Every human being on the face of the earth – no matter what race or gender, no matter what country or culture – every human being wants to know that they matter to someone else, to the group they are in, to their place and standing on the planet.

Ask yourself the question: to whom do you matter? Or this question: what difference does it make that you are alive and on this planet?

Many of us can answer the first question easily. But the second one is a little more difficult. Our occasional feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness may be related to not knowing if we in fact are making a difference to those we love around us or to our community or society in general.

The primary reason your donor gives to you is to make a difference. It’s a basic and easy to understand thing. The donor believes in what your organization does. It connects to their motivations and interests. They give to your organization to satisfy their need to make a difference in the world. THEIR need is met through what you do. It is about that simple and complex! The whole thing is about your donor’s deepest longing – to make a difference.

Stop for a minute right now and think about each of the donors you are relating to. Is your interaction with them satisfying their deepest longing? Does each one know they are making a difference by giving to your organization? If so, good for you. If not, get to that place as quickly as you can over the coming weeks. It will be the best thing you have done for that donor. And it will be the best thing you have done for your organization.

Richard