By Joyce Penland, CFRE
When I think about the fundraising advice I’ve heard through the years, the many conferences I’ve attended and the excellent books I’ve read like Jerold Panas’ “Asking,” Claire Gaudiani’s “The Greater Good,” and Penelope Burk’s “Donor-Centered Fundraising,” the common thread among them all is the importance of building relationships in order to achieve fundraising success.
Too often, I’ve believed the relationship between organization and donor to be mostly one-sided. My myopia saw that the organization had a great mission, worthy recipients, and talented “askers” who went out and brought home the bounty. The organization asked and the donors gave their contributions. I discovered that I had a lot to learn!
As I have matured as a fundraiser, I have witnessed the truth and beauty of being donor focused. I have seen how gratifying it can be for donors who, through their giving, have developed strong, personal relationships with the organizations they support. In building a relationship with the donor, we do more than “present” an opportunity and then wait (think ATM drive-through) for the gift to fall into our hand. We cultivate, we nurture, we respect the donor’s wishes and we listen more than we talk. If we take the time, and are genuine in our desire to ensure that the donor’s needs are being served, then deep, satisfying, long-term relationships can be built for the betterment of our organizations.
When we neglect our spouse, or a long-time friend, we can damage our connection with them. The same is true of our supporters. But when we communicate often, and demonstrate caring and authenticity, our connections flourish. This is as true in our donor interactions as it is with our family and friends.
As I frequently talk with clients about the important principle of building relationships, I recall fundraising guru Si Seymour’s admonition that fundraising is a lot like milking a cow. You don’t write the cow a letter, or send it an email or a tweet, and you won’t get milk by calling it on the phone. Says Seymour, “The only way to get milk from a cow is to sit by its side and milk it.”