Take the pressure off your fundraising

I always like to hear how my readers use relationship-building techniques.  One of the Boy Scouts of  America development teams is using "Let's Have Lunch" principles to establish stronger connections in their community. 

Here's what one of the development pros said of their new approach (building relationships). "It's liberating--I no longer feel pressure to walk out of first-time meetings with prospects with a tangible commitment for something. Instead, our focus now is to establish and build relationships, then engage the person meaningfully in the organization."

That's a great attitude.  It is definitely a longer-term view but one that has much richer rewards.  This approach will raise more money and, by forging a meaningful relationship, the donor will  help them reach out to a bigger community of support.