3 Bad Habits of Ineffective Fundraising Campaigns
Even the most organized and dedicated fundraising campaigns can make dreadful mistakes that may result in the loss of potentially thousands of dollars. Although it’s nearly impossible to hold a “perfect” fundraising campaign, avoiding these top three bad habits of ineffective fundraising campaigns may increase the profitability and visibility of your fundraising efforts.
Bad Habit #1 – Lack of Confidence
Most people do not enjoy asking for money. If you were the child who quietly asked your neighbors if they’d like to buy driven coffee for your school fundraiser, or worse, you had your parents orchestrate the entire event, you may find yourself paralyzed at the prospect of asking a multitude of strangers for donations. This is the biggest mistake you can make for any fundraiser.
Avoid feeling ashamed when asking for donations by clearly outlining why you need funds and where the funds will be going. Remember, you’re not asking money to help pay for rent. You’re raising funds for a community organization or cause. No matter the reason, build confidence by knowing what you’re doing isn’t “panhandling,” but asking your community to become involved in a cause or organization you feel strong about. Be proud of your attempt to help a situation.
Bad Habit #2 – Talking At, Instead of With Donors
This is one of the hardest habits to break. You’ve spent a considerable amount of time building your knowledge base and researching specifics about your cause or organization. Since you have such a dedicated memory space, it’s easy to begin talking at donors instead of opening up a conversation. You’ll never attract high-quality donors if you do nothing but monologue at them.
Engage donors by opening a dialogue. It is important to take time to divulge what you wish to say while opening up a space to clearly hear the donors. This is the only way you can create open and transparent relationships with donors, and these are the only relationships that yield high-qualty donations.
Bad Habit #3 – Avoiding Fundraiser Changes
While you may have spent countless hours brainstorming and creating your fundraising campaign, the most successful campaigns are those that are open to change. Don’t be afraid to alter your tactics and modes of communication. Just because you spent months creating the “perfect” campaign doesn’t mean that it’ll be successful. The truth of the matter is, some campaigns are destined to fail. Another truth is all campaigns are destined to be successful if you’re willing to adapt and change your game plan according to the unique requirements and demands of your target donor demographic.
Posted in Fundraising Tips by WCCF with comments disabled.