DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Engaging with Donors

 

 

Description

 

One of the most valuable parts of my Development Student Internship Program experience has been listening to and engaging with the donor speakers as a supplement to classroom learning. Every Friday, my cohort gathers for a morning of discussion and lecture about the various facets of philanthropy. To further our understanding, some mornings our class hears from a multitude of guest speakers, some of them being major gift donors. I’ve listened to them tell their stories and heard from them about their giving motivations. They have opened discussion about their experiences and interactions with development professionals at the University of Michigan and the greater Ann Arbor area. I've found that these genuine conversations between my class and these donors who have made such an investment in the continual growth and success of this school has really made their philanthropy personal and valuable. It has given me the context to apply what been learning in the classroom to real life situations. I think that one of the main purposes for conducting an internship program is to give students exposure to the realities of the field. Having this interaction between students and real, active donors allows me to apply what I have been learning and put it in a greater context.

 

Importance

 

Every donor is different. Each has his or own story, passions, heritage, career, and history. Taking the time to build a relationship in order to discover where donors’ priorities lie is what makes an effective gift officer. It’s hard to characterize these people on paper. While I can spend an entire day researching and developing an in-depth, personalized biography on an individual, nothing compares to having a conversation with them about their life’s passions. I find myself leaving these conversations with a sense of inspiration and awe. Being in the presence of such generous and amazing people has given me the drive to be the connection between donors and their place of giving. They are willing to give a precious piece of their livelihood for the benefit of others. It has taught me never to underestimated just how complicated philanthropy can be.

 

Goals


  • Learn more about individual donor motivations
  • Develop critical listening and strategic questioning skills
  • Interacting with donors on a personal and relation level, while still maintaining professionalism

 

Skills Gained

 

  • Refined active listening skills and critical questioning strategies in order to discover more information about the donor
  • The ability to actively and intimately participate even in a lecture-classroom format
  • Conversational tactics in order to uncover personal information about people
  • Refined analytic skills to take given information, such as personal stories and anecdotes, and examine them in order to determine the best places for donor giving within an organization

 

Lessons Learned

 

Since my project is entirely research based, I have found myself assuming that a donor would want to give to one place as a result of the information I’ve uncovered. I picture them as a dollar sign, nothing more than numbers and words on paper. This complacency can be dangerous in the world of development. Engaging with donors as a portion of classroom learning gives me a reminder that donors are so much more than their biographies may suggest. Research can only take you so far. Conversations are where donors reveal their motivations for giving. I learned so much about people’s journeys and their motivations for giving just by engaging in conversation with them. My favorite speaker was a man who found immense wealth in the manufacturing industry. He described to our class his life changing moment of walking through a concentration camp. From then on, he devoted his life to saving lives. He’s rescued 1.25 million Jewish people facing persecution in Russia and 14,000 poor and oppressed Jewish people in Ethiopia. That one moment of silence in the concentration camp changed his path forever. Had I not had the chance to listen to his story, I would never have learned the depth of his devotion and the power of his passion when doing his life’s work. This example is only one of many. Understanding these people and their missions by developing a genuine and real relationship is the only way to be effective both in development and also as a person.

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.