As a practicing
fundraiser for more than 30 years, I have met the kindest, most generous individuals who want to help build a better world, whether through their time, talent or
legal tender.
It takes a lot of
practice. As many a professional fundraiser will tell you, fundraising is
both art and science. Countless articles
from numerous studies have been written delving into the psyche of donors, the
timing and wording of “the ask”, the number of times a fundraiser should ask,
who should ask, when they should ask, where should they ask, how much they
should ask, etc. The art is taking all this information, using your instincts
for each particular donor, and painting a picture that will bring out the
emotion and joy to inspire a donor to give.
Asking is a delicate
balance of this art and science. There are millions of donors, and each
is very different, giving for very different reasons. Each donor needs
something different. It’s up to the fundraiser
who is helping them to discover what will motivate them to make the gift that
will help build a better world. It may
be one thing needed one day, such as the need to memorialize a loved one, and
another thing needed the next, such as the need to give back to an organization
that saved their life. Or, it may be several
things are needed at once.
A fundraiser, of all things, must be adaptable,
flexible and a bit of a mind reader. Yes, it takes a lot to be a practicing
fundraiser.
From New York City...to
Los Angeles...to Vancouver, British Columbia, and now from Victoria, BC: I have
traveled from east to west, and now up north practicing fundraising, raising
millions of dollars for the organizations for which I’ve worked. I’ve even been down south, working on
projects in Central America for Rotary International. It’s safe to say, I’ve gotten around.
People often ask,
"How is fundraising different in Canada versus the States?" The
answer is simple: It isn't. Donors are generous, caring people
across our great continent. They want to be inspired. They want to
be courted. They want to invest in something that is going to make a
difference. And they want to be thanked, thanked some more...and thanked
again.
So the purpose of this
blog will be to share some of my practices, pose a few questions and share some
of my musings. Hopefully, these will
help some people new to the profession learn skills they can use, and help
those more seasoned fundraisers refresh and renew the talents they already
possess.
