We need to have an open and honest conversation about bad fundraising tactics.
I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to how nonprofits cultivate, solicit, and even receive donations. Too often the process feels inauthentic, pushy, ungrateful, and outright ineffective – both for frontline fundraisers and donors alike.
The problem starts with how you view your donors.
Truth is, no matter how rich they are or how foreign they seem to you, donors don’t fully understand the unwritten “rules” and expectations placed on them.
Concepts like annual gifts and upgrading support year-over-year are not common knowledge to many philanthropists new and old. Yet nonprofits operate under the assumption that donors come informed and aware.
At the same time, fundraisers feel immense pressure from leadership and boards to secure major gifts on rigid timelines. So they resort to selling tactics and wealth screening shortcuts rather than genuine cultivation focused on shared values.
You’re told not to talk about yourself, to keep the conversation professional, to “perfect your pitch” 🤮
But, spoiler alert, this transactional approach fails more often than succeeds. 👎
The solution lies in bringing our full humanity to the fundraising process.
We have to start considering what it feels like from the donor’s side. Put yourself in their shoes.
But, Rhea, I can’t afford their shoes…
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Contrary to popular belief, donors are just people, like you and me, who want to do something good with what they have.
If getting real with your donors sounds a little scary and out-of-the-box to you, I get it. Mainstream fundraising advice has lied to you. But I think you’ll find that humanizing the fundraising process not only makes fundraising enjoyable and easier but more successful in the long run.
So if you’re ready to create real relationships, ditch the pitch, and transform how you think about the ask and being real with your donors, keep reading!
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I recently had serial philanthropist and author Lisa Greer on my podcast to discuss this very topic – how nonprofits can revolutionize fundraising starting with the donor experience…
Lisa is on a mission to fix fundraising fallacies and bring more humanity into the process so donors and fundraisers can work together copacetically.
Here are a few key takeaways from our discussion:
- Donors don’t know the “rules” of giving. Most donors have no idea they are expected to give annually or increase their gift each year. This lack of transparency hurts nonprofits when asking donors to upgrade their support. Donors are just people with hopes and dreams like us. Let’s treat them as such.
- Wealth screening tools provide limited insight. Sources like WealthEngine often get details wrong or focus too much on surface-level data like home value rather than relationship cultivated. But don’t let that stop you from a simple Google search. If you’re going to cultivate a donor, come informed.
- A poorly placed “pitch” can sever authentic connection. Leading with asks and treating donors transactionally destroys trust and opportunity. Instead, have a genuine dialogue centered around shared values. Give your prospect a heads-up if you’ll be asking for a donation or just hanging out. And stay true to your word!
There’s so much more to the conversation. You can listen to the full episode here 🎧: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/265-philanthropy-revolution-with-lisa-greer/id1436858854?i=1000637422678
