Have you ever had a simple encounter that had a profound impact on your life? I was just 12 years old when it happened to me.
My father was president of the Lions Club. They raffled a Mercedes Benz annually to raise money for eyesight surgeries for people that would not afford them. On Saturdays my father would gather as many of us “kids” and his fellow Lions as he could. Then, he’d hitch the trailer with the car to his pickup and drive to the busiest shopping plazas in Kingston. We would fan out with our tickets and donation cans to raise as much money as we could.
Fundraising was serious business for us kids. There were MAJOR bragging rights at stake. We were a competitive crew and in a portent of things to come, I frequently emerged the winner.
One Saturday, a beggar positioned himself outside the entrance to the major department store in “my spot”. He put a serious dent in my business! Somehow, I had the grace to keep my mouth shut even though I knew there was no way for me to win that day. When it came time for us to go home, my father came to get me. Before leaving, I turned to the beggar and said, to my father’s absolute horror, “Sir, would you like to donate to help the blind.”
“How can you beg a beggar?” my father asked indignantly.
To our surprise, the beggar dropped a few coins in my can. That was the day I learned every human being wants to make a difference, no matter how little they have. It was a lesson whose significance would only grow with time. You see, that beggar taught me so much about fundraising.
If you want to be successful in fundraising:
1. You have to put in the time.
The beggar showed up every Saturday. He knew that if he didn’t show up, there would be no money. As fundraisers, we need to show up too. Fundraising is hard and it is very easy for it to become the eleventh item on our Top 10 to do list. There are always fires to put out so if you wait until you have the time, you’ll never do it.
To be successful you need to carve out time. Block time in your calendar each week so no one can schedule you for anything during that time. I find it easiest to work early in the morning, before 10:00am when meetings become more frequent. If you’re more of a night owl, you may find it easier to work at night. Doesn’t matter when you do it. Just do it!
2. Invite everyone.
The beggar did not make assumptions about people’s capacity to give. He knew it was a numbers game. The more people he asked, the more people would say yes. There were plenty of people who looked away or said, “No”, but he never let that deter him.
How many times have you hesitated to invite someone to give because of assumptions you have made about their finances, interests, or capacity? How many times have you felt discouraged because someone said, no?
Each time you neglect to invite someone to give, you are making a choice for the donor that is not yours to make. When you fail to ask, you are leaving money on the table.
3. Express appreciation immediately and make donors feel good.
The beggar was smart. Whenever someone gave him money, he immediately thanked them and started telling stories of what he would be using the money for.
“Thank you for this help, Miss. I will sleep better tonight because my kids won’t go to bed hungry. We appreciate your help. God bless you!”
Inevitably, someone would ask how many kids he had and he would proudly talk about them by name before asking, “Do you have kids?”. He was smart! By sharing a few small details about his family, he invited them into deeper engagement with him so the next time he saw them, they would remember him.
In fundraising, as with many things in life, sometimes the greatest of lessons come from the most surprising places.
Have you had an experience that led you to fall in love with the nonprofit sector? We’d love to hear more about it!
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