Is it really impossible to raise more money for an organization during a Recession? I don’t think so.
While there is no doubt that these are difficult times to engage in fundraising, my experience shows that many organizations do such an inadequate job in the first place, that refocusing their efforts will result in surprising increases in the amount they raise.
To increase their giving during these difficult times, agencies must move from special events and one-time efforts towards creating a donor-centered fundraising relationship.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
• We must re-examine our definition of fundraising: The one that I like is: “Fundraising is A Result of A Relationship-Building Process with people that results in sustainable annual income that is predicable and can grow from year to year.
• People give to dreams, not deficits: Solicitations should be tied to the realization of a vision or a strategic objective. “It costs $1000 to send a child to a retreat. We want to send 10 additional teens to the retreat this year.”
• We must ask if we are making the donor’s gift more important than the donor: Do people feel the only reason we are contacting them is for more money, or do we really want to engage them in our cause?
• It’s the Impact: Are we building our marketing by stressing the service we provide rather than on the impact of our services in changing lives?
• Cultivation: Do we realize that the first gift usually comes from a marketing effort, a mailing, an ask, or an event, and the second gift comes from the cultivation of a relationship?
• Our donors: Are we more interested in getting new donors or keeping the one’s we already have?
• “Thank you”: Are we following up each gift with a personal telephone “thank you” call which begins the process of relationship building?
• Continuous contact: Do we have a plan to stay in touch with the donor throughout the year so that they continually learn more about our services, or is the next time we contact them for another ask?
• Lapsed: Do we reach out to people whose giving has lapsed to tell them we miss them or find out why they are no longer giving?
• Follow-up: Do we spend a great deal of time and money creating expensive events and then do not follow up with attendees to cultivate on-going relationships which can lead to annual giving?
There is much we can do to make our donors the center of our relationship, rather than always having our hand out for more money. If we change our focus, we will realize more income even in these difficult times.
Does your organization put the donor’s gift ahead of the donor, or, if you are a donor, how do you feel about only being contacted when asked for money?
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Tags: fund raising, nonprofit