Many fundraisers have inquired about asking donors for gifts, and how to get over the fear of it. Very simply, there is only one way.
Jeff Schreifels
If you are a frontline fundraiser interviewing for a new job right now, here are 10 red flags to watch out for.
Now is the time to get your development house in order and start investing in mid-level, major and planned giving.
If you’re a good frontline fundraiser, you’re always seeking to learn how to do your craft better. Every excellent fundraiser I’ve known is constantly learning, always curious and eager to improve their skills.
Right now, frontline fundraisers (but really all workers) have the advantage. In today’s business and nonprofit climate, the rank-and-file workforce has the advantage for demanding better pay, benefits and working conditions. And, for many workers, they are getting it.
Your work as a fundraiser is to help donors experience the most possible joy through giving by enabling them to give to projects and programs that light them up and will help change the world. And it follows that it should be your goal to create an environment that makes this process easy and delightful for your donor.
Your people are your most important resource. Since they are doing such amazing work, don’t allow policies that punish them, but look to reward, encourage, and celebrate them instead.
For years, I really didn’t like it when someone would follow up and ask me, “Hey, did you do that thing you said you were gonna do?” But, while I didn’t like it, I began to appreciate it because having people in my life to hold me accountable has made me successful at my work.
While more and more organizations are realizing the value of a mid-level program, the concept of having mid-level donors, and creating specific strategies and a program for them is still in its infancy.
Why does your donor love your organization so much? Have you sat down with your donor and really listened to the answer? If they say, “Well, I just think you do a great job,” do you dig deeper to find out their "Why?" — the story behind their motivation to give?
Now, perhaps you think of cryptocurrency as something nefarious or something only a small group of people know about, but you would be wrong. Cryptocurrency is here, it’s a legitimate currency, it’s growing, and nonprofits are starting to wake up to it.
If you’re a frontline fundraiser who wants to resign or has already quit, your nonprofit organization does not care about you. If it did, you either wouldn’t be thinking of leaving right now, or it would have retained you instead of losing you to greener pastures. Unfortunately, those greener pastures are an illusion. Because, on average, you are leaving for another position every 15 to 18 months in search of an even greener, more lush pasture.
Don’t get me started on what we’re seeing in donor and donor value attrition. Terrible. Big donors are disappearing faster than you can blink. Why? No fundraising vision.
How does your donor like to be communicated with? It’s not about how do you or your organization like to communicate — but how does your donor want to be communicated with, that best suits them? Knowing how your donor wants to engage will unlock a new level of relationship with them.
Most nonprofit leaders are reluctant to start a planned giving program because they don’t see the immediate value. The thinking is, “Why should I create a program that won’t benefit the organization for another 10 to 15 years?” But, hold on. That actually isn’t true.
