Your hotline to donors
August 2010
connecting good causes and generous people
 
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Greetings!
hot line phone

On August 30, in 1957, a hotline connected the Kremlin and the White House. It's hard to dial the phone when you have one finger on the nuclear trigger, and a wrong number would be catastrophic.  So that was a big day.

 

Today, you are sitting in front of the phone, with a list of donors to call.  Your adrenaline surge may tell you that this is a momentous occasion, but, believe me, the stakes are not so high as they were for the leaders of the super-powers in 1957.  So just make the call.  Here are a few ideas.

  • Express appreciation for their gifts.  Do it in a way that invites them to be members of the inner circle.  In other words, don't say "We thank you for supporting our work."  Instead say something like, "your generosity has  accomplished great things".
  • Describe the "great things" in detail.  Paint a vivid, personal, and memorable picture with your words.  People give because they want to make the world a better place.  Tell them how they achieved that.
  • Find out why the donor is philanthropic.  A question like, "How did you come to be so generous?" can launch a very lively conversation.
  • Find out why the donor chose to give money to your organization.  Don't assume that he or she is jazzed about your programs.  We are often not that rational.  The generosity is just as likely to spring from some personal or emotional connection.
  • Ask for advice.  Find out if the donor is willing to get together to help you think through some new program or some public perception issue.  (Note: only ask for advice if you are open to suggestion.  A donor can tell if the request is sincere or not.  If there are no aspects of your program that can benefit from suggestions from committed donors, that is a problem bigger than the development office.)

That Cold War hotline may be credited with preventing nuclear war.  The results of your phone calls will not be so dramatic.  But they will help to keep the cogs of generosity turning.

 

(If you need extra quiet for making those calls you can get door hangers from my friend Andrea Kihlstedt at AskingMatters.com: "Please do not disturb - making fund raising calls."  Check out the Asking Matters website.)

If your organization would benefit from creative thinking about major gifts fund raising, let's talk.  I can help you think through how to raise money from individual donors in this tough economic climate, get ready for a capital campaign, strengthen board involvement in fund raising, or overcome anguish about money.  Call my cell phone (301) 758 3410, or send an email to  paul@jumpstartgrowth.com