FUNDRAISING IDEAS

A Marriage Of YOU And THEM

Naturally, the you is you, and the them? Well those are your donors. The folks that you need to convince to either donate their time, their money, or their items in order for you to make that much needed fundraising goal so that your group can go to camp, on that trip, build that facility, or whatever the case may be. At the end of the day, the goal is to raise funds for your group, no matter what the end game is for the money. This means a marriage between your goals and their ideals.

So, in order to get people to donate to your cause, you must understand just what it is that makes them tick. If you don’t you might as well be a republican asking a democrat to donate money to your re-election campaign. It just won’t happen.

What does make donors tick? Why do they donate to your cause, or any cause for that matter? Why do they choose one cause over another?

• Personal Connection – Does your donor have a personal connection to your cause? These people will be the easiest to convince to “share their wealth”. They automatically see an intrinsic benefit in donating to your cause over another cause.
• Making a difference: This is another easy group, although not quite as easy as the first group. These folks want to feel good about donating. And with Phoneraiser, they not only feel good about donating to a cause, but also by helping the environment. What makes them tick is seeing a tangible benefit from their donations, so when you approach them, be prepared to spell out just how their contribution is going to help the cause.
• Crusader: Crusader might be a strong word, but these folks are taking an active interest in a cause because they feel that they are a bit more in control of the whirlwind that is constantly surrounding us because of the media or other outside influencers. By choosing one cause and sticking to it, these people can become very effective ambassadors for your cause. Make sure that when you approach these folks that they know that their personal contribution is going to make a big difference.
• Personal Recognition: Certainly not the most noble of reasons to become involved in fundraising, however at the end of the day the goal is to earn money for you cause, and you will inevitably have those that donate so that they can see their names called out. Indulge this, and accept it to a certain extent. You can’t acknowledge one donor over others who have donated at the same level too much. However, it is often not necessary to spell out the size of the donation. Politely acknowledge and thank everyone as equally as possible, even if you must pay a bit more personal attention to some.

So clearly, people donate for a variety of reasons. The key for you, just like in any relationship, is to determine the tone and tempo that you take with each person, and tailor your approach to that person. You don’t treat every family member the same, and you aren’t asking them to give you something all the time, so don’t treat all of your donors the same either.

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