Many potential donors look at an organization’s mission statement before they decide to give a first gift. Does your organization prioritize donors first by making them the focal point of your mission statement?
Go ahead and take a look at your mission statement. I’ll bet that for every 10 of you who look at it, nine don’t even mention donors.
Your mission statement should tug at emotions while at the same time allow your donors and prospects to envision how they can help you achieve your mission.
What I’m really suggesting here is that you re-structure your organization in such a way that you stop serving children, the needy, the sick or uneducated, etc. long enough to put all of your resources into making donors feel like they are true partners in what you’re trying to accomplish. Yes, quit serving your beneficiaries and start concentrating on your donors.
This may sound radical, but when you do, you’ll satisfy and nourish their “need to know.” What happens then is kind of magical—you’ll be able to serve those beneficiaries of yours better than ever before because your donors will buy into and support your mission much more fully. Guaranteed!
Has your non-profit made the mistake of thinking that their beneficiaries are their customers? They’re not the ones with the money, to put it bluntly, so they aren’t your customers. Donors are! That’s why it’s very important to start with your mission statement.
Here's what I’m talking about:
Mission statement without donor focus:
The Plentiful Food Pantry exists to provide the hurting, hungry, and hopeless of our community with the clothing, food, and nutritional care they so urgently require. Nothing about the donor, right?
Mission statement that makes donors the focus:
The Plentiful food pantry provides its donors, volunteers, and advocates the organization they need to serve the hurting, hungry, and homeless in our community.
Please share your mission statements with us here. We can help you formulate new ones.