Stefan Fuegi
Development Consultant

How I Work

My practice is founded on my experience as a philanthropist, donor, board member, and fundraiser. At the core of my methodology is Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a discipline that is revolutionizing the field of organizational development. It is a method whereby we focus on what is best in people and their organizations, affirm those strengths, and help them to grow even stronger.

When we ask donors to name what they care most about in the organizations they give to, this leads to reflection on the value these organizations offer them. The AI process serves to strengthen the donors' commitment to the causes they care most deeply about. As a process, AI helps donors focus on the most positive aspects of their giving, their hopes for a future made better through their philanthropy, and their own unique wishes for how the organizations they give to might best grow and flourish.

The AI approach to seeking donations is uniquely honoring of donors. Rather than hiring a slick marketing firm to create a vision of the organization that donors will invest in, we ask donors to share their vision for the organization, what they care most deeply about, and to enhance those areas with their donations.

Here is how I put these principles into action to help my clients:

1. Focus on opportunities. First, I help you to uncover the most important reasons why people give to your organization. Then, we figure out what would help people give more. We look for the opportunities, the things you are already doing well, the relationships that you already have or could easily build. I quickly spot "low hanging fruit" that is ripe and ready to be picked. Once we bring in these first, relatively easy gifts, we have the resources to seek even more and larger ones.

2. Build relationships. One of the biggest differences between the successful development office and the less successful one is the amount of time spent with donors. In many small non-profits, the focus is on mailings, events, and activities. In the course of those things, you may talk to a few donors. To succeed, and to raise the funds we are capable of raising, we need to change our focus, to make it much more personal. This seems daunting at first.everyone gets nervous about going out and making .the big ask.. That is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about the need for genuine relationships in which we ask our donors not only for money, but "What is it that you most appreciate about this organization, and why do you give to us?" "What do you hope this organization will become in 5 years or 10 years?" "What role would you like to play?" Using these kinds of proven Appreciative Inquiry techniques we build closer, stronger relationships with our donors.

3. Transformative power of the largest gift the organization has ever received. We will seek a gift for the organization that is far larger than any it has ever received before. Perhaps 10, 20, or even 50 times larger. The reason for this is that such a gift transforms the organization and the way that the organization is perceived by everyone in and around it. A few years ago, a client organization, whose largest gift had been about $20,000 to date, received a pledge for $1 million. Before any of the $1 million was even received, however, we began to receive gifts of $100,000 - five times any gift they had gotten before. In the 2 years after that $1 million was pledged, the organization had more than 20 donors give $100,000 or more, after never having had anyone give close to that much before. And, interestingly, MANY of those individuals and families who gave $100,000 had been donors before, but they were giving much smaller gifts, $10,000 or less. When one person stepped up and said "I value this organization so much that I am going to invest $1 million" it changed the organization forever.

If you'd like to raise more money for your organization, I encourage you to get in touch to talk about how I can help. My fees are quite reasonable and often the client is able to quickly generate additional donations to cover these. We won't do a long, costly feasibility study. We'll jump right into talking with donors and raising more money. So please, give me a call at (505) 535-2280 or send me an email to a and we'll get started.