Fundraising Tip: Call a Donor

Building relationships means we need to speak with our donors.

I’ve told this story before, and as many of us are planning our year-end fundraising campaigns, our relationship with a donor brings added success to our efforts.

Speaking with our donors helps and can be done no matter what your capacity of time is.

If you are in nonprofit fundraising, you know this, yet it may have been a while since you made calls.

Here’s one of my favorite stories on the power of a phone call.

An event sponsor had sent me an email. She had a couple of questions.

Rather than email her back, I called her.

She was thrilled to receive my call, and we talked for several minutes. The call definitely changed the relationship. Her company was new to sponsoring this annual fundraising event, and she felt much more comfortable moving forward after the call.

This fundraising tip is an easy one. Pick up the phone. Respond to an email with a phone call. Even if you have to leave a message, the act of reaching out will make a difference.

I know how busy you are. In between all of those meetings and fundraising campaign work, take a minute to call someone. I have a list I start the week off with of those I want to call during that week.

The call can be to a donor, a fundraising colleague, a volunteer, or even to a board member who you want to connect with.

It does make a difference, while not taking a lot of time out of your day. This action also supports our idea that fundraising is about relationships, not about money.

Who will you call today?

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If you liked this post, check out this one, titled “People are still donating”: https://altrui.org/fundraising-tip-people-are-still-donating/

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.