Fundraising Tip: More Donor Time

Time with donors always benefits those you serve.

Fundraising is all about relationships.

Relationships take time to build and grow.

In this world of social media and email, along with texting, a face to face meeting with someone can be refreshing.

It’s also beneficial, especially for those of us in nonprofit fundraising, those of us trying to give our program staff everything they need to excel in our nonprofit mission.

If someone is a donor to your organization, there’s a reason for that. I like to think that they are on the same page as me and the other staff in that they want to make the world a better and safer place, and they see our organization doing that.

If this is the case, we want to make sure that they have as much information about what we are doing. We also want to make sure that they know what we need to accomplish our mission.

All of this can be done by email, newsletters, social media, etc. Because we want to build relationship with those who support our mission, I suggest we go beyond that.

Not every donor wants to meet with you face to face. In fact, many don’t. That leaves a lot who will.

As you read this, you may already be thinking of who may want to meet with you. Perhaps you have no idea. I’d bet that you can think of at least a couple of people you could reach out to with an invitation for coffee or lunch. If you have haven’t made an invitation to a donor in the past, you may not even know if they would want to take time to meet with you.

Find out.

Start by going over your list of donors. Unless you are very new to your organization, you will immediately know who to invite. Add invitation time to your calendar. Start with an invitation tomorrow. 

A couple of things to consider before making an invitation to meet, especially if food is involved. I’m vegan. The organizations I donate to may not know that. If a fundraiser invites me to a meal I expect them to ask where I may want to meet, if I have a favorite place. 

If you choose the place, ask if they want you to consider anything while choosing. I promise this will pay off as you’re doing something that many don’t even think about.

It may take time to get a “yes”. Be patient. It will happen.

I urge you not to put this off. You’ll know what I mean as soon as you’re sitting with your donor.

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