The Association of Fundraising Professionals had planned to hold its annual conference in Baltimore this week. But as the coronavirus pandemic spread, leaders decided to hold the entire conference virtually.
“We’re in a moment where social connection, caring, empathy, and coming together as a community has never been more important,” Martha Schumacher, chair of the AFP, said on the first day of the event.
More than 900 people registered for the virtual gathering, and AFP president Mike Geiger said he anticipates the association will offer more online-education opportunities. “It’s clear that what we’re going through now is going to change things going forward,” he said.
In a typical year, AFP’s ICON conference accounts for roughly 30 percent of the association’s annual revenue, said Michael Nilsen, vice president for communications and public policy. The organization took a significant hit from having to cancel the in-person gathering, he said. He and his colleagues are still crunching the numbers, but Nilsen said the virtual event will cover around a third of the losses.
Virtual participants were given the option of donating the difference in price in their conference registration to the foundation, which provided scholarships for some fundraisers. Few attendees chose to do that, but some other donors stepped up and made gifts, said Karen Rotko-Wynn, chair of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy, bringing in about $10,000.
The annual conference is a major networking event for development officers, and many tried to keep the colleagial atmosphere alive by starting discussions about fundraising challenges and sharing photos of their pets, home offices, and homemade lunches on a special conference app and on social media.
Many speakers adjusted the themes of their presentations to address the current public-health crisis, while others focused on important perennial topics like retaining young fundraisers and supporting development leaders of color. Here are some of the highlights of what speakers had to say about raising money during the pandemic:
- Marcy Heim, a fundraising consultant, encouraged nonprofits to give wealthy supporters the opportunity to contribute during the coronavirus outbreak. It may seem “counterintuitive,” she said, but people often give more generously during difficult financial times.
Donors, however, can become choosier about which organizations to support in a crisis, she said, a point that many speakers echoed. For example, they may be more likely to give to a group that has “done a good job thanking them” and has shown “how much the donors matter to them.”
It’s important to be “crystal clear” when asking for a gift, Heim said, including specifying the amount requested. Create “vibrant options for giving,” she said, but not too many. Heim recommended providing a few categories based on the organization’s goals and one focused solely on the coronavirus.
- Many presenters emphasized the importance of approaching donors in the coming days and weeks to show you care. Ask how the donor is feeling, Heim said, and explain how the nonprofit is responding to the pandemic. Fundraisers should contact big donors via phone or video calls. In a session focused on digital tools for communicating with donors, speakers stressed the need to check in with and thank supporters in personalized ways during the Covid-19 crisis. Rachel Muir, a fundraising consultant, suggested fundraisers create video email messages to make “visual visits” to donors while most in-person meetings are not possible. Supporters appreciate this gesture, she said, and some have told her such messages “brought tears to their eyes.”
No matter the communication channel, it’s important to “be human” and “lead with compassion,” said Julia Campbell, a digital fundraising and marketing consultant. She also cautioned groups against using scheduling and automation tools because the crisis is evolving so rapidly.
- Fundraising consultants Gail Perry and Brian Bonde urged charities launching capital campaigns to rethink their fundraising plans in light of the fear and uncertainty that is top of mind for many donors. Now is the time to get a gut check from your charity’s biggest donors, Perry said. Fundraisers should solicit big donors’ thoughts on the best way forward and ask whether they’d still be able to support the campaign if it continued.
“It’s not unseemly to be having these conversations,” Bonde said. “It’s important to find out what your donors think and not make assumptions for them.”
- Fundraising consultant Maeve Strathy stressed how important it is for fundraising and marketing departments to communicate and collaborate right now — and in general. Organizations should be speaking to supporters with one voice, she said. “We’re living in a world of message overload, especially now as we’re in our homes more than usual and on our screens from the start of the day until the end,” she said. “Consistent, clear messaging as an organization is more important than ever.”
Black Women in Fundraising
Another high point of the conference was a panel about the unique challenges black women face in development, moderated by fundraiser Kishshana Palmer. The panelists — Adetola Olatunji, Terri Broussard Williams, and Cherrelle Duncan — shared examples of times their expertise was called into question because of their race or they were asked inappropriate questions about their hair by a colleague. Culture — in the office and in donor visits — plays a big role in whether or not black women fundraisers feel their work is valued, the panelists said.
Each had watched peers tire of facing daily aggressions large and small and leave the fundraising field. And all of the women had faced situations where a donor had said something offensive and they had to choose between addressing the offense or ignoring it for the sake of the donor’s financial support of their mission.
“There’s so many things that we are actively juggling that have nothing to do — but also everything to do — with how much we are successful in our jobs. Because, for many of us, success is: How much did you close?” said Palmer.
Palmer encouraged the audience to “sit in” the uncomfortable experience of hearing how the obstacles and animosity affect the panelists’ professional and personal lives each day. A search for solutions to these problems can come only after the professional field acknowledges its shortcomings, Palmer said.
Change needs to come from the top down, Williams said. She encouraged nonprofit leaders to build office cultures where fundraisers feel comfortable asking for help — something she said many black women fundraisers feel uncomfortable doing.
Palmer also advocated for hiring processes that focus on attracting a diverse candidate pool — from the creation of the job description to the application reviews and first-round interviews.
“When you get to the semifinals,” she said, “if you went from those 100 folks down to your 25 and only two of them are people of color — scratch it, go back.”
