Creating Confidence within your Organisation

Confidence for the fundraising department is vital within an organisation. This confidence begins at the top with the trustees and runs through the Chief Executive to other departments (especially the 'service' provider departments).

Unfortunately there are very few organisations that understand that they are all reliant on each other.  Fundraising is reliant on the service providers, the service providers on fundraising and finance is there to ensure cash flow remains within limits and that budgets are adhered to.

All areas therefore need to work together and as communication is part of the fundraising mix, creating an effective flow of communication through the fundraising department will create new opportunities for fundraising. Fundraising should be as good at internal communication it is at external communication - something which is seldom recognised.

The Stakeholders.

• Trustees

Unfortunately, more often than not, Trustees do need coaching to ways in which they can help the organisation.  In terms of fundraising Trustees may often have either commercial experience or personal contacts, and least of all there should be a group of trustees who are 'associated' to the Fundraising department and can represent the department at Board meetings.
 

• Getting the Trustees on board
 
1. Discuss and decide with whomever is appropriate (usually with the Chief Executive, Director of Fundraising etc) on which Trustees may be useful to the Fundraising Department.
1. Create a document proposing a Trustee Fundraising Task Force.  Include the following:-
1. Monthly reports from the Fundraisnig Department to the Trustee Fundrasising Task Force who will then circulate this information to the other Trustees.  However you may find this report would be more useful sent to all Trustees (people like to know what is going on and not feel left out!).
1. Short presentations made to the trustees at appropriate Board Meetings.
1. Set out what will be required by the Trustee Task Force. Some suggestions could include:- Major Gift meetings with an appropriate member of staff,  availability to give speeches at functions, periodic circulation of names to see if anyone on the trustees has personal/other contacts (e.g. with trustees of Trusts, with Board members of Corporates etc).
1. Affirm that the fundraising department will support any personal connections by providing any materials needed (e.g. proposals, going to any meetings)
1. Set out CLEAR priorities i.e. that any contacts/potential fundraising from Trustees must fit in with the overall fundraising strategy and that Trustees are asked to discuss any ideas that are not simply using contacts with the Director of Fundraising.  (This is vital as it is important that trustees do not get involved with the management of fundraising but focus on the major giving/personal contact side of fundraising).
1. Approach the Chairman to discuss the proposal.
1. Visit each of the Trustees.
1. Begin by reporting each month.

• The Organisation

As with any other stakeholders, the actual organisation is filled with potential fundraisers, people with contacts, people with ideas.  This is often an area where fundraising may not wish to enter for fear of having to hear all the things they do wrong, or to hear criticism.  However those who are prepared to hear people's ideas out and to understand where they are coming from, AND not to take things personally WILL benefit from this course of action.

However it is important to commit to this otherwise going in half heartedly will not work.  It is advisable to initially get the reporting and trustees on board first.

Here are some points:-

• Get the Directors of the departments on board (assumes the Chief Executive is already on board).  Include them in the above reporting and speak to the one to one.

• Find out when departments meet or what their reporting process is.  See if you can make presentations on fundraising's goals, what materials exist, how the organisation can help.

• Find ways to encourage support and find a way to collect ideas, BUT again make it clear that not every idea can be used and that everything that happens within the department needs to go through the current strategy.  (N.B. You may also need to make it clear that projects that require funding need to go through the heads of departments and need to be within the budget of the organisation).

• Keep up the communication.  Ensure fundraising is represented where it can and it ready to make presentations. This is often better presented by the Director of Fundaising.
• Ask the organisation to provide a list of individuals who can collect cheques on behalf of the organisation.  Find appropriate individuals who will either make speeches or presentations to potential donors (a service provider will usually tell the story of what actually happens to the money better than a fundraiser.  Find other ways to get the organisation involved in fundraising WITHOUT 'expecting it'.  Include any thank yous in appropriate material..

Additional Notes:

Creating confidence is something that is impossible to measure but does a huge amount to make an organisation begin to see itself as a whole body, and this spills over to the external audience.

This does however take time and there needs to be a commitment from fundraising that this is part of their remit - even if it does seem daunting to begin with!.

Other fact sheets in Organizational planning
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