In previous posts, nothing can get donors to increase their giving amount more than listening at your donor. Do you remember when I asked you if had the opportunity to listen and realized that 80% of the conversations we have with anyone, whether with our son, spouse boss, friend, or client are focused on the person speaking instead of the other party participants. Like I said the idea of calling former donors and asking questions like: Donor Management Software

• What do you think about this subject?
• What issues will not having our message to you?
• What inspired you to be a part of this movement? What are you unhappy about?

This will enable donors to be more open and provide emotionally charged feedback, which is essential to get them to make a donation and giving much more than soliciting them to help you raise your five million dollars that you’ll need to raise due to and etc. They’ll either turn off you or as is most people, inform you that they don’t want to. Are they not interested? After having contributed towards your campaign and been supportive of you, they’re not interested? But, dear reader, it’s not the issue or message that they aren’t interested in. They’re simply not looking forward to hearing from you unless you require money. So, asking open ended questions to your donors (especially those who are VIP) can help you learn more about your company and get your supporters more enthusiastic and raise the average amount you donate by making them feel that they must spend money on your time. This is true, the time you spend is money even within business of non-profit and political. The more time you spend with donors who are financially stable and the more the donation amount they make will increase. Make sure you inquire! The first aspect and is the closing. Don’t be shy to ask questions, but before you do, ensure you are ready. You must have established:

1. What were the donors’ answers to my questions? How do I connect their answers back to what my organization is trying to accomplishin terms of fundraising. (i.e. We must raise $100,000 over 3 days to completely provide meals ready to go for the people affected by Irene (i.e. North Carolina). Make sure you are as precise as you can about the purpose. If you simply say (We must raise $100,000 to feed the homeless in Irene Your average donation amount will be about 10-15 dollars less on smaller scale donations, because your appeal is inadequate.
2. Share your story with them and inform them that you value your time without coming off as condescending.
3. Tell them you appreciate their help and will stay in touch with them directly and stay contact with them regarding information about the achievements achieved with the funds. It is essential to make the next request simpler and help the donor feel as if you weren’t just using him/her to pay for give them a bailout. In the next post, I’ll discuss how creating an elite list of donors who have more than $500 is the most effective long-term strategy for ensuring that you are financially stable as an organisation.

The art of listening and asking questions could be a simple idea to grasp, but implementing this into your company and the way it is written can feel difficult and overwhelming at times. However, there are companies out there such as Cause Fundraising Consultants that know exactly how to create, solidify, and automate donor acquisition/management campaigns for your organization allowing you to bring in immediate cash to fund your organization and create long term strategies to place your organization in a financially stable position.

Other useful resources on fundraising for non-profit/political organizations:

How to Get VIP Donors Kye Taylor

Top 3 Ways To Fundraise By Kye Taylor

5 Tips for Hiring a Fundraising Consultant Kye Taylor

This Fundraising-Tip was shared by Kye Taylor, a Non-Profit & Political Fundraising Specialist, Author and business owner. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for fundraising advice for political and non-profit organisations by signing up the newsletter we send out: