by Jason Dick on February 26, 2008
Did you know that your donors can give more than money? Of course you do—many organizations strongest advocates are their major and monthly donors. Giving results out of a desire to make a difference to impact something you care about. Perhaps your non-profit has a small staff (maybe just you) and only a handful of development people and that makes it really hard to get your message out.An organization called the Mission Increase Foundation is trying some revolutionary ways to get the message out. One of these ways is to use your donors as advocates and development officers. What if you provided your donors with the tools that they needed to tell the story of your non-profit to their friends? Instead of sending out direct mail you sent out packages of 10 greeting cards for your donors to write a story about why they care about the non-profit and pass them along to friends and neighbors. Or when sending out your next e-newsletter you challenged your readers to forward the email on to a couple other friends with a quick note on the top of their email talking about why they support the organization.
What I’m talking about is not a change in degree in fund raising. It’s not about doing more of something, or doing something more systematically. It’s about a change in kind. It’s a bold leap that’s awaiting anyone who’s awakening to the value of seeing fund raising as a powerful communal experience. Eric Foley, Mission Increase Foundation
What do you think of this idea? Would it work in your non-profit? Why or why not? I think that one of the keys to making this work is to create ideas that fit with the mission of your non-profit. Maybe instead of sending a letter to forward on you send a magnet, postcard, or miniature coffee table book. Any other ideas?
by Jason Dick on February 25, 2008
This Month’s Giving Carnival is about what motivates giving? Why do donors give money away? You can see my thoughts in my posting, What Motivates Giving. We have a number of wonderful articles from bloggers on this topic this month so make sure to check out their site and possibly leave a comment.
- Phil Cubeta at, Gift Hub, provides a list of a number of reasons people give. Read his article, What Motivates Giving?
- Richard Marker at, Wise Philanthropy, writes about giving from the funders perspective. Check out his posting, What Motivates Giving- the funder’s perspective.
- Sean Stannard-Stockton at, Tactical Philanthropy, believes that giving comes out of a desire to find meaning. Read his post, Why Do People Give to Charity?
- Roger Carr at, Every Day Giving, talks about how matching funds can increase giving. Read his post, Unique Way to Encourage Others to Give.
- Jake Seliger at, Grant Writing Confidential, posted an article, Why Do People Give? And Other Unanswerable Questions.
- Michael Gibbons at, Make Hope, asks the deeper question what motivates giving to you? Check out his post, What Motivates Giving?
Some other great articles about giving: Seeking Grant Money Today’s, What Motiviates Giving?; Donor Power Blog’s, How to have Kiva’s problem; Nonprofit Leadership Innovation and Change’s, What Motivates Giving?; Dollar Philanthropy’s, Excitement in the Inbox; Look to the Stars’, Editorial: What Motivates Giving? Thanks for reading. If you want to be on a list to receive updates about the next Giving Carnival send me an email at infosmallchange@gmail.com and I will add you to the list.
by Jason Dick on February 13, 2008
Why do donors give money? What makes their gifts increase? Donors give for a wide variety of reasons. Some give because they are passionate about a cause or an issue, others give because they want to do good in their community, many because they feel like they should, some give because they were taught, others because they believe they should, and some out of self interest.
First time giving. Many things draw a donor to give a gift for the first time. Sometimes it is a new campaign that is specific to their interests, they came into new money, or a friend personally asked them. Getting someone in the door for many non-profits is the hardest part. The first gift will come either out of a compassion for the cause or because they have found a new connection to it. What have you found motivates a first time gift?
Renewed giving. Donor loyalty is all about relationship and interest. Gifts will continue to come if donors are properly stewarded and solicited (with exceptions of course). Make sure that your donors are a part of a regular program, that you are bringing them into tour the facility, talking with them about the organization, and sending them newsletters and such. If you take time to build the relationship a donor will usually keep giving and sometimes upgrade their gift.
Upgrading giving. This is the area everyone always wants to talk about, but this conversation cannot begin if you do not know how to renew a donor. You need to have a regular cultivation processes in place to even begin to talk about upgrading your donors. It is something like three times as expensive to secure a new donor than it is to keep an existing one.
What is it that motivates a larger gift is it volunteerism, relationship, solicitation, donor research? What do you think? I think that donors upgrade their gift based on an understanding that the organization needs it and can use it better than it was used before. This looks like explaining what a larger gift means in terms of persons helped, in terms of new services provided or old services improved. Donors want to know that the upgraded gift is actually making a difference to improve the organization. When a donor is already invested in your organization you can no longer use compassion as an appeal for more money. You need to know that your volunteers, monthly donors, long-term major givers already have a strong compassion for your cause. These people want to know what more of their money will mean for the non-profit.
by Jason Dick on December 17, 2007
I think that making “The Ask” is most people’s number one fear in fundraising. But in my experience making “The Ask” has been one of the easiest parts of fundraising. It does not have to be a scary or frustrating thing at all.
Many nonprofits make the mistake of spending all their time planning “The Ask” and no time cultivating and stewarding their donors. The key to making a good ask is proper preparation. Your donor needs to know who you are and have a relationship with you in order to make a good ask. Make sure that you are taking time with your donors individually and as a group to talk with them about who you are and who they are. Know what specific areas they are interested in, why they give, and why they give you your organization. Know when their birthday is or when they get a promotion. Send them a card, make a short phone call, send them an email, all these things are part of proper cultivation and stewardship.
When you get to the point that you have a relationship with your donor making “The Ask” is simple. You should know specific interests of your donor, where else they give their money (and approximately how much, see my article on prospecting), and their past giving as a result of your cultivation and conversation. You are not uncomfortable in relating with them because you have a track record. So all you have to do is ask. Ask for something specific and reasonable and you know interests them. Make sure you are thanking them for their past giving, volunteer work, etc. If your ask involves a sponsorship, grant, or proposal make sure that you have all that information to give them. I have found that many times donors are waiting for “The Ask” to come and that making a good ask is more of a compliment to them. Everyone likes to be asked.
