In fundraising a donor parts with money when she perceives that the “price” she “pays” is worth the results she’ll see. A choice of prices is even better.
Read More
You CAN do the impossible with major donors: convert major donors’ giving from the same amount year after year, to increased and even transformational gifts.
If a donor doesn’t want to meet with you, it’s likely because her perception of HOW you want to USE her TIME is not valuable enough for her.
Everything you do in major gifts – everything – is just one donor at a time. And everything you say to that donor must fit him like a glove.
When you construct any message to your donors, regardless of the media, I suggest you pay attention to the following five principles to keep the right content in the center of your message.
The best way to bring a donor to a positive decision to support you is, first, to ensure that you are addressing their passions and interests – then be sure you are making a logical, reasonable and emotional presentation of a problem and its solution.
Examine all of your asks and proposals in the next week or so, and look at the “because” in each of them. Does your “because” have something to do with solving a societal problem? If not, you are on the wrong track.
There will be an increase in efforts, on the part of fundraising professionals, to package their organization’s budgets so that the donating public can understand how the money is used and what funds are needed, and so that fundraising professionals can be more successful in their work.
You need projects that will match who donors are and what they are interested in. That will keep your them happy. And we all know that happy donors will stay with you.
