How to Experience the True Joy of Fundraising

There are a lot of negative connotations associated with fundraising. And that strips it of the natural joy you should be getting as you’re working so hard to make the world a better place.

Negative Fundraising Language vs. Positive Fundraising Language

One of the strategies I often use when facilitating a board retreat is to ask board members to think about all the negative words associated with fundraising.

Negative Language

The negative list usually includes things like:

Arm twisting
Guilt
Begging

You get the idea.

Positive Language

The next step is to come up with a list of positive words which could be associated with fundraising. They include things like:

Inspire
Invite to join
Partner / collaborate
Solve problems
Help others
Give back
Empower
Motivate

It’s important to think about fundraising using positive language. There are a number of benefits.

Raising money isn’t a chore; it’s a privilege.

Think about it. Do you “have” to fundraise? Or do you “get” to fundraise? Hear the difference?

If you look at fundraising as something you have the privilege of doing, rather than a chore or task you’re obligated to do, it will feel completely different.

Fundraising Provides the Ultimate Opportunity to “Feel Good”

If you assume donors want to help and feel good when doing so, you can look at fundraising as providing people with an opportunity to feel good!

When you think about it in that context, fundraising should be joyful, inspiring, and provide hope and opportunity.

You are not a burden to donors. You are not annoying them. You’re providing them with an opportunity to do good in the world… to make a difference.

How might the donor feel after the ask?

When considering how to make an effective fundraising ask, think about how the donor feels after you’ve asked — two hours later, two days later, two months later, and beyond.

Do they feel good about their contribution?
Have you motivated and inspired them?
Do they feel a connection to your organization and you?

Or have you harassed them and guilted them into giving a gift?

No one ever wants to be accused of the latter. And if you adopt the right outlook, you could never be accused of that.

Giving Should Feel as Good for Donors as Fundraising Feels for You

If you are raising funds correctly, giving feels good!

Some uplifting language to try

Let’s practice asking for a gift where giving feels good for all involved. Play around with the following scripts:

It appears you are as excited about this project as I am. We’re asking you and five other people to consider leadership level gifts to ensure the success of this project.

Would you consider a gift of $10,000 or more to ensure this project is fully funded?

Or how about this:

It seems like you really care about making sure we have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. Would you consider making a gift in the range of $10,000 to ensure we continue to fight for clean air and water?

Another approach:

I’m getting the sense that finding a cure is super important to you and your family. Would you consider a gift of $10,000 so we can continue our important research on finding a cure?

And lastly:

Thank you for sharing that story about how scholarships changed the trajectory of your life. Would you consider starting a scholarship fund with a gift of $10,000 to pay it forward?

No matter what your donor decides to contribute, make sure you’re genuinely grateful for their participation. Practice phrases like:

We’re so glad to count you as one of the loyal supporters to this program.
We are truly grateful to include you as an important partner in our work.
Every dollar makes a difference and we couldn’t do any of this without your help.

Fundraising Done Right: Do Good, Feel Good

I know you didn’t get into fundraising simply because you needed a job. Certainly you could be making more money in the private sector if you wanted.

You took your job to do good and feel good. So if you’re miserable at work, you’re going about it the wrong way.

I know fundraising can be stressful, especially when there’s a lot of pressure to raise more money. But if you can make fundraising joyful and embrace a culture of philanthropy at your organization, I promise you will end up raising more. (And have fun doing so!)