The Solvent Group: A Year In Review
As veterans of the nonprofit sector, we know that mission-driven work has a profound impact on the communities we call home. Before we became consultants, we spent decades as nonprofit development directors, major gifts officers, budget managers, and communications staffers. Insider perspectives give us a real understanding (and empathy for) the uncertainties facing our clients. We remember the relief that follows when teams take the time to look inward, evaluating priorities and stakeholder feedback to maximize impact.
Reflecting back on this “year in review,” our milestones and metrics were great for morale, evaluation, and planning. Additionally, taking the time to look back gave us perspective on what we can do better, and how we can evolve in the coming year. We encourage you to do the same (share your results, wins, and goals met on social media). Great outcomes are worth sharing with the people and partners who help your organization become a force for good. Our favorite takeaways follow:
Follow the community’s compass on strategic planning.
Strategic planning is an intensive (and sometimes intimidating) process for good reason. As the blueprint for your organization’s future, it’s rooted in milestones and metrics that position you for success. As neutral third-parties in the strategic planning process, we helped many organizations identify gaps, organize priorities, and visualize a more prosperous future by facilitating authentic conversations (and interviews) with boards, teams, and stakeholders. Communicating the rationale and the process for goal-setting helps good organizations become great ones.
“Listening is step one for our team when we begin a strategic planning partner relationship. And shortly thereafter, we encourage our clients to practice the same discipline by soliciting and synthesizing input from key nonprofit stakeholders who care about their mission and the local community. Over the past year, we have helped clients gather input from nearly 900 stakeholders as a part of their comprehensive strategic planning process,” says Anthony Rupard, principal at The Solvent Group. Nonprofit peers, donors, volunteers, community leaders, and mission participants/beneficiaries are powerful partners when engaged through the strategic planning process.
Listen in and learn what your stakeholders value.
During the 130+ donor and stakeholder interviews we conducted to test campaign feasibility throughout the year, every session had surprises in store. From thoughtful questions about campaign priorities to revelations about gift capacity, every stakeholder interview informed the path ahead. Whether they reevaluated campaign priorities or strengthened communications, our clients took stock of the data gathered from these interviews. Sometimes the results led them to reevaluate their action plans, but ultimately they provided the tools to move ahead.
Approach fund development like a marathon, not a sprint.
This year, we gave 15 retained fund development clients the tools they needed to organize their development priorities, strengthen donor relationships, maximize their internal capacity, and raise more money. From nurturing moves management to enhancing seasonal appeals, we help our retained fund development clients go the distance–for their programs and the donors who make them possible. One of the key disciplines we strive to foster in nonprofit fundraising is to put fundraising first (as in Monday mornings), rather than at the end of the week (on Fridays) or when you have time. Funding drives growth and impact and it should be top of mind for fund development staff and executive directors.
Determine campaign feasibility: the only way to pass the test is to take the test.
Are your organizational goals aligned with stakeholder priorities? Does your perception of donor capacity match, exceed, or fall short of expectations? This year, many clients learned that testing campaign goals is a prudent pathway to success. Testing a campaign takes courage, flexibility, staff capacity, and a commitment to the process, but it’s well worth it in the long run.
“Testing feasibility is the first step in the campaign planning process,” advises Christie Perdue, CFRE, principal at The Solvent Group. “Testing campaign goals deepens your relationships with donors, and provides essential feedback to the campaign planning process, ensuring final goals are achievable.” Our clients tested a whopping $155 million in campaign goals, and emerged from the feasibility process with the confidence to move ahead.
Seize the power of a well-articulated case for support.
Whether you’re articulating the value of your organization or planning a specific campaign, a case for support communicates the urgent needs your organization fulfills now. Never underestimate the value of a well-crafted, branded narrative to inspire action and generosity. Working hand in hand with our clients, we helped 19 organizations write thoughtfully-designed cases for philanthropic support that shared their impact aspirations and detailed the consequences if goals went unmet. Word and image have the power to move donors–and major gifts forward.
Indeed, it has been an inspiring, energetic, and memorable year for The Solvent Group. It’s an honor to elevate mission-driven work and achieve extraordinary outcomes hand in hand with our clients. If you’re a nonprofit seeking dedicated support and strategic advice, connect with us today.
