Day: October 20, 2017

A Halloween Special on Fundraising Fears…Part 2

Last week we started a series about fears of non-profit volunteers in making face-to-face requests for support. Though it is by far the most productive and least expensive form of fundraising, it is also one of the most neglected methods. We posed several fears and concerns, and today I would like to begin addressing some of them.

People Are Afraid They’ll Make Mistakes

Actually we began to cover this fear in our last blog when I said our experience has been quite the opposite. As fundraising consultants, we usually try to cover this and other fears in our stewardship training sessions, because we know they exist. I’ve found that the best way to begin to address a fear is simply to begin with some logic.

First, mark this down. There are no perfect people and no perfect performances. In any venture individuals are bound to “make mistakes.” Watch your favorite college football team on any Saturday, and you’re likely to see someone or several someones make a mistake… a turnover…an offside…a wrong route. That doesn’t mean they pack up and quit. Instead they resolve to be successful and try to learn from their mistakes and improve their performance.

Successful fundraising happens the same way. If you’re resolved to be successful, then the route to success is to practice and then get busy asking. However, it’s important to understand that you are not likely to yield results if you don’t show up in the first place.

Practice, Practice, Practice

How does one practice? You practice by telling the story first to a mate, a colleague or a close friend. If you do that a few times, you’ll gain an advantage already. Also, you might consider bringing someone with you when you go to make the call. There is strength in numbers, although I don’t advise having more than two people when you visit with a donor. Any more than that can be a bit overwhelming.

Consider that during his career Michael Jordan missed over 9,000 shots, lost 300 games and 26 times he was called on to make the last shot in a game and he missed. To this apparent record of failure he commented, “I’ve failed over and over and over again and that’s why I succeed.” The point is, the more you try the more you’ll eventually be successful.

People are Afraid the Prospect Will Get Angry

Over my 30-year career that includes many hundreds if not thousands of major gift solicitations I’ve had only one occasion when a person expressed anger. My response to that was simple, “I’m not asking for myself. I’m asking for these kids that your giving helps. I’m sorry if I appeared to be bold, but these kids have no one else to be bold for them.”

That pretty much ended any ill feelings, and this individual actually gave the amount for which I asked him. Later on he also offered an apology and told me that he had been having a bad day. As I said earlier, people rarely if ever get angry.

People are Afraid that the Prospect Will Say “No”

While a person may believe this is true, the facts just don’t measure up. As I mentioned in a previous blog, 70% of the time a peer visits a peer in a face-to-face solicitation the answer is “yes” and not “no”. Their gift may not be for the amount you ask, but it’s usually “yes” at some amount. In fact, in our campaign consulting we’ve seen some organizations exceed 80%. People want to help, and when you tell the story of the organization effectively they usually respond.

Next week we’ll cover more fears!

by Len Moisan

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- Jennifer Scott, Director of Development - The Cabbage Patch Settlement House

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- Daniel Montgomery, Pastor - Sojourn Community Church

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