Earlier this year, I attended the 2015 ALDE International Conference in Reno, and it was an amazing experience.
Friends, faith, fun, connections, recharge, encouragement... It was wonderful!
There were several amazing speakers at this year's conference. (Not that anything less was expected; ALDE has always had great educational speakers at the International Conference.) I had the opportunity to hear Jeff Brooks speak on creating offers for fundraisers. Now, I confess, I am a fan. I have been following Mr. Brook's blog for years, since before Future Fundraising Now. I enjoy his keen insight and passion. So it was quite the thrill for me to participate in his master class and education session at this conference. He shared tips, tricks, best practices, ideas, experiences and even offered feedback to live examples from the audience. It was great! (And I will be discussing some of those insights in upcoming posts.)
But ... there's always a "but," right? I have to say, I didn't entirely agree with one of his ideas.
Before I go much further. I should probably explain that this is entirely light-hearted, though still relevant.
In his presentation Mr. Brooks made a great point: the donor is the hero. Without the donor an organization usually cannot accomplish or, in some cases, cannot even begin to work towards achieving their goals. So fundraisers and organizations are not the hero. The donor is the hero.
To illustrate this point, Mr. Brooks showed a photo of Batman and Robin (the Adam West and Burt Ward era).
Batman was labeled: The Organization
Robin was labeled: The Donor
In a lot of organizational donor relationships and communications, it can feel like the organization is the hero. In other words, the organization is Batman. (Awesome!) The organization is making a difference in the world and changing lives.
In this dynamic, then, the donor is Robin.
As sidekicks go, Robin is actually pretty awesome. (I might even maybe admit to having a sort of, kind of crush on Chris O'Donell's Robin, in Batman Forever! No judging, please!)
Back on point...
I agree 100% with the point Mr. Brooks was making with that image. Robin, though awesome, is a sidekick. He wears the bright colors (except Chris O'Donell!), and he is in training to be a hero. He's not yet the hero.
Well, Mr. Brooks wants professionals, us, as nonprofit professionals, in this case fundraisers and communicators, to rethink that dynamic.
Mr. Brooks proposed that instead of the organization being Batman and the donor being Robin, what happens if the donor is the hero? In this dynamic, the organization (and the fundraiser) should be the support person. Specifically, according to Mr. Brooks, the donor should be Luke Skywalker -- the hero in a galaxy a long time ago and far away who rebuilt the Jedi order. (Yes, I do love Star Wars too!) The organization and the fundraisers are Yoda. We are the little, green, wrinkled aliens who teach Luke the ways of the Force and encourage him to save the world.
I like it, overall.
But... Are we, as nonprofit organizations the masters of the Force that need to train our donors in the ways of the Jedi?
This has been rattling around my brain for a while, and I'm not quite sure that's quite right. (I also think that quite possibly, I might have spent to much time thinking about this, but it's fun!)
Are we as nonprofit fundraising professionals really the experts and masters that need to train our donors? I'm going to step out on a limb here and say overall, the answer is "No." I do think that our organizations should be masters of our programs and experts in our fields. After all, the organization does deliver the programs and services. Fundraising professionals and all non-profit professionals should be masters of their crafts as well. And that can get pretty complex.
But do nonprofit organizations and fundraising professionals need to train their donors like Yoda trained Luke? Respectfully, Mr. Brooks, I have to disagree with that image. Donors are the heroes already. Without donors, I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of nonprofit organizations would not have the capacity to even begin working to achieve their missions. Therefore, fundraisers and organization should be supporting their donors to help the donors change the world.
With that in mind, I think there's a better image we can use to depict that dynamic. Our donors are already Batman. We are the people who support Batman. We help make sure Batman can be out there night after night fighting crime and helping the Justice League, Therefore, I propose that we fundraisers are ...
The loyal butler, who is so much more than a butler. Who supports and encourages. Who offers advice and is a steady rock for the hero. Who helps make the heroes' work happen.
What do you think? Are we fundraisers Alfreds of the nonprofit world? I'm okay with that image.
Now, a challenge for you. Take a look at your organization's communications to donors. Who is the hero? Is it you, the organization? Do you talk about this program and how your organization helped?
Or do you focus on your donor? What do your donors want to hear about? Are you telling them how special they are, and how they are impacting lives through their support of your organization? Are you telling them that they make the mission happen? Are you reporting back on what the organization accomplished because of their support?
The difference can be subtle, but telling. When you're talking to your donors, I encourage you to make your donors the star. Tell them the truth, and tell them often -- your organization cannot do everything they do without their support. It can truly make a difference.
Remember -- Be Alfred!
In this dynamic, then, the donor is Robin.
As sidekicks go, Robin is actually pretty awesome. (I might even maybe admit to having a sort of, kind of crush on Chris O'Donell's Robin, in Batman Forever! No judging, please!)
Back on point...
I agree 100% with the point Mr. Brooks was making with that image. Robin, though awesome, is a sidekick. He wears the bright colors (except Chris O'Donell!), and he is in training to be a hero. He's not yet the hero.
Well, Mr. Brooks wants professionals, us, as nonprofit professionals, in this case fundraisers and communicators, to rethink that dynamic.
Mr. Brooks proposed that instead of the organization being Batman and the donor being Robin, what happens if the donor is the hero? In this dynamic, the organization (and the fundraiser) should be the support person. Specifically, according to Mr. Brooks, the donor should be Luke Skywalker -- the hero in a galaxy a long time ago and far away who rebuilt the Jedi order. (Yes, I do love Star Wars too!) The organization and the fundraisers are Yoda. We are the little, green, wrinkled aliens who teach Luke the ways of the Force and encourage him to save the world.
I like it, overall.
But... Are we, as nonprofit organizations the masters of the Force that need to train our donors in the ways of the Jedi?
This has been rattling around my brain for a while, and I'm not quite sure that's quite right. (I also think that quite possibly, I might have spent to much time thinking about this, but it's fun!)
Are we as nonprofit fundraising professionals really the experts and masters that need to train our donors? I'm going to step out on a limb here and say overall, the answer is "No." I do think that our organizations should be masters of our programs and experts in our fields. After all, the organization does deliver the programs and services. Fundraising professionals and all non-profit professionals should be masters of their crafts as well. And that can get pretty complex.
But do nonprofit organizations and fundraising professionals need to train their donors like Yoda trained Luke? Respectfully, Mr. Brooks, I have to disagree with that image. Donors are the heroes already. Without donors, I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of nonprofit organizations would not have the capacity to even begin working to achieve their missions. Therefore, fundraisers and organization should be supporting their donors to help the donors change the world.
With that in mind, I think there's a better image we can use to depict that dynamic. Our donors are already Batman. We are the people who support Batman. We help make sure Batman can be out there night after night fighting crime and helping the Justice League, Therefore, I propose that we fundraisers are ...
ALFRED!
The loyal butler, who is so much more than a butler. Who supports and encourages. Who offers advice and is a steady rock for the hero. Who helps make the heroes' work happen.
What do you think? Are we fundraisers Alfreds of the nonprofit world? I'm okay with that image.
Now, a challenge for you. Take a look at your organization's communications to donors. Who is the hero? Is it you, the organization? Do you talk about this program and how your organization helped?
Or do you focus on your donor? What do your donors want to hear about? Are you telling them how special they are, and how they are impacting lives through their support of your organization? Are you telling them that they make the mission happen? Are you reporting back on what the organization accomplished because of their support?
The difference can be subtle, but telling. When you're talking to your donors, I encourage you to make your donors the star. Tell them the truth, and tell them often -- your organization cannot do everything they do without their support. It can truly make a difference.
Remember -- Be Alfred!
