Seven Canadian nonprofit groups at various stages in their journey toward sustainable funding gathered for a heart-to-heart interview with Terry Axelrod, founder and CEO of Benevon. The purpose of the call was to introduce these groups to one another so that they can help support each other to reach their sustainable funding goals. The call is part of our Sustainability Interview Series conducted periodically with donors, funders, nonprofit organizations, and other members of the nonprofit community.

Moderator:
Terry Axelrod	Benevon
Attendees:
Don Kinnie	Alpha Ministries Canada: Vancouver, BC
Janice Ryan	Alpha Ministries Canada: Vancouver, BC
Sharlene Hertz	Coast Mental Health Foundation BC: Vancouver, BC
Janice Chan	National Ovarian Cancer Association ON: Toronto, ON
Elaine Warick	NorQuest College: Edmonton, AB
Marilyn Herrmann	Surrey Food Bank: Surrey, BC
Shirley Freek	Toronto Zoo Foundation: Scarborough, ON
Peggy Hornell	Toronto Zoo Foundation: Scarborough, ON
Lisa Christensen	Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company: Vancouver, BC
Steven Endicott	Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company: Vancouver, BC

Terry: Let me just start by introducing Elaine Warick with NorQuest College in Edmonton. Elaine was a pioneer with our model in Canada, and has just been such a champion for it. Elaine, do you want to just say a little bit about your experience with the model and your organization?

Elaine: We started out over two years ago because we needed something that fit what we were doing and the people that we worked with. We're all big relationship builders anyway, so we leapt in and haven't looked back. At our first Ask Event^™, we raised $250,000 in one hour. After attending 201, where we learned a system for donor cultivation, we held our second Ask Event and raised $280,000 more.

Terry: We'd also like to hear from the rest of you about your experience with the model.

Marilyn: I've only actually been with the Surrey Food Bank for four months. I came in five days before we had our Breakfast with the Bank event, so talk about [Benevon] immersion! We had a very successful second breakfast. The food bank is in a unique position because we're in the media on almost a weekly basis. We're using the model to build relationships with those who think of us first during the holidays. We also have a huge opportunity with volunteers. We used to see these people sometimes as a burden because we had to arrange work for them. Now we're utilizing these relationships, and it's opening doors.

Terry: That's music to my ears, Marilyn, given our focus on sustainability, the fact that you're able to build relationships with volunteers as they walk in the door.

Sharlene: We provide services for people with mental illness, and we're getting ready for our second Ask Event. I've just spent the last month on the phone prompting, rounding up, moving forward, encouraging, and it's coming along. Our first event was very successful. We had 250 last time, 127 people gave, and it was $110,000 over the five years. People found the experience to be so rewarding, a lot of our Table Captains asked if they could do it again this year.

Steven: At the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, we build our own sets, costumes, and props all from our production center, which is not located at the theatre. The Point of Entry^® gave us a powerful way to communicate our need and tell our story. Our tours really brought our company together. For a long time the guys who work in our carpentry shop, prop shop, and wardrobe were hidden in the back, but for the first time we were showing them off and they were the stars of our tour. It connected people to the mission—the importance of the arts. Not only that, but we raised a lot of money! We raised $240,000 over five years and it's really exciting for us this year to start the fiscal year with $52,000 in pledges coming in. I'm here with Lisa. It's her second day.

Shirley: We are in our first year of implementing the model here at the Toronto Zoo and haven't yet had an Ask Event, but we have had ten Point of Entry Events. We're seeing some of the soft successes, but we've got to get some dollars in the door as well. The soft successes include a wonderful offer of public relations pro bono work that was very helpful to us, a possible sponsorship opportunity, and we're just inching towards an actual cash gift.

Janice C: We've just started this program as well at the National Ovarian Cancer Association. We've had four Point of Entry Events and we've been struggling a little bit with this summer's flat time. But we've had twenty-nine people to those Point of Entry Events and we plan on having an Ask Event next year in May. At one of our Point of Entry Events, a very generous donor saw our office and how small and cramped it is, so he offered to sponsor us. Because of that help, we are moving forward with getting new premises.

Don: With our type of work, we've found that the people who are committed to Alpha knew a lot about us before they came to the Point of Entry. So by the time we invited them to the Ask Event, they were wondering why we hadn't asked already. At our first event, we got a $10,000 donation in IT equipment with a retail value of about $25,000–30,000, pledges of $52,000, a $20,000 display booth, and some very significant volunteers taking on national responsibilities. This fall and winter, we're planning to do about six Ask Events throughout greater Vancouver.

Terry: If you don't mind a little coaching, Don, I am somewhat familiar with the Alpha course, and I think you may be able to insert a little more content at the beginning of your core educational session and turn that event into an official Point of Entry so you don't have to have people come to two separate introductory events.

Don: That's a great idea, thank you.

Terry: Now, let's talk about some of your concerns. From a Canadian perspective, what are the concerns that you or the people in your communities had about [Benevon], and how did you respond to them?

Don: There were a couple of concerns that I heard. One was it seemed really slick and very American, and the other was that several of our board members had been invited to different Ask Events throughout Vancouver, so they thought there was going to be saturation. The model fits very well with the culture of our organization, so I'm a little surprised about the "American" reaction. But one thing we did find was it is very labor intensive.

Now that we've implemented, the feeling is very different, and our board members are proud of this approach. There have been lots of charity golf tournaments and tons of galas in Vancouver, and they don't seem to be going anywhere. This is a different way of fundraising; people are getting used to it and like it because they know exactly what's going to happen.

Elaine: Our board didn't even want to do the Ask Event at first—they were so terrified of asking for money. But after that first event, it was easy. They felt—for those of you who need the argument—that we're not trying to fool anybody. If you do a good presentation on what they're actually giving to, people like that and actually feel more honored.

Janice C: I'd really like to know how everybody got their board excited about the program. Does anybody have a suggestion as to how to get them committed and with us?

Sharlene: My advice would be to get them to a [Benevon] Introductory Session. They are like Point of Entry Events for [Benevon], and they're so powerful. That's what sold our board.

Elaine: What we did was focus on two board members who were already committed to this and who sold the board on sending us to the training in the first place. We told those two, "Look, you have to be our champions." The rest financially supported us, but said, "Don't bother us, we're busy governing." So we just worked with two people last year from the board; the rest stood back and watched. I think you can waste a lot of energy working with people who aren't ready. The other thing that we did was have everybody bring their friends and family with them for a Point of Entry. We invited board members to come with someone as well. It was non-threatening and it felt really good. That converted a number of them.

Marilyn: What is working for the food bank is involving the board as much as we possibly can. Many don't know much about the model or even what a Point of Entry is, so we invite them and ask them to be "minglers" with the people attending.

Janice R: In our situation, we're a nonprofit that didn't ask for money, so that was a whole transition. Even getting Table Captains that were committed and understanding has been a challenge. As people attend the Point of Entry Events, though, everyone is gradually starting to get the picture of what we're saying. Our board has always been supportive, but getting them to invite people has taken time. Once we put on the Ask Event and did really well, they became very proud of how we do this and are willing to participate.

Marilyn: One of our concerns is that, of the six people who went through the [Benevon] Workshop, there are three left and one of those is leaving the board soon. It's been a huge concern to our board that people who are trained should be there to carry the model through as much as possible.

Terry: Let me address this, because that is the number-one thing we hear: "I'm the new person, can I come back?" "We just hired new people," or, "We don't have the same team." We've actually got a whole new program we're unrolling, a 101 New Team Member Intensive, that will allow our alumni groups to train new team members.

Other concerns?

Shirley: We keep coming up against this wall, and I don't know if it's a Canadian thing or a lack of emotion thing, but when we do our Follow-Up Calls, we get the very Canadian, very polite, "Oh, it was wonderful," "Oh, it was fascinating," and, "No, I can't think of anywhere else I'd like to go with this." Does anybody have any thoughts on that?

Elaine: We found that when we started, we had that same reaction, so we actually came up with some very specific questions like, "Would you have an hour a week to do x, y, or z," or, "Do you know one other person you could bring?" Make it really specific.

Steven: We had the same problem, too. People were coming through our theatre and were wowed afterwards, but in the Follow-Up Call we'd ask, "Is there any way you can see yourself becoming more involved?" and they'd say no. We found that we were showing people how great we are, but we weren't really stating our needs, so we started saying, "We could be doing so much more. With added resources, we'd build more sets and employ our artists for greater periods of time." That planted the seed for the Follow-Up Call.

Don: We had the same problem at our Point of Entry Events in making it clear what the gap is between where we are and where we want to be. We thought we were being clear, but we weren't clear enough. If I end a Point of Entry saying, "What we really need right now is people to help us get the word out about the organization, and we're looking for more people to take the tour," then I'm less likely to get "I'm not interested" during Follow-Up Calls. I find that to be a good way to start them in the process of getting involved.

Shirley: This certainly has given me food for thought. The issue that Steven brought up about highlighting the gap is actually something that we are beginning to address right now.

Terry: One of the things that we tell most groups in the coaching process is that there is usually not enough emotional pull. Even if the Point of Entry is very nice, interesting, fascinating, etc., it doesn't grab you. At the school where this was started, at first I was doing what Steven said, kind of inadvertently showing off how good things were at the school, not stressing the need. And as soon as we started talking about our needs, suddenly people got a much deeper glimpse and wanted to get involved.

One other thing I'd say about ways to involve people is that some groups really don't have ways for people to volunteer. If not, they can volunteer to help you in the fundraising process. They can help you by becoming a Table Captain or by hosting a Point of Entry. Or delegate some other tasks that you're doing full-time so you can focus more on what you need to focus on to grow the model.

Janice C: We are also struggling right now with making our needs clear enough; we are very much bragging about our organization instead. We're in half of a house, there are nine of us crammed into this office, and that's pretty much it. We have no space for the support group meetings that we want to hold. We can only invite four to six people to one Point of Entry, so everybody just started to get very demoralized. We're looking forward to the move that I was talking about earlier so we will have more space. Just in terms of need, it's funding for all our materials.

Elaine: I think your cramped quarters are a pretty good tour to show need right now. That's a pretty powerful thing.

Terry: If you had the space, could you get more people to come to your Point of Entry Events?

Janice C: We're hoping so. The board hasn't stepped up yet, and we really need them to bring in people as well. We've been calling in our volunteers and families that have been affected by ovarian cancer, but I find sometimes people really want to forget something like ovarian cancer.

Terry: While it may be painful, it's going to be very powerful, too. You may even want to do Point of Entry Events in homes. You can show some pictures of your office to show the gap or even just say, "We weren't able to have this in our office because it's too small." That format allows people to invite friends and family members. It doesn't even have to be in homes; there are plenty of options.

Peggy: For us, the zoo is a forty-five-minute drive, one way, from downtown. So when we promise the Point of Entry will only be an hour, it's really asking guests to commit a morning. That means if they agree to come, they want to come on a weekend and bring their family to see the zoo. It's hard to keep it to an hour-long tour with the adults. So I was pleased when you suggested having Point of Entry Events in people's homes.

Terry: Some groups we work with have a whole network of these in-home Point of Entry sessions going. They'll have a whole advisory group and every year they'll each host one in their home with twenty people or so. Maybe you can also say something like, "And next time you're at the zoo, be sure to see this or that exhibit," or something with the families because I do think you should do something on the weekend at the zoo. It is such a wonderful experience to be there, and for people to be there with their children is part of what's so great about the zoo.

Well, very good. I really appreciate your time. A very special thank you to Elaine at NorQuest College for being willing to be our convener, and we look forward to talking again soon!