You and I make donations in order to tell ourselves who we are.
Each donation we make is a small step to:
- Become who we want to be
- Continue to be who we want to be
- Remake the world in the way we think it should be
Those are CORE motivations for individual donors.
Does your fundraising to individual donors speak to those core motivations?
Because doesn’t it seem obvious that, if you tap into those motivations, your organization would raise more money?
To tap into those motivations, your fundraising will need to tell donors that they’ll love giving to your organization. Your fundraising will need to tell them that your organization has the same values that your donor has. Your fundraising will need to communicate, “people like you give gifts to this organization.”
And then the donor’s intellect will find the facts it needs to justify the donation.
Fundraising that says those things feels very strange at first, because most organizations are used to talking about themselves, their organization, and what they do.
But it’s always good to remember that ineffective fundraising to individuals is about your organization and the services it provides. Effective fundraising to individuals is about your donor and their life.
Of course your fundraising should mention your organization. And even mention some of what you do. But your fundraising to individuals should not be ABOUT your organization or what it does – big difference.
Here’s an example:
Your gift to the Hospital Foundation allows us to provide top-notch healthcare to members of our community. Our leading cancer research team is diligently working to discover new treatments.
That’s about the organization.
Your giving to the Hospital Foundation shows that you’re a hometown hero. You care about people fighting cancer and want new treatments available as soon as possible.
That’s about the donor.
Make more of your fundraising to individual donors about the individual, and watch the magic happen.
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