Fundraiser: It's Not All About Money
Although he is a fundraising executive, Edward John, the vice president of planned giving at the United Way, never begs people for money. "If you do this job right, you never ask," he explains. "This is about building relationships and exploring what the donor wants to accomplish with their wealth, and what the community needs, and what's the best technique to accomplish that." One way he builds relationships with potential donors is by donating money himself. "One of the standard rules in fundraising is that a hand extended in giving is in a better position to receive," John says. "I wouldn't ask a donor to do anything I haven't done."
John says he became successful at fundraising only when he stopped focusing on the bottom line and year-end goals, and instead developed partnerships with volunteers and donors. "If you do the people part of this right," John says, "then the dollars work out for themselves."
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