Just last week I was asked by 4 different charities to help them improve their fundraising offers. These organizations understand the importance of having a clear fundraising offer, but have also come to realize that developing a great offer takes time and requires testing.
In a nutshell, your “offer” is how you express to donors what their gift will accomplish.
When building your fundraising offer, here are the 4 elements you want to include. Every single time we help charities ask for money we work hard to make sure each of these are present:
- A problem that is easy to understand
- A solution that is easy to understand
- The cost of the solution seems like a good deal
- Urgency with consequences if the need goes unmet
It is common for the staff to think that their offer must educate their donors. That it must be detailed and full of facts. But the fundraising truth here is that your fundraising offer must be easy to understand and connect the donor with the end beneficiary. Simplicity, specificity, and emotion are the keys to fundraising success.
Please get in touch if you’d like to talk about your organization’s offer – and watch your fundraising results skyrocket!