Inspired and Motivated

"I'm going to write you a check tonight!"

Elaine Webster is an advancement mentor with decades of experience leading fundraising teams and campaigns across the Smithsonian. She now supports nonprofit professionals as they build confident, purpose-driven careers and navigate donor relationships.

Her post is a response to last week’s story, “How I Didn’t Ask for a Million Dollars.” (read it here.)

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I have a story that also illustrates this lesson. We as fundraisers often have negligible impact on the final motivations for a donor.

In 2006, we were reopening the Smithsonian American Art Museum after an extensive renovation that had closed the museum for nearly six years. I was a young gift officer learning my way around high net worth individuals, and was assigned to bring new donors to the museum. I managed the Director’s Circle annual fund and had launched a Smithsonian national council for cultivating and expanding our pool of generous and wealthy individuals.

On the occasion of one of our preview dinners that July, we had invited about 200 donors — many of the new national council — art collectors and others for a dinner. This wasn’t the small exclusive major donor preview, but the second tier. Many in this group had given enough to be recognized on the major donor wall at $50,000 or more. Some were new members of this national council and avid art collectors or philanthropists we hoped to bring into the museum’s circle. I had been part of conversations with most of the people in attendance.

I was assigned to be seated at dinner with a couple from New York who were print collectors. He had been previously solicited for the $50,000 donor wall contribution and had verbally committed, but he was reluctant to sign the pledge agreement. I had been working with them through this process.

As we sat down to dinner he recognized me and said, “Oh good, I’m glad you’re here. I have some questions about that pledge letter you need.”

I got nervous and spent the entire soup course thinking of strategies I could propose that would still fit with our required pledge terms. I could hardly eat! I so wanted this to be a positive experience for him and not one where I had to politely decline his gift. So I fretted all the way through the dinner with the soup in the fancy spring grass bowl and hardly noticed any of the other special touches the caterers had prepared.

Our guest speaker that night was former U.S. Senator and former Smithsonian Regent Alan K. Simpson from Wyoming. He of course spoke about the wonders of the Smithsonian and this newly renovated museum. The part I remember distinctly was his urging of this group to be generous supporters. He said,

“You should do your giving while you’re living

so you’re knowing where it’s going!”

After a beat, this donor turned to me and said, “l’m just going to write you a check tonight.”

I was floored and excited! And indeed he wrote the museum a check for $50,000 that evening — which I had to tuck into my tiny cocktail bag (I learned that fundraisers need cocktail bags that can prepare them for anything!)

It was a great night, and it proved to me that all of our strategies and estimations of donor wealth are often irrelevant when someone is inspired and motivated. And it’s rarely the gift officer who provides that true motivation. Instead, we are facilitators, bringing great projects and great people together.

The joy that man received–supporting something he deeply cared about in that moment– is something I’ve never forgotten.

Elaine and I met in an art class! In addition to being a powerful fundraiser, she is a very creative artist in several media. Thanks, Elaine for adding your story.

Kelly Wendell is editor of “To Be a Fundraiser”. She is Coordinator of Communications for South Dakota State University.

Do you have a story about a donor who gave a gift — plus a memorable lesson?