The goal of fundraising seems obvious. It’s to raise money, right? When we dig a little deeper, however, the goal is to connect donors and prospects to those who are impacted by your cause, rather than to the cause itself.
In the case of healthcare fundraising, for example, the goal is to bring together donors and prospects and the patients and caregivers they have relationships with.
While most donors don’t believe they can conquer cancer or end violence, for example, they can believe that their gift has a direct and positive impact on an individual who lacks the skills to better his lot in life.
When organizations tell these individual stories, that’s when donors and prospects believe that their gift has had (or can have) a direct and positive impact. This is what resonates the most with donors and prospects and it’s what should be the central theme throughout all of your fundraising communications.
Are you and your staff telling these individual stories of impact? If so, you’re laying the groundwork for belief, some call it donor trust and loyalty, while providing a pipeline for future major and planned gifts.
