Talisman Philanthropy

High Performing Fundraising Organizations

December 4, 2020 at 10:50 am Barbara Talisman, CFRE Leave a comment

The difference between high and low performing fundraising organizations is leadership. I mean staff and Board leadership.

Leaders with vision, strategy and a plan to get there – tend to succeed and out perform. But this is true of any endeavor. With many decades of experience in nonprofit management and philanthropy in particular, big hairy audacious goals (BHAGs) or wildly important goals (WIGs) aren’t possible without leaders who can see the path forward from the ground up. This means team building (right bus and right people in the right seats) as well as setting expectations and holding people accountable.

There is an art and a science to fundraising as there is working in or creating any high performance organization (HPO). The ability for a philanthropic HPO to make impact is…well impactful. Like many for profit institutions, the fundraising sector has been using CRM donor bases, wealth screening and prospect research for a long time – and we keep getting better at it. These tools allow philanthropic leaders to plan, see the path, report, forecast and hold everyone accountable. This is the science of fundraising with a big dose of experience and tenacity.

HPO nonprofit organizations don’t shrink from accountability. Fundraisers who know their work, and more importantly are proud of their abilities and the organizations they represent, stand proud. Accountability for us fundraisers means entering and tracking our work in the CRM. INCLUDING fundraising efforts that may not work as anticipated – we call those closed lost. But that’s why fundraising portfolio totals are LARGER than the goals we set. A good fundraiser knows you won’t win the them all. NO one does.

This is the crux of a philanthropic HPO. Starting with the SCIENCE, using CRM effectively, reporting regularly and updating forecasts based on reality throughout the year – not a month before year end! It’s too late! Once the fundraising science has been established the the FUNdraising art can begin. Next post let’s talk the art of fundraising.

Entry filed under: Fundraising.