What's Your One Thing? Part II
Nov 09, 2017
What's the one thing you wish you'd known when you started fundraising?
Share your answer in the comments below?!
We're asking you. Whether you're a fundraiser, executive director, board member or volunteer, what advice, secret, tool or tip do you wish you'd had earlier?
Share you answers here on the Generous Change blog and, together, we can help take the fear out of fundraising!
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What's my one thing?
It's about the money.
That sounds obvious, right? But honestly, I didn't quite get it early on.
I tend toward the, shall we say, overly optimistic. When I first started fundraising, if someone clearly had wealth and said they loved my org, I assumed that, eventually - once I'd built the fabled "relationship" and "engaged" them - they would give.
Not so much.
I'd visit these delightful folks three, four, sometimes five times before realizing that:
- yes, they had money and
- yes, they loved my cause but
- no, they just weren't going to give to us.
Meanwhile, I could have been meeting with people who actually wanted to give!
Put simply, I finally realized that you want this:
Not this:
Which means, ya gotta talk about money, out loud, on purpose, on the first visit...and the second and the third. When you find ways to do this, you:
- feel less creepy
- build much more authentic relationships
- get to be a proud fundraiser rather than an apologetic one
And, because you spend your time with folks who want to give, you raise much more money to achieve your mission.
If I can do it, you can, too! Go out and raise more money to change the world!
-Nancy
