What do donors say when they wake up in the morning? “Honey, let’s give the school a million bucks! Bet they’ll be surprised!” “For what?” “Who cares!” Do donors say that? No, they don’t.
What DO donors say?
“I can’t stop thinking about what we read yesterday. Women in Africa walk 3 miles to a well to get clean water for their families. It would cost $8,000 to dig a well in their village. We should do that.”
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fund a scholarship for a student whose family isn’t as lucky as ours? Let’s do it.”
“Look at this. We can make a gift for a monitor that wakes parents up in the middle of the night if their child is having a seizure. It can save a life! How can we not do that?”
Never ask for money. Donors don’t want to give money. They want to save a life, dig a well, fund a child’s education. Money is just the means to the end.
Fundraising is helping donors do the great things they want to do. Focus on the great things your donors want to do.
Never ask for money.