It Is the Mission
It Is the Mission
It Is the Mission
Is that also true for fundraising? Are there times when it is okay for fundraising to stray from the mission?
The most common reason we hear for excluding the mission from a fundraising activity is that the activity is about the donors. Should it be about the donors?
It is unnecessary or advisable to have the activity focus on the donors. Very few donors give because of what it does for them. They give because of what it does for others. They give because they want others to have what the mission promises. Donors seldom go to events to receive awards or eat overcooked chicken.
The donor's primary reason for going to an event is to hear about how the mission changed a life. It is difficult to say too much about the mission at a donor event. Everyone there is supportive of the mission. Everyone there cares about the clients. Everyone there is hoping the mission is effective. Failure to focus on the mission will disappoint the attendees.
Many times, we are told the mission is part of the event. Our follow-on question is, "Who is the star?" Is the mission the star or is it the tickets for 2 to Italy?
How was attendance at your last donor event? Do you have annual "Donor Thank You" events? How has attendance been the past few years? Is it slipping? Which is slipping faster, donations or attendance at the donor events?
If attendance and donations are slipping, it is easy to blame the economy, demographic shifts, and a host of other external factors. However, the mission still needs support from the donors. Our recommendation is to make everything related to fundraising about the mission.
What are some of the things you can do to make a fundraising event about the mission?
In your holiday greeting, you can include a short story about one of the clients. Donors will enjoy hearing how the mission has changed a client's life.
At the holiday event, you can have a client briefly tell everyone how the mission changed his or her life.
At the holiday event, you can decorate the room with pictures of clients and staff working together with a caption that tells a little about how the mission is being served in the picture.
Tell the donors how little it costs to make the mission a success, "For $90 it is possible to provide a client with a month's transportation to work. Their job will pay for their future transportation needs." or "$350 provides a wheelchair and mobility for a client."
You can probably think of others ways to make your mission the star.
Most your donors realize that your mission depends on the donations. However, most donors are unaware of how much good their individual gift does for the mission and a client or a small group of clients. They often feel like their gift is insignificant (A $200 gift versus a $2,000,000 budget). You can help them realize that a small gift makes a big change in someone's life.
Next Step:
Ensure the mission is the primary focus of everything related to fundraising
Break the mission into small pieces so that every gift has a significant affect on the success of the mission
Invite the donor to make a gift that will change a life
Communicate how each gift changes a life or lives
Sustainable funding is possible. The stronger the connection between the donor and the mission, the more sustainable their funding becomes. It is hard for another agency to spirit away a donor who feels he or she is an important part of the mission.
How many of your donors feel they are critical to your mission?
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