Guest speaker, Scott Swansen, from Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.
IT is important to build relationships with persons that donate to your charities.
This advice comes from Scott Swansen, who works with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, where they raise over two million dollars a year to support programmes for the hurting and homeless.
Speaking during the National NGO Network Fund-raising Conference yesterday morning, which was held at the Radisson Aquatica Hotel, Swansen shared some of his successes with fund-raising in an attempt to help persons in the audience, who were from local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), improve their fund-raising efforts.
He said that making sure your organisation is transparent and trustworthy really helps the chances of your organisation in receiving donations from new people, as well as gaining repeat donors. He explained that if persons are able to clearly see what their money is being used for, it will comfort them and make their decision on whether or not to donate again easier.
Another thing that helps with the fund-raising is making sure that each person feels like their donation is genuinely appreciated. Swansen explained that ensuring you express to each donor, whether the donation was a big or small one, that you were and are extremely grateful for their donation, increases your chances to get continuous support.
He added that each donor should be treated equally, explaining that the donor that gave $200 should be appreciated just as much as the person that donated $2.
Swansen also acknowledged that passion is something that is important. He said that it is imperative to make sure that you truly are passionate about your charity, because passion is contagious and it is extremely hard to fake. Once you communicate to donors that you are passionate about the cause of your charity, it makes you relatable and persons are more inclined to donate.
He said that fund-raising is like a sales job, as you are selling yourself and your charity. He went on to say that you do not want to force your charity’s need onto donors, rather it is best to gently ask for donations, as persons are more likely to respond to gentle urges.