While waiting for other members of my organization to arrive before a meeting at work the other day, I found myself sitting next to a woman named Susan. I had only met Susan a couple of times before since she works in another buiLding, but I had gleaned a few bits of information about her from day-to-day observations at the office. First, I noticed she had an environmental license plate on her hybrid Toyota Prius, which itself was peppered with stickers from the ASPCA, Pet Rescue, PETA, etc. I had aLways figured her for an animal Lover. Then, she confirmed this as we chatted a bit our weeks. Susan offhandedLy mentioned that she'd participated recently in organizing a raffle for the ASPCA to raise money for one of the Local shelters. "The Grand Prize was a ride in the Goodyear Blimp! she gLeefully informed me. "We raised more than $6,000 doLLars!!!

I asked if she'd ever heard of a cat rescue place in Houston that had come under fire for issues of cleanliness. Locals who lived within a 5 mite radius of the owner's improvised shelter (her home) compLained about the smell to every official they could think of. FinalLy, the Harris County health department had come out and threatened to shut the "shelter down. More than 300 cats who'd been previously abandoned by their owners were found in various states of health, lounging around the furniture, the floors, the kitchen counters. Citations were looming, reasons of cLeanLiness were cited, and the founder was told that the next time the Health Department paid her a visit, they had better not find animal droppings Littering the floors. Otherwise, they said, they'd pack up her cats and ship them off to the closest city pound-aLl 300 of them. This organization needed money.

Would she, I inquired of Susan, possibly be interested in heLping out? I was taking donations which I would send at the end of the week.

Susan's eyes were bright. She'd nearly cried when I talked about the 300 crowded cats, and the fury that fLashed in her face at the neighbors complaints of the pervasive stench of cat urine was formidable. "How much do you need? she asked, patting her pockets. "When are you sending it off? I replied that anything she could give would be fine, and that I'd be sending everything to Houston on Saturday.

"I don't have any money on me now, but I want to give you a check instead of cash anyway, she said firmly. My checkbook is in my purse, back at the office. Can I give it to you on Thursday at the Safety Meeting? I smiled, delighted with her obvious interest and willingness to help a good cause. "Of course, I said. "No problem at all.

Questions:

1. Did you establish rapport? How?

I established rapport in a number of ways with Susan. First, I cheated somewhat by making use of the previous knowledge I had of her and her interests. We are both women, within the same general age group, and had already bonded because we were the only women in this meeting setting. I smiled. I giggled girlishly. I reacted with appropriate horror, mimicking her own when I told my tale of woe. Susan liked me, and

One of my goals this year is to acquire three new computers for my Preschool classrooms. This has been something that the Preschool Committee has been discussing for over a year and the decision at the end of last year was to move ahead with our fundraising campaign and raise the necessary money to be able to purchase these computers. During these discussions, the committee was convinced that the parents of the school would be the most likely targets and that I should begin targeting my audience at the beginning of this school year. This past week, I invited three mothers to sit and have coffee with me so that I could open a discussion about my need for computers in the classrooms.

Questions To Be Answered:

1. Did you establish rapport? How?

These are parents who have been sending their children to my school for many years, so I have a nice relationship that I have built with them over time.

2. How long was the discussion? Was it too short? Too long?

We sat and had coffee for about an hour. I feel that this was the correct amount of time because it gave me enough time to inquire about their families and what new projects they are working on if any.

3. How much did you ask for? How much did you get?

I chose not to begin by asking for a determined amount; instead, I felt that it was within my best interest to talk about why the computers are important and how they will be used. Easing them into the idea that the school is just unable to fund the money for the computers was important. This allowed me to slowly move in and suggest that I was looking for a donation of funds.

Two of the three mothers did not hesitate to offer a donation. One mother wrote a check for $150, the other for $100. The third mother did not have her checkbook with her but indicated that she would bring me a check next week. I tried to confirm the amount with her but she remained vague. I do not think I will receive any donation from her.

Vonetta Rachels

Resource Development & Capital Campaigns

Week #2 Assignment - September 13, 2003

1) Did you establish rapport? How?

In approaching the potential donor for financial support, I immediately established a rapport using a friendly and informal demeanor sprinkled with language complimentary to the donor. I then played to her sense of civic duty and ethnic pride by highlighting accomplishments of the NAACP and its current programs both nationally and locally.

2) How long was the discussion? Was it too short? Too long?

The discussion was approximately fifteen minutes. in my opinion, had the potential donor had more time I think the conversation would have been longer. However, I am not convinced that a lengthy pitch would've moved this particular person to donate at this time. Taking all factors into consideration, I think that the presentation length was appropriate for this purpose and this particular candidate.

3) How much did you ask for? How much did you get?

I asked for $100 to support the continuing efforts of the Broward County Chapter of the NAACP. The person that I approached opted not to donate any money at this time.

4) Should you have asked for more? Asked for less?

I think that amount of money was quite appropriate for the cause and the financial status of the potential donor.

5) I-low did you decide how much to ask for?

I used the materials from the NAACP that I had access to in order to determine

the amount I would request. There were several levels of giving ($25, $50, $100

and "other ) that the organization lists in its collateral materials and I selected

$100 after conducting basic research on the candidate.

6) How did you deal with rejection?

After receiving a negative response from the potential donor, I thanked her for her time and consideration. I then asked her for her permission to contact her again in the future -to which she responded positively. Honestly, one of my primary rnottos for my life is "it doesn't hurt to ask, so I was not devastated by the rejection.

PAD6206 - Fundraising

Assignment #2

September 13, 2003

Getting $ for a real organization: Bat Conservation International: Austin, Texas

1. a) How long the discussion: 11 minutes

b) Too long/too short: Just right

2. At a private party I approached an acquaintance of the host we both new. I selected this prospect because he was wearing a Nature Conservancy tee shirt and assumed he would have an interest in animal rights and preservation. I began with discussion of current events/mosquito borne ailments such as West Nile Virus and Malaria and the benefits often misunderstood and feared bats provides for keeping insects in check.

3. Seeing the shoes the prospect was wearing probably cost more than my car I knew asking someone with an interest in nature and preservation for $100 to support bat research and conservation would not throw them for a loop.

4. Given the membership levels the organization offers $100 is mid-range and seemed reasonable. In retrospect I probably could have gotten more. The prospect had a couple of drinks already.

5. I was able to answer many of the prospects questions particularly with regards to the benefits bats provide to humans and the environment. I dispelled several of the myths associated with bats (vampires, flying rats, rabies, etc.). And I extolled their virtues as harmonious members of nature that enhance agricultural enterprises by protecting livestock from insects and provide pollination and foster plant growth by dispersing seeds as they feed on various fruits, plants, and flowers. I was able to give the prospect a bat fact card that the organization provides for just such purposes. One side has factual data and statistics about the creatures the reverse has their mailing address, website, and telephone number.

6. Had the prospect rejected me I would have mentioned things like: tax deduction, good karma, reducing occurrences of diseases like West Nile Virus, Malaria, and threatened them with Dracula's curse. Oh wait, this isn't Visionary and Creative Management. I suppose I would have omitted the part about the vampire curse. Maybe.

Bat Conservation International can be found on the web at www.batcon.org

I got a friend of mine to donate $180.00 to WLRN Public Television.

Did you establish rapport? How? Yes, rapport was established very easily. Since this is a friend of mine, one who has similar likes and dislikes when it comes to music, we just started talking about music of the 60s and 70s. We were discussing a telethon we had both watched (one which had performers from the 60s and 70s) and I suggested to him that he call in a pledge and get some of the music since he enjoys it so much and also because I know he can afford it! From there, we started exploring the website and he got very interested. When I realized that he was serious, I got really thrilled!

How long was the discussion? Was it too short? Too long? The discussion (and the website visit) was about twenty minutes long. It was the perfect amount of time.

How much did you ask for? How much did you get? I actually suggested that he opt for the $120 donation which would give him a 70s Soul Jam three-cd set. Once we went online and started looking at what they had to offer, and after he called and spoke with the telephone representative, he liked and opted for the $1802 DVD Combo.

Should you have asked for more? Asked for less? Well, if you look at the fact that he opted for $180 instead of the $120 I suggested, one might say I should have asked for more. However, I think that $120 is a lot of money and I am satisfied with having asked for that amount. (He donated more because he asked if they had DVDs instead of the CDs and the representative told him about the $1 80-level gifts which we had not noticed when we were online.)

How did you decide how much to ask for? I decided to ask for the $120 donation because the donations below this amount did not really have gifts he would appreciate. This gift of 3 CDs was something I knew he would enjoy more. I also had ulterior motives and wanted to burn the CDs for myself!

How did you deal with rejection? There was none!

I contacted Mr. ~ on Tuesday, September 9,

2003. a Trustee member of my employer the Broward League of Cities. as not in the office, so his associate provided his cell phone number. I

d spoke to him for 5 minutes. I felt that 5 minutes was a good time to just say hello and establish rapport. was taking lessons to learn how to speak Portuguese and loves the Brazilian culture. I am Brazilian-American and speak Portuguese fluently. I spoke to Mr. Garcia in Portuguese and he was very happy to have someone to carry on a conversation with in Portuguese. I chose not to ask for money on this occasion but to wait a few more days.

On, Wednesday, September 10, 2003 I called~~~and explained to him in Portuguese (again) that I had become interested in the Humane Society of Broward County. I explained to him that there are hundreds of thousands of animals put to sleep each year and that this organization was working diligently to assist these animals to find homes. I had decided to request $50. This amount was based on my decision to raise $200 a month for the organization. I had contributed $50 from my own pocket and needed 3 more donations. I also thought that it was easier to ask for $50 from three people than $100 from two.

a did not ask many questions. He wanted to know to whom he needed to make the check out to. I was able to answer all his questions, since they were very general in nature. I was very thankful for his generosity and he was thankful to have someone to carry on a conversation with in Portuguese. This was a good experience since I did not have to deal with rejection.

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I interviewed Alberto Salas, the Accountant at Broward County Community Code Compliance. He was willing to contribute $500 to Children in Need Organization.

Did you establish rapport?

Yes, I learned which issues he was most passionate about. He began referencing instances from his childhood, and relating them to issues the world presently faces.

How?

I extracted this information from him by asking the question, "what is your number one concern where you believe your involvement would provoke change or provide a great deal of assistance, and what monetary expense would you sacrifice for it?

How long was the discussion?

It lasted about one and a half hours.

Was it too short?

Seemed to be, because the following day he began discussing it again.

Too long?

No, because I was really able to discover where his passion ties. I believe the dedicated time worked in my favor, because we engaged in discussion where I can trigger those pulse points again if I need to come back and ask for more money or assistance.

How much did you ask for?

I asked for $500

How much did you get?

$500

Should you have asked for more?

Yes, because he seems to really enjoy children, especially his own, and I think at the times where the discussion became really stimulating I should have pushed for more.

Asked for less?

No. However, I was a little leery about asking for the $500, since he has five children of his own to care for.

How did you decide how much to ask for?

I decided to begin with a reasonable number that could make a difference in more than one child's life.

How did you deal with rejection?

I didn~t encounter any rejection this time.

J/~2_1~ ,27

Fundraising Assignment

Dr. Mendell

Saturday September 131 2003

Last weekend, the ~ of which I am the president, held a special events fundraiser on FAU campus. Unfortunately, our fundraiser did not turn out exactly as we expected. We expected that we would have at least 1,000 people attend this event; giving us enough money to cover our costs and to donate $2000 to donate to the Felege Behran Education Foundation in Entoto, Ethiopia. But instead, we only raised about half of the money we expected to (since the bands we booked turned out to be not-so-good and that is putting it nicely). So what I decided to do for my fundraising assignment was to approach someone for a donation to help make up some of the money we lost with our special events fundraiser. I asked ,the current District Governor of Rotary, for some funds to help get our club back on track.

I met with ~ for about 20 minutes at his office. At first, I told him about our group; what we have done in the past and what projects we are working on currently. I told him what happened with our special event fundraiser, and then I asked him for a $300 donation. The reason I decided to ask for $300 is that I have 2 other people in mind and the total difference that the club would like to make up is $900. I also know that Mr. Russell is an educator, so I figured our cause would be important to him.

During our interview, I was able to answer all Mr,i~I¹s questions. He didn't have many since he is familiar with Rotary and Rotaract, so I basically

answered questions regarding our cause. I gave lots of details and descriptions so . would be motivated to help these children. Although this was the first time I met with Mr. Russell, we have communicated several times via email, so I think we already had a rapport going into the interview. I was able to establish the rapport further by talking about my own education and goals. I think the fact that !v1~W'e daughter also attended University of Florida helped establish a good relationship (that is where I went to school).

Although this time I was successful in gaining my donation, I am still dealing with the rejection of our special events fundraiser. Honestly, I have never thrown a party that wasn't a success, so it is still really a let down for me. I will say that even though our group did not reach our fundraising goals, we did grow as a group through this fundraiser. Mr. Russell was glad to help out our group as he could relate to being part of a fledging group and the difficulties a new group can have in raising money. I think he felt sympathy for our group rather than empathy for the children we were trying to help out (which although this wasn't my initial approach was still effective). I ended the discussion after about 20 minutes (since I had already secured the donation) and I agreed to speak about our event at . next Rotary meeting. I probably could have gotten more money out c*M~weH, I think, but I am happy that he was able to contribute what he did for the group.

y)SCtU'.

Asking for money is difficult for me. Although I understand the financial importance of face to face nonprofit fundraising and the psychological power associated with achieving this goal, I still have a gut-wrenching aversion to asking someone for money. However, my mantra of the week is a quote from Yoda: "Do or do not. There is no try.

I approached my prospect with a request for information. It was in reference to renting our community hail for a conference project I am working on for next year. The discussion was first focused on the details of renting; date time and cost. She then asked me what I intended to use the facility for, and that opened the door to discussion of my programs. I didn't feel her "connect on the issue of addiction recovery, but when I spoke of my diversity circle, I felt her interest shift. She started opening up about racial issues in her life, and I knew this would be my avenue of request.

I preplanned by bringing a piece of my Diversity Jewelry to use as a donation reward. We discussed at length, approximately twenty minutes, about issues of unspoken prejudice and the need for healing and dialogue. Running the Community Center puts her in a great position to meet many people, and she provided me with an important contact phone number which I had been searching for. Our rapport was very pleasant and complementary.

As our conversation wound down, I thanked her for her time, told her I would get back to her on specifics about the center rental, and asked her for one final favor. I told her I had a fundraising professor who assigned me to requesting money to fund my Center, and if I didn't come to class with any money, he would be dissapointed. So, I asked, would she be interested in making a donation to the Center for Holistic Instruction in exchange for a beautiful pin I created to encourage diversity awareness? She smiled and pulled five dollars out of her purse, took my pin and shook my hand.

Should I have put a price tag on the pin? Perhaps. In my mind (prior to the meeting), five dollars was a fair donation for the pin, after all, it cost me about twenty-five cents and fifteen minutes of my time. But a ten dollar donation would have been better.

In conclusion, I made an important community contact, and a new friendly aquaintance. I felt relief that it was over, and triumphant that I left with my first face to face donation!

For Jay Mendell's FREE book on overcoming stigma in fund raising, please surf to http://black-sheep-library.com/  . To reach a portal to my syllabi, visit http://gollygrantsonline.com/indexold.htm.