What Do We Value? Opening General Session Maine Planned Giving Council September 27, 2017 Kay Sprinkel Grace, Presenter

Transcription

1 What Do We Value? Opening General Session Maine Planned Giving Council September 27, 2017 Kay Sprinkel Grace, Presenter

2 2 The Ultimate Value: Life Traditional meaning of philanthropy: Love of Humankind (Love of Life)

3 3 Why We Do What We Do Symbolic Immortality Becoming a Hero to the Community

4 4 Value and Values: The Heart of All Philanthropy The philanthropist is a caregiver the fundamental moral standard to which philanthropists should dedicate themselves is caring for others in need. Paul Schervish, Boston University Fundraising messages for annual gifts require current detail; fundraising messages for planned gifts require vision: be careful not to contradict one with the other Philanthropy, especially planned giving, provides symbolic immortality with two resulting feelings in the donor: I am part of a community: my values will carry on I am a hero: I am a person of value

5 5 Working With Donors and Clients to Unleash Their Values Listen for the values, listen for the dream and find a program or cause in your organization or community in which philanthropists can find the satisfaction of investment that is stronger than keeping their wealth The nonprofit is a synthetic family for many donors supporting their need to be caregivers in the world and to achieve deep meaning now and after their death When we give inspiring vision messages to our donors it is a gift to them easing the inevitability of their own death: it is the reason universities do so well with all giving

6 6 The Basic Principles of All Philanthropy Philanthropy is defined today as all voluntary action for the public good giving, asking, joining, serving (Payton, IU) that is how we act on the larger meaning (love of humankind, love of life) Fundraising is not about money, it is about building, securing and nurturing relationships People give because you meet needs, not because you have needs A gift to your organization is really a gift through your organization into the community: your organization is not the end user of the gift All philanthropy is based in shared values

7 7 Philanthropy Based in values Development Uncovers shared values Fund Raising Gives people opportunities to act on their values

8 Paying It Forward, Valuing Life Philanthropy both outright and deferred supports that value

9 9 Making Life Decisions for Philanthropy We know we are going to die, but our first stage defense to the estate planning conversation is avoidance, and we hesitate to make direct gifts as well 2 nd stage is understanding of symbolic immortality actions that will ensure the continuation of our name, family, achievements, values and goals (trade offs) However, family and friends initially have a stronger value in legacy in estate planning than charitable causes it is where we need to start the conversation

10 10 Charles W. Collier, Author Wealth in Families To better understand his HNW clients values, Charlie Collier (retired Sr. Philanthropic Advisor, Harvard) asked these questions before helping them with charitable decisions because, in his words, The focus of financial wealth preservation, it turns out, is not really financial. : What is really important to your family? What are the true assets of your family? What should you do to guide and support the life journey of each family member over time? How wealthy do you want your children to be? Do you feel you have a responsibility to society?

11 11 Charles Collier: Uncovering Values The Deeper Issues Around Wealth Charlie says these are the questions families should ask themselves: What is our family s vision for its future? How should our family members communicate with each other? How should our family encourage each other s emotional and intellectual growth? How should our family make decisions together?

12 12 The Inventory of Family Assets: Charles Collier Financial Capital Protect, build and transfer wealth Human Capital Values-based succession planning: character, spirituality, passions, dreams and aspirations of your family members are what will ensure the legacy Intellectual Capital The operating handbook for your family: solving problems, managing conflict Social Capital Your level of civic engagement: time, expertise, money to reinforce communities and expand beyond your own self-interest (Scrooge phenomenon)

13 13 What We Offer Matters To Donor Values In brain scan tests (Russell James, 2013, Texas Tech University), parts of the brain lit up with the suggestions of memories, while looking at photographs, and while talking about their family and their legacy to the community Donors who were service users or volunteers were most apt to leave a planned gift they were closest to the organization s values and saw them in action Planned giving requires both organizational efficiency and effectiveness we must demonstrate both as they are highly valued by donors As advisors and fundraisers we must be active listeners for the values of our donor/investors

14 14 Unlocking the Values: Listening to (and Telling)the Stories The future of planned giving does not lie in continuing the old patterns of focusing only on telling our nonprofit s story. Success in today s changing world requires us to conduct deeper and more meaningful work with our donors by gathering their personal stories and documenting their connection to our mission. Jennifer Owens, Vice President, Development and Marketing, Central New York Community Foundation This applies to the future of all giving

15 15 What Kinds of Stories Should We Tell? For all giving, but especially for planned giving, the donor s stories are the most effective For planned giving, Russell James found that people like to hear stories from living individuals who have made legacy gifts telling their own story more than they like to hear about gifts from people who had matured actuarily For outright giving, testimonials were extremely important to potential and current donors and people loved to tell their own stories ure=em-share_video_user

16 16 Platforms for Story Telling and Expressions of Value and Values Ethical Wills / Legacy Letters: A Legacy of Values Life Reflection Stories: A Legacy of Wisdom Making a Difference Plans: A Legacy of Generosity From - Celebrations of Life, Minneapolis, MN

17 Values as Motivation for 17 Philanthropic Giving A relationship that is deeper than money

18 18 What Donors Need to Know To Unleash Values-Based Giving How does your mission align with their values? What is your delivery track record? Is your organization sustainable? Does your programming respond to a changing community when it needs to? Can they partner with you to realize a big vision? Who will make sure that my gift (outright or planned) will be used in the way I hope it will? How will I know the impact of my gift?

19 19 Refreshing Your Messages Focusing on Value and Values What about your mission? Is it a what or a why statement? What about your vision? Does it focus on the kind of community you will create through your efforts and the partnership of your donors/investors? Or is it all about you? What about your values? Can potential donors or advisors find your values on your website?

20 20 Strong Mission Example - 1 Vector Health Programs Next to the human face, hands are our most expressive feature. We talk with them. We work with them. We play with them. We comfort and love with them. An injury to the hand affects people professionally and personally. At Vector Health Programs, we give people back the use of their hands.

21 Strong Mission Example - 2 Science Museum of Minnesota For a campaign brochure for the Science Museum of Minnesota: From ancient chipped stone tools, to modern computer chips, ingenuity is the human signature. We seek to understand and mimic a world and universe in which we are newcomers, to fly with birds, to communicate at the speed of light. This scientific quest is written in things we can touch, each of them a window to the future. At the Science Museum of Minnesota, we touch the future, hands on.

22 Strong Vision Examples We seek to save a planet, a world of life. Reconciling the needs of human beings and the needs of others that share the Earth WWF A world where everyone has a decent place to live: Habitat for Humanity We believe that we can end the water crisis in our lifetime by ensuring that every person on the planet has access to life s most basic need clean drinking water charity:water Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation Save the Children See more at:

23 23 Where Are the Values Statements? Missing on most web sites Hidden in most appeals Yet commercial ventures entirely base their advertisements on values (keeping up with neighbors, being the envy of your friends, enjoying life, etc.) What about your website? Or your materials? Here are a few examples

24 24 From Fireman s Fund Insurance Life is like a tornado watch. You can hide in the basement until it is over. Or you can stand on the roof, get rockstar hair, and shout: I knew you were coming, that s why I didn t rake the leaves. And another. Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or stand up tall as you can, show your teeth and say, dish it up, baby, and don t be stingy with the jalapenos. What are the implicit values in these advertisements?

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26 26 From Charles E. Smith Life Communities (Jewish Homes) The values of our tradition permeate our residences and create a warm, respectful environment. Our core values are: Tikkun Olam - "Repairing the World" through acts of kindness, compassion, and caring Tzedek - "Justice, Doing What is Right" through integrity, accountability, responsible stewardship, and generosity of spirit Limud - "Commitment to Growth & Learning" through quality, competence, personal and professional growth Derech Eretz - "Fulfilling our Mission" through service excellence, respect, and dignity

27 27 Girl Scouts of America How Does This Convey Values? Girl Scout Law (from the GSA website) I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

28 28 An Expression of Values That Invites Long Term Investment A thank you card sent to institutional and individual donors to a special campaign for a Stanford University library flooding emergency: Your gift to the Stanford University Libraries helps us assemble the sources, the arguments, the hypotheses, the wisdom and controversies of the ages. For all those here, and those yet to come, please accept our gratitude. Michael Keller, Librarian

29 29 Why This Is Important The core, the root, the purpose of our work

30 30 We Can Soar to New Levels of Engagement and Joy Lifted by vision, ignited by mission, stabilized by values

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32 What Do We Value? Maine Planned Giving Council September 27, 2017 Kay Sprinkel Grace, Presenter