We are the 98%.

No no, don’t worry, this isn’t some political diatribe or piece on income inequality in the U.S. (although, if you have dedicated your career to non-profits and development, chances are you are following your passion and not the income). But in the world of donor relations, we are the 98% - the 98% of the donor relationship that does not involve the ask. We are, quite literally, everything BUT the moment of the ask. 

This is a shift of mindset in development and donor relations. This is a forward thinking, proactive, fandangled modern concept. You are, for all intents and purposes, a development officer. Gasp! But you say, “I don’t ask for money, I only… (fill in the blank)”. But you do ask for money. You make an ASK in every single decision, attitude, communication and daily experience a donor may encounter with your organization. Modern day donor relations shops have a hand in the entire donor experience – the cultivation leading up to the ask, the acknowledgment immediately following, the voice on the phone that can walk a donor through their endowment report, the communications person drafting a donor story for the website or impact report, the event person who searches endlessly for little ways to make an occasion more personal and meaningful, the IT person who thinks of the donor when writing code for the on-line giving page, and on and on. We make connections in big and little ways every single day. Those connections build relationships, tell important stories, and ultimately affect whether a donor chooses to give again. They create an EXPERIENCE, not a product. You are making your organization better, stronger and more successful every day. Whether you carry out the actual work or not does not matter because donor relations is at the heart of it all – working as donor advocates, air traffic controllers, and detail masters. You are the donor’s voice.

So, I challenge you to instead of looking at how we are NOT development officers, embrace the fact that you are and that you play as much a role in the bottom line of your organization as your counterparts. Take that perspective and systematically apply it to your decision making, project design, prioritization, and success metrics. When positioning the role of donor relations inside your organization, come prepared to show leadership just how many areas of the donor relationship and giving cycle your area touches. Give them concrete examples and metrics you can track. And show that again and again. Think like a development officer – how can I strengthen this donor’s relationship to inspire them to give again? Act like a development officer – apply business savvy and strategic approaches to your work.

We serve incredible callings. We get to bring together the best of development work for the benefit of our donors – we get to be creative, technical, influential, sentimental, strategic. We are the 98% of what our donor knows about our organization and the causes we serve.

I think that makes us the 100%.

This blog was artfully written and contributed by Sarah Sims, member of the DRG Group and Executive Director for Donor Relations at the University of Florida.