The Chicken Little Approach to Fundraising

Most of us have someone in our life who it seems only calls when they need something, and that something is most often money. After a few of these calls, just the sight of their number on our caller ID makes us both anxious and annoyed.

Ever roll your eyes and ask, "What does he want now?" even before you answer?

And even though you hope things will be different whenever he calls, Chicken Little always immediately jumps right into describing his latest crisis and how much money he needs in order to get out of it. At the end of his monologue, you are faced with a decision -- do you help him out one more time or do you say no and hope it all works out for him.

If you say yes, you might be left feeling used, unappreciated, and regretful -- especially because you know he'll be calling you to get him out of the next crisis. If you say no, you might be left feeling guilty -- especially if the "life and death" situation turns out to be real and not an exaggeration.

I think we can all agree that as an acquaintance, a friend and even as a family member, no one likes to be treated like an ATM. The same is true of donors. Nonprofits must protect their donors from fundraising (even in times of crisis) that might leave them rolling their eyes and asking "What do they want now?" 

Cultivate genuine relationships with donors by keeping them engaged and communicating with them not only during fundraising campaigns but throughout the year. Below are some examples of ways to cultivate genuine relationships with prospective and current donors:

• Call to make an introduction and gather information about the donor and their interest in your organization.
• Meet a donor for coffee/lunch to gather information about the donor and their interest in your organization and share updates on your progress.
• Maintain an up to date mailing list and regularly (but not too often) communicate with donors through e-mail, e-news and direct mail.
• Invite donors to your events (not just the fundraisers) and other activities, as appropriate.

Always update donors on your organization's progress, particularly the programs the donors has supported. And if there is a crisis and a donor provides support, be sure to report back to the donor sooner than later what happened and express again and again your sincere gratitude for their support.

Keep doing good and creating opportunities for people to do good with you!

Michelle Nusum-Smith, an experienced nonprofit leader, consultant, coach and trainer, is a self-proclaimed “Do-gooder who helps do-gooders to do good.” Michelle is the owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a nonprofit consulting company. She has nearly 20 years nonprofit experience, including program development, financial management, fundraising (including grantwriting and individual donor cultivation), human resource management, marketing and public relations, board relations, and event planning.

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