Hand Me a Blessing

Or worse, maybe you're arrogant, overly proud of your prowess at separating people from their money. You have that old "donors as ATMs" mentality — push the right buttons and the money will fly out of their wallets and into your organization. Don't make the mistake of confusing flagrant manipulation for relationship building. More and more, today's active donors expect respect, transparency and an open door to engage meaningfully with your organization. Donors aren't stupid. "Finessing" them with unfounded flattery and false claims will set you on a crash-and-burn trajectory and reflect poorly on your organization. Individual fundraisers, for the most part, are behind-the-scenes players, but the communications you produce can make or break your organization's image.

My profound hope for anyone whose lifeblood it is to raise money to fund important causes is that you realize and revel in the fact that by asking people to help fund your mission, you're helping them to honor their spirit and clear a path to wholeness. And that is, indeed, a blessing.