Who's On First? – Part 2 of 2

Picking up from yesterday...

Just at that moment the door to the conference room opened and in waltzed Do-Good's Director of Development, Phil Marvelous, who said, "Rest easy, my good people. I had a feeling this subject might come up, so I’ve created a database of information about all our major gift prospects. Several weeks ago, we gathered with some staff and some of you board members and other prominent citizens of the community and volunteers and had a little Prospect Qualification Session.

“What I have for you this evening, friends, is a printout of the results of that session plus the various information derived from our donor database. The result is, I think you’ll agree, a rather marvelous listing of who we must solicit and in what order. Your names are attached to each of the prospects to whom you have been assigned, so that you will find it very easy to see not only your list of solicitations but also those of everyone else in the group.

Phil continued, "We know exactly where you're supposed to start, we've researched all the prospects and we can keep everyone out of trouble if you'll just handle your prospects in the order in which they were given you on your master prospect lists. Each of you has your own list, but we've taken the trouble to mark where there are crossovers and possible conflicts, so you'll know about those in advance. We have also researched your individual cultivation and solicitation capabilities, schedules, etc., and we are reasonably sure that your list matches your own particular time and activities schedule."

“Well, thank goodness!” breathed Martha, and Hank said “I knew there would have to be a way to sort out who to solicit first, second and third.” George sat quietly for a while, and then said, “is this what you were telling us two years ago at that training session we had about prospect qualification? I seem to remember something about combining our fundraising infrastructure and our knowledge of individuals in a way that could produce something like this.”

“You’re right on the mark,” said the Development Director. The reason we have been able to do this, I'm pleased to say, is because those of you who were on this board five years ago had the foresight to prioritize funds for a major fundraising infrastructure upgrade, which we completed the following year. Now we have a new donor database that gives us all kinds of information we need to make this capital campaign the smoothest yet. That information allows us to place prospects on your lists that have not only been thoroughly research, they have also been prioritized and ordered in such a way as to minimize any concerns any of us might have about who needs to be solicited first, second and third. We have taken the guesswork out of campaign solicitation. Isn't that wonderful? It should save you all a lot of work and a ton of grief during the campaign.

"Of course our goal is four times as large as we've ever raised before, but I know you will have absolutely no trouble making that goal because your cultivation and solicitation process has been expertly streamlined. Nothing could be easier than the assignments you have in this campaign. And it's all thanks to our board Chairman, Brent Lewis, who made it a point of honor to lead the board in the right direction for the infrastructure upgrade. Thanks to Brent, your job is a lot easier."

And with that, the boardroom erupted in a flurry of Huzzahs and Thanks to Brent. With that little matter out of the way, Brent called the meeting to order and the board went about its business of strategic planning.

Does your nonprofit board have a person with as much foresight as Brent Lewis? Hopefully that person has a better memory, too!

But this is what fundraising infrastructure can do, IF it's put in place in advance of the campaign.