Reframing Philanthropy for Fundraising That Actually Lasts

It’s often said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Alas, humans are creatures of habit. We get swept along on a tide of our own inertia, seldom stopping to ask if we’re swimming in the right direction.

Today is a good day to lift your head, take a deep breath, and look around. Try to see things through a different lens.

I read Hugh MacLeod’s The Gaping Void religiously. He offers big ideas and gets right to the heart of things. “Going Upstream” is no exception. In it, he suggests the power of reframing — one of the most powerful tools I know for changing things up.

If you want to change a system, or your approach to that system, it’s imperative to focus on outputs and actions beyond the surface level. If you stay in the weeds, you’ll miss the big picture.

Everything is undergirded by beliefs and values.

In fact, all of philanthropy is a values universe — targeting philos (love) + anthropy (humanity). The values universe is not about “nonprofit” (what it’s not), but about “social benefit” (what it is).

The Philanthropy Values Universe

This nested egg model is ever-present in my head as an essential way to frame your approach to philanthropy facilitation.

Credit: Claire Axelrad

1. The Values Universe

First, there’s the overarching universe of values. Think of it as a giant forest comprising many trees, each representing a value your donor may — or may not — hold. Not everyone or everything in this universe is a good fit for your cause.

For example, if you go after the healthcare trees and you’re an animal rights organization, you may not be able to build what you need with this particular lumber. This is why you want to strategically target your marketing to unearth the folks who sit under one or more of the right trees — where your organization blooms and flourishes.

2. The Marketing Egg

Second, there’s the marketing egg, sitting within the values universe. It represents all the strategies you enact to uncover folks who share the values your organization enacts. These strategies include direct mail, email, social media, events, public relations, media, and more. 

Historically, in nonprofits, this has been called “development.” But only because social benefit organizations were leery of using any terms that suggested for-profit business. If you ever have difficulty explaining the term “development” to people, just know that it’s really marketing — or, if you will, developing a story so compelling people want to jump in and become a part of it.

3. Philanthropy Facilitation

Finally, there’s the philanthropy facilitation egg. This means simply making a match between your organization’s values and the people who care about seeing these values enacted. Because it’s values-based, it feels transformational for the donor. It’s a reflection of their deeply felt identity. 

This is classically known in the nonprofit sector as “fundraising,” and in the for-profit sector as “sales.”

Once you’ve learned enough about the people you’re reaching out to, it’s time to take action to make a values exchange. It won’t happen by itself, but it will emerge naturally as part of your unfolding process.

Three Steps to Long-Term Fundraising Success

Taking action to facilitate philanthropy does not mean beginning at the sales or fundraising phase with cold calls and aggressive arm-twisting. It means a natural progression — from egg to egg to egg — starting with the beliefs and values undergirding the actions you ultimately want people to take.

Do this right, and you won’t have to browbeat people to give.

Sure, you may be able to secure some modest one-time gifts. And if all you count is numbers of donors, you may not notice how inefficient this is as an overarching strategy. Because realistically, when you start with people who really don’t care much about your cause, these folks aren’t likely to stick with you — let alone increase their giving over time or leave legacy gifts. Their lifetime value will not merit the investment you’ve put into them.

1. Start With the Universal Moral Value of Your Work

Tell stories that resonate with the people sitting under your particular tree or trees — narratives that draw them in and feel personally relatable.

You want people to think and reflect:

• “I can see myself in this situation.”
• “I can’t stand that this is happening — it’s not right.”
• “I’m reminded of how I, my family, or my friend grew up.”
• “I was given this benefit and would like to give it to others.”

2. Connect With People Who Share This Core Value

What social media posts do they share? What articles do they click on? What discussions do they participate in? What invitations do they accept? How do they answer your surveys? What programs do they support?

Whenever you communicate, pay attention to how people respond. Record this in your database so you can segment folks in future communications. Increasingly, CRMs — which go beyond storage systems to support data-driven decisions and relationship management — can help do this using artificial intelligence.

3. Meet Donors Where Their Hearts Beat

Put your money where their mouth is. Listen carefully to what people are showing you. Once you understand how they see themselves, you can tailor your actions accordingly. Do they identify as a visionary? An idealist? An advocate? An innovator? A traditionalist? A religious adherent? An altruist? A globalist? A communitarian?

Once you understand your donors’ values and beliefs, the right actions naturally follow. In other words, you tailor your outputs at the level of inputs — and not before. 

You can’t sell me a warm sweater if I’m primarily looking for a pretty sweater. You can’t persuade me to adopt a puppy if I’m primarily a cat person. All philanthropy is personal. The more personally you connect with the totality of your donor’s being, the more likely you are to receive an abundant gift that reflects the fullness of their passions and dreams.

When it comes to motivating philanthropy, it’s helpful to remember what Wayne Dyer said: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Or, as Hugh MacLeod wrote: “Productive thinking is primary. Productive action is a consequence. Good ideas first. Concrete action second.”

Think. Brainstorm ideas. Act. 

If you habitually start at the level of actions without considering the beliefs underpinning those actions, you’ll likely build the wrong strategy. Because you’re neglecting a fundamental truth of both sales and fundraising — the need to make a good match.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.