Fundraising isn’t just about raising money one time. If it were, we could sell t-shirts.
Fundraising is about connecting values – the values of donors with the values of your cause.
Sure, there are times when we just need the transactional. We need to pay the bills. But when all we do is transactional, we have to keep looking for new people to ask.
Our work is transformed when we engage in the deeper, far more rewarding, process of getting to know our donors and finding out what they value. We put down the megaphone and get to listen. We stop monologuing and start asking questions. We learn to be curious.
As fundraisers, we listen to what motivates our donors. What they value. What impact they want to have in the world.
Then we suggest matches that might exist with their values and our nonprofits.
That moves our fundraising from one-time gifts to life-long, growing investments.
So take the time to listen to your donors. Be respectfully curious. Pleasantly ask “Why?” and “What does that mean?”
And watch your fundraising take off.
If you aren’t comfortable having these conversations, maybe you need to get in touch with your own values. You can do that with a Values Inventory at https://concordleadershipgroup.com/values/
#selling #tshirts #FundraisingCoach.com
