Suber’s Fundraising Rubric

Ever been asked the question… “What’s your fundraising plan?” I’m sure that if you haven’t by now, you will at some point. Through this post I hope to give you a framework for answering that very question, but with very in depth analysis and executable steps.

While working in Notre Dame’s Development Office I notice how fragmented the “gifting” process was handled internally, and for VERY good reason. EVERY donor has his/her place inside the Suber Fundraising Rubric (SFR). Just be careful that you don’t decide for your donors where they should be slotted.

Think of the SFR as an illustrative way of identifying where your donors fit into your organization based on their annual, or even potential giving. Are they great annual fund supporters that give at year-end, or are they big project donors that prefer only to be called upon when you have a specific need that must be met. Again, EVERY donor has a place, AND they should be treated unequally.

What is the Suber Fundraising Rubric?
Get yourself a blank piece of paper. Turn the paper to landscape layout. Draw four vertical lines, spaced evenly from left to right. At the top of the far left column write “Annual Fund”. In the next column write “Major Giving”. Then “Leadership Giving” and “Principal Giving in the next two columns. Finally, “Planned Giving” in the last column. Now draw a horizontal line beneath all of your headers, leaving lots of space beneath them all.

Now in each column, in bullet point fashion, write down all of the activities, protocols, and agreements that your organization has in place as they relate to Engagement, Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship. If done correctly, at the end of the exercise you should have five neat columns each broken into four distinct sections, consisting of 2-3 bullets points describing your relationship ship with donors in those respective categories. You’ll find that some are more populated than others, and if so you now know where you need help, or more strategic planning in place so as not to miss out on potential gift opportunities.

Be specific! for the “annual fund” “solicitation” section are you taking advantage of new advances in online or mobile text giving. If not, why not. I’m the “planned giving” “stewardship” section, do you have dinners (one-on-one or by group) in place for those donors? If not, why not.

Need more help? Email me (tonysuber@certuscharitable.org) and I’ll send you a guide… Gratis! My 2014 gift to you.

Fundraise Like a Champion Today!

Finding the “Less” Asked

During this week I had the fortune of visiting with a very prominent national foundation that raises scholarship funds for college students. I wrapped up the week with a principal gift husband/wife visit, looking to begin their walk down charity lane. Making use of our donor advised fund program administered by CertusCharitable Giving Fund.

In both conversations I could not help but wonder why, and how, the two had never met… As fundraisers we ought not concentrate on the low-hanging (or high for that matter) fruit section simply because it’s the easiest to pick. We should instead be great stewards of these wonderful opportunities and balance our efforts. Picking from on high, and being very selective about what is low.

What’s low… I call this the “United Way” of fundraising. Please do not mistake my naming convention for lack of total respect for the organization. They are very needed and serve a significant purpose for many communities across the country. The convention only fits in this case because a very large portion of their donor base is corporate givers. And therefore, such a convention fits because the approach is heavily based on “corporate” engagement. Year over year campaigns, very little cultivation, and high aggregate yield at the lower end of the spectrum (avgerage annual gift of $500, or less per employee). I am a proud donor to the United Way, and this is my experience. Could they get more from me, absolutely… but they do not cultivate our family past the board room visits.

What’s high… I call this “Leadership” or “Principal” gift development. While I highlight other words, the focus is squarely on “development” with this group. Picking from high in the tree requires years of careful cultivation, listening, engagement, and last but not least the right person making the ask. Picking from high in the tree requires exceptional patience and planning from management. All too often I find that many nonprofits have dug themselves into a whole by needing “transactional” gifts “now” to keep the lights on and neglect really good development practices that would lead to transformational gifts that endow keeping the lights on instead.

Towards the end of my couples meeting the answer became very clear… Not only does the scholarship organization not call on this family, they potentially never will. They are simply not set up to do so. Their donor base reads like a Forbes 500, versus a balanced list of corporate and HNW (high net worth) benefactors. Successful development teams invest the right amount of resources, where needed, and reap multiple returns. Semi-successful development teams deploy resources reactively, and comparatively have lower ROI per fundraiser.

Balance is the key! Major gift officers, by their very nature, should not be making principal gift visits. Principal gift officers should not be visiting board rooms with more than two people in the room. Student calling teams should not be calling donors that belong to either officer group. If any one strategy (individual, corporate, foundation) is greater than 60%, there may be a problem on the horizon. Such a strategy is not sustainable for the long haul. What can happen… Individuals move on to Glory. Corporate contacts change companies. Foundations grow uninterested in your mission and vision.

Balance is the key… Get started today, and exponential benefits await tomorrow.

Fatherhood Teaches Me

I’d be fooling myself if I did not say, out loud, that fatherhood has been THE single best teacher for me during this journey to be the best fundraiser that I can be…

Fatherhood teaches patience… Many say that you’ve learned a lesson, or topic well, when you can teach it to others. There is no greater responsibility than raising children, whether they are yours or not. We were once children and sometimes we forget how patient our parents HAD to have been to raise us. Perhaps I’m speaking only about myself… :) It is patience that I find helps me the most. I am blessed by the presence of our children, and the many young men and women that God places in my path to help develop. I am a better man because of it.

Fatherhood also teaches ultimate responsibility… During my time at Notre Dame we coined the phrase “ultimate responsibility” to further define who, under any/all circumstances we were to rely on when all else failed for our benefactors. When all else fails, father’s ought to be responsible… without question. Ultimate responsibly demands courage, restraint, resolve, and most all great character.

Last but not least, fatherhood teaches development of one’s legacy in life… We are remembered most by what we leave behind… our family, our stories, our presence. Our children, the way they conduct themselves and live their lives, are our legacy. Our stories, the spirit behind the words, are our legacy. Our presence, the glowing smiles at the mention of your name to those who know you best, are our legacy. Without legacy, who are we really.

Patience, ultimate responsibility, and legacy… the cornerstones to great development work. No one is more important than the other, and no two create a lasting relationship with benefactors. Be patient, take ultimate responsibility, and understand the legacy your benefactors hope to leave. Do all three and you’ve done far more than most…

Happy Father’s Day!

Back In The Saddle

I’m back! Thank you for your patience…

As many of you know, I spent the greater part of last year (and most of this one) preparing and launching the CertusCharitable Giving Fund, our own independent 501(c)3 charity administering a donor advised fund program.

For a look at our website please visit: http://www.certuscharitable.org

To set up, or inquire about, a donor advised fund please call me directly @ 678.293.1890

Please keep a watchful eye out for the many projects the fund will be engaging in, and the already set up designated funds that we will showcase for gift/grant facilitation on behalf of donors who are not account holders…

Together we can change philanthropy!

Great Mentors Matter

My Transition…
It’s been nearly five months to the day since my transition from Notre Dame Development into my current role as Sr. Vice President – Philanthropic Executive for CertusWealth (a division of CertusBank, N.A.). I am having an absolute blast creating this new business (focused on products/services for nonprofits) within the bank, and being constantly challenged to do great things for nonprofits across the country.

Yesterday our team was with Dr. Michael Lomax, President & CEO of the UNCF, and his team… He commented, “CertusWealth Philanthropic is the wave of the future…”, and I am so humbled by that. We have truly worked tirelessly over the last five months to deliver what we believe are transformational products and services for the nonprofit world… And we look forward to sharing them with everyone.

Why I chose CertusBank…
I believe to the person, that at CertusBank, we have THE strongest core group of philanthropic executive leaders in business. In their own way, they each understand that serving others not only enriches their lives, but those that they touch with their unquestionable gift of time, talent, and treasure. While in college I had the pleasure of having the Great Fr. Ted Hesburgh as a visiting professor for one of my senior seminar courses called Servant Leadership, and in that course what I learned most is that: organizations take on the image of their leaders, and that leaders who serve others openly, fairly, and consistently, build world class organizations. For that reason, and many others, I am thrilled to be a teammate at CertusBank. Make no mistake, Notre Dame provided a foundation for this work that is second to none!

Check out our new software platform CGiving… We are changing they way donors and nonprofits engage one another! Click here http://www.certuswealth.com/cgiving

The 1% Matter more than you know…

New Study Says Charities Could Lose Up to $3.2-Billion From Obama Tax Change ow.ly/73szl

Pretty disturbing read… Especially given the tough environment that we are now in, regarding real capital gains being made by our wealthiest benefactors. Only those in the know truly have any appreciation for the “real” 1% Compensation Story… It’s not what it seems, however the bandwagon of discontent mounts daily.

Jobs vs. Jobs, which are of MORE value?
The article above makes reference to “paying for the recent jobs plan”… As a reason to change charitable tax policy for those over the $200/$250k adjusted gross income. Economist “for” the Jobs Plan have grossly underestimated the value of a non-profit job. If in fact their legitimacy of this plan rests in any way on the fact that non-profit jobs are acceptable collateral damage, their economic background ought to be brought into question. They are terribly mistaken.

If we examine closely the “kind” of job that would ultimately replace said non-profit jobs, the question remains who will benefit most, and who will suffer most. Sustainability is of most concern. Aspiring benefactors that want to help us change the world have a philanthropic passion of fire that never goes out. On the other hand, governments take in revenue and without 100% accountability spend revenue, but passion is never the root of government spending. Given the special interest argument, legislative directed spending is mostly self serving.

100% of the time non-profit jobs are more sustainable. They are mostly privately underwritten, passionately supported, and filling voids governments (local & federal) should not be spending our tax dollars on. If the net-net is zero jobs why do it anyway.

Our fiduciary as fundraisers…
As fundraisers and non-profit professionals we have a responsibility to speak up, and more importantly speak out. The “squeaky” wheel always gets the oil in these matters. I’m elated that the current Senate sees these matters our way.

I don’t have a single benefactor whose net worth or earning is below $250k… The one consistent question that I get these days is “How will the University plan for a change in the charitable tax code?”. Because there are too many variables it’s almost impossible to address at this point. Doing nothing seems to lack logic, but with such great uncertainty it’s pretty difficult to pick a broad enough strategy to address the long term concern.

However, what I have done is talk to my benefactors about their long term giving plan as it “might” relate to the change in the tax code. Because the current proposal speaks in very specific terms relative to percentages of adjusted gross income, it’s pretty easy to reverse-calculate the charitable deduction breaking points for those benefactors that are adversely affected by the change. My advice. Lengthen the terms of your commitments to lower the year over year pledge payments.

Here are just a fews ways in which elongating the term creates benefit for non-profits: higher probability that the commitment will be completed, increased stewardship opportunities, ample time for re-gift planning, and last but not least another opportunity to talk about estate planning provisions for your cause.

Speak up… And speak out!

Go IRISH, beat Trojans.

Balancing Act: Family and Fundraising

Family First…
One of the single greatest advantages of fundraising work is our (my) ability to involve my family in our development work.

The Tight End
No pun intended, but I must say that my wife is by far the greatest fundraiser in our family. She doesn’t even have to try! When she is in the room all is well. One of the strategies that I often use with other couples is “divide and conquer”. I find that most of my male benefactors lever me [with their wives] to truly explain why we visit so often, and just how we plan to address “their” philanthropic aspirations.

Wives are usually the last to be engaged and cultivated, but first to be stewarded in my book. It just works. I divide and my wife does the rest. She does what comes naturally; talks about our kids first, and lastly about how much I travel. When men hear that its mutually exclusive. When women hear that… well you figure it out. I often joke with my benefactors and threaten to bring their most respected priest to the ask… Now the secret is out of the bag, my wife is the real force to reckon with.

Remember, the Tight End is commonly referred to as a Quarterback’s security blanket. I do agree!

The Kicker
Special Teams can make or break any football team. For this part of the team no position is more important than the kicker. Tough to find. Impossible to replace. When they miss it rips your heart out. When they hit it brings a big ol’ smile to your face. Haven’t yet figured it out… The kids! Yes, my kids are fundraisers too. It’s truly a team effort.

I recently attended an Upper East NYC Tea Party (for 12 ppl). Yes, it was as exclusive as you presume… Attendees were a who’s who… And the spread so delightful! Here comes Tony with his entire family [of 5] in tow (they were invited too). Three quick minutes into the Penthouse and our 2 month old son decides to “febreeze” the place with his lovely aroma. Number 2!!! Get it? The kicker! What a start to the visit…

Two hours later, and not a single peep out of our son. The kid was an absolute angel. I truly believe that everyone in the room forgot that he was even there. Suffice to say our host could not have been more accommodating. By the time we departed our son had become the life of the Tea… The kicker! All smiles as we stepped into the elevator to hit the street top. All smiles… Impossible to replace.

I hope that I’m not the only fundraiser dumb enough to involve family in our work… LMAO! It just works… And yes, sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.

Live, Laugh, Love… Most of all Forgive!

Does Football @ Notre Dame Matter…

Yesterday was GAMEDAY friends! And should we be surprised that the Notre Dame vs. Michigan game was THE feature for the ESPN GameDay broadcast? No we should not… Don’t assume this is just another attempt to prop up the Notre Dame Football team, it’s not. In fact, I’ll give you an inside look at why I think Notre Dame will always matter. Regardless of the number in the wins column.

I did say “Does Football @ Notre Dame Matter”, versus “Does Notre Dame Football Matter (to the world)”. And therein lies the fundamental difference. We do care what the world thinks, it just so happens that we are ALWAYS relevant. You love us, or you hate us. Either way you care, and you expend lots of energy showing it.

1. Why even have a homecoming? If you’ve ever stepped foot on our campus during a football weekend, there are two things you will notice right away. First, you will feel the tingling running down your spine when you: see “The Word of Life” (aka Touchdown Jesus), feel the presence of God in the air, and shake the hands of proud Domers visiting from all over the world. Every home game is a “homecoming”, therefore no one weekend dominates or poses as such. In any given football weekend the game itself only occupies 4 hours out of an entire weekend, and therein lies the rub (so says the Bard). Secondly, what you may not know is that the weekend actually starts on Thursday (sometimes Wednesday) with our College Council members visiting with Deans, mentoring our students, and sharing case study experience in our many classroom sessions. Other visiting alum are participating in on-campus interviews, because they have been chosen by their firm to “recruit the best of the best” from campus. The Morris Inn (our on campus hotel) is buzzing with private equity chatter, and the news of the latest deal, that will ultimately impact our development operations at some point through a planned gift. There are so many men in khaki slacks and navy blazers that you’ll begin to think you are seeing robots in formation. It’s Notre Dame, like it or not! Notre Dame Football is the catalyst to all of this, never the focus.

2. Performance (off the field) absolutely matters! As a former Notre Dame varsity athlete (Lacrosse) and I can tell you with my hands firmly planted on the Bible that what you have heard and/or read about athletes in the classroom at Notre Dame is true. We compete on and off the field! There are NO shortcuts at Notre Dame, and because of that the rigor that goes into recruiting student-athletes to our campus is the highest at any major athletic institution. Here’s what you don’t know… many of our athletes have accumulated enough credits by the time they complete their junior year to graduate early. There are no “athlete” friendly majors. The GPA average of the student body versus that of the student-athletes is within one/two tenths of a point. Every single team has assigned to it an academic counselor that has team academic performance linked to their own professional performance. How would you like your professional future to be determined by the classroom performance of late teenagers? While we may not be regularly ranked in the top ten athletically, we will always be in the top 1-2-3 relative to Graduation Rates. It’s truly what matters most. Because of that rigor and attention to detail it’s quite rare NOT to find our former athletes doing well as professionals across multiple corporate disciplines. Tradition never graduates… Our alum REALLY believe (as do I) that we can have both. Great athletes AND high academic standards.

3. It’s never by coincidence. When ever I travel I ALWAYS have on a Notre Dame lapel pin. That pin represents my life’s story, not Notre Dame athletics. It’s simply because of pride, but never hubris. From the time I was admitted to Notre Dame, I knew that my life and expectations of it, had changed (for the good) for ever. Why? After that point I was looked at differently, treated differently, and held to a much different standard. All of which I continue to accept with open arms. What’s hardest to articulate is why I find all of this to be true. In my five years working inside of Notre Dame Development I see clearly just how relevant we are, and will always be. For example… Notre Dame ranks in the top 2 for the highest number of CEO’s running our US companies. West Point is our competition, not the likes of the Ivy’s. Fundraisers understand why that is game-changing, others may not initially. The gravity of that starts to set in when combined with the sheer fanaticism that is the Notre Dame Alumni. Offices are decorated in Notre Dame colors… CEO’s send their top managers back to Notre Dame to study in our Leadership Institute (as a result of promotion), conference rooms are designed to look like our football locker room, and autographed memorabilia adorn their lobbies… Our relevance is not by coincidence, it is ABSOLUTELY by design. We work at it every single day. You don’t have to look to hard (anywhere in the world) to find a Notre Dame influence. We believe in good doing good! We live to serve…

So as log as their is a Notre Dame, Our Lady’s University will always be relevant. There is just something about that place!

Hope you had a GREAT weekend…

Where do “I” find Donors?

I’ve put a lot of thought into this over the years… sharpening the saw (7 Habits) so to say.

While there is no magic rolodex, it is the rolodex that has been my number one source in my last five years. I had no fundraising experience coming into this role, but can derive all of my success from working and re-working my growing rolodex (donor base).

My actual response to this question is… They find (or come looking) me! My benefactors regularly cc me on emails to their friends and colleagues for philanthropic advice.

Over the last five years I have rolled out three critical GOOD habits that have turned me into a production machine.
1. Birds of a feather, give together – I make it a habit of researching who my benefactors’ contacts are, what boards they serve on, and what hobbies they have that enable me to grow my donor base through them with hot leads. Another amazing finding is that most of my benefactors really enjoy their engagement with me and the University, and because of that experience they very much want for their friends and associates to have the same experience. Because of this habit, new prospects compare their experience with me to current and new developer engagements, and I find that Notre Dame quickly raises to their family’s #1 or #2 area of philanthropy. Even while we have this “already too wealthy” moniker seemingly hanging above our head.

2. Never assume that Business Titans know one another – This habit has created what will inevitably turn into soliciting and closing one of the University’s largest commitments ever, in the coming fiscal year. Three benefactors come to mind as I think of this habit. I believe, against conventional advancement wisdom, that we should actively be looking for opportunities to introduce our benefactors to one another. When politics and business opportunity align, you have a perfect match. They want to know each other and to a very large degree it’s what they pay for. Access! Because of this habit, I now receive “qualified” 6/7 figure commitment leads monthly. Not to mention, over the last three years, 7 figure gifts have made up 40% of my year’s total production. This habit allows me to work smarter, not harder.

3. Educate your Benefactors – As I have grown closer to my benefactors I have found that their needs and circumstances change with time. Given that, I openly listen and look for opportunities to lay out food for thought to help them, and help our institution as well. I’ve spent the last two years learning all that I can about planned giving. When I speak to my “current” new money benefactors I am already seeding for the next planned gift to come once their current commitment is completed. Because of this habit I find that my benefactors are not CPA’s and that their financial advisers are not openly sharing this info because there planned gifts diminish the financial planner’s portfolio balance, hence hitting them in the pockets. In this case what benefactors don’t know about planned giving is hurting them. Because of this habit our planned giving conversations become golf course and water-cooler talk with friends and colleagues. Those friends and colleagues begin reaching out to me, even if they are not alum or friends of Notre Dame. I give them help gratis! In turn I find that many of these parents have high school aged children looking to apply to Notre Dame. If the kids get in, I have a huge head start in the cultivation phase of my process.

Hope this helps you… I think that these habits apply widely!

Thanks to Marc Pitman for this thought provoking question.

20 Unusual Uses for Honey

Absolute MUST READ | http://dld.bz/app8y

I found this article to be pretty compelling… so much so that it deserves a spot today! The life of a fundraiser is most about the “meet”. What’s the “meet”? It’s the time we spend mostly in front of our benefactors. I have had the pleasure of engaging my benefactors at some of the most breathtaking backdrops. Those backdrops come with some amazing meals & cocktails! That’s exciting… all well and good, BUT it’s the area where our role can hurt your health. The “meet” is ALL about moving forward the aspirational agenda of the benefactor AND finding more ways to connect to him/her on a graduated personal level. It’s not about gaining weight, and loosing metabolism speed. Nearly everything that we do involves a meal, cocktail, or some sedentary event. If not taken in moderation, or with some significant balance (working out regularly, or having good muscular genes & muscle memory, this is lucky me ;)) this work could be harmful to many.

Why is honey so relevant? Given the writeup, which I believe lacks serious credible scientific backing, I nonetheless tend to espouse to many of the bullet points that are mentioned. They work! The three most relevant to me are: honey based moisturizers (we use Burts Bees, Milk & Honey lotion), honey & tea (my wife and I enjoy a cup of green tea w/ honey & lemon every night when I am actually at home, no sodas), honey with my cocktails & cigars (you must try it to believe it). I’m glad that I had the habit of weaving honey into my everyday life before I read this article. This is me giving myself a BIG ‘ol hug for taking care of me!

Go get yourself some Honey! “Try it, you just might like it” (anonymous quote)…