STRATEGIC APPROACHES TO BUILD NEW RELATIONSHIPS WITH DONORS AND CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS Keith cradle, ph.d www.keithcradle.com BREAKING THE ICE This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Our working agenda Preliminary Questions Background About Me What is Engagement? Some Data Assumptions Recommendations: Steps to Enhancing Your Efforts Post Test

My background Originally from White Plains, NY, JCSU under grad, UNCC grad My first “real” job was with the YMCA [Southside/Brookhill/Wilmore] in 1999 Currently with the MCSO, Adolescent Programming, Community Development Huge art/cultural focus [Bechtler Museum, ITF, Carolina Voices, JCPC Boards] My research/dissertation topic: AA Charitable Giving in CLT, NC: Engagement Strategies Wrote my first book “Cut the Check: Successful Strategies for Increasing Donor Engagement and Fundraising” and I host a podcast “Crafted With Cradle.”

What is engagement? Vital to any organizations health [community, personal or financial] Very intentional Ongoing There is a consistent cultivation of relationship building There is a persistent effort for retention It takes in account what is in the communal ground

What can engagement do? Closes gaps [C, P, F] Builds long-term sustainability (Williams-Gray, 2016) Increases local satisfaction and positive results in the community (Leipnitz, 2014) Creates honesty/transparent communication within your stakeholder groups Provides value and investment for current/future users Social Change

research questions I wanted insight into the perceptions and beliefs of nonprofit organizations What are the central factors for donor engagement in the philanthropic community? How do development directors explain the reasons for lower levels of charitable giving? How do development directors work to increase levels of charitable giving?

Some data… N = 5 Development Directors in Charlotte, NC from various NPOs Most Frequently Used Words in the Data Collection: Community (53), Connection (26), Social Media (9), Relationship (7), Engage (6) One development director said the following as it pertained to front-end engagement: “I think the first thing nonprofits have to do is just get out there and engage with them. To listen and learn.” Another development director stated, “Then you work with them to identify what they consider to be a greater opportunity to engage the entire (community).”

Some more data… Respondent 4 noted, “With targeted campaigns that we have put out, I still don’t think that there is a significant increase in actually speaking to them if they don’t have a direct connection already.” Respondent 2 noted that nonprofits should be “seeking out more diverse individuals to bring in to help support.” Respondent 1 replied, “In the end it’s about listening and learning and about building relationships and responding to that.”

assumptions The primary assumption is that people want to engage and donate to nonprofits, given that they believe in community support and giving back (Thompson, 2012). A secondary assumption was that development directors in Charlotte, North Carolina, are not directly targeting specific donors, which leads to significant disengagement. A third assumption is that employees fully understand engagement strategies and intentionality dynamics.

What I’ve learned Institutions are not specific about their goals Institutions do not know where they spend their time or what content [social media based] they are engaging with Institutions must understand social media giving is not a fad or going away Institutions must realize there is no quick fix

recommendations Continue to converse, research and implement Commit resources to training and development in the areas of core engagement competence and community-building initiatives Increase your community/corporate footprint Everyone makes a commitment with regards to engagement. It’s everyone’s job.

Post test What is most important outcome from donor engagement? A. Contribution-Gift B. Relationship established C. Donor’s experience D. Representation of the University/Institution to the donor

POST TEST When Engaging Donors/Prospective Donors, does cultural competence matter? A. Yes B. No C. Sometimes/Depends D. I Don’t Know what cultural competence is

Post test What’s the biggest reason donors/prospective donors decline to give? A. They are not financial able to make a contribution B. You/University turned them off C. You did not effectively communicate the University/Institutional need D. You never learned their priorities/interests/passions - the sweet spot

The end! Questions/Comments Let’s discuss what we’ve heard, what we know and what we want to see! Copies of my book “Cut the Check!” for sale Contact Information: www.keithcradle.com, @keithcradlephd [IG/Twitter] and drcradle@craftedwithcradle.com