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Donors Don't Give Because Your Problem Is Big; They Give Because Your Problem Is Solvable!
Jeff Brooks coined the phrase fundcrushing. He defines it as "the evil cousin of fundraising."
DONORS DON'T GIVE TO YOUR MISSION BECAUSE IT IS BIG.
DONORS GIVE TO YOUR MISSION BECAUSE IT IS SOLVABLE.
A major key to fundraising is allowing the donor to make a difference with their gift.
A key to great fundraising is giving the donor the opportunity to make a difference.
A key to great newsletters is showing donors their impact.
- Answer the question, what will $25 buy?
- What will $100 pay for?
- What does it cost to reach one of our constituents for a day?
- For a week?
- For a month or year?
- What does it cost to save one animal?
- What does it cost to preserve one acre of rainforest?
- What does it cost to buy one uniform?
- What does one hour or one week, or one month of counseling cost?
$4 will buy one meal for a homeless person. I CAN FIX THAT!
$156 can provide six weekly 12-Step meetings and personal coaching for one man for six months. I CAN FIX THAT!
$25 can provide one day's housing for a person in addiction recovery. I CAN FIX THAT!
Defining what $25 does makes the $100 donor and $1,000 donor understand she has done something significant.
Remember, donors don't give to your mission because it is big. They give because your problem is solvable.
Does your organization break down the power of donor gifts to help them understand the potential impact?
Is that reflected on your website giving page? Is that communicated in your appeals?
Nowhere is this problem more evident than in nonprofit website giving pages. Studies show that 60% of the donors who come to your giving page don’t leave a gift. Fundraisers leave a LOT of money on the table here.
Great giving pages show donors a problem they can solve.
To help you see the power of some tremendous nonprofit giving pages, I have put together a collection of 10 Great Giving Pages that show donor impact. Free to you, I hope it helps you see the point of this message.
Free Download Now: 10 great Giving Pages
Want more resources? Stop describing your problem as big and start describing it as solvable!
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25,750 Meals? This is a good reason NOT to give!
Fundraisers often think that the larger they describe their needs, the more money they will get. They use large numbers under the mistaken belief that it will motivate donors to give. But it does the opposite. It steals motivation from donors and kills fundraising.
Noticing this tendency, Jeff Brooks coined the phrase fundcrushing. He defines it as "the evil cousin of fundraising."
Telling me that there are 28,000 homeless people on the streets tonight is an excellent reason for me NOT to give.
I cannot provide 28,000 homeless people with a home. Anything I COULD do will not come close to providing shelter to 28,000 homeless people.
Asking me if I realize that 780 million people worldwide have no access to clean water motivates me NOT to give.
I cannot provide clean water to 780 million people. Anything I COULD do will not help 780 million people.Nonprofits think they can motivate donors to give if they describe their problem large enough.
Missionaries believe they can impress donors to give if they express their mission as massively huge.
But here is the truth:DONORS DON'T GIVE TO YOUR MISSION BECAUSE IT IS BIG.DONORS GIVE TO YOUR MISSION BECAUSE IT IS SOLVABLE.
Jeff Brooks calls this problem 'fundcrushing,' showing the donor a problem they cannot solve.
On the other hand, fundraising would show the donor a problem that they could solve.
'Fundcrushing' reinforces a common belief in potential donors' minds that their gift is too small to make a difference. Big numbers are eye-catching, make headlines, and are significant. But, they have a sinister ability to steal the donor's hope that they can make a difference. Don't steal donors' opportunity to do something significant with their gift.
DONORS WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
A major key to fundraising is allowing the donor to make a difference with their gift.
A key to great fundraising is giving the donor the opportunity to make a difference.
A key to great newsletters is showing donors their impact.
Answer the question, what will $25 buy?
What will $100 pay for?
What does it cost to reach one of our constituents for a day?
What does it cost to save one animal?
What does it cost to preserve one acre of rainforest?
What does it cost to buy one uniform?
What does one hour or one week, or one month of counseling cost?
$4 will buy one meal for a homeless person. I CAN FIX THAT!
$156 can provide six weekly 12-Step meetings and personal coaching for one man for six months. I CAN FIX THAT!
$25 can provide one day's housing for a person in addiction recovery. I CAN FIX THAT!
Defining what $25 does makes the $100 donor and $1,000 donor understand she has done something significant.
Remember, donors don't give to your mission because it is big. They give because it is solvable.
Does your organization break down the power of donor gifts to help them understand the potential impact?
Is that reflected on your website giving page?
Is that communicated in your
appeals?
One of the first exercises I do with my clients is to divide their annual budget by the number of people they impact in a year. This exercise gets them started thinking about the power of impact.
If a program costs $1,000 and impacts 100 people, then the cost of impacting one person is $10 (1000 divided by 100).
In capital campaigns, churches must show their congregations how an individual's gift is a vital piece of a doable whole. In major gift campaigns, nonprofits must show donors a viable path to their goal. Leaders must show the potential donor that the plan is practical and doable. (Nonprofits waste vast sums of money on feasibility studies for this reason.)
Nowhere is this problem more evident than in nonprofit website giving pages.
Studies show that 60% of the donors who come to your giving page don’t leave a gift.
Fundraisers leave a LOT of money on the table here.
Great giving pages show donors a problem they can solve.
To help you see the power of some tremendous nonprofit giving pages, I have put together a collection of 10 Great Giving Pages that show donor impact. Free to you, I hope it helps you see the point of this message.
Free Download Now: 10 great Giving Pages
Want more resources? Stop describing your problem as big and start describing it as solvable!
David
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