Jill Murphy, founder of Good by Design, works with people starting and running socially beneficial businesses and entrepreneurial nonprofits. She helps people do good work well by connecting systems with vision and values.
Luke: Are you involved with fundraising right now? If so, what do you do? If not, what is your background with fundraising and what do you do now? Don’t hold back. We want to hear everything.
Jill: Isn’t everyone involved in fundraising? It seems ubiquitous these days to be raising money for things we care about from schools to nonprofits to religious organizations. So, yes, I am involved in fundraising all the time. Professionally, I help organizations create mission driven communication and fundraising strategies. Most of my work is either strategy or infrastructure at the start of a new organization or at a transitional or critical stage in the life of an organization. I don’t do the “asks” from day to day but I do help people think about who and how to approach resource development as part of overall organizational capacity building. I also raise money and give to organizations and issues that I believe in.
Luke: What has been the most successful fundraiser you’ve been involved with? Why was it so successful?
Jill: I just finished volunteering on a really successful and incredibly fun campaign with the writer Colleen Wainwright aka The Commuicatrix. She decided to celebrate her 50th birthday by raising 50K in 50 days for WriteGirl, a fantastic LA-based nonprofit. The campaign was 100% social media, totally paperless and entirely community-driven. Colleen produced great content – 50 interviews with women writers, regular videos and blog posts. She gave EVERYTHING to this project, threw her whole life into it and invited us along for the ride. It was successful because it was relational. It was an invitation to be part of something bigger, to join with others in the experience of giving. It was joyous and fun and engaging in every way. Colleen hit the 50K mark on day 40. The campaign ended up raising over 60K and receiving a foundation grant of another 50K. While the money part being so wildly successful was great, the energy and inspiration generated was even more important – especially right now. If anyone wants to have a good cry and be inspired to take on anything, check out the video from the last day. You’ll believe you can do it, too. And, you can!
Luke: Have you been involved with fundraisers or do you have knowledge of fundraisers that flopped? Why didn’t they work?
Jill: Yes. I’ve experienced many, many fundraisers that didn’t work. I think the biggest problems are poor execution, attitudes of entitlement and a mismatch of expectations between the audience and the organization. Asking for people’s time is a serious thing and every time you send an email, make a phone call, post on Facebook, or mail a letter, you’re asking for attention so that you can then ask for money. That’s two asks, both directed at places where most people already feel acutely deprived. The fundraisers – be it events or campaigns – that don’t fully appreciate the audience they are addressing rarely work. I’d also say that I’ve seen plenty of fundraisers that looked like they worked on the surface but the follow through wasn’t there. They made a lot of money that night but then the organization didn’t do anything to extend the relationship. That’s a huge flop in my book.
Luke: Is there a particular strategy that has worked over and over for you?
Jill: The only strategy that has ever worked for me is relationship building. It takes time, effort, planning, and thoughtfulness so it’s not the easy road but it is the most effective and sustainable. As individuals, we need relationships to survive. The same goes for our organizations. We have to love the people we serve AND we have to love the people who give, volunteer, cheer for, and support us in any way. I think that’s the part we’ve lost track of in the busyness of modern life. When we reduce or enlarge people to the size of their checkbooks, we all lose. Dehumanizing people in service of other people and issues is one of the most dangerous and saddest things I see in nonprofits and in churches. We forget that in the process of doing good work we have a responsibility to treat those who give and those who don’t with love and compassion. I know I’ve made this mistake too many times.
Luke: It’s especially challenging right now to raise money because of the state of the global economy. People are tapped out and don’t have as much money to give. How does someone looking to fundraise overcome this?
Jill: I’d say the most important thing is to recognize the difference between hard and impossible. It’s harder for all of us – for profit, nonprofit, religious, everyone. Hard doesn’t mean hopeless. I think we’ve lost a sense of optimism; so much energy is spent on conversations about how dire it is. Enough. Let’s talk about what is working. Let’s look at the strengths of the team, the organization, the current support base. How can we build on those? Are we working the right way? Are the schedules and communications systems crushing people, feeding a sense of failure and demoralization? We can’t control the world economy but we can control our responses to it. We can be defeated by financial problems or they can drive us to new creativity and resourcefulness. That’s the choice every individual gets to make. Organizations get to make those choices too. Instead of spending another staff meeting going over your numbers and lamenting how giving is off, spend the time inviting everyone to submit their craziest ideas for how to build partnerships or increase exposure or improve systems. Move the conversation away from money in an intentional way for a period of time. I don’t want to sound like a Pollyanna, I get the reality of the situation, it’s hard to be creative and energetic and optimistic right now but it’s worth it.
Luke: How can a small organization fundraise effectively without having any money on hand?
Jill: Start by connecting with like-minded people. Can you team up? Are there efficiencies to working together and splitting funds? Talk to your friends and the communities you are involved in. You never know who else is out there until you start talking about the ideas and the work. Working in trade in the early stages is another fantastic way to build capacity without cash. Most of all, be patient. Acorns don’t grow into oaks in a single season.
Luke: If a group or individual were taking on a fundraising project for the first time, what advice would you give them?
Jill: The most important thing is to know your strengths. Do something like the StandOut assessment; it’s only $15. Compare notes first about what you love to do and what you do well. Don’t assign tasks by hierarchy, do it by capacity. The best way to achieve, especially in a tight economy, is to play to strengths.
Luke: If you were going to hire a fundraising professional, in your opinion, what talents or traits would it be most important to look for?
Jill: I’d look for someone who can work with you to create projects specific to your audience, culture and organizational strengths. Off the shelf solutions aren’t going to build the kind of relationships that will endure over time. It’s important to know why you are hiring and what you want out of a consultant. I think having someone help an organization get on the same page about expectations, goals, who is doing what and when can be useful. Execution is dependent on good design.
Luke: What one thing is essential to the success of any fundraiser?
Jill: Relationships. Relationships. Relationships. And, did I mention, relationships. How are you inviting this unique, wonderful, generous human being into your work? How are you engaging them? Are you looking to get as much from them as you can as quickly as possible and then moving on to the next person or is there a place for them to be part of who you are and what you do over time? Treat people as you want to be treated, align your organization’s systems with that principle.
Luke: If you could only pass along one fundraising tip to our audience, what would it be?
Jill: Be entirely, completely, radically transparent about what you spend money on and why. Do not spin. Do not manipulate. Do not obfuscate.
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