Benevon Weblog

"Top Six Post-Event Follow-Up Mistakes" by Terry Axelrod

When following up with your guests after events, be sure to avoid these common mistakes!

1. Not setting aside specific time in your calendar to do follow up after every event: Point of Entry^® Events, Ask Events^™, and Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events^™.
   
   
2. Worrying that you have let too much time lapse since the event, rather than just picking up the phone and getting started.
   
   
3. Having too many different people making the Follow-Up Calls rather than just one or two staff members or volunteers who will stick with it over time, noting and recording trends and connections.
   
   
4. Having the Follow-Up Call feel like a stiff monologue, rather than a warm, conversational dialog with the guest.
   
   
5. Not recording notes from every call in your database and failing to set a "next-action" date after each call in your team member's calendar to-do list.
   
   
6. Forgetting that the Follow-Up Call is just the next step in the cultivation process, if the donor is truly interested in your work.
   
   

"Ask Event Testimonial Speakers" by Terry Axelrod

The Testimonial Speaker is strategically placed in the Ask Event^™ program, sandwiched between the video and the final element in the program, the pitch. The testimonial underscores, in a subliminal way, all that has already been said in the program. This person attests to the fact that your work makes a huge difference in the lives of real people every day. These remarks are delivered in a straightforward and succinct manner and should touch people deeply.

Choosing Your Testimonial Speakers

The ideal Testimonial Speaker is a grateful recipient of your programs or services who is comfortable speaking publicly and will follow a well-rehearsed script. Their story needs to represent a typical story of someone you serve, rather than the occasional exception.

A rainforest preservation group actually had one of the indigenous tribesmen flown in to speak personally on the impact of the organization's work on his tribe. While you may not want to go to that extreme, do consider the very best person to tell the story. The successful alumni of the inner-city after-school program, the inspired opera patron, or even a staff member reading a letter from a former client can be extremely powerful. Even groups concerned about confidentiality will be surprised by the number of former clients who are ready and willing to tell their stories.

How the Testimonials Work

The total time allotted for testimonials is six minutes, but you do not have to use the entire allotted time. No individual talk should last longer than three minutes.

Each Testimonial Speaker's remarks should follow the same outline as the Essential Story^™ that is told at your Point of Entry^®. This story has three stages or components:

Stage One is "Before." What was life like before I got involved with this organization? Paint the picture. Tell us the bad news.

Stage Two is the "Intervention." What brought me to the organization? What specific services and support were provided to me or my family? What did it feel like having people care about me?

Stage Three is "After." What are the results of the intervention? How has my life changed for the better? What is possible for me now? How am I now able to give back to the organization or to others?

Having More Than One Testimonial Speaker

You only need one Testimonial Speaker at your Ask Event. More than one speaker can become repetitive and lose audience attention. Most groups have only one Testimonial Speaker.

Having said that, some groups insist on having more than one Testimonial Speaker. Sometimes this is because they want representatives of more than one of their programs. A large family service agency might have a testimonial from a young mother who came through their family shelter, as well as a man who was once a child in their residential treatment program. While it is true that each testimonial tends to showcase a different aspect of your work, that is not the purpose of these talks. Your video will have included three stories from people who have gone through your programs, each highlighting a different aspect, so the testimonials do not need to do that job.

Two Testimonial Speakers can create a "safety net" in case one speaker is weak. But two speakers can also throw off your sixty-minute timeline if one runs too long.

A "group testimonial" can be very effective if you can keep it within the six minutes allotted for testimonials. For example, a group serving adults with disabilities had several of their participants on the stage, in their wheelchairs, being interviewed round-robin style. Group Testimonial Speakers should know in advance and be well-prepared for the two or three questions they will be asked. In this case, they talked about how the organization had trained or retrained them in specific job skills and then helped them to find competitive employment. They talked about how good it felt to be living happy, "normal" lives on their own.

Seeing a group of your constituents gathered on the stage can make a big impact. Though the audience does not get to hear the full story of any one person, the composite effect is powerful.

Having Children as Testimonial Speakers

We do not recommend having children as your Testimonial Speakers, unless they are being interviewed with succinct questions from an adult they are comfortable with.

Having a ten-year-old talk about how much he looked forward to asthma camp every year would never have flowed so smoothly if he had not been prompted along by these questions from his mom: "What's your favorite thing about asthma camp?" "What did you learn at asthma camp?" "Why are you excited to go back next year?"

Or the group of kids from the school choir, interviewed by one of the teachers who asked: "What do you love about the school?" "What's your favorite subject?" "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Rehearsing

The quality of the delivery of the Testimonial Speakers can make or break your program. I have seen a sixty-second testimonial from a teenage mother move a room of 600 people to tears, and I have also seen equally dedicated program recipients drone on or become overly emotional, only to lose the attention of the audience. Scripting and rehearsing your Testimonial Speakers is essential. Tell them they must follow the script and remind them that the program follows a tight timeline. Although there are no guarantees that the person will actually stick to the script, several practice runs of their testimonial, ideally in the same room where the Ask Event will take place, at the same microphone or podium, will put the speaker at ease and give you an opportunity to coach their speaking style and delivery.

Caring for Your Speakers

You will need to assign at least one person to look after your Testimonial Speakers at the event—they will undoubtedly be nervous when they arrive. This "caretaker" person should call them (or their parents) about a week before the event to confirm the schedule for the day, and then to reconfirm the day before. If the speaker is coming on their own, it often helps to offer to pick the person up and drive them to the event, to reassure them and make them feel more welcome—and to be sure they get there! If they do arrive alone, be sure to plan in advance where you will meet them and give them an emergency number for reaching you.

Invite your Testimonial Speakers to bring friends or family members if they would like. This will be a big day in their lives and they will want to share it. Arrange space for their guests to sit at a table with (or near) them. Be certain that your speakers get something to eat. Often in the nervous excitement, they will have neglected to do that. Bring an extra copy of their speech with you, just in case they have forgotten theirs.

It is fine if your speakers become emotional during their talk—within reason. If they stumble over a few words and get choked up, people will know how sincere they are. If they break down altogether and lose their place, give them a few seconds to compose themselves and move on. This is unlikely to happen if they have rehearsed their remarks several times, although standing in front of a large room of people who are all listening attentively can have a significant emotional impact on any speaker.

The person looking after the Testimonial Speaker needs to be positioned where the speaker can see them for cues, including the rehearsed cue for "time to stop." And finally, this nurturing person needs to congratulate the speaker after they have finished and escort them back to their seat.

In the case of a group of Testimonial Speakers, you will need a group of escorts and an empty table (or back room full of good food, in the case of kids) for them to retreat to after their part of the program is complete.

What if...?

Finally, what if your sole Testimonial Speaker does not show up at all on the day of the Ask Event? This has happened before. Have a staff member who worked closely with that person be prepared to read the same script the Testimonial Speaker was going to deliver. While it won't have quite the same impact, it is surprising how much emotion will come through because it is being read by someone well-acquainted with the person.

"Tips for a Great Pitch" by Terry Axelrod

Every bit of your hard work to put on the Ask Event^™ culminates in the pitch. Remember, there is no strong-arming necessary here. In the Benevon Model, asking for money should be nothing more than "nudging the inevitable." By now, the mix of compelling program elements will have done the job of ripening the fruit. The name and rationale for each of the Units of Service^™ will be familiar to your guests. They will have heard about your organization's need to serve more campers or offer a new camp session during the Visionary Leader^™ Talk and in the video. At this point, people will either be ready to give, or not. There is no need to convince them of anything.

The job of the Pitch Person at the Ask Event is to focus on the people who are ready to give—to walk them through the pledge card line by line and help them fill out the form to make their gift that day. The Pitch Person has another critical role, especially at the first Ask Event: to introduce guests to the Multiple-Year Giving Society^™ and tell them what each level of gift would provide for the work of the organization. Finally, the Pitch Person serves as a bit of a traffic cop, directing the flow of pledge cards and envelopes from the Table Captains to the guests and back to the Table Captains again. All of this is set out clearly in the pitch script and done with authentic appreciation for the generosity of the guests.

Choosing the Ideal Pitch Person
Your Pitch Person must be truly tied to your organization's mission, with a direct personal connection to the work of the organization, and they must be willing to follow a script. This person understands that their job is to walk people through the pledge card and help them give, and that this is a very specific and critical job. They are not trying to be a slick salesperson or an entertaining or motivational speaker. They are there because they truly love your organization and would love nothing more than for everyone in the audience to become part of the Multiple-Year Giving Society.

Do not assume that you need a big-name person in your community to be your Pitch Person. In fact, the ideal Pitch Person may be more of a "regular" person than a superstar. A parent or other family member who is a good public speaker can be an excellent Pitch Person. A longstanding, dedicated board member is often ideal. So long as they are truly passionate about your mission, will not deviate from the script, and are comfortable speaking in front of an audience, you will have made a good choice.

Script for the Pitch
You do not want your guests to feel pressured in any way by the pitch. You are not trying to push or prod them to do anything. Rather, they should feel wonderful about making their gift. It should be something they want to do—a natural expression of their commitment to your work. They should actually feel as if your organization is doing their work.

The Benevon Model is about building lifelong relationships with donors who understand and value the work of your organization. We recognize and honor the natural "fruit ripening" process which cannot be rushed. I consider it a real testament to the model that only 40%–50% of the guests make a contribution on the day of the event, because this shows that the others do not feel pressured to give at all. In fact, there is a piece built into the pitch script thanking everyone for coming and being part of this event, whether they have made a gift or not.

"Top Five Ask Event Mistakes" by Terry Axelrod

Here is a list of the five most common mistakes groups make when putting on an Ask Event^™.

1. Not starting on time—buying into one of the many reasons for waiting a few minutes to start.
   
   
2. Having empty seats—not managing the Table Captain process sufficiently to fill all the tables.
   
   
3. Being too vague about what the money is needed for rather than citing concrete examples like "It costs us $1,000 per student per year to provide that special math curriculum."
   
   
4. Having a big name Pitch Person who doesn't understand the complete Benevon Model and thinks they need to entertain and motivate people rather than stick to the pitch script.
   
   
5. Not having the program be emotional enough—having it be just "lovely" and "nice" versus "knock your socks off" fabulous!

"Ten Questions You Must Be Able to Answer Before You Ask for a Gift" by Terry Axelrod

You should be able to answer all of the following pre-Ask questions about each donor. And if you can't, that's a sign that the donor is not ready to be asked. You will need to continue to cultivate this donor—by talking about and involving them in the parts of your work that most interest them—until they are sufficiently engaged.

1. Exactly who will you ask? Have you cultivated all the key decision-makers? Should spouses, partners, children, parents, or business partners be included?
   
   
2. Who will do the asking? Would another board member enhance the asking team? Who would this donor want to say yes to?
   
   
3. Where will the Ask take place?
   
   
4. Exactly what will be asked for?
   
   
5. What makes you think this person is ready to be asked now? Have there been any recent cues? Put yourself in the donor's shoes. Will they feel comfortable and receptive to an Ask now?
   
   
6. What are your biggest concerns, fears, and reasons for procrastinating in making this Ask? Often these are legitimate, especially if they concern donor readiness.
   
   
7. Does the person have an abundance of what you are asking for?
   
   
8. What is the person's self-interest in saying yes? How good would they feel saying yes? How sorry will they feel saying no?
   
   
9. What might strengthen this Ask? What could you add that would encourage this person to say yes? A memorial gift? A challenge or matching gift? More years to spread out the payment? A particular type of recognition?
   
   
10. What would be possible for your organization if the person says yes?
    
    

Now, find someone to role play the Ask with you. Give them the background on the person to be asked. Tell them some of your biggest fears so they can be sure to play on them during the practice session. Then find another partner and practice again!

"Ten Tips for Success in Securing Challenge Gifts" by Terry Axelrod

Having a Challenge Gift to announce at your Ask Event^™ can make a major difference in your asking success. This is an ideal enhancement if you have major donors who are ready to give in advance of your Ask Event. Whether given by one donor or pooled by several donors into a Challenge Gift Fund, when used as a matching gift, it gives the donor the perception of getting more for their money—a "bargain" of sorts. And we all love a bargain. Here is how it works.

1. First, go through your donor lists and rank your donors by giving potential. Then rank them again based on their passion for your cause. The handful who shake out at the top of both lists are your candidates for giving funds that can be used as part of the Challenge Gift.


2. Next, set your goal. Say you want to raise $100,000. Ask the top five donors from your lists if they would each consider giving you $10,000. Tell them you would like to use their collective $50,000 as a one-to-one match for gifts from other donors.


3. Then, at the usual time of year for your annual campaign, go to your other potential donors—the ones who are a bit farther down the lists. Tell them this year you have been presented with a wonderful opportunity: a group of your major donors has come together to stimulate the campaign to reach a new level. They have put $50,000 into a Challenge Gift Fund. Every dollar given will be matched one-to-one by this Challenge Fund. And there is a deadline by when you must fulfill the challenge.


4. Remind those donors who work for a company that matches employee contributions that this can mean a four-to-one leverage of their gift. They give $1,000, their company matches it so it becomes $2,000, and your Challenge Gift Fund donors match that amount, so the total gift becomes $4,000. The value of leveraging their gift in this way will not be lost on most of these folks.


5. Be sure to clarify with your Challenge Fund donors—the ones who seed the initial $50,000 in this example—what kind of a challenge they want to offer. Will their money match other donations dollar-for-dollar, two-for-one or three-for-one? Also decide in advance how you want to handle donor pledges. Will they "count" in the match? Will those who pledge still give you the full amount of the Challenge Gift even if you don't fulfill the match? Will the employer's matching portion of each gift count in the base gift to be matched by your Challenge Gift Fund?


6. Another highly effective twist: Use the Challenge Gift Fund to match only the increased portion of a donor's gift. In other words, if they gave $500 last year, the Challenge Fund will match whatever amount the donor gives beyond $500 this year.


7. Think through all the ways you can promote the Challenge Gift Fund. Decide if you want to showcase the founding donor or donors to the fund. How can they help you bring in more donors? Can you write about it in your newsletter, include it in other mailings, send out a special announcement about it, or kick it off at the annual event?


8. Before you announce the Challenge Fund, put together several foolproof strategies for fulfilling on it. You will need ten gifts of $5,000, twenty gifts of $1,000, etc.


9. Be sure that you, personally, are excited about the potential of the Challenge Fund for your organization. What will it provide in the way of programs and services? Can you articulate this to potential donors?


10. Remember: people want to know that you need their support and that you will use their gifts wisely. The more you can leverage their gift, and the more of a "bargain" they feel they are getting for it, the better.

"Eight Ways to Create a Sense of Urgency at Your Point of Entry" by Terry Axelrod

Potential donors want to know your organization needs them. They want to know their gift will make a big difference in what you are able to do. They want you to convey not just the excellent work you are already doing, but also the lives that still urgently need your organization's help.

In other words, people are more likely to give when they understand the urgency of your work.

The most effective way to do this is to show them the gap between where you are now and where you could be if only you had more resources—which is where they come in. They can help you to reach more people in need or better support the people you are serving now.

Portray the gap for them—not in minute detail, but broadly enough so there is room for people to fill in the blanks or expand around the edges to add what they alone can uniquely contribute.

Here are some examples of how to convey the urgency of your work:

1. Show people (just) one simple pie chart about your budget, income sources, trends, etc.


2. Let down your hair a bit and share some of the key strategic issues and challenges you are facing right now—how to grow your highly successful programs, develop a scholarship fund, or expand your travel fund to support future debate teams to compete nationally.


3. Suggest several programs you would like to start or expand, based on specific examples of people you've had to turn away.


4. Mention in-kind goods and services you need.


5. Mention capital needs you might have. What more could you do if you had that new building, van, or roof?


6. Even if you're in a gorgeous new building, explain that it happened thanks to many generous donors and tell them what else you still need.


7. Tell them a story about the lives you still want to change.


8. Make a Wish List (without dollar amounts; you're not asking for money at the Point of Entry^®) with a range of items, from old sneakers to a new gymnasium.

People want to hear about your organization's real day-to-day frustrations as well as your successes. They want to know about the kinds of requests you have to turn down and the people you have to turn away. This will show them how they can fit in and help you expand your valuable work so you can do even more.

"Top Seven Reasons to Appreciate Your Board Members" by Terry Axelrod

I hear so many stories about staff and board challenges when it comes to fundraising. I often think that these challenges occur because once organizations have recruited someone new to join the board, they immediately forget what we call the Benevon Golden Rule. I recommend you add this to your 2008 New Year's Resolutions: treat your board members as if they will become your most cherished major donors.

As we start off the year, here are the top seven reasons to appreciate your board members:

1. Because they love the mission of your organization, just like you do. They really do care.


2. Because they are giving you their time. They are volunteers—they are not on the payroll.


3. Because they access different circles in the community that can open amazing doors for you.


4. Because they will tell you the truth—even when you don't want to hear it.


5. Because every idea they come up with is rooted in them wanting to help your organization grow stronger.


6. Because they will eventually become former board members and you want them to stay connected with you forever, saying good things about your organization out in the community.


7. Because they give money. And, in the long run, if they know that you truly appreciate them and that their involvement has made a positive difference, they will naturally want to give back to you.

"Passion Retread" by Terry Axelrod

Remember those dear friends of your organization who served as Table Captains merely because you asked them? While they may have had two or three empty seats at their table, they did the job, like good soldiers. Perhaps their passion for your organization was not naturally transmitted to their guests, yet once they got to the event, the passion was rekindled.

An effective strategy for increasing Table Captain passion—and therefore Ask Event^™ size and results—is to focus on a Passion Retread for these trusted insiders. If you have ever been a long-term board member or volunteer with an organization, you will know how your initial passion can wane, and being asked to fill a table at another event feels like a burden and an obligation, rather than a privilege.

A method for rekindling their passion is to do this simple Passion Retread exercise at your next board or committee meeting or retreat. When people introduce themselves at the beginning of the session, have them tell their story of how they got involved or what keeps them involved with the organization. While many may say they got involved before they really understood the work being done, their reasons for staying involved now will be very moving. Often they will have a personal story or incident that instantly reconnects them.

This is also an excellent team-building exercise for boards or committees. I remember doing this exercise at a board retreat where one of the most outspoken and critical members told his story briefly. The organization had saved his son's life, thanks to one of their special programs, for which this man remained a staunch advocate. Just hearing him tell his story gave everyone a deep sense of compassion for his commitment to the program. You can bet that this man made an excellent Table Captain with a full table of people who understood the value of the organization.

"The Benevon Golden Rule" by Terry Axelrod

Above all, treat your board members as if they will become your most cherished major donors. That sounds simple, but when you scan through the list of your board members one by one—if you tell the truth—there may be a few members who you've already written off in your mind, either because they are annoying or troublesome to you in some way, or because you have predetermined that they do not have the capacity to become a major donor. That is a violation of the Golden Rule.

Think about your list of major donors, at whatever dollar level you define as "major." Think of all the special things you do or try to do for those donors—special events, letters, calls, and meetings. Think about the respect and humility you bring to each interaction, regardless of that donor's quirky personality. You have a great deal of tolerance for your donors, knowing their capacity to give.

Why, then, do groups discriminate when it comes to their board members? These are people who are giving their own time to do something you invited them to do: to serve on your board. That is a great gift unto itself.

Furthermore, the statistics show that 90% of people who volunteer in the United States also give money. That doesn't mean they necessarily give money to the same organizations where they volunteer. It just means that "volunteering" people are also "giving" types of people.

And here, in your board members, you have the most dedicated volunteers. Why not assume they will become your most passionate major donors? Even if they do not have the capacity to give a large gift now, odds are they will be making charitable gifts either now or at the end of their lives to one or more organizations.

Where else would they rather give that money than to an organization that has treated them well throughout the years—an organization whose work they know and love and perhaps has benefited them or their families personally?

What systems do you have for cultivating and engaging your major donors? You have a plan for talking to them several times a year, personally and face-to-face. You invite them to selected mission-focused Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events^™ each year. You consciously continue to deepen your relationship with them, finding out at every opportunity how else they might like to become involved, what more they need from the organization, and who else they might want to introduce.

These are the same sorts of systems you will want to put in place for your board members!