Building Lasting Relationships

By Jerry F. Smith, CFRE

If you are in the business of development, I'm sure at some point you've heard the phrase, "Fund-raising is friend-raising." I like to put the same idea in different words, "Building lasting relationships is the key to successful fund-raising."  I am currently reading the book Jackrabbit Tales by V.J. Smith. The opening chapter hit home with me, as it illustrates the importance of such relationships and the result they can have on a development officer's personal and professional life.

I won't include the entire chapter here, but I do want to share a short description of this chapter, titled The Lady From Chicago, as well as an excerpt from it.

V. J. Smith served as the director of the South Dakota State University Alumni Association for ten years. Prior to that, he was an assistant to the athletic director for six years. During his time at SDSU, he met a woman by the name of Mildred Smith. One day, out of the blue, Mildred called up SDSU inquiring about the existence of a track program. When the answer was "Yes," she immediately made a gift of $40,000. That phone call and original gift commenced a long-lasting relationship between two people - a development officer at SDSU and an 80-year-old widow.

Over the next 10 years, V.J. and Mildred communicated frequently-phone calls each week, personal visits two to three times a year to Mildred's home in Illinois, car trips between the two from Illinois to SDSU. V. J. learned much about Mildred-the small things that people tend to overlook. He learned of her limited experience with fast food joints when she ordered a Cobb salad with oil and vinegar from Hardees; he learned of her love for animals when she showed pain at the sight of a dead animal on the side of the road; and he learned that she was no pushover as she shared strong opinions on a variety of things.

In time, Mildred created five scholarships in the athletic department at SDSU. She also left almost $3 million to SDSU in her estate. Mildred was, however, also a great benefactor to Northwestern University. In his book, V.J. remembers a time when Mildred introduced him to the athletic director at Northwestern University, Rick Taylor.

He recalls, "He (Rick Taylor) grabbed Mildred's hands, leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. After a few moments, Mildred said, 'Rick, I want to introduce you to V.J. Smith.' Taylor shook my hand and said, 'Hello, B.J.' Mildred caught the mistake and said, 'His name is V.J. He's from South Dakota State University.' She paused for a moment and added, 'Rick, meet your competition.'"

Are you going above and beyond your competitors when it comes to building relationships? Going the extra mile puts you miles ahead of your competition.