Transactional vs. Relational

I recently read some “advice” from a fundraising expert about ways to engage with your donors.

Frankly, I was appalled.

The advice they were giving was so deeply antithetical to how I approach fundraising.

I believe that the “old school” way that so many of us are taught how to fundraise is just plain wrong and offensive to our donors.

I don’t believe that there’s some magical combination of words that convince donors to give.  

I believe that the conversation is the relationship.

I don’t believe in “hiding the ball” or springing an ask on someone.  

I believe that you enter a mutually respectful and beneficial relationship where you are transparent about where we’re going and why.

I don’t believe that you pressure or guilt someone into a gift that they don’t really want to make.  

I believe that if you present the right opportunity and tap into the right motivation, you can inspire levels of generosity that may even be surprising to them.  I also believe that people know their own financial situation better than I do and that it’s not my place to count other people’s money.

I don’t believe in email asks.  

If I’m going to ask for a substantial commitment, I believe I owe you the respect to look you in the eye and do it in person (unless you have specifically told me otherwise).

I don’t believe in treating people as commodities, targets or walking ATMs.  

I believe that our donors have–as we all do– a need to feel valued, seen, appreciated and part of a community.

I believe that there is enough for all of us and when we get into scarcity, we get transactional.

To quote my friend Greg Warner: small gifts are transactional, big gifts are relational.  

And we can’t inspire the big gifts if we don’t treat the relationship with our donors with respect.

Bottom line: let’s put humanity back into fundraising and kick the high-pressure tactics, tricks and games to the curb.  I don’t like being treated that way and neither do your donors.