oing hungry.” The trick at this point is to stop walking and talking and wait for questions. If there are none, move on, however, you might just hear, “what do you need?” which is your opportunity to fill the gap with your wish list and give your visitor a way to get involved.

Just as you give your visitors an opportunity to find out how they can financially fill the gap, you have to be able to tell them the vision for your clients or patrons. For instance, standing in an empty theater, your tour guide might say, “we would like every audience member to have the opportunity to experience something never before seen by an emerging playwright. Just imagine. Being in the audience when the new Tennessee Williams, the new David Mamet, the next Sam Shepard debuted a work that changed the face of theater. All in this lovely little space.”

How does this all happen?

Well, first of all, every organization needs a wish li

What impression do you give you want your visitors to get when they tour your facilities? Are all visitors treated the same? Is a funder treated the same as a potential client? Does any thought what-so-ever go into planning the outcome of a tour? What do you want your visitor to do when they leave your agency? My husband often recounts the story of the young man who gave the tour of Earlham College. He clearly knew who the decision maker was, Frank’s parents. Everything was pitched to them. Frank and his parent’s were so impressed with this young man, that not only did Frank go to Earlham College, but Frank also followed this young man to Washington University to Medical School. That was a guy who knew how to give a tour!

I started to think about this whole subject of tours when I visited a site last year. I know a teacher isn’t suppose to fall in love with her students. I’m not sure if the same holds true for a consultant. I know I fell in love with Bittersweet Farms last year when I went to work with them. Vicki Obee-Hilte, their executive director, has given me permission to share our story.

After I gave a keynote address for the Ohio Association for Nonprofit Organizations, some of the trustees for Bittersweet Farms decided that I would be the right person to facilitate their board retreat. They called me, hired me. I then began to call staff and board to set goals for their retreat. The love affair began. The mission of Bittersweet Farms is to provide both day and residential care for adults with autism. I have a nephew with autism. His sister lives with us because his behavior has been so problematic. I was fascinated that there might be a place for Matt to live if something happened to my brother and sister-in-law.

I completed my interviews, we set the goals for the retreat, and I arrived early the day before the retreat to meet with staff and board and to tour the farm. And this is when I had my epiphany.

There are so many people like me who want to fall in love with a charity. We need you as much as you need us. We have family members who need your services. We have a need to be a part of something. We have money. We have wills and some of us have trust funds.

I was taken on a tour by a wonderful social worker. I am a social worker. She talked about treatment plans. She showed me the beautiful group homes. She showed me the animal pens and told me about their therapeutic use of animal care. She showed me the craft rooms. La, la, la, la, la. At no time did she tell me that there was a waiting list of 150. That they could use another 80 acres for a second site, that they have a single provider, the state of Ohio, and that they could lose all of their funding. What she left out was where could I fit in. Where was my place at Bittersweet Farms? When we finished the tour, I started asking her questions. I asked her if they had enough sewing machines and fabric for their fiber arts room. She said no. My sister Nancy is an avid quilter. I knew that she and her quilt guild would be glad to send fabric and perhaps some sewing machines. I had no idea how they were funded. I didn’t know what their challenges were. I didn’t know what they needed. Ultimately, I didn’t know where I could fit in.

For those of you who have been to London and ridden the tube or subway, the recording announces, “Mind the Gap.” I have the same message. “Mind the Gap.” Where is the gap and how can you bring it to the front of mind to the people who are touring? What is your vision?

It might sound something like this, “At xyz agency we are proud to serve 900 hot meals a day thanks to the generosity of our donors. Our goal is to serve 2000 a day. Many people in our parish are still going hungry.” The trick at this point is to stop walking and talking and wait for questions. If there are none, move on, however, you might just hear, “what do you need?” which is your opportunity to fill the gap with your wish list and give your visitor a way to get involved.

Just as you give your visitors an opportunity to find out how they can financially fill the gap, you have to be able to tell them the vision for your clients or patrons. For instance, standing in an empty theater, your tour guide might say, “we would like every audience member to have the opportunity to experience something never before seen by an emerging playwright. Just imagine. Being in the audience when the new Tennessee Williams, the new David Mamet, the next Sam Shepard debuted a work that changed the face of theater. All in this lovely little space.”

How does this all happen?

Well, first of all, every organization needs a wish lis

t. I know I fell in love with Bittersweet Farms last year when I went to work with them. Vicki Obee-Hilte, their executive director, has given me permission to share our story.

After I gave a keynote address for the Ohio Association for Nonprofit Organizations, some of the trustees for Bittersweet Farms decided that I would be the right person to facilitate their board retreat. They called me, hired me. I then began to call staff and board to set goals for their retreat. The love affair began. The mission of Bittersweet Farms is to provide both day and residential care for adults with autism. I have a nephew with autism. His sister lives with us because his behavior has been so problematic. I was fascinated that there might be a place for Matt to live if something happened to my brother and sister-in-law.

I completed my interviews, we set the goals for the retreat, and I arrived early the day before the retreat to meet with staff and board and to tour the farm. And this is when I had my epiphany.

There are so many people like me who want to fall in love with a charity. We need you as much as you need us. We have family members who need your services. We have a need to be a part of something. We have money. We have wills and some of us have trust funds.

I was taken on a tour by a wonderful social worker. I am a social worker. She talked about treatment plans. She showed me the beautiful group homes. She showed me the animal pens and told me about their therapeutic use of animal care. She showed me the craft rooms. La, la, la, la, la. At no time did she tell me that there was a waiting list of 150. That they could use another 80 acres for a second site, that they have a single provider, the state of Ohio, and that they could lose all of their funding. What she left out was where could I fit in. Where was my place at Bittersweet Farms? When we finished the tour, I started asking her questions. I asked her if they had enough sewing machines and fabric for their fiber arts room. She said no. My sister Nancy is an avid quilter. I knew that she and her quilt guild would be glad to send fabric and perhaps some sewing machines. I had no idea how they were funded. I didn’t know what their challenges were. I didn’t know what they needed. Ultimately, I didn’t know where I could fit in.

For those of you who have been to London and ridden the tube or subway, the recording announces, “Mind the Gap.” I have the same message. “Mind the Gap.” Where is the gap and how can you bring it to the front of mind to the people who are touring? What is your vision?

It might sound something like this, “At xyz agency we are proud to serve 900 hot meals a day thanks to the generosity of our donors. Our goal is to serve 2000 a day. Many people in our parish are still going hungry.” The trick at this point is to stop walking and talking and wait for questions. If there are none, move on, however, you might just hear, “what do you need?” which is your opportunity to fill the gap with your wish list and give your visitor a way to get involved.

Just as you give your visitors an opportunity to find out how they can financially fill the gap, you have to be able to tell them the vision for your clients or patrons. For instance, standing in an empty theater, your tour guide might say, “we would like every audience member to have the opportunity to experience something never before seen by an emerging playwright. Just imagine. Being in the audience when the new Tennessee Williams, the new David Mamet, the next Sam Shepard debuted a work that changed the face of theater. All in this lovely little space.”

How does this all happen?

Well, first of all, every organization needs a wish li

eet with staff and board and to tour the farm. And this is when I had my epiphany.

There are so many people like me who want to fall in love with a charity. We need you as much as you need us. We have family members who need your services. We have a need to be a part of something. We have money. We have wills and some of us have trust funds.

I was taken on a tour by a wonderful social worker. I am a social worker. She talked about treatment plans. She showed me the beautiful group homes. She showed me the animal pens and told me about their therapeutic use of animal care. She showed me the craft rooms. La, la, la, la, la. At no time did she tell me that there was a waiting list of 150. That they could use another 80 acres for a second site, that they have a single provider, the state of Ohio, and that they could lose all of their funding. What she left out was where could I fit in. Where was my place at Bittersweet Farms? When we finished the tour, I started asking her questions. I asked her if they had enough sewing machines and fabric for their fiber arts room. She said no. My sister Nancy is an avid quilter. I knew that she and her quilt guild would be glad to send fabric and perhaps some sewing machines. I had no idea how they were funded. I didn’t know what their challenges were. I didn’t know what they needed. Ultimately, I didn’t know where I could fit in.

For those of you who have been to London and ridden the tube or subway, the recording announces, “Mind the Gap.” I have the same message. “Mind the Gap.” Where is the gap and how can you bring it to the front of mind to the people who are touring? What is your vision?

It might sound something like this, “At xyz agency we are proud to serve 900 hot meals a day thanks to the generosity of our donors. Our goal is to serve 2000 a day. Many people in our parish are still going hungry.” The trick at this point is to stop walking and talking and wait for questions. If there are none, move on, however, you might just hear, “what do you need?” which is your opportunity to fill the gap with your wish list and give your visitor a way to get involved.

Just as you give your visitors an opportunity to find out how they can financially fill the gap, you have to be able to tell them the vision for your clients or patrons. For instance, standing in an empty theater, your tour guide might say, “we would like every audience member to have the opportunity to experience something never before seen by an emerging playwright. Just imagine. Being in the audience when the new Tennessee Williams, the new David Mamet, the next Sam Shepard debuted a work that changed the face of theater. All in this lovely little space.”

How does this all happen?

Well, first of all, every organization needs a wish li

Farms? When we finished the tour, I started asking her questions. I asked her if they had enough sewing machines and fabric for their fiber arts room. She said no. My sister Nancy is an avid quilter. I knew that she and her quilt guild would be glad to send fabric and perhaps some sewing machines. I had no idea how they were funded. I didn’t know what their challenges were. I didn’t know what they needed. Ultimately, I didn’t know where I could fit in.

For those of you who have been to London and ridden the tube or subway, the recording announces, “Mind the Gap.” I have the same message. “Mind the Gap.” Where is the gap and how can you bring it to the front of mind to the people who are touring? What is your vision?

It might sound something like this, “At xyz agency we are proud to serve 900 hot meals a day thanks to the generosity of our donors. Our goal is to serve 2000 a day. Many people in our parish are still going hungry.” The trick at this point is to stop walking and talking and wait for questions. If there are none, move on, however, you might just hear, “what do you need?” which is your opportunity to fill the gap with your wish list and give your visitor a way to get involved.

Just as you give your visitors an opportunity to find out how they can financially fill the gap, you have to be able to tell them the vision for your clients or patrons. For instance, standing in an empty theater, your tour guide might say, “we would like every audience member to have the opportunity to experience something never before seen by an emerging playwright. Just imagine. Being in the audience when the new Tennessee Williams, the new David Mamet, the next Sam Shepard debuted a work that changed the face of theater. All in this lovely little space.”

How does this all happen?

Well, first of all, every organization needs a wish li

oing hungry.” The trick at this point is to stop walking and talking and wait for questions. If there are none, move on, however, you might just hear, “what do you need?” which is your opportunity to fill the gap with your wish list and give your visitor a way to get involved.

Just as you give your visitors an opportunity to find out how they can financially fill the gap, you have to be able to tell them the vision for your clients or patrons. For instance, standing in an empty theater, your tour guide might say, “we would like every audience member to have the opportunity to experience something never before seen by an emerging playwright. Just imagine. Being in the audience when the new Tennessee Williams, the new David Mamet, the next Sam Shepard debuted a work that changed the face of theater. All in this lovely little space.”

How does this all happen?

Well, first of all, every organization needs a wish list. It can include just about anything, from secretarial services to multi-million dollar buildings to tracts of land to diapers. It should be updated and circulated and everyone in the entire organization including clients and volunteers should have an opportunity to include items.

The next thing is to train your tour guides. You can’t sell what you don’t know. Clinique doesn’t do it. IBM doesn’t do it. Boeing doesn’t do it. Why should you nonprofit do it? Tour training should include dispelling common misconceptions about your organization. I was doing some touring training for a senior facility recently and we asked the intake workers what the most common misconceptions were and then included them in the tour. The facility had been a home for retired nuns. The photos of Sisters who had lived in the home were featured in the entry way. I suggested they put photos of all of the married couples and the single men who were living there now and start the tour at that point with, “The most common misconception about our home is that we only serve one order. Twenty years ago, we expanded to 12 other others and 10 years ago, we opened to married couples. Today, 5% of our residents are men and 18% are not even Catholic.”

Summary: You have an amazing opportunity to get money, clients, and anything else on your wish list. You only have to allow your visitors to become a party of your organization.