April 23, 2010

Listen to NPR’s on-air fundraising. Don’t turn it off! Listen and learn.

“What you give, whatever is right for you is right for us.”

That’s an amazing statement. A true donor-centered statement. It should be a true statement for your organization, too.

Of course, you can still identify how much you think it would be appropriate to ask me for – especially if you’re doing face-to-face solicitation. Yes, indeed. That’s a must. And you shouldn’t apologize for asking me for a gift of XX, whatever that magic amount is. You ask and then you be quiet. Silent. Let me reflect and respond.

But I hope you’re sending me the message that whatever I decide – whatever is right for me – is right for you, too. That’s the key message. You ask me to give…in the solicitation letter, on the radio, face-to-face, over the telephone. In particular situations, you ask me to consider a specific amount. And you thank me when I give. And you tell me that whatever is right for me is right for you. I sure hope you believe that.

 

About Simone Joyaux

A consultant specializing in fund development, strategic planning, and board development, Simone P. Joyaux works with all types and sizes of nonprofits, speaks at conferences worldwide, and teaches in the graduate program for philanthropy at Saint Mary’s University, MN. Her books, Keep Your Donors and Strategic Fund Development, are standards in the field.

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