15 April 2011
Avoiding
‘File 13,’ Or...
The
Importance
of Follow-Up
By
Jennifer Furla
Executive Vice President
Midwest Region
The development director could
not believe it. The invitation to request a gift had originally come
from the wife of a long-time, close friend who had recently retired
amidst great praise and fanfare as a senior executive of the
corporation, and who still served as a trusted advisor to the company
founder’s son.
“Please send me a copy of what you sent,” was the reply from the son
today – after her organization had already received word that the
company was declining the request.
It turned out that the organization’s board chair had recently seen the
son at a social gathering and expressed disappointment that the man’s
company could not support this local cause.
In soliciting major gifts, we often refer to a ‘Ladder of
Effectiveness’ that suggests a call-followed-by-a-letter is more
effective than a letter-followed-by-a-call. Is this what happened here?
In some respects, but that’s not the whole lesson.
In this case, the request for a gift had been invited by someone close
to the company. But, lines of communication blurred when those who were
in the decision-making loop did not communicate with the corporate
staff who were assigned to review requests for support. Not knowing the
special connection – or maybe not reading the letter fully – the
request went to the proverbial ‘File 13’ and a brief, but polite letter
of decline was sent rapid-fire to the organization.
- Always call to
confirm receipt, and do it promptly. Do not assume your
request has been properly delivered. Always call to confirm receipt. In
doing this, especially in a corporate or foundation setting, anticipate
that you may not get through to the decision-maker on the first call,
and take time to plan in advance the important points of the message
you will leave. Make your first call within two to three business days
from sending.
- Call, rather than
email. This creates a sense of importance and is the proper
business etiquette.
- Call back, if
necessary. It is up to you to make sure that your
organization’s request stays at the top of the stack for consideration.
Plus, it is your obligation to assist the person reviewing requests by
offering to answer questions and provide additional information.
- Lead with your
connection. People give to people, and the invitation by the
retired executive’s wife should have been the first mention in the
request letter:
Dear John Doe:
I am writing at the suggestion of Mrs. So-and-so, who has invited us to
make the following request of your company, etc.
- State your intention
– and follow through. State that you (or another named
individual) will call within a designated timeframe to follow up and
answer questions – and do it. A business colleague often talks about
exceeding expectations in sales. By this, he means “under-promise and
over-deliver.” In this case, if you state that you will call by
Wednesday of the following week (or within one week) to follow up and
answer questions, then you must absolutely keep that promise. To fail
to do so telegraphs that you are unorganized, do not keep your word and
diminishes the importance of the ask.
Of course, not all declines on gift requests are motivated by poor
execution or follow-up. Fundraising best practices teach us to first
understand the donor’s passions and interests, and then to develop a
proposal or request that is consistent with those. The final rule,
then, is even when you receive notice declining a gift, send a thank
you for the donor’s time in considering your request. This will build
good will and lay the ground work for future requests.
