Improvisation teacher and auctioneer Matt Smith shares his 20 years experience with nonprofit professionals who’d like to relax and be spontaneous in a way that naturally attracts more donors.
Learning to create an environment where donors feel safe enough to relax is the first part. The next ingredient is orchestrating enough tension (like good theater) to present a challenge. Whether it’s during your fundraising auction or dialogues with potential nonprofit supporters, these tips will help you raise more money for your cause:
Create the environment:
Think about the kind of environment you’d like to be in when being asked to give. Matt says, “I’d want it to be relaxed. I want to have fun. I want to feel like it’s my idea.”
I remember the first time I was in a group with no interruptions or judgments. The space was so expansive and allowed so much spontaneity; I naturally wanted to give from my heart. Many people in nonprofits are so excited about their cause it’s all too easy for them to fill in the silence with unnecessary words. It has the opposite affect of helping people relax.
Taking a full breath between thoughts creates an environment of trust. It gives others permission to be themselves in a whole new, refreshing way. You can help people turn default patterns of predictability into a rich sense of aliveness. Spontaneity is where the magic happens. Natural humor erupts. As Matt says, “Forced comedy isn’t funny at all.” It feels like manipulation to those on the receiving end. And it feels pretty weird to the ones doing it too. Who wants to give under those conditions?
The old school auctioneers (luckily there aren’t many left) created a sense of bullying with remarks like “C’mon Bob, can’t you do better than that?” Remarks like these create unspoken, yet palpable fear. The bidders who feel pressured to give resent being shamed into it. Others simply stop bidding to avoid any possible embarrassment. Having an auctioneer like Matt who understands the value of silence, spontaneity and respect for the audience will be the magic elixir in helping you meet your fundraising goals. And giving your board members, volunteers and staff training in these skills is one of the best investments you can make for your nonprofit organization.
Creating the tension:
Once you’ve created a safe environment, it’s time for some theatrical tension. Ask for what you want! Matt recalls a man with the job of raising 21 million dollars for a wing of a hospital. He knew how it had to happen and had a formula for it. A third of it was going to be given by one person, the next third by 3 or 4 people and the last third by hundreds of people. The executive director pinpointed the person he wanted to give the first third. After months of talking, the potential donor said, “How about if I give you 3 million right now?” The response was, “that’d be great but I’m not going to be able to tell anyone, it’ll have to be anonymous.” Talk about tension! At the risk of losing 3 million, the executive director held out for 7 million knowing the other donors would give half of the first major donor’s contribution. He stayed with his original strategy and ended up raising a total of $21,000,000.
You can ask for anything if you do it in a respectful way. When Matt steps into the auctioneer’s role he knows what he wants and isn’t ashamed to ask for it. He playfully builds the tension and expects people to put pressure on him too – all in the name of a worthy cause. Before raise the paddle begins, if he knows a bidder plans to give $5,000, he encourages them to be silent and count to 7 before raising their paddle. It adds excitement and inspires others to kick up their giving a notch or two.
Like good theater, learn to work with timing and momentum. Rather than reading a script, Matt starts a rallying cry. For example, “Why are we here?” Someone will yell out, “For the children!” Matt comes back with “What about the children?” The answers come back until Matt has established something real and specific. You can’t coerce it, but you can create the conditions through skillful use of time, tension and the ability to be cool under pressure. If the auctioneer is missing any of these, the audience will feel the underlying message of desperation.
Your next step
Anyone working with nonprofit organizations has already decided to work with a very cool group of people. You’re committed to doing good work in the world. But just being a good person doesn’t automatically give you effective communication skills. At an early age and throughout your life, you’ve been taught to protect yourself by censoring your words and actions. People without any censors are dead or crazy or drug addicts. The trouble comes when you overuse the censors when they’re not warranted. Developing trust in a group is a skill that needs to be practiced. Learn to be a better listener. Create conditions where it’s appropriate to be spontaneous. By doing this, you’ll learn how to act in the best interest of your nonprofit organization.
For an example of using humor to promote a cause, see Matt’s youtube video created with Ralph Bevins at http://youtube.twi.bz/Lj