My Cup Bubbles Over - It is Who I am!

What an amazing evening tonight for my colleagues and me.   We were lucky enough to be selected as award recipients by the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California and tonight was the award ceremony.  It is truly an honor when those who work with your are genuinely celebrating and cheering you on for the job well done.  The room was full of family, friend, kind strangers who took a moment out of their lives to come together to honor a colleague who succeeds and gets recognized for work well done.

As I step into the role as Co-President of the JCPSC, I see the road ahead and am proud to help strengthen our networks, build some new programs and take time to learn with each other.

Below is my speech from tonight's award ceremony.  It will give you a small glimpse into my gratitude for my professional life.

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Thank you so much for this award.  And congratulations to everyone receiving an award this evening, I am honored to be in your company.

Thank you to Robyn for nominating me and to JCPSC for recognizing me with the Excellence in Fundraising Award.  I am deeply honored to receive this recognition for simply loving what I do everyday.

How many of you see the glass half full?

How many of you see the glass half empty?   You don' t answer that.

Well, I have been told that I see the glass bubbling over.  When you say, "Good," I say, Great," when you say, "I like it," I say, "I love it," and when I say, "Think Big and Dream Big," I mean it.  It is what I do…it is who I am.

In my opinion, people give money to people they care about and to organizations that are solving the problems they want solved.  So I spend most of my time asking people to care about our community.  Some days it is hard, but every day it is still the best job in the world because I too care so deeply for our community.  I want what donors want.  I want to solve problems, I want to learn and I want to share these incredible experiences with them.  Our community is rich with people who are doing good right now.  It is an exciting time, it is serious business and I am grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that I have had and will continue to have.

My job allows me to meet heads of state, travel around the world, and witness moments that transform the lives of donors and those we serve.  Fundraising means so much more than asking for money.  I am a partner to so many dedicated lay leaders who donate their time and money.  Thank you to Sharon Janks for being one of those extraordinary partners and with whom I have worked closely for the past 6 years.  Thank you to Jay Sanderson and Nancy Sacks who listen to all of my ideas and sometimes even say, "Yes."  And I am only here today thanks to my incredible colleagues who laugh with me, cry with me, teach me, and get me through some tough days.  So many of you are here tonight and I am truly grateful.

I would not be able to do my job well without the support of my husband Perry, and my kids Madeleine and Elliot.  My family listens to the stories of the day, we share many Jewish experiences together and they forgive my occasional long hours away from them.

When I was growing up, I did not know that this would be my chosen profession.  But I watched my dad, may he rest in peace, go to work every day loving his job.  And I also watched my mother who is here tonight take care of us with the same dedication.  In fact, I used to refer to her as the CFO of our house.  I didn't follow in their footsteps exactly, but as I continue to pave my own way, I take with me their enthusiasm and commitment.

Thank you again to the JCPSC for this moment.  This is fantastic and I am thrilled to share it with you all tonight.   And as I take on the leadership role of Co-President with Saul, be prepared for every one of your glasses to also bubble over.  Thank you.

Fundraising by the Numbers

There are a variety of ways to raise significant dollars and it is all about the numbers. What is the most effective way for you, the donor and the organization? Here are some strategies by the numbers:

• One + One solicitation – This is a very effective strategy. This allows the donor to share emotional stories about his/her family and if necessary, private financial information. There is a certain comfort for the fundraiser as well to know that you are in the privacy of the donor’s thoughts. Because there are only two of you, there is a quiet freedom to ask more personal questions that you might not ask if a third person was in the conversation. This is an effective method for the solicitation of any size gift.

• Two + One solicitation – When the triad is perfect, this is a very powerful solicitation. This can work in a couple of variations. First, two professionals can solicit one donor. This elevates the solicitation by signaling to the donor that he/she is very important to the organization. Next, one professional and one lay leader (volunteer) solicit one donor. This also elevates the solicitation by bringing a peer with the professional to discuss the organization with the donor. When a donor hears from a peer their commitment and trust of an organization, it allows the creation of a new partnership for the professional and the donor.

• Two + Two solicitation – Similar to the above. In this scenario, either two professionals or one professional and a lay leader solicit a couple. What is most illuminating in this scenario is that the professionals learn a lot about people when there are together with their spouse or partner. This could be difficult if the couple is not philanthropically in alignment, their values or interests vary or even their anxiety levels about money are very different. The professionals need to listen carefully to cues from the couple.

• Ten – Twenty Donors in a group solicitation – This is used most effectively to raise significant dollars. This must be choreographed with the sole purpose to allow for the donors to share their ideas and bring them to a point where the solicitation is successful. The success of this group solicitation is peer encouragement. When donors are together with like-minded peers, the impact is genuine and powerful.

• Large groups – Similar to the small group solicitation, this must be designed to move the donors emotionally to give a significant gift. The speakers must be articulate and emotional. Their speech needs to bring the donors to understand their role in helping the organization. In this scenario, the speakers should be beneficiaries of the organization which allows the group to see the impact of the organization’s work and therefore the justification of the donor’s gift.

With all of these, the solicitors must be confident and proud of their work. Knowing their donors and which of the scenarios will work best is critical to the solicitation. In my experience, most donors genuinely want to be philanthropic, trust their organizational partner and see the impact of their work. It is exciting when you can offer wonderful opportunities for donors that satisfy their philanthropic goals. And even better when they are grateful to you for bringing them the opportunity.

Thank you to all who volunteers!

Gratefully, I spend my days working in non-profit. As a fundraiser for many years, I am dedicated to my employer and my community. Today was The Jewish Federation’s city wide phone-a-thon and service day. We had over 500 volunteers today engaging in some type of volunteering.

I am truly moved by those who show up to give of their time. It is the generosity of their time and efforts that I find most admirable. Volunteering is hard. We talk a lot about the rewards of volunteering, how it feels good, how people should do it as well as admonish those who don’t do it. But we never really talk about how hard it is.

Physical contribution – some volunteering is hard labor. Cleaning up the beach, painting a school, or packing up food boxes can sometimes be physically challenging. Some people volunteer at Habitat for Humanity to build homes – I find this extraordinary. It takes a lot of strength to build a home.

Social Pressure – Everyone comes to the table with a different level of hunger and thirst. Sometimes, it feels the same in philanthropy. Some volunteers are starving for any kind of philanthropic experience – serving on a board or committee, committing to a weekly volunteer position, or raising money. Others come to the experiences more slowly. When a committee is a mix of all these different volunteers, each member must find their own comfort level to be involved and stay committed. As I watched a room full of callers today, I was touched by the generosity of those experienced who took the time to teach those who were new to volunteering in this capacity.

Emotional commitment – It is never lost on me that our volunteers have a deep emotional attachment to our organization. Their joy and sometimes their frustrations come from their love and investment in the survival of the organization. They come to care deeply for the beneficiaries of the organization and for their professional partners with whom they may work for many years. To witness a moment of tearful joy and pride for the work that is accomplished or the heartbreak for those who continue to be in need, is the great reward of a professional.

To all who volunteer for The Jewish Federation and organizations all over the world, thank you for helping us make the world a better place.

Fundraising Is Like Weaving A Quilt

Fundraising is like weaving a quilt…
By Lori Tessel, 12-11-11


Working in the Jewish community is an extraordinary experience. While working with donors, I learn about their interests and passions. I realize that like a quilt, each family has memories and life lessons that are woven together so that their decisions fall directly in line with their experiences. For young fundraisers, below is an easy way to get to learn the most about a donor and to build a long lasting trust.

Questions – Asking the right questions are critical to every conversation and will help guide the conversation to create the best solicitation to fulfill the donor’s philanthropic goals. One must remember that questions should help you build a relationship with donors and in time the donor will trust you with many philanthropic decisions including leadership opportunities, financial decisions and general organizational inquiries. These questions along with the donors’ answers essentially create the fabric blocks of their quilt and are the foundation for all that you do with any donor.

Unique – Remember that we are all individuals with different experiences that shape our opinions, passions, and interests. Choosing questions that allow a donor to open their heart to you will make the entire process enjoyable for both you and the donor. There are always the standard questions: What was your most pivotal Jewish experience? Who has made the most impact on your life? And then there are some difficult conversations: Have you ever experienced a tragedy? What are your thoughts on Israel? Do you and your spouse have conflicting opinions? These are all important questions to help you see how a donor articulates their experiences.

Investigate – Learn as much as you can before you meet with a donor. Knowing the information helps you form the best and appropriate questions. It is important to know several key elements about a person before you meet with them: personal information, company information, other philanthropic interests, political contributions and social connections.

Listen – When you listen carefully, you are able to weave all the information together and continue to ask additional questions. Over time, as you hear the donor share their thoughts and passions, watch their families grow, share their ups and downs, you will become part of their living quilt. As you give them positive philanthropic experiences and help foster their own philanthropic goals, you become their partner. They will look to you for guidance about your organization as well as others. As you move to other organizations, they may or may not support your new organization. This is another vital piece of information.

Timing – With all of this information you gather and the relationship you are building with your donors, you must know the best time to make the ask. Is it good timing for them financially, are others involved in their decision-making, will you need their leadership as well, or will this significant gift be tied to an event or campaign? Regardless of the size of the ask, you need to feel confident and understand as much as you can about the donor. The best way to know if the timing is right is to let the donor know that you are coming to speak to them about a gift to the organization. Be truthful, don’t ever surprise a donor with a solicitation.

Smile – Be confident. Enjoy the work. As a fundraiser, you are doing special work that many people are uncomfortable doing. You are asking people to give money to help those in need; don’t ever be ashamed of this. You are the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Be proud and speak from your heart. As you do, you will enhance the lives of so many and these donors’ “quilts” of information will help you to do what is best for both the donors’ and the community.