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How Does a Need Become an Opportunity?

by

Jerry F. Smith, CFRE and Amanda Griffin, CFRE

I've told our clients and staff many times over the years that we should be talking about OPPORTUNITIES and not NEEDS. But to be honest, I've never thought about how a need becomes an opportunity until a JFSG project manager recently asked this question. And it's a great question!

Having thought about the question over the last several days, let me give you what I think is the answer based on years of helping clients achieve their fund-raising goals.  First, every organization, school and non-profit we work with has many NEEDS, and most like to tell their constituency how needy they are. Yet in reality, individuals who give leadership gifts do not give to needy causes. They give to organizations that have strong leadership and a plan to improve people's lives or change the world through their gift.  An organization's leadership is acutely aware of the NEEDS the organization has; they just don't know how to transform those NEEDS into giving OPPORTUNITIES.  If organizations are to raise major gifts, they must start thinking how they can make this transformation.

NEEDS become OPPORTUNITIES when boards and staff start thinking strategically about the organization they represent.  NEEDS become OPPORTUNITIES when you begin planning and creating a vision for the organization's future for the next five to 10 years.  Once you have identified your NEEDS through your vision, then it's time to test them to see if they can become opportunities.  OPPORTUNITIES, unlike NEEDS, are about the impact on the lives of the people the organization serves.  NEEDS are about numbers; OPPORTUNITIES are about people. Once you have refined your vision, a feasibility study can help determine whether the organization's donors perceive the vision as an OPPORTUNITY for giving.

A feasibility study can also help turn NEEDS into OPPORTUNTIES by:

  • o Identifying campaign leadership (important to successful fund-raising).
  • o Identifying potential road blocks to a campaign (economy, organization's limitations or challenges, lack of support for the project). A feasibility study may show that it's NOT time for the evolution of a NEED into an OPPORTUNITY.
  • o Identifying potential leadership gifts. NEEDS become OPPORTUNITIES when leadership gifts are available.
  • o Interviewing individuals who will help you prioritize your projects and give importance to your OPPORTUNITIES, thereby positioning your organization to ask for and justify a major gift.

There is not a shortage of money, just a shortage of big, bold exciting ideas. These big, bold exciting ideas help sell OPPORTUNITIES.  And OPPORTUNITIES, not NEEDS, are what will move your organization toward fund-raising success!