Fundraising Insight from Steven Levitt the Author of Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics

I stumbled over an interesting article in the July 2010 issue of Money: an interview by David Futrelle of Steven Levitt, the University of Chicago professor who applies the tools of economics to surprising new topics. His bestselling books include the popular Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics. He is the co-author of these books along with journalist Stephen Dubner.

I was particularly interested in the portion of the interview in which Levitt discusses why people are so stingy. His politically incorrect comments are worth studying:

In your new book you argue that people are probably even more selfish than we think.

It's complex. The percentage of income people give to charities is on the order of 3%. Research my colleague John List is doing suggests that even when people do give, they don't give willingly except when someone's watching. He's looked at how people react when a person comes to the door asking for a charitable contribution. When he tells people in advance that there will be someone coming at a specific time, people either aren't there or don't open the door. Social pressure is behind a lot of contributions rather than altruism. If you and I were on TV and you'd just won the lottery and I asked you to give some to children in Haiti, you'd have a very hard time turning me down. But what if I sent you a letter in the mail making the exact same request?

I've never really thought about this before - in a systematic manner - but Steven Levitt's comments definitely match my personal experience that social pressure is one of the uncomfortable facts of life regarding fundraising. As a grant writer, however, I think I think of myself as being in a less high pressure arena. Nevertheless, when I write a grant, I am thinking about how I will make the corporate, foundation or government reviewer feel guilty if they don't approve my grant request.

I do this by playing up the hardwork apparent in the grant, the careful planning that has gone into organizing it, and playing up the quality of the research which shows that an innovative solution is at hand for a powerful, previously neglected community problem. I'm also an advocate of getting on the phone to communicate with the funder ahead of time so that they know you are a real person and that your feelings will be hurt if they reject your grant application.

Understanding the hidden social pressure in grant writing will definitely help you improve your success at this seemingly "low pressure" fundraising technique.

If you want to check out the blog he and Dubner participate in on the New York Times website, see http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/

Visit to Clinton Library

Weeks Ahead of Your Deadline: Understand Why Small Breaks Cost You Big Money

As a management consultant, I've come to believe that most people underestimate how costly it is to indulge even a small break in mental concentration.

I learned this valuable lesson while I was writing my award-winning doctoral dissertation. In contrast to most of the other graduate students, I made it a habit to work every day on my thesis - and not just focus on it on the weekends.

The problem with the weekend warrior approach to writing is that it takes a couple of hours each weekend just to remember where you were at mentally and theoretically prior to breaking off from your work. By writing every day, I saved valuable time because I did not need to invest additional time in warming myself up mentally to do my writing.

My normal procedure then, and still now, is to start by editing what I've written the day before. Then, I launch into writing fresh materials following the rule of NEVER rewriting anything the same day that I write it.

In addition, I understand that the same principle applies even to short breaks of just five or ten minutes.

Once my concentration is broken, it takes a bit of a time wasting struggle to get back to writing. This is true if only because I need to get back into the emotional spirit and energy of writing on behalf of a client.

Although I cannot shield my work from all interruptions, I have benefited by doing what I can to bring them to a minimum. For example, when I'm working on a grant application, I do not answer the phone; I do not check my e-mail. I shut the door and hang a sign on it that my wife created to remind me to say hello during my breaks. It says:

"MAN WORKING - Tricia: Please do not disturb me. I'll come chat with you when I take my break. Love, John."

I have also found that it works for me to write late at night when there are not as many people sending me e-mails or trying to connect with me by telephone. All in all, I think it's wise to select the office for the grant writer very carefully with an eye for... peacefulness, quiet, isolation, and tranquility.

At its highest level, grant writing is not a standard business procedure. To do it right, I think we will need to be much more sensitive to adapting the grant writer's physical environment so that it is a much better match with the functions essential to implementing this sort of high speed writing.

Accordingly, I think a fresh look at the physical environment of the grant writer will result in happier grant writers, happier clients, and happier results for everyone.

The Best Advice I Ever Received: Spend Time Like Money

What's the best advice I ever received? While I was teaching at Williams College in MA, James MacGregor Burns - the Pulitzer Prize winning historian - told me to "spend time like money."

Implementing his practical advice, I've revised my public speaking to reflect the simple, chronological perspective that informs how I apply lightning fast grant writing to benefit our non-profit clients.