For all the talk about fundraisers being people-persons, the words used when raising money tell a different story. Whether in writing, over the phone, or in person, requests for funds focus are almost exclusively on the organization – its needs, wants, and hopes. From the first paragraph to the last, it’s we, we, we, all the way home.
To be fair to my beleaguered colleagues, when chasing over-sized goals there’s little time or energy for touchy-feely, donor-centered rhetoric. The temptation is strong to cut to the chase, to go directly to the ask with nary a nod in the direction of the people on the receiving end of the message — even when our better angels scream, “Don’t do it!”
The fundraiser’s job is to connect with people who share a passion for the cause represented and to ask them to join in the work with their financial support. No haranguing, arm-twisting, or guilting. When pursued as ministry, fundraising is about developing relationships that encourage and celebrate donors’ engagement and generosity.
For that, you need to “think of communication less as a megaphone” for shouting out your tales of woe and “more as a gift to your audience.”
So write communication gurus Ann Christiano and Annie Neimand in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). The duo highlight research showing that “people engage and consume information that affirms their identities and aligns with their deeply held values and worldview, and avoid or reject information that challenges or threatens them.”
I urge you to track down the Fall 2018 issue of SSIR or to buy a digital version of “The Science of What Makes People Care.” Until you do, here are four principles from the article for crafting messages that inspire.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
To be sure, there’s more to fundraising than attention to communication strategies. However, if your messaging isn’t connecting with folks, your job just got a lot harder. In other words, there’s little to lose and potentially much to gain from giving the following tips from Christiano and Neimand a try.
Communicate in images. Use visual language instead of abstract concepts to help people connect with your work.
Invoke emotion with intention. Think about what you’re trying to get people to do and how they would feel if they were doing it. Then think about stories that would make them feel that way.
Create meaningful calls to action. Review your calls to action to make sure they ask [friends of the organization] to do something that will connect them to the cause and that they know how to do (emphasis mine).
Tell better stories. Go beyond simply sharing messages, to telling interesting stories with a beginning, middle, and end. And remember: How YOU help a potential donor see the ministry you represent in their story is what makes all the difference.
And one more tip, this one from me.
Encourage donor feedback. After every mailing, presentation, or newsletter, ask donors and other friends of your organization how they felt about your messaging. Accept criticism with grace and praise with humility, learning from both. When your goal is to grow givers’ hearts, you should want to hear how God is able to speak through your words (or not).
As Christiano and Neimand remind us, “People seek information that makes them feel good about themselves and allows them to be a better version of themselves. If you start with this understanding of the human mind and behavior, you can design [fund appeals] that help people see where your values intersect and how the issues you are working on matter to them.”
Even better, you’ll be part of growing givers’ hearts in generosity toward God and the amazing variety of good works done in God’s name.
As a fundraiser communication starts with believing in the cause yourself first- the signs being your story, expression ad connecting with the interest, ideals, validity and need for support of the cause makes ready set stage for donor generosity and results — hopefully for an ongoing, meaningful and a rewardingly perpetual journey ! Hello Bill Enright – your thoughts on my reflection and comments please. This is what comes to mind in my attempts on the trails!
@WilliamEnright @David King @Jean Temple
Thank you, Shakeela, for your comment. Although it would seem obvious that a fundraiser’s ability to communicate the message of the cause s/he represents would begin with a personal conviction it really matters, this is often a missing ingredient. For fundraising to be a true ministry, however, the purpose for which a person seeks funds must be close to their own heart. It’s tough to get people to care about something about which we don’t believe deeply ourselves.
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