What Does Predictable Mean?

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.

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.