Donor conversation

Top Strategies for Open Nonprofit Donor Conversations

Donor conversation

Every donor conversation should be co-creative.

 

A few years ago I enrolled in an intensive coaching course. It wasn’t designed just for aspiring professional coaches, but for anyone who wanted to bring a more thoughtful, empowering approach to everyday conversations.

What struck me most was how directly these lessons apply to fundraising — especially donor conversations.

At the heart of this approach are two qualities every fundraiser needs.

1. CURIOSITY

When you’re genuinely curious about another person you ask questions to draw them out.

And questions to help them get to the place they want to go; not where you think they should go.

Because what’s right for you is not always right for someone else. They’ll tell you what’s right – with you acting as their guide – but only if you’re interested enough to ask.

It happens some questions are better than others if you want to get to the core of the matter at hand. We’ll get to those in a moment.

2. LISTENING

There’s a better way to have dynamic, effective conversations than jumping in prematurely with your own opinion.

I’ve always known this, but it turns out there’s more to it than adopting the old adage: “You have two ears and one mouth; use them in that proportion.”

Because it’s how you approach the listening that matters.

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Three San Francisco Hearts Even From Far-Away I Love U. Ridhaan Desai. Earth Mother Heart.

Top Strategies to Leverage Your Small to Mid-Sized Nonprofit’s Secret Advantages

As explored in my recent article, small to mid-sized organizations are uniquely capable of creating a sense of community, even family. This is what people yearn for. And it gives you a secret advantage when it comes to nurturing the relationships essential to developing and sustaining a strong mid-level and major gifts program. You’re never…

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roaring lion

Want to Win at Major Gift Fundraising? Top 7 Proven Strategies to Success.

roaring lion

7 secrets to a rip roaring major gifts program

Every nonprofit should have a major gifts program.

That’s where the lion’s share of the money is.

It’s a rare organization that has a mailing list large enough to raise a million dollars from a million different $1 donors. But most nonprofits do have major donor prospects hiding in plain sight.

It’s up to you to find them; then move them along a cultivation path that prepares them – and you – to make an ask that results in a win/win values-based exchange.

Let’s review 7 secrets that will guarantee your major gifts program is a success, whatever your size.

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Hands giving and receiving gift

Are the Rich Motivated to Give Differently?

Hands giving and receiving giftNot as much as you might think.

Yet people tell me all the time how much they’re afraid to ask wealthy people for major gifts. If you share those fears, it’s time for a little “clairification:”

Contrary to what your gut may be telling you, NOT asking is not making would-be donors feel good. Quite the opposite, in fact.

In this article, I’ll let you in on:

>> Three major donor truths. I’ll cover why (1) you must stop short-changing your would-be major donors by not offering them opportunities to be the change they want to see in the world, and (2) you must stop robbing would-be major donors of chances to create social benefit and feel good about themselves.

>> The magical role of a true philanthropy facilitator. I’ll show you how to encourage people — who truly want to give — to act on their passions.

>> The power of emphasizing transformation. The real purpose of monetary donations is not the amount someone can give but the outcome it can create.

>> The connection between philanthropy and self-actualization. You may have heard some folks say philanthropists give out of “enlightened self-interest,” but it’s more than that. Most people give because, on a deep psychological level, it makes them feel they’ve found a reason why they were put on this earth.

>> Six major donor triggers. We’ll explore how you can make donors feel so good they’ll want to say “yes” — and passionately — to your solicitation.

BOTTOM LINE: When you don’t make donors feel good, they’ll go elsewhere.

So, first let’s review what may motivate wealthy people to give.

The Rich Are Just Like You and Me 

F. Scott Fitzgerald is famously supposed to have told Ernest Hemingway “the rich are different than you and I.” “Yes, Scott,” Hemingway supposedly retorted. “They have more money.”

It’s good to remember major donors are, first and foremost, just people.

They may have more money, yet many of them actually don’t even feel “wealthy” (just as many so-called seniors don’t feel “old.”)  In fact, a survey of 4,000 investors by UBS found 70% of people with investible assets of $1 million or more do NOT consider themselves “wealthy.”

What most donors have in common (no matter their net worth) is

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Big earred deer

4 Strategies to Listen so Others Will Talk

Big earred deer

The better to hear you with!

You have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion.

Ever hear that?

It’s the secret to building authentic, lasting relationships. Full stop.

Whether you’re dating, parenting, teaching, attending a conference or hosting a dinner party, the ability to be fully present – in listening mode – will impact so many things. For good or ill.

  • Whether people want to keep talking to you, or don’t.
  • Whether people feel relaxed and open, or anxious and stressed.
  • Whether people want to tear down walls, or build them up.
  • Whether you learn something, or don’t.
  • Whether you’re perceived as compassionate, understanding and helpful, or not.
  • Whether people like you, or don’t.

Donor loyalty and love are earned, and it begins with YOU listening.

If I had to boil down Penelope Burk’s two decades of groundbreaking research in donor-centered fundraising into one thing donors want, it would be this: SHOW ME YOU KNOW ME. There are lots of ways to do this, but we sometimes miss out on the most obvious one.

Become a Donor Coach

Your job – as fundraiser, nonprofit professional and philanthropy coach – is to help your donors see the way to greatness. Think of this as part and parcel of your job as a philanthropy facilitator. In donor coaching mode, you need to listen so you can find “coaching moments” – opportunities to motivate donors to engage with, and act on, their passions in a way that brings them meaning and joy.

“Coaching is a worldview that is driven by the intention to be of service to others.”

— Dianna Andersen, Cyliant

Your job is to guide folks over the river, through the woods, up the mountain and

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Major donor meeting, two women

Avoid these Key Obstacles to Successful Major Gift Asks

Major donor meeting, two womenIn Proven Strategies to Take Charge of Major Donor Asks we delved into the topic of major gift fundraising asks.Specifically, we covered (1) four elements of a successful visit and (2) four elements of a compelling offer. Feel free to refresh yourself before we move on.

Other Things You Need to Know about Asking

Now I want you to truly think about the offer from the recipient’s perspective.

As insiders, we often don’t stop to think about the outsider perspective. It’s just human nature to become so absorbed in a topic it starts to seem obvious. To us.

When crafting your compelling fundraising offer however, it’s important to stop and consider how it may be received. As noted in Part 1:

  1. If it’s too general or vague, it’s unlikely you’ll get the donor’s most passionate gift.
  2. If you offer something of little interest or relevance to the donor, they won’t give you their full attention.
  3. If the problem you describe is broad in scope, the idea of addressing it in any meaningful way may seem too daunting.

You can’t ask the donor to address your entire mission.

  • “Ending hunger” sounds awesome to you, but impossibly unrealistic to the donor.
  • “Curing cancer” sounds splendid to you, but too huge in scope to the donor.
  • “Eradicating poverty” sounds vital to you, but absolutely overwhelming to the donor.
  • “Becoming a world class symphony” sounds grand to you, but grandiose to the donor.
  • “Saving children” may be your priority today but, to the donor who’s supported seniors in the past, it’s not what the donor most cares about.

2 Vital Things to Keep in Mind Going into Asks

When crafting and making a major gift fundraising ask, make sure you incorporate the following into your planning:

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Donor visit, two women

Proven Strategies to Take Charge of Major Donor Asks

Donor visit, two womenBefore asking, begin by assuring you and your donor are on the same page.

The major donor journey is generally a long one. It’s important to craft a blueprint for the process and take time, along the way, to assure the journey is sparking joy and bringing energy — for you and your prospective donor. If you’ve never asked for a major gift, it can seem scary. Even if you’ve asked in the past, the process can still seem daunting.  This article is designed to help take the worry out of asking for a major gift. How? By putting it in context and framing it as an opportunity, not a burden.

As long as you’re providing value to the donor, you’re in a good place. Value can take many forms.

  • An opportunity to feel noticed and special.
  • An opportunity to offer feedback.
  • An opportunity to share wisdom.
  • An opportunity to learn new things.
  • An opportunity to get behind-the-scene information.
  • An opportunity to meet someone new.
  • An opportunity to create connection.
  • An opportunity for a fun and friendly chat
  • An opportunity to find meaning and purpose.

Lead with the value you provide and the benefit they’ll gain if they meet with you. The value you offer at any point in time depends on the donor and where you are in the process of wooing. Provided you’re generally (1) clear, (2) compelling, (3) courageous and (4) careful, you’ll surely succeed.

Let’s dig a little deeper into each of these important components.

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language of love alphabet

Nonprofit Gift Planning: Do You Use the Language of Love?

language of love alphabetWhat 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.

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 must learn the 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 about your organization’s enacted values is 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?

Planning is involved, both on your end and the donor’s.

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.

Let’s try an experiment.

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