March 8, 2022

Mission Multiplier: What to Ask Those Who Don’t Donate

Jane Pfeiffer

Hello. I’m Jane Pfeiffer, founder and president of Fieldtrip. We’ve been talking about well, I guess I’ve been talking about questions to ask new donors. Let’s flip that and talk about the questions you should be asking for people who have never donated. Because actually, I’d prioritize this conversation over talking to your existing donors. Because there’s something in the way. And the sooner you figure that out, the better, because then you can open the door to a whole new world of people that are right now not considering a gift. So lean into that unknown and ask questions carefully and listen and listen carefully. Be uncomfortable, or should I say, be comfortable in being uncomfortable so that you can really absorb what’s being said.

As leaders, we race through the day making decisions, moving from one thing to the next, solving problems as we go, throwing out answers. And so it’s really hard to slow down and ask a question where we don’t know what to expect as the answers. So prepare a list of questions, or you can steal my list of questions listed below and ask people for 15 minutes of their time. People that might have heard of your organization but have never considered donating, or volunteering. So ask those questions. Listen and learn and keep digging in at the end. Ask them to refer you to two more people that you could speak with. This is where the magic happens. In fact, we’re investing and asking donors with their custom research study, and we’d love to have your thoughts on what questions we should ask. Thanks for watching and we’ll see you next week.

10 Questions to Ask Those Who Haven’t Donated

Setup your purpose: “Thank you for agreeing to spend time with me. As the [title] of [organization name], it is important that we listen and learn from people who have not supported us. Conversations like this help me understand where and how we can grow. I’ll keep our conversation to 10 questions, and there isn’t a wrong or right answer. Please be candid and feel free to ask me a question at any time.”

Are you familiar with [organization name]?
If yes – How would you describe our mission to a friend? If no, what do you think we do base on our name? [State your mission once they answer.]
Why do you think the people we help are in this position?
How are they different from you?
Do you believe this issue can be solved?
What, other than financial resources, are needed to solve this issue for our community?
Who should be responsible for solving this problem?
If you were to donate today, what would you want to know?
What else should I know?
Will you introduce me to two people willing to answer these questions?