FundRaising Success’ April cover story is a profile of the fundraising strategies at the Food Bank For New York City, which provides more than 50 million pounds of food annually to more than 1,000 food-assistance programs throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island.
One of the organization’s keys to success both in awareness- and fund raising is integration, but not just among communications channels.
Gregory Boroff, senior vice president of external relations at the Food Bank For New York City, says departments within an organization — as well as individuals within and among departments — must work together as a team. Integration and a holistic view of the mission comes from the top and trickles down throughout the organization, he says. Nonprofits need to encourage and make it possible for staff to go out and be part of the missions they serve.
“If someone’s sitting at their desk writing proposals all day but they’re never seeing the face of whatever you’re doing, there’s a big disconnect,” he says.
No matter what the organizational culture, Boroff says, development professionals can work toward holistic relationships on a smaller scale, if need be.
“Don’t sit at your desk. Get up, go talk to the communications people; go talk to the program people,” Boroff says. “Get a firsthand perspective. See things. You’ve got to network — and not network just with donors, but network with everyone that’s in the world of your organization.”
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