1. Michele R. Berard, MBA, CFRE
Executive Director, Butler Hospital Foundation
Principal, Ascent Advisors, LLC
Rhode Island, USA
@micheleberard
The Development Committee Workbook:
Managing Your Volunteers to Success

2. “…it’s just easier to do it myself…”

3. “…it’s just easier to do it myself…”
The Rationale for Volunteer Engagement:
“Access and Signaling”
(Special Report: Engaging Borard Members in Fundraising,
Nonprofit Research Collaborative September 2012)
1. Help the organization reach new prospective donors
(ACCESS)
2. Indicate the organization’s value to the community by
their own association with the group (SIGNALING)

4. What is Your Challenge?

5. The Eternal Case Study…
Today’s Presentation is based on many sources:
1. Work Experience
2. Consulting Assignments
3. Student Case Assignments
4. Professional Colleagues
5. Research
5

6. The Development Committee Workbook
•Education
•Exercises
•Homework
•Measureable Outcomes
•Expansion to the Board of Directors
•Easy – Medium – Hard
Comprised of 17 tactics

7. The Development Committee Workbook
ACTIVITY FREQUENCY
1 Devise Team Purpose Review annually for relevance
2 Education: Fund Development Primer One time per year
3 Education: Transparency Primer One time per year
4 Exercise: What organizations do you give to? One time per year
5 Exercise – Newsletter/Website review 2x per year
6 Exercise – External Review One time per year
7 Fundraising Database Orientation One time
8 Prospect Identification (rating sessions) @ least 1x per year
9 Donor Visits Ongoing
10 Complements v. Competitors One time per year
11 Social Networking Strategies Ongoing
12 Cultivation/Stewardship Events @ least 2x per year
13 Annual Report One time per year
14 Book Club Discussion 2x per year )
15 Stewardship Calls 2x per year
16 Solicitation Calls/Visits Ongoing
17 Evaluation & Evolution (off/on-boarding) 1x per year; upon completion of 12 month cycle

8. #1 Establish a Charter
This defines the purpose of the Development Committee
WHAT - To ensure XYZ Organization benefits from a strong, stable
and growing revenue stream obtained from philanthropy
HOW – by:
1. Developing and fostering a culture of
giving of our internal constituencies
examples
2. Cultivating and stewarding resources
(people, products, time, finances)
examples
3. Soliciting financial and in-kind support examples
4.

9. #2 Fund Development Primer/101
Explains what Fund Development IS!
Host a facilitated session for either the Development
Committee or the entire board on:
•Donor Bill of Rights
•Donor Pyramid
•Review of the AFP Ethical Guidelines
•What to do and how to act on a donor/prospect visit
•How your organization uses philanthropy revenue

10. #3 Transparency Primer
What isn’t seen, isn’t real
Today’s donors are savvy, be prepared
•Review the components of a 990
•Ask the committee interests them as donors
(homework, blind ballot submission)
•Review XYZ’s 990s to see if those questions are
answered by reviewing the documents
•Address concerns with answers/explanations
NOTE: Do this FIRST with organizational leadership

11. #4 What organization’s do YOU give to?
Leverage their inner donor!
Take 10 minutes of your meeting to conduct this exercise:
•What organizations do you donate to?
•What organizations will you not donate to?
•Why on both?
•Are there any resemblances to your organization?
•Best Practices in Fundraising
•Promotes the body of knowledge
NOTE: Robbe Healey’s major gift session

12. #5 Website or Newsletter Review
How is fundraising revenue used?
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
•Distribute the latest issue(s) of your newsletter
•Ask Committee Members to review stories and
identify targets of fundraising
•Discuss at the beginning of your next meeting
•Can also be done with the website
NOTE: conduct every time the newsletter is sent out

13. #6 External Review
Secret Shopper
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:
•Save direct mail appeal letters and event invitations
•Identify three donor walls that appeal to them (and why)
•Listen for how people talk about organizations with which
they are affiliated
•What organizations are your FB friends connected to?
•What tactics are appealing to them (e.g. Hurricane Sandy
– Red Cross)

14. #7 Database Orientation
Garbage in, Garbage out
In Meeting Education (15 -20 minutes):
•Outline the data fields collected for the majority of constituents
•Define key terms (constituent, donor, lapsed donor, appeal, etc.)
•Explain a basic query (e.g. Fatima Hospital community events)
•Philanthropy = aligning donor interests with funding needs of the
organization
•“Soft Credit” and “Assigned Solicitor” are tactics to make volunteers look
good.
NOTE: Alignment is the goal and is achieved by having good data!

15. #8 Prospect Identification – Rating Session
Are the Right People on Your Committee?
During Committee/Board Meeting (@ least 1x/year)
•Individual
•Corporations/Businesses
•Foundations (great for family foundations/board lists)
•Organizational culture is the biggest challenge
•Follow-through is also a challenge
NOTE: Have a process for following up on results

16. #9 Donor Visits
Meet the donors
Outside of Meetings – organized by the Development Office
•1:1 or 2:1 follow up visits
•Small events at the organization (give volunteers a list of
questions)
•Community Fundraisers or Events (Chamber, Rotary)
•Communicate information back to Development Office
(to enter into database)
•WIN-WIN-WIN
NOTE: The volunteer and the donor share a bond as donors – leverage that!

17. #10 Complements vs. Competitors
Increase awareness of the environment
SWOT Analysis In-Meeting Exercise (SEE NEXT SLIDE)
HOMEWORK:
•With what organizations and/or entities does your
organization have a symbiotic relationship? Explore
and understand.
•What organizations are competing for services/donors
with your organization? Why would either prefer
yours?

18. #10 Complements vs. Competitors
Situation or SWOT Analysis
Strengths Opportunities
Weaknesses Strengths

19. #11 Social Networking Strategies
Introduce at a Development Committee meeting
and then assign homework:
•Create Facebook and LinkedIn accounts
•Affiliate with your organization on these sites
•Ask your “friends” to like your organization on FB
•Share pages/news of your organization frequently
•On LinkedIn Profile – include volunteer position
and “donates to” on profile
Issue a Challenge: 30 posts in 30 days

20. #12 Host a Cultivation Event
A Best Practice of Volunteer Engagement
•Always have nametags (for easy conversation, data collection)
•Organization should provide a budget (pay for expenses)
•Development Office to assist with logistics
•Provide direction/event agenda
•Provide volunteers with “conversation starters”
•Debrief immediately after (to collect data)
•Take pictures
Leveraging volunteer credibility

21. #13 Annual Report on Fundraising
The Development Committee should understand:
1. Where the revenue came from,
2. What it supported,
3. How it can be leveraged
Spend a Development Committee Meeting discussing and
when committee has a good understand...
•Present to Board of Directors
•Introduce goal(s) for next year
Volunteers who understand how money is used will feel more comfortable in
recruiting it!

22. #14 Book Club
The objectivity of a book can infuse instant affirmation in
your organization’s program and courage of the volunteer
•Pick two books at the beginning of the year
•Really, buy them for your volunteers
•Assign a specific chapter(s) to read and assign a
question/topic to be discusses at the next meeting
•During the discussion, try to have volunteers apply to
your organization
Jerry Panas has some very easy to read books: “Asking” , “Fundraising Habits of Supremely
Successful Boards”

23. #15 Thank You calls
Proper stewardship strengthens the relationship between the
donor and the organization. One way to do that is to
immediately mitigate “buyer’s remorse”.
HOMEWORK:
•Each committee member is given a list of names, phone
numbers, and a script
•You are calling (1) as a volunteer and (2) to say thank you
•This is also an opportunity to find out the connection the
donor has to the organization
The most impactful activity that yields high donor satisfaction and high volunteer satisfaction

24. #16 Solicitation Visits
ADVANCED TACTIC
Organizational culture and volunteer comfort may not allow this
to happen in your organization, however, work toward it as
you’ll realize great benefit
•Previous involvement in the process
•Great example of “signaling”
•Review meeting agenda
•Role play
•Discuss objections

25. #17 Evaluation & Evolution
Compare to the Development Committee Charter
established 12 months prior
•Self Assessment (CDO to develop)
•Discuss what worked; what didn’t
•Do we have the right people on the committee?
•Develop criteria of “ideal committee member”
•Use list for recruitment; recruitment period
•Allow volunteers to resign; orient new member appropriately
How far have we come, where are we going
Getting the right people in the right seats on the bus is the most important tactic

26. How to Apply to YOUR Organization…
Work the Calendar…
Your organization’s
development calendar
will enable you to
implement the tactics
in this session.
E.g. make stewardship
calls X# weeks after
your fall appeal drops.

27. How to Apply to YOUR Organization…
Right Size It!

28. Contact me!
Phone: (401) 263-4902
Email: mberard@ascentadvisors.net
Twitter: @micheleberard
Blog: www.micheleberard.com
QUESTIONS?

29. THANK YOU!
Contact me!
Phone: (401) 263-4902
Email: mberard@ascentadvisors.net
Twitter: @micheleberard
Blog: www.micheleberard.com