Is A Fundraising Coach Worth the Investment?

It’s easy to assume that the people we look up to achieved success with hard work, the right set of circumstances, and good ideas. In so many ways that’s very true, but we would be remiss not to consider the powerful role coaches and mentors contribute to success behind the scenes. 

Coaches and mentors are like the accompanist at the piano for every great performer. They go rather unnoticed, but without them the soloist stands unsupported and the harmonies are absent. We need coaches and mentors to reach our fullest potential and make our greatest contributions just like great performers need accompanists to create a breath-taking and memorable performance. 

The three primary benefits of coaching in my career have been increased confidence, specific and strategic starting points, and professional development. 

In the spirit of gratitude (Thanksgiving is less than a week away at the time of publishing this article), I’m going to share about the impact coaches and mentors made in my life and career. We’ll cover statistics about the financial benefit of coaching and some tips for finding a good coach and mentor. It is also my hope that this article will give you a peek into how my team and I support nonprofit leaders, church executives, and development professionals to hit their fundraising goals.

Is Coaching Financially Beneficial?

When you’re trying to hit a fundraising goal, spending money on a coach can feel counter-intuitive. But what if a coach could help you ask for larger gifts and establish systems unique to your organization that support future fundraising goals? Would investing in coaching feel counterintuitive then?

Studies have shown that the impact of coaching isn’t only beneficial for confidence and team unity, but coaching also positively impacts a company’s bottom line. In fact, 86% of companies reported recouping their investment on coaching and then some! 

After coaching companies also reported:

• Sales increased by 10 to 19 percent
• Profit increased by 14 to 29 percent
• Customer experience increased by 3 to 7 percent

Admittedly, these statistics are from for-profit organizations, however, my clients have very similar results. Therefore, I think we can confidently relate to this data if we consider sales as gift conversations and profit as fundraising income. The majority of my clients hit or exceed their fundraising goal and are able to use the skills we worked on together independently which allows them to raise more money for their organization's important work.

Coaching Benefit #1: Supplying Confidence

My first introduction to fundraising was as a student at Concordia College in Moorhead MN. Each year, the development team invited a few students to represent the story and mission of the school to donors during events. Our official title was “student ambassador.” 

As a pianist I would accompany soloists, provide background music or participate in leading worship. Afterward the other student ambassadors and I would engage in conversation with  these generous individuals over lunch. 

At the time I thought I was simply using my good manners and musical gift to provide a positive experience for respected individuals. But God was piquing my curiosity about the wonderful world of philanthropy and subtly drawing me into my vocation. 

If Concordia’s development team had not noticed my ability to connect with others and trusted me to represent the organization pursuing philanthropy as a career would never have crossed my mind. Thankfully, they did and philanthropy is now a large part of my life. 

This theme of someone having more confidence in me than I had in myself continued throughout the early years of my career. Early mentors in the development field reached out and invited me to be involved in campaigns, projects, and organizations I would never have counted myself as qualified for. 

In fact, borrowing the confidence of a coach or mentor as you build your own confidence is a significant benefit of being a mentee. At any given time, you only know what you know. And, there’s also a lot you don’t know. Coaches and mentors are ahead of you, meaning they know things you don’t. This experience allows coaches and mentors to call out your profession-related strengths and provide strategies you can trust. 

Speaking of which, not long ago, Shawn — a previous client — emailed me sharing about a confidence-boosting gift conversation he had using the strategies we had prepared as part of his coaching experience: 

“I made my first major gift ask – except I didn’t even have to ask! … I did my homework and prepped my wingman. We followed the playbook during the call (despite both of us naturally wanting to ‘get down to business’). We had a great conversation. … When I was about 2 sentences away from making the ask, the donor volunteered the amount they had already chosen!”

Shawn navigated this gift conversation with confidence because he trusted the advice I had given him and knew that I believed he was capable. When the strategies he implemented from our work together had a positive outcome his confidence grew!

Having a coach or mentor increases confidence. Increased confidence results in new tasks tackled and goals achieved. 

Coaching Benefit #2: Providing Starting Points

Starting is a crucial ingredient to any task or goal, but starting can also be debilitating. 

James Clear wrote, “Having the courage to get started is more important than succeeding because the people who consistently get started are the only ones who can end up finishing anything.”

The magic of starting is a large portion of what coaches and mentors bring to the table. By providing starting points, specific steps to follow, and accountability coaches and mentors increase your momentum, help you build experience, and ultimately allow you to achieve success.

This is exactly what a coach and mentor did for me during my first two jobs. 

In my very first job I was tasked with creating a system for keeping up with donors. It was literally a deer-in-the-headlights moment for me. I was clueless as to how I should be investing my time. Luckily for me, a board member took me under his wing and offered me guidance. Then, at my second job, a coach was hired to help myself and the president of the organization develop a fundraising program.

From these individuals I learned:

• How to create a structure for my days that allowed me to spearhead new appeals, while keeping up with past and current donors.
• How to build relationships with donors and invite large gifts. 
• Educating donors and inviting gifts through compelling storytelling.

These are just a few of the very same strategies I now have the privilege of passing on to my clients. In fact, Pastor Emily Tveite, LCM’s Executive Director, used the storytelling skills we worked on in her coaching experience to craft a compelling gift invitation.

She shared the story of a young man who, after attending their bible study for several months, decided he was ready to receive his baptism into Christ. It moved me to tears. After all, THIS is why we faith-focused fundraisers get out of bed in the morning. 

At the end of the post, Pastor Emily invited readers to participate in providing this opportunity to others by making a financial gift. You can read her words HERE.

When you have clear starting points and specific steps to take starting is easier, growth is more visible, and results are quicker. 

Coaching Benefit #3: Cultivating Impact

Have you ever heard the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”?

You are a valuable professional and team member when you are knowledgeable in your field. However, having the right connections can open doors that you could never open for yourself. Very often, coaches and mentors can be these door openers for you. 

Doug Mason, a consultant at Gonser Gerber, was the mentor who opened the door for me to have my dream job — Vice President for Institutional Advancement. If Doug hadn’t seen potential in me that he knew he could cultivate, encourage, and invest in I would never have had that job. 

Doug didn’t see the holes in my knowledge as gaps to fill, he saw how my strengths could be developed to make a greater contribution to the world of philanthropy than I was currently making. I thrived and with Doug’s mentorship and successfully led Gustavus Adolphus College through a difficult but successful $100 million campaign — on the heels of a tornado — and through two presidential transitions. 

As I saw the impact I was able to make as a result of Doug’s audacious belief in me I realized that I could also help others achieve greater things for themselves and the organizations they served. Gradually, I began to see myself as a mentor and intentionally developed my staff. 

At one point I asked a new staff member what her hopes were for her future in fundraising. She looked straight at me and said, “I want your job.” From there forward, I invested in her drive and her dream. Within a few years, she became the highly successful VP for Advancement at my very own alma mater.

This is my favorite part of the mentor/mentee relationship, empowering someone to do what was once done for you. The investment of a mentor can reap incredible dividends in the life of the mentree and everyone who they mentor. It’s like a raindrop hitting still water and creating a ripple that affects the entire space and bumps into other ripples. The impact is impossible to measure!

How to Find a Good Mentor or Coach

Do you ever wish you could talk to someone who understands what the philanthropy world is like? How great would it feel to sit in a room full of passionate and like-minded development professionals swapping stories and ideas?

I’m here to tell you, it’s an absolutely amazing experience!

After two years in the development world I was introduced to ALDE, the Association of Lutheran Development Executives — soon to broaden its reach and be renamed the Association for Christian Fundraising. Suddenly I was surrounded by a throng of people who could support me, encourage me, and answer my questions. This community of like-minded individuals boosted my confidence to a whole new level of readiness to take on challenges and try new things. 

I’m so grateful to share that multiple relationships from ALDE have helped me get on a path to every job transition I’ve ever made, including my most recent decision in 2013 to become a consultant and coach. If you’re looking for a coach or mentor here are a few good first steps:

• Join a network organization of like-minded individuals.
• Ask someone you look up to for input on a specific task. 
• Consider hiring a consultant who’s notably shaped someone you know.

As you’re looking for a coach or mentor I think it would be helpful to cover a few things that may or may not be necessary.

Mentors don’t have to be older than you. 

Mentors don’t have to be better than you at everything to add value. 

Mentors can help you through one specific season or project. 

Mentors can contribute informally and through a single unplanned conversation.

In fact, in recent years I sought out one of my mentees to mentor me. Jason Gerdes, now the Executive Director at Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, used to pick my more experienced brain at ALDE conferences when he was a brand new development director.  

Fast forward another 10+ years, when I find myself consulting with several outdoor ministry organizations, and Jason is now my mentor. Now Jason is helping me get my head around all of the moving parts of camps and conference centers that are now second nature for him.

Jason may be less seasoned than me, but he has a unique skill set that allows him to add significant value to the work I do for others. In summary, coaches and mentors can elevate your life; it’s worth investing the time and resources to find them!

Do You Have a Coach or Mentor?

There are many examples of mentoring in the Bible

Moses and Jethro.

Ruth and Naomi.

Elijah and Elisha.

Jesus and the disciples.

Paul and Barnabas.

Passing on wisdom from one to another is God’s idea. It draws us into community and allows us to thrive — I have seen this in my life and the lives of those around me. 

I am beyond grateful for the individuals who have walked alongside me as coaches and mentors. Without them I would not have chosen the career I did, led successful campaigns, or be equipping the next generation of fundraisers like I am today. I am equally grateful for the individuals who have trusted me to walk alongside them in their important work — it’s a privilege to accompany them as they impact others. 

If you would like to learn more about what a coaching experience at Brenda Moore and Associates is like, register for our webinar on December 6, at 11am CST. Two previous coaching clients will share how their work with us catapulted their ability to navigate gift conversations. 

And as always, you can schedule a personal call with us HERE.