As I continue with the second installment in this series on the biggest mistakes nonprofits make, I’ve asked veteran nonprofit executive and fundraising consultant, Jim Shapiro, to share his thoughts on two of the biggest mistakes we in the sector make.
Here’s what Jim had to say…
(1) Most organizations make their fundraising too complex, and too much about their organization itself. That’s because they know so much and they know the value of their organization.
But remember that your fundraising is not meant to convince you to give a gift!
The vast majority of your donors don’t know as much as you do. So your fundraising needs to meet the donor where she is at – and talk about what she understands – using words she understands. This isn’t selling her short, by the way. She doesn’t think about your cause 40+ hours a week like you do.
It’s a really hard thing, but if your fundraising materials are great you most likely won’t like them. Great fundraising for your organization will seem overly simple to you. It might even feel “misleading” because you know your organization does so much more.
But it will meet the donor right where she is. And it will compel her to action.
Think about it this way: if you write to engage your executive director, your program staff, and your board members then your fundraising potential is pretty small. But if you write to engage anyone who cares about your cause or the people you serve, your fundraising potential is much, much, much larger.
(2) Your donors don’t care how special your organization is, and telling your donors your organization is unique doesn’t help you raise money. In fact, it usually causes you to raise less money.
That’s because most donors care more about 1) who needs help, and 2) the improvement in the beneficiary’s life if the donor gives a gift.
How you make that improvement happen just doesn’t matter to most donors. We’ve done test after test and they all come back basically the same:
- If you talk about the need and the improvement that will be caused by the donor’s gift, lots of money pours in.
- If you highlight your uniqueness by talking about how your organization serves it’s beneficiaries . . . a little money drips in.
Most donors are simply much more interested in the who their gift helps and the improvement that happens when they give. Yes, a few major donors (and your Staff and Board) are very interested in how your organization does its thing. Save your talk about uniqueness for them.
Don’t include “uniqueness” in your messaging to donors. Focus on what the donor can do with their gift, not how you make it happen.
About Jim Shapiro:
Jim has spent 20 years serving and working in the nonprofit sector. He is co-founder of The Better Fundraising Co. and the former Vice President of Development at CRISTA Ministries. Jim blogs at http://askthankreportrepeat.com. He is an alumni of Pacific Lutheran University and the Head Football Coach for King’s High School in Seattle. Jim is married and has three kids.