(Photograph by Mike McCaffrey)
Happy Monday!
Have you ever been at a social function where you were talking to someone and you could tell that they weren’t listening to you?
While you are speaking, they are scanning the room, looking around to see who is there. Their body and their attention focused not on the conversation with you but on seeing who else they could (or “should”) be talking to.
What did you think of this experience?
Do you treat your donors this way?
“Thanks for the gift, but I’m busy right now looking for a donation from someone else, someone who can give us more or who can connect us to important people, someone who is more valuable than you are.”
or
“Thanks for your support, we appreciate it but can you give us another gift as soon as possible and can you give us more next time?”
With the pressure on to raise money, it can be easy to forget that behind every donation is a live person.
Focused on meeting our money goals, we can quickly fall into the habit of valuing high dollar donors and prospects more than our mainstay “average” supporter. This is a counter productive habit that can cause us to neglect or overlook an important segment of our donor base. These are the supporters who have made their gifts and are ready to be noticed, listened to and appreciated.
Right now every single donor, regardless of the gift amount, is making a stretch to give. With fear driving the economy, everyone is concerned about not having enough, needing to cut back and worriedly waiting to see if things will get better.
This means that every donation that comes through your door is a statement of commitment to, and belief in, your organization and mission. Your job is to value the gift and the person who gave it. The amount is irrelevant.
The key to surviving and thriving in “this economy” is the old mainstay of good fundraising: donor appreciation.
We know that supporters who feel connected and appreciated give more. Don’t ignore the donors that you do have. Remember they made a stretch to give to you – they overcame the fear of not having enough for themselves.
While you’re busy looking to see what you might be missing, you can miss seeing what you already have.