Fundraising isn’t about asking for money…

Well, okay it is. But not the way you think it is. Many surveys show that the number one reason people don’t give to an organization is that they are not asked. That is very true – although some folks do give completely unsolicited gifts (what you might think of as ‘out of the blue’), it is hard to build a budget around these gifts.

The purpose of fundraising is to bring in revenue that will enhance the services that a nonprofit can offer its beneficiaries. In other words, nonprofits can do more good work with more money in the door. I’ve spent many years (over 30) in the nonprofit sector, and hear often the idea that nonprofits should operate on a shoestring for the benefit of their constituents. That is a horrible paradigm to adhere to. It makes keeping good staff who do good work almost impossible, and therefore much time is wasted searching for, hiring and onboarding new staff instead of improving programs and working directly with constituents. I will offer more on this idea in another post- the goal here is to understand that growing revenue is the most effective way for a nonprofit to achieve their vision.

Some nonprofits have no fee-for-service or business-related income, and rely solely on philanthropy (fundraising) to do their work. Others bring in almost all their revenue through fees charged to constituents, and might rely on philanthropy for supplemental services. There is almost every model of revenue generation in between. But just like a for profit business, nonprofits need funds in the door in order to do their work effectively.

I believe that good fundraising is about connecting good people with good work. Tell your story well, far and wide. Find people who have a connection to the work you are doing. Bring them closer. Invite them in. Make sure they know how they can be part of a solution to the problem you are solving.

Think about the nonprofits you are most passionate about. Chances are, there is something in your lived experience that connects you to their work. I think about a local nonprofit in my community that I love – their mission centers around food justice, and their method includes offering community gardens in local schools and neighborhoods. Now, I love to garden, which is reason enough to get involved with them. When I reflected a bit further on why I felt a connection to this organization, I found deeper motivations.

There was a time in my life when I lived alone, in a new city that was hundreds of miles from my family and most of my friends. One spring, a new community garden popped up and I jumped at the chance to rent a plot. For several summers, I had an almost daily ritual of walking about 30 minutes each way to tend my garden, honing my own gardening skills, admiring the work of fellow gardeners, and helping harvest water from the rain barrels they provided for watering. I still love to garden, and now have space in my own yard for growing. But the appreciation I have for community gardens is now part of who I am, so I want to help ensure that others have the same opportunity I did.

My current garden is small, but still brings me lots of joy.

I am not saying that a nonprofit doesn’t also need trustworthy leadership, effective programming and solid business practices to attract donors. However, the work of fundraising is far less daunting when development focuses on finding the good people who feel connected to the good work they are doing.

Here are a few ideas on how this can be done:

1.      When telling the story of your work, imagine how someone reading the story might connect to it and call that out. In my example above, the organization could ask the reader to remember the first vegetable they ever grew – which may activate a core memory that can help the reader get excited about the work that the organization is doing.

2.      When you meet with prospective supporters, focus on listening instead of driving the conversation. This can sometimes be difficult for nonprofit staff, because we are usually passionate about the entirety of the work of our organization, or a particular program we need funding for, and we want to make sure our guest knows all about it. While doing so, be sure to pause and listen for moments when a supporter mentions (or hints about) something that excited them and lean into that. We all want to be heard and seen for who we are.

3.      Be prepared to let someone go. Sometimes we meet folks and get talking about our cause, let’s say youth development, and we find out they are passionate about animal welfare. Wonderful, introduce them to the staff from the local Humane Society. They just might not be ‘your’ person.

It helps to have an abundance mindset when thinking about our supporters. If we believe that there are only so many people with the capacity (wealth) and inclination to donate, we tend to spend too much energy trying to convince them to donate to our organization. That energy is likely better spent finding folks who have a passion for your particular cause, as they are more likely to give for a longer period of time.

If, as fundraisers, we think of our work as connecting good people to good work it can change how we go about our work. For me, it is far more enjoyable to think about finding people who align with work we are doing. I also find that ‘asking’ looks much more like showing supporters how they can make a difference in a problem they want to solve. When people say to me “I could never ask people for money” I usually respond with something like, “I don’t ask people for money, I help people make a difference in a cause that they genuinely care about.”