In this final Series post, Leah Lamb offers a few additional fundraising insights, including: Rainmakers are rare; approaching all generations of people (e.g. Millennials and Baby Boomers) the same way is unwise. In this post, Lamb will explore the role of boards, in effective fundraising, and the importance of understanding each generation’s distinct preferences – when supporting a non-profit organization or cause.
Leah Y. Lamb works for the See Forever Foundation & Maya Angelou Schools. As I mused on what to write in this introduction, I wondered this: Why are the schools named for Dr. Angelou? According to their website, the school-supporting See Forever Foundation was opened in 1997 as “a comprehensive program for 20 teens”. They sponsored a school-naming contest. The winning student essay, written by Sherti Hendrix, was powerful! It states:
The students of See Forever need a school name that represents the power and the importance of education. I think our charter school should be named after Dr. Maya Angelou . . . like [her] when she was a child, See Forever students have had a lot of problems, too. We have problems in our neighborhoods, our homes, and inside of ourselves. But like Dr. Angelou, the students of See Forever are using hard work and education to create a new future”.
“The Dr. Maya Angelou Charter School will treat people by the way they carry themselves and not by their history”.
While Lamb’s biography was shared in the first post in this Series, I felt it was important to give you a fuller sense of the non-profit organization where she finds herself now. The excerpts from the school-naming essay hopefully give you a flavor of the impressive organization Lamb currently works for. She has served since 2013 as the Chief Development Officer for the See Forever Foundation and the Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools in the Washington DC area.
- In her current position she provides strategic direction and leadership for all fundraising, special events, marketing, volunteer programs, and communications functions.
In this Series Lamb has generously shared some of the things she’s learned during her nearly 30 years working for non-profits. Prior to taking her current position she worked for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the New Jersey Historical Society, and United Way of New York City. This isn’t her 1st rodeo!
In this final Series post, Lamb’s shares below some thoughts on rainmakers, reaching younger donors/volunteers, and the nature of successful fundraising.
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Leah Lamb
Rare rainmakers and well-connected Boards
Too many non-profits, when they are seeking to fortify their organization’s fundraising capabilities, look for a rainmaker. They want someone to make it rain dollars! However extensive the rainmaker’s contacts, know that this is a fool’s errand. It’s unrealistic for a non-profit organization to seek to fill a fundraising position with a rainmaker.
What should you do? Look to your Board of Directors. Collectively, a strong and well-connected Board, working closely with your fundraisers, can work wonders. Using their contacts, personal and professional, your Board can draw new dollars and new people to your non-profit.
Effective Fundraising Today
One who ignores change risks becoming irrelevant and ineffectual. Fundraising I feel, has changed in two major ways since the late 1980s.
- Technology plays a major role in how fundraising and stewardship are done these days. Leveraging the right technological tools is the mark of an effective fundraiser.
- Donor profiling is very important too. Having a sense of who each individual is helps a fundraiser know how to cultivate and hopefully get them to invest in your non-profit.
These 2 things were not significant factors in fundraising when I first entered the field. As noted above, successful non-profits know that fundraising generally flows from well-connected Boards, not a single rainmaker with a big Rolodex. Moreover, as discussed in my last post, when major campaigns are conducted by smart non-profits they are not rushed.
Fundraising is a people thing. It’s hard for a fundraiser to be effective, I’ve observed, if their actions and campaigns aren’t people driven. Take into account the age group of those you’re seeking to solicit. How you approach Millennials is different than how you should approach Baby Boomers – or the parents or grandparents of Baby Boomers. Young people are generally looking to be involved and to participate in an exciting, hands-on experience. At the schools where I work, opportunities where they can mentor, tutor, or roll up their sleeves typically suit them well. As with Millennials, each older generation has a way they generally prefer to give and get involved also. Don’t ignore those preferences.
I am mindful of these generational preferences as I plan to cultivate, engage, and involve prospective donors and volunteers. I’ve found that first getting people excited and engaged about the schools makes it easier for me to transform those individuals into involved donors.
In my current position as Chief Development Officer, I’m responsible for all fundraising, special events, volunteer programs, marketing, and communications for the See Forever Foundation/Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools. We have a small, hard-working staff and a passionate and committed board. Currently there are over 100 volunteers who generously give their time to the organization.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also note that the schools aren’t just named for Maya Angelou. Dr. Angelou, before she passed away in 2014, supported the schools personally, including being present at every single annual fundraiser for 15 years straight! And we are lucky that her family continues her legacy of service and commitment to our organization and the students we serve.
Fundraising is the chief fuel of many non-profit’s drive to fund their causes. Leah Lamb, in the Series which ends with this post today, has shared some timely fundraising insights and strategies. To put it simply, a fundraiser reading all eight (8) posts in this Series, will be BETTER able to raise funds for their organization. If you have, you might realize quickly what we did: Leah Lamb, Chief Development Officer for a DC-area non-profit, is a phenomenal fundraiser. Working in the non-profit sector exclusively since she graduated from college (Hampton University), she is a modest, wise professional. The wisdom gained in Lamb’s 30-year, non-profit journey is readily apparent in what she’s shared on this blog, Your Outcomes Well; click her name in the tag section, at the bottom of this post, to see all Leah Lamb’s posts.
Want a crash course in non-profit fundraising? Read this entire Series. Look for the next Series on this blog soon.
Your Outcomes Well
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