If your organization wants to do more fundraising (which we obviously believe in) we’d recommend that you do so with what we call a “generous ego.”
You need to have enough ego to know that what you’re doing is important, that it matters, that your organization is making a difference. You need to believe those so strongly that you want to share them with other people.
But you also need to be generous. When you do your fundraising, you need to make the generous act of crossing the gap to your donors’ level of understanding. You need to make the generous act of asking more often than you think you can, on behalf of your beneficiaries.
When asking for support, make the generous act of focusing on your donor’s role, telling her how her gift that makes a difference. When reporting back on previous giving, make the generous act of giving the credit to the donor, and directly telling her how her gift made a difference.
Too many nonprofits have a hard time being generous in their fundraising. They make their fundraising all about themselves. About their process. About their programs. About their staff. About their volunteers. About how they think about their issue. They ask the donor to support their organization instead of asking the donor to help people.
Of course, what your organization does is important. What your organization does makes the world a better place.
Your organization should have a healthy ego. Your ego should cause you to want to do more fundraising, because you know more good would be done if you raised more money.
But be generous about it in your fundraising. Be generous about it in your branding.
Generously focus on how your donors’ gifts will meet beneficiaries’ needs. Do that, instead of raising money for your organization, and you’ll raise more money for your organization.
