Here’s a great piece of advice you can use year-round, but particularly at the end of the year when you make your final “clean up” calls to acquire and/or renew donors who’ve not yet given to you. And by “use,” I mean do the opposite of what they recommend. I came upon the advice in…
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… 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…
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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?
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BOO!
Halloween is creeping up on us, so I’ve got some really scary stuff for you!
Don’t get too spooked. There are also a few treats.
In fact, you’ll get eight delicious goodies — in the form of “to-do’s.”
But first… the bad news.
No bones about it, you’re frightening folks away if you’re committing any of these 8 boo-boo’s!
DetailsIt used to be so simple. You called donors over the phone, sent handwritten thank you notes, sometimes met with them in person. While you can reach people now thanks to a variety of digital channels, building an authentic, lasting relationship feels harder. There are several reasons why. CURRENT RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING CHALLENGES 1. The explosion…
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In Part 1 of this two-part series of “Top 10 Strategies to Prepare for Fall Fundraising” we covered.
Today we’ll look at:
Ready to get all your ducks in a row?
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You’ve got one month before fall fundraising season begins in earnest.
What will you do with it?
I’VE GOT 10 TOP STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU GET ALL YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW!
We’ll start with the first five today.
Next week we’ll look at:
Ready?
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What must you keep top of mind to have meaningful conversations with donors who (you hope!) may contemplate a gift to your organization?
I’ve given you a hint within my question.
One word: meaningful.
And for a conversation to be meaningful, you have to speak in a language that resonates with the other person.
And what is it that resonates more strongly than just about any other emotion?
LOVE.
To get folks to “YES” you need to learn the meaningful language of love and apply it to gift planning.
The word philanthropy literally means, from the Greek, the feeling of love (philos) towards humankind (anthropos).
It’s not just about HOW people give, but WHY.
What is it about your organization’s values, as enacted, that your donor is most passionate about? How can you, as a philanthropy facilitator, make it easy for the donor to meaningfully express their feelings and passions?
Passionate philanthropy is seldom a spur of the moment action.
No one just gets up one morning and decides to give away $10,000, $100,000 or $1 million.
Or let’s just stipulate it’s relatively rare.
Rather, would-be philanthropists consider how making a particular gift at a particular point in time may match their values and help them accomplish their objectives, personal and philanthropic.
Anyone who contemplates a major, or stretch, gift plans ahead.
For purposes of this gift planning article, let’s consider your audience to be prospective major (outright) and legacy (deferred) gift donors.
“Give me one moment in time.
When I’m more than I thought could be.
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away.
And the answers are all up to me.”
Ah, the lyrics remembered from a Whitney Houston song sung at the 1988 Olympics Opening Ceremonies. The Olympic torch. The parade of nations. The stories, stories and stories.
Chills run down my spine. The hairs stand straight on my neck. A lump comes to my throat.
Cheesy, I know. But it gets to me.
We all yearn for that one moment where we step outside our daily, mundane lives and exceed our wildest expectations.
When we’re bigger than ourselves.
And gold medal philanthropy facilitators.
The Olympics lifts us up. At its best, philanthropy does this as well.
It inspires us.
It engages us fully.
It’s as addictive as chocolate when done right.
In fact, MRI data show us when people even simply contemplate giving, the pleasure centers of their brain light up. The very same area of the brain that lights up when we eat chocolate! One might call this the “philanthropic high.”
And, unlike other addictions, this one is good for us!
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There’s a treasure trove of knowledge and research around major gift fundraising. What works well. What doesn’t work at all. What’s, at best, half-baked.
It’s not rocket science. But there’s definitely art, and some science, involved.
The gestalt way of thinking about the three secrets boils down to simply being:
(1) SMART,
(2) SYSTEMATIC and
(3) PASSIONATE.
But, I’m pretty pragmatic. So I’d like to give you something more practical.
If I had to pick the top three practical secrets to success, they would be the following:
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