You can’t ask someone else to passionately support your organization until you’ve personally connected with your own passion for its work. To preach religion, you must first get religion. That’s the starting point for effective board fundraising — particularly when it comes to major and planned gifts. Board members are most credible as fundraisers when…
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What makes us think a perfect stranger, who’s never given to our organization before, will choose to do so? It’s highly counter intuitive.
Success in major gift fundraising relies on making donor prospects an offer they can’t refuse. What’s a donor offer, you wonder? It’s what a donor receives in return for their anticipated gift. The donor actually “buys” something you present to them. And it is this “product” — or donor offer — that you, as a…
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I often read Maria Popova’s newsletter The Marginalian, and recently happened upon a piece on Marianne Moore on the Three Elements of Persuasive Writing. Moore, a Pulitzer Prize and National Bo Award winner, had set down her views on writing in a series of essays. Being a connoisseur of the art of creating persuasive fundraising…
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In a recent post I clairified why you must Make ‘Do Unto Others’ Your Nonprofit’s Golden Rule. Stop asking what your donors can do for you. Ask what you can do for your donors. Because donors have needs too! In fact, donors have needs no one can satisfy but you. If you can learn …
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It’s time to bring a bit of clairity to your nonprofit culture. Is it an empathic one? Or an indifferent one? Is it a giving one? Or a greedy one? If you want gifts you must give them “Do unto your donors as you would have them do unto you. “ There must be a…
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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.
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.
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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Not 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.
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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“I’m not selling you any tea today” was the subject of an e I recently received from Teabox, a place where I buy the most fabulous Darjeeling tea you’ve encountered anywhere. Well, some time during the past year they apparently hired a new “Head of Customer Experience.” Since then, I’ve received es from…
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Before 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.
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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