The Unsexy Side of Fundraising
Last week, on a trip to Colorado, I was lucky enough to meet up with two nonprofit leaders who I adore and who continue to work at the very first nonprofit I ever worked at: There With Care.
After catching up on all of the things, Dana, their now VP of National Expansion said to me, “You know you are the reason I’m even here today working for this organization.”
What?
To set the scene, I was 22-years-old when I started earning a paycheck from There With Care. I was the definition of winging it. To think that I had any influence over someone who has now been with the organization over 15 years and who has raised millions of dollars to help families facing a critical illness was bonkers to me.
“Yes, it was your emails. I just couldn’t say no to you,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
She went on the explain that at the time, she was 35-years-old, a mom to two young kids with a full-time job. She was B-U-S-Y and didn’t have a ton of disposable income.
Here is what she said I unknowingly did in my asks because it’s what I thought would get people to open and reply to my requests.
Messages were sent personally (no mass comms) from what I think was Outlook email at the time
I always used a first name greeting (no “Hi Friends/Supporters”)
I always checked-in about something that was going on in their life (kids, parents, work, graduations, etc)
I always made one specific ask at a time (don’t try to pack it in all at once)
I always remembered to follow up/circle back
There is so much out fundraising education out there about “scaling” and in some ways, I think nonprofit can and should use the power of things like automations to streamline their work.
But nothing will ever replace that 1:1 relationship building. Nothing.
That isn’t the groundbreaking, sexy answer you probably wanted to hear, but hear this: it works.
👉 When I receive a handwritten thank you note in the mail - it stays with me
👉 When I see a Loom video message in my inbox, I watch it
👉 When I get a text or a DM or even an email from someone’s person inbox - I respond.
As you think about the best use of your time this end-of-year giving season, I urge you to carve out time for those 1:1 touch points.
Having trouble carving out the time to do those personal touches? Here are some suggestions:
Block time in your calendar NOW. When I was a Director of Development, I blocked the 4-5pm hour on my calendar every single day to use for gratitude. Sometimes I wrote notes, sometimes I made calls, other times I pulled lists. It ensured gratitude was a daily practice (and it was an awesome way to end my day)
Pull in helpers. PSA: You don’t have to do this alone! Pull in other staff members, board members or volunteers to help you.
Create an opportunity to meet with a few people at one-time. Another thing I did when I was a Director of Development was host site tours or lunch and learns. This was a way for me to bring in groups of a dozen or so people at one time to experience the work we were doing. Half of the work was about the outreach - even if they couldn’t come to the meet-up.
Use tools. Some of my favorites include Loom, Punkpost (use code OUTINTHEBOONS for $3 off) and Handwrytten.
I know the idea of scaling sounds dreamy when you are a nonprofit leader or fundraiser who could really use some extra hours in your day, but trust me: prioritizing this customized, individualized and personal outreach will make you stand out above 99% of all other nonprofits this giving season.