Fundraising truths you’ll wish you knew a long time ago

Experience makes a difference.

Here’s what 25-year professional Steven Screen at Better Fundraising has learned about donors, at Things an Old Fundraiser Knows:

• It’s harder than ever to get and keep attention.
  
• We need more drama and less process.
  
• We need more National Enquirer and less National Geographic.
  
• Fundraising should be louder, bolder, redder.
  
• Don’t assume your donor is going to read anything you send them, let alone the whole thing.
  
• The way your organization does its work is rarely important.
  
• The best-performing fundraising is usually about something the donor cares about, at the level at which they understand it, and about what their gift will do about it.
  
• Most small nonprofits have untapped giving of 15% to 25% of their total revenue — they have a lot of donors who would like to give more money if they are Asked well and then cultivated correctly.
  
• Most of the barriers to raising more money are self-imposed.
  
• Successful fundraising is a knowledge issue, not a talent issue.
  
• Donor generosity is amazing.
  

These are nuggets that can help you transform your fundraising!