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.

Making yourself a person before having to become a fundraiser - a lesson

We can all learn about connecting emotionally from Chris Christie, New Jersey’s Governor, who is a master of this art. Whether you agree with him politically or not, Andy Goodman of Free Range Thinking says Christie makes himself likeable by connecting emotionally, being a person first and telling stories about himself.

Here’s what we can learn: ‘ Human beings respond emotionally to incoming information even before their brains are fully engaged. If our emotions are negative (e.g., anger, distrust, fear), our brains will find ways to ignore or discount the incoming information. In short: we believe what we want to believe regardless of facts.’

New York Times political columnist Matt Bai wrote, “. . . Christie understands this.  He knows that his message has to be grounded in the personal. ‘If you’re asking people to do some really difficult things. . . ’ Christie told me, ‘I think they feel more comfortable doing those things if they know you.’

“So Christie makes a point of sharing things about himself first . . .’I have an Irish father, and a Sicilian mother. In my house, my parents left nothing unsaid.’  With this, Christie becomes a person, before he has to be a politician.”

In my work to inspire, motivate and engage boards, volunteers and staff, I too begin by revealing details about my life. I show them how to professionally do this on the phone, through email or in person.  I want to see where our lives intersect and what common interests we might share.

To break down stereotypes that people might have about you before you meet, you need to become a person first before you become a fundraiser. Like Christie, do you have some signature statements or icebreakers that help you connect emotionally?  What stories can you tell to connect personally?

Contact me through www.marshallhoward.com and let me know what works for you.

A Small Change Makes a Big Difference

I've been reading the blog "A Small Change" for some time and think Jason Dick, a Redmond WA major gifts officer has a great style.  His blog is well-written, timely and has great advice.  I'm very flattered he wrote the following about my book: 

"It was probably the best fundraising book that I’ve read in the last couple of years. The book is written in such a way that it benefits both the beginning and seasoned fundraisers," he wrote.  "I am a big fan of checklists that I need to do to be successful. Marshall has done a great job creating some great checklists with tools we can use to build relationships"  Check out Jason's blog. I'm a fan of his!