Let’s Do Lunch: Creating Committees and Relationships to Get What You Need

Let’s Do Lunch:Creating Committees and

Relationships to Get What You Need

Learning Objectives for this Session

Build relationships in the communities you serve

through the creation of a Community Engagement

Committee

Create a relationship strategy for your organization that allows you to break down barriers to growth and create opportunities

What is the #1 Reason Why People Will Not Help You Fulfill Your Mission in the Community?

It is because they haven’t been asked…..or asked correctly!

Why Are People Afraid to Ask For Help?

• Afraid of hearing “no”

• Afraid of looking weak

• Fear of failure• Don’t want to be a

bother• Don’t want to give up

control• Not clear on what

you need help with

Turning away help is like turning away free money. The potential for new opportunities for your organization through people

that help is endless!

Cyclical Pattern for Organizational Sustainability

?

?RELATIONSHIPS!

Never thought of as the first thing to help you be successful!

Relationships• Relationships define our organizations. They are the single

most important thing to our organizations

• The business community has figured this out….why hasn’t the non-profit community?

- Think of businesses and nonprofits that have failed in your community. Were relationships important to them?

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP STRATEGY?

How are you making connections?

How are you asking for big gifts?

How are you getting work done?

Basic Rules to Utilize These TechniquesAdopt three commitments for yourself:

• To make a few changes• To get out of your old comfort zones• To take responsibility to develop stronger relationships and to make

relationship building an important part of your work

Have to go 100% of the way. Adopt a “That’s Not Good Enough” mentality

Shift your paradigm – Embrace solutions instead of problems

A Positive Attitude will Change Everything (Perception, Approach)

There is no “Easy Way” to do this

Money goes where relationship flows

Community Engagement Committee or Partnership Council

The Community Engagement Committee or Partnership Council is our hypothetical group that we will use throughout this discussion

Comprised of 15-18 influential supporters, all of which will be new to the organization

Comprised of people you need to get things done (based on priority – clear expectations)

Takes about 6 to 9 months to builds (relationship building takes time) It is a great point of entry for new supporters. This partnership council turns into your relationship building incubator

There is room for everyone at the table – all types of people

Not a “do nothing” advisory committee

Time is valuable to all of us in the world we live in and people want to work with others they know in order to make big things happen in the minimal time they have left to give.

At the end I will explain how we utilized this model with our organization, but for now we’ll just use the partnership council.

The Difference Between:5 Volunteers and 50 Volunteers

$500 and $5,000

Partnering with 1 family and partnering with 5 families

Instability and Stability

Relationship Fundamentals!

Capture the right stakeholders

Develop win-win relationships

Turn relationships into productive outcomes

Capture the Right Stakeholders

Step 1 - Identify The Right People

• Build a profile of the perfect stakeholder/Council Members

• Search for these people through referrals and contributors

• Evaluate each stakeholder & Prioritize

• Don’t chase money – chase leadership (relationships, not pocketbooks)

Capture the Right StakeholdersStep 2 - Getting Referrals for initial committee (using board or supporters)

REMEMBER – YOU NEED NEW RELATIONSHIPS…NOT OLD ONES

• Communicate to the referrer a clear goal (to form the council to help make an impact on the mission, not ask for money from the person)

• Reassure referrer that identification is the first step and that no one will be contacted

• List some things that will be asked of the prospective member of the council and share that with the referrer

• Make the referrer feel comfortable in giving up some of their most valuable personal assets. Sometimes assets that they have spent a lifetime developing

Goal is not to get money (or whatever your ultimate goal is), but to develop a long lasting relationship with them. The money will come later!


• Setup meeting at the office or at breakfast/lunch

• Ask for between 20-30 minutes of their time

• Prepare a formal job description/ description of group (include the mission statement of the organization and some goals)

- Be as clear as possible so that the expectations are on the table

Share with potential stakeholders the current list of members. People like to know who else is involved, don’t try to hide it.

Step 3 – Recruit!

Capture the Right Stakeholders-Do your research on your prospects: Remember, you are trying to build RELATIONSHIPS. Get to know the person and their business on a more personal level. Research both. Don’t always just “get down to business”.

-Pick up cues from everywhere. You can find potential partnership members on community boards/referrals/current members or overhearing something somewhere. Always be alert for an OPPORTUNITY!

-Make sure to partner with “like minded individuals/businesses”. This means:

- What is their philosophy on civic duty?- What is their strategy in working with nonprofits? (Do they contribute significant resources into the community or not?)


- Identify a business fit with their business

- Build excitement

- Be honest when there are concerns, but bring encouragement. “I’ll help you every step of the way” is something that is never spoken but helps a ton! Remember, you will be working TOGETHER!

- Relationship building is personal and can’t be passed on. In addition paid staff or board members have to do it, NOT VOLUNTEERS!


Questions?

Develop WIN-WIN Relationships

Identifying and producing stakeholder wins is the key to a big payoff (money, resources, volunteers, etc..)

Once you have received the first yes from a prospect, you are a 1 on a relationship scale of one to four. Your goal is to cultivate that relationship into a 3 or 4 by delivering wins to the prospect.

A Win-Win relationship helps build TRUST


Definition of a Win-Win Relationship - a relationship in which all parties benefit

These are very easy to identify and you have to deliver them continuously

You have to figure out which win-win they need at what point and deliver

Develop WIN-WIN RelationshipsTwo Types of Wins

Personal• Sense of

accomplishment• Making an impact• Recognition/anonymity• Personal networking• Sense of affiliation• Participating in

solutions• Socialization• Being the leader• Control

Business• Good corporate citizen• Positive Public

Relations• Enhanced media

coverage• Increased visibility in

the community• Increased sales• Improved spirit

between manager and employees


How to Identify Wins• Volunteering isn’t a win. It is a way to get a

win. • Can’t identify wins until you build the

relationship

Steps:Get to know your stakeholderCreate a profile of the stakeholderDevelop high impact touches (wins)

Develop WIN-WIN RelationshipsWhat are high impact wins?

Actually a lot easier than you think!

-Birthday/Anniversary Card

-Phone call non business related

-Thank you cards – ALWAYS UNDERRATED!

-Creative outside the box ideas – take a risk – use the profile to identify these things

-Learning more about the person as a person, not as a stakeholder

-Wins do not have to be expensive (goody closet)


EXERCISE: Delivering a win-win relationship.

-Talk with your neighbor about a struggle that you have had with a potential prospect/donor/partner in the community and in 5 minutes, develop a strategy to deliver a win from you/your organization to this person/business.

Develop WIN-WIN RelationshipsThe Stakeholder Profile

• Where are you from originally?

• Tell me more about your company (this question should only be used when you can’t find out anything online….otherwise you might look foolish). If you already know ask about a specific thing in the company you have a genuine interest in?

• How long have they been with the company or been in the community?

• What do they like to do for fun?

• Where did they graduate from?

• Questions that uncover shared thoughts/experiences Once you have profiled and identified your stakeholders for the partnership council. Have them help you identify new prospects that you can build relationships with.


EXERCISE: Take 10 minutes and develop a profile of someone else in the room. Use this profile to identify ways to create wins between each other.


Once you begin to build these relationships (first to create your partnership council then to recruit new people) you build trust.

You can eventually get who you need to help fulfill the mission.

-Opportunities will pop up out of nowhere

-Once you have delivered enough wins and the relationship is built, people are more willing to do anything for the organization (including raising money)


QUESTIONS?

Turn Relationships Into Outcomes

Relationship Scale1 – Professional2 – Individual – The result of a few wins you deliver3 – Win Zone – Continuing the build wins4 – Partnership – Utilizing common ideas to grow!

Cycle takes 6-12 months, BUT IT TOTALLY WORTH IT!

WHERE ARE MOST OF YOUR RELATIONSHIPS???


Once you get to step 3 or 4, you can start to turn the relationship into productive outcomes for your organization by creating 2-3 goals with the stakeholder and then coaching them to help complete goals

People have more than money to contribute (high value referrals/friends/contacts)

Turn Relationships Into OutcomesSteps to Developing Goals:

• Think outside the box. You know a lot about this person/group. Identify some personal resources that they might be able to bring to the table

• Select three or four resources that would give you the most impact

• Meet with your stakeholder and mutually agree on 2-3 of those goals that they will help with/complete.

Once set, you must coach them (follow up) – Remember they are

volunteers!-Outline the steps they need to take to complete the goal for them-Make sure to have support materials they need-Make sure to follow up and adjust your coaching style as needed for each individual


QUESTIONS?

How Has Habitat SEO Used These Techniques?

Documents

Let’s Do Lunch: Creating Committees and Relationships to Get What You Need