The Importance of Human Connection
“People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou
Keys to Resource Generation
Here are our main keys to resource generation:
- Build personal relationships and human connections. People give their time/money/etc. because of how they feel.
- Think of donors as partners (e.g., can give money, but also time, energy, expertise, and ideas), instead of just sources of funding.
- Every time you meet with someone make an ask (e.g., money, time, in-kind, information, expertise, a second meeting, etc.).
- Keep people consistently involved, informed, and engaged (rather than just when you need them for something).
- People give money first, then develop their commitment (so make sure to ask at the second meeting!).
Principles/Habits of Resource Generation
View Donors as Partners
Jennifer McCrea and Jeffrey Walker write in The Generosity Network about viewing fundraising as building partnerships and real human connections. People give (e.g., time, money, expertise, etc.) because they feel some sort of connection/relationship with the cause.
The Generosity Network notes “When your prospective partners see themselves as a vital part of the narrative, the ask to give is effortless. Not because you have sold them on an idea or because you’ve convinced them with persuasive arguments, but because they can envision a future where they are partners with you and your organization.”
According to a comprehensive national study on volunteering by Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund (“Gift Fund”) and VolunteerMatch, donors who volunteer with an organization “donate an average of 10 times more money to charity than people who don’t volunteer.”
Always Have an Ask
Whether you are meeting someone for the first time or the tenth time, you need to always have an ask for them. It does not always have to be for money, but it can be to attend an event/meeting, send ideas, connect you with two or three other people, share expertise, etc.
Consistently Engage People
To keep folks partnering and supporting for the long-haul, you need to ensure the people you are asking for things feel like they know what is going on and that their support matters.
Some ways to consider to consistently engage folks from Jennifer McCrea include:
- Have donors meet 1-on-1 with volunteers or those your organization supports.
- Have a list of 100-200 people you call, text, write, etc. at least once every three months.
- Top 25 list (or top 10) – Capture the names who you think will be most likely to be supportive of your work.
- 30/30s – Look at what happened in the last 30 days with the individual and what your plan is for the next 30 days. (to see if you are moving them closer to giving).
- Setup consistent time daily/weekly to reach out to existing or new folks.
Ask for Monthly Recurring Donations
Whether it’s $5 or $500 a month, a monthly recurring donation helps build a more committed donor base. It also helps with your budget since you have a steady stream of funds coming year-round, instead of hoping to make it all at once. Remember, ask anyone who volunteers, partners, or connects with your organization to become a recurring donor/member.
Meeting with Donors and Making The Ask
Meeting Summary
- Always focus on building relationships and real commitments. Share stories and narratives vs. focusing on data (but have that ready).
- At the first meeting – ask for a second meeting.
- At the second/third meeting – ask for a monetary contribution (remember people donate and then develop their commitment).
The First Meeting with a Prospective Donor
Jennifer McCrea and Jeffrey Walker write in The Generosity Network to set the right tone when meeting with donors the first time:
- Meet in a neutral location (i.e., not their office).
- Make it a 1-on-1 meeting (as opposed to a group meeting).
- Do some preparation to learn about the person, but avoid over-preparing.
- Share your personal narrative.
- Ask questions.
- Avoid relying on materials (e.g., slides, handouts, video, etc.).
- End by asking for a second meeting (if a good partnership).
At the beginning of the meeting say right up front, “I’m not going to ask you for a gift today,” but ask for something (e.g., ideas, connections, participation, time to meet again, etc.).
Be transparent on why you are meeting. For example, you could say “as you know we’re working on X (project, fundraising campaign, etc.), but today I don’t want to ask you for any money. I want us to share with each other and our passion/interests to see how our visions for change align.”
Make the Ask
McCrea and Walker in The Generosity Network note we need to break free from “win/lose” mentality and think “Have we made a fruitful connection?…asking for the gift is not about ‘selling’ something but about establishing an open-ended, mutually rewarding relationship that will benefit everyone involved and, ideally, deepen over time.”
Here are some things to keep in mind when making the ask:
- When to make the ask? – During the 2nd or 3rd meeting. (remember we often wait too long to ask. Also, people give money and then get more committed).
- Focus on telling a story, less on facts/data and supporting handouts.
- Ask for a specific amount (e.g., $20 a month, $200, $2,000, $20,000).
- Make the ask and then wait quietly. Do not say anything until they talk next.
- Jennifer McCrea reminds us to have” 20 seconds of courage!” (remember you cannot be rejected. They may say “No” but then it is about getting them connected to the right work or knowing this partnership might not be the best place to put time/energy).
- Remember, if they say “no.” Try and find out why (e.g., not a good alignment on vision, cannot donate the exact amount you want at this time, etc.).
Tactics and Tips for Effective Resource Generation
Create an Organizational Avatar
Jennifer McCrea and Jeffrey Walker write in The Generosity Network an “organizational avatar” is someone who embodies your organization’s work (e.g., the leader of the organization, a key volunteer or team member, a program recipient, etc.) and who people like hearing from (e.g., in emails, social media, selfie videos, etc.). This person should focus on keeping people updated on their own story.
Maximize Connections with Current Donors
Before focusing on prospecting for new donors, it is more important to improve connections with your current donors. In most cases you will be more successful increasing donations from your existing supporters, rather than constantly finding new ones.
Use Effective Message Techniques
1. Make things specific
The Heath brothers in Made to Stick note a story of a nonprofit trying to save some important, but unimpressive looking, open space. So they created a name for it to build importance “Mount Hamilton Wilderness” and that got donors to be interested, even though that name was completely made up right before the fundraising campaign.
2 Always share a story
The Heath brothers in Made to Stick note a story is even better than a story+data in some cases. Since statistics/data gets people to think analytically rather than emotionally. Stories get us to think emotionally which is needed to act.
An example of this is a study that found that when a nonprofit sent out three annual appeal letters (e.g., data, story, story+data) the one that only focused on one person telling their story did better than the story with the data!
3. Make sure the person appears in the messaging (e.g., saying “you”)
Other Tips
- The Generosity Network notes people donate first and then get more engaged. When people give they immediately become more attached to the organization, even if a small gift.
- Ask people to pledge to give over a multi-year cycle. Then get people to commit in writing and sign it for how much they want to commit over those years (e.g., two or three years). Just a simple pledge, nothing legalistic, it is more a visual reminder for them.
- Chip and Dan Heath in Switch that when announcing a big fundraising campaign, development experts recommend securing 50% of the total before publicly launching it (i.e., because people have an easier time when things get close, rather than right at the beginning).
Foundation Giving
Foundation giving is in some ways similar to individual giving. It is mostly about relationships. Identify program specialists in foundations, and build a relationship with them. (instead of just going to the head of the foundation) This will help you identify collaborations, existing models, etc.