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Share your struggles

“You want us to share that with donors?!” my stunned client said after I suggested we add what they had just told me to the current fundraising appeal we were working on. It was about a struggle they were having, not unlike almost every other nonprofit.

Simply said, I want you to share your struggles. This came to mind when another person I work with said to me in an email “the struggle continues”. I was curious so asked. They didn’t mean in the general, worldwide sense of struggle. They meant the struggle for the nonprofit. They work in programs and are inundated with more tasks, more expectations and more requests for services. They have to say “no” a lot.

This is where we come in as nonprofit fundraisers, as story tellers. We tell their story. It connects with the overall story, and it’s important for donors to know about the struggles. After all, donors want to help. They want to be part of ensuring the mission and impact continue.

This is true for businesses as well. Keep your customers in the loop on how business is going, how it might be changing, and ask them for their support. An example is my local gym. Gyms have just been closed (again) and our gym moved all of their equipment outside so people can still work out and they can remain open. They had this news all over social media.

Your donors want to know your struggles. It does not come across as desperate to share them.

Thank you for reading! My email address is [email protected]

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