My secret to fundraising success

Yes - you are right. There is a secret to fundraising no one is telling you about! Those nights you lay awake thinking, "It shouldn't be this hard!" Yes - it's true! It shouldn't be this hard. Making an impact should not cost you your life, happiness or passion.

Now, I've got to come clean with you, what I'm about to tell you is probably not going to fix all of your organisations fundraising challenges. Yes, that headline is probably a little bit "click-baity" but I beg forgiveness for taking artistic licence. You see, it's more some insider knowledge that will help with your mindset and planning. An idea on where to focus your energy to see the greatest result in your fundraising.  

Okay - here is the big secret... are you ready? 

88% of most charities income comes from just 12% of its donors.

So if you're trying to figure out where you need to focus to ensure longterm success of your organisation - then start at the top. The top 12% of donors are your greatest opportunity for increasing your fundraising income. 

Does your organisation have a Major Donor program? Do you have a Regular Giving program or even an Upgrade ask on your appeal? This programs are more simple than you might believe at first - in fact I wrote about my four step process right here if you're looking for info. 

Now, Before you start thinking "I need to get rid of my fundraising campaigns that bring in lots of little gifts", please read on. Because a Major Donor usually doesn't just walk in off the street, or click over from Facebook I guess the saying should be these days. Your fundraising campaign that is targeted to the masses should be considered a first or second date for your donor. It's a chance to get to know each other, understand how you tick and how you can work together. It's building trust, an alliance and generally good feelings. And once that trust has been built and you know what to expect, a larger gift is more likely to appear. 

So the good news is, if your annual appeal isn't bringing in more money each year then you can simply change your objective. Can you focus on creating a Major Donor pipeline out of your appeal? Then, instead of achieving more income, your success is determined by how many major gifts you accept over the course of a year of engagement with that pipeline.

Similarly for events - you (likely) will not achieve a huge fundraising outcome from a gala, walk or run. What you might achieve however is 10 or so relationships with donors that are interested to learn how they can make a larger impact. Some of these relationships, if fostered well, should lead to larger gifts over a period of time. 

So - that's the big secret. What did you think - did it inspire you to rethink about where you spending your fundraising energy? Or do you need a little more detail before you can get started? If so, feel free to book a free call with me here to chat about your organisation and how you can focus on the Top 12% to bring in more fundraising income to achieve your impact.