Mastering the Art AND the Science of Fundraising

Every nonprofit has at least one fundraising superstar… 

Someone who is naturally gifted at cultivating and closing transformational gifts. As a result, they are typically assigned to top prospects and donors and are often relied upon to raise the bulk of the revenue for the fundraising department. They are indispensable to any nonprofit. 

They embody the “art” of fundraising.

And yet, because they’re so good at what they do, they are also highly sought after by other organizations seeking to hire their next superstar.

When a fundraising superstar leaves, it can be devastating for an organization. Not only does revenue often take a hit, but replacing a fundraiser of this caliber can take months and costs the organization an average of 213% of the lost fundraiser’s salary (according to the Center for American Progress).

And if your star fundraiser didn’t document what they knew about their donors or leave a complete record of their work, it can leave an even bigger void.

But what if that “art” didn’t reside in just one person? What if that art could be passed along and taught to others? And what if by adding the rigor and discipline of evidence-based business processes — the “science” of fundraising — it could actually elevate the art and make it even more effective?

What we know from having worked with hundreds of organizations over the years, is that the most effective fundraising is a marriage of both art AND science, blending human connection with strategic methodologies to drive meaningful impact.

Here are some strategies we’ve found helpful for organizations seeking to master both the art AND the science of fundraising within your organization.

Mastering the Art of Fundraising

Make no mistake about it, the “art” of fundraising — the ability to connect with people, to listen well, ask good questions, connect your organization’s mission to a donor’s motivation and aspirations, tell compelling stories, and to infuse each interaction with inspiration — is at the heart of successful fundraising.

Learning to think like a superstar fundraiser is what makes the difference between a good fundraiser and a great fundraiser.   

But not every fundraiser has a natural ability to think and connect in those ways.  The good news is that thinking like a superstar fundraiser is something that can be taught and learned.

That’s where mentorship comes in.

An ideal way for organizations to provide mentorship, is to have your star fundraisers mentor less experienced/skilled fundraisers. This also connects your expert fundraisers to your organization in a deeper way. Another way is to bring in an outside mentor who is recognized as an expert fundraiser. 

Fundraising mentorship with an expert fundraiser increases fundraisers’ ability to think strategically, think relationally, think creatively, and think instinctively in order to better cultivate, solicit and close transformational gifts.

In this way, it builds greater competency in the “art” of fundraising among your entire team.

Mastering the Science of Fundraising

Complementary to the art of fundraising, which calls on your creativity, intuition, and changing your approach if the situation calls for it, the science of fundraising requires strategy, precision, metrics, reporting and standardized business processes — rooted in evidence-based practices. 

Here are two specifics we’ve found helpful in mastering the science of fundraising:

Strategic Relationship Management System

Having comprehensive business processes in place for moving a transformational gift prospect from Identification through Stewardship — we call this the Strategic Relationship Management Cycle — is key. Within those stages, it is important to define what specific actions should be taking place at each stage and who executes those actions.

Having a comprehensive Strategic Relationship Management System in place creates a common lexicon and standard way of operating within and outside of the fundraising department so as to deliver a consistent and exceptional philanthropic experience. 

This is what elevates the art of fundraising by applying the science of relationship management in a clear, strategic, step-by-step, and empowering way.

Transformational Tools

The right tools in the right hands are what enable us to better perform our jobs. The same is true for transformational gift fundraisers. Frameworks, templates, meeting agendas, and a well-configured CRM that generates insightful and actionable dashboards and reports are all examples of Transformational Tools that empower team members to succeed. 

To make this easier for our clients, we’ve created a number of templates and blueprints to help manage prospects through the Strategic Relationship Management Cycle. These include everything from Cultivation Strategy Template, Cultivation Team Template, Cultivation Meeting Template, Pipeline Meeting Agenda Template and much more. 

By leveraging science, fundraising teams can “sing from the same songbook”. This empowers organizations to ultimately spend less to raise money, focus on the right things, and elevate the art of individual fundraisers. Most importantly, it also builds team culture and community.

If you’d like access to our comprehensive business processes and the transformational tools, click through to pick up a copy of The Transformational Giving Playbook and the exact customizable templates that our clients use from our website.

Consider This

Having the right balance between art and science is the key. Here are two questions to consider… 

1. What can you do at your organization to ensure that all fundraisers are skilled in the art of fundraising?
2. What more can you do to dial in the science of fundraising?

The bottom line is this… Effective transformational gift fundraising transcends the dichotomy between art and science, synthesizing both elements into a cohesive approach. Mastering both will serve your organization, and your mission, well.

Here’s to mastering the art AND the science!

Lisa, Jeremy and Pam