Team Building With a Purpose — A Day of Service for Donor Relations Professionals

Suzanne Bellanger
Account Director
Faircom New York

Working in the non-profit sector—and in donor relations and stewardship specifically—can be immensely rewarding and enriching. Just by the nature of the job, you’re reminded daily how important gratitude is in the scheme of things. But even so, it can be easy to lose sight of that in your personal life and in your interactions with colleagues and key stakeholders. In this line of work, it’s critical that you get all the details right because the last thing you want to portray is a lack of knowledge or understanding of the donors who are supporting you.

But getting it right every single time is super stressful, and the data driven nature of the work can be exhausting in its need for exactness (at least for creative types like me).  That’s why it’s important to check in every so often and do something that reminds you and the team you work closely with why you entered this field to begin with and why you really love it. (And yes, you do really love it!)

There are all sorts of team building and morale boosting exercises you can engage in, but some are more relevant than others. If you work for a non-profit, one of the best things you can do is spend a day volunteering at another non-profit. There’s so much you can learn by engaging with an organization with a completely different mission in a sector that lies outside your own. It’s an added bonus if you can find somewhere to volunteer that benefits your community in a way that your organization doesn’t.

A few years ago, when I was working at a different shop, the entire organization spent a whole day helping out at a local food bank. Not only was it eye-opening, but it really strengthened our working relationships and helped us all feel more connected to each other and our community. It was honestly one of the best days of work I had there—not because other days were bad or unrewarding, but because it gave me a deeper appreciation for the people I was working with and the work I was engaged in. I had the opportunity to see some of the strengths of co-workers that they didn’t have a chance to showcase in our workplace and it gave me some insight into aspects of their personality not always on display in the office environment. And it reinforced for me the powerful impact mission-focused organizations can have on individuals, communities, and even on the world at large.

For sure, participating in a service day can be rewarding and beneficial for any team, at any company, in any industry. But there are a few specific things a donor relations team can take away from a shared experience like this:

Perspective

Seeing first-hand unpaid volunteers dedicating personal time and effort to fill a need and make an immediate and impactful difference in the community is a powerful reminder that people are motivated to give back not because they will be monetarily rewarded, but because it makes them feel good and because they really want to help. Personally experiencing that helped me and my team understand the science behind why people give, which in turn helped us better steward and acknowledge our own dedicated donors and volunteers.

Serving as a volunteer yourself also gives you perspective from the other side—being the giver rather than the recipient in a situation that isn’t financially motivated can help you identify different ways of showing gratitude that really resonate. As you engage in volunteer work, you can consider what you liked about the experience, how you were treated before, during, and after, and how that made you feel. Did it make you want to return to help again? Did you feel as though you made a difference? Did you think the organization appreciated your efforts? Why?

Idea Generation

At the food bank, listening to the director talk about how she engaged her volunteers and donors was a catalyst for change within our own operation. We were able to take some of the things being done at the food bank that made a difference in volunteer productivity and loyalty and apply it to our own work. For example, we really liked the fact that the director followed up with a personal thank you note for every single volunteer. She didn’t do this every single time someone came to help, but she made a point of making sure that each volunteer received at least one handwritten note personally thanking them for their time and effort at least once or twice a year (depending on their level of commitment).

The volunteers at the food bank were very loyal; many of them even showed up on days they weren’t scheduled to work, and most of them returned month after month for years. Larger shops may not be able to manage such a high level of personalization, but there is still a takeaway: make donor interactions as personal as possible.

Every organization approaches stewardship and relationship management differently. The fundamentals might be the same, but the messaging, tactics, and execution are broad and varied. It’s valuable to engage first hand with a volunteer-based non-profit that operates completely differently than you do.  If you don’t have time to interact much while you’re on site, consider asking the director of that non-profit to participate in a de-briefing or future brainstorming session. You’ve established a relationship with a great idea-generating resource!

Community Building

Before volunteering at the food bank, I honestly had no idea that there was such a great need for it in the community where it was based. That might sound naïve, but it’s true. The company I was working for at the time was located in a solidly middle to upper middle-class town on the coast of Massachusetts. It’s not a town you think of when you think of people in need. The sheer volume of food that the bank provided for schools and other community focused aid organizations was really surprising. It motivated me to dig deeper and I learned a lot about the socio-economic profile of the town, the gaps in service for individuals and families, and what local organizations were doing to try to combat them. And it motivated me and others on my team to get involved.

Shortly after my day as a food bank worker, I started volunteering regularly at a school for disadvantaged girls and I joined a non-profit board. Both of those engagements help me be better at my job. My network has grown exponentially to include people who inspire me and from whom I am constantly learning, which encourages me to think outside the box when approaching problems at work.

Through these opportunities, I’ve also been able to apply my skills and experience in ways that I don’t get to at work. This has helped me build confidence in my ability to make an impact. It’s also nurtured a desire to learn more and be more curious about my community and its specific needs, which I believe translates into being better at my “day” job because I’m exposed to ideas and concepts I can directly apply to my line of work. 

When you volunteer at a mission-based organization in your community, you form a deeper connection to it and a better understanding of it. It’s so easy to get caught up in the mission of your own organization and be hyper focused on your own institutional goals. But it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that you are part of a larger community with varied needs and causes. When community focused organizations pool together, they become stronger and more effective both collectively and individually—and the community benefits exponentially. 

Perspective, idea-generation, and community building are all valuable reasons for your donor relations team to participate in a day of service. And all of that comes on top of the fact that you are also engaging in meaningful work outside of your normal focus. It broadens your scope, it boosts your morale and—well, it just feels good. Those are all happy by-products of your community day that you can also take back to the office and apply in your everyday work life.

The next time you’re struggling to find a brilliant new idea, you can draw from your personal experience to garner new approaches and apply a deeper understanding of the donor experience from a more holistic, 360-degree view. It makes for more authentic communication and stronger relationships based on sincere gratitude. So, why not consider engaging in a day of service for your next team building exercise? It’s a win, win for all.