Nonprofit donors only want to fund projects . . . actually, that's not true.
Have you ever heard, "Donors only want to fund projects."
Actually, that’s not true.
Sure, are there some donors who will only fund projects. But it’s a small percentage of donors.
Nonprofit CEOs - If you’ve heard your fundraising team say this repeatedly, you might have a problem. Why? Because they have way more control over this than they think.
When this is happening, you’ve got to look at what’s really behind that statement. It typically means they:
Aren’t confident with the numbers discussion it takes to secure large, non-project gifts
Don’t have a pipeline of donors, so they’re defaulting to a quick win or transaction
Might not know how to ask a donor for an unrestricted donation
Aren’t sure how to present the true overall financial need of the organization
Can I cut straight to the chase?
Too many fundraisers don’t know how to lead donors through investment-level conversations to secure larger gifts. They don’t know how to lead them to general operating asks, so they default to project-based gifts.
And this approach keeps you raising restricted revenue and doesn’t allow you to grow.
What does it look like when they learn how to lead a donor to unrestricted gifts?
👍Individual donors give 3-10X larger gifts
👍Businesses shift their event sponsorships to unrestricted mission-based donations
👍Family Foundations put you at the top of their funders list
How do I know? I see people make this shift all the time.
But, the people who make this shift? When the budget was tight, they didn't remove professional development.
There's never been a more critical time to invest in your staff. They must learn how to lead donors through investment-level conversations. They must know how to sit leader to leader and confidently present the financials.
Too often, even seasoned fundraisers aren't doing this.
This return on investment can be a game-changer for your organization if you let it.
A moment of honesty: If you’re a nonprofit CEO whose team is already raising millions of dollars but you STILL need more unrestricted funding for gen-ops growth, we should talk about how you can get different results. You can reach out to me here.
Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:
👣 Follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to my podcast, The Business Behind Fundraising // I give away insider info every week - the same lessons I teach my clients about what they can do to attract larger gen-ops dollars and add 7-figures+ to their bottom line.
📝 Read my WHITEPAPER to see what’s keep you from having enough gen-ops funding each year // You’ll learn THE BIG FUNDRAISING SECRET that keeps nonprofits from securing money for programs AND infrastructure initiatives in their strategic plans. Here to get it.
📈 Work with me to put your organization on a 2X - 10X revenue trajectory // If you’re raising MILLIONS of charitable revenue each year but scaling your team’s fundraising efforts to match your aggressive growth initiatives feels unclear, just send me an email (Sherry@QuamTaylor.com) with the subject line “grow.” Tell me a little about your org and your need to scale.
P.S. If you’re not raising MILLIONS yet but you are ambitious, want to be there soon, and are ready to invest in scaling, just change your subject line to “ambitious” and I’ll reply with details.
