Team ABCs SK September 2024 | Alexander Haas

October 3, 2024

From the desk of:

Sandnra Kidd ¦ Senior Partner

It’s All About the ABCs

I am having some home renovation projects done this month. Because none are major, I am managing the projects myself, juggling the scheduling and sequencing of the plumber, the painters, the basement fix-it people, the tree service…you get the idea.

Serving as my own general contractor for these various projects reminds me of the importance of A) solid planning, B) good communication, C) proactive collaboration–and then D) flexibility when A, B, and C hit a snag. As you plan your fall 2024 stewardship, cultivation, and solicitation calendar, you will want to keep your ABCs in mind.

A) Solid Planning. Does your planning consist of taking last year’s 2023 calendar and replacing “2023” with “2024”? If so, you may want to reconsider. While I am a firm believer that consistency is a good practice for annual fundraising, fall 2024 is different. This is election season—and Americans, including your donors, are getting bombarded with messaging. This fall, you want your annual giving solicitations to stand out in the crowd. You also may need to be more persistent in follow-up on your asks, using personal two-way conversations with donors whenever possible.

B) Good Communication. External communications with your prospects, donors, alumni, patrons, and friends will be most effective when they are clear, concise, personal, and pertinent. One tip: Count the number of times you say “I” or “we”—versus “you”—when crafting fundraising letters, emails, and texts (if you use text solicitations, please don’t send one to me!). Your appeals should focus on your prospects’ motivations, why they support your cause, and what they need to know to make an informed philanthropic decision.

C) Proactive Collaboration. Internally, a planning meeting with key staff in marketing, communications, fundraising, constituent relations, and volunteer management will help ensure that everyone is in sync for the coming months. Using your office and database management tools—common calendar, priority lists, dashboards—will help keep your internal team on schedule. And please be sure to report results out to everyone on the team, senior management, Board members, and fundraising volunteers.

D) Flexibility. You can rest assured that something this fall, next spring, next week, will not go according to plan. When that happens, hit the pivot button! Good luck!

(As for me, I am back to waiting on the plumber, who promised to come no later than 6 pm today….)

Recent Client Partner Gifts in the News

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio who announced a combined gift of $20 million from the American Heart Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to reduce health inequities and improve community heart health. The funding will support four teams of scientists and community leaders to engage in historically underrepresented groups, as well as research efforts aimed at reducing health inequities and improving community health.

Texas Tech University received a $5 million gift to its athletics program from alumnus and NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes II and his wife, Brittany. The gift will support the $242 million South End Zone and Dustin R. Womble Football Center project. The center’s walkthrough area will be named in recognition of Mahomes. He will also be recognized by being the namesake of Texas Tech’s quarterback meeting room and the offensive coordinator’s office in the new South End Zone Building adjacent to Jones AT&T Stadium.

West Virginia University received a $2.5 million gift from the Hayhurst family of alumni in support of the women’s basketball program. Siblings, Ronald, the late Robert, and the late Robin Hayhurst, were all first-generation college graduates at WVU. The gift consists of a $2 million endowment, which will name the head women’s basketball coaching position in perpetuity, as well as $500,000 for day-today operations. The gift is the second endowment for a WVU head coaching position from the Hayhursts; in 2022 they contributed $1 million in support of the rifle program.

Western Kentucky University announced that its WKU Opportunity Fund has raised more than $102 million in a long-term capital campaign. In August 2021, WKU surpassed the fund’s initial goal of $50 million and set a new goal of $100 million. Three years later, that goal also was eclipsed. Over a seven-year period, 267 new endowed scholarship funds were established, and planned giving represented 25% of the campaign total.

Congratulations to our Alumni Client Partners!

Don’t Ignore Women in Your Fundraising

Is your nonprofit holding on to decades-old fundraising strategies that primarily target men — specifically older white men. Did you know that those strategies could result in the loss of billions of dollars in donations as women are becoming wealthier and more engaged in philanthropy?

With U.S. women expected to inherit up to $30 trillion over the next decade, according to the Bank of America Institute, many more could join the ranks of Mackenzie Scott and Melinda Scott Gates. Already, women are changing the philanthropy world by spearheading more group funding approaches. Funding collectives, largely led and dominated by women, donated more than $3.1 billion from 2017 to 2023, data shows.

Does your organization need to do a better job of appealing to these women? The Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has published recommendations for how nonprofits can include women donors in their fundraising plans. Check them out.

We Are Celebrating a Milestone!

Please join us in congratulating David Shufflebarger on his 30th Anniversary with Alexander Hass. Shuff has been a bedrock foundation for all that we

have accomplished at the Firm and has been a mentor to each and every one of us.

“He is always talking about retiring and I’m always saying ‘no Shuff, just one more year’. I cannot imagine this firm without him. Congratulations Shuff, it is an honor and a pleasure to call you colleague and friend,” said David King, CEO & President.

Haas Folder and Designer Honored

Congratulations to our friend, Ira Jackson, president of Perfect Image, who is the recipient of the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Award from the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia. Recognized throughout Georgia’s print industry as the highest honor conferred to an individual, the award honors Jackson’s long-term, major contributions to the state’s print and graphic arts industry and to his community.

Jackson designed The Legacy of Beatrice Hirsch Haas which won Best Presentation Folder at the event. The folder was created in collaboration with the Association of Fundraising Professionals to recognize the life and legacy of Be Haas, our firm’s founding partner. Each future recipient of AFP’s Be Haas Award will receive a personalized booklet. Many of Be’s friends and colleagues participated in the creation of the booklet. Again, many thanks and congratulations to Ira for bringing it to life.

We Know Colleges & Universities
For more than 35 years, Alexander Haas has been a fixture in the nonprofit community. We are honored to have worked with so many large and small college and universities; both public and private institutions, across the country. These schools that help mold today’s young adults into tomorrow’s leaders. Take a look at our list of higher education clients, past and present.

A Fresh Approach to Fundraising
Our services aren’t cookie cutter. We don’t operate with a boilerplate, merely changing names and locations. We craft each and every service we provide to match your organization’s unique needs, wants and abilities. We work hard and expect you to do the same. Together we can help you transform your institution, your fundraising, and the community you serve.

Whether your need is in Capital Campaign, Annual Fund Campaign, Major Gifts, Leadership Annual Giving, Planned Giving or all of the above, we take a fresh approach to nonprofit fundraising.

Select Newsletter