What Fundraising is Really About and How it Benefits Your Donors

The Donor Attraction Letter

October 9, 2013

Last week I sat down for coffee with a friend who serves on the board of a wonderful nonprofit that provides food, clothing and financial assistance to families in crisis.

During our chat, I learned that the organization needs help growing their individual giving program and getting leadership more excited about fundraising.

One of their challenges is VERY common:

Their board members aren’t actively engaged in the vital role of asking others for gifts.

For nonprofits of all sizes, many board members tend to feel nervous and fearful about fundraising.

Even for boards who understand that success in fundraising starts with the Board of Directors, they shy away from fundraising whenever possible. When that request goes out to them for help cultivating and soliciting gifts for the annual fund, they go silent.

But it doesn’t have to be this way!

Instead of thinking of fundraising as “asking for money,” a change of mindset to how an invitation to support a charity BENEFITS a donor can make all the difference in the world.
 
One of the very best nonprofit communicators out there, Tom Ahern, puts it so well:
 
“When I make a gift to a charity, it's not all that much about the charity. It's really more about me. It's about me feeling like a good person, a contributor to a better world.”
 
So, when you take a moment to stop and think, you begin to appreciate that this is what fundraising is REALLY about:

Giving a friend to your charity the opportunity to experience the joy of positively impacting a life and making the world a better place

It’s NOT about money.

Fundraising is about creating a satisfying, joyful giving experience for someone, which can be equally as satisfying and joyful for the person asking.

Donors have a need to give and this need is born from their strong desire to experience the positive, fulfilling feelings and emotions that giving brings to them. Feelings like purpose, meaning, importance, happiness, love, joy and belonging.

Particularly for people who’ve achieved financial security, they want more meaning in life. They want to move from success to significance, from comfortable to more contribution.

The big takeaway is this:

You are serving and helping and benefiting your donors in the highest way when you help them invest their money in supporting a cause they care about—–an act that will give them the high emotional returns they’re looking for.

Adopting this mindset, and putting the focus on your donor, is one really important step toward becoming more effective and successful with your fundraising—–for board members, staff and volunteers involved in cultivating and soliciting gifts.
 
There’s much more to effective fundraising, of course, but always remember: Your donors want to help people change their lives for the better. Giving back and helping others is becoming even more attractive nowadays as more and more people seek more meaning in their lives. When you invite your donors to make a gift to your cause, you help them be the world-changing people they want to be.

Dedicated to helping you attract and keep your donors,

Jen Viano
Nonprofit Writer/Consultant
Editor, The Donor Attraction Letter

PS: Would you like some help with your board fundraising? Although many board members have challenges around fundraising, it’s very possible to inspire them to personally give more and get excited to raise friends and funds for your cause. Using proven strategies and lots of enthusiasm, your board members can become your best fundraisers. Email me at Jen@JenViano.com to let me know if you’d like to explore working together!

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