
The Issue of Poverty Porn
Don’t grab pics and stories of suffering people without asking for permission. But WITH permission, these can be powerful with donors.
Don’t grab pics and stories of suffering people without asking for permission. But WITH permission, these can be powerful with donors.
Learn your donor’s story and make that central to your fundraising work. But more than that, write it down for others as well.
Many times, a major gift fundraiser will ask me how he can get donor to go to another level in her giving. I always ask, “Do you know why that donor is so invested in your organization? What is the donor’s story?”
The donor’s story is a much greater indicator of how a request for donation might pique their interests and passions and result in a major gift. Don’t be sidetracked with wealth ratings.
A story is the life-blood of fundraising. It carries all the energy and real-life experience – it’s the feeder for all the senses, the carrier of all the emotions, and the dispenser of facts and information.