So many fundraisers are that guy. You know the one: The guy who corners you and goes on and on about himself. After a few minutes you’re wondering if you can escape by chewing off your leg.
That guy doesn’t realize he’s that guy. A lot of fundraisers don’t either. In both cases, they honestly believe going on and on about themselves is as interesting to others as it is to themselves.
Hands-On Fundraising has some reality-check advice: You don’t want to be that guy.
Change the fundraising conversation:
Your case isn’t about how swell your organization is. It’s not a list of selling points. It’s not lucky you, you can join us.
It’s an emotional appeal from a friend. It’s about your donor, not about you. It’s someone who needs your donor’s help. And you ask because your donor is the kind and caring person who wants to help.
You have to work a little harder to talk to the donor about herself and not about you. But that’s how you make fundraising work.
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
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