How a nonprofit’s simple, four-step model to fundraising and friendraising is creating new and continued support
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How do you consistently attract new donors, supporters, volunteers, and connectors?
Mosaic is a nonprofit that supports adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Their simple, four-step fundraising model has impacted their organization and created a cycle of new supporters of their services.
Bryanne Lang, the Resource Development Manager at Mosaic for its Central Iowa services, shares the fundraising model, and it has been so successful. Our conversation includes:
The four steps of introduction, cultivation, solicitation, appreciation
How monthly Zoom meetings continue to be an effective approach to introductory meetings
How the captured stories of the people they serve
How they share one person’s story for more than eight years without him being present at meetings
Why appreciation is a critical fourth step for sustainable fundraising
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Below is an edited and condensed version of the interview.
→ Listen to the entire interview online on the Nonprofit Storytellers Podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Google.
Tell me a little bit about Mosaic and the work that you do.
Mosaic is a whole-person healthcare organization in more than 700 communities, providing support to nearly 4,900 people. Mosaic is an affiliated social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. And we are a member of Lutheran Services in America, and we are the largest faith-based nonprofit in the United States.
I didn't realize you were the largest faith-based nonprofit.
Yes. That is something that we are very proud to share with people.
That's wonderful. Tell me a little bit about the services you individuals receive here in Iowa.
Locally, we support our individuals with residential options that look like group homes or a newer model called host homes. It is a shared living model where somebody in the community opens up their home in their heart to support someone with an intellectual or developmental disability.
Here in Central Iowa, we support about 350 individuals with residential options that can look like group homes or host homes. So in our group home settings, people live with three to four roommates. We do have group homes that serve eight people because that is a different level of care because of their hired medical needs.
We have over 180 host homes across ten counties. And in a host home setting, they open their home in their heart and are the ones that encourage the person to live their best life, support them with their goals, and go on trips together, basically living out real life, real possibilities every day.
We're here to talk about a fundraising model that you have woven storytelling throughout your process. Can you walk us through the fundraising model? I know the listeners can't see it, but it’s a circle that creates a never-ending loop.
That's exactly what it is, and that's probably the best way to describe it. So we call it our sustainable fundraising model. When we first get to know somebody, we want to introduce them to Mosaic. So step one is an introduction, and we do that through an event called Discover the Possibilities.
After we meet somebody, we cultivate that relationship at Mosaic. We focus on getting to know each person, their ins, their outs, what makes them tick, and what's important to them. So we do the same thing with our workforce and also our donors and volunteers.
From there, we solicit the ask. So we're asking them, how do you want to be involved? Would you like to be a volunteer? Would you like to be part of our fundraising team? Would you like to be an ambassador, or would you like to be a donor, or are you perhaps looking for services for your loved one? Are you gonna be on that family side of Mosaic?
And then we appreciate them because we want to say thank you. If we don't, they're not going to want to just continue to be a part of our organization. So from there, it just keeps going because after one person gets through that introduction, cultivation, solicitation, and appreciation, then they start it all over with introducing people to us. That's how we can keep that model going and going.
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