The Extreme Fundraising Blog

I love living in a democracy like the United States. But we were getting so many political fundraising letters, phone calls, and emails as Election Day drew near that I was seriously contemplating the benefits of monarchy!

I’ve never liked political fundraising or crisis appeals. As November 2nd approached, I cynically began to wonder if the political organizations were actually raising money to fund themselves for the next four years.

We all know that statistics consistently say the person most likely to make a gift is the person that just gave. So we dutifully ask the most recent givers to give again. That’s fine. But when is enough enough? How often can we keep going back to the same well? When do donors start getting tired of hearing from us?

Well one of the political groups I liked, but was liking a lot less, sent out a thank you email on November 17th. Near the end of the message, they dealt head-on with the issue of donor fatigue:

“…Because we had such a rich stockpile of outstanding candidates running for the House and the Senate this year, we asked you for money again and again and again over the past six months. We’re sure that many of you suffered from donor fatigue — and we don’t blame you.”

They went on to illustrate how our support was helping significantly change our world. I’m glad I read through the message! My opinion of this group was drastically restored.

Don’t you think our donors might feel a bit of “donor fatigue” at the end of special projects and capital campaigns? What if you directly dealt with it?

“This project was so crucial to the future of our organization that, yes, we know we’ve probably asked you for money more than you’d like. You’re probably a little gun-shy about opening our mail. We don’t blame you. But look at the impact this is already having on the people we serve.”

You may just soothe some weary donors.

I’m convinced we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. What have you learned in your time of asking? You can email me your funniest mistakes at: marc@fundraisingcoach.com.

We all know the number one reason people don’t give money is that they’re not asked. So the simple act of asking, no matter how badly, will significantly increase your odds of getting a gift. Having said that, it sure helps to ask in language the donor can understand.

Last month, I received a fundraising letter from a group I’ll call “Sywash.” The top of the letter said, “Help Meet Sywash’s Challenge!” Four paragraphs down, they finally got to the challenge:

“Sywash has been given an incredible opportunity by an anonymous donor to strengthen our financial base with a challenge to our annual fund supporters. As part of this challenge grant, we must secure $50,000 in new and increased funding from our under $1,000 givers during the coming months. Once we reach this goal, the donor will award an additional $100,000 to Sywash.”

I had to read that paragraph twice. The paragraph is all about “us” and “our goals”—even in the title of the challenge—a pitfall I talk about in my “Asking for Money” seminar. Moreover, there isn’t any end date given for the challenge! It’s left in a vague “during the coming months.”

Why not make a much more compelling challenge by issuing it in the voice of the anonymous donor?

“Sywash changed my life. I’m so convinced of the importance Sywash’s mission, I’m issuing a challenge to help them strengthen their financial base. Here’s the challenge: if all of you give $50,000 more than last year, I’ll give $100,000. Here’s the catch: I’ll only count gifts from new donors and increased gifts from donors who normally give less than $1,000. Are you in? Think about it, for every additional $1 you give, I’ll give $2. But hurry, you have to give before June 30th!”

I love this because donors can speak to each other in a much more direct style. If you do this, you’ll obviously need to run it past the donor first but chances are, it is closer to what they want to say. After all, shouldn’t a “challenge” be challenging?

The moral of the story: when you’re asking for money, be as politely direct as possible. Donors are busy and don’t have time to read-between-the-lines to figure out what you’re trying to say!

We often we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. You can email me your funniest mistakes at: marc@fundraisingcoach.com.

This past weekend, a dear friend of the family moved out of her house and into senior housing. We had one day to get everything out of the house but her new apartment was full long before the house was empty. It felt like we were on the TV show “Clean Sweep”!

To save time, I ordered a dumpster. Rather than the cute little green one I’d expected, they brought a huge construction size monster dumpster. It’s a good thing! This woman was a bargain hunter and a pack rat. We threw out enough “seen on TV” gizmos and gadgets to fill up about half of the dumpster!

Only once did she get really upset—when I threw out a bucket that contained an expensive compost starter. Then it struck me, if she’d not spent so much money on “good deals” that she never used, she’d have been able to buy bucket loads of compost starter.

I call this “poverty thinking.” I see nonprofits stuck in this poverty thinking all the time. They’ve become so focused on stretching their money that they lose site of quality. They’ll put in the cheapest cabinets in the new building. Or they’ll bring their major donor to McDonald’s to show her how frugal they are.

Most donors, especially major donors, are wise enough to know that paying a little more up front can save lots of money down the road. Cheap cabinets may have saved a buck this year. But, due to less frequent repairs and replacements, buying a higher quality, more expensive cabinet will save them money over time.

It’s the same with cultivating donors. Paying a little more up front can save lots of money over time. Taking a donor out to a decent restaurant is a way of showing her that we value her. That her relationship means more to us than just the money she’s giving. She needs to know that we care about her and her interests.

The moral of the story: if a donor means enough to your nonprofit to take them out to dinner, go to a place with real silverware. By all means show them how well you stewarded the money they gave, but don’t be a cheapskate.

We often we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. You can email me your craziest mistakes at: marc@fundraisingcoach.com.