I am delighted to announce the release of my newest book: Missionizing Your Special Events: How to Build a System of Events That Engages Donors Who Will Stay with You for Life—a book for those truly committed to crafting a streamlined System of Events for their favorite nonprofit. Read below for an excerpt from the new book and for information on how you can order the book.

Events, special or otherwise, have become a staple of the fundraising diet of every nonprofit organization. From bake sales to black tie galas, we all know what to expect when we show up: get out your checkbook and—in most cases—have fun! There's nothing wrong with that.

Somewhere along the line, good people who love the work being done by their favorite organizations got sidetracked into the entertainment business. They figured that, rather than having to talk to people about the amazing and meaningful work of their organization, if they could just entertain people—give them some good, honest fun or a product in exchange for their money—they'd have a winning fundraising event. The prevailing thinking was that people won't go for the serious stuff—they just want to have a nice night out, play some golf, and go home happy. So why get serious when we can just entertain people and get them to give money?

At Benevon, we say those days are over. While those events may raise short-term money—in many cases a lot of money—they generally are not designed to grow and develop the base of people who truly support the work of the organization. The value proposition is: we will give you an enjoyable evening, and in exchange, you will give us your money.

Think of the last fundraising event you attended. How did you get invited? Why did you say yes? How much did it cost you—when you add in the babysitter, the parking, and the new outfit you bought to look great there? What did you get in return? Did you have fun there? Would you have preferred to write the group a check and stay home? Did you learn anything memorable about the group putting on the event? The day after the event, could you have told someone the name of the group that benefited from your money and one inspiring thing about their work?

If you are a volunteer or on the board or staff of the nonprofit group that put on the event, was it really worth it? What did it build in the way of long-term support? Did you resent the amount of effort it took? At any point in the process, did you find yourself thinking, "There must be a better way than this to raise money"?

We have found, having worked with teams of board members, staff, and volunteers from more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations over the past twelve years, that it is time for that value proposition to change. People are hungry for more than a nice chicken dinner. If they are coming to an event anyway, why not educate and inspire them, so that in exchange for their ticket price, they can walk away with an idea of what their money might have helped your group accomplish—and a way for them to become more involved should they choose to do so?

The Benevon Model provides a template by which every nonprofit can convert its seemingly haphazard stream of labor-intensive events into a tightly crafted "System of Events." Over time, this system educates and inspires event guests and builds long-term relationships with major donors. As the organizations become more and more self-sustaining in their funding, they find that they are able to phase out many of their events.

And for groups that have very few special events, the model provides a blueprint for how to start from scratch and do it right—with as few events as possible!

In the chapters that follow, you will discover a new systematic approach for creating long-term sustainable funding for your organization from individual donors: the source of over 80% of the charitable funds contributed to nonprofits in America today.

Then you will learn to customize the ideal System of Events for your group. Be forewarned: this may be uncomfortable, as it will include how to strategically modify the program and format of each event, how to rotate the time of year of the event, how to substitute the event with a more program-related event, or how to eliminate an event altogether. Furthermore, in between each event, you will need to do a great deal of follow-up with guests.

This book is designed to restore the most important element in every event you ever put on from here on out—your organization's mission! And, in the process, you will learn to systematically connect with those special event guests to convert them into long-term supporters.

Ultimately, this book has one simple message: if your event is not, first and foremost, educating people about the real work of your organization in such a powerful way that they feel compelled to either become more involved with your organization or tell others about your work (or both), then you should not be having that event.

Conversely, if you take the time to carefully craft each event with a particular objective in mind, you can design a System of Events, and, over time, all of your events will integrate with one another to build long-term supporters who love your work and will engage others, not merely to sell a ticket or bring in short-term cash, but because they truly believe in the mission of your organization.

Missionizing Your Special Events: How to Build a System of Events That Engages Donors Who Will Stay with You for Life is available now in our online store.

We are also offering a sample chapter for our E-New$ subscribers. Subscribe to the E-New$ to receive this sample chapter.

1. Thinking a Free Feel-Good Cultivation Event^™ is just a nice party or wine and cheese gathering—a social event—and forgetting to link it to a mission-focused program element (like a graduation ceremony, concert, or science fair).
   
   
2. Forgoing Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events altogether, since "they don't raise any money." Thinking they are optional events, forgetting that two Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events per year are required if you are using the model.
   
   
3. Thinking that giving donors free tickets or admission to an entertainment-style fundraising event qualifies as a Free Feel-Good Cultivation Event.
   
   
4. Not following up after inviting people to a Free Feel-Good Cultivation Event; thinking one pretty invitation will be sufficient to get them to attend.
   
   
5. Forgetting to plan for follow-up—focusing so much on the party and not remembering that without proper follow-up, you should not be having the event.
   
   

What do volunteers and lifelong donors have in common? Just about everything. In fact, many of the characteristics of lifelong donors and volunteers are identical:

• They see themselves as key players and partners in your work.
  
  
• They believe passionately in your purpose and mission.
  
  
• They care deeply about the work you do and the results you achieve.
  
  
• They feel connected to the organization, part of a community of volunteers and supporters.
  
  
• Their greatest joy is knowing they make a difference.
  
  

Of course, when you think about it, giving time is a lot like giving money. Volunteers and donors are all seeking meaningful ways to contribute to your cause, and they are all providing valuable resources for your organization.

According to Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 56% of American adults volunteer. This is an increase of nearly 14% in two years. Clearly, volunteering is no longer just for the wealthy or retired. Volunteers, like donors, are looking for the chance to make a difference in something they care about. More and more of us are turning to volunteer work to round out our lives.

Volunteers, like donors, respond best when they can see the impact of their efforts. Volunteers want to know their contribution is effective and changing lives. This is what deepens their involvement and commitment to your organization and its mission.

Shift your perspective about volunteers from one that is organization-centered to one that is volunteer-centered. Allow your volunteers to design their own roles and job descriptions based on their personal interests. Some will want you to have ideas for them; others will know right away what they want to do. In any case, they will appreciate a customized approach with personal attention to their preferences. They will know you are listening to them, nurturing them, and acknowledging them when they see the impact their contribution makes.

Satisfied volunteers are also among your best ambassadors at spreading the word about your good work. When friends or acquaintances ask them what they have been doing lately, their work with your organization is likely to figure prominently in their conversation. With enough cultivation and involvement, many of your volunteers will choose to become financial donors to your organization. According to Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 90% of volunteers also give money. Conversely, many of your financial donors may also want to get involved as volunteers.

Create the opportunity for your volunteers to contribute their talent and time on their own terms, and you will be continually surprised at the unexpected range of resources they provide.

In order to participate in our Curriculum for Sustainable Funding^™, a nonprofit organization must send a team of seven to eight people to a two-day training each year. The majority of that team must be board members and volunteers. These dedicated people (the vast majority are working professional people or corporate executives) take two days in the middle of the week—not counting additional travel time on either end as well—to get on airplanes and sit in windowless hotel ballrooms to wrangle with one of the most challenging—yet satisfying—issues they will ever face: how to sustain their organization financially.

Who are these amazing board members and volunteers and how do we manufacture more of them, right away? What qualities do they possess that differentiate them from every other group's board members? What makes them hang in there through a five- to ten-year process of building sustainable funding, defying all the common wisdom about board burnout, board turnover, etc.?

At every one of our two-day workshops, we have a brief, private meeting with these board members and volunteers. Remarkably, although they have been working on this for nearly twenty hours and they know this meeting is optional, they all attend. They come for two reasons: to meet other like-minded board members and volunteers and to ask the same question we all ask: "How can we get more board members to be thinking this way?" Even within their own organizations, these individuals are the pioneers. Many are longstanding board members; some are former board chairmen, now officially off the board, but more engaged than ever. Some are new to the board, love the mission, tired of the regular board meeting schedule, yet excited about the opportunity to leave a legacy.

That seems to be the common theme at these meetings—these board members are not complaining in the least, they are turned on and engaged! They say this is the most exciting thing that's happened in years at their organization. What has happened to light them up like this? Two things. First, we have them each share with their teams the answer to these questions: "Why do I volunteer with this organization? What is it about the work of this group that is so important to me personally?" That simple exercise—it takes about ten minutes altogether—is enough to reignite that passion in each team member and bond them together powerfully in their work towards a common objective. Which leads to the second thing: we have them define and then quantify what sustainable funding would look like for their organization. Most of these board members and volunteers are masters of the fundraising treadmill. Their arms are muscle-bound from so much strong-arming of friends to help them out for their favorite cause or two. The thought that they could actually help their organization get off that treadmill once and for all is so freeing for them. When they see it all laid out in a logical, step-by-step plan with spreadsheets, numbers, and formulas, they step right into action. Their passion, combined with a clear objective and a plan for fulfilling on it, pulls them forward.

In the face of all the work they have ahead of them, we don't hear people complaining. On the contrary, these board members and volunteers leave our workshops on fire, hugging us, thanking us for returning them to their passion and helping them craft a plan. Many tell us that it's all they ever wanted—to be able to leave that legacy.

Having served on several nonprofit boards over the last forty years, having been part of many new trends in board development, and having read most of the good literature that is out there on boards, I guess I'm a little old fashioned in coming back to the simple approach for getting boards to work: keep every member connected to their particular passion for the mission, have the board align on a big common goal, and give them a step-by-step pathway—and a coach—to ensure their success in attaining that goal. You'll be amazed how your board will come to life. And what more admirable goal than leaving a legacy of sustainable funding?

(Modified from The Joy of Fundraising, Chapter One)

Do you really want to keep raising money the same way you always have? Wouldn't you like to get off that treadmill of one-year-at-a-time grants, letters, and special events, with no assurance of sustained giving? This could be the year to break that cycle and build a new base of donors who understand and truly believe in your mission—donors who want to become involved in ways that are uniquely meaningful to them.

The Benevon system is built on an entirely new way of thinking about fundraising. So say goodbye to the old reality of scarcity and year-to-year survival and get ready to shift your thinking into the new reality of abundance and a system for building and cultivating lifelong donors.

The fundraising most of us know is based on a myth—the myth that there is not enough money to go around. Believing that myth creates a culture of scarcity in which nonprofit organizations feel they must compete with each other not just for funds and resources, but for their very survival.

I believe that this mindset is not necessary; in fact, it can even be an obstacle to achieving financial sustainability. The key to getting off the year-to-year fundraising treadmill and moving towards long-term sustainable funding is to shift your thinking and leave behind the myth of scarcity for a context of abundance.

Once you do that, you will see that resources can be abundant. Charitable giving in America has surpassed $250 billion per year in recent years, of which more than 80% comes from individuals, according to the annual report Giving USA. And, according to Claude Rosenberg of the New Tithing Group, Americans could substantially increase what they are currently giving to charity without changing their lifestyles.

Still, the myth of scarcity persists in shaping our thinking, our focus, and our actions. The Benevon Model is based on a new reality, the reality of abundance. By following the model, you will find yourself operating from abundance and raising more money more easily than ever.

1. Strong-arming—asking people merely because they are known to have money, and you think that they might want to give to your organization.
2. Asking people who are upset with your organization about a prior matter, rather than taking the time to "clear the air," apologize, and determine their current level of interest.
3. Asking people who have not been to a Point of Entry Event and then been cultivated personally—asking before they are ready to give.
4. Waiting too long to ask after donors have let you know that they are ready to be asked.
5. Cultivating and asking only one person in the family, rather than including spouses, children, siblings, etc.

We say at Benevon that if you have been following the model, you should only be asking for money from the people who you know are ready to say yes. These are the people you have been cultivating and have gotten to know well. The Ask should not be a surprise to your donor. Once you have done enough cultivation to feel confident that your donor is ready to be asked, call and ask if you can meet with them face-to-face. You may want to bring along someone else from your organization who they know and respect—perhaps the executive director or board chair.

Meet wherever the donor is most comfortable. This could be at a restaurant, your office, their office, or their home.

Here are six tips to help you during your Asks:

1. Your agenda is to see how related and connected you can become in those few minutes you will be together. It is all about listening for every cue and being much more focused on what they are saying right now than on what you should say next. This should feel like a very natural conversation—as if you were talking to a close friend or family member.


2. Know what you want to ask for in advance, and be ready to adjust the terms and timeline of the gift if needed. The easiest way is to invite them to join your existing society of donors who make multiple-year pledges at specific giving levels.


3. Explain the difference this gift would make to your organization and the impact it will have on the people you serve. You know this donor well enough by now that you can discuss the aspects of your program that are most important to them—for example, the after-school program, the adoption program, or the chapel. Be sure to include an example of how their gift would impact one person or one family in the program that they're most interested in.


4. Expect them to say yes so that you won't fall off your chair or burst into tears when they do! Remember, you are not asking someone who is an ice-cold stranger. You are giving them the opportunity to make the contribution they want to make. There is no need for you to beg, strong-arm, or cajole.


5. When the person says yes, let them know you are really excited about their gift—that it means a great deal to you. You want to make this person feel truly wonderful about giving to your cause.


6. Even if they say no, listen closely for the cues as to what they need next so you can be sure to provide that before you ask them again. You want to end the meeting with this person looking forward to seeing you the next time, so that when they finally do say yes, they will feel great about it.

You will see that asking someone for money can be serious or playful, short and to the point, or long and drawn out. No two Asks are ever the same because no two people are the same. The spirit of the Ask is respectful listening and friendly give-and-take, always with a strong commitment to the result. And the more you can relax and enjoy the process, the better.

In the Benevon Model, a critical part of building a system of lifelong donors is a Multiple-Year Giving Society^™—a group of higher-level donors who pledge to give an unrestricted gift of at least $1,000 a year for five years. This society has a special name, and members receive special recognition from your organization.

Many groups are reluctant to launch a Multiple-Year Giving Society, saying, "Our donors would never go for that." In truth, what they often mean is that they would feel uncomfortable asking for multiple-year pledges. But asking for multiple-year contributions is not for the organization; it is for the donor. Multiple-Year Giving Society Donors are people who already love you and, in many cases, have been giving to you, year after year, with relatively little contact or cultivation.

Now you are giving them an opportunity to come forward and declare themselves part of your organization's family. Some will say, "No, thank you." Others will ask, "What took you so long to notice?"

Start your Multiple-Year Giving Society with pledges of five years. Organizations bold enough to write those few extra words, "for five years," on their pledge cards almost always wish they had done it sooner.

Since you're launching a giving society that will last for years, take the time to name it carefully. For your overall society, consider the name of a famous person who has championed your cause, or perhaps the name of one of your founders. Or you can choose a name that has a direct connection to the essence of your work, like the Full Plate Society for a food bank or the Hope for Children Society for a children's home.

You should have only three levels of giving in your Multiple-Year Giving Society. These levels are called Units of Service^™, and they are either:

• $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 a year for each of the next five years or
• $1,000, $10,000, and $25,000 a year for each of the next five years

Choose your levels based on the largest gift your organization received in the last two years. If it was $10,000 or more, then you belong at the three higher levels. If it was under $10,000, use the three lower levels.

The names of your levels are intended to personalize your work and give donors a sense of what their gifts can do. Donors also like to see that the three levels relate logically to one another.

Think through your options carefully to come up with units that capture the essence of what your donors are giving to. For example, if the lowest level is "sponsor a child," your middle level could be "sponsor a family," and your highest level "sponsor a neighborhood" or a community. Be sure to explain to your donors that these are really unrestricted gifts and that these levels are just an example of what their money can do.

Of course, these levels won't be a good fit for everyone, which is why you'll always have a space on your pledge card for people to write in their own gift amount and pledge length, as well as a box they can check to indicate that they have advice or other forms of support for you.

This process gives your donors guidance without pressure, and your fill-in-the-blank option gives them the freedom to give at whatever level they are comfortable. Multiple-year asking, if done consistently and with cultivation, will get your organization off the yearly treadmill and build the lifelong donors you are looking for.

What will it take to get your members thinking about you when it comes time to make a charitable gift to your association's foundation or to your nonprofit? How can you reposition your group to be among their top charitable giving priorities? How can you connect your members to the longer-term impact of your work so that they will consider giving to you annually, increasing their giving year after year?

Consider these eight tips:

1. Divide the work of your association or nonprofit into three "buckets." For example, you might choose professional development, student scholarships, and community education. For each bucket, choose a myth-buster fact, a human story, and an unmet need to showcase that aspect of your work.
   
   
2. Design a high-touch, succinct, one-hour Point of Entry^® Event for your members to be held in your office or theirs. Start with a talk from the Visionary Leader^™; remind them of the powerful mission of your organization, and then zero in on the three buckets with stories, facts, and specific needs without asking for money. Ideally, have at least one in-person testimonial speaker tell their own story.
   
   
3. Follow up one-on-one with a personal phone call to obtain their feedback on the Point of Entry. Find out what part of the presentation was most interesting to them. Offer to connect them to someone who works in that particular area. Tend those connections, one by one, to cultivate this person over time. At each point of cultivation, remind them of the inspirational stories and the needs, e.g., for students anxious to get into your field but in need of scholarship funding or the difference your profession makes every day out in the world.
   
   
4. Invite your members to a Free One-Hour Ask Event^™ where you tell more inspirational stories and facts and launch a Multiple-Year Giving Society^™ for unrestricted contributions to your association's foundation. Be sure that at least 40% of the guests at this Ask Event have attended a prior Point of Entry.
   
   
5. At the Ask Event, announce a Leadership or Challenge Gift contributed by a core group of members, including your board members.
   
   
6. Follow up after the Ask Event to thank your new donors. Be prepared to hear great things about how connected they felt to your mission and how they might like to attend again next year, perhaps serving as a Table Captain for other members who will, by then, have attended a highly inspirational Point of Entry Event.
   
   
7. Host special program-related Free Feel-Good Cultivation Events^™ to honor and recognize your new donors. Make sure these include a testimonial from someone who has benefited from one of the programs your foundation has funded.
   
   
8. Watch your Multiple-Year Giving Society grow as members are reconnected to their love for your nonprofit or foundation and, over time, pay off their pledges and increase their giving.
   
   

At Benevon, we talk a lot about the "new volunteer"—someone who loves your mission and has their own ideas of how they would like to participate. Finding the best fit between a volunteer's interests and your needs will make for a winning volunteer program and help you build long-term sustainable funding.

Here is a list of ways to attract great volunteers and keep them passionate about your organization's mission.

1. Give up any stereotypes that you may have about what kinds of people volunteer these days. Be open to finding meaningful volunteer experiences for whatever type of volunteer may come your way.
   
   
2. Don't assume that every volunteer knows how they want to help your organization. When you list possible volunteer opportunities, always include the option of volunteering at your fundraising activities.
   
   
3. Recognize that Point of Entry^® guests may want to volunteer or get involved in their own way of volunteering for your organization after they have been exposed to your inspiring work. Have (at least) one volunteer attend every Point of Entry. They can help you with the logistics, answer questions about volunteer opportunities in the organization, and even give a casual testimonial about why they value volunteering.
   
   
4. Think of other meaningful roles for volunteers that would truly relieve staff. Don't pre-select or pre-judge the best roles for volunteers. For example, recruit a volunteer who is an excellent writer to be your grant writer. Train them in what type of grant funding you need and the vocabulary associated with your type of work, programs, and needs.
   
   
5. Think of volunteers as in-kind donors—in many cases, volunteering is their way of learning more about your work before they become a financial contributor. Recognize that 90% of people who volunteer also give money (not necessarily to the same organizations they volunteer at). Volunteers are donors, and where else would they rather give than to an organization that they are already involved with?
   
   
6. Put on at least two Point of Entry Events per year just for your volunteers. Make these Point of Entry Events special—the volunteers can invite their friends. Include a testimonial from a volunteer and a stop at a program site where volunteers are involved.
   
   
7. Listen to your volunteers—they are far more objective than you are about how your organization is perceived in the community. Encourage them to talk openly to you. Thank them, appreciate them, and let them know what their time has allowed your organization to accomplish.