In The Fundraising Story Is A Mirror, Not An Exhibit, Kevin Shulman of the Agitator-DonorVoice writes about how to tell a complete story. One that fully connects with donor emotion, and allows them to see, feel and enact their values. Rather than a narrative about the donor’s suffering, an effective story for fundraising purposes must…
I find a widespread misunderstanding about the notion of what constitutes being donor-centered. It derives from two misconceptions:
Both of these rationales short-change your would-be donors.
Why?
FIRST: Donors want to be asked because they’re starved for the love that comes from voluntary giving and receiving. Donors have love to give, but don’t always have an object towards which to direct their affection.
SECOND: Donors need to be asked because when they’re not, they don’t know how much you need their help. Consequently, giving feels a bit empty. Almost a bit like a crap shoot. Donors want to invest their money where they feel confident it will be most appreciated and will do the most good.
Let’s delve into both of these misconceptions more deeply, putting them into a donor-centered context.
In other words, what are your would-be donors feeling?
Donor-centered fundraising is not about money.Huh? If that first sentence has you scratching your head, it’s time to take a moment.
I know. You’re thinking this is just semantics. You’re thinking that, of course, fundraising is about money. You’re thinking we can pretend it’s about something else but, seriously, we need money to fulfill our missions. I know what you’re thinking.
I want you to stop thinking that way. Because it’s getting in the way of you raising more (ahem) money. So… close your eyes. Breathe. Clear your mind. Ready? Okay… now…
I find a widespread misunderstanding about the notion of what constitutes being donor-centered. It derives from two misconceptions:
Both of these rationales short-change your would-be donors.
Why?
FIRST: Donors want to be asked because they’re starved for the love that comes from voluntary giving and receiving. Donors have love to give, but don’t always have an object towards which to direct their affection.
SECOND: Donors need to be asked because when they’re not, they don’t know how much you need their help. Consequently, giving feels a bit empty. Almost a bit like a crap shoot. Donors want to invest their money where they feel confident it will be most appreciated and will do the most good.
Let’s delve into both of these misconceptions more deeply, putting them into a donor-centered context.
In other words, what are your would-be donors feeling?
Donors are always a bit nervous about their investment in your nonprofit. More than anything, they want to know what their hard-earned money is accomplishing!
Bloomerang found that 8% of donors failed to renew their giving specifically because they weren’t sure what their gifts accomplished.
THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN!
If you want more gifts, you must give them.
And in this article we’ll look at why stories can be the perfect donor gift!
For a lot of nonprofit insiders, this is a paradigm shift. Think about it. I’m asking you to go from focusing on asking to focusing on giving.
Another way to consider this is to shift from focusing on selling to focusing on helping.
Donor-centered fundraising is not about money.Huh? If that first sentence has you scratching your head, it’s time to take a moment.
I know. You’re thinking this is just semantics. You’re thinking that, of course, fundraising is about money. You’re thinking we can pretend it’s about something else but, seriously, we need money to fulfill our missions. I know what you’re thinking.
I want you to stop thinking that way. Because it’s getting in the way of you raising more (ahem) money. So… close your eyes. Breathe. Clear your mind. Ready? Okay… now…
What’s really at the heart of the matter? Donor-centered fundraising is not about money. Huh? If that first sentence has you scratching your head, it’s time to take a moment. I know. You’re thinking this is just semantics. You’re thinking that, of course, fundraising is about money. You’re thinking we can pretend it’s about something…
Nonprofits put enormous time and care into donor communications. Yet too often, appeals, es, newsletters, websites, and event promotions fail to generate the response organizations hope for. Why? Usually. it’s not because the mission isn’t compelling. It’s because the communication isn’t connecting quickly or emotionally enough. Today’s donors are overloaded with information and constantly distracted.…
Have you ever made a phone call hoping to talk with someone, but instead reached voice mail?
Of course you have!
Does that mean you don’t ever make phone calls?
Of course not!
What do you do?
You leave a message and ask the person to call, email or text you back.
Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.
But at least they know you reached out to them. If they want to connect with you, they now have an invitation to do so. And if they know you, and like you, they’re very likely to return your call.
Donors know you. They like you. Otherwise they wouldn’t have made a gift to you.
So why are you, or your board members, so afraid to pick up the phone to thank them?
All the time nonprofits tell me “Asking our board members to make thank you calls won’t work, because people screen their calls these days; they won’t pick up.”
Sometimes they will, sometimes they won’t.
Either way, you’ll have accomplished something important merely by proactively reaching out.
Stop worrying about how your donors will or won’t behave. Instead, worry about how you’re behaving. Or not.
Don’t donors deserve thank you calls?
Of course they do!
Penelope Burk, author of Donor-Centered Fundraising, found 91% of donors said this is their number one preferred method of recognition.
Think about the last time you contributed to a friend or family member’s peer-to-peer campaign. Maybe you sponsored their walkathon. Or contributed to their birthday fund. Whatever the purpose, you donated because you’re their friend — not necessarily because you have a close connection to the organization they were raising funds for. As you can…
Let’s pretend you and your donor are not connecting meaningfully right now. You’re not sure why. Could it be they feel financially insecure… they’re worried for their kids… they’ve been let down by politicians… they’re just feeling cynical and/or hopeless? For whatever reason, things aren’t singing between you and them. They haven’t renewed. They haven’t upgraded. They haven’t responded to any of your outreach. They seem to have other priorities.
So, you decide to go to counseling to reinvigorate the relationship. The therapist makes a wise observation: Sometimes in life, one partner feels strong; the other less strong. In such times, the stronger partner has resources to support the weaker partner. Other times, neither partner feels they have coping resources. During these times, we have to depend more on ourselves, be patient, and accept that our partner is not currently in a strong position – even though we really need their support.
Are you being a support for your donor? Are you helping, not selling all the time? Are you being patient, yet persistently showing you care?
We’re in turbulent times.. Alas, as need is burgeoning there are fewer individual givers. During the pandemic, some industries, like education, began losing support. As did many smaller charities not involved in addressing hot-button topics. And prior to the pandemic studies showed giving to be sluggish. Donors are less loyal. Donors may be distracted by emergencies. Or so-called rage giving. Or simply uncertainty about what lies ahead. So they’re giving less consistently. As a result, donor centered fundraising has never been as important as it is now.
People are feeling a need to be nurtured. In other words: Ask not what your donors can do for you, but what you can do for your donors. Recognize they don’t serve you; you serve them. They don’t owe you; you owe them. Your job is to help them experience the joy of giving. It is through you they will achieve their most meaningful work.
Embrace the true meaning of philanthropy as love of humankind. Remember your donors are humankind; you must love them if you want to be a part of philanthropy. Otherwise, you’re just transacting business.
So… what can you do to embrace love — 360 degrees — and thereby open the doors to passionate philanthropy?
Here comes my occasional “Do’s vs. Don’ts” feature, where I with you something arriving in my box that seems a good ‘teaching opportunity.’ Today we’re going to review a last-day-of-the-campaign on appeal strategy. It arrived as an e. There’s (1) a sender’s address, (2) subject , (3) preview pane, and (4) the e itself.…
I’m a huge fan of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and I often apply their research to nonprofit fundraising and marketing. This article there, How to Find Your Purpose in Life, really struck me. It affirmed something I’ve learned over than 30 years as an in-house development professional: You serve your…
Fundraisers talk a lot about asking. Now, as year-end gifts arrive, let’s turn to the equally important task of thanking. In fact, this may be even important than the ask. If you ask well you get one gift. If you thank well, you may receive a lifetime of gifts. Alas, this is where too…
I’ve written about this before. But since I continue to get questions, I’m writing about it again. Fundraisers wonder about the upsides and downsides in asking donors to cover credit card and other gift transaction fees. Hmmn… First, let me be upfront in letting you know my gut emotional response to doing this is “no.”…
You likely collect a lot of data in your donor database, but is it really valuable to you? It’s not if you just let it sit there, rarely lo at it, and never run reports based on data that will help you with meaningful donor segmentation for appeals. And by that, I mean meaningful from…
Fundraising is too often seen, at best, as a ‘necessary evil.’
When viewed this way, folks – staff and volunteers alike – understandably prefer not to touch it with a 10-foot pole. Who wants to place themselves on the side of ‘evil?’
Yipes stripes!
But that’s not what fundraising is at all.
The tagline for my business, Clairification, is “philanthropy, not fundraising.” I often talk to folks about how the word philanthropy comes from the Greek and translates into “love of humankind.” Nothing evil about that!
In fact, if you ask folks to throw out the first word that comes to mind when you say ‘fundraising,’ and then ask them to do the same when you say ‘philanthropy,’ you’ll see it breaks down pretty neatly between good and evil.
If you’re coming at fundraising from the perspective of ‘necessary evil’ or ‘no pain, no gain,’ you’re never going to be effective. Especially when it comes to asking individuals, one-to-one, for passionate gifts.
As long as you hate it, donors will be able to tell you hate it.
I call this wallowing in the pain. Never a good approach. Distaste for asking begets distaste for giving. It’s done grudgingly, not passionately.
When donors can sense you’d rather be doing anything else than asking them for a gift, guess what happens? They follow your lead! In other words, they feel they’d rather be doing anything else than being asked (or making) a gift. Because you’re reducing everything to a monetary transaction.
What if you reframed fundraising so it’s seen as a really, truly good thing.
I like to reframe it thusly:
If you’re fortunate enough to be a successful nonprofit, this means you’re helping solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
EIght years ago,Tom Belford of The Agitator penned a post entitled “Donor Retention … Why Is It So Hard?”
At the time I thought: Great question!
Alas, things haven’t improved. It’s still hard.
Why, oh why, oh why?!?!
I’d like to explore this a bit, and I hope you’ll join me.
First, are you finding it difficult?
If so, why do you think that’s the case?
If not, and you’re being successful getting repeat gifts,
Here comes my occasional “Do’s vs. Don’ts” feature, where I with you something arriving in my box that seems a good ‘teaching opportunity.’ Today we’re going to review an on renewal appeal strategy. It arrived as an e. There’s (1) a subject , (2) a preview pane, (3) the e itself, and (4) what…
What makes an effective major donor solicitation?
I could just say (1) prepare, (2) prepare, (3) prepare, (4) prepare, (5) prepare, and (6) prepare.
Did I mention that you really need to prepare?
Preparation is the meta-message of Shark Tank’s “Mr. Wonderful,” Kevin O’Leary, to would-be entrepreneurs seeking to get spots – and funding – on the television show.
In “How to Present the Perfect Pitch: From the Shark Tank to the Boardroom” he offers 10 strategies to help you ace a fundraising presentation.
Whether you’re seeking venture capital or a philanthropic gift, many of the principles are the same.
I’ve selected six strategies I find perfectly aligned with what it takes to make a successful nonprofit ask. I’ve also suggested eight specific action tips. Take them to heart, and you’re sure to make your next in-person fundraising presentation a winner.
Oh, and there’s one more important thing, says O’Leary:
“The number-one rule is to make your pitch incredibly dynamic.”
Let’s do it!
Think AI is cold, complicated, or not for fundraisers? Think again. I’ve experimented myself. Asking ChatGPT to draft an e. Or an out. Or a draft for a proposal. At first, I was unimpressed. The content was a bit generic, and often redundant. Citations were sometimes incorrect. The logic was questionable. And, of course, the…
Before you write a single word of your annual fundraising appeal, pause.
Take a deep breath.
And think about the person who will open your letter or email.
They’re not just a “donor.” They’re a person with hopes, fears, dreams and values.
When you think in this broader context, it’s clear your appeal is more than a request for money. It’s a chance to build a bridge between your donor’s values and yours. To spark hope. To remind someone of the good they can do—through you.
Too often, well-meaning appeals are ignored—not because the cause isn’t worthy, but because the message misses the mark. Maybe it’s too vague. Too organizationally focused. Or simply doesn’t make the donor feel like they matter.
That’s where this 8-step self-test comes in.
These first four steps are designed to help you lay a strong foundation before you write. They’ll keep your message clear, focused, and deeply donor-centered—so your appeal doesn’t just get read, but truly felt.
Let’s dive in.
We’ll review the final 4 steps in Part 2.
“The most beautiful thing in the world is you.”
— Alvin Ailey, choreographer and dancer, (1931-1989)
Not to yourself, program staff. or your board of directors. You’re writing to ONE donor. It’s about their ego, not yours. Their needs, not yours.
Take a good hard look at your letter. How often do you use “I,” “my,” “our,” “we,” or the name of your organization vs. “you” and “your?”
Fix this! Here’s a “you test” you can use from Bloomerang.
In a world speeding toward automation, authentic human relationships are becoming a rare — and priceless — asset. Imagine you’re on a third date with someone you really like. You’ve taken them to your favorite restaurant — the one you take your mom to when she’s in town. But instead of Louis, the sommelier who…
Eight years ago, I wrote an article asking, “Why Aren’t You Doing More On Fundraising?” It felt urgent at the time. Loing back, it was downright gentle. Today, the question isn’t whether your nonprofit should be fundraising on. It’s whether you’re doing it well enough — and fast enough — to keep up with how…
Full confession: I’ve used the franken “best practice” appeal structure for years. And honestly? It works — especially if you borrow generously from the best of the best appeal writers. I’ve even taught these practices at conferences, on webinars, and through consulting engagements.
You probably know the formula:
Lead with the beginnings of a story illustrating your mission.
Introduce a compelling need or problem.
Offer a specific, credible solution.
Ask.
Provide more context about the need.
Share more details about the solution.
Ask again.
Suggest a hopeful conclusion — one the donor can help create.
This structure isn’t wrong.
It’s a well-intentioned attempt to do all the right things.
But over time, something gets lost. It becomes less of a cohesive narrative and more of a checklist — a stitched-together collection of tactics. And like any Frankenstein’s monster, it can start to look and feel… unnatural.
Here’s the truth: I know better now.
Assuming people don’t want to be asked to make a philanthropic gift is one of the biggest misconceptions of what constitutes being donor-centered.
Or even kind, thoughtful and respectful.
Alas, when you spend all your time on cultivation, assuming folks don’t need a direct ask and will simply give spontaneously as a result of being passively asked, or even outright wooed, everyone loses.
Why?
FIRST: Donors want to be asked because they’re starved for the love that comes from voluntary giving and receiving.
Donors have love to give, but don’t always have an object towards which to direct their affection.
SECOND: Donors need to be asked because when they’re not, they don’t know how much you need their help.
Consequently, giving feels a bit like a crap shoot. Empty, not meaningful. Donors want you to honestly tell them when and how and how much to give, so investing their money fills them with confidence it will be appreciated and do the most good.
Don’t make donors guess whether you truly find them worthy of loving you.
One of my favorite songs is from the Jefferson Airplane:
When the truth is found to be lies
And all the joy within you dies
Don’t you want somebody to love
Don’t you need somebody to love
Wouldn’t you love somebody to love
You better find somebody to love
What are you, and all these people, doing with the gift of life?
Sure, everyone is busy, busy, busy.
But is all that busy-ness making folks happy?
Are people stopping to really think about what makes their lives meaningful?
Sometimes, yes.
Often, not so much.
You can help would-be donors stop and smell (and enjoy) the roses, so to speak.
The results are in, and the news is generally bleak. The 2024 Fundraising Effectiveness Project Report* shows downward trends in numbers of donors (down 4.5%), and retention (down 2.6%). First-time donor retention is at its lowest-ever recorded rate. Less than one in five new donors (acquired in 2023) gave again. New donors accounted for 40%…
13 happens to be my lucky number. I want it to be lucky for you too.
Today, I’m going to reveal to you how you can make this happen.
A survey of wills reported on by the Chronicle of Philanthropy revealed the average bequest by everyday donors is $78,630. The survey is a few years old, but as a working average this will suffice. Some people will leave less; some people will leave more.
The point revealed by this survey is you only need about 13 donors (give or take a few) making a provision for your organization in their will to reap $1+ million.
If a major gift for your organization is $1000 (or even 5000 or 10,000), I imagine this sounds off the charts to you. Guess what?
Legacy giving is off the charts!
In fact, bequest marketing produces the highest ROI (return on investment) of any fundraising activity. And a highlight of the 2023 Giving USA Report is that charitable bequests, at $43 billion, were up 4.8% over the previous year and are the only source that exceeded the rate of inflation. Bequests make up a sizeable piece of the contributed income pie, representing around 8-10% of total giving over the last 40 years.
The first step to making this happen for your organization is to encourage bequests.
Actively.
If you don’t actively encourage charitable bequests, people are unlikely to make them.
Why? There are three primary reasons:
How will you connect with donors in a manner that deepens their connection with you? How will you match their passions and values to the passions and values you enact?
You can’t — unless you explicitly ask donors for their feedback.
You do this with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors, don’t you? “What do you think?” “Which color looks better?” “Paper or plastic?” “Italian or Thai?”
Guessing about what floats your donor’s boat is as bad as guessing whether your family prefers Italian or Thai food for dinner. It’s a recipe for disaster. Or at least for satisfying exactly no one.
There’s a better way.
I get lots of questions about what to include in donor surveys. But that’s the wrong place to begin.
You can’t bring top value to your donor survey unless you’re specific about what value you want to receive and deliver. The great thing about donor surveys is they’re a genuine “twofer.”
This is, after all, at the heart of all successful fundraising and marketing. The donor gives something of value (usually time and/or money) and you return something of value (usually an intangible “feel good;” a sense of meaning, purpose and connection). Donors are focused on value; you need to focus there too. But it’s tricky to do this unles you endeavor to get inside your donor’s head and find out how their values match those your organization enacts.
If you’ve had “do a survey” on your back burner for a while, now’s the time to move it to the forefront and give it a closer and more purposeful look. Ask the “Why are we doing this?” question. What pieces of your particular donor puzzle are you looking to uncover? Begin with asking: How will I know this survey was successful?
Often, so-called best practices are merely myths, beliefs or habits. “That’s how we’ve always done it” is not a reason to continue a practice that’s not evidence-based. In the Middle Ages, bloodletting was the go-to medical cure. Sometimes people got better, but that may have been in spite of the strategy rather than a causal…
Too often, fundraising is relegated to an administrative function rather than a mission-central function.
It’s viewed as a ‘necessary evil.’ As a result, either no one embraces it as central to their job description, or someone is hired and shunted off to a corner to do the ‘dirty work.’
Others don’t necessarily feel a need to cooperate or support the fundraising effort.
It’s ancillary, not primary. A cost center, not a revenue center. In fact, I’ll often hear executive directors or board members tell me, with some pride and a soupçon of defensiveness: “We can’t spend money on development staff right now; anything extra we have must go into the mission!”
As if fundraising doesn’t support the mission?
Seriously, that’s the entire purpose of what nonprofits call ‘development’ (aka fundraising and marketing). It derives its purpose from ends served. It’s never an end in itself. What this so-called ‘mission first’ logic fails to acknowledge is everyone associated with your nonprofit is guided by a ‘mission first’ philosophy and has a collective stake in your nonprofit’s survival. And for most nonprofits, survival – or at least some level of mutually desired success – depends on philanthropy.
It takes a dedicated village to generate sustainable, meaningful philanthropy.
When fundraising is treated as an afterthought, relegated to the development committee, or delegated to a single staff member, it disenfranchises a huge segment of folks who care about sustaining the cause. This means you’ll leave money on the table and fail to realize your mission potential.
I’ve found four ways nonprofits don’t wholeheartedly commit to fundraising. They all have to do with typical priorities that aren’t standing them in good stead.
There’s a lot about fundraising folks take for granted. And not in a good way. Because… much of it is untrue!
In fact, if you, your executive director, your board members or anyone else where you work subscribes to these fictions you’ll be in for a lot of pain and suffering. You won’t raise near the money you could otherwise raise. And you won’t enjoy your work.
But there’s a fix!
In the past I’ve written about certain self-evident fundraising truths. Truths you want to hold close to become a fruitful philanthropy facilitator. The problem? These tenets I call truths are too often not apparent at all.
Why?
A disinformation campaign is unconsciously being waged by leaders who:
Oh, dear. Guess what?
Like anything else worth doing, fundraising must be done well to succeed.
You get out of it what you put into it. That’s the unvarnished truth — the truth that shall set you free!
Sadly, if you believe any of the following untruths, your fundraising program is in jeopardy. And so is your mission. Let’s break these down.
The major gift journey is a synergistic one. You see, it’s both your journey and your donor’s journey.
If you want to follow along the most direct pathway to sustainable philanthropy, you’ll want to consider the two-fold nature of the expeditious endeavor known as major gift fundraising. Or, as I prefer to call it, passionate philanthropy.
First understand the pathway to passionate philanthropy is not just about the money; it’s every bit as much about the experience.
If you do your job as guide well, they’ll find meaning, purpose and happiness being engaged with you.
That’s right! It’s both (1) a business, and (2) a donor journey toward joy. You’ve got to treat it like a business if you want to make money. That means clarifying goals, setting specific objectives, planning strategies and tactics, and holding yourself accountable. Otherwise you’re just occasionally taking folks along for a stroll, without being thoughtful about what’s in it for both of you. And if you haven’t concretized what the benefits are, it’s hard to deliver on them!
Let’s take a look at the 6 steps you must take to build and sustain a winning major gifts program.
Today I want to talk about the heart of successful major gift fundraising.
It’s about reframing what you may think of as a “pitch” into what your donor would like to consider a “promise.”
A monologue you deliver about everything you know about your organization. Usually it’s about how great it is, how pressing the need is, how you know the donor cares about your mission… and, then, you drop a bomb into your donor’s lap with a big-ass ask they didn’t quite anticipate. This often leaves them feeling they didn’t get a chance to get a word in edgewise and/or they’ll be a ‘bad’ person if they don’t respond as you suggest.
The donor promises to make a gift to accomplish something near and dear to their heart; you promise to put that gift to work effectively. You fulfill on that promise through prompt acknowledgement and by reporting back to the donor on specifically what their philanthropy accomplished.
For donors to give at their most passionate level, and to stick with you over time, they have to:
If people gave because they felt coerced or guilted by your perceived sales pitch, they aren’t likely to want to do this again. Promises, and fulfillment of promises, build relationships. When you make giving transactional, you fail to build a relationship. Ultimately, these donors will evaporate.
Which brings us to the heart of effective, two-way, donor-centered major gift fundraising.
Everyone’s been saying this, just about daily, for some time.
“These aren’t ordinary times.”
If the anthem for the Boomer generation was Bob Dylan’s “The TImes They Are A’Changin’,” what’s the anthem for today? History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. We’re living in the face of a firehose of breaking news, and much of it is difficult to digest. Let alone know how to face, handle and get through it with safety and sanity intact.
We can retreat, live in limbo or figure out a way to navigate through this reality and find opportunities to do our work in new and better ways.
It’s a difficult assignment, because it’s not easy to know where to begin.
As social benefit organizations, we want to come from a human-centered, community-centered place, but… what exactly might that be in this extraordinary time?
I think it’s humanity and trust.
Usually we have to guess at what will feel relevant to our supporters. Today, we pretty much know. Because we hear it all the time. On the news. On social media. When we zoom with colleagues. When we talk to our friends.
Social benefit organizations have a secret advantage.
Survival in the civil sector is based on the philanthropic exchange, and ‘philanthropy’ means ‘love of humanity’. Yet sometimes it seems all we see and hear is hatred of humanity. Us/Them. Left/Right. Red/Blue. Young/Old. Good/Evil. Insiders/Outsiders. I could go on…
There’s a better way. When you infuse your nonprofit work with humanity, you’ll reach trust.
This relates to one of Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence and persuasion: “commitment and consistency.”
The main point is this:
Because we are wired to want to be consistent.
That to which we commit, especially publicly, becomes congruent with our self image.
What does this mean for you as a fundraiser?
… if you do nothing proactive to make them want to stay. You’re working hard to bring in as many donations as possible this year. And you’re being successful. Yay you! But, wait. There’s an “uh oh” looming around the corner. Today we’re going to take a lo at why many of your donors may…
The biggest fundraising time of the year for most nonprofits inexorably approaches.
It can be stressful.
Don’t succumb to the stress. You’ve got this!
Perhaps you can’t do everything you’d like to do this year, but you can do some things.
Some you can do on your own.
Some will require support from technical and/or marketing staff.
Don’t become discouraged thinking you don’t have the time. Sometimes you don’t have time not to do these things.
None of these suggestions are big time consumers standing alone. They’re each little tweaks. Because often it’s the little things that count. That pack a surprising wallop.
So don’t save all your energy for writing your appeal. Help your appeal along by putting some of the dozen suggestions that follow into effect.
Even just one or two will make a difference.
Let’s get started…
I’m a huge fan of the Greater Good Science Center at U.C. Berkeley, and often apply their research to nonprofit fundraising and marketing. This particular article really strikes me today, because it talks about times when we feel isolated from others: How to Find Your Purpose in Life.
Over my 30 years of practice as an in-house development professional, I’ve encountered a lot of people feeling isolated. It’s one of the reasons they reach out to social benefit organizations, because they crave community and purpose. Depending on what’s going on in the broader world around us, this feeling can be more or less at the forefront of people’s experience. When this feeling creeps in, this is a time for you to rededicate yourself to your fundamental role as a philanthropy facilitator. Or, as my mentor (and who some call the “father of fundraising)” Hank Rosso said: your role in “the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.”
Here’s what it boils down to:
You serve your donors every bit as much as they serve your organization’s mission.
Please allow that to sink in.
You have a mission and purpose. Donors can help you get there.
Your donors are looking for purpose. You can help them find it.
It’s a symbiotic relationship. And you have a role in fostering that relationship. What is that role?
Your job is to facilitate your donor’s philanthropic journey. Their journey to discover their purpose.
So what’s this really all about?
People are unpredictable sometimes. They’re also predictable.
If you see someone yawn, you’re likely to yawn too.
If I tell you seats are limited, you’re likely to purchase a ticket now rather than later.
What if you knew getting people to donate to your nonprofit could be a predictable consequence of something you did?
It turns out you can encourage people to act in desirable ways, simply by applying a few lessons learned from neuroscience, psychology and behavioral economics. The truth is scientists have learned quite a lot over the past few decades. It’s up to us to put that learning to good use!
Alas, as Daniel Pink, author of To Sell Is Human, has noted: “There’s a gap between what science knows and what business does.” This applies to social sector businesses too!
That’s right. Pink explains the most successful for-profit businesses use what science knows to “convert leads to customers.” The secret to more sales is knowing what the customer wants. Your non-profit might convert prospects into donors, and donors into repeat donors, using the very same principle.
The secret to closing more gifts is knowing what the donor wants.
Today I’d like to consider five specific strategies that will help you ethically take advantage of some of the psychology underlying human behavior. Once you understand these principles, you can begin to strategically apply them to your integrated development (marketing and fundraising) strategy. If you’re nervous about this, you can test what you did before against a new strategy informed by science. Break your mailing list randomly in half, send an “A” and a “B” version of your appeal, and see which performs best.
Ready for 5 science-informed strategies?
Major gifts begin with “Getting to Know You.” If you want to be a successful major gift fundraiser, stop worrying so much about the ask and think about securing the “getting to know you” visit. If you can get a visit with a donor, you have an 85% chance they’ll make the gift. Who…
It’s back-to-school and prime fundraising season.
In fact, the end of the year will be here before you know it!
Working on your fall campaign and year-end appeal?
Wish you had a way to prioritize the stuff that really matters?
Around this time of year, it’s common for me to hear one or more of the following — not just from newbies to the profession, but also from seasoned pros:
Everything I learned about saying “thank you” I learned from:
According to Burk’s research from Donor-Centered Fundraising, more than 80% of thank you letters start with “Thank you for your generous gift of…” or “On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you for your generous gift of…”
Giving is an emotional experience. It deserves an emotional response.
Be human.
Ever notice how sometimes when we put on our work hats we cease to be human? How we somehow morph into little robotic “professionals” and become enamored of jargon?
“Lybnts.” “Sybnts.” “Recaptures.”
Not that those things aren’t important. You need goals and objectives.
And given the dreadful state of donor retention in the U.S. today (and in the U.K and Canada as well), it’s vital you be able to measure how you’re doing. Because growth in giving is a factor not just of how many new donors and dollars you acquire, but also of how many donors and dollars you lose.
If you lose as many current donors as you gain new ones, you’re getting nowhere. Fast.
Slow down.
Think about what you’re doing and why. You may need to change your frame of mind.
When you acquire a new donor, is it for that one-time transaction? If so, that’s not a very thoughtful strategy, because it costs more money than you make to acquire new donors. In fact, you likely won’t make back your investment for 18 months or so. You won’t make it back at all if you don’t renew that donor.
Nonprofits, sadly, have been on a non-stop treadmill. Donors in. Donors out. Donors in. Donors out. So… something about just measuring this stuff isn’t really working.
In Part 1 we looked at establishing event goals and objectives; then determining if an event was the most efficient and effective way to achieve desired outcomes. In Part 2 we reviewed 4 top event planning tips. In this last article of a three-part series on event planning we’ll look specifically at how to make the event “stick” emotionally.
1. Overall, we’ve recognized most events are less about actual monetary return on investment (ROI) than they are about return on engagement (ROE). In other words, if you’re doing an event purely to raise money there are other more cost-effective fundraising strategies.
2. However, events done right are an excellent awareness-raising, branding and donor cultivation tool. You just have to go into events fully cognizant of what success will look like, both from your organization’s and your donor’s perspectives. Only armed with this understanding can you create events that will be worth your while.
3. Today we look at ways to make events – once you’ve decided to hold them – fulfill both your and your donors’ dreams. This is where you deliver on becoming unforgettable — in a truly great way — so the next time you reach out you are warmly embraced. In other words, this is the first step to getting event attendees to stick with you over time.
In my last article (Part 1 of a three-part event planning series) I offered a compendium of common sense event planning advice. It centered on the wisdom offered to Alice by the Cheshire Cat when she asked which road she should take:
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.— Alice in Wonderland
When it comes to special events, your goal is important.
Once you settle on a direction, then you’re able to pick the best road to take you there.
Hopefully you read the previous article, determined an event was your best strategic option to reach your primary end goal, and now you’re ready to get to work!
This means your invitation to the event should incorporate the following:
In Part 1 I laid out why philanthropy inspires, and fundraising tires.
Fundraising must be done, of course, but there’s something about how it’s too often practiced that turns too many people off.
It’s the “fund” part of the word. This makes people think it’s all about money, when really it’s all about valued outcomes.
These valued outcomes are shared by many who care about the cause.
All these folks have a collective stake in the love and mission-focused organization’s survival.
Because all of them are dedicated to making the world, or some small corner of it, a better place.
When fundraising is delegated to the development committee, or the development director, it disenfranchises a huge segment of folks who care about sustaining the cause — both internally and externally.
Similarly, when donors are competed over, donors are disenfranchised. This may take the form of non-cooperation or even outright war between those who should be facilitating philanthropy.
Philanthropy is a mindset. An embracing culture. A noble value.
Fundraising is a means towards that end. Servant to philanthropy.
Philanthropy, not fundraising.
This has been the tagline for my business and blog since I began Clairification in 2011. It grew naturally out of my experiences working as a frontline development director for 30 years. I’ve always insisted that no single person could possibly receive credit for a donation. “Donors don’t give because of development staff,” I’d tell program staff. “They give because of the great work you do!”
Sustainable fundraising takes a village.
In fact, in my practice I went so far as to develop a point system for major gifts moves management (you can learn about it here) that ascribed many more points for a donor meeting with a program director than one with a development staffer. I wanted to show program staff how much they counted!
Everyone counts.
This is exactly the premise of the groudbreaking report commissioned in 2016 by the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, “Beyond Fundraising: What Does it Mean to Build a Culture of Philanthropy?.” It was one of three reports centering on confronting chronic fundraising challenges, and showcased the paramount importance of building an organization-wide philanthropy culture as a paradigm for the 21st century. When the report came out, here’s what I said:
It costs to acquire a new donor than retain a current one. A lot . In fact, research shows it takes 7 – 12% effort, time and money to bring in a new donor than to raise from a current donor. Please, please, please… let this sink in. The for-profit world understands…
Ever have a well-meaning, yet perhaps overly controlling or risk-aversive, boss say to you:
Our fundraising letter must be no longer than one page.
That’s too simple; we don’t want to talk down to our donors.
We need to say more about our accomplishments.
We need to describe numbers of people served; that’s what’s impressive.
That’s not how I talk.
That’s not our corporate style.
That’s not how we do things.
That’s not what our donors are used to.
That’s not proper grammar.
That’s too gushy and effusive.
I want happy, not sad, photos.
Asking the reader to “please give generously” is sufficient; no need to name an amount.
Asking once is enough.
The development director should sign the letter.
Signatures from both the E.D. and board president will be more persuasive.
We don’t need a P.S.
Alas, these are common fundraising appeal fallacies that will cost you money. Money donors might have given to you, if you’d only understood some fundamental fundraising truths.
I was reminded of some of these truths in a post from Jeff Brooks. He spoke of true pearls of wisdom gleaned from his fundraising mentor, the pioneering direct mail writer Bob Screen. We’ve lost Bob and several fundraising giants in recent years, including Simone Joyaux and John Haydon, but we should never lose sight of the wisdom they imparted. It’s the best way to assure their memories live on and their good works continue.
I did not know Bob, but I’m sure I learned from him without realizing it. Because the good stuff gets passed around. Why? Because it works.
And it takes someone with experience to not just demonstrate it works, but to forcefully maintain the necessity of adhering to tested principles, facts and truth. Even – especially – in the face of doubters (e.g. executive directors; board presidents) who would seriously derail your fundraising efforts. With all good intention, of course.
Never forget this is why you were hired. No one is an expert at everything. And chances are fundraising writing is not your leadership’s key area of proficiency. It’s your job to know what works, and what doesn’t.