Are you trapped in the obnoxious-fundraising spiral?

You're walking along a city sidewalk. Suddenly a panhandler is walking next to you, cajoling you for a handout. Just a dollar! Just fifty cents! I need some food! You quickly conclude that the easiest way to get rid of him is not to confront him and send him away, but to dig some coins out of your pocket and give him a few. His fundraising tactic works. But it isn't geared to an ongoing relationship. He gets the coins he's after, but he starts from square one every single day. Are you afraid your fundraising is like that -- short-sighted and obnoxious? I have some scary news for you: "Our fundraising is obnoxious" is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It comes from fundraisers who don't understand what fundraising is really about: fulfilling the aspirations of donors. They think instead it's about wheedling a few more bucks from donors. So they fundraising like that -- like the aggressive panhandler. Which is indeed obnoxious. It sometimes "works," but not for the long-term. Gift frequency and average gift tend to be low. Retention is awful. To make matters worse, fundraisers in this situation are often forced to ramp up the obnoxiousness of their fundraising. It's the only way they know to keep from sliding backwards. It's a death-spiral. You have to be increasingly obnoxious to survive, and your obnoxiousness is what's killing you! The way out is to change your thinking about fundraising: Make it about the donors. Give them specific calls to action that allow them to see the ways they can change the world. Thank them and report back on how they make a difference. Stop bragging about your awesome programs. Stop focusing on your shiny new brand. That's how you escape the death spiral. Fundraising about donors will bring in more revenue. It also feel much, much better.

from Future Fundraising Now https://ift.tt/2XxIyJ7