There’s been a fair amount of discussion lately among fundraisers about saying “thank you” to donors, including in my “What Would Emily Post say?” column a few weeks ago.
Lisa, Thank you for continuing to write these articles. I am a certified fundraiser (CFRE) who is no longer making my living fundraising because of my frustration with organizations that I would work for. During my time as a fundraiser I wrote thousands of handwritten thank you letters. For gifts both big and small. I called my donors and had authentic conversations with them about their hopes and dreams and how they aligned with my organization. We were in this together.
I've been frustrated with some NPOs who during this environment continue to do things like they always have with no respect or compassion of the world their donors are existing in. They continue to run and spend with the idea that the donors will come through. They continue to solicit like a pandemic wasn't impacting everyone (including their donors).
While I'm no longer hitting the pavement and raising money, I am consulting NPO's on many of the ideas you're also talking about. I respect your input as a donor. It echos what I've also thought and heard from my donors. It's really about relationships and doing the work.
There is not a money tree in the back yard, and donors are not going to show up with buckets full of money on a regular basis. Frankly, I think NPOs have gotten lazy and fundraisers need to go back to the basics of building relationships with donors.
As a fundraiser, I saw my job as helping a community member connect with a cause and help in a way that meant something to them. When it works well, it's one of the most powerful interactions you can ever witness. Helping someone do good. Thank you for your work in this space.
Wow, Jess -- Thanks so much for your words. I hope that we can change the way people do fundraising going forward so that fewer fundraisers -- like you -- will be frustrated. It's not going to be easy, as many people seem resistant to change, but I'm hopeful!
Lisa, Thank you for continuing to write these articles. I am a certified fundraiser (CFRE) who is no longer making my living fundraising because of my frustration with organizations that I would work for. During my time as a fundraiser I wrote thousands of handwritten thank you letters. For gifts both big and small. I called my donors and had authentic conversations with them about their hopes and dreams and how they aligned with my organization. We were in this together.
I've been frustrated with some NPOs who during this environment continue to do things like they always have with no respect or compassion of the world their donors are existing in. They continue to run and spend with the idea that the donors will come through. They continue to solicit like a pandemic wasn't impacting everyone (including their donors).
While I'm no longer hitting the pavement and raising money, I am consulting NPO's on many of the ideas you're also talking about. I respect your input as a donor. It echos what I've also thought and heard from my donors. It's really about relationships and doing the work.
There is not a money tree in the back yard, and donors are not going to show up with buckets full of money on a regular basis. Frankly, I think NPOs have gotten lazy and fundraisers need to go back to the basics of building relationships with donors.
As a fundraiser, I saw my job as helping a community member connect with a cause and help in a way that meant something to them. When it works well, it's one of the most powerful interactions you can ever witness. Helping someone do good. Thank you for your work in this space.
Wow, Jess -- Thanks so much for your words. I hope that we can change the way people do fundraising going forward so that fewer fundraisers -- like you -- will be frustrated. It's not going to be easy, as many people seem resistant to change, but I'm hopeful!