Fundraisers: Stop Trying to Convince Your Donors

Fundraising is changing. For most of our history as fundraisers, we have been “convincers.” We argue for giving, both in mass appeal marketing and by persuading major donors to make big gifts. But donors have changed, and the world has changed. And fundraisers need to follow.

It is time for us to stop convincing and start listening and start partnering. Based on today’s generosity environment, a “convincer” mentality is probably the worst way to think about giving today.

The deck is just stacked against the persuader model. Your organization name even matters less. Trust in institutions at an all-time low, and it is now much less about your logo and much more about showing impact for giving. Today’s successful fundraisers are less like salespeople and more about enabling donors to meet their mission in connected and collaborative ways.

This is a crucial transition, because the rising generations of Millennial and Gen Z givers focus much more on the mission than the organization’s name. There are already millions of millionaires among our younger donors, owing to the ongoing Great Wealth Transfer. These donors have been social in their giving. They’ve all used GoFundMe, Patreon, crowdfunding and all kinds of social giving and buying methods.

So, if you find yourself spending a lot of your effort on “convincing” donors, you are probably seeing declining results. I predict that soon, you will not be even be able to “pitch” your way to transformative gifts. You are probably already feeling this in your appeal responses, and even in requests for meetings with major donors.

It is time for change. These are the “c” words that you need to be as a fundraiser today.

These are the four “c” words we should adopt to engage today’s donors.

It’s time to be less of a “convincer” and more of these four things for today’s donors if we want to grow generosity and maximize the joy of giving.

• Collaborator: We should come to donors with a partnership mindset. This helps us approach donors in an inclusive way where we are always learning. It is time for more listening. And a collaboration mindset is also crucial to engaging younger donors.
• Consultant: Giving is more strategic today. That is one reason why we’re seeing massive increases in the formation of family foundations and donor advised funds. You need to come to donors understanding these vehicles, and make them easy for donors to use as part of their giving plan.
• Connector: Millennial and Gen Z donors are influenced by social media in their giving at twice the rate of older donors, according to research by Giving USA. And research shows that making giving a social experience can increase response by 40% or greater. Your appeals should be networked, supported by social media, and based in community.
• Concierge: You have access to experts, mission influencers and social networks associated with your organization. You have the opportunity to make connections for donors, and provide access and experiences to potential donors that will bring them closer to your mission. Instead of hiding your professors, researchers, caregivers and service providers behind the curtain, connect them directly with donors. You’ll find it makes a massive difference.

How do you make this transition? Well, one big way is through data: predictive analytics and AI can help you listen for what donors truly care about, and identify the donors in your pool who are engaged and ready for one of these “c” conversations. It’s about way more than wealth ratings. When I’ve used this strategy in the past, we’ve almost doubled the number of top prospects identified for an institution.

Donors are changing, and fundraising must change with them

Engaging an inclusive, purposeful donor base with strategies that encourage action requires us to transform traditional fundraising systems. A data-driven, impact-first and collaborative focus is key, along with providing a robust social experience for our donors. This is the direction the most innovative fundraisers are going right now, and I encourage you to think about ways you can join them.