Philanthropy 4

“What a year this week has been.”

June 16, 2023April 10, 2020 by Lizz Helmson

Lizz Helmsen

Managing Director

This is how a friend of mine described the experience of reuniting with his fiancé in Canada and then getting back to the U.S. as travel restrictions were being put into place, and it’s turning into a common phrase in our new Covid-19 era.

Fundraisers are strong, capable, passionate, well-educated, Type A people. But we’re not immune to the stress that is so prevalent today. In fact, being strong, capable, passionate, etc. actually makes us more susceptible to anxiety in many ways, in no small part because we feel responsible for our organizations’ missions.

There are many resources available right now that talk about how to fundraise during difficult times (and about why it’s absolutely crucial for you to keep going!). But we also need to take care of ourselves. A good first step is to remember that we’re not alone. Increasingly, prompted by the World Health Organization and others, the term “physical distancing” is replacing “social distancing”. This is an important distinction, and one fundraisers inherently understand: relationships matter.

We also know the power of storytelling. Lessons that come from stories are particularly powerful. Plus, while experience is the best teacher, you don’t always have to be the one learning the lesson directly. With that in mind, here are some of the stories I remember when I need a boost.

There Are No New Plots – Only New Twists
This comes from my high school drama teacher. Yes, we are facing a global crisis. And the double-whammy of the pandemic and resulting economic stress is one heck of a plot twist. But we have been through crises before, even multifaceted crises including the 1918 flu pandemic that coincided with World War I. We will get through this.

Understanding that there are no new plots can also help when we feel pressure to come up with something super-creative/different/inspiring. No. We don’t have to do something earth-shattering. We just have to be sincere. None of what I’m saying here is revolutionary, but I do hope that I have enough of a new twist to be of use. As an added bonus, when we do have a brilliant idea, we can recognize (and be grateful for) all of the bits and pieces from yesterday’s plots that we combined to move forward.

Panic – Then Get Over It
This comes from a guest professor in college, and it seems counterintuitive. Who in their right mind would actually encourage panic? Especially right now. But I still remember how he walked into class, introduced himself, and then gave us a project that was an order of magnitude larger than anything we had done to date. Before we could hyperventilate, he told us that most people’s advice would be to not panic, but that wasn’t realistic. It’s human nature to panic when faced with something overwhelming, so go ahead. Give yourself a moment to let it out rather than holding it in and letting it fester. Then take a deep breath. Get over it. Start planning. This is the less clinical way of explaining why repression is so damaging to our mental health.

Of course, panic doesn’t always hit immediately. Sometimes we’re doing just fine right up until the point where we’re NOT fine. One of the school counselors I know says that week three of a new school year is when she usually starts seeing problems for students because the newness is gone and reality sets in. Personally, I tend to get nervous after I’ve finished something, when the adrenaline wears off and the “If Onlys” start: “If only I’d said/done this differently,” or “I should have done xyz.” Regardless of when anxiety strikes, the answer is still to acknowledge that fear is normal but we don’t have to let it control us. Take a deep breath. Get over it. Start again.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Yes, I am a Monty Python fan. And while the reference – like much of Monty Python – is irreverent to say the least, it’s good advice. When I heard my son quote Holy Grail during one of his darkest days, that glimpse of humor was something to hold onto. My friend who had the harrowing week that led him back to the U.S.? He and his fiancé got married and are together. Some silver linings are small. My dog has never been happier. Some may have long-term effects that you can’t see yet. Family dinners are, by default, happening more frequently, and studies consistently show that students who have family meals do better academically, have stronger relationships, engage in fewer risky behaviors, and even have greater vocabularies.

One of the great benefits – and true joys – of being a consultant is that I have a front row seat to watch remarkable organizations across the world as they pivot to address the current crisis, stay connected with their constituents, and continue advancing their missions. I say this not to minimize the challenges we face – they are real and daunting – but to acknowledge the awe-inspiring efforts of people who are dedicated to fulfilling their missions regardless of what the world throws at us.

Here are two of my silver linings:

A youth orchestra had their much-anticipated trip to Carnegie Hall cancelled, along with all of their live rehearsals and their additional spring performance. This was a huge blow, especially for the high school seniors. But the whole organization stuck together and quickly rallied around three virtual goals: Musical Growth, Staying Connected, and Staying Live with Music. They’re now holding virtual masterclasses once a week, using Acapella app for students to make recordings, and planning for virtual auditions should that be necessary. Parent and student feedback has been tremendous.
Another youth organization reached out to one of their lead donors with the authentic purpose of telling him what the organization was doing, how they were pivoting to continue serving children. The Board wanted to keep their staff, knowing that staff is the lifeblood of their mission. The donor asked how much it cost per month to keep everyone employed. Not knowing where the question was leading, the executive director hesitated but chose to respond honestly. The donor said, “How about I cover three months of that expense for you.” What a wonderful, powerful example for all of us: transparency, mutual respect, and a donor jumping at the chance to help!

“Real Strength Has to Do with Helping Others”
Having lived in Pittsburgh for 30 years, I’d be remiss if I didn’t think of Fred Rogers. When I’m feeling cynical, my favorite book is a compilation of famous insults. The old Scottish curse, “May you live in interesting times,” seems particularly apropos at the moment. But Mr. Rogers’ sense of calm and his love are always here for us, and his words are stronger than even the cleverest bit of snark. We are all connected, all neighbors, all capable of giving and worthy of receiving help.

So, as we navigate uncertain waters, remember that you are not alone. You can do it. We will help.

Where are YOU sitting? With a nice girl or on a hot stove?

January 24, 2022April 6, 2020 by KRISTINA CARLSON, CFRE

Albert Einstein once said, “When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, you think it’s only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it is two hours.”

These days, I think lots of people are looking for a nice place to sit where they can use their experience and education and find enjoyment.

Fundraisers and philanthropists are no different.

Rather than folding up your fundraising efforts during this pandemic, why not turn it into an opportunity to help others find their strengths, connect with your mission and make a difference. You might learn something about yourself in the process.

It’s a good bet that prior to March, you never heard the phrase shelter at home, let alone thought it would ever apply to you. Now we’re in the middle of this new normal with a target end-date that moves as quickly as COVID-19 seems to spread.

The situation has me thinking about how different shelter at home must be for each of us.

I live in the middle of 12 acres of woods with plenty of room to roam without ever getting close to a neighbor. My friends in larger cities don’t have that same luxury; their lives look entirely different. The definition of “home” is so deeply personal, even people living in the same house might have vastly different images.

In the mid-1990s, I found new context for my definition of “home” while serving as fundraising counsel for Habitat for Humanity International’s first large-scale capital campaign. Now, as I advise my current nonprofit partners in responding to COVID-19, I find myself leaning on those valuable lessons.

First, a simple, decent and safe home makes a world of difference, especially children who need this to thrive. During this crisis, it’s more important than ever that organizations serving the homeless children share their message. Make sure your communities know your services are continuing and are critical for ensuring defenseless children have the same opportunity as the rest of us to safely shelter at home.

In fact, no matter what your organization’s mission, DO NOT STOP fundraising. Be empathetic to what your donors are experiencing while also being clear and concise about your organization’s needs. It’s our job to let people know how they can help, not make the decision for them.

Second, celebrate the fact that you help people when you give them the chance to help, and for some that means making a charitable gift. Habitat for Humanity’s model puts the recipients of philanthropy working alongside the philanthropist. Most of the philanthropists will tell you they feel they received much more from the experience than they contributed, including the lifelong lesson that “giving is at the heart of living.” The opportunity to give lifts spirits and gives deeper meaning to the life of the donor. As a fundraiser, you are the conduit that connects people to the causes they care about most.

Third, not everyone can be a nurse who helps the sick, an electrician who wires a house or a plumber who fixes a leaky faucet. But just because you’re good at something, doesn’t mean it brings you joy. As a classic overachiever, there are many things I do well that I simply do not enjoy; paperwork and book-keeping are classic examples!

A few years ago, I was introduced to Marcus Buckingham’s work on “Strength-Based Team Development” (https://youtu.be/czsEJGJnPAY), and it dramatically changed what I consider my strengths. Marcus suggests that what you are good at is an ability, but a strength is something that makes you stronger.

In my experience, this especially applies to fundraising professionals who often wear many hats, some of which are important to raising money and frankly, some that are not.

While sheltering at home, this might be a great time to explore your own strengths.

Make a list of everything you did for your job in the last two weeks. I suspect that the list is different in light of the pandemic.
Next to each activity write whether your loved it or loathed it.
Add to the list other things you would enjoy doing but do not yet have the experience, education or ability to do.
Chart your strengths on a simple four-quadrant graph:
Once your activities are charted, think about actions you could take to allow more time for the activities that you do well and enjoy.
Consider asking your co-workers to complete a similar exercise. You may find that you are doing things that you loathe that someone else might enjoy and do better than you.

You could also consider these questions:

How would your board members react to charting their activities for your organization? Would they put more activities in the high energy/highly capable or the highly capable/draining quadrants?
Do you think your donors would recognize things that they do for your organization as high energy/enjoyment?
How about your volunteers and other constituents?

They say necessity is the mother of invention and right now we need leaders who not only understand their own strengths but can help their team members, co-workers, partners, and constituents leverage their strengths during these stressful times.

They’ll be stronger, you’ll be stronger, and our world will be stronger as a result.

KRISTINA CARLSON, CFRE
Managing Director, Carter Global

For more than 30 years, Kristina Carlson, CFRE has guided nonprofit institutions in their efforts to secure major gifts and other resources necessary to make a significant impact. She is a proven leader, an entrepreneur, an author of the best-selling Essential Principles for Fundraising Success, and an in-demand speaker at national and international conferences and workshops. As Managing Director with Carter, Kristina works to inspire philanthropists, volunteers, nonprofit leaders, and development professionals to do more by defining and focusing on mission-critical activities, creating systems of accountability, and experiencing the joy of philanthropy.

Feeling Unprepared for Your Capital Campaign?

January 24, 2022March 30, 2020 by KRISTINA CARLSON, CFRE

I attended a fundraising conference where a friend and fellow fundraising consultant presented a session on the 15 essentials to launch a capital campaign. The title made my heart skip a beat. Running a thriving fundraising program while trying to orchestrate a multi-million-dollar capital campaign can be so stressful. I had to learn more, so I tracked my colleague down.

After exchanging updates on family and business, I asked how he came up with so many requirements. His response, “They wanted me to talk for three hours, so I came up with 15 to fill the time.”

Funny, I thought, the amount of work needed for a successful campaign depends upon how much time your consultant has to speak?? The idea of 15 essentials is more than enough to instill panic in the minds of busy Development Directors! I imagined participants giving up before they even got started.

Capital campaigns emerged more than 100 years ago in the United States and are growing around the globe. There is no shortage of opinions about what is needed to be successful. A simple Internet search results in any number of essentials, but 15 was the most I’ve ever seen.

Since 1989, I’ve helped lead hundreds of capital campaigns and from experience, I can confidently say the essentials boil down to five. That’s right, I’ve found the following “essentials” at the core of most successful campaigns:

LEADERSHIP
Both institutional and volunteer leaders who will be actively involved in the campaign are needed to validate and share the campaign’s purpose with others.
COMPELLING AND EMOTIONAL CASE FOR SUPPORT
The needs that are articulated in your Case for Support must be extremely compelling and emotional. The Case must clearly demonstrate that a campaign is absolutely necessary to ensure that your organization can realistically achieve something important (change lives, change the world, etc.). Constituents will take your campaign seriously when they are convinced that the need is valid, urgent, and compelling.
ADEQUATE RESOURCES
Organizing volunteers, meeting with donors, preparing materials, and guiding a campaign take time. You must have adequate internal resources to conduct a successful campaign. Resources include people, systems, processes, volunteer support, and a campaign budget.
A GREAT PLAN
Every campaign has just one opportunity to be executed properly. Creating the proper leadership structure, a timeline with measurable milestones, and a strategy for early campaign momentum are imperative parts of a great plan.
SUFFICIENT CONTRIBUTABLE DOLLARS
Obviously, sufficient contributable dollars must be available to achieve success. Therefore, you must be certain that the number of prospects needed to ensure success exists and that the proper proportion of prospects relative to capacity is available.

While I believe in the importance of these five, I have often seen campaigns succeed without strength in each area. Curious to know if my experience mirrors others, I reached out to more than a dozen experienced capital campaign consultants to get their thoughts. Here is what they confirmed:

First, very few organizations start their campaigns with all five essentials in place. Most have to “build the bicycle while they ride it.”

Second, if leadership is not in place at the start of a campaign, it is the most difficult essential to obtain.

Third, as the chart below shows, the experts consider leadership to be the most critical with a compelling Case for Support coming in second. As one noted, “Excellent leadership has the potential to obviate other deficits.”

If you have leadership at the beginning, it indicates that people with passion and capacity believe strongly enough in the need to use their resources to influence others to get involved. The remaining essentials can evolve. For example, the Case may not be articulated perfectly at the beginning but can develop along the way. And, part of a great plan can include how you’ll manage the campaign until “adequate resources” are in place. But if you don’t have great leadership from the start, you will be hard-pressed to get the campaign out of the starting gate.

None of the experts considered adequate resources to be the most important. As one noted, “So far, every development team I’ve observed has been understaffed and under-budgeted for campaign work.”

How strong of a difference can leadership make? I once worked with an organization that had very little experience with philanthropy and the Executive Director had no interest in the campaign. She just wanted the money to help expand their services. The Board was not a “fundraising board” and very few donors supported the organization outside of buying tickets to events. However, one passionate and generous volunteer so loved the work of this organization that she went “all in” to make it a success. Not only did she make a very generous gift, she also met with at least one, more often two, donors a week throughout the duration of the campaign. As a leader, she almost single-handedly put the campaign over goal, and in the process deepened donor engagement and relationships.

With so much importance placed upon leadership, and knowing that most organizations must focus limited resources on the most critical activities, here is a list of suggested campaign readiness activities:

Internal Leadership – Begin educating your organization’s executive team (CEO, CFO, etc.) about campaigns and the importance of a strategic plan and vision. The most successful campaigns are always rooted in a shared vision among the Board and staff, so make sure your internal leadership has spent time on this before campaign discussions begin.
Consider sharing this blog post with your team so they understand how critical their involvement is. Ask for their help in guiding a process to identify priorities, create a budget, and show the impact of contributed dollars on the organization’s mission. Develop a practice of having monthly meetings to discuss campaign readiness, key donor relationships, and next steps. Help your team become more comfortable with the fund development process by involving them in meetings to thank donors, answer their questions, and share the strategic vision with them.

Board Leadership – Work with a Board committee, such as Governance, to evaluate your Board’s current strengths, particularly as it relates to fundraising, and develop a plan for putting in place the strongest possible Board. Engage the committee in regular meetings to discuss leadership identification, recruitment, Board training, and next steps. Ask the committee to make sure every Board member can easily articulate the organization’s mission and why it is personally important to them.

Donor Leadership – Identify three to five people who could make significant gifts to the campaign and who could influence others to give as well. Create a plan for building relationships with these individuals. Note, I did not say create a plan for asking them for a campaign gift (at least not yet). Involve them in discussions about the ideas for the campaign, with a focus on the impact a campaign could have on the lives of individuals, the community, and the world. Share their feedback with your organization’s leaders.

There is always more you could do to prepare for a campaign, but don’t let that paralyze your organization. Prioritize your focus on developing leaders, volunteer and professionals, who are passionate, determined, and have confidence in the unlimited potential of your organization. In the words of Teddy Roosevelt, attract leaders who “believe you can, and you are halfway there.”

KRISTINA CARLSON, CFRE
Managing Director, Carter Global

Deep Roots In Philanthropy

January 24, 2022October 7, 2019 by Kate Moor

Philanthropy is so deeply rooted for Bob Carter that his volunteerism and career have melded into a life devoted to helping charitable organizations worldwide. While his classmates at Johns Hopkins University were electing careers in medicine and on Wall Street. Carter began teaching British and American literature. He was drawn into fundraising-eventually for his alma mater and then for Ketchum where he spent 15 years as President and CEO of its fundraising arm. Carter’s “retirement” lasted less than three months, and he founded his namesake firm, Carter, in 2011.

The company has grown to 30 professionals, each with less than 15 years’ experience, who work locally, nationally, and internationally, helping nonprofits with fundraising, governance, and strategic planning. Carter has aided West Coast Black Theatre Troupe’s capital campaign, Sarasota Ballet, Boys and Girls Clubs Manatee County, and is working with the Van Wezel Foundation’s performing arts center bayside. Carter has chaired seven nonprofit boards, including Mote Marine Laboratory’s board on which he still serves. He currently is volunteering with a committee to establish a foundation that will allow the World Health Organization to receive funding through private donations for the first time. Another project involves raising funds for a new university in Switzerland alongside a Russian entrepreneur.

Carter has received many awards throughout his career, inducing being named a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow. A gifted athlete who helped take Johns Hopkins’ lacrosse team to two Division I championships, Carter was a three-sport athlete at The Boys’ Latin School, which honored him as an Outstanding Alumnus. He and his wife, Carol, past Vice-Chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh, are both active in international and local philanthropy, and she now serves as an Anna Maria Island commissioner.

– used with permission from SARASOTA SCENE magazine

Nonprofit Expert Bob Carter Shares His Tips For Choosing a Charity

January 24, 2022September 16, 2019 by Kate Moor

Beyond its award-winning beaches and abundant cultural attractions, Sarasota County has one more claim to fame. It’s overflowing with nonprofit organizations – 2,154 of them, according to the Florida Nonprofit Alliance- making it among the top two or three counties in the entire U.S. for the number of nonprofits per capita.

That’s from Bob Carter, chairman of Sarasota-based Carter, whose 30-member team of consultants advises some four dozen nonprofits each year around the world on strategic planning, governance and fund-raising campaigns – everything from the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s recent $8 million Heart & Soul campaign to World Vision U.S.’s current $1 billion Every Last One campaign to eradicate extreme poverty across the globe.

That Sarasota ranks so high is a dubious honor, he points out, because there’s so much duplication of missions and programs here, and such heavy competition for philanthropic dollars.

So, with more than 2,100 choices – not to mention the 1,368 nonprofits in neighboring Manatee County – what’s a newcomer to our area, or a recent retiree with time on his hands, or a professional who wants to burnish her C.V. to do when they want to apply their knowledge, skills and dollars to help a local nonprofit?

“Giving is 90 percent emotional and 10 percent rational,” says Carter, who is chair-emeritus of the Association of Fund-Raising Professionals international board of directors. But there are measurements to guide you.

There’s lots of chatter about fundraising in 2019:

January 24, 2022January 2, 2019 by Kate Moor

I can’t resist putting my take on it. It’s a result of weathering 5 recessions etc. etc! Here goes:

The best fundraisers will be successful if:
They will use the tools available in technology with applied analytics and continue to develop strong relationships with top prospects for major and mega gifts.
They will not spend time talking about the tax laws but will recognize that cases for support have always overcome tax changes.
They will treat all gifts as noble and donors as having the potential to grow their gifts if given opportunities that excite them to do so.
They will make sure their cases are relevant, urgent and emotional, remembering that giving is 90% emotional and 10% rational.

It’s all about human behavior. We should all remember that the appreciation in the USA equities market is extremely significant as it sat at 6,500 in March of 2009 and now we worry about a 100 to 200 point slide from 25,000 to 23,000 or more. Most major donor prospects today have been investing and captured that growth for the last decade. fundraising drivers: equities and employment In other words, 2019 will be what you make it. Pick up your phone, get out from behind the desk and remember that no fundraising happens at your desk!

Bob at Carter

Read on LinkedIn

Twelve Days of Holiday Giving Ideas

January 24, 2022December 1, 2018 by Kate Moor

Twelve Days of Holiday Giving Ideas
Bob Carter, CFRE, Chairman

There is almost no excuse today for people to not give in some way to help an important cause unless they are truly a Scrooge. Use these last days in 2019 wisely and you will truly know the joy of giving to others – making the lives of friends and family and people you may never meet, more joyful!!

(1) Make a direct gift by Cash or Check
(2) Contribute Appreciated Securities
(3) Donate your Real Estate
(4) Transfer ownership or add a beneficiary interest to a Life Insurance Policy
(5) Establish a Life Income Instrument
(6) Make a gift up to $15,000 in 2018 to a Family Member
(7) Designate your IRA Charitable Rollover
(8) Donate Food
(9) Give away Books or Computer Software
(10) Contribute Stock of an S Corporation
(11) Establish a Conservation Easement
(12) Volunteer Your Time and Talents!

ABOUT CARTER
Carter provides counsel to nonprofit organizations all over the world in the areas of fundraising, governance and organization planning. The company has offices in Sarasota and Vero Beach, along with 27 consultants living throughout North America and Mexico. Contact Carter

Beyond the Ask: A Fundraiser’s Rise to the Pinnacle of His Profession

January 24, 2022September 8, 2018 by Tor Jones

By Holly Hall

Reaching the top of the fundraising profession involves so much more than perfecting one’s solicitation skills. Just ask Bob Carter.

Now chairman of Carter, his simply named consulting firm also known as Carter Global, this consummate fundraiser has climbed the ranks of the fundraising profession, raising money worldwide for more than a decade. He has also led difficult efforts to reorganize failing fundraising companies and nonprofit organizations—work that most development professionals are only too happy to avoid. His career offers several fundraising lessons, especially for those interested in consulting work or the financial rigors of running successful nonprofit organizations.

Carter’s experience reflects not only the high points possible with an international fundraising career—global travel, frequent flyer miles, well-placed clients, and lucrative pay—but also downsides like family disruptions from the constant travel. (Carter and his first wife, the mother of his two grown sons, are divorced. His second wife, Carol Armacost Carter, a seasoned fundraiser in her own right, is a managing director at his company. This year marks their 35th anniversary.)

Carter’s fundraising career started out of necessity: After completing a four-year degree at Johns Hopkins University, he found that he couldn’t make ends meet with his first job out of college: teaching English.

So he landed a better paying job at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins. As the young associate director of annual giving there, Carter looked for ways to increase giving. “We had to keep calling those who didn’t give, and I really hated it,” he recalls. With his boss away overseas, Carter and his colleagues stopped calling the non-donors and started asking people who did contribute to give 50 percent more.

Within a few weeks, the experiment’s results had proved themselves, and Carter’s returning boss reversed his initial decision to cancel the new approach. “A large percentage of the generous donors gave more, and we got closer to our goal than ever before,” recalls Carter. “We were even able to cancel the so-called ‘spring clean-up drive’ to try and get the non-givers to donate.”

Next, Carter was recruited to a more senior fundraising role at Catholic University as its vice president of university relations, but he lasted only 18 months. “Everything was too Catholic,” he says. “Everything had to be approved by the School of Religious Study, and it was too overbearing and dysfunctional.” That job, he adds, “helped drive me out of institutional work” and into consulting.

Accepting a position at Ketchum, a well-respected consulting firm based in Pittsburgh, Carter used the job to build his fundraising expertise. His years with the company provided him with an insider’s view into the fundraising operations of the company’s numerous and varied clients. Among those Carter worked with are many of the nation’s largest and best-known charities: the American Red Cross, Feeding America, the National Parks Foundation, the National Geographic Society, CARE International, and many others.

Carter’s professional skills and standing were also enhanced by serving on nonprofit boards: the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the Giving Institute, a consultants’ association that publishes “Giving USA,” the annual tally of American philanthropy; the Mote Marine Laboratory, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and others.

At Ketchum, Carter thrived. Promoted to the firm’s chief executive, he took responsibility for leading the company out of a financial crisis in 1992.

The crisis was spurred by Carter’s predecessors, who had invested some of the company’s profits in commercial real estate, software companies, and other ventures the company was ill equipped to handle. After borrowing money to cover the company’s fiscal obligations but having trouble repaying the loans, Carter was summoned by his creditors. They wanted to know: Could he sell the company for less than it owed them? That way, they could recoup at least some of their money. Carter accepted the challenge, finally finding a buyer, a consulting company focused on religious causes that purchased Ketchum in 1995. (Ketchum, which no longer exists, was eventually bought and folded into another company.)

In the Ketchum reorganization and sale, Carter says he realized the company had lost its focus by investing in businesses it didn’t know. “It was clear those parts of the organization should be cut loose,” he says. “We had to let people go.”

Carter resolved to speak personally with everyone he laid off to explain why downsizing was necessary, and now says that holding those conversations “was really hard, and I didn’t handle it perfectly with every person.” To get through the Ketchum ordeal, Carter made a list of priorities to keep himself on track: preserve as much value for Ketchum stockholders as possible, save as many jobs as he could while being financially responsible, maintain Ketchum’s brand by continuing to deliver high-quality service, and keep the company alive for as long as possible. Fundraisers and other nonprofit leaders facing big cuts, Carter says, would do well to create their own downsizing priorities.

It was around this time that Carter, perhaps fueled by work stress, was forced to recognize that he’d developed a serious drinking problem. With clients, two-martini lunches were routine—Carter loved doing business over drinks—and the cocktails flowed more freely at night. A functioning alcoholic, Carter says that he knew “I wasn’t at the top of my game” professionally. But his job performance was not negatively affected by the drinking, he says. Colleagues, he explains, enabled his habit by covering for him, driving him safely to and from appointments, for example.

But if his work didn’t suffer from the drinking, his physical health did. Carter finally realized that, if he wanted to live, he had to confront his alcohol addiction. He checked into a Pennsylvania rehab facility where he spent a month drying out, learning about addiction, and going to Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, which he still attends. He also participates in interventions to get alcohol abusers into treatment and counsels others when asked. In July, Carter celebrated 21 years of sobriety.

Six months after selling Ketchum, the company he loved, Carter was asked to return as the consulting company’s president, a position he held for another dozen years, until 2007, when he stepped down to take a consulting job with Omnicom’s Changing Our World. At that company, Carter began working overseas, providing counsel on charitable activities among organizations and entities including the royal family of Qatar. He established Bob Carter Companies in 2011, continuing to work overseas and with domestic charities; the firm was renamed Carter in 2015. It has recruited other fundraising experts such as its president, Steve Higgins, who worked with Carter at Ketchum.

The consultant helped steer another challenging reorganization in 2016 as the immediate past board chairman of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. That year, the fundraising association was threatened with a new mid-six-figure budget shortfall, just a few years after Carter and fellow trustees were forced to cut $2 million out of the association’s budget amid a sharp decline in dues-paying members during the Great Recession.

The more recent shortfall led to the ouster of 13 staff members, including then-president Andrew Watt, who abruptly left the organization in June 2016.

That reorganization—criticized in fundraising circles for the way it was handled, with at least one staff member urged to lose weight to stay on the job—nevertheless restored the organization’s fiscal health. Mike Geiger, the new chief executive appointed in November, says that a recent budget surplus will allow the Association of Fundraising Professionals to invest in new research and education while also overhauling its technology platform this year.

At 72, Carter still works full time, but only with organizations of his choosing. In his long career, he has helped hundreds of charities raise more money, including many that have grown markedly more sophisticated in recruiting donors under his counsel, which often lasts a decade or longer.

No cause is more dear to Carter than The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, a private school in Baltimore. Growing up in nearby Elkridge, Md., Carter attended Boy’s Latin starting in fourth grade and graduated from its high school, distinguishing himself as a student with a flair for writing and language—he is fluent in French—and as a leading athlete on the lacrosse, basketball and football teams. Among other honors, the school awarded Carter with its Alumni Cup for leadership based on character and inducted him into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

“Bobby got a white sweater for winning three varsity letters, and he wore it all the time,” recalls Dyson Ehrhardt, a fellow Boys’ Latin alumnus who is the school’s associate headmaster for development. As a student, Ehrhardt coached the younger Carter in lacrosse. As a player, he says, Carter “was a warrior, a fierce competitor.” When meeting with Carter, Ehrhardt adds, “I want him beside me, not across from me. I don’t want to do battle with him.”

As an adult, Carter has chaired the school’s board and played a key role in two capital campaigns. And, as board chair emeritus, he remains actively involved.

In fact, Carter’s passion for Boys’ Latin is so keen that he has the school’s motto Esse Quam Vider—“to be rather than to seem”—sewn into the cuffs of all his dress pants, according to Christopher Post, the school’s headmaster.

Another organization Carter has assisted for years is World Vision International, the religious organization that has long relied on modest monthly sponsorships from donors who help the charity serve needy children worldwide. When World Vision wanted to expand its fundraising to include large outright gifts from individuals and families, Carter helped pull it off. A $500 million campaign begun a decade ago brought in $537 million.

“We needed help since we’d never done this before,” recalls Cheryl Jereczek, World Vision’s vice president of philanthropy. “We worked with Bob on how to pull together the campaign, from building the case to how to engage executives and volunteers—all of that.”

Now, Carter is advising World Vision’s overseas affiliates, helping several of them hold similar fundraising drives and guiding the parent organization toward a second major-gift campaign.

Carter has advised the Stevenson School, a private boarding school in Pebble Beach, California, for 25 years. After helping Joe Wanke, the now-retired leader of the school, succeed in Stevenson’s first capital campaign, which raised $27 million on a $25 million goal, Carter and his consulting colleagues have continued to increase donations by, among other things, helping Stevenson start a planned giving program and add major gifts staff.

“We felt we had a special relationship with him, but I bet every client feels that way,” says Wanke of Carter. “That’s why he is so successful.”

Over the years, Carter has maintained an eclectic set of interests: French, salt-water fishing, and country and western music, to name a few. “He can do a mean two-step,” says Paulette Maehara, a now-retired former president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Public policy is another keen interest: Carter works with fundraising colleagues to advocate for federal policies that he believes protect and strengthen philanthropy. On the fundraising association’s board, for example, he was a lead actor in efforts to lobby for maintaining the charitable tax deduction when lawmakers on Capitol Hill moved to eliminate and then to cap the charitable deduction.

But no matter how deeply he wades into politics to enhance charitable giving, Carter’s personal political views, who he votes for, and what party he belongs to are strictly private matters. He refuses to reveal those details about himself to clients—or to reporters, for that matter—steering any professional discussion away from politics.

And he plans to keep it that way: On his profile on Facebook, in the Political Views section, Carter has typed a single word: “guess.”

Tips From a Globe-Trotting Fundraiser at the Top of His Game
Asked for his advice, veteran fundraiser Bob Carter offers the following tips to development officers as well as other nonprofit staff and volunteers who want to succeed in raising money or doing fundraising consulting:

Just do it. The biggest mistake that Carter sees among the charities he advises “is not doing fundraising and instead holding meetings, talking about it, reading about it, sitting at a desk, putting off face-to-face meetings with potential donors, and letting fear take over,” he says.

Too many organizations want to ask right away without doing any in-person relationship building, or they will do online fundraising instead of meeting face-to-face with donors and potential supporters, says Carter. “You’ll never get the biggest gifts that way.”

To prod his clients into more in-person contacts with donors—both existing and prospective ones—Carter says he’s talked with his colleagues about “getting signs reading ‘No Fundraising Happens Here’ for clients to put on their desks.”

Be prepared for “No.” Carter tells his clients to have at least five responses prepared in the event that they get turned down when asking for money or trying to recruit the leader of their next fundraising campaign.

For example, if a chair candidate rejects a request to lead a campaign, charity officials should plan to ask that person additional questions. Some examples: Would you help us recruit the right leader? (“If they say ‘Yes,’ you’ve got their participation,” Carter says.) Who do you think that leader should be? Can we come back to you at another time to evaluate our progress? Can we talk about some prospective donors with you? Will you serve on the steering committee with our other leaders when we get them in place? We want to make sure our case for support is as strong for corporate donors as possible, will you review it for us?

A desirable campaign chair who says no is usually a respected leader, Carter says, “and you always want to have a dialog with a good leader.”

Get permission from donors. Another thing Carter tries to teach his clients is “to ask potential donors for the permission to ask.” By that, he means asking questions to determine their preferences for a future solicitation, rather than formulating the fundraising request around a one-sided focus on the organization and its needs.

Carter offers the following questions to gauge people’s preferences in being asked for money: Would you like us to put together material for you to consider? How would you like the discussion to take place? Who would you like to have there?

Because they have not sought this kind of permission or taken other steps to engage donors, “some institutions are really not ready for the ask,” Carter says. “They have not prepared the prospective donor, they have the wrong amount,” and so on.

Carter recalls accompanying one charity on a fundraising visit to a corporation during which the charity’s leaders planned to ask the company’s executives for $5 million. “I could tell the corporate prospect was not ready for the ask,” says Carter. The representatives of the charity, he says, “were too anxious to get the gift and hadn’t done their homework.” So Carter slid a note across the table, advising them to hold off on the solicitation.

The charity returned to the drawing board and developed a much expanded project that, with the company’s input, corporate officials could get excited about, Carter says. “The result was a $17 million gift.”

Don’t hire consultants for the wrong reasons. Some charities retain fundraising consultants because “they’re looking for someone to tell them what they want to hear,” Carter says. But all too often, he adds, what clients want to hear is not necessarily the best course of action if they want to raise more money.

“We are not there to make friends, we are there to tell the truth,” Carter says. When hiring consultants, he adds, charities should be open to feedback and potential solutions that differ from ingrained viewpoints.

In his long career, Carter has also had charities that expect him to fix an unsalvageable situation.

“There was a zoo that had some serious financial problems, and it wanted a miracle worker,” he recalls. The problem, he says, was that the zoo’s financial issues were so severe that it placed escalating pressure and unrealistic demands on fundraising to save the day. “We knew it would not work and we would be taking money for nothing,” Carter says. Eventually, after parting ways with Carter’s company, he recalls, the zoo failed and had to be bailed out by the state.

Want to be a fundraising consultant? Here’s how. In line with Carter’s scrupulous avoidance of political discussions with clients is his advice for aspiring fundraising consultants: Know the varying viewpoints on issues of the day, and don’t take sides publicly.

“Be sure you get news from at least one international source per day, so you are not filling your brain with only domestic news,” he says. “You have to be aware of what’s going on in the world. Global events affect philanthropy wherever you might be raising money. Terrorism, economic failures by industries and governments impact how your donors feel about their futures and commitments.” That context, Carter adds, “may help you make a sale in an environment that requires setting you apart from five other consultants in the room.”

Another tip: Find other fundraising consultants to confide in and to seek advice from, Carter says. “Listen and listen again to people who’ve been doing this for a long time who are willing to talk to you,” he says. “I run into so many people who are consultants and struggling alone. Don’t try to do this work in a vacuum.”

And for those who aspire to consult overseas, as Carter has, he advises them to develop proficiency in a second language. “My international work was influenced by my proficiency in French,” he says. “It allowed me to advance in ways I never would have otherwise.”