3 ways to speak to donors where they are

All the things we say about fundraising come down to just a couple of facts about human beings, says the Boomerang Blog, at Why Donors Give: The Deep Human Need to Matter.

Here’s the point: Human beings, all of us, are hardwired to…

• Seek meaning. We need to bring order and sense to the chaos we live in. We want to see our values at work. We want our work and our lives to be more than just existence.
• Care about the world around us. Life is not just about looking out for yourself. At least according to the wise and kind among us — that is, donors.

To raise more money, you need to speak into this reality. And that comes down to three things:

1. Make your fundraising about what they can accomplish by giving. Not what you are going to do with their money.
2. Raise funds with a clear theory of change: what will be different (better) in the world when donors donate.
3. Be sure to thank donors when they give, and to let them know that they’re making a difference.

Yet so much fundraising doesn’t do this at all. It’s about how effective the organization is. How great everything is going. How donors should “support” them by giving.

It doesn’t help people find meaning through giving. It doesn’t ask people to change the world — just to send money so the org can change the world.

No wonder response rates are low. And donor retention keeps dropping.

When we remember that donations come from donors’ hearts and minds for reasons of their own, we get more partners who care more, give more, and stick around longer.