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By Shawna Hershfield
Communications Director
About six months ago, politics and headlines were dominated by the healthcare debate.
At JBL, we were discussing what healthcare reform might do to fundraising strategies at nonprofit hospitals, universities with medical schools, or charities that support underserved populations. We've worked with a number of these institutions over the years, both as consultants and in our seminars. We asked, "How can we help them?"
Right about then, the Gulf of Mexico exploded, releasing between 90 and178 million gallons of oil to an ever-expanding trail of devastated ecosystems and economies in its wake. The Gulf disaster also unleashed pundits, rescue efforts, press conferences, protests, lawsuit — and that's just at my institution. I work for an environmental nonprofit. How was your day?
When the British Petroleum (BP) drilling platform exploded, environmental nonprofits took on a tremendous financial burden and workload because this disaster fell smack within the scope of their missions. In fact, the affected wilderness areas and human communities are so vast, many of us in the nonprofit sector suddenly found our days filled with unforeseen, expensive campaigning.
Meanwhile, the healthcare headlines haven't disappeared. Budget cuts to education are forever in the news, with teachers and students fighting to keep their programs from disappearing. Veritably, most nonprofits have a headline affecting the delivery of their charitable service.
Where does funding to support headline events come from in an era when restricted funding is already choking institutional infrastructure? As one of our clients commented, "We can't keep the lights on or the beers cold as it is." By "beer," he meant the Human Resources, I'm sure. Who funds HR?
An argument for unrestricted resources
As fundraisers, our challenge is this: During unexpected news events, institutional response must be so fast that we're building budgets as quickly as we're deploying resources. For these new budgets and programs, we're raising money from a finite donor pool already tapped for existing projects.
Global news headlines make the case for additional funding employing what Martin Luther King called the "fierce urgency of now." That fierce urgency can be communicated using news headlines in every conversation with funders — particularly planned giving donors.
Script suggestion: "Headlines tell us this about focusing future projects: We have to be able to fund the unknowable economic, political, environmental event. If you trust XYZ institution enough to include us in your estate, trust that we'll be here when something unpredicted and unprecedented happens, because it will. And, we'll be there to respond and focus all of the resources we can muster. We'd like you to be part of that."
Doesn't "Restricted" = Unique Vision for the Future?
Philanthropy's economic shift toward restricted funding is undeniable. Every time a donor describes a specific corner of the universe he wants a bequest or life giving arrangement to save, it's an opportunity to make transformational change. Thank him and close that gift.
Then, bring it back to your news headlines. Headlines that affect our bottom line are an opportunity to introduce a whole new audience of annual fund donors to the concept of legacy building.
At JBL, we can deepen your prospect bench of new planned giving donors. Coaching your staff and volunteers, or supporting a complete re-vamp of your planned giving marketing materials and strategies, JBL can help you meet the unrestricted funding needs tomorrow's headlines require. Call us at 603-924-3834.
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