Creating Tipping Points

1. Creating Tipping Points Major and Planned Gift Program:Best Practices AACP Development SIG 12/03/07 Ellen Firkins, Director of Development Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy

2. Relationship Management • Communication • Repetitive on giving opportunities • Original on programmatic elements • Events • Passive Opportunity to get a closer look • Engagement • Volunteer Opportunity • Visits • Listening Opportunity

3. Relationship Management • The face to face meeting is foundational • Meeting with prospective donors, current donors and past donors provides the momentum for any major gift and planned giving program • Face to face meetings provide listening opportunities for the prospect/donor • Visits with alumni and donors energize and focus development officers • Visits are used to chart the moves process

4. Purpose of a Call URGENT Steward/ Cultivate Quad I Ask ASK Important Good Will Exploratory / Cultivate

5. Creating Tipping Points • The Tipping Point: How Little Things can Make a Big Difference Malcolm Gladwell, 2000 • Explores social epidemics and how they reach critical mass and importance of the “natural pollinators” of new ideas and trends

6. Creating Tipping Points • What if a major gift was viewed as a Tipping Point? • “The transformational shift in the constituent to institution relationship” • All major/ planned gift calls viewed as building toward the tipping point • Increasing the urgency and importance for that individual to make a major gift

7. Creating Tipping Points • Understand the Law of the Few • “the success of any social epidemic (major and planned gift program) is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts”

8. Who are these People? • The Connectors • The Mavens • The Salespeople

9. The Connectors • The Social Glue • “6 Degrees of Separation” • “Not everyone is linked to everyone else in 6 steps…a very small number of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps” • They see value and pleasure in cultivating acquaintances • It is not just that they know so many people – but so many people know them • Examples: Warren Weaver, Preston Hale

10. The Mavens • The ones who accumulate knowledge • They know things the rest of us don’t and have the social skills and desire to spread the information • Examples: Faculty, Harvey Morgan, Dan Herbert

11. The Salesman • The Persuaders: Pull the bandwagon • Effortlessly persuade with natural charisma • Have synchrony: a fundamental physiological ability to draw others into their own rhythms and dictate the terms of interaction • Possess emotional intelligence (Daniel Goleman) • Examples: John Hasty, Becky Snead, Victor Yanchick

12. Applied to Major and Planned Gift Programs • The Law of Few • Assessing a potential donor’s needs • What does the donor need? • An expert opinion (Maven) • Knowledge of others already on board (Connector) • A persuasive pitch (Salesman) • Effectively engaging volunteers • Connectors: effective prospectors • Mavens: effective testimonials • Salesman: effective askers

13. Applied to Major and Planned Giving Programs • Each visit should bring the prospective donor closer to a tipping point • Increasing the importance and urgency of making a gift until a momentum has developed • Examples: • Elaine Lorenzo, Nelson Showalter, Barbara Plunkett, Don Abraham

14. Applications for DOD • Develop Traits of all three of the “Select Few” types • Develop expertise in your field • Both for philanthropy and pharmacy education/pharmaceutical science • Know and be known by your constituency • Polish your asking skills

15. Applications for DOD • Understand your weaknesses and strengths • Select volunteers based on prospect needs • Abide by The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz, 1997 • Be Impeccable with your Word • Don’t Take Anything Personally • Don’t Make Assumptions • Always Do Your Best