Building Lasting Impact
Hi, everyone!
I hope you are starting to warm up a bit. Spring cannot come quickly enough for me as you saw in my February article. This month I wanted to get you thinking about relationships as you head into spring. I wanted to make sure you were reminded of the impact of investing in long-term relationships. Hmmm, I am sure I have talked about that somewhere before, smile… Finally, we are seeing national studies that highlight the impact of those NPOs that take this idea seriously. I think you will find this of value. In thinking about your relationships, remember that it is not only your donors and general volunteers you have to see as long-term advocates, but also your staff and your board. These are two often-overlooked constituencies that should be our number one long-term advocate focus. Based on this, I have a few questions for you to think about:
• What are you doing to foster a 20+ year relationship with your current staff?
• What are you doing to foster a 20+ year relationship with your current board and past board members?
• Are you thinking about the lifetime giving value of your relationships as opposed to just how much they gave this year? Remember, a donor who gives for 25 years usually will give a lot more than someone who is a donor for 5 years. Think about the long-term, lifetime giving value of your relationships.
• Do you believe someone should be in a relationship as an advocate with your organization for 20+ years? The answer to that may surprise some of you.
• Do you believe your board and staff understand why they should be in a 20+ year relationship with your organization?
These are just some starters that could be good for discussion in staff and board meetings. I hope they add value. The second question to these questions is, “Are you prioritizing these areas in your budget?” As the donor pool continues to shrink and the donors, who keep giving, keep giving at higher levels, these questions become vitally important.
I have also shared a podcast I did on persuasive communication with a trial attorney, which has very good takeaways for the nonprofit sector. And, I have shared a couple of articles. One is from a few years back but still is very good!
Have a blessed month!
Sincerely,
Jamie
