Donors give to make something happen [COMMANDMENT 1]

A ten-week series on things you should know about fundraising.

Not handed to me on a mountain, but gathered slowly over the course of years working in fundraising.

Donors don’t give to support organizations or programs; they give to make something happen.

This is a hard commandment to follow. It requires us to get outside own own perspective and to see through the eyes of less-connected, less-knowledgable donors.

The truth that emerges from this understanding is that your donors really don’t care about your programs. They don’t even care much about your organization. But they love the things your organization and programs make happen.

That’s why “support us” is a dud in fundraising. It’s asking donors to do something they don’t care about.

Talk to donors about what their giving will do.

The rest of the commandments (so far).