Development Professionals: Get Your Defense Off the Field

At the start, hat tip to Pastor Shane Bishop, Christ Church, Illinois for the metaphor.  

The 2004 Emerald Bowl featured Navy’s Midshipmen and the New Mexico Lobos. (For those of you wondering… a Lobo is a southwestern wolf.) The game was notable for one reason – the Lobos were in defense for the whole fourth quarter. Navy’s time eating 99-yard record-breaking scoring drive took 14:26. They handed the Lobos a loss and place in the record books. The truth was obvious – there is no comeback, there is no win, and there are no heroes if you cannot get the defense off the field.  

Feeling like one of those Lobos? It is possible. After all, you are trying to secure resources in the middle of a global pandemic, during one of the most uncertain economic climates the nation has seen in a decade, as the country grapples with tremendous social and racial unrest, on the doorstep of a hotly debated presidential election. Just one of those circumstances is enough to give most financial partners a moment of pause, you have been handed four. More than likely you drifted into a defensive posture – you made check-in calls, you sent cards and letters, you strengthened the relationships you had with key people, and you hit pause on asking - perhaps waiting to see what happens next. Get your defense off the field start moving the ball forward again.  

There are two good reasons to do this. Covid-19 has opened the door to virtual meetings, virtual events, and virtual solicitations. I never thought I would see the day when 80-year-old men and women were meeting virtually for Sunday School, book clubs, church, and chatting with their friends and family via tablets. But it is happening. If you are not engaging people virtually you are already behind most organizations. While the aftershocks of the novel virus cannot be predicted with certainty, there is an incredible opportunity to keep this lane open even when travel is safe again. It is convenient, affordable, and efficient. More importantly, people need hope. Before Covid-19 impacted the world, the unique way you served your financial partners brought meaning, joy, and hope to their lives. They need those things more than ever. In fact, your work, ministry, or non-profit may be the only ray of sunshine in their lives. Get the offense back on the field.

Here are a few things I am doing and thinking about as I engage partners. It is not a recipe or a step by step guide, but a conversation I am having in my head.  Any thoughts you have are welcome as I am relatively new to the world of development.

This is a good time for clarity. If Covid-19 has taught me anything it has taught me that certainty is elusive. The last thing I want to do is over-promise on program or impact delivery and then get caught having to put the defense back on the field. Instead, I am pivoting to clarity. The financial partners I have talked with appreciate that we are not pretending to have a crystal ball. Instead, I am sharing how we are pivoting for the moment and achieving the vision employing new methods. I will confess I work for an organization that has been developing a digital platform for almost two years, we simply accelerated that process and began piloting the new methodology this month. We are learning together, and I am finding that our financial partners are willing and excited to be pivoting with us. They appreciate that organizational leadership has a road map for the immediate future. 

This is a good time to identify the heroes. Before Covid-19 those in the fundraising arena began tracking a shift in what excited donors. Financial partners were less interested in organizational achievements and more interested in how their resources solved problems, who was serving at the front lines, and the stories of people’s lives that were changed for the better.  I believe Covid-19 has completed that shift. During the pandemic, we saw people standing on porches and curbs clapping for nurses, paramedics, and even the kids who bag your groceries. Signs on front lawns, clinics, and fire-stations proudly proclaimed, “Heroes Work Here.” Suddenly, our heroes were not found on a stage, or screen, or an athletic field, or even in government buildings. We encountered a new kind of hero - those who risked their lives to serve. They are everyday people who selflessly, without much reward, made life better. The heroes of your church, non-profit, or organization are those financial partners who still sacrificially give to what you do, who trust you and the people around you, and who are still passionate about lives being changed. And the heroes are those front-line service providers who take risks and make sacrifices so that the vision can be achieved. These are the stories I am sharing- heroic giving, heroic serving, and heroic sacrifice all working for positive transformation. 

This is a good time to be authentic. Enthusiasm has never been hard for me. I am the kind of person who can get excited about picking up a piece of trash I find on the sidewalk and even more excited about telling 8 people about it.  Enthusiasm has served me well in the past. Authenticity, I suspect, will serve me better in the future. For me, the goal right now is deepening the connection between the giver and the organization. To strengthen the major donor partnership, I believe we must get to their giving story - that place in the heart, or their past, or their faith that drives their generosity. For me, that means risking some vulnerability some self-disclosure about my journey, and how my story has impacted the way I give myself to what I do. 

I recently had one of those conversations with a couple who is new to our non-profit. During our conversation about our faith and life-journey she shared her story of faith and what her relationship to God has meant to her life. She longed for the people who speak her native language to hear the Gospel of Christ. The organization I serve identifies high-level Christian leaders and through a 25-day leadership experience equips them to present and demonstrate the Gospel and to equip others to do the same. The opportunity to connect her faith to her past was meaningful and moving.  We were able, sitting on some chairs in a supply closet, to secure a five-figure gift for leadership equipping among Mandarin-speaking people. There was no written proposal, no brochures, power-point presentation – just three people opening their hearts to how they came to faith and what that faith has meant to their lives.  

It is a good time to connect digitally.  I am finding some people are willing to meet face to face, some people prefer phone calls, and now some people enjoy meeting online. In this way, Covid-19 has offered me an unprecedented opportunity. Compared to setting up a regional event at a hotel, or restaurant, or clubhouse setting up a virtual event is a snap.  I recently held a digital event with 12 partners and one of our alumni serving impoverished children in Mexico. It was a great meeting and there was plenty of time for those who attended the meeting to share their values and vision. By bringing together heroic donors, qualified prospective partners, key staff, and front-line heroes, we can engage in authentic conversation about how we are finding meaning during these turbulent times. Key donors have been thrilled to connect with like-hearted people and front line heroes, prospective partners are impressed by the sense of community and focus, front line heroes are honored to be appreciated and included, and the environment is rich with opportunities to hear hearts and understand preferred futures. 

Creating online gatherings that set a tone of authenticity, that recognize the heroic sacrifices of donors and front line service providers, and clarify the current plan to accomplish the mission can bring hope, be rich environments for follow up conversations, and get the offense back on the field.