Nonprofit Fundraisers! Build a Culture of Philanthropy with Ted Lasso’s Help

By Betsy Steward

Have you watched Ted Lasso yet? I love that show! It’s about kindness and compassion. Oh yeah, soccer, too. But mostly it’s about kindness and compassion.

And it’s about changing the collective attitude at an organization —the culture — which is why I’m writing about it.

 As a fundraising consultant, I’ve seen so many of my clients and colleagues struggle to get their boards and fellow staffers excited and enthusiastic about development. As if asking for money isn’t hard enough already! But it’s even harder when you’re surrounded by people who turn up their noses at fundraising — always leaving it off or putting it last on meeting agendas, or pretending that fundraising has nothing to do with them, and that they have nothing to do with raising money. I bet my readers know what I mean.

 A culture of philanthropy — where everyone understands that fundraising is fundamental to the organization’s health and that everyone involved has a role to play in it — is critical to nonprofit success.

So how do you develop a culture of philanthropy? How do you convince others that raising money is deeply rewarding and even fun? I suggest you take a page from Ted’s book. 

If you haven’t watched Ted Lasso yet, you don’t need to — but I recommend it, it’s hilarious, whether you’re a soccer fan or not. The premise is that Ted, a small-time American football coach who knows nothing about soccer, is hired by a British soccer team whose owner secretly wants to spite her ex-husband by making sure the team loses all its games. She believes that hiring an “unqualified loser” (as she sees Ted) will get her to her goal.

 It’s hard to imagine a more dysfunctional, unpleasant, and uninspiring place to work. Negativity abounds. Unkindness is the norm. Nastiness thrives. But then Ted arrives on the scene. Despite major challenges in his personal life, he personifies optimism, thoughtfulness, and empathy. And guess what, his attitude changes everything!

 What can we fundraisers learn from Ted?

• Ted lets his unabashed enthusiasm show, and it’s contagious. Although he is surrounded by grumpy coworkers who see themselves as a bunch of losers on a losing team, Ted doesn’t buy that — he makes it obvious that he sees them all as winners. He hangs a big sign that says BELIEVE over the door to his office, right off the locker room. Eventually he convinces his colleagues to believe, too. The team starts winning, and everyone’s outlook improves.
  An enthusiastic approach to fundraising is critical. Let your colleagues see that you believe fundraising is fun, that the mission you serve is vitally important and achievable, and that you’re confident donors will be inspired to support it. If your colleagues, board members, donors and potential donors see your enthusiasm, it will draw them in. (BTW if you DON’T believe those things, you should find a different job.)

• Ted looks past everyone’s pessimism, problems, and personality quirks. He’s consistently kind to everyone, even when they’re remarkably rude and mean-spirited. It builds trust! Ted is so reliably patient and sympathetic that the others eventually come around to his way of thinking.
  If your board members and coworkers hate fundraising, ask them what has made them they feel that way. You can build trust by listening, and conversation is a two-way street: sharing genuinely about why you do it and why you love it can change their minds.

• Ted doesn’t let anything get him down, including other people’s outlooks. He stays cheerful no matter what, ignoring other people’s gloom and doom. It works, and it can work for you, too.
  Cheerleading is an important part of your job. Of course, there are days when the pressure of raising money is overwhelming and discouraging. But the more days you focus on joy and gratitude instead of doubt and dismay, the easier it gets, and the more effective you’ll be at changing other people’s attitudes.

• Ted’s subtext is “join me.” With every word and gesture, he overtly and/or subliminally invites his colleagues to “come along for the ride” – and what a ride it turns out to be!
  “Join me” is a phrase often used in engaging donors — why not use it with your colleagues as well? It’s hard to resist! And it’s hard come up with a more important fundraising tool than that.

• Just like enthusiasm, compassion is contagious. We see it spread from the very beginning in the opening credits, when Ted takes a seat in an empty soccer stadium full of worn-looking, frosty-blue, graffiti-ridden seats. Once he sits down, his seat and the seats around his turn into a widening circle of warm-red, graffiti-free, new-looking seats — a perfect metaphor of contagious compassion.
  Your compassion for the people your mission serves as well as for your colleagues can be contagious, too. Let your board, your colleagues, your donors, and your potential donors see it — it’s powerful!

The attitude towards fundraising of everyone on your team — the culture of philanthropy — plays a key role in your nonprofit’s health and accomplishments. Of course, a positive attitude alone will not solve every problem or overcome every challenge. But without that collective positive attitude, success in fundraising — or any endeavor — is hard to come by.

Betsy Steward is an independent fundraising consultant. She advises clients on major donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship, as well as fundraising best practices, back-office organization, board presentations and writing to donors (appeal letters, emails, proposal letters, thank-you notes, etc.). She can be reached at BetsyVSteward@gmail.com.