12 Quick Strategies to Boost Year-End Fundraising
| It can’t all be about ‘push’. We’ve also got to ‘pull.’ |
Recently I’ve been writing a lot about social media. It’s an important tool for engaging with our supporters. But let’s not forget that what makes technology sing is not the technology; it’s the people behind the technology. Successful technology is about bonds, not bells and whistles. What matters are human connections. What’s exciting about social media is the “social” more than the “media”.
Which brings me to the essential precondition for all fundraising: FRIENDraising.
It’s the work horse that pulls the cart. So, let’s harness the strength of our horsepower (or our peoplepower) and see where it can take us!
It’s the work horse that pulls the cart. So, let’s harness the strength of our horsepower (or our peoplepower) and see where it can take us!
Recently I came across an article, 6 Things you get with friendraising, from the101 Fundraising Crowdblog. The author, describes friendraising as a way to ultimately get a gift. But you also get so much more. Here’s her paradigm, with my annotations:
F= Fun!
The process should be fun and uplifting; not onerous and painful. That’s not sustainable.
R = Relationships
It should be understood that it’s a process; not a one-time transaction. That’s not sustainable.
I = Innovation
It should look outside our inner circle and discover new forms of engagement. If you don’t grow, you die. That’s not sustainable.
E = Euros (the author is Dutch)
Okay, it will ultimately turn into money, and we don’t want to forget that’s why we’re doing it. But people want to be loved for more than their wallets; focusing only on money is not sustainable.
N = Network
It should embrace the power of peoples’ networks and all that new door openers can do for our organization. Connectors create sustainability.
D= Dialogue
It’s not a one-way street. That won’t bring us home to where the heart is.
Keeping in mind lessons learned from Penelope Burk and her work on donor-centered fundraising, I’ve taken up the gauntlet to come up with similar suggestions to complete the word “FriendRAISING.” We know from Burk’s research that people will give more when they feel connected to our missions and know their giving yields results. Donors want personal feedback so they know they’re making a difference. They want the powerful feeling that you get from giving. They want:
R = Reciprocity.
Ask not what your donor can do for you, but what you can do for your donor. Relationships take work; they need to be invested in before we ask too much of them. And friendship cuts both ways; a true friendship is mutually beneficial. So what does your prospective donor value? The entire foundation of philanthropy is values. Perhaps I want to give back because I so valued the scholarship I received… or the great health care I got… or the food and shelter I was given. Perhaps I want to give because of religions values. Perhaps I value learning about people from different cultures, and your organization serves immigrants or focuses on global issues. Whatever I value, I will appreciate your making it possible for me to act in fulfillment of those values. Facilitate a meaningful value-for-value exchange for me, and I’ll be your friend forever.
A= Assurance.
Our donors must believe in us. They must trust us. They must feel assured that any investment with us will be wisely stewarded. They must be reassured that their investment was used for the purposes we promised. Earn my trust; it doesn’t happen overnight.
I = Inspiration.
The word inspire comes from the Latin and means ‘to breathe in’. It’s our job to inspire our donors so much that they want to breathe in the stories we are telling them. They want to be a part of the pictures we are showing them. They want “in”. Dante used the word to connote creative power. Inspire me to act on my strength and ability to create positive change in the world.
S= Satisfaction.
If we don’t satisfy our donors, then we won’t get them to renew. Donors who are very satisfied are twice as likely to give next year as those who are merely satisfied. This means we need to get to know them. Not everyone is satisfied by the same thing. If I like meat loaf, don’t give me ice cream. If I like casual one-to-one coffee meetings, don’t invite me to black tie events. If I like email, don’t phone me. If I support children’s services, don’t talk to me all about senior services. Satisfy me that you know me.
I= Ignition.
We have to light the fuse that ignites our donor’s passions. First we must look deep within ourselves and ignite our own passions. This is not something you can do successfully by simply phoning it in. If you’re going to preach religion, you’ve got to get religion.
N= Not quite yet.
When we’re friend raising, we’re building up to the ask. The prospective donor isn’t quite ready yet. They need more courtship. We wouldn’t ask someone to marry us on the first date either. So it’s important for us to take a genuine interest in our donors. We must listen, and we must come to love. That’s when they’ll be ready to love us back. Turn ‘not quite yet’ into ‘now’.
G= Gratitude and grace.
We must be grateful for our donors. They’re not “marks”. They’re genuinely caring people who share the values our organization enacts in the community. If we engage with them in a donor-centric manner, they’ll also be grateful to us for helping them enact their values. It’s a circle of goodness and grace. With friendship, goodwill abounds and all are disposed towards generosity – of spirit andpurse.
A gift is good, but it’s just a gift. Friendship leads to loyal commitment. And loyal commitment is what leads to a desire to maintain a dynamic relationship into the future. That’s what sustainability is all about.
Do you engage in FRIENDRAISING by the letters?
What % of a development director or major gifts officer’s time should be spent on friendraising vs. fundraising?
3 Comments
100% is applied to friendraising and fundraising because the two really can't be separated. The engagement is intermixed. It depends on what relationship level with each individual that the officer is at to determine the percentage of time in a day devoted to relational discussion or discussions about funding.