Milton Hospital (Fundraising training for the Milton Hospital Board)
Aisha Saunders: Executive Director of Development
aisha_saunders@miltonhospital.org (617) 313-1311

On November 6, 2010, Marc conducted a 3-hour training for Milton Hospital board members helping them get comfortable with fundraising and asking for donations. The goal was providing an introduction to fundraising for long-term board members while tying that to existing fundraising goals and a Capital Campaign by teaching board members specifically how to ask their friends and Hospital prospects for money.

Process

Through repeated phone calls and emails, Marc worked closely with Hospital staff to create a training that met their objectives and goals.

The seminar was divided into four parts. He started with an initial overview to the role of board members and an introduction to a comprehensive fundraising plan for the Hospial. Throughout his presentation, board members were encouraged to ask questions. Freeflow discussion got board members talking about fundraising challenges at Milton Hospital while connecting the fundraising to their individual involvement at Milton Hospital.

Marc then moved into his four-step Ask Without Fear!® system for asking for donations. Marc shared examples of effective boards who’d mastered fundraising at other organizations and how they’d overcome fears around asking for donations. Additionally, every attendee received a copy of his book Ask Without Fear! Throughout the session attendees brainstormed around Marc’s four-step process and developed personal action plans for identifying, engaging, and asking donors to contribute.

Each board member received a list of prospective assignments from the Hospital staff. As they went over the lists, Marc met one-on-one with each board member, going deeper into the specific challenges they had in asking for money. He then pulled the group together to brainstorm every possible objection people could think of and develop ways, as a group, to overcome them. This led to each board member making a commitment to raise five thousand dollars from their peers, friends, and families and helped some non-active board members transition out of board service.

Results

Marc’s ability to get board members comfortable with asking and motivate them to follow through created sustained results long after the training. By repositioning fundraising from “begging” to an opportunity to give to an important community asset, Milton Hospital’s Annual Fund grew by 40% despite the down economy of 2010.

Testimonial Quote

Marc is sincere, empathetic, and can effectively tie our member’s worldview around the hospital to the world of fundraising through his Ask Without Fear! model. Marc’s work with Milton Hospital helped our board think about fundraising in new ways and helped them see the big picture on how changing their own mindset could ultimately make the Hospital’s aspirations a reality. We hope to bring Marc back to conduct more fundraising training an possibly planned giving seminars.