subject: Locking In High-level Commitments [print this page] You work hard to get peoples attentionYou work hard to get peoples attention. You hone your story and shout it from the rooftops. You market your cause, organization and events using an array of tools, including email, social media, direct mail, even cold calls. Then, if youve done a good job, it happens: youve captured someones interest Now what? Turning attention into involvement is a task in itself and a link in the fundraising chain upon which all your efforts are dependent. And doing so when youre asking for high-level commitments in terms of time, money and endurance makes the challenge twice as hard.
Enter the general interest, or kick-off meeting. Getting people together for this figurative firm handshake is a necessity when it comes to ensuring a participation in these kinds of events.
Success in implementing this tool is, of course, dependent on a lot of Meeting 101 principles, particularly on the preparation front. This includes strategically choosing your venue, prepping the space, sending email reminders and making sure participants know what they need to bring for registration.
Before you even get started, consider that this is where your organizationand importantly, its missionfirst presents its living face to the people you want to engage. Theyre going see and meet you and your volunteers, as well as others like them who are exploring the same possibilities to exact a certain change in the world. Take advantage of this by encouraging networking and interaction with people.
Ask people to share with you and with each other why theyre there. What compelled them to look into your cause and pursue this kind of event? Why are they willing to consider taking on such a challenging level of commitment? Facilitating this kind of exchange allows the group to escalate the sense of importance of what theyre doing and gives your presentation weight before you utter your first word.
Presentations like this are more than an opportunity to broadcast messaging and informationwhen done right theyre interactive events, where participants have the chance to ask questions and get answers.
Finally, what happens after your presentation is as important as what happens during. From the final askto commit and sign and register before they leaveto your follow-up emails, your presentation now becomes the pivot point from which people will make the jump from having an idea to making something difficult into a personal reality.
Dont present and disappear. Follow-up personally and make sure participants remain committed and feel good about their decision. If youve succeeded, theyre family nowbe sure to treat them that way.
For more details on how to successfully conduct and take advantage of general interest meetings, download Appeals to Participation: Four Steps to Engaging Your Audience.
