Donor Repellent … you don’t want spray that on your donors!
There’s one message that emits Donor Repellent big time, more than anything else. You’ll want to avoid that message, since attracting donors (not repelling donors) is your job.
Desperation = Donor Repellent
The Donor Repellent message is desperation. It’s easy to mistakenly communicate desperation.
If you can’t meet your payroll next week or next month, that’s a desperation situation. Seeking a bailout isn’t a solution, and a move like that likely won’t work.
No one wants to throw money away on a lost cause. Donors recognize that desperation isn’t going to be solved with their giving. They know that there are always deeper roots to these problems.
Yes, your cause may address a desperately urgent need. However, desperation isn’t the message you want to communicate.
Desperation Suggests Failure
What you need to communicate is the urgency that points toward a solution your donors can get behind. It’s that sense of urgency that offers them hope.
And your cause IS urgent. Hungry people need to be fed. Disease needs a cure. Children need a healthy environment. Your messaging needs to communicate the urgency of your cause.
Your organization must be well run so it doesn’t become desperate.
At the same time, your mission must be important and urgent. That’s what drives donors to action.
Proper Messaging: Urgency vs. Desperation
Proper messaging communicates urgency for your cause to your donors. For example:
More children need after school programs and it’s our mission to meet that need this year!
If you’re communicating desperation, you might say something like:
If you don’t give now, we’ll have to close our doors.
Your job is to attract donors, not repel them. Desperation is uncomfortable and it does nothing to help your cause. You know this firsthand from dating and job hunting.
Desperation Pushes Donors Away
In the end, desperation only leads to separation — and an unwanted kind of urgency.
You want your sense of urgency to inspire and spur donors to give. Check to make sure your communication with donors, both written and verbal, expresses urgency and importance — not desperation.
You can learn specific ways to attract donors (and avoid repelling them) by joining Mastering Major Gifts, my 7 week online course. The course covers best practices for messaging to ensure you’ll pull donors in — not push them away.
And you need to buy this course NOW because if you don’t, I might go out of business.
Just kidding. 🙂 But in all seriousness, the sooner you get started with Mastering Major Gifts, the closer you’ll be to achieving your organization’s mission.
See what I did there?
What about you? How does your nonprofit communicate urgency, not desperation? Is this difficult or easy for your organization? Share in the comments below.
Thanks Amy, I just changed one sentence in a request for donations which changes it from desperation to urgency. It was – “But without the support of people like you who recognize its value, the Camp cannot happen.” Changed to – “With the support of people like you who recognize its value, more children can afford the Camp.”
Such a simple change, Thanks
Awesome! I would even eliminate “who recognize its value”. Keep it simple: With the support of people like you, more children can attend (not afford) camp.
I keep up with a number of blogs to keep me SHARP on my own efforts. I raise funds for our family to work with an organization, and they process the money for us, and our partners/donors get a receipt for tax deductions. But I don’t actually fundraise for an organization. — But keeping up with current trends and information helps tremendously. Thank you!
I’ve been raising money for 34 years, and I, accidentally (don’t ask) read your blog. It was followed by giving myself a dope slap.
I needed this message. I’m making a presentation to a small group of prospective donors this weekend, and I almost completely forgot to put in my script what a winning organization we have. I was going to urgently appeal to “join our inner circle”, rather than “join a winner”.
D’oh!
Thanks much.