Ponder's operating principles from FOAD
Today Rob and I attended the Fundamentals of Athletics Development (FOAD) session at NACDA. During this time we were able to dicuss the art of development with young fundraisers as well as hear some best practices from successful industry professionals. More posts on the knowledge shared during this session will come later, but here is a small sample.
Stephen Ponder, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development and the Sun Devil Club at Arizona State University and , spoke on the first steps taken after breaking into the industry. In the conclusion of his speech, Ponder highlighted some of his operating principles, which follow:
- Be passionate about what you are doing
- Ponder stated that as a fundraising professional, you cannot raise money if you are not passionate about your job. People will give to those who can display their passion for the school and also the position.
- Follow up with people
- This was interesting as he commented that not only should donors be sent a follow up thank you, whoever gave you the contact should recieve one as well. This increases the lines of communication and keeps everyone on the same page.
- Know your priorities
- Every development professional should be cognizant of what they are supposed to do every single day. Whether it is notes, calls, visits, or other duties, a fundraiser should know what they need to do.
- Customer service
- Ponder emphasized that this is a crucial part of the operation, but it did not mean always telling the donor yes. It also means treating everyone with respect and in a way that shows you care. If a certain benefit occurs at one level, don’t bend the rules and provide it to lower levels. It diminishes your brand.
