Donor Cultivation: Having “The Talk” with Your Nonprofit Donors

Fundraisers: When you go into a donor meeting, what’s your biggest fear?

The simple answer, that donors will simply say “no,” is real—but a bit broad. 

Let’s dig a little deeper…

Playing the Numbers Game

I often hear development staff say their biggest fear is not knowing the answers to a donor’s questions. I talk about this a lot in regards to “the numbers.” It’s certainly a valid concern in some cases, if staff members aren’t privy to the financial aspects of their organization’s overall strategic initiatives. 

To that, I say:

1) Your staff should have access to and knowledge of the true financial need of the organization. How else would they convey the need to investment-level donors? That’s why it’s so important to budget for training - to provide development staff the skills they need to lead donors to their best gift.

2) If there are questions that cannot be answered at that moment, what a perfect opportunity to get back in touch with that donor once you do have the answers. It’s a natural progression into relationship building! 

The Persona Trap

Another big fear I hear from development staff is that they don’t want to come off as a negative persona… either a slick, pushy car-salesy personality or a needy, begging personality with a lack of confidence. 

The former often manifests unintentionally, because it feels like we have to get to all of the “stuff” that will convince a donor they’re doing the right thing by investing in the organization. The latter also often leads staff down a slippery slope, because a lack of confidence can be contagious. 

But, it also works the other way around. The right amount of confidence instills confidence in donors as well. 

Let’s Get Real…

So, what does the best version of your fundraising self look like when you step into those meetings? 

Simply, it’s the best version of YOU.

Remember, donors are your peers. They’re business owners in the community or CEOs of their own households. Having these conversations should be a natural back-and-forth, just like you’d have with your friend, neighbor, or colleague at the water cooler. Still professional, of course, but the “real” you—not you putting on an act. 

Taking this approach leads to trusted, strong, lasting relationships; the kind of relationships that help you secure that best gift. 

A Note on the Board’s Role in Donor Conversations

Board members play an integral role in attracting donors to their organization. Notice I didn’t say in “finding” donors for the organization. It’s a different mindset—and a different approach.

In fact, I rarely have the board members I meet with in board training ask for money (and believe me, most of them don’t want to!). Rather, we focus on networking, connecting, educating. It’s about being open to saying to a potential donor, “Hey, I’ve been serving on the board of this amazing organization that does XYZ… Would you ever be interested in hearing about that?”

Then, we let the team equipped with the “ask” skills to lead that donor, serve that donor, and create a great donor experience for them. The board member may pop into conversations now and again if there’s really an opportunity to cultivate. But, at the end of the day, it’s really important that the board isn’t spending all of their time on “transactional” funding activities and events.

That said, the board does bear responsibility in understanding the path to monies—and the spend required to secure those monies. They need to know how everyone is working together to fully finance the organization with (flexible) funds and why those hours must align with dollars.

In short, the board has to be invested in the budget, just as much as the CEO or development director.

If these are the types of challenges your organization is butting up against, there are a number of ways I can help. 

In fact, my clients regularly add 7 figures of money to their bottom line. Real talk. 

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Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

👣 Follow me on LinkedIn where I share the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars so they can scale.

🍎 Read my GUIDE! THE TRUTH ABOUT GIVE/GETS :: Top 5 Reasons Your Board’s Give/Get Is Leaving Thousands (Sometimes Millions) on the Table. See how limiting board members to the Give/Get model keeps your staff from reaching their full fundraising potential. Here to get it.

📈 Work with me to fund your organization’s Strategic Plan and scale your budget by 2 - 5X // If you’re a business-minded CEO already raising MILLIONS but still need more general-operating revenue to invest in growth, you can apply to work with me here.