When I see a hundred dollar bill something happens to me.  I know it’s all in my head, but it has energy.  It grabs me. Money is a powerful force. We’ve all felt its pull.
The reason money is so powerful is because it represents our hard work and all the emotional investment we put into our jobs. Having money gives us options, power, security, and pleasure. It boosts our self-esteem and makes others respect us, or so we think.
Anything that powerful carries a lot of potential danger. Unchecked, the influence of money can grow until it strangles a person’s heart.
The fun thing about working in major gifts is that you have an opportunity to loosen money’s hold on people by encouraging them to give it away. When people give their money away, they short-circuit its negative influence.  As a major gift fundraiser, you perform a powerful and unique service to donors!
That is why Jeff and I keep saying that three very important things happen when a person gives money away:

  1. The organization receives help.
  2. The person or cause in need is taken care of.
  3. And the donor finds fulfillment and joy.

So, it is obvious, and widely understood, that the organization and the cause it represents gets funding.  But what is not talked about is what happens to the donor.
When the donor gives, it adds a powerful dimension of significance to the giver’s work. Your donors share your values and want to participate in your work. But they may lack the training, the talent, or even the calling it takes.
When they give, they transfer their talent and labor to your cause by giving the money that their work has earned. In effect, your donor’s job becomes an extension of your organization.  It’s almost like they have suddenly joined the staff.
When you think of the giving transaction this way, the donors are positioned in a substantially different place.  They are no longer a source of money – they are true partners.  And if you really own this concept it changes how you behave.  You will:

  1. Be quick to thank them soon.
  2. Be thorough and timely in telling them how their giving is making a difference.
  3. Be open and honest when the donor has questions.

Jeff and I find that we need to keep talking about this subject frequently because, oddly, the donor often gets lost in the giving transaction.  Think about how strange this statement is.  The donor is giving the money, but once the organization receives the money, the donor becomes less significant.  It happens all the time.
And that is what you can’t let happen.  Your mission, today and throughout the weeks ahead, is to make sure the power of money is used to help the people and causes you serve, AND the donor.  Take as much satisfaction in helping the donor find satisfaction as you do in securing the funds for your cause. That is what releases the power of money in the right way.
Richard

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