Somewhere out there in that big world is a person who’s probably ready to make a donation to your nonprofit. Ready to go online write a check, whatever their preferred form of donation is.
And you should have a list of questions ready for them. I know my list would be:
Why now?
Why me?
and.. Why? The big question.
You know, if somebody answers that, ‘why now?’ with a a lifestyle trigger such as the passing of someone close to them, or a recent diagnosis of cancer, or whatever that might be for a friend and family member, your influence in your organization didn’t create that. You received a gift, but you didn’t originate a donor.
So the way to create a donor is by touching their heart. And mind you, you have to think about how you can change their perspective and the way they feel about the mission and the impact of what you do.
So many people, nonprofits and private businesses as well, think that if they can explain what they’re doing or what they offer, that’s enough. People will care and people will join.
It isn’t enough.
You have to focus on not influencing wallets, but influencing hearts. Inspire people and then invite them to join. But that joining doesn’t look like a financial gift. That joining means just agreeing that this is a problem or an opportunity to make the world a better place, and that if they join with you, there’s a greater chance that that can happen and then their world and yours becomes that better place.
So have questions ready.When you have a new donor, make sure someone in your organization is touching them with a personal communication. Not a templated thank you note, but a phone call, a visit, to find out the why, why now, and why us. Those answers help you create more donations and also open the door to making that first time donor a long term investor.
I’ll see you next week.
