From the desk of
Arthur L. Criscillis, Ed.D. ¦ Managing Partner

Information: Commodity or Precious Metal

When our nonprofit organization (or some component of it) has some special accomplishment, is recognized with some major award, or has some other noteworthy event, our communication team goes into high gear—and it’s well that it should. We have good or important news to share, so we want to disseminate it broadly to as many constituents as possible through as many channels of communication as possible. We also like to do it as quickly as possible—get that good/important information out there! This is completely understandable and, for the most part, appropriate.

However, for development purposes, this approach may be suboptimal. It’s not that we don’t want good and important information to be announced from the highest hills, as it were. It’s just that we may not want it to be done as quickly or as broadly as is the tendency of our organizations.

In development, we think about individuals (some of our principal and major gift prospects, for example) or special segments of individuals (such as donors in our $1 million cumulative giving society or planned giving donors). We think about how we can help them to know that they are valued, that they are important, that they are special. How can we help our nonprofit to sustain or even build the relationship they have with these individuals or groups of individuals?

One way that we can demonstrate to people that they are important, trusted, valued and appreciated is to share information with them. Think about it: When you get good or important information, whom do you tell? Who is among the first to hear the news? Family. Close friends. In short, people who are important to us. Similarly, when we can share good news or important information with those who are close to our charity and have demonstrated philanthropically their belief in us before it is broadly disseminated, before the masses have heard or read it, we are making a statement to them about how we value them. They are insiders. They are important. They are valued.

So, from a development perspective, it is important to keep our antenna up for any information that might be shared quickly, but on a limited basis. Once information is broadly and generally announced, for fundraising purposes it is commoditized. When we have the opportunity to share it with select people or select groups prior to its being announced, it’s gold. And the beauty of it is that having it be gold versus lead costs our nonprofit nothing—just a brief pause.