I have seen it only a few (thousand) times. The Development department and the gala committee offer guidance to the executive director. Whatever advice they offer always sounds like this:
“You know the two people who come out during the Oscars from the accounting firm carrying the suitcases? They are always great, aren’t they? Can you do that? Maybe say a few words but holy smokes, we can’t interrupt the flow of the show. It has to be short because people have short attention spans and a delicious dessert bar is waiting for them.”
And then the grand finale: “Our donors really like short programs.”
Groan.
The first year I gave a gala speech, our organization was in deep financial trouble. You’d never know it standing on the stage staring out at the 2,000 assembled in a high-end Los Angeles ballroom.
The committee barely wanted me to speak, asking me nervously, ‘Do you think 3 minutes will be enough?’
The prospects for the organization seemed grim. Volunteers even offered to write the speech to be able to control me although they didn’t yet realize that I was the one with control issues. I graciously declined the offer.
I sat down to write. I didn’t lead with cash flow problems; I thought that would be a downer. I led with a story—if you’ve read my blogs for a while, you know that is how I roll.
I talked about the problem, and the unique approach GLAAD was taking toward a solution. I offered a vision of where our work was headed. It was a pretty impressive speech and definitely longer than 3 minutes.
The next year, I spoke for 7 minutes and my remarks were a prominent part of the program.
As I write this, for many of you, cash flow problems are now on a very long list of profound concerns. So…
How do you inspire and motivate when there is deep trouble everywhere you look?
I’m beyond sorry you are in this position. I can scarcely believe the degree to which our entire sector has been targeted by the federal government.
Here is what you need to remember. You and your staff know the problems that you are facing but I can promise you that your attendees don’t know the half of it.
HOW TO GIVE A GREAT GALA IN DARK TIMES
I’ve been thinking about what I would say if I ran a nonprofit today and as we enter the gala season, I thought you might find some of my thoughts—informed by my years of experience raising funds—to be useful as you work to make the most of having an audience with your most important stakeholders.
1 – EDUCATE YOUR PEOPLE
Consider opening with an homage to the nonprofit sector. Inform the audience about how the nonprofit sector got started, and what it does for our communities, our country, and our world.
Talk specifically about nonprofits in your community that your audience knows and benefits from. Invite some leaders and have them stand. Use your organization or those invited to share specific, resonant examples of why nonprofit work matters. Remind people that it is the nonprofit sector that points us to a civil society.
2 – ADDRESS SPECIFIC DANGERS AND HARMS
Demonstrate Leadership. What is your organization doing to address the harms?
I’ve been encouraging leaders to ‘stop, plan, and act together.’
Identify how you are prioritizing the risks and the choices you are making to take action. For example:
- Our DEI vision remains on our website until we are formally told otherwise (because executive orders are not laws).
- We are deeply engaged with our board in developing a risk assessment plan.
- A special session of board and staff leadership is exploring alternate revenue sources.
- Scenario planning is essential in these times and we are nearly complete with 3 different scenarios, looking at revenues and expenses depending on what happens.
- We are focused on private dollars (like the ones you provide us), growing an individual giving program, and the exploration of new sources of revenue where earned income is an area of focus.
- We believe our staff needs support, personal moral support, and skills development that will grow them as leaders, ensure their retention, and build the team this moment calls for.
NOTE: Keep this part brief to save time for stories and a strong call to action.
3 – BOLDLY FOCUS ON THE IMPACT
In the context of chaos, fear, and uncertainty, we keep our eyes focused on what matters—not how much money we raise—but how much impact we have. And what contributions of time, treasure, and talent make possible.
In the midst of all this, we have not forgotten for a second our mission and who we serve. Use one or two brief, real stories, sharing the names of those affected, and tell a story that speaks to the work, the impact, and your values.
Practice telling these stories with just the right amount of detail so as not to get too in the weeds. If you have a person with editing skills who knows you, ask for help. And crowd-source the right stories with your team.
4 – CALL YOUR AUDIENCE TO ACTION
You want attendees to leave feeling compelled to do something. Even if it is simply talking up your speech at an upcoming dinner party.
Remind them why your work matters so much with evidence of what your community and cause are up against. Remember a quote from someone or a hate email you received that made your blood boil. It will propel your audience to a place of outrage.
Help them to see what it will take to navigate your organization through these turbulent waters and what specific things your organization needs.
Encourage your attendees to be brave and not engage in what I call ‘pre-emptive obeyance’. Ask them to follow your lead in this regard. You are going to be bold and brave—ask them to do the same. Speak to their personal values, the ones that brought them to your organizations and other nonprofits in the community.
5 – MAKE A PITCH FOR MONEY?
I have made a pitch from the stage as a board member of a nonprofit but never as the executive director. I believe that the E.D. speech should be educational, inspirational, and call people to action.
Think and talk about a pitch from the stage and consider a long-standing donor, a person who has been connected to the organization since the beginning, or a board member who truly knows how to do it.
You want to walk off the stage to admiration (and raucous applause) without your audience feeling like it was a quick pivot immediately to pitching for money.
You want folks to sit with what you said, talk to others at the table about what you said, and how it is going to stay with them.
A FINAL THOUGHT
There will be folks who think that emphasizing the darkness of the times at the beginning will set the wrong tone. Perhaps under other circumstances, that may be true.
But the sector is such a target as I write this. So many funds are drying up. It is the elephant in the room and it is on everyone’s mind. Starting this way will open folks’ eyes to the jaw-dropping harms and enable you to illustrate leadership in terms of how you are handling these times and that the work continues.
I get that this is all so very hard. To inspire, motivate, and call people to action when you may be losing sleep at night (and so many of my clients are sleepless).
But no one told you this would be an easy job. And to grab a quote from the fictional TV coach Ted Lasso: “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”
And do remember that so many of us —certainly me, and my team at the Nonprofit Leadership Lab—are right here with resources, support, and community.
You can count on us as your biggest advocates and champions.
We are here for you.
