember that first. It helps your manager also to allocate resources effectively and to really understand where the time is going on his team and his personnel. And I think the second thing I would suggest is, instead of seeing this as a sign of distrust, maybe look at it as an opportunity for improved communication and alignment. It's really an opportunity for you to showcase your skillset to your director. And so I would encourage you to, instead of viewing it as distrust, look at it as an opportunity. And finally, if you're still unsure about it, don't be shy about clarifying expectations. So don't be shy about reaching out to your manager, to the director and saying, I'm curious about why you're asking for these and what your motivations are. And I think that most folks are willing and eager to share that. I love that because right there, that would nip all that nervous in Nashville's nervousness, right? If you could say, look, what are you expecting? What are you looking for? And then I agree with you, Meredith, using it as a best practices in maybe, like what's working and what's not? And where can you get support, right? Like, what does that look like? I mean, the portfolio ranges, it astounds me. It astounds me. I mean, I'll talk to folks and they're like, you know, I have about 50 and then I'll talk to people that are about 500. I mean, it's like, what it is? I don't know if you find that, but it just seems like this wide, wide band in when it comes to portfolio management. Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, to your point, depending on where she, nervous in Nashville noted that this is a new director of development. I don't know where this particular individual came from, but maybe it was a really large team and he's moving to a smaller team, he or she. So, yeah, to your point, you know, there's a wide range of what is, you know, effective and efficient depending on the size of the team. Yeah, yeah, really interesting. You know, I loved what you said. And before we go on, I'll just echo this sentiment. And that is, you know, communication and speaking up can really, I don't know, end some of that angst, right? Because things are always, for the most part, worse in your head than they are in reality, right? And so just like verbalize it and communicate. And then maybe some of that stress because we shouldn't be stressed out by this. We should be putting our attention and efforts to our relationships with our donors, right? Like move your energy towards that and not this. So, nervous in Nashville, I think you're gonna be fine. And I think, let us know because it's a really interesting thing. Okay, well, I think you did great for your first one. That wasn't so bad, how was it? I passed the test, good. We'll keep you on. Okay, Meredith, Janelle from Chicago writes, I have a donor who insists he pays for lunch whenever we meet. I feel somewhat uncomfortable about this. Also, does it make our nonprofit look cheap? And like we don't know how to take care of our donors. So this is a really interesting question. And it's one that I've come across, I don't think before, but here would be my thoughts on this. So I think that first and foremost, expressing genuine appreciation for your donor's willingness to purchase lunch is really important. So we have to respect the donor's intent here and we have to respect what is making them comfortable in this relationship as well. So acknowledge their generosity first and foremost and remember that it's also a sign of their commitment to your organization. If you're still uncomfortable with this and you really want the opportunity to pay for lunch yourself, consider offering alternative options or alternative gestures. So for example, you could suggest that your donor pay for or make a donation to your organization or to your nonprofit for the value of the lunch and help them to maybe remind them that that donation will go directly towards programs or services to the community. And then that might make them feel better about you paying for lunch for the two of you to meet. But at the end of the day, really, for us for the concern about the nonprofit image, here's what I think about that. I think that first of all, it doesn't concern me as much. I think generally donors appreciate responsible stewardship of their contributions. So if your organization has a track record of being really responsible with stewarding the donations that come in, I wouldn't be concerned about the image or the perception when the donor pays for lunch. Julia, what are your thoughts there? I don't want organizations that I support to be buying me lunch. Yeah. And I don't care if it's at Jack in the Box, although I don't eat fast food, but or like the swankiest restaurant in my community, I don't want that because I don't want them to be working super crazy hard just to be paying off that expense line in the budget of entertaining me. And if I weren't in the position to do it, then say, yeah, let's meet somewhere. Let's meet at your bus or sack lunch. I don't care or Zoom or not having, that's fine. I think that it's, for me, yeah, it's exactly what you said. Let's not divert funds. It's so damn hard to raise money. And why take 100 bucks off the top just to pay for the lunch? Because it's not just paying for the lunch. It's paying for the process. It's paying for the time that the program or the fundraiser has to go back through their system to submit reimbursement. It's the paperwork. It's tracking the receipts. So by the time you're done with the lunch, you've got a figure, I mean, this is the way my brain works, that you've added another 20% on the cost of that lunch just through the execution of the paper trail and the reimbursement, right? That's a really great point. There is a cost to doing business for all of us. And this maybe is your donor's way of acknowledging that and trying to ease that load for you a little bit. And again, I really do think that probably this is a gesture of his commitment to your organization and his generosity to the mission. And so I wouldn't, I would try if I were you to not be too uncomfortable with it, but to just respect the donor's wishes in this case. And last but not least, Chanel, I think this is a great way to do a touchbacks, right, to write a handwritten note. Thank you, lunch was great. I so appreciate you supporting us and giving us the time to reflect upon how you can be involved with us and move forward on that relationship. So, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, Chanel, find other donors like this is what it is. I mean, that's pretty amazing. So, okay, a development team from Houston, Texas has written in and sent this question to us. We have a major gift that's coming to our organization that is transformative. The family does not want to be recognized, but we feel it will not only change us, but our entire community. This is fascinating. How can we get them to understand how important this is for us to promote? Fascinating question. Because Houston's a big city with a lot of money. Yeah, so I can only imagine what this looks like. So here's what I'll say first. So first of all, to the development team in Houston, congratulations on such great work in securing this major transformational gift. I mean, this is a huge achievement for your team and your organization. And I think it's understandable that you want to promote it and promote the benefit, not only for your organization, but to the community as well. And my thought process here on this one is that we have to remember that our donors think differently about their gifts than we do as development professionals. Yeah. You know, I think that I totally understand where you're coming from with the desire to want to promote this to the community. It will serve maybe as a catalyst for future giving from other folks in the community. And that's very well maybe the case. But still at the end of the day, you have to remember that maintaining a positive and respectful relationship with your donor is the top priority in this scenario. So that being said, if your donor really doesn't want to be acknowledged publicly, I think that first and foremost, you should thank them and acknowledge it privately. So express your deep appreciation for the generosity, let them know how much the gift means to your organization and to the community. And then secondly, make it clear that you understand their wishes for anonymity. You know, you're not going to overhaul that in any way. You'll respect that. But there might be an opportunity for you to educate your donor in a sense on what the, first of all, the impact of the gift, but more importantly, the impact of recognition. So again, remember that they don't think about this the same way that you or I do as development professionals. So you know, you might have an opportunity to emphasize how public recognition can serve as a powerful tool in catalyzing other giving in the community. And so, you know, that might serve as a way to maybe make them rethink or change their mind. And if it doesn't, the last thing I would suggest is in this case would be to probably offer other options. So ways that you can acknowledge their contribution without identifying them personally. So that could be something like maybe a naming a program or scholarship or a project. In their honor without disclosing their name. You know, I love that. And I'm reminded about a very financially successful, multi-generationally successful family in my own community who endowed a significant piece of a university. And they were very uncomfortable about having too much made about this gift. And one of the heirs told me personally, he's like, Julia, I just didn't want to open up a can of worms and then have everybody else come after me because he was still in business and still working, you know, his work a day world. And so what he and his siblings decided upon was doing like an event at this university just with the students. Yeah, because that's what it was all about. It was about education, it was about learning, it was about changing the directory or the direction and trajectory of the students. And so they did this big on-campus thing and it was transformational for that family and ultimately led to a lot more engagement, right? Because they could see who they were impacting versus something that the press releases or whatever. So that's kind of what I'm thinking of but I really liked what you said about the educational aspect. Going back to that donor and saying, look, when we can say you invested with us, you trust us, you are confident in our stewardship, other large gifts will probably come our way. And so I think you've got to do that. Ultimately, you're right, Meredith. Man, if that's what they want, then that's what they want and you got it. Yeah. You know, you brought up a really great point though that probably these folks have thought about in Houston and I think we are all kind of familiar with this but oftentimes especially for very wealthy donors, they don't want that public recognition because then everybody comes knocking on the door and that's another thing to be maybe just sensitive of is why they're, what is motivating them to not want this public recognition? But oftentimes just a simple conversation about it and understanding why they're asking for this can probably go a long way. I think so. And even if you just did something on campus with your team and the constituency that you serve so that they can see what's going on and kind of at a humble level, I think that could go really far. And I think it's also the right thing to do. You know, I really, really do. But I love that you said congratulations and started them off because you don't just open up an envelope in the mail and there it is, right? And I'm sure that for a transformational gift that's probably years in the making. So it's a great work on that one. I love it. I love it. Well, development team from Houston, Texas, whoever and wherever you are. Yay team, that's super cool. Well, let's go to our next question, Meredith and see what's shaken out in Salt Lake City. Regina writes, I'm being asked to set my own fundraising goals for 2024. Our team will be given a goal but I am supposed to have my own specific number. Should I plan a certain percentage increase as a general rule, save 5% or something like that? Help. It's a good question. It is a good question. And the first thing I'll say to this one is that I think that you should recognize that this is a really unique opportunity for you because your team and your manager, your development director here is really giving you an opportunity to have some ownership here in your own goals instead of just assigning them to you. They're really trusting you in your role with your expertise to say, this is what I think is realistic and this is what I think is attainable. So first and foremost, I think it's a good opportunity for you. While a 5% increase is probably a reasonable starting point, I think that the actual percentage should probably be determined through more of an in-depth analysis of your organization's unique data and metrics. So the policy here is probably looking into your CRM or your database and relying on that data. So start by reviewing historical data. So look at your organization's fundraising performance in previous years. Look at trends in revenue, donor retention, acquisition rates. That data will probably serve as the foundation for setting your process, so to speak. Then my next suggestion here would be to consider objectives of the organization. So for example, if your organization plans to expand fundraising programs, or I'm sorry, if your organization plans to expand its programs by 10% or so, then your need to increase your fundraising might be a similar benchmark or a similar percentage. And keep in mind that not all of your donor segments will be the same. So for example, different donor groups may have varying capacity and varying preferences. So major donors, corporate donors, individual donors, grants, they may not all be the same. So your grants might increase by 5% but your individual donor or individual contributions maybe could increase by 10%. So I think that again, in a nutshell you probably want to be really analytical about this and not look at it as a one size fits all. And don't forget to adjust for the cost of fundraising as well. If you anticipate that your fundraising results will increase, it's probably pretty realistic to expect that your expenses will increase as well. So that's something you might just wanna keep in mind when you're making your budget. I love that you said that because we forget that. You don't talk about that, you know. I find that, I love that this question came in because I find that board members and C-suite, they're like, we just need to get 25% more money, 50% more money. I mean, they just pick these random things without working backwards and understanding what that takes. And I also loved what you said. And that is to look at not only your data and your metrics of what that flow is, but to understand you have different buckets. Yeah. And giving USA has been for the last several years really hounding us on the giving patterns are changing. We need to understand what types of donors there are from individuals to corporates, funding through grants, staffs. Yeah, really smart. Before we go on to the next question, what did you say that percentage in the very beginning, you kind of gave us a range? Did you say between five and seven or five and 10? So I really said while a 5% increase is probably reasonable and I pulled that figure 5% because of the question that was submitted. The question said maybe 5%. But again, the other figure I threw out is 10%. And really it's an arbitrary number. It's just an example. But again, the point there is look at it in relation to your goals for your organization. So if you know you want to increase the scholarships that your organization is giving by 10%, your fundraising might need to match that figure 10%. So that really was my point there on those particular figures. I love that. And I think this is wise advice and a great way for Regina, our viewer from Salt Lake City to get some help because again, we all want to be successful when we're setting goals. I mean, we want to achieve our goals. And so yeah, this is the right way to do it and to really get a plan in. I think that's one of the things about the cause selling cycle is that it's not just a free-for-all, ask your rich friends for money. It's really a plan. And if you go through those eight steps, you're going to improve your ability to be successful and it's gonna be natural and it's gonna be a lot easier. And so that kind of, I think fits along with that. So I hope that this really helps. Well, Meredith, you have been a delight to be on and I can't believe already our time is up. How did you feel about your very first time being on the nonprofit show? Oh, I loved it. I hope you'll welcome me back certainly. I love having the opportunity to answer the questions. The biggest thing I want to say here is like we can all relate. We've been there before and that's why I love this fundraising academy because there's like an opportunity for us to professionalize the process. I remember as an early fundraiser, I was on Google all the time trying to find the answers to my questions. So having an opportunity like this with you, it's just, it's really invaluable. I know, Meredith, I agree with you. I never really thought about it until you just said, but so much of my early community, early community, early life, I can remember asking my grandparents and people in community like, how did you do that? Where did this money come from? How did this work? And sometimes it'd be like, I don't have enough hours in the day to tell you. And then sometimes I'd be like, okay, I did this, this and that. And I really appreciate that you kind of helped me to remember that because education goes on till the last breath we take, I think. I mean, it's a moving forward thing, but really cool to be able to have this safe space where you can get different opinions. And I was telling Meredith in the very beginning, we don't all have to agree. That's the beautiful part of this. We can comment these situations differently. And I think that's kind of a fun thing. I really, really do. Meredith, I'm looking forward to having you back on. I hope that we don't have you back on during another hurricane episode because that's just the worst, but be safe. And we definitely, I think you are on the schedule. So we'll be talking to you more often than not. Again, we are here with Meredith because we have amazing partners and they include our friends at Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part-time controller, Nonprofit Thought Leader, Fundraising Academy at National University. National University is based in San Diego in case you were wondering, but their team is spread throughout the country. They do things online and person all over this great country of ours. We also have amazing support from Staffing Boutique, Nonprofit Nerd and Nonprofit Tech Talk. Meredith, before I sign off, what's happening on Monday? Well, we have Labor Day coming up. So we're all looking forward to that and certainly celebrating and for maybe taking even a little bit of time off of work. I think so. The non-profit show, you know, we don't, I think we get like five days off a year. So this is a big deal for us. The magical holidays. So we're all like, but anyway, yeah. So we will be off on Monday and honoring those people that work hard day in and day out across our country. And so, yeah, we will be off on Monday, but then we'll be back in the saddle with lots of exciting guests and really cool things coming at us. Meredith, you have been a delight. We are super excited to have you join the family with Ask and Answer. It happens every Friday. If you have questions or concerns, you can contact us through many, many ways. You can email, you can call, you can reach us through our social media platforms, but let us know what you're thinking and maybe where you could use a little help or support or sometimes just a different voice. We like to be here for you with that. Meredith, we sign off every episode, including our Friday Ask and Answers with this mantra. I guess I'll call it a mantra. And it goes like this, to stay well so you can do well. Have a wonderful, restful weekend.