Are these tough times to raise funds?
Only if you use the same techniques you used last year. Use a different technique and you will get different results. Are last year’s results worth repeating?
How did most nonprofits raise funds last year? They focused on their needs. They made claims that lacked credibility. They focused on the crisis. They made the appeal almost exclusively emotional.
Their needs –
Without your support, we will need to close our Main Street offices.
(We all need to tighten our belts during a downturn. Why should the public care or be sympathetic?)
Credibility –
Our mission is to put an end to hunger.
(The mission statement is several years old but the number of hungry individuals grows each year. There must be a more effective place to invest one’s donations.)
Crisis focus –
There are more homeless people at our door every day.
(In a time of crisis, we need solutions rather than reports of more problems.)
Emotional appeal
Pregnant teens have a hard time coping.
(Sympathy is low in a time of crisis. We all have problems. The crisis was created by judgment errors. The judgment errors of others hang over all of us and threaten the security of many of us. It is hard to be sympathetic to someone else who is suffering from their own judgment error.)
The typical donor in 2007 responded to one or more of those appeals. Why? The donor felt secure so it was easy to be generous. The donor was willing to take the time to look behind the words (credibility was less important). The donor was optimistic about the future. The donor was willing to trust you to be effective and efficient. The donor trusted the financial management of others.
In 2009, the donor will have different priorities. You need to make them feel secure. The rising unemployment causes them to worry. You need to talk directly to them instead of having them work for the message. You need to focus them on the future and give them hope. The recent financial turmoil makes all of us untrusting of others when it comes to money management. You need to prove your agency is trustworthy. The financial turmoil is blamed on people focusing on their interests rather than broader interests. Everything you do needs an outward focus. They want facts they can trust.
As a result, any funding appeal must tell a compelling story. If possible, it must provide simple statistics that demonstrate that the story is repeatable and benefits a large number of people. (Logic, credibility, and emotion)
You must display your passion. The work will go on regardless of their support. Their support is important but not critical or urgent. You will find a way. (Passionate and in control)
The reader must connect to your client. It isn’t about the new computer system. It is about ensuring that the family receives the food they need for a balanced diet and to honor their religious dietary guidelines. (Outward focused, durable, concrete, unique, and problem solving – prudent use of funds that is different from what everyone else is doing.)
It is not more work. It is working differently.
