One Fundraiser's Lessons from Crowdfunding

Recently a coaching client told me a story. She is a fundraiser for a small nonprofit in her work life, but had recently had an interesting experience with fundraising in her personal life.

My client (let’s call her Anne) has a friend with cancer. Anne wanted to help her friend (we’ll call the friend Donna) by setting up a GoFundMe. Donna resisted at first, but then reluctantly agreed. Anne set up the page and sent a few emails to a group of mutual friends. Within a couple of days, she had surpassed her fundraising goal, and everyone felt great.

It felt so good, and seemed so easy! Why, Anne wondered, did this feel so different than the fundraising she did for her nonprofit employer?

We chatted about the two causes (her friend’s medical crisis and the cause she works for) and the different ways in which she approached them both. The way I see it, here’s why she was successful with the GoFundMe and felt so much happier in the process.

1. She told a story.

   
   

Anne told a story about Donna, a real person with real problems. She didn’t talk about finding a cure for cancer, she didn’t give stats about how many people suffer from this particular form of cancer. She talked about what her friend was going through and the help her friend needed.

2. She identified a goal.

In setting a financial target, Anne helped set expectations. When a dollar goal is announced, people calibrate their giving accordingly. When no goal is given, prospective donors don’t know where they fit in the campaign. They don’t know what size of gift will make the difference they want to make.

3. Her goal was realistic.

It was also incredibly helpful that Anne’s goal was an achievable one. Had she set out to raise a million dollars for Donna, she might not have left the process with such a happy feeling. Anne had a pretty good idea of what she could raise from their mutual circle and set her goal accordingly.

4. She identified the right audience.

This is so important. You set yourself up for failure if you ask the wrong people. The best prospects for any fundraising effort are those who’ve got the capacity to give, an interest in the cause, and a connection to the organization. In this case, Anne didn't blanket the internet or go door to door. She identified a group of mutual friends. She knew they all had the capacity to help in at least a small way, she knew they would be interested in helping their friend, and obviously they were connected.

5. She reported to her audience frequently in real time.

We so often forget to do this in nonprofit fundraising! But look how great it felt for Anne to do this with her mutual friends! It was a no-brainer—of course she would send emails back to their group of friends to let them know when the fundraising effort hit new milestones, and of course she’d let them know how Donna’s treatment was going, how the money was being used to ease Donna’s burdens back at home. We should do the same for our nonprofit donors! When they send a donation, they would really love to hear back from us, too!

6. Her frame of mind was different.

Anne created this GoFundMe to help her friend. She saw a friend who was struggling to pay her bills and keep up her housework and generally maintain her life while cancer treatment took over. So often, when we ask for donations to our nonprofit organizations, we feel embarrassed, like we’re asking for a handout. It’s so important to remember: you’re not asking for money for you! You’re asking for the donor to give in order to help the end recipient. Take yourself out of the equation. It’s donor-->cause. You are just the conduit.

7. Her storytelling approach reflected a community-centric fundraising framework.

I’m the first to admit, I’ve still got a lot to learn about community-centric fundraising, but my hunch is that one final reason that this particular fundraising effort felt really good to my client is that, perhaps inadvertently, this effort followed a core principle of community-centric fundraising. What I know about community-centric fundraising is that the approach is rooted in the strengths of the recipients, and that our fundraising writing should never exploit or dehumanize those we aim to help. Anne would never write something in her fundraising emails that would embarrass Donna or make Donna feel less than human. Anne wrote from a place of love and respect. What feels better than that?

If fundraising for your organization feels bad, can you take any of Anne’s crowdfunding learnings and apply them to your fundraising work? Fundraising for your job should feel good! Remember, giving is a joyful act, and fundraising is a joyful career!