#14 | Does your donor really want their name permanently inscribed on your building?

Summary: This was certainly a thought-provoking conversation about what donors are really after in their relationship with our nonprofit organizations. Patricia is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Heurista Institute. Like many of us, Patricia happened upon fundraising by mistake and discovered it to be a very rich and rewarding place to study and understand human behavior and relationships. Patricia has made the observation that what makes an individual an awesome fundraiser, terrific at honing in and connecting with a human and taking them on a journey to a gift, is not the same skillset that you need to lead a very complex organization. We agreed that fundraising needs better metrics and a healthier way to track progress in the relationship without zeroing in solely on the closing of gifts. One of the questions we asked was whether today's donor wants their name inscribed on your nonprofit’s building; or do they want a partnership that resembles a conversation among people who want to make a unique impact in the world. For listeners who may want to reach out to Patricia, here is her LinkedIn profile. If you’re interested in learning more about Jeffersonian Dinners, I would recommend Jennifer McRae’s The Generosity Network. For those who are interested in Penelope Burke’s research, visit her site. Clay Shirky’s Ted Talk can be found here. ​