5 Words You Don’t Want To Hear
Greetings friends! Julie and I are in Germany this week on special assignment with Afghan leaders who are doing ministry among refugees. It's a stunning privilege. We welcome your prayers as we get to know them and work on fundraising strategies. Audio recordings are on pause for the time being.
In the meantime, you can listen to previous recordings by visiting The Breakthru Podcast
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“We regret to inform you…”
Those 5 words make my heart sink… No one in major gift fundraising wants to hear them. The first question that comes to mind: “Is it something I did?” Probably not. But maybe sometimes yes.
I remember talking with a fellow fundraiser who had just gotten the dreaded “we regret…” response from a new foundation prospect. It turned out that in his haste to get the application submitted before the deadline, he had mistakenly submitted a dated (and poorly written) draft of the project. Sheesh. Talk about regret. My heart went out to him. But, hey, you acknowledge the unforced error and determine to do better the next time around.
There are some important practices we need to embrace in order to prevent the “we regret…” response. Figuring out how to avoid sending proposals in haste is a fairly easy problem to solve, but sometimes the mistakes are a little less easy to identify. Let’s look at five of the most common mistakes in major gift appeals and how to steer clear of them.
#1 - Lack of Personalization
The mistake: Sending generic appeals that don't resonate with the giver's personal interests, values, or past involvement with the organization.
Solution:Personalize your approach. Before making the appeal, research your givers thoroughly. Understand their philanthropic history, interests, and what motivates their giving. Demonstrate how their contribution can make a significant impact.
Example:Instead of "we need your help", acknowledge their interest by saying, "Your past support for education initiatives has been invaluable. We have an exciting new project that aligns well with your passion for educational equity. Your involvement will strengthen our efforts to reach a broader audience."
#2 - Insufficient Relationship Building
The Mistake:Making an ask before establishing a strong, trusting relationship.
Solution:Build and nurture relationships first. Use the Strength of Relationship (SToR) assessment to gauge your connection with potential givers. Engage with them regularly through non-asking updates, invitations to events, and personal touches that show genuine interest in their lives and well-being.
Example:Although you haven’t connected meaningfully with John Doe, you have a mutual friend who is confident that John’s interest and capacity to give are a “match made in heaven” with your cause. It’s tempting to set up a time with John and jump right to the ask, however, that would likely result in a short-lived opportunity. Allow John to set the pace.
# 3 - Ignoring the Power of Storytelling
The Mistake:Focusing primarily on statistics and financial needs without connecting to the heart through stories.
Solution:Use storytelling to illustrate the impact of your work and give people hope that your vision is possible. Highlight personal stories of individuals who have experienced transformation from your programs. This helps givers see the tangible outcomes of their contributions.
Example:Instead of listing statistics about how many students your scholarship program has supported, share the story of one student whose life was transformed by the scholarship. Describe their journey, challenges, and how the scholarship made a difference (then maybe list a few stats).
#4 - Overlooking the Importance of Gratitude
The Mistake:Failing to adequately thank givers for their contributions or only reaching out when you need more money.
Solution:Cultivate a culture of gratitude. Regularly thank your givers, not only after they make a donation, but throughout the year. Share the outcomes of their support and treat them as valued partners in your mission.
Example:Send handwritten notes of gratitude and acknowledgment a couple times per year. Include an article or similar story which illustrates the impact on your mission.
# 5 - Misaligned Communication and Expectations
The Mistake:Failing to clearly communicate the goals, timelines, and outcomes of the projects you’re seeking support for will lead to misaligned expectations.
Solution: Be transparent in your communication. Have a trusted 3rd party review what you wrote to ensure that givers understand the timeline and what you hope to achieve with their support.
Example:Consider creating a one page cover summary for each project, including the vision of the cause, the idea you’re inviting people to fund, and a breakdown of the assets required to implement the idea (those you have already secured and those you still need).
Now you can watch those “we regret to inform you…” responses change to “we’re pleased to let you know…”!
Almost every week I get feedback and additional thoughts from several of you and I love it! Keep ‘em coming.
Praying for you all this week.
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If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now! Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached". Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue. No need for that...just make the call. 🕺
Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:
* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.
* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.
* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).
* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party. And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.
Before getting to the PAID stuff: My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting. Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that. This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me. That stops now.
Here's the PAID stuff:
* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly. It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising. It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections. Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems. I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.
* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental". The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.
Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum. She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.
I look forward to hearing about your good work!
Blessings,
