Increasing Fundraiser Effectiveness

Generally, 20% of your participants are generating 80% of your donations. The underperforming 80% are the ones that need to be trained.

Every organization has individuals who seem to be able to raise funds with little or no fear or effort. The best fundraising volunteers have several things in common. They are:

Passion for the mission: Power fundraisers “feel” your mission. They have been impacted by what your organization does. They can articulate their direct experience of your programs and services. People give to those with passion.

They’ve earned the right: Power fundraisers earn a deep sense of honor and ownership for your mission. It literally means they have a solid sense of credibility. People give to those who believe.

They are persistent -- and know when to accept a "No": Even passionate, experienced fundraisers hear the words "No", "No Thank You" and "Not Yet". Sometimes that means they should keep asking and sometimes "No" means "No". That's okay. People respect a fundraiser who knows when to stop.

Getting more from the underperforming 80% is relatively easy. The key is to clearly communicate to them how effective your organization is and show and tell them its story with emotional passion.

Consider these ideas to increase donations:

Show: Create a 3-and-a-half-minute video that details the effect your organization has. Use real people, real examples, and real stories.

Tell: Start your committee meetings with an organizational effectiveness review. The committee that organizes the event has to know the facts of your organization:

• How many have individuals have been impacted by your program and services?
• How many more need to be?
• What’s that “gap?”
• What is the average cost of your service for one year? (This is the individual goal for each walker, runner or rider)

Tools: Create and distribute a quick and easy “Case for Support” as a handout or on DVDs.

The Results: Armed with a passionate and articulate story, the most convincing individual fundraiser can easily improve their performance.

Give your fundraisers the emotional and rational tools they need and you'll be able to raise individual fundraising goals each year.