Balderdash!

Every year we’re treated to a surfeit of surveys or studies which purport to tell us how donors and their giving habits have changed.?Or that external conditions or technology are creating a new reality for philanthropy.

Pages and pages of data are served up to convince you how you must adjust, re-form and re-think.

All but an infinitesimal number of these, are distractions at best and total bunk at worst. (See photo above!)

I’ve good news for you. The fundamentals never change.?

They remain constant across sizes and missions of nonprofits. They remain the same across generations.

Most recently, I received such a study from a respected consulting firm.?

With the serious intonement that only a consultant can muster, the study detailed how donors are pessimistic about the economy and the world situation in general.

It was “beware” from cover to cover.

Curious thing, however.?Reading the small print, I learned that donors are doing what they’ve always done.?

Supporting their favorite charitable interests at ever higher levels.??They’re responding to the same things—well-crafted outreach that focuses on their needs and visions for the future.

Duh!

So, what’s the purpose of such “studies”??To validate the author or firm that produced it.?It’s that simple.

You see by producing such surveys, the firms which produce these are seen as “authoritative”.?They become top of mind when looking for outside help that “gets it.”

It’s a sales pitch.?“Think of us first.?We can help you navigate these situations”

Not that these reports have no value.

They do.

What they tell you is that despite strong external forces, donors remain laser focused on what donors always focus on.?They focus on their causes of first interest.?This is the real takeaway.

The fundamentals never change.

That’s why as you go about your tasks of connecting and building relationships with your donors, keep your outreach and messaging focused on them.?Not you.?Not the deplorable state of the economy or the world.

More than ever it’s imperative that everyone in your organization be singing from the same hymnal.?Everyone understanding how donors want to be engaged. And what’s important to them.

Remember that EVERYONE in your organization has donor contact of one kind or another.?Even if it’s only directing a phone call or fielding a question at a business meeting. Investments of incredible significance and impact often hinge upon such seemingly inconsequential acts.

How “incredible”?

In my own career, such an inconsequential act by a person in the organization totally uninvolved in “fundraising” was the direct catalyst for torching—yes you read it right—torching a seven-figure gift.

In an organization I served, a phone call from donor was inadvertently answered by a clerk while sharing a desk.?

The clerk made the off-hand comment to the donor when asked how they were, responded by saying, “I don’t know how I’m going to get my job done.?That is with the budget not being met and all.”

That one comment, totally clueless, unwound almost two years of work in less than two minutes.?

You see, the donor was merely calling to confirm an appointment wherein the gift was to be closed.

End of the story??The gift eventually did come.?Two years later.?And for less than the original amount.

That’s how incredible.

Now read the above again—slowly.?Let it sink in.

So how do you get a “culture” that not only avoids such debacles but also creates unbounded generosity—the culture of generosity?

Having a culture of generosity used to be the “hard” part.?If it wasn’t already a part of an organization’s DNA, getting there was akin to herding cats in a thunderstorm.?

No longer.?With paradigm-shifting Eight Principles training you get it—and keep it—in record time.?Training that’s interactive, fun and for everyone—yes EVERYONE—in an organization.

Note the emphasis on “interactive” and “fun”.

You bring the training “inside” your organization with your own facilitator and blow the top off your fundraising.?We call it continuous learning.?Here’s a video which gives you the complete picture:

The best part??It doesn’t take buckets of money to get there.?It’s desire and will.

If you’re a nonprofit executive or fundraiser, schedule a call with me.?It’s complimentary.?Whether or not continuous training is for you, you’ll have a much clearer idea of where you need to go and how to achieve your goals.

Coaches and consultants this can be of immense benefit to you, as well.

As a coach myself, I feel the pain of coaches and consultants who spend inordinate amounts of effort and time just to get a client to the point where they “get it.”?It’s when that happens a consultant does their best work.

This is where the Eight Principles training platform is used to get your client “there” in record time.?You take everyone from board room to front desk to the same place.

Clients don’t care how you do it. ?They just want results.?If you deliver the culture in record time, you get to your custom work faster.?You serve more clients.?They get faster results.

Here’s a brief video that explains everything:

Coaches and consultants, let me hear from you.?Schedule a call and we’ll see if Eight Principles Training is a tool you can use to build your business and serve your clients more effectively.

My goal is simple.?To show all who really want it the clear, proven path to abundance.

To Your Fundraising Success,

Larry C Johnson

Founder, The Eight Principles