“Recession? What Recession?”

At last October’s BoardSource Leadership Forum the luncheon keynote was Reynold Levy, President of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The economy had just officially tanked and it was a week away from the presidential election.  The country was nervous.  Levy’s talk was hilariously titled “Recession? What Recession? Successfully Raising Funds in All Economic Conditions.” He admitted to us–a very full ballroom of equally anxious board leaders and nonprofit staff–that he had been approached at the last minute by BoardSource with the option of changing the title of his speech given the climate. If I remember correctly, I think his response was “Why?” Laughter errupted.

Below are a few fundraising philosophies and recommendations Levy offered  for successful fundraising in “all economic conditions.”

• Great fundraisers don’t whine about the economy, but they do get credit for building arcs.
• If you want advice on boards, then ask for money.
• If you want money, then ask for advice.
• Pick up the pace and multiply the asks. Be right, brief, and early.
• Numbers matter. Solicit much more often.
• Don’t just ask often, ask well.
• Early money is the best kind. Early money is like yeast.
• Diversify fundraising sources and costs and/or have a mix of benefactors.
• Twice as many Americans participate in the Third Sector (nonprofit) than had cast a ballot in the 1996 election. For more on this see Reynold Levy’s book, “Give And Take.”
• A turndown is not “no”… but “not right now.”
• A donor’s gift matters now more than ever.
• Consider multi-year pledges. Stretch the giving period.
• Change the culture of the board to one that fundraises.
• Press the question about the organization’s gaps followed by asking, “What is the role of the board to solving it?”
• Recruit a new board.
• Board members need to have the organization they serve on be top of mind to apply their skills, and their passion and interest.

What do you think about Reynold Levy’s recommendations now that we’re at mid-year 2009? Are they are any additions or adjustments you would ask Levy to make to this list to help us survive and thrive?