Teaching the Joy of Giving

Keith Christensen has All the Fun

I had to wait for today’s guest to retire, so I could get on his calendar! Holy cow, was it worth the wait! So many fundraisers look up to Keith Christensen, and not just because of his stature. Keith is a generous and enthusiastic mentor to many of us. He is positive, energetic, hopeful, faithful, smart—and when he enters a room, Keith raises the “joy score!” His example made me want to go into fundraising years ago; it makes me want to be a better one today. I invite you into our conversation!

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Paul Hanson: Keith, good to have you with me today.

Keith Christensen: I am honored to be with you and in your presence, my friend. Thank you so much, Paul.

Paul: You’re an important mentor to me. Congratulations on your recent retirement!

Keith: I never knew that day would actually come. I always said I’d never retire, but grandkids change your perspective. When flying and traveling became such a burden, I realized it was time to slow down.

Paul: Give us a quick review of the major positions you’ve held in your fundraising career.

Keith: I started in the corporate world—small corporate and big corporate. I began with a life insurance company out of Waverly, Iowa, working in the home office. I noticed the marketing folks and agents were having all the fun, so I went that direction, even though I had sworn I would never go into sales. My dad was a farm machinery salesman, my mom was a realtor and insurance salesperson, my uncles were in sales—I said I wasn’t going to do it.

But as you mature, you realize everything is sales. And honestly, that was a skill set I have. I went into the field with the insurance company and had some really fun times and decent success. Then I spent a little time with Motorola Communications to get a taste of big corporate life.

After that, I saw a job description from Luther College for Director of Planned Giving and thought, this is written for me. That’s what started my development career in 1986 at my alma mater. I was in planned giving for about eight years, and then I got the call from Augustana in Sioux Falls.

Paul: Yay, Augie!

Keith: Which is where you and I met. So many great people there, including President Ralph Wagoner, who was a tremendous influence. I became vice president for college advancement. It was a big role, and I was probably too young in my thirties to take on that much responsibility, but it was the right place at the right time with the right mentor.

Later, when Rick Torgerson became president at Luther College, I moved back to my alma mater and served from 2000 to 2015 as vice president for development.

In 2015, I became a principal gift officer at Mayo Clinic. After 22 years as a vice president at two institutions — handling hiring, training, board meetings, and leadership responsibilities — I finally got to do the fun stuff. Now about 90 percent of my time was spent with the benefactors who had the propensity to give and invest significantly. It was a joyful way to conclude my full-time career.

Paul: I’ve observed that many vice presidents do that role successfully for a time, but then their preference is for their last gig to be visiting donors and less administrative work.

Well, congratulations. I want to say thank you.

Like you said, Keith, we met at Augustana (Sioux Falls), my alma mater, where my parents met and where my father taught for forty-some years. At the time, I was a pastor just up the road in Brookings, South Dakota, and I couldn’t help but notice how much fun the development staff at Augustana was having. That was probably my first glimpse that development could become a second career for me. You were a mentor then, and ever since.

Keith: I’m so glad you made that transition. You served well in ministry, and I see development as just as much a calling. Your dad, Milt, was on the President’s Cabinet with me from the day I started. He was a genuinely talented, caring person.

Ralph used to say, “We’ve got the wagon circled, folks — but we’re supposed to be shooting out, not at each other.” I came in after they’d had five different vice presidents in the previous seven years. After two years, people asked if I was leaving. I said, “No, I’m not!” It was a fun run. We were raising money and doing things that Augie deserved — we just needed the right mindset. Alumni like you made a difference.

Paul: It was a great period for the college. Speaking of long-term relationships, let’s talk about donor relationships. Can a fundraising professional truly be friends with a donor? There are professionalism and boundary concerns, but we’re human beings who long for authentic connection. What would you say about friendships with donors?

Keith: It’s not a fine line so much as a gray area. Building trust is critical. When I worked at Mayo Clinic, I benefited from the tremendous respect people have for the institution. You’ve heard me talk about Jerold Panas. He had some great axioms of wisdom over the years and the tenets of success. He said, “If you can’t believe the messenger, you can’t believe the message.” The messenger isn’t the institution — it’s the person. We’re often the first step in opening that door.

Another Panas principle I’ve always appreciated is, “You create a relationship, not a donation.” If you’re just asking for money, you might as well just send a letter and hope they’ll send a check. Significant benefactor relationships grow from trust. As you listen, people share their business successes, personal challenges, family milestones — you really get to know them. You can’t help but become part of their lives.

Paul: Right. You’re a great listener. That’s a skill we have to have. At the same time, donors also need to know about you, too. And when you start doing that mutually, maybe that’s friendship.

Keith: It is. And it’s what you do with that friendship. But there are lines I won’t cross. I don’t vacation with benefactors or stay in their homes.

Some friendships existed before my development role, especially at Luther, where I was an alum. In those cases, I might say, “I’ve got my development officer hat on right now,” and later we can just be friends. I stay in touch with many people, but I won’t cross the line by soliciting them for a donation at the new organization I am at, unless of course THEY have a relationship there, too. It’s about genuine care.

Paul: Trust requires genuine listening.

Keith: Absolutely. One of the greatest compliments you can pay someone is to truly listen. How many people really take the time? Lock eyes, don’t interrupt, and just listen. And when we make the ask at the end, we also have to be willing to stop and let them respond. Or that might mean you’ve just learned that right now is not the time because there is a lot of heavy stuff happening in their world.

Paul: Right — maybe adjust your timeline to their reality. I’m thinking about that great interview you did last summer with Living Lutheran Magazine and you talked about the two simple rules that you live by. The first is to listen. And the second is, you’re always going to ask.

Keith: Too many people think they’ve asked, but have they really? You have to know when the right time is to ask. The first thing I’m going to do is ask permission. “Can I bring you a proposal?”

Paul: Everyone that knows you knows that your best friend is your wife, Dawn. You two have a beautiful partnership; she supports your work and you support her important work as an artist. You are in this work together. You’ve shared with me that together you financially support the organizations that you serve. Tell me more about that.

Keith: I would say that’s critical. I invite people to say, please join me, join us. If it’s not important enough for me to give, how can I truly ask somebody else to invest in the organization?

Paul: I’m sure donors at both Luther and Mayo Clinic were influenced by your example. Your own generosity is a gentle way to lead others to their own giving.

We were talking the other day about Henri Nouwen’s book “A Spirituality of Fundraising.” Say more about that.

Keith: Nouwen writes that “fundraising is first and foremost a form of ministry.” It’s proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people the opportunity to participate in our vision and mission. And it’s precisely the opposite of begging, that’s the key.

You and I have heard this over the years: “You’re a fundraiser? Oh, how can you do that? I can never ask people for money.” I have a little different attitude. I’m not asking people for money; I’m asking people to invest in an organization that will transform lives. We have this vision that we’re sharing. And the key here is, your energy, your prayers, your wealth. Please join us in this mission.

Paul: I’ve heard people say “give till it hurts,” but really it’s “give till it feels great.” I saw how much fun your team had at Augustana, and I was drawn to that.

Keith: I once heard a speaker talk about raising the “joy score” in every room you enter. If we’re doing our job as fundraisers, we teach the joy of giving. And to have people who’ve just given this 7-figure, 8-figure gift and profusely thanking me? It’s like, “Oh, no. Thank you!” But they’ll say, we never would have done this unless you taught us that we had the potential of making this impact. So…we’ve been in the work of helping people leave a legacy.

Paul: As we think about legacy, what do you and Dawn hope your grandchildren carry forward?

Keith: The grandparent role is just fantastic, holy cow. One of the things that we have really taken to heart is there’s enough stuff in this world. We want to have experiences. What we did do is start their 529 plans when they were born, plus we add to them for birthdays & Christmas gifts, and of course we will give to causes (like their schools) where they are attending/involved. Teaching them it is not about the stuff but the future and good causes.

The majority of our estate is going to the colleges we attended, Mayo Clinic, the church, Rotary, social ministries we support, Ewalu Bible Camp, etc. We’re spreading the wealth, but our daughters know, and we’ve talked about it even with the grandkids. They know what we give to. I ask them, what would you want to give to? So to match them in giving and supporting, I think those little lessons really turn into better, bigger human beings as they grow older. So it’s not all about me..

Paul: You’re teaching the joy of giving once again. Keith, what a fun thing, to think about our fundraising careers. I appreciate you very much.

Keith: I appreciate you, and congratulations on your work and the impact you’ve had as a development professional and now with this project. I’m so proud and pleased for you.

Paul: Thanks, Keith.

You’ve read Keith’s bio. In retirement, Keith will work part-time role with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA) as a Charitable Impact Advisor.

The editor of “To Be a Fundraiser” is Kelly Wendell, Coordinator of Communication for South Dakota State University.