A donor relationship is not a trick

Rockstar Amanda Palmer said it in the opening plenary of the #IFC2016 : “A relationship is not a trick“. And it came back to me throughout the conference. The best donor relations are based on authenticity and reciprocity. If that’s our goal and we take a closer look at our fundraising results in recent years, we have to start asking the right questions. To be more precise: we need to question everything we do.

It’s our job as fundraisers to build long lasting relationships with our donors. And I think that if you were a sensible fundraiser you’d actually like to treat your ‘small’ donors the same as your major donors. You’d talk to them, personalize everything you send them, take time to listen and acknowledge their existence and contribution. You’d go the distance for them. But then practical barriers often surface. Because we can’t talk to everyone personally. And we could never grant everyone’s wishes or preferences. Or could we? Should we?

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