Tag: Beliefs

Beliefs, and Their Effects on Annual Plans

Steven  |  Ask
Beliefs lead to success.

An organization’s beliefs about fundraising will shape their fundraising plans.

For instance…

If you Believe

that a large percentage
of your individual
donors would love to
make multiple gifts
each year…

Then you create

an annual plan that
regularly asks donors
to give…

Which results in

a large percentage
of donors making
multiple gifts.

How are your organization’s beliefs shaping your annual plan?

Beliefs that Cause Small Organizations to Raise Less Money, Ranked

Steven  |  Ask
Person with no beliefs

Here’s a quick list of the beliefs that – according to me – keep smaller nonprofits from raising more money.

Please note that I’m specifically focusing on when you’re talking to everybody – your “mass donor communications.” This is your direct mail, your email, your website, your social media, etc. I’m not talking about your grant application, or your major donor who is also a Board Member.

Here’s the list, and it’s ranked by things that do the most damage to fundraising effectiveness:

  1. Believing that you have to list or explain everything that your organization does
  2. Believing it’s wrong to share the needs of your beneficiaries
  3. Believing that your donors are unique
  4. Believing that your donors give because your organization is good at what it does
  5. Believing that what makes you feel good about your organization is what will make donors give

If your organization has any of those beliefs, you’ll see them in your mass donor communications. So go look for them. And if you find them, replace them with an approach that’s been proven to work better!