Solicitation

1. Keep scaling those endless difficult but achievable hills. Thanks to Seth Godin. (February 1, 2012)

2. Make sure you know who your customers are (e.g., donors, prospects, clients, board members, whatever). Thanks to Seth again. (February 6, 2012)

3. Grow your email list with 18 different strategies. Thanks to Karen Zapp. (February 2, 2012)

4. Understand what customer dissatisfaction is. Thanks to Seth yet again. (February 6, 2012)

5. This is a common question – all too often, answered poorly. “Not too often. Don’t want to make the donors upset.” Forget those answers. Instead, read Ken Burnett’s answer. Ken is the founder of SOFII (Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration). Ken introduced the term “relationship fundraising,” and his eponymous book is a must-read. Ken’s answer to “how often should you ask” is exactly the right answer, the best answer, the only answer. Share it with your staff and board members.

6. Visit Marco Kathuria’s site mkcreative. Some interesting info. Some good interviews. You might find Marco’s recent interview with me insightful. Read Tom Ahern’s interview, too. Check out the blog about making a fundraising video and the interview of with Gail Perry and stuff about Apple, and more. And mine, too.

I don’t believe charities compete for donations. People have their own interests – and pay attention to those interests.

Most of the solicitations I receive (and you and your donors, too, I suspect) are of no interest to me. So those organizations are not competing for my money. And when I get solicitations from multiple causes that interest me, I decide how much to give to which one.

Competition also suggests that there is limited money available for charity. The truth is, more people give more money each year. (And if we could increase the % of household income that each of us gives, we would raise even more money.)

And competition is an easy excuse to use when organizations have trouble raising money. Instead of complaining about competition, try doing a better job of fund development.

Remember, fund development starts with identifying the predisposed and qualifying them as prospects – or leaving them alone. Fund development requires relationship building (donor-centered communications and extraordinary experiences). Then we solicit. And then we continue relationship building. Learn lots about this in the Free Download Library on this website. Click on Resources and see the pulldown menu.

I talk about congestion. Yes, it’s a very congested marketplace. Lots of solicitations and crowded mailboxes and telephones. So make sure you’re sending relevant solicitations to those who are interested. That way, those donors and prospects will pull out your letter and listen to your call and meet with you. Make sure you don’t waste your resources alienating people who are not interested.

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It’s about me, not you. In other words, “It’s not what you’re selling that matters. It’s what I’m buying that counts.”

I wrote that back in 1997, in the first edition of Strategic Fund Development. Read more about it – and lots of other stuff – in my 3rd edition, released in March 2011 by John Wiley & Sons.

Check out Jeff Brooks’ blog of 12-29-11, “The first (and second, and third) lesson in fundraising.” And what’s the lesson? It’s not about you. Fundraising (and most of life) is not about you. It’s not about you and your organization, it’s about them…the donor and prospective donor.

That’s what Dale Carnegie, 1930s self-help guru meant when he said: “You’ll have more fun and success when you stop trying to get what you want and start helping other people get what they want.” Post that over your desk. Recite that mantra regularly – to yourself, for your board and boss.

Jeff’s 12-29-11 blog cites this learning from a posting on SOFII. A new fundraiser talks about writing something that had “never been said before”. The new fundraiser wanted to be original, didn’t want to copy anyone else’s style. And following that path too often makes you avoid the rules that work. Read Jeff’s blog. Read SOFII.

Check out The Agitator blog of Monday, November 14, 2011. Roger Craver talks about inventing the direct mail “ask string” – and focusing on the Highest Previous Gift (HPG). And he tells us that current research says “no dice.” Instead of the HPG, use the Most Recent Contribution (MRC) for acquisition and reinstatement. And use the average gift for the active donors in your file.

Kevin Schulman at DonorVoice explains why in his post of November 3, 2011. If you use direct mail – and pretty much everyone does – read Kevin’s post.

I just returned from AFP’s 2011 international conference in Chicago. Listened to Australian Sean Triner. Do attend his sessions if you have a chance. Good presenter and good infor. Not to miss. Visit his blog.

Here are some Sean tidbits that I found useful:

— Donors with American Express credit cards are much more generous than other donors. So pay the higher fee and accept American Express in your organization!

— Transition regular donors to monthly giving via a telephone call…about 6 weeks after the first gift.

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That’s what the Steel Yard gift envelope says. And Tom and I are believers. So we had these choices to pick from:

– I want to support a Steel Yard work day at $344.

– I’m going to support a session of Open Studios at $129.

– I’m thrilled to sponsor __ hours of the Steel Yard’s operations at $43 each = $____.

– I’ll commit to paying for __ days at $1,036 = $____.

– I’m SO darn committed that I want to take care of a WHOLE WEEK at $7,252.

– I’m committed enough to make a monthly gift of $___ over the next ___ months.

Pretty darn spiffy choices, I think. What do you offer me, your true believer?

Check out the Donor Centric Pledge on this website. Read all about donor centrism in Keep Your Donors and Building Donor Loyalty and Fundraising Principles and Practice.

Remember, donors do not give to your organization. They give through your organization. Your organization can be the means by which donors achieve their desires and fulfill their aspirations.

Or, as Ted Hart said at the AFP Toronto Congress this week: Donors cannot always do “the thing.” They invest in your organization to do it.

Are you, as a board member, willing to use your political and social capital to help your organization? Your answer must be yes. You use your political and social capital by:

— Identifying friends and colleagues who might be interested in the cause.

— Paying attention to what interests those you connect with in your personal and professional spheres… And if there’s any connection between the cause and their interests, you introduce the cause.

— Sharing your own interests as you talk with people throughout life… And your own interests surely includes the cause whose board you sit on.

This is reciprocity. Finding and sharing common interests.

So what’s trespassing? Trespassing is when you ask your friends or colleagues to give gifts and buy tickets… just because they are your friends and colleagues. This is the personal / professional favor exchange. This is obligation. It’s a lousy way to raise money. It’s offensive. It alienates the asker and the askee. And it’s not sustainable.

Are you reading Jeff’s daily blog, Future Fundraising Now?

— You only have 2 seconds to make an impression in your email. You only have 2 seconds with those who opened your email…and most didn’t even open it. Read more in Jeff’s 06-29-10 blog.

— Don’t hide your fundraising call to action. Quit trying to educate people. Stop trying to convince people to think differently. Instead, focus on the call to action. And what is that? Give! Please give now. Please give again. Without you… Read more in Jeff’s 06-30-10 blog.

Visit www.askingmatters.com…a brand new really cool resource that focuses on person-to-person, face-to-face solicitation.

Colleague Andrea Kihlstedt (author of Capital Campaigns) and her partner Brian Saber have invented something pretty neat: a website devoted to personal, face-to-face asking. You’ve heard me say it before – and I’ll say it again – asking personally, face-to-face, is the best way to solicit a gift and the best way to nurture a relationship. Do it. Do it more and more.

Www.askingmatters.com includes tips and videos and downloadable resources. There’s lots of free stuff.

And, for a small fee, you have access to more, for example: an assessment of your asking style with an asking guide designed for your style.

Tom Ahern and I participate in Asking Matters because we think it’s good. Try it. And read the article “Making the Case for the Lowly Fork.” Yes, really!

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