Some years ago I attended a non-profit marketing conference.  While most of the conference has faded from memory … there was a statement made by one presenter I will never forget, “Raising funds – that’s for the development folks – the ones with the magic wands.  Give them all the support you can.”   While I loved the sentiment … I am concerned about that magic wand thing.  No development person I know has ever possessed a magic wand.  In fact, development is just work.  The best development folks just make it look effortless and so maybe it seems a bit like magic.  I’m here to tell you the truth.  It’s work!

For example, you may think if build a good website; they will come.  The reality is that hardly anyone will visit your website unless you update it frequently, making it interesting and worthwhile for people to visit.  Social media and networking?  For anyone who is serious about Facebook – that’s work (and time-consuming if you are going to make it worthwhile.)  You can’t simply start a Facebook page and hope people will see it.  uTube?  How many funny videos do people have to post before one catches on?  Getting a blog out?  Now I happen to love to write – but still it is still work to try to get something out every week, not to mention the angst over what I will say.  Writing grants = work.  Preparing for an event = lots and lots of work.  A capital campaign = mega work.

Of all the work you can do in a development office, here is the one thing I know for sure.  Developing good lists is the most important work you can do. Now, doesn’t that sound like it should be simple?  If only.  For anyone who has ever tried to develop a good event list, major donor list, campaign list, etc. – you know exactly what I mean.  List development is hard, tedious and frustrating.  It is, however, the one thing that produces the greatest payoff.   Without a good list – there is no way to generate revenue.

Technology can sometimes serve as a crutch and an impediment to preparing a good list, unless you understand how to use it effectively.  For example, if you want to develop a list of your major donors, the tendency will be to run and generate a list of your top 100 donors.  Good place to start … but what if your number one donor just recently made a $25 memorial gift?  He or she will not show up on your top 100 list!  Honest.  How about a list of your 100 most loyal donors?  Well, let’s look at all those donors who have given consecutively for the past 10 years!  Great – except for the person, who made two gifts in one year, and then skipped a year.  Do you want to look at past event donors?  What about your membership – have you included those folks, or did you skip them? (You’d be surprised)

Real list development takes time, research, and a great deal of cross-referencing.  It means conferencing with your Board, committee, other staff.  It requires you to understand why someone should be on that list and as much information as you can gather.  There is no way you can wave a magic wand.  Wish there were.  The only way is to hunker down and do the work.

Now, where did I put those ruby slippers?

April is not one of my favorite months.  It’s wet and muddy and the dirt tracks in all over the house – especially if you have two golden retrievers, as I do.  I have a friend, though, who loves this time of year.  She says she envisions what is happening below the ground, under all that mud.  She sees the roots of plants coming alive, plants percolating and getting ready to spout forth.  If only I could have that kind of vision – I still see mud.

My vision was a bit tubular this past week as well.  I had major computer issues.  Printers not working, computers slowed down by viruses, keyboards that refused to function.  I am not a very techy person – so when these issues arise, I become very frustrated.  But I dutifully went to the store where they sell printers and computers and keyboards, and diligently did some homework and brought my new purchases back to the office.  Along the way I encountered a few great techy types of people who helped me immensely.  So, exercising a bit of patience for things I have no patience for, I found that within a short period of time everything was working once again.  And – it was working better than ever.  Yes, I lost a few emails along the way (I apologize profusely if it was yours – since I don’t know it’s lost, please email me again), and a few documents had to be re-created.  But, on whole – things are great.

In the work I do I actually see the same kind of frustration.  I see it from Executive Directors, Board members, development folks.  It is the frustration of just wanting something to work.  It’s the dislike of having to deal with all those annoying details.  It’s like having to deal with a month of mud before the flowers pop through.  Why can’t things just hurry up and work?!   Why don’t Board members make that call?  Why can’t staff just see the vision as I see it?  Why do we need to spend so much time nurturing and cultivating relationships before we can approach and ask someone for help?  Why?  Because that is how things work.  It’s about tilling the soil, allowing the rains to come, putting up with the dirt and having a bit of patience.  The more it rains – the lusher the grass.  The more investment of time you put into figuring out your needs, the greater the reward.  The more you tend you Board, your volunteers, your donors and your staff – the greater the return.  It’s how things work.

So, now that my computers and all are working – I just have to put up with a few more weeks of rain.  Then, the flowers will bloom.  Happy spring!

I  learned a new phrase this past week – “eye focus.”  Now we all know about the concept and importance of making eye contact.  Eye focus, however, takes that concept to the next level.  I really like that.

How I happened to learn about eye focus was because of the happy coincidence of sitting next to the keynote speaker at a conference I recently attended, Lynne Howell Wiklander, of ECG, Inc.  Lynne specializes in communication strategies, presentation skills, content development and personal coaching.  She shared with me the concept of eye focus.

The reason the term eye focus resonated is that it speaks to the need of developing a sincere connection with people and not the perfunctory eye contact we have all learned how to do – or for that matter the obligatory response we are conditioned to make or a trite observation we casually share.  No, it means truly focusing on another individual and relating in a way that is genuine.

How important eye focus is for all of us.  And for those of us whose work is about building relationships it is imperative.  (In the non-profit philanthropy sector that is the core of our business).  Yet we all fall into the trap of just making “eye-contact”.  We dutifully answer the e-mail, leave the phone message, have a casual conversation, make the well-prepared pitch and even deliver a brilliantly written speech.  But, ask yourself, do you really achieve eye-focus?

There was someone else I met at the conference who also made eye-focus:  Bill Abram, President of Pragmatix, a firm that helps businesses effectively use technology.  Now, my own firm is small and not really a good business candidate for Bill’s firm.  However, I was sharing some of my own technology challenges and frustrations.  Bill exhibited amazing eye focus.  He listened intently, asked questions and offered to provide real solutions.  That is rare today.  And when you find it – you really appreciate it.

So, while there are many things I brought back from this conference and many wonderful people I was able to meet and connect with, the concept of eye focus is one I will remember.  So, thank you Lynne for giving me this new phrase and reminding me of the importance of connecting with each other.  It truly resonates.

Here’s looking – really looking – at you, kid!