4 Questions to Clarify Your Fundraising Message

When it comes to organizational fundraising, we often get caught up in day-to-day tasks, but often don’t take the time to strategize and think through the bigger picture. We discuss how much needs to be raised this fiscal year in order to meet/exceed budget and we spend time mapping out timelines, creating lists and writing content. 

But let’s take one step back for a moment and look at the bigger picture. What is unique about your choral organization? Why do we need money to function? What are we trying to accomplish now? Where is the organization headed over the next 3-5 years? What steps need to happen in order to get us there?

These are all important questions which we should set aside time and energy for. It is the role of the organizational staff leadership and the board to engage in these conversations. When that happens, there is a strong understanding of purpose and what role we play within our community.  There is also a need for visioning for the short- and long-term future. The result is that our fundraising can become more meaningful, more purposeful and more direct.

In this post, we want to provide the tools on how to approach these conversations and come away with  productive, deep and inspired answers. Initiating conversations and building meaningful strategy will ultimately drive your philanthropic message. Let’s take a look at each of these questions individually and explore them on a deeper level.

1. What is unique about our choral organization?

Whether you live in a big city where there are many choral musical offerings or maybe somewhere a bit more remote, where there may only be only one or two - understanding your niche and what distinguishes your organization is important. It also is a source of pride.

Perhaps it is the style of music you perform? The types of singers you attract (professionals, non-professionals, both)? Demographics of your singers? The location of where you perform? Your community engagement or educational outreach? Or a combination of all of these things.

Organizations often use a mission statement to respond to these questions in a concise and inspirational/aspirational way. But for the purposes of this exercise, don’t come up with a profound statement, but rather have a real conversation, discuss who you are and who you are not and get buy-in from leadership.

My suggestion is to turn this exercise into a list or paragraph and consider sharing it with the entire organization — you can then use it as talking points at an event or concert.

2. Why do we need money?

Although this answer is likely not the lead in your annual solicitation letter, it is important to understand your budget, your expenses and what is required in order for the organization to meet its vision. I was at a rehearsal recently where a singer asked how much it costs for our chorale to put on one of our shows (which usually is a dress rehearsal and two performances in one weekend) and when the response of $50,000 was shared, the group was floored. One does not realize that between the rental costs of a venue, paying of performers on payroll and artistic and administrative staff, marketing, rentals, etc. what seems like a simple performance is much more than that.

So much of the budget of an organization is indeed the people: the leadership (artistic and sometimes administrative) and singers that are being paid to perform. It is the artistry of those involved that truly makes the magic happen. Beyond that - marketing, office space, costs of websites, databases and day-to-day operations are critical. Then add in the chorus’s outreach within the community or educational programming, which is a great opportunity to bring new people closer to the organization and expose/promote the beauty of choral singing.

So, after getting an understanding of the budget, think through the “why.” What is the value added that philanthropy provides? Make a list:

• Philanthropy drives our artistic excellence.
• Philanthropy allows us to be accessible within our city.
• Philanthropy helps us inspire the next generation of artists.

I’m sure your list will be meaningful to you and also provide direction to your fundraising.

3. What are we trying to accomplish now? (short term)

It’s important to have vision - short and long term.  But let’s focus on short-term for now and digging deeper.

As you look at your organization artistically and when introducing a next season of music (for example), is it understood and communicated as to why the programs are being chosen? How is this concert season deepening the organization? Is there a strategy or a driving force behind it? How is that communicated to the community?

How does this year’s program inspire what will happen next year?  Ultimately we are creating and communicating a strategy that drives and guides the artistic work and decisions. Then we can take our greater community (concert goers, patrons/donors and chorale members) along in that journey and excitement.

If part of your work includes community engagement, what are the organizations we partner with on a regular basis and why have they been chosen? What does our collaboration or partnership mean to both organizations as well as the greater community? How would we like to evolve our community involvement in the next year?

Also, if your work includes educational outreach, why is that a priority for your choir?  How are you deepening that relationship or making an impact. With the chorale I am involved in, the phrase “inspiring lifelong singing” is used frequently when talking about our educational outreach program. It has evolved over time from an honor choir experience for a select group to now going into new school districts each year to do a more focused program for ultimately a wider group of students. The phrase “inspiring lifelong singing” has been used at rehearsals, at concerts and with donors. It is a simple phrase that is memorable and says so much about our intended purpose.

4. Where is the organization headed over the next 3-5 years? What steps need to happen in order to get us there? (long-term)

Along with knowing what is happening in the short term, it is equally important to understand what is driving the long-term. Sometimes these ideas are more aspirational in nature. The formal process is called Strategic Planning, but simply stated it is deciding on a small number of strategic goals and then outlining the baby steps that need to be taken over a period of years to ultimately reach those desired goals.

I find this process to be the most exciting, because here is where out-of-the-box and creative thinking can take shape. If you could flash-forward 5+ years from now, how do you envision the organization? Is there artistic transformation on the horizon? Is there a new program or collaboration which will be launched? Perhaps the goal is increasing awareness or elevating reputation? The goal could also be to create financial sustainability.

This alone can be a very detailed and long conversation, but having a long-term vision for the organization will then help to create and justify every decision that is made moving forward.

After all of these conversations and ideas, what do we do now?

The great news is that taking the time and putting the needed energy into these conversations ultimately provides your organization with a great vision and some incredible talking points. All of this will allow you to have deeper conversations with your donor community and potential supporters and more meaningful marketing/communication/philanthropic outreach. You are positioning the organization as one that is primed for investment.

Enjoy this journey, embrace these conversations and get excited for what doors will open as a result.

Have you asked these questions in your organization before? What did you do with the responses? Tell us in the comments below.