Relationships, Cool Technology and Taking the Fear Out of Fundraising, Part 1

Whether it’s teaching about fundraising or doing it, I’m always intrigued by the coolest, most effective tech tools available.

Last month, 50 nonprofit leaders crowded into a room hoping to acquire some “magic” to fuel their organizations.   My invitation from SCORE Silicon Valley to speak on the subject of fundraising was exciting and a little daunting at the same time.  The challenge with the wide-open topic of “fundraising” was…Where to start?

Many of the attendees are founders and board members of organizations delivering programs like health services to Africa, private education, community access programming, and support for Leukemia patients.  They got “in the business” to deliver a service, not to raise money.  And many are shy about engaging with social media, a must-do in today’s world.

I decided to tackle head-on what was sure to be the elephant in the room:  The fear and anguish associated with fundraising and the common misconception that fundraising is a sales pitch, asking/begging/bullying/guilting someone into giving their hard-earned cash away.

What better way than by pulling a cool tech tool out of my back pocket…PollEverywhere. A live online poll gauged the audience’s disposition to fundraising.  Participants grabbed their cell phones, texted a response to a 6-digit number, and instantly we knew where everybody in the room stood on fundraising.

Poll question:

Which statement best describes your attitude toward fundraising?

Choices:

 

Ahhh.  I love it and have the right tools and knowledge to succeed!

 

Eh. I don’t mind it but still have a few things to learn.

 

Hmm. I’m not fond of it and have a lot to learn.

 

Argh! I can’t stand it and live in fear of it.

 

And the results were….drumroll….

 

Even many non-geeks in the room managed to put in their vote.  As expected, reluctance to this 4-letter word (OK, so I’m stretching that a bit to “F-U-N-D”) abounded.
But why?  I believe it’s because so many cause-based organizations have set the example of making their public outreach the “ask” rather than the “why”.  The “ask” should come once supporters have been engaged with the organization and when it’s truly time.

A recent article from The Nonprofit Times shared the 5 top reasons people give:

• To meet critical, basic needs;
• To give back to society by making the community a better place;
• A belief that those with more should help those with less;
• To bring about a desired impact or result; and,
• A request for money was made.

All too often, nonprofits focus on #5 (their #1 pain point) without first and continually engaging supporters in reasons #1-4.  Creating a relationship of trust between the supporters and the organization is paramount.  After all, we are truly not giving money to the organization, we are facilitating a mission and community benefit, giving money through the organization to make a difference in the lives of others.

We walked through the essential components of the Relationship Cycle, building trust with supporters: Understand – Reach – Engage – Appreciate

An hour and fifteen minutes later, I reproduced the poll.  And guess what?  Moving away from the fear of the “ask” and the toward the fun and joy of building a relationship with supporters made a difference.



Once supporters are engaged, fundraising comes more easily.  Using social media, online non-profit fundraising and other technology, alongside low-tech connections, makes it possible to create a global relationship with your supporters.

Stay tuned for part two of this five-part series, as I explore the first step of the Relationship Cycle:  Understanding.