Learning from a Pro
Last night I witnessed an impressive piece of fundraising. It happened at the American Mountaineering Museum’s Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Gala, which was almost single-handedly organized and run by my colleague and museum operations manager, Sarah Wood.
The event was well-attended (about 200 people), and included names such as American mountaineer Ed Viesturs and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. At the beginning of the event, Sarah welcomed everyone and engaged in other niceties with the audience. She recapped the museum’s first two years of operations.
Then Sarah moved into a discussion about the museum’s cultural significance. She discussed specifics such as how many children the museum could reach out to in a year. Then she attached actual price tags to those efforts. Then Sarah asked for money.
I was taken aback by Sarah’s approach because it was so…direct. I mean, within minutes she went from welcoming everyone to asking for money at an event that had a different overall purpose. I don’t think most people in the audience expected it. I certainly didn’t.
But Sarah was masterful in her approach with these 200 people. She never once said that anyone should give money. She simply presented a compelling argument. She nailed the emotional hook all fundraisers look for to connect with their donors. And Sarah pulled it off brilliantly.
She even had a slick video presentation. A dollar amount would appear on the screen and Sarah would say, “Who will give this amount to put a child through one of the museum’s programs?” Hands were raised. Then a new dollar amount appeared on the screen and Sarah would ask a similar question about another of the museum’s programs. More hands were raised.
I’m guessing that in about ten minutes, Sarah raised $5,000 for the museum. From an audience who (mostly) wasn’t expecting it. It was absolutely remarkable. My mouth was agape and my wine glass nearly slipped from my hand.
I’m pretty sure that if I asked Sarah, she would say that she isn’t a fundraiser. But she is, and here’s why: First of all, she runs an institution whose mission she believes in. Second, she knew what her audience’s emotional hook was. Third, she executed that hook by being respectful and by being herself. It was a slam dunk.
Sarah’s presentation reminded me again that there are many ways to raise money for museums and libraries. Leaders of these institutions have to know what it is about these places that resonates with themselves and with their donors. The rest just falls into place.
