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How to make fundraising simple, predictable, and sustainable when you’re just starting out.

What Does Predictable Mean?

The Ultimate Fundraising System
Out Simple Fundraising
Easy to Manage Broken Funding Models
Ideal Donor Profile
Table of Contents Introduction
How I Figured This
is
Create an
Predictable Fundraising Helps You Sleep at Night
Your Words Matter
Sustainable
Know Your Audience
Fundraising Creates Success!
Building Donor Relationships
Relationships Grow Maintain the Relationship Account Summary About Sandy Valuable Resources 3 13 14 15 16 5 19 20 21 22 23 6 25 8 9 11 26 27 Fund Your Dream | GetFullyFunded.com 2
What Does Sustainable Mean?
How

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations! You’ve just gotten your 501c3 and you’re excited to get started making a positive impact on the world!

BUT…Here’s the hard truth about nonprofits…

Despite positive intentions, more than half fail in their first year and they all share a common denominator: they lack funding.

They have no strategy and no plan for fundraising, MAKING THE FUNDAMENTAL MISTAKE OF thinking that people will give because it’s a good cause. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

If you’re COMMITTED TO HAVING your non-profit succeed in its mission instead of constantly struggling to stay afloat, you must make the critical decision that your new primary job is fundraising.

THOSE WHO FAIL TO MAKE THIS DECISION end up lying awake at night, worried about the bank balance, and ultimately unable to serve those who desperately need your nonprofit’s services.

Here’s the good news - this book will show you how to create a system for donor-based fundraising, which is the key to simple, predictable, and sustainable funding that SEPARATES the truly successful nonprofits from those that struggle to keep the lights on.

With donor-based fundraising, you’ll always have people around you who give because they WANT to help you make a difference in the world. Without a donor base, you’ll find yourself on a treadmill, constantly searching for the next fundraising idea, selling T-shirts, calendars, or candles, or holding endless spaghetti dinners to generate the funds you need, but never quite having enough to grow your organization. Trust me, it’s not much fun...and it wears you out.

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When you embrace your role as Head Fundraiser and begin to implement the principles of donor-based fundraising, you’ll find that you’re no longer the Lone Ranger. You now have an army of people who care about your mission and want to see you win. They’re there for you and they’ve got your back.

If you choose NOT to embrace your role as Head Fundraiser, you’ll find yourself scrambling for money most of the time and ultimately begging, doing without, or paying for things yourself, and I’m sure that’s not what you had in mind when you began this journey.

The worst part is that when you have insufficient funds, you can’t properly deliver the services that your nonprofit exists to provide.

And that’s just unacceptable because your nonprofit exists to make a difference and change lives. So, how about I show you how to create predictable, sustainable revenue for your nonprofit?

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the ultimate fundraising system

Money is the KEY to your nonprofit successfully delivering services and fulfilling its mission.

You need money to pay for supplies, rent space, and hire staff.

If you’re like most, you’ve never done professional fundraising and have little to no idea of what works best.

Oh, you’ve probably seen other nonprofits hold fundraisers – car washes, crowdfunding, selling candy bars, charity night at some local restaurant, and so on. But listen….

You will NEVER fully fund your nonprofit’s budget with little fundraisers.

You need to use strategic fundraising like the big nonprofits do.

You need a big donor base of ideal donor prospects who love your mission and want to see you succeed. You need an inspirational invitation to give that grabs people by the heartstrings. And you need a plan for asking and communicating so that people feel like they’re part of the team. All those things come together to create a stream of sustainable funding.

It’s called donor-based fundraising.

When you practice donor-based fundraising, you set your nonprofit up for success both now and in the future.

Otherwise, you’ll limp along from one nickel-and-dime fundraiser to another, never really raising the kind of money you need.

So, let’s get you started down the path to success, ok?

Ideal Donor Prospects Inspirational Invitation Annual Plan Sustainable Funding! Fund Your Dream | GetFullyFunded.com 5

how i figured this out

In 1998, I drove down 5th Avenue in Knoxville, TN, with the car doors locked because the homeless people on the sidewalks made me nervous.

But life is funny, right?

Within the year, I joined the staff at Knox Area Rescue Ministries and began my nonprofit journey.

It was ironic - the very people who had once frightened me became the reason I got out of bed every day. I spent time with them and got to know them. I learned their stories. And I fell in love with them. They became my passion and my outlet for creativity, to see what innovative ideas I could create to bring in the support the organization needed to help them.

I was given a mishmash of duties and I found out later that it was all the stuff no one else wanted to do – volunteers, events, and the thrift store. It didn’t matter to me – I was happy to do my part toward bringing in the resources we needed so we could provide the highest quality services possible.

The weird thing was that I had no experience with fundraising or resource development. None. Zip. Nada.

What I did have was a little experience in marketing and a whole lot of passion to help people. So, I jumped in with both feet and did what made sense to me. I got organized. I made a few changes, and revenue started pouring in. I raised so much money so fast that my Board chair called me one day and said “what the heck are you doing to bring in so much money?” It was awesome!

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Over the next several years, I learned how to find and engage donors, and become their favorite nonprofit, getting larger and more frequent gifts. I learned how to get on every TV station in town and tell a story that made our office phones ring for days. I learned how to get so close to private foundations that if I didn’t apply every funding cycle, they called ME to see if we needed money.

What I learned was how to fully fund our annual operating budget. I mean COMPLETELY funded. Including all our equipment needs. And new staff. And new programs. It was a ton of fun and I’m so glad to have had the experience.

It wasn’t rocket science by any stretch. But there was a lot to learn and I experimented A LOT. After months of trial and error, I learned what worked and what didn’t and refined my strategies into systems that created predictable success.

Now, I teach that same system to passionate nonprofit founders and leaders who want to fully fund their activities so they can spend more time changing lives and less time worrying about money.

My mission is to shortcut your learning curve so you can get to the good stuff much faster than I did, and get on with the business of changing lives and making a difference.

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simple fundraising is easy to manage

“I don’t know what I’m doing” he said to me.

Andy Perkins has a red-hot desire to help the people of Liberia. His nonprofit is called BESTWA and he literally feeds starving children in Africa.

When we first talked, his nonprofit was young and he needed money to get more kids into their feeding program FAST. It was literally life or death for some of these kids because if they didn’t eat at BESTWA, they probably wouldn’t eat at all.

He was passionate about his work and so worried he wasn’t doing fundraising right. Yet he was.

He explained to me how he didn’t have many donors and most were friends. He had a background in sales and knew relationships were important, so he personally called each one of his donors every few weeks to update them on the nonprofit’s programs. It was his main method of donor communication, and of course, his donors LOVED it!

They loved the personal touch and the authenticity. The loved hearing first-hand what their donation had made possible. They loved knowing they were helping make a difference in the world.

Andy saw many of them make repeat donations and larger donations time after time.

This is donor-based fundraising at its finest.

It’s all about valuing the donor more than their donation. It’s about the relationship and helping the donor feel connected to your work. And it’s about treating donors as partners in the work, not just a money source.

When you use the principles of donor-based fundraising, fundraising gets simpler. People give easily because they love your nonprofit’s work and are eager to help.

You’re no longer scouring the internet looking for new ideas nor listening to dry webinars full of complicated theory, trying to apply it to your situation. You no longer chase every bright shiny thing that comes along because you KNOW what works.

Unfortunately, many nonprofits get so focused on the money that they ignore their donors. Or they use a broken funding model that doesn’t generate the kind of income they need.

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“We have put more than $16 million into Liberia in the last 5 years which completely blows me away!”

broken funding models

If we were to survey nonprofits that fail and ask them how they were trying to fund their new organization, we would probably find one or more of the broken funding models listed below being used.

They’re broken because they JUST DON’T WORK and leave you constantly begging for money. That’s not helpful as you try to get your new nonprofit off the ground.

• Grants. Grants are a fantastic source of revenue but not for new nonprofits. Most funders want to see 2-3 years of history under your belt before they’ll consider a grant. It makes sense if you think about it – they want to see the results of your program to prove that what you’re doing works. If you’re thinking that you’ll fund your new nonprofit with grants, you’re going to be very disappointed.

• Events. Events, or fundraisers, are common probably because they’re popular. You’ve seen other nonprofits hold events and they look successful from the outside. But the problem is they aren’t usually productive enough to justify the time and energy invested in them. Events are a lot of work and too many events are exhausting for you, your volunteers, your supporters, and the community. I call these events “heart-sink” activities – you work really hard on them then your heart sinks at how little you brought in. The right event has its place and when executed well, can bring big rewards in money, awareness, publicity, and new supporters. Unfortunately, most nonprofits don’t have a clear vision for their event, don’t have enough reach into the community to get attendees and sponsors, and don’t execute well, which adds up to an underwhelming event.

• Rich people. If you think you can target “rich” people in town to get donations, you’re mistaken. Just because people have extra money doesn’t mean they’ll give it away, and if they are charitably minded, they may not give it to a brand-new, unknown nonprofit like yours. It’s best to focus on people who are most likely to care about your cause instead of staring at someone’s wallet (more about that in a bit).

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• Crowdfunding. Online fundraising can be great, but the “get everyone to give” mentality doesn’t work unless you’ve already developed a loyal following online. Even when you do get a good crowd behind you, you’ll never be able to get all of them to each give ten bucks (it just doesn’t work that way). Successful crowdfunding requires you to drive traffic to the crowdfunding site (again, you need an existing loyal following). It’s also not a “build it and they will come” model. No one wakes up in the morning and says “I feel like giving some money away. What crowdfunding site can I surf?” And some people just don’t trust crowdfunding websites, refusing to give to a cause they don’t know through a site they aren’t comfortable with.

• Self-pay. Some founders who don’t want to fundraise try to skip it entirely and just pay for everything out of their own pocket. Unless you’re independently wealthy, this won’t work. As your nonprofit grows, expenses will grow, too, and you don’t want programs to be cancelled because you can’t write the check from your personal account to cover expenses this month.

• Sole source funding. It’s very dangerous to rely on one source of funding, whether it’s program fees, earned income, or some single kind of fundraising. It’s like sitting on a onelegged stool – it’s a balancing act that could collapse any time.

With donor-based fundraising, it’s critical to gather people around you who believe in your cause and want to help. It’s work to build a donor base and work to keep them engaged. You might think of it like the story of the goose and the golden egg – take care of the goose and the golden eggs keep coming.

The bottom line here is this: To create the funding you need to run your nonprofit, you need donors. Lots of them.

The key to building a big donor base full of people who love your nonprofit is to know where to find them.

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But, where DO you find new donors?

Most founders and nonprofit directors KNOW their nonprofit is doing good work and think that if they could just spread the word, people would give.

Yes and no.

It’s really about finding the RIGHT people to give to your nonprofit – those who LOVE your cause and want to see you succeed.

Being strategic about finding new donors can save you a lot of time and trouble and bring you donors who will stick around a long time.

So, where do you find ideal new donors for your new nonprofit?

create an ideal donor profile

The best place to start in growing your donor base is to get clear about the Right People – those people you want to attract.

An Ideal Donor Profile identifies the top psychographics and demographics of your best donors, so that you can go find more people just like them.

Think about that: if you knew exactly who you’re looking for, wouldn’t it make finding them a lot easier? You could stop wasting time experimenting with tactics that don’t work.

Figuring out your Ideal Donor doesn’t have to be complicated. Sit down with a blank piece of paper and think about people already supporting your nonprofit, even if it’s just friends and family. Jot down their names. What do they have in common? Think about their age, their sex, their education, and whatever else you can think of. Write each one down. If you can get at least 3-5 things, this will help, but the more, the better.

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Early in my career, I spent several years at the local food bank, and I did this exercise of determining my Ideal Donor. It wasn’t very scientific I just thought about the few donors I knew. Some of them were our biggest donors and some weren’t, but they were consistent givers and often sent words of encouragement with their check. Here’s what I figured out about them:

• Women

• Middle aged or older

• College-educated/professional

• Active at church

• Volunteer in the community

(See how unscientific that is?) I looked at that list and thought “where can I find more people just like that?”

The answer popped out at me immediately: women’s groups at churches.

I started asking around to see who belonged to a women’s group at a church where I could speak and I quickly got several leads. I put together a hot presentation with a clear call to action, and off I went. I remember at one church, almost everyone in the room signed up to hear more about our work and how they could get involved (in other words, they signed up for our newsletter!). Several ladies handed me a check or cash before I left, and a few days later, I got a check from the group’s treasurer.

So, instead of looking for “rich people,” spend the time it takes to get really clear about the Ideal Donor for your nonprofit. You’ll be way more likely to get donors that will give bigger and give longer.

just get started

Your first step in growing a donor base is to start with people already around you who love and trust you: mainly friends and family. These are definitely the Right People for your nonprofit!

Then think about those who are likely to love your nonprofit’s mission. How can you describe them based on their interests, beliefs, and values as outlined above?

Finally, start looking for more ideal donors in the community based on the Ideal Donor Profile you just created. It will help you find new donors easily and in large numbers.

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predictable fundraising helps you sleep at night

“I can’t believe that worked!” she squealed into the phone.

I was talking with Becky Roy, founder of Draft Gratitude, a horse rescue in New Hampshire.

Becky had been self-funding her new nonprofit and was ready to try some ‘real’ fundraising so the organization could support itself. She latched onto the principles of donor-based fundraising and saw results quickly.

Within a few months, she created a monthly giving program to create repeatable income for her young nonprofit.

We crafted an awesome Ask: “For just $12, you can provide a day’s worth of food, shelter, and veterinary care for an unwanted draft horse.”

Our strategy was to ask people through her newsletter and on Facebook to join her new monthly giving team.

We knew that if we got enough people to say “yes”, she’d be able to easily cover her monthly operational expenses and would no longer have to pay for anything out of her own pocket.

As she started asking, people signed up to give monthly, much to her surprise and delight. She sent out an email appeal and lots more people signed up. It was a very exciting time!

Becky’s donor-based fundraising was paying off big and it was because she was doing some things right:

• She regularly communicated with her supporters to give them the latest news.

• She shared “behind-the-scenes” videos so people could see the horses their money supported.

• She kept ALL communications short, interesting, and relevant.

She also nailed her messaging and spoke from her heart, which meant her communications came across as authentic. People loved her for it and the result was astounding – well over 100 people signed up to give either $12 or $24 per month to support her small, growing horse rescue, creating predictable income for the organization.

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Just imagine you had $1,200 steadily coming in each month from monthly donors. That’s $14,400 over the course of a year from this one revenue stream alone. Tell me THAT gets you excited about donor-based fundraising!

Her monthly giving grew from a small idea to a steady stream of income that is still funding over half of her monthly expenses. And she’s thrilled.

What does predictable mean?

When you practice the principles of donor-based fundraising, fundraising becomes predictable. You no longer lay awake at night worrying about where money is coming from. You KNOW where it’s coming from.

In order to create that predictability, you need a strong, inspirational message.

People need to understand what you’re asking them to support and how their donation will make a difference.

Not “Please give.” Not “Buy a calendar.”

Not “Help us reach our goal.”

Instead, ask them to give to change a life.

“Your gift of $6.20 will provide a day’s worth of shelter, food, and care to a homeless dog or cat.”

“Your donation of $1.87 will provide a hot meal to a person in need.”

See how that works?

Predictability occurs when you maintain consistent, purposeful communications with donors to keep them in the loop… and when they feel like they’re part of the solution.

Unfortunately, most nonprofits don’t take the time to understand how their message will be received, so they use language that turns donors off. They mess up their communications by

• Using ego-centric language (“we did this, we’re planning that…”)

• Inconsistent communication (going months without talking to donors, then ask, ask, ask)

• Too focused on meeting their goal instead of explaining how the donor’s gift helps

By taking the time to carefully craft and refine your message, you’ll be more likely to reach into the reader’s heart, which is the gateway to a donation.

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your words matter

Everything you say about your nonprofit is either pulling people in or pushing them away.

Sweet words draw people in like honey. Boring words repel people like vinegar.

So, what are the right, sweet words you should be sharing? How do you steer clear of the vinegar so people don’t leave your nonprofit to go find another one to support?

First, understand that messaging is about emotion.

Good messaging hits the audience in the feelz.

It’s short, concise, and easy to understand, and never confusing. It’s full of inspiration and makes the reader/listener FEEL something.

Your messaging should describe a problem that evokes an emotional response – people need to care about the problem you’re defining and want to do something about it.

Depending on your cause, you may want your donor to feel anger, fear, sorrow, compassion, joy, or something else.

They need to feel a sense of urgency that something needs to be done NOW to solve the problem your nonprofit addresses. Otherwise, there’s no reason for them to take action NOW And they need to believe that your nonprofit is ideal to provide the solution. (That’s when they’ll give.)

These are the critical points your messaging must make if you want it to be effective.

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know your audience

It’s important to note that your fundraising message should appeal to your donor’s emotions and interests, not yours. If you write for yourself, you have an audience of one. Not great odds if you want to fully fund your nonprofit.

So, what does your audience want?

Here are 4 truths to help you create messaging that will move your audience to take the action you want them to take, whether that’s making a donation, volunteering, or spreading the word.

NUMBER ONE

Everything you share should be written with your audience in mind. Ask yourself “What does my donor care about? What part of my program sets her heart on fire?”

It’s not this: “We’re a 501c3 nonprofit”. No one will give because you are a nonprofit. Nonprofit is a tax status, not a reason to give.

It’s also not this: “Help us reach our goal.” People don’t care about your goal. They care about making a difference.

Put yourself in your donor’s shoes and make a list of the reasons why she might give to your nonprofit. Then use those in your messaging.

Your reader only reads what’s interesting.
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Facts tell, stories compel.

NUMBER TWO

When you’re communicating with your audience, you should share ONE well-chosen fact. Then tell a story that will grab them by the heartstrings.

Don’t inundate them with lots of numbers – that’s overwhelming to the average person and they won’t be able to translate those numbers into something that matters.

If your programs haven’t started yet, talk about what you’re going to do and WHY it matters. Your WHY is where your passion is.

For example, a food pantry might know that 10,000 people in its service area are food insecure. But, if you share that, people will glaze over – That’s a huge number and without context, it’s hard to understand. Plus, there’s jargon they won’t get, either.

Now, if you share the same number like this, people will be more moved to give:

1 in 6 people in our community are struggling to put food on the table.

See the difference?

It’s critical that you follow that one statistic with a story about one person who is struggling with hunger.

Maybe talk about Marie, a single mom with 2 kids and 3 part-time jobs, trying to make ends meet. Describe how her precarious situation works until one of the kids gets sick or needs new shoes or her old rattle-trap of a car breaks down. Then she doesn’t have enough money to cover everything and depends on the emergency food box to feed her family.

With a story, people can start to relate to Marie and feel empathy, which leads them to want to help. When you end with a clear call to action, your reader will want to get involved and make a difference for those like Marie, and you’ll see the results you’re looking for.

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NUMBER THREE

Hardly anyone outside your organization cares about your budget or your internal goals. So, don’t ask people to give to your

• Annual fund (most people don’t even know what that is)

• Annual appeal (your appeal is the mechanism for the gift, not the reason to give)

• Annual budget (there’s nothing appealing about supporting a budget)

Here’s the bottom line: Your nonprofit doesn’t have needs. Those you serve have needs. Focus your messaging on those whose lives you are changing. That’s what people care about.

NUMBER FOUR

The whole reason people give is to help make a difference. In short, they want to feel good. So, use phrases like these:

• “Because of you, little Timmy will get help learning to read.”

• “With your support, we can eliminate the waiting list for …”

What you DON’T want to use is what I call Fundraising French: “we did this” and “we did that”–we, we, we. No “we need to reach our goals.” No “Give to our annual fund.” It turns donors off.

Your messaging should set peoples’ hearts on fire and inspire them to get involved. Give them a reason to care and they’ll give just so they can feel good.

just get started

You need to feed your donors a regular diet of inspirational, heartfelt stories and info that make them feel like they’re a part of your team. Start by creating a Donor Communications Plan that includes every non-Ask you’ll send to your donors. Include newsletters, updates, and videos that show them how together you’re making a difference in the world. Be sure to put this plan in writing and post it where you can see it regularly so you can easily stay on track.

This type of regular engagement will draw donors closer to your organization which means they’ll either give bigger or more often. They’ll be so jazzed by the awesome stories you’ve shared that they’ll be primed and ready when you ask for their support. They may also be ready to make a monthly gift which really creates predictability for your nonprofit!

The right language can make donors feel like heroes.
People want to fund your impact, not your existence.
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Sustainable Fundraising creates success!

“I need your help” the email said.

Kristi Werre was under pressure to raise a lot of money and fast.

Her one big donor had just offered to pay her salary for a year so she could focus on learning how to fund her small (but growing) nonprofit.

So, she reached out to get help to create a fundraising plan that would generate the revenue she needed while playing to her strengths.

We tallied up what she’d need so we knew what the goal was, and it was close to 6 figures.

Yes, it was daunting to someone who hadn’t done professional fundraising before, but Kristi was committed to the children served by her organization, Illuminate India

It quickly became clear that child sponsorships would be an ideal way to generate ongoing revenue to cover the cost of kids in her programs. We calculated what it cost per child in each of her programs and Kristi was able to use those numbers in many ways – appeals, newsletters, Giving Tuesday, and events. And it worked.

Donors could quickly and easily understand their donation’s impact and the amount was so low, it was an easy “yes” for many people. In fact, Kristi’s sponsorship effort has grown quite large over the past couple of years and covers the full cost of many children receiving education and physical therapy.

The real key to donor-based fundraising is strong relationships and Kristi is a natural. She does a great job of keeping donors in the loop with hand-written notes and cards, photos, and video. By valuing her donors over their donations, Kristi has created sustainable funding for her organization, creating stability and positioning them for growth.

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what does sustainable mean?

Sustainable funding happens when you have a large enough pool of donors giving that you can easily cover your ongoing operational expenses, even when some donors don’t give.

Once again, it’s all about taking care of your donors (remember the goose and golden egg?).

When you value the donor over the donation, relationships are easier to form. When people feel needed and wanted, they’ll keep giving. It’s not about how much you can raise from a fundraiser. It’s also not about selling things. It’s about viewing donors as a valued part of your team. They feel included, they believe in the work your nonprofit does, and they TRUST you.

Unfortunately, most nonprofits get so focused on the money that they treat their donors as an ATM. They don’t thank donors well and thank-you letters drop to the bottom of the priority list when things get busy. Donors are wondering what happened to their donation and start to doubt their decision to give (this KILLS future fundraising!).

Taking care of your donors should be a top priority if you want to create sustainability. Time should be allocated for newsletters and the content thoughtfully selected so that it meets the donor’s need for information. Your donor data should be kept clean, phone calls and emails returned, and nothing haphazardly happening – everything that happens is strategic and fits into the overall fundraising plan.

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building donor relationships

Good fundraising is about people and the relationship you have with them.

You see, it’s the donors who feel most connected with your cause who give the biggest gifts. In fact, the biggest return on investment you can get is to help donors feel a strong connection with your nonprofit’s work. The stronger the relationship, the more people give and the more often they’ll do it.

Most fundraisers know they need to develop relationships with donors but don’t know where to start.

And it keeps them stuck raising money in dribs and drabs instead of bringing in the kind of revenue they really need to fund their programs.

There are three things that get in the way of building these strong relationships. People

• Don’t know where to start

• Aren’t sure how to build relationships without feeling manipulative

• Can’t seem to carve out the time to begin

Sound familiar?

I remember when I was still new to fundraising and finally understood the concept of relationship building. I was excited to try, but I just didn’t know what to do. And for some reason, I couldn’t figure out the steps to building a relationship.

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how relationships grow

Think for a minute about the close relationships in your life – maybe a best friend or a spouse. When you first met that person, you probably weren’t best friends from the get-go. It takes time and effort to get to know someone and develop a lasting relationship.

On top of that, we do it without thinking about it. It happens very naturally. We simply hang out with people we like. The more we like them, the more time we want to spend with them. And the relationship grows.

So, if we break it down into steps, relationship building looks like this:

• First meeting. We meet someone, and we feel some spark, either friendship or something more.

• Attraction. There’s something magnetic about that person that we’re drawn to and we want to spend more time with them.

• Exploration. We start looking for common interests and subsequently start to spend more time together.

• Connection. Commonalities lead to connection and we start to feel close to the other person. They get us and we get them. Spending time together feels safe and fun.

• Deepening. The more we learn about them, the more we like them. And we realize we care about them.

• Commitment. At some point, we become committed to the person and the relationship. We value it and it brings us joy, and we’re willing to do what it takes to make the other person happy.

I think that pretty much sums up what happened when I met my husband, and I would bet it is similar for lots of people, maybe even you.

Now, get this: it isn’t that different with donor relationships. You’re just building the relationship on purpose instead of letting it grow organically, and you have a clear destination for the relationship: fulfilling your nonprofit’s mission.

The good news here is that you know more about growing relationships than you thought you did. Isn’t that a relief?

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Maintain the Relationship Account

Imagine that you have an emotional bank account with each donor.

Each time you ask for money, you’re withdrawing from the account.

When you help your donor feel good about their decision to support your nonprofit or when you tell them a story that moves them, you’re making a deposit into the account.

You don’t have to be an accountant to understand that if all you do is make withdrawals, it won’t take long before you’re in the hole and the account is closed.

This is why so many donors are jaded – they’ve been asked for money too many times without warm touches, stories, and updates to keep them in the loop. They’ve been treated like ATMs instead of valued partners.

The good news here is that it’s easily fixed: make more deposits than withdrawals.

I spent the day with a client recently and we mapped out her next few months on a giant calendar so she could see everything at a glance. We put newsletters, updates, and the feel-good activities on the calendar on green stickies, and the appeals on the calendar on red stickies. We were able to easily see which activities were adding deposits to the relationship account (green) and which ones were withdrawing (red).

It became very clear very fast how important her newsletter is to her overall fundraising. Her newsletter is adding the bulk of the deposits to the relationship account. If she doesn’t get that newsletter out, her donors will probably get tired of her requests for money very quickly. And if she’s going to hit her fundraising goals this year, she can’t afford to lose any donors because they feel over-asked.

Building donor relationships is all about strategy and planning. You’ll never be able to keep enough points in the relationship account if you’re always in reactive mode and making decisions at the last minute about which activities to pursue.

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How exactly can you add more deposits to the relationship account? It’s easier than you think. Help your donor feel good about their decision to give.

• Send a prompt, warm, sincere thank-you letter that tells the donor how much you appreciate their gift and that you’ve set it to work.

• Send a juicy, donor-focused email newsletter at least once a month and include a story about a life that’s been changed by your nonprofit’s work.

• Post regularly on social media telling stories, sharing interesting facts and video.

One thing I’ve noticed about relationships is that people only stay in them while they’re getting something out of them. When we get turned off, we end the relationship. Want to keep your donors? Make sure they’re still getting value from the relationship.

just get started

It’s really not that hard to build deep, lasting relationships with donors. All you need to do is simply commit to taking care of donors. Make them a priority and they will make supporting you a priority. Make sure your fundraising plan includes regular donor nurture and donor communication activities. Map it all out in a Donor Nurture Plan, and then execute it fully.

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Fundraising doesn’t have to be hard.

You CAN create sustainable revenue for your new nonprofit by focusing on building a donor base of ideal donor prospects (people who love your cause and want to help) then inviting them to give with inspirational messaging that pulls their heartstrings.

Focus on the donor instead of their money and work on building relationships to keep them engaged. That’s when you’ll see consistent revenue flowing into your nonprofit.

The awesome part of donor-based fundraising is that it works for any sized nonprofit and doesn’t have to be expensive.

You can do it, right now, and start to see results very soon.

Ideal Donor Prospects Inspirational Invitation Annual Plan Sustainable Funding! Fund Your Dream | GetFullyFunded.com 25
Summary

about sandy

Sandy Rees is the founder and Chief Encouragement Officer at Get Fully Funded, where she shows small nonprofit founders and leaders how to fully fund their big vision, so they can spend their time changing lives instead of worrying about money.

She has helped dozens of small nonprofits go from “nickel-and-dime fundraising” to adding 6 figures to their bottom line. As a trainer, she shows her students how to find ideal donors, connect through authentic messaging, and build relationships that stand the test of time, so that fundraising becomes easy and predictable. She shows people the “how to” of fundraising and gives them the inspiration they need to be wildly successful.

In 1998, Sandy began her career in nonprofit. She’s worked for Knox Area Rescue Ministries, Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Joy of Music School. In 2005, she started Get Fully Funded, and dedicated herself to helping small nonprofits raise big money.

Sandy’s gift is inspiring you to reach for your dreams. She believes that learning how to fund your nonprofit doesn’t have to be a drag. There’s no need to fear or dread fundraising. In fact, she uses her skills, flair, toys, and even her jokes to make it FUN and productive. Sandy feels strongly that EVERY nonprofit can be fully funded and that’s why Get Fully Funded is here.

As someone who learned fundraising the hard way, Sandy understands what it’s like to face big challenges and juggle lots of activities. Sandy has raised millions through grants, events, direct mail, and all the other commonly-used fundraising strategies.

As a coach/consultant, Sandy loves seeing her clients “get it” – seeing the light bulb come on when they see how to make their success a reality. She’s done it over and over again with dozens of nonprofits and is always excited for the next one!

When she’s not living and breathing nonprofit fundraising, Sandy lives with her family on a small farm in Loudon, Tennessee, with 2 horses, 6 cats, 2 dogs, and the occasional fostered mini donkey.

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valuable resources

If you’ve enjoyed this ebook and are hungry for more, I’ve got you covered.

Checklist

Start by downloading my free tool for new nonprofits called Fundraising Checklist for New & Young Nonprofits. It will guide you through your first steps in putting the principles of donor-based fundraising into action. Grab that checklist here: http://www.GetFullyFunded.com/StartNow

Virtual Workshop

The more donors you have, the more donations you can get.

Growing a big, loyal donor base is one of the fastest ways to ensure financial security for your nonprofit both now and into the future. But finding new donors can be a challenge.

Where do you look? Is there a list of donors? What about social media and crowdfunding?

When you don’t know where to look, you can waste a lot of time, energy, and money on strategies that never pan out.

The key is to know who is MOST likely to care about your cause and give to your nonprofit. When you know EXACTLY who you’re looking for, finding them gets easier.

In the “Grow Your Donor Base Field Guide” you’ll get the training and practical ideas for identifying your best donor prospects and where to find them. You’ll learn:

• Why individual donors are the best source of untapped potential

• 3 mistakes that slow down the search for new donors

• A simple method for identifying your Ideal Donor Prospect

• The critical key to evaluating a prospect and why you should always use it

• The EASIEST way to find new donors FAST!

• Dozens of ideas for places to LOOK for donors

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After this training, you’ll feel clear and confident about growing your donor base and how to do it systematically so that you’re ALWAYS bringing in new supporters for your nonprofit.

Handouts include 9 pages of worksheets, samples, and graphics to help you work through the process of clarifying your Ideal Donor Prospect and where to find them. You’ll also get a sample New Donor Welcome Kit so you can start your donor’s experience off right.

You’ll also get 2 short micro-training videos, 3 short ebooks and an implementation checklist to help you take action so you can get the absolute most from this Field Guide!

Grab your copy of the “Grow Your Donor Base Field Guide” for just $20 (it’s normally $57) and get started now growing your donor base.

It starts whenever you’re ready. After your purchase, you’ll get immediate access to all the videos, handouts, and samples so you can start learning right away. You can download the materials and add them to your virtual library so you can refer to them again and again, or share them with others as your nonprofit grows.

Grab yours at www.GetFullyFunded.com/GrowYourDonors

Got questions? Want to know more about the “Grow Your Donor Base Field Guide” or any of our other services? Contact us at support@getfullyfunded.com or call our office at 865-657-9915

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