Would your organisation like some more money for the work you do? I suspect the answer is ‘of course we would’; but how do we ask for it?
Too often we are just not very sure how to tell others about the great work we do or even asking them for a donation to support it.
When I first started as a fundraiser, I was asked to imagine I had 30 seconds to tell a potential major donor why he or she should give me a large cheque for my charity. It was (and is) a lot harder than it sounds, but here are a few things I have learnt over the years.
Think about what makes your organisation unique. There are lots of great people doing fantastic work, but what is the one (or more things) that makes you the one they should fund?
Tell stories rather than present facts. There is an old adage in fundraising that ‘people give to people’ and, whilst having the data that underpins what you do to hand is important, you usually need to first engage people’s hearts and emotions, rather than their heads and intellects.
Present opportunities not problems. If I am to give you money I mainly want to know about the difference my gift will make.
Try to keep it simple, even if it isn’t. There will be a time and place to explore the often deep and complex problems and situations that lie behind what you do, but this is probably not that occasion (unless you are asked of course).
Finally, don’t forget to actually ask!
So, you have 30 seconds to persuade me to part with this large cheque in support of your amazing work… what will you say? If you would like some help in preparing your answer, do get in touch.