In all my years of fund raising, both doing it and teaching it, every successful experience comes down to understanding 5 fundamental truths or axioms. They are:
- People only give to people.
- People give to your future.
- People give to success.
- People get something from giving.
- People don’t give unless they’re asked.
Here’s what #4 means:
People get something from giving. We don’t need to feel uncomfortable or like we’re imposing on people when asking them for money. Donors are motivated by what they get from giving – whether a good feeling, a sincere desire to help others, to identify with a group they admire or for a tax benefit (yes, in fact, generally the tax break ranks last). We’re not offending them or using a relationship inappropriately. Like marketing, fund raising is an exchange relationship where both the asker and the donor get something in return.
