Before you know anything else about fundraising, there are three basic assumptions you should know about it:
- Fundraising is all about specificity. It’s the specific change you’re asking the donor to help make with their gift. Abstractions and generalities fail to move donors to action.
- Fundraising is about building relationships. Don’t think of donors as ATMs that dispense money from time to time. Think of them as friends who do cool things with you. It’s a two-way relationship. Both sides give and both sides receive.
- Fundraising transforms donors. When you know they amazing things that happen in their lives when they give to you, you’ll enjoy fundraising a lot more. And you’ll do a better job.
Working with these basic truths is the key to success.
Author Profile
Steven Screen is Co-Founder of The Better Fundraising Company and lead author of its blog. With over 30 years' fundraising experience, he gets energized by helping organizations understand how they can raise more money. He’s a second-generation fundraiser, a past winner of the Direct Mail Package of the Year, and data-driven.