Coffee Meeting Task Force

Internal Doc

Updated 31 March 2008

To: “The Coffee Meeting Task Force”
Rob Salmon
Sue Eidem
Glen Helgeson
Dave Edminster
Sarah Bowman
From: Adrienne

Re: Instructions for Coffee Meetings with PBDs (Potential Big Donors)

Task: Meet with current Cedar donors in an attempt to deepen their relationship with The Cedar and to cultivate a group of leadership donors who give $1,000 or more per year. Each member of the task force should complete two meetings (or phone conversations if the PBD is unwilling or unable to meet) between 1 April and 30 May 2008.

(Internal) objectives of these meetings are as follows:
1) To learn what our stakeholders want so we can better respond to our community - to gather feedback about The Cedar’s programming, outreach efforts, role in the community, and vision for the future.
2) To learn about our stakeholders/community members so we can:
a. be more aware of the resources available to us. If we know which of our stakeholders have interests, connections, or skills in a specific area or field, we will know who to ask if we have needs or questions in this area.
b. better understand how to deepen/cultivate donors’ relationship with The Cedar
3) To get Cedar stakeholders further invested in and involved with The Cedar through personal connections (with board members or staff.) This could increase and strengthen our team of Cedar advocates and volunteers – the bigger the group of people who feel personally connected to and who are informed and excited about The Cedar, the
a. more people will learn about our organization through “word of mouth,” which could potentially increase audience members and donor numbers
b. more likely it is that we will “reach” people with the capacity to give big $$$ (as we engage more people who, in turn, talk about The Cedar with family, friends, or neighbors, we are increasing our chances of connecting with people who have capacity to donate at higher levels.)
4) To cultivate a group of people with the potential to donate at the $1,000 level; to ask them to donate $1,000 to the annual fund in order to
a. increase revenues for The Cedar’s annual fund and build a dependable, consistent, and substantial base of support
b. “gauge responses” to this type and level of solicitation
c. determine The Cedar’s capacity to build a group of leadership capital campaign donors

Objectives of one-on-one meetings (This is how we’re articulating meeting objectives to PBDs. These are the answers you can give if/when someone asks you, “Why are you calling me?” or “What’s this about?”)
1) We think it’s important to talk with our stakeholders about The Cedar so we can appropriately respond to their hopes for The Cedar’s role in our community and for The Cedar’s future.
2) We’d like feedback a) about how The Cedar presents itself to and communicates with you and the rest of the world b) about how to reach out to those in the community who aren’t currently served by our work and on how to further engage those audience members who already know about us.
3) The Cedar is in an important place in its development right now. We need to learn more about who is currently invested in our community and who is interested in becoming more involved. We hope to undergo a capital campaign in the near future, but we have to know who is on board to support us in such a venture. So we’re starting that process now.
4) We want to educate as many of our community members as possible about what The Cedar does and the importance of The Cedar in our communities so they can help spread the word about our organization. As a Cedar supporter and advocate, I’m hoping you’ll help spread the word. One way you can do this is by sharing these comp tickets with a neighbor, friend, or co-worker who might not know about The Cedar.

Step One: Identify and learn about your assigned PBDs (potential big donors)

A. Check out google docs. You can find the first set of PBDs targeted for coffee meetings on the google docs spreadsheet.

Who is on the list: This list includes donors who have made a single donation of over $100 ($101 or more) at some point between 2003 and now. I have provided the information we know about each constituent including contact information and date/amount of their last payment. Note that “last payment” is the last single payment they made to The Cedar Cultural Center; some of these donors gave twice in the same year (so their annual donation is more than their last single payment) or have donated larger amounts in previous years. In the “Notes” column after “DH” (stands for “donor history”), I have added comments about any single donations they have made over $100 since 2003. This will give you a better idea of the donor’s capacity/willingness to give at higher levels.

Priority: I have labeled the donors who I’d like us to focus on first with a “P1” in the priority column. These are donors with whom I think we will have the most success.
Conversation Tone: The next column is labeled “conversation tone” where I’ve suggested the “tone” with which you should approach the conversation. These are only suggestions. You will be a better judge of the appropriateness of the hard $1,000 ask as you begin talking and “feeling out” this person’s relationship with and attitude towards The Cedar. That being said, I have “tagged” donors with one of two suggested approaches:

Stewardship: This means that the conversation should take more of a “thank you so much, your support is important, we want to get to know you” tone. These donors are labeled as such for one of a few reasons a) they are relatively new donors, so we don’t want to say “can you give more” immediately after their very first donation to The Cedar, but we do want to start cultivating them so we can say “can you give more” at some point down the road b) they have recently increased their annual giving significantly, so, again, we don’t want to ask them for more right away, but an increase indicates that they might have the capacity to give more if cultivated properly. Also, we want to encourage them to continue giving at this higher level by showing that their support is appreciated and by getting them further invested and connected c) we believe that the donor is probably not in a position to donate large amounts (though you never know!), but we certainly want to maintain their support and keep them connected with The Cedar.

Cultivation: As opposed to stewardship, these are people who are probably more “ready” to be asked for a leadership donation. These are folks who have been longer-term donors and who have been donating at relatively the same level over the past several years. Because they have been supporters (and, presumably, patrons) of The Cedar for some time, it is more likely that they will respond favorably to an ask at a significant level.

You can find which PBDs you are assigned to in the “assigned to” column. Most of the PBDs are randomly assigned.
1. If there is someone on the list who you know, please “claim” the PBD by typing your name in the “assigned to” cell next to their name (you will likely have more success with this PBD than another board member because you have an established relationship.)
2. If you know someone who isn’t on the list but who could be a prospect, add this person to the list and “claim” the new PBD by typing your name in the “assigned to” cell next to their name. Here are some examples of potential additions to the list:
a) You know someone who really likes The Cedar but has never donated - maybe because they’ve never been asked
b) You know someone who doesn’t know about The Cedar but is invested/interested in local arts
c) You know someone who has a lot of money, and you think you could interest them in our organization

Color Codes: A row that is grayed means that a board member has completed a conversation or meeting with this person. A row that is highlighted in yellow means that a board member has completed a conversation or meeting with this person and it has resulted in a $1,000 donation OR the PBD has indicated that he/she will donate $1,000 next year or in the near future.

Notes from Adrienne: These are things I know about this person, information that I found as “notes” in our database, and information about any donations over $100 made since 2003 (“DH” stands for “donor history.”)

Board Member Notes: This is where you should record notes on your progress. Please date and initial all notes. For example: “Left vm 12/10 –rs;” “Sent email 04/12 –ard;” or “Spoke on the phone 04/15 and Meeting scheduled for 04/15 –ske;” etc. Use the contact report to type up, in detail, what you’ve learned about the PBD and what you discussed, but the “Board Member Notes” column on the spreadsheet should be used to record your contacts and any summarized or important information.

Follow up/Next Steps: Use this column to indicate what we should do next with this person. Are there outstanding questions this person has that need to be answered? Would The Cedar’s relationship with this person be furthered through an invitation to a specific event? Other?

B. Poke around the internet. You might be able to find more information about your “assignment” by searching their name on google. Although some may find it weird or intrusive if you let on that you know “too much” about them, many appreciate or even expect you to know something about them and their role in the community (for example, it would be reasonable and helpful to know if someone you are calling has been a major supporter of The Walker Art Center).

Step Two: Call your PBD and set up a meeting
If we do not have a phone number or email address for your assigned PBD, try looking it up online. I’d suggest “name” and “reverse address” search on whitepages.com. If you can’t find a phone number or email for your person, consider sending them a hand-written note explaining the purpose of your contact and asking them to contact you.

If we do have a correct phone number, your conversation could go something like this:

Hi is _____________ available?
Hi, my name is _________, and I’m a board member at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. Did I reach you at an okay time?
First of all, I know you’re a Cedar donor and I want to say thank you so much for your support. I’m calling today to see if you might be willing to meet me for lunch or a cup of coffee. We’re making an effort to reach out to our community members, learn more about our donors and patrons, and build support for The Cedar. So I’m hoping we can get together and talk a little bit about your relationship with and investment in The Cedar, to get an understanding of what kind of role you think The Cedar plays in our community, and to solicit ideas and thoughts about The Cedar’s future. Are you willing to meet me for lunch or coffee in the next few weeks?
Note: If you’re calling a couple, don’t assume that one or the other makes the donation/financial decisions. You can ask something like “Would you, Sherry, or both of you be the best to meet with to discuss your involvement with The Cedar?”

Strategy suggestion: If you are nervous about “cold calling,” you might try “warming up” your PBD with the following strategy - Call the PBD at home during the day or at work during non-work hours (when you are most confident that you will reach their voice mail or answering machine.) This way, you can leave a message introducing yourself; this will not only apprise them of what you want before having a “live” conversation, but it allows them to call you back when it is convenient for them (or allows them to send you an email indicating the best time for them to talk.) I have always been a big fan of the “voice mail message, then email” contact. Leave a voice mail message introducing yourself and say something like “I’ll go ahead and send you an email as well in case that’s a better way to get a hold of you.” Then in your email, you can write, “I just left you a voice mail message, but I thought I’d try an email as well.” If you don’t have an email address for them, invite them to send you an email by leaving a message like “it would be great to talk to you. Feel free to give me a call back at xxx-xxxx or you can try emailing me at xxx@xxx and let me know the most convenient time for me to reach you.”

Step Three: Meet your “assignment”
During these meetings with PBDs, we want to 1) inform them about current initiatives at The Cedar, thus get them more invested in and excited about our organization, and 2) cultivate them to the point where we can successfully solicit them for $1,000 annually. I’m going to have a comprehensive cultivation plan for this group of folks, and these meetings are only the first step.

Basically, your job in this meeting is three-fold

1) Share information about The Cedar There are certain promotional materials that you should give to your PBD including:

1. 4-color Cedar brochure
2. 4-color glossy donor guide
3. Pledge form and return envelope
4. Cedar bumper sticker
5. Live at The Cedar CD: If they already have a “Live at The Cedar” CD, ask if they’ll give this to a co-worker, friend, or neighbor who hasn’t heard of our organization. This will be a good way to introduce who we are and what we do to more people.
6. Most recent newsletter
7. A pair of comp tickets: The idea behind the comp tickets is that we hope this person will share them with someone who hasn’t been to The Cedar before or who isn’t currently involved with us. The more people who know about us, the more people will buy tickets in the future, and the more people might become donors.

If you need any of these materials, let me know and I can mail you some.

Things you should make sure to communicate to your PBD:
-This past fall, we launched our “we are made of Cedar” annual fund campaign which will run
Through 2008. The campaign encourages Cedar community members to show they’re “made of Cedar” by becoming donors.

-The McKnight Foundation is contributing to our “We are Made of Cedar” annual fund campaign by matching every donation made in March and April dollar for dollar up to $10,000. This means your donation will count double – something to keep in mind when considering your donation to The Cedar this year.

Other interesting things you could share if you’d like:
• We ended 2007 without a deficit for the first time in nine years.
• In 2007, The Cedar saw a 61% increase in charitable contributions from
individuals and families and raised more money than any year in The Cedar’s history!
The Cedar was able to do the following in 2007:
• Purchase credit card machines, so we now accept credit cards at the box office and the concessions stand
• Tuck-point and paint the exterior of our building
• Purchase new chairs for our lobby
• Present international artists such as Marcel Khalife from Lebanon, Varttina from Finland, and The Gangbe Brass Band from Benin
• Host well-known, acclaimed artists such as Ryan Adams, Bruce Cockburn, and Dan Wilson
• Support emerging, independent, local artists such as Roma di Luna, JoAnna James, The Pines, Jeremy Messersmith, and The Owls

The Cedar will be able to do the following in the first quarter of 2008:
• Add an additional concessions area in the The Cedar’s main hall
• Host international artists Babylon Circus from France, Dervish from Ireland, Halle from Iran, and Vusi Mahlasela from South Africa
• Host emerging artists such as St. Vincent, Haley Bonar, and Brass Kings
• Partner with local, non-profit organization Project Success to put on concerts for underserved Twin Cities youth, the first of which was a special concert on MLK Day with African-American stringband The Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Facilitate hands-on workshops for underserved youth administered by Cedar artists in partnership with MacPhail Center for Music
• Replace our sound system with an in-kind donation from Electrovoice and a grant from Saint Paul Travelers totaling $200,000.

Note: Take “notes” about anything that your PBD gets especially excited about. There might be special initiatives that would excited your PBD enough to encourage them to give a one-time donation “above and beyond” their regular annual fund donation - we just need to figure out what this might be. The Cedar has several capital and special projects we would love to undertake, but it is difficult to prioritize all of these ambitions. If there is a donor who is interested in donating a substantial amount of money to any one project, that project could go up on our priority list. In the near future, I will have a strategic priorities document you can reference to discuss “hopeful projects” for The Cedar over the next five or so years.

2) Learn about your PBD This is the most important part of your meeting. People love talking about themselves, and they will feel great about the meeting if you ask a lot of questions and listen to what they have to say. The last four questions are very important from a donor cultivation standpoint.

First, get their updated contact information. As long as you have them sitting in front of you, make sure we have their current email address, postal address, and phone number.
Through your conversation, try to get answers to the following questions.
• Describe this person’s relationship with The Cedar Cultural Center
• What has been this person’s favorite or most outstanding Cedar experience?
• How well do they know what The Cedar is doing today? (Do they know about upcoming shows, website features, annual donor events, Nordic Roots Festival, volunteer opportunities, etc.) How do they get their information about what is happening at The Cedar?
• If they could change one thing about The Cedar what would it be?
• Share a copy of the mission statement. (It’s on the 4 color brochure) Do they think that the mission statement adequately encompasses and reflects what The Cedar does? Do they think The Cedar is fulfilling its mission? Is the Cedar successful at drawing patrons and artists that can benefit the most from the work of The Cedar?
• What is their impression of The Cedar’s reputation in the community? (The West Bank community, the non-profit arts community, the Minneapolis music community)
• What is this person’s current interest in The Cedar? Are they satisfied with their level of involvement with The Cedar? What could be done to enhance or strengthen their tie to the Cedar community? In what ways might they like to be further involved?
• What do you think this person’s financial standing is? Have they made a large financial commitment to one or more other non-profits during the past five years? Do they make regular gifts to other non-profit organizations?
• How have they been asked for donations to the Cedar? Are they happy with the ways in which they’ve been asked to support The Cedar and ways in which they’ve been communicated with about Cedar events?
• What do they believe are important factors in motivating a substantial gift to an organization like The Cedar?
• Where does The Cedar rank among their charitable giving priorities?
• If they were to make a major gift commitment today, what would they like to accomplish with their gift? Are there specific restricted areas that might compel them to give a gift or to give a larger gift?

3) Gauge if they are able and/or willing to donate $1,000 annually to The Cedar in the
near future. How near? This year? Next year? You don’t even need to make the hard solicitation – I can follow up with them. But I do want you to communicate something like this, “One of the reasons we’re meeting with donors and community members is to determine who of our supporters are willing and/or able to step up as leadership donors now or in the future. We’re hoping to create a group of donors giving at the $1,000 level. Do you see yourself as possibly being a leadership donor to The Cedar?” Again, you will be the best judge of what approach is most appropriate as the conversation unfolds and you understand more about this person’s relationship to The Cedar.

Make sure you actually say, in some way, “one thousand dollars” - even you just mention that we’re hoping to build leadership giving at this level. That way, I’ll know that they have a general idea what we’re thinking when I call them to follow up.

Step Four: Send a thank you note

Step Five: Write a contact report and pass on necessary follow-up information
I can follow up with these folks if they have specific questions you can’t answer, want to get involved by volunteering or serving on a committee, etc. Write up as much as you can about what you’ve learned about this person. Try to answer as many of the questions above as you can. I will follow up with further cultivation and a hard solicitation.