The Importance Of Giving Before Asking

Phil's Careers Blog The Importance of Giving Before Asking By Erin Morantz Giving earlier than asking is among the key tenants of fundraising, however we as fundraisers typically only give it some thought in monetary terms. All good fundraisers know the significance of making their own present earlier than asking others to do the identical, however why can we stop there? Why don’t we give earlier than asking in all features of our work? During my first week at SFU I met a colleague who oversees the co-op program inside the faculty. The first words she said to me had been “If you’re just right here to get my listing you'll be able to overlook it, I don’t share my connections with fundraisers. That’s all you ever want.” Funny factor was I had brought a list of contacts with me that I wanted to share along with her. Once she understood that I was coming to offer one thing to her not ask for one thing, the whole thing rotated. We now work collaboratively and meet with firms that can profit the f aculty from a monetary and non-monetary perspective. In reality, partnering together with her helps me give our prospective donors something they need earlier than I ask them for cash. By providing corporations our talented college students as short-term staff (by way of co-op work terms), I am able to give one thing meaningful earlier than I ask for a gift. Finding out what a prospect or donor desires out of the connection with the organization and giving it to them is one of the simplest ways to convey them nearer to you, construct trust and create a long run relationship. But don’t anticipate a cultivation course of the place you give earlier than asking to get you to a gift rapidly. It can take months and even longer to search out out what it's that your prospect wants or needs from your organization. Take the time to get to know what makes your prospects tick, what motivates them, and what you are able to do to help them. With corporate prospects, take the time to study key i ssues in their business, ask a lot of questions about these issues and what's being accomplished to solve them. Listen rigorously to the responses, then strategize in regards to the ways you possibly can help. And remember, be flexible. Too usually after we meet with a prospect we already have them pegged for a gift to a selected project. By listening to what the prospect is looking for we are able to find a more meaningful approach to collaborate and we develop much stronger and long term partnerships. Erin Morantzis a seasoned fundraising vet with more than 15 years experience in the non-profit sector in Vancouver. Last spring, she joined SFU, taking on the function of Director of Advancement within the Faculty of Applied Sciences. Prior to SFU Erin was a Senior Consultant with KCI Ketchum Canada where she lead a number of profitable capital campaigns. In her spare time, Erin likes to hike and bike on the North Shore together with her household. Post navigation Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. (Log Out/ Change) You are commenting using your Google account. (Log Out/ Change) You are commenting utilizing your Twitter account. (Log Out/ Change) You are commenting utilizing your Facebook account. (Log Out/ Change) Connecting to %s Notify me of latest comments through email. Notify me of recent posts via e mail. Email Subscription Enter your e-mail handle to observe my NEW weblog and stay on prime of the most recent career alternatives and fundraising news. Sign me up! Follow On Twitter