Jimmy LaRose Says, “Truth Never Fears a Challenge”

One of my many favorite quotes from cherished mentor and friend Jimmy LaRose is ”truth never fears a challenge.”

Like the rest of us, Jimmy can be accused of many faults, but never being afraid to tell it like it is.

As we welcome a New Year, this is such a moment for serious fundraisers, especially those in the make-or-break space of major gifts,  to speak the truth and correct ill-advised decisions.

Simply put: Those of us who know better need to stand up and demonstrate courage about the art and science of fundraising, and what research, data, case studies and best practices inform us of what works and what doesn’t work.

If we truly want to make a genuine difference in touching, improving, and saving more lives, especially helping those who are struggling, only telling the truth will drive positive social change and best deploy precious gifts of time, talent and treasure.

Forgive me if it comes across as sexist by saying man up. Decades of experience as a practitioner and now as a consultant have taught me that women are the more generous gender, volunteer more, are able to set egos aside and focus more on the big picture. They comprise approximately 70% of the 13 million non-profit workforce, 70% of Association of Fundraising Professionals membership (AFP), and by 2030 will control the majority of wealth in this nation,

Truth No. 1: The last thing we need is more non-profits. We already have close to two million organizations and there is a shameful level of duplication, dilution and weakened capacity to achieve desired outcomes. Instead, there must be a relentless commitment to collaboration, coordination and better communication to achieve optimal impact. Fundraisers have a keen appreciation that donor prospects are being bombarded by requests for support in addressing the same problems. That is nothing less than a waste of time and effort.

Truth No. 2: There is no place for timidity. Successful fundraisers discover, solicit and steward gifts without fear, anxiety or hesitation. There can be a million reasons not to ask for support, but failing to do so completely misses the mark in championing good works.

Truth No. 3: Major gift initiatives are the surest — if not truly only viable — path to gift income stability and sustainability. Some 90% of gift income comes from just 10% of donors. Special events like all-too-common galas and golf tournaments fail to deliver the same level of results.

Truth No. 4: Bosses don’t always know best. Especially when it comes to the art and science of advancement and resource development. Vigorous searches are conducted for the best available fundraising professionals, and all too often, CEOs, EDs and Board chairs just don’t heed their expertise. This is a major reason why fundraiser turnnover is shockingly high with non-profits lucky to keep high performing professionals for two years.

Truth No. 5: There are no fundraising Supermen or Superwomen. It takes an entire non-profit family and genuine culture of philanthropy to produce gift income results. Delegating that responsibility to just development staff is a recipe for disaster.

Truth No. 6: Leadership must lead by example. More specifically, this means through gifts of both time and money. Board members who say their high-level skills should be enough are flunking the leadership test. Their skills won’t pay for essential expenses like payroll, rent and equipment, and other operational bills. We advocate the Three Gs test for board members — Give, Get or Get Off.

Truth No. 7: Friends should come first when asking prospects for gifts. They know, like and trust you. By soliciting them, you’re  not taking anything away from them, but giving them another way to feel great about themselves by doing something truly magnanimous.

Truth No. 8: High performing fundraisers should be appropriately compensated for the enormous value they add to their organizations. In addition to competitive pay and benefits, this means seeking and listening to their perspectives on how programming decisions will play out in the community.

Truth No. 9: Ask passionately for unrestricted gifts. Gifts with use-when-and-where needed most flexibility are so much more valuable than gifts restricted to narrow programs. Super philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has empowered trust-based philanthropy by donating more than $26 billion with no strings attached since 2019.

Truth No. 10: Repetition of messaging work. There are a growing number of affordable and effective  communication tools, from short impact videos and e-mail blasts to social media. They should all be deployed  to reinforce each other. The average person needs to hear and see the same message multiple times before it sinks in and motivates them to act.

Jimmy LaRose has fittingly earned the title of Charity’s Truth Teller. To best advance our noble missions, cost effective use of finite resources and perpetuate the integrity of our profession, major gift fundraisers can’t sit idly back and just follow orders, but instead exercise leadership in sharing much needed wisdom, experience and personal insights on robustly developing the resources their organizations and causes richly deserve.

About Jim Eskin

After a successful career leading advancement for three institutions of higher education, Jim Eskin’s consulting practice, Eskin Fundraising Training, launched in 2018, builds on the success of more than 250 fundraising workshops, webinars, webcasts, podcasts and board sessions, and provides the training, coaching and support services to equip non-profit leaders to replace fear of fundraising with comfort and confidence. He has authored more than 150 guest columns that have appeared in daily newspapers, business journals and blogs across the country. He publishes Stratagems, a monthly e-newsletter exploring timely issues and trends in philanthropy. Sign up here for a free subscription. You will also receive invitations to free virtual learning community programs. He is author of 10 Simple Fundraising Lessons, an 82-page common sense guide to understanding the art and science of fundraising, and How to Score Your First or Next Million-Dollar Gift, 104 pages filled with strategies, best practices and homework assignments to unlock exciting opportunities that elevate organizational impact to the next level. Both are available in print and digital formats through Pathway, the book distributor, and Amazon. Quantity discounts are available to non-profits who want to share books with teams of management, development staff, board and volunteers. Eskin is also available for customized virtual training for boards, staff, and fundraising committees. His newest customized service, Fundraising Urgent Care, offers 48-hour turnaround in addressing general strategy and tactical challenges that require immediate responses.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jim Eskin – Founder
Eskin Fundraising Training
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
Cell: 210.415.3748
E-Mail: [email protected]
https://eskinfundraisingtraining.com