Macy Jackson

Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations | SPEA-V 458

Ken Ayers
Interview Meeting: March 7, 2018 | 3:00p.m.
Due Date: April 16, 2018
About Gleaners:

It was a privilege to interview at Gleaners Food Bank, Indiana’s leading food bank.

Gleaners works to lead the fight against hunger through their programs and administration

team. At Gleaners, they supply items to hunger relief agencies and schools throughout twenty-

one countries in central and southeastern Indiana. I was able to speak with Alexandra

McMahon – the Community and Corporate Engagement Director. She and everyone at

Gleaners work annually to ensure their neighbors in central and southeastern Indiana have

food. I chose Gleaners because of their positive influence on the Indianapolis community and

their relatively large size.

Fundraising Audit:

“Our mission is simple and direct: To lead the fight against hunger.”

“Our Vision: Food for every table. Hope for every future.”

-2018 Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Annual Report

In evaluation of their mission and vision, it is short and to the point. When seeing their

statements for the first time, it would be easy for one to know what they are trying to

accomplish. I admire that they are passionate to be the best at what they do. However, their

demographic is unknown and may be confusing for some. Possibly stating, ‘to lead the fight

against hunger, in central Indiana’ may portray a more accurate audience. A mission statement

explains what the organization does and must articulate an awareness of the cause.

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Gleaners has nineteen members on their board of directors who come from a variety of

backgrounds. The board meets monthly and serves in a variety of aspects, those being;

subcommittees, event committees, volunteers, and partners. According to the text, “Boards

must play an active and inquiring role in developing and vetting organizational fundraising plans

so that the organization has the benefit not only of the knowledge of its professional

fundraising staff but also of its volunteer leadership in crafting its fundraising strategies”

(Tempel, p. 441). In my meeting with Alexandra she mentioned that not all their board

members are annual donors but are in process of achieving that 100% giving board. This is

important because why would a prospective donor give to an organization where not all their

trustees give. Evaluating why trustees aren’t giving to the organization may clarify some issues

that are going unnoticed or reevaluation of board obligations may be necessary.

Financial Performance

According to their Annual Report, Gleaners has an annual revenue of around $7.7

million. They can accompany these gift amounts through individuals, special events,

government funding, and corporate partnerships. The annual fundraising goal for Gleaners is $8

million which is necessary for the programs they offer. When examining their annual report, I

learned that 96% of their costs to provide services goes toward programs, 6% toward

fundraising and 1% toward administration. It is important that most of your revenue is filtered

out to your programs because that is what current and potential donors like to see. Donations

come from corporate, individual and foundation donors, with individual being the largest

constituent.

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Through the economic changes in the US, Gleaners has been forced to take a different look at

how they make an ask. For corporate donations (whose major gift level runs from $10,000 -

$50,000) they lost the “bucket” of simple giving. Now they must examine engagement,

marketing, employee involvement, and business development. Alexandra stated that

“corporations will pull money from all different buckets just to support one organization for

one program.” For individuals (whose major gift level runs from $1,000 or more), emphasizing

the planned giving program for future estate giving is the goal. The process has changed due to

the tax changes and you must be more specific on what opportunities are available to them.

However, Gleaners did not see a decrease in donations, donors still want to give at the same

level as before.

There is no current telemarketing program but in the process of forming one to move regular

donors to sustainable donors. This approach needs to be taken cautiously because every donor

is different and may want contacted different than others. Full documentation of every donor

over ever aspect is vital. Gleaners currently uses phone calls to take donors primarily after

major events. Alexandra stated, “It takes quite a few volunteers to make calls, and are working

on crafting language to help them when they launch the new telemarketing program.” Advice I

would give to them on this process, is to go through a professional telemarketing service to

learn from them even for just a short time, just so they know they are doing it correctly.

Gleaners Direct mail is sent out once a month and depending on the campaign they are in. Mail

is targeted toward different segments of people in database. Within the once a month mailing

are quarterly newsletters which include new data of info recently released. They need to be

careful that they are not overwhelming their donors, possibly send the quarterly newsletters to

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those who have consistently given by direct mail, so they are staying updated on what’s going

on at Gleaners.

Solicitation Efforts

Alexandra mentioned, “you may have an idea of how much they can give – but never

ever expect a gift.” In this case it is important to remember Payton’s Ethics Cube. Language is

very important, “The ways fundraisers talk abut their profession and the ways they discuss the

process of fundraising can philanthropy from individuals, corporations, foundations, and others

are important to the dignity of the process” (Tempel, pg. 480). Just as our text states, Alexandra

mentions to get excited and passionate before you make the ask and listen to what they are

saying. Lastly, come up with ways that fit their goals into what program or sponsorship is

available to create a good fit. She mentioned, “put it into perspective,” find interesting ways to

help them understand what the struggle is. This may even mean asking potential donors to

volunteer, an idea that I believe would be very impactful. As Konrath states in our text,

“Fundraising should never be undertaken simply to raise funds; it must serve the large cause”

(pg. 6) Always remember that mission is first.

Special Events Impact

Gleaners has two major events that attract a diverse demographic and take a turn on

your typical event. First, Wine, Women and Shoes, an auction for women of all ages that has a

strong response from professional and upper level women in the Indianapolis area. Their

second and largest event is Experience Gleaners, which is a warehouse event for corporate and

sponsorship donors. During this event, corporate employees can dress down and work in the

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warehouse packing back sacks and stocking pantries. This opens the eyes of the corporate

employees and helps donors see what Gleaners really does. After their last Experience

Gleaners, a major gift donor called the next week to become a regular volunteer. She had never

experienced the warehouse and finally understood the school of food insecurity and the impact

of Gleaners. Development has a budget of $200,000, which primarily goes toward the two

special events.

The Impact of Gleaners

My response to Gleaners is nothing but positive and excited about the mission and goals

of the organization. The employees and development team truly believe in the mission of

Gleaners and helping their local neighbors. Goals I have set for them are to (1) focus on the

purpose of their mission, (2) always be passionate when speaking with donors, (3) obtain a

100% giving board, (4) utilize professional telemarketing companies, (5) and ensure you aren’t

overwhelming your donors with only direct mail. Overall, I was very impressed with Gleaners

outlook on fundraising and the knowledge they have of it. I hope to see Gleaners growing and

reaching a larger demographic to make it the best it can be.

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 Works Cited:

McMahon, Alexandra. “Spring 2018 Fundraising Audit.” Personal Interview, 7 Mar. 2018.

Tempel, Eugene R., et al. Achieving Excellence in Fundraising. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2016.