12 Principles of Fundraising

By Pamela Barden

Last fall, the class I taught for several semesters at a local university was renamed. It is no longer called “The Art of Fundraising.” Instead, it is now “Principles of Fundraising.”

While the new name didn’t require a change in my syllabus or lectures, it did cause me to step back and ask, “What are the principles of fundraising that I think are most important? What do I most want my students to remember as they are launched into the world as professional fundraisers?”

Principle 1: You are NOT the target audience. So figure out who is.

If you read my Fundraising Matters blog regularly, you expect this to be at or very near the top. I know I am repeating myself! But this principle is that important.

“I don’t like it.”
“The copy is too long.”
“That color doesn’t work for me.”

I’ve said all of those things from time to time. But honestly, who cares what I think? The only thing I should ask (assuming we’re on the right side of ethical) is, “Will this copy/design/color raise money?”

As a fundraiser, you know too much about fundraising. As an employee of a nonprofit or a consultant to one, you know too much about the inner working of that organization. Your donors or prospects don’t have that insight. Remember that. You’ll never see your target audience until you ditch the mirror.

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Pamela Barden Author's page

Pamela consults with nonprofits, helping them develop their fundraising strategy and writing copy to achieve their goals. Additionally, she teaches fundraising at two universities, hoping to inspire the next generation of fundraisers to be passionate about the profession. Previously, Pamela led the fundraising programs for nonprofit organizations. Pamela is a member of the Advisory Panel for Rogare, the fundraising think tank at Plymouth University’s Hartsook Centre for Sustainable Philanthropy, a CFRE, a graduate of Wheaton College (IL) and Dominican University, and holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from California Southern University. Contact Pamela at pamela@pjbardeninc.com or follow her on Twitter at @pjbarden.