I grew up in an entrepreneurial household and balanced the books for a family business at age 16. Money narrates the story of how a business or nonprofit runs. I begin every engagement with a small audit. A finding from one of my first changed the course of my career.
Whitman-Walker Clinic
HRC
FINCA
A finding from my audit of Whitman-Walker Clinic revealed a salary total that was far from expected. I asked the ED about this, he answered with a question.
"You don't know do you? You really don't know. All the doctors and nurses you see. All the nutritionists and psychologists- they are volunteers. We only have one doctor on payroll and that is for insurance." I was seeing Philanthropy in word, act and deed. It provided me with an unshakable belief in our capacity to meet challenges and reminds me to stay curious and ask questions.
At HRC I created a formula based on volunteer rate and review sessions in 23 markets. Qualified first time or upgraded gifts at the major donor level totaling $50,000 within a community would qualify national leaderships travel to the market and trigger execution of an engagement model I created to expose HRC to all areas of the community we were going to visit. I further developed the formula to signal when to hire additional major donor officers. I hired four and created the portfolio that would fund the purchase of the HRC national headquarters building.
At FINCA I developed a risk formula to help justify turning loan payments back into available loan capital quickly, providing more than $1M in available funding annually.
Understanding the context within which you operate is difficult for most. Donor Lifetime Value, Average gift, Donor Retention Rate,I believe that as many people focus on their career path more than donor paths, the detail and uniqueness of specific donors is lost and donating, something many Philanthropists see as an extension of them selves becomes a transaction to senior leaders. Data will support and identify opportunity but programs and tactics that fail to account for context do not win and never last.
Georgetown University
Boone and Crockett
Whitman Walker Clinic
The Human Rights Campaign
Georgetown University-The School of Nursing at Georgetown University had the poorest alumni participation of any school at the University 17%. I took it to first place! I encouraged a director of the school to give a gift of $100 in each graduating students name, 100% participation was achieved for the graduating class and stood as a down payment for the future gifts each nurse was expected to make. Establishing an alumni driven annual phone bank in tandem with the annual alumni appeal with the president of the University calling one alumnus from each class had a powerful impact due to the close knit nature and relatively small size of student body.
Boone and Crockett- I identified a population with strong affinity toward but no identity within the organization. I launched an associate membership program capturing 1200 new Associate Members and $300k in new first time donations for an annual campaign.
Whitman Walker Clinic- One woman helped me to create a direct mail campaign that may have one of the highest response rates in history. Dame Elizabeth Taylor was idolized by a generation of men. Women dreamt of being Elizabeth Taylor and they all knew her favorite color was lavender. At the height of the epidemic a lavender envelope with a letter signed by Elizabeth Taylor was mailed to households across the region. A 27% acquisition rate on the first mailing is the highest number I have seen. Context is everything.
Whitman Walker Health Legal Services Program.- I increased revenue to the annual event by 25% my first year. How? Realizing lawyers live on deadlines. I gave the sponsors two hard deadlines!
"What happens if you get hit by a bus?" may be startling to hear and yet, is something every CEO probably should hear once. Along with a "5 worst things" strategy session, how the "unthinkable" are addressed can determine a leaders legacy. If you care about the people with whom you work and those who you serve, you will encourage the "Bus talk". across senior leadership at your organization.
Boone and Crockett
FINCA
The Human Rights Campaign
For Boone and Crockett please see #2 above.
For FINCA please see #1 above.
HRC - The context of Elizabeth Birch the former head of litigation world wide at Apple coming to lead HRC gave the new CEO a rock star status among the constituency. In fact, when I arrived she had secured almost 100% of the major gifts. She's a rare leader who can articulate complexity meeting each listener at their moment and remain beloved by all. However, the donors were starting to think she would always be the one to ask for major gifts . "What happens if you get hit by a bus?" is not how I would normally begin a strategy discussion but with her I knew it would be well received. I convinced her to allow me to tutor all of the Directors of the organization and take them on fundraising trips so that they could be their own style of brilliant fundraisers. As I grew the major gift program into 23 markets, I included training and leadership development into my work plans. The results produced- a ranking of the 23 markets, strategy for growth of revenue, engagement, and volunteer fundraising training, in each. I led 40 co-chairs and 23 committees to evaluate approximately 20,000 prospects producing 5 key scores. access to a stable of compelling fundraisers, increased availability of CEO, and trained 175 volunteers in fundraising and how to make the ask.
Regulatory requirements, international law, funding sources, community needs all change over time, sometimes with the stroke of a pen and in an instant. Anticipating change, influencing outcomes, responding and leveraging assets to create additional value is second nature for me.
Los Angeles Pottery
3g strategies
Los Angeles Pottery, formerly Gustin's was a failing domestic manufacturer of hand painted ceramics when I met the owner, Laurie Gates. Increasingly high quality imports had made the hard goods home category increasingly competitive. Los Angeles Pottery had moved up the market due to high quality, artistry and "last person standing" status. However, the revenue model had broken two years prior to my arrival. I devised a "good, better best" brand strategy incorporating import and turned the company into a home fashion company with annual sales of $24M.
3g strategies was geared toward medium and small sized not for profit organizations that didn't have the budget for fundraising consulting firms but needed guidance. Executive Directors or a board member usually retained me to "fix" development efforts. I have learned to tailor my approach to be seen as a benefit and producing a success strategy. Managing personalities and psychological wound dressing varies in complexity and degree with every client. I have found that when people understand philanthropy micro and macro along with how their role fits, I can help them develop the practices to succeed.
The best CEO's seem to be universally emblematic of the brand and culture they serve. They have learned to reflect traits and cues back to each individual they meet to reinforce confidence that they are the person to carry the organization forward. Building and contributing to a culture that supports a mission's values and goals is essential for success. My personal experience of physically "presenting" as the enemy to co-workers but a recognized friend in corporate and major donor circles while at HRC turned out to be a master class of "Clothes, make and can unmake the man". Ask me how the character Alex P. Keaton helped explain me to a group of younger activists.
Georgetown University
Whitman-Walker Health
HRC
Georgetown University- please see #2 above.
Whitman-Walker Health- When part of your brand is no longer contemporary and off putting change at most organizations takes too long. While at WWH AIDS Walk revenues and interest had waned steadily over the years. Focus groups revealed the organization was holding onto something that was no longer true. Technically no one dies of AIDS. It has become a manageable condition such as diabetes. I elected to advocate for changing the name and adopting a mascot to celebrate how far we had come. WWH was first in the nation to retire AIDS Walk. Today WWH leads, over 20 organizations that have renamed their walks- The Walk to END HIV. Our mascot Lacey was so popular a run for President of the United States became a digital campaign garnering more eyeballs, revenue and engagement from new demographics. Families with children started walking and using the time as educational opportunity.
HRC- On my first day at HRC, my corporate attire led a colleague to alter direction so wewould not pass each other. At that time, corporate America was the enemy. Over a year, my frequent travel and absence from the office allowed a casual encounter to define my identity among many coworkers. Despite aligning with the organization’s values, I was misjudged. The CEO nicknamed me “Alex P. Keaton,” referencing a conservative character in a liberal setting from “Family Ties,” It helped me seem more approachable. The importance of understanding and reflecting organizational cultures and proactively demonstrating your character alignment is critical for each employee. Stewardship of the best qualities of an organizations culture deserves attention and action by senior leaders of any group.
I invest in people.
When asked why I invest so much in others; team members, board members all stakeholders, I tell a story of helping a young woman run for school board by "raising her first dollar." Today I greet her as a United States Senator. That is profound ROI by any calculation. I believe everyone is capable of great things, so I invest. When the Senator is Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, millions of Americans are given pride, validation and hope by her holding her office. That ROI can't be calculated.
Best of both
Flying by the seat of your pants can be the environment from which come amazing things.
I have a couple of accomplishments that came out of chaos. However, this is not sustainable and best attempted from a rock solid foundation. My perspective as a non-linear thinker who also routinely uses process mapping and SWOT analysis, affords me a more complete organizational understanding improving the value of my judgement and counsel.
Would you rather be known for "fixing your plane at 30,000 feet" or making the most informed day to day decisions and developing strategies that keep your entire fleet in the air? If the latter, we should talk. Perhaps I can help.
My dirty little secret.
Honestly, this is the nation's capitol, everyone has at least one secret. click below to see mine.
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I am seeking "the" ten year career-capping role that brings my 20 years of study of, and experience in philanthropy to benefit a mission in which I care about deeply and believe in passionately.
If what you read intrigues you, drop me a line.