Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of non-profit clients. And the vast majority of those clients have heard me say one (or all) of the following maxims. I repeat these sayings often because they are true, and each captures something important that can help your non-profit better understand the fundraising process.
Here are my top 3 fundraising sayings, in no particular order:
#1: “Big vision, big gifts. Small vision, small gifts.”
If you want to raise major gifts, you need to have a big vision and be able to articulate that vision to your donors clearly. That’s why I often tell my clients, “Big vision, big gifts. Small vision, small gifts.”
Donors want to know they are making a difference. They want to be part of a story bigger than themselves. They want to change the world (or at least their small corner of the world). Sure, some donors will make gifts to help you maintain the status quo, or to increase your impact by 2%. But if you want to consistently find and engage new major donors and get them to say “yes!” you need to cast a big vision for your organization.
#2: “It’s only weird if you make it weird.”
There are so many things in fundraising that can seem unnatural. Calling someone you don’t know 8 times to introduce yourself (before they finally pick up the phone!) can feel awkward (but it’s necessary if you want to grow a major gift pipeline). Likewise, sitting across the table from someone you’ve only met twice to ask them for $50,000 may feel unnatural (but one-on-one asks are the lifeblood of major donor solicitation.
When my clients say they’re unsure if they want to do something because it feels “weird,” I often tell them, “It’s only weird if you make it weird.” If it’s the right thing to do (in terms of fundraising effectiveness), then you should do it, even if it feels a little awkward.
The key to fundraising is to make these types of things seem normal. Make it seem normal (and natural) that you would call someone 8 times, ask them for a million dollars, or send them a stuffed animal in the mail to introduce your zoo to them. Your ease with these actions will translate to your donor, who will also be put at ease.
#3: “In fundraising, like poker, aggression wins.”
There’s a saying in poker that “aggression wins.” This means that a smart player can put themselves in a better spot by taking action (usually this means raising the bet) rather than waiting to see what happens. The same thing is true in fundraising, although “aggression” probably isn’t the right word. For non-profits, the right saying is probably “action wins.”
When a client wonders whether or not now is the right time to call a particular donor, my answer is always “make the call.” When someone asks if they should make a solicitation now or wait until next quarter, I say, “Make the ask.” 9 times out of 10, you’ll get better results across the board by simply taking action… today!
Of course, you need to be smart about the activity you are engaged in. Still, in my experience, 99% of the time, if you’re asking the question, it means there are no real impediments to taking action other than personal anxiety or a desire to make everything “perfect,” even though it doesn’t need to be. If you’re wondering whether to make a call, and there’s no clear reason not to, then make the call. Why? “Because in fundraising, like poker, aggression wins!”
Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash
