Getting the Most Out of Your Professional Fundraiser - Brief Article

IN AN EFFORT to help campaigners better understand the role of the professional fundraiser, allow me to share some of the more oxy-moronic comments, perspectives and questions fundraisers are exposed to, offer some insight as to what they really mean and provide some advice to candidates and finance committees. Fundraisers often hear:

1. You're too aggressive. Fundraising is an aggressive activity. Those who dislike an aggressive fundraiser are usually the ones who are afraid of being asked to give money -- and are afraid of being asked to raise money from others.

Instead of coming to terms with the process of raising money by addressing and overcoming their fears of rejection, they attempt to hire a fundraiser who will not be "as aggressive." Not only is this a recipe for disaster, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

2. You're not from around here. We do things differently. Where a fundraiser hails from should have little bearing on his or her ability to be successful on your behalf. It's just another excuse for the client and his or her finance committee to transfer their fears of rejection and of being held accountable for their solicitation of family, friends and colleagues.

It doesn't matter if a professional fundraiser speaks with a local accent, or speaks slower or faster. What matters is the fundraiser's understanding of the process of raising money, the message, the emotions attached to that message, the target audience and, most importantly, the person doing the asking.

3. I don't want to ask for money. That's why I hired you. Successful fundraising requires a team effort wherein the professional, the client and the finance committee all share different but overlapping responsibilities. Fundraising does not exist in a vacuum. Successful fundraising is based on relationships and the willingness of the client and their committee to leverage relationships for the benefit of the campaign.

If you hire a fundraiser and say "go get' em" he or she will, and he or she will raise some money for you, but never as much as you and the members of your committee will raise. You have the relationships, the fundraiser doesn't. You're a part of your community or profession, the fundraiser is not. A professional fundraiser can orchestrate the activities of the candidate and finance committee, train them and ask the tough questions others can't, but a candidate and a finance committee must work with the fundraiser -- he or she cannot operate on his or her own.

4. I can raise "x" amount of dollars without you. The rationale behind this statement is "I can raise money from my family and friends, so I want you to stay away from them. I really need you to go after all those people I don't know."

The truth is, a candidate and a finance committee can always raise money. But, whatever they can raise will be increased when a professional fundraiser is involved. This is also an excuse by a candidate to prevent confronting his fear of rejection that comes when one pushes family and friends to contribute the maximum amount.

5. How much can you raise. Run from any fundraiser who tells you how much he or she can raise, Good fundraisers will lay out a "resource analysis" with you and your committee. They will determine from those resources what appears to be a reasonable expectation of money to be raised. They will then develop a program, plan and calendar that allows the client and the committee to embark, assuming their cooperation, on a specific effort to implement that program.

Good fundraisers will also compare financial resources to the campaigns' needs. If there is a shortfall, they will revisit the fundraising plan to determine if there is a way to make up that financing deficit.

6. I want to hire you, but I want to save my money to communicate with voters. It makes no sense that you don't want to pay the one professional that is going to help fill your bank account so that you can pay others to craft and distribute your message. Paying a fundraiser is like making an investment in a business. If you don't invest, you don't grow. And the more you grow, the greater number of voters you can communicate with.

7. Will you work on the commissions or will you raise your fee? Who else shows up for free? Like pollsters and media consultations, fundraisers have an expertise that they deserve to be paid for. This is a vocation, not an avocation.

A professional fundraiser could do everything right and still fail. Things that are out of their control can impact the campaign.

In some situations, it is OK to have a portion of the fundraiser's compensation be performance-based. Fundraising fees need to be as much a part of the budget as any other professional service.

8. I want to raise money for my campaign and what it stands for, not against the negative aspects of my opponent's campaign. Give your fundraiser some latitude in developing the fundraising messages and themes. The truth is most people respond more to a negative than a positive. Often, the best message is how your opponent negatively impacts your donor. Allow your professional fundraiser in consultation with your campaign manager, to determine the best pitch message.

9. Let me tell you what I want to do. You've hired a professional. It's in your best interest to pay attention to the direction and advice given. A good fundraising plan will respond to the needs of the client, but those needs must be balanced against what the fundraiser believes will bring success. It's perfectly OK to question your fund-raiser's plan. If that's what you need to do to be comfortable with it ... and to own it, then you should do it. However, once you've bought into the plan, it's your job as a candidate or campaign manager, to work full force to implement it, notwithstanding any mid-course corrections.

10. I don't want to ask him for that much money. You don't think the prospect is capable of making his own decisions about what to give to your campaign? You don't need to protect prospects from themselves. You don't need to make decisions for them. They are capable of making their own decisions.

Successful fundraising is about asking people to do more for you than they might ordinarily do. While you may never get everything you are asking for, you'll likely get more than you would have, had you not asked for so much in the first place.

11. I don't want to ask my prospect for a specific amount of money. If this is the case, then you'll simply let your prospect off the hook with what they want to give you, not what you need them to give. Successful fund raising is about setting the agenda and getting people to respond to you and your needs.

12. I am a victim of fundraising fear. This is a phenomenon that occurs when candidates and finance committees are more afraid of asking for money than they are of not having enough money to get their message out. If that's you, running for office or participating in the campaign will be a frustrating experience.

Successful fundraisers understand the process of raising money. A good fundraiser will adjust techniques to the specific needs or resources of each campaign. But the process will not be adjusted. It's about asking -- and knowing that one dollar early is better than one hundred dollars late. Good luck!

Robert Kaplan is a Los Angeles-based fundraiser for initiative campaigns, trade associations, PACs, candidates and not-for-profit organizations.

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COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group