{"id":584537,"date":"2016-08-03T10:32:37","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T14:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=584537"},"modified":"2022-07-06T14:04:01","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:04:01","slug":"dear-joan-ask-donations-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/dear-joan-ask-donations-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Joan: Can I Ask For Donations at a Ticketed Event?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Jeopardy<\/em> fans, consider these question in the Potpourri <\/em>category. One of them touches a nerve for me (how to hold a consultant accountable) and another seems mundane, but trust me it isn\u2019t (board meeting minutes). Lastly, from the hundreds of emails I am now getting, I picked one I hear a lot \u2013 can I ask for money at a ticketed event?<\/p>\n

Never hesitate to shoot me an email with questions you have or blog post ideas. I hear often from readers that my posts really connect with them — there\u2019s a simple reason why — ideas from my readers drive most of my content.<\/p>\n

Hope you find this helpful and as always, thanks for what you do<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

WE HIRED A CONSULTANT AND I’M NOT IMPRESSED<\/h3>\n

Dear Joan:\u00a0<\/em>We recently fired our development director and because we have been taking the necessary time to find the right candidate, we hired a fundraising consultant. I\u2019m not impressed and think we may be wasting our money. She hasn\u2019t brought in any new money and it\u2019s been 4 months. A board member says give it time.<\/em><\/p>\n

–\u00a0<\/em>Impatient to Raise Money<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Dear Impatient:<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back. The very best thing you said in your note is this: \u201cWe are taking the necessary time to find the right candidate.\u201d\u00a0The best candidates are often worth the wait<\/a> and if in the interview process you feel a slight twinge, the twinge that says, \u201cthis just doesn\u2019t feel right,\u201d listen to it!<\/p>\n

You fired your previous development director. What\u2019s done is done. But I often worry that organizations can be too quick to judge the success of their development directors<\/a>.\u00a0That said, if you fired your development director for the right reasons, we need to assume that your development program is a bit of a mess.<\/p>\n

That leads to the question at hand. So in the spirit of full disclosure, I am a consultant<\/a>. But rather than saddling me with bias, I believe it gives me a pretty good vantage point for this one. So here are my thoughts, questions, and observations regarding your consultant.<\/p>\n

Was the scope of the engagement clear? In the proposal, did the consultant outline specifically<\/em> what she would do for you? Did she indicate that she would ask for new money?<\/p>\n

If she said she would ask for new money, that\u2019s actually a flag on the field. A temporary development consultant can set you<\/em> and your board<\/em> to make asks for new money. But people, foundations and corporations give money to those who are deeply invested in the organization. Consultants may be deeply invested in your cause but they are by definition not sticking around.<\/p>\n

Are you receiving regular written updates from your consultant outlining her activities? You should be. Not just meetings. Share those with the chair of your board development committee (if you are lucky enough to have one). Are you getting your money\u2019s worth?<\/p>\n

Generally, development consultants are excellent for:<\/p>\n