Fundraising Can Feel Daunting. Be DARING in Your Approach.

Let’s face it: fundraising is hard. There are reasons we struggle to make the ask. We've all experienced bad salesmen and seen financial scandals, and many of us feel ill-equipped to fundraise for a cause even though we are passionate about it. If any of those things resonate and you feel like you're up against some resistance, there’s a word for you: normal. Truly. It's normal to feel a little unsure about asking for donations, though you may want to.

I will address the how in a moment, but first, let's take a quick look at the "why" it's good to overcome the negative influences. It’s normal to be influenced by scandals and bad experiences--we've all witnessed and had them. And while those negative influences can hold us back, here are two reasons to overcome your hesitation: our mission and our community.?

I'm hosting a free one-hour fundraising best practices call for Run Ranger Run participants tonight - Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at 7:00 EST. Register here. ?

Our mission is to provide veterans hope and purpose through connecting, coaching, and counseling. Know that when you ask for donations to GallantFew, Inc. , the Ranger For Life (RFL) Program improves lives.

Rangers in RFL have unparalleled success. Over 400 Rangers and spouses used the program in 2023. All Rangers in RFL have increased their mental health as measured by the Gallant Few Azimuth Check. All Rangers in RFL departed active duty with an employment offer or acceptance into a field of study of their choice in 2022 and 2023. Over 60 are in MBA programs, and 34 attended Columbia University in the 2023-2024 academic year. Rangers currently attend top university undergraduate and graduate programs at Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Duke, and Texas. Largely due to RFL, the 75th Ranger Regiment has the largest percent of active-duty participating in DoD transition internships, leading to jobs at Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Deloitte, McKinsey, John Deere, and Caterpillar. Karl Monger, GallantFew Founder and Executive Director.

GallantFew,Inc. is a Guidestar Transparency Platinum Certified Non-Profit for candid reporting. You can learn more here.

Our community needs services like these. Trying to go Lone Ranger out there does not work. Yet so many of us have tried (me included when I left the 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army ). The fact is that services like RFL are critical for successful reintegration. And when you tell friends and family the truth about the help we need, you include them in a cause that makes a difference in the world–our world. I’ve been a Ranger long enough to know that many more people care about us than we allow inside our little bubble. Run Ranger Run welcomes others in. And we need others to continue leading the way in the world. We simply cannot go it alone.?

This is the power of peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraisers like Run Ranger Run. P2P fundraisers offer people who care about a cause to share their passion for it with friends and family who know, trust, and love us. It's a low-risk ask that increases awareness, engagement, and funding for critical missions. When we reach out and ask our loved ones for help, they overwhelmingly respond with encouragement and positivity. Don't you when your friends and family ask for your help?

Keeping our mission and our community front and center may ease your resistance to asking for help. From there, asking for support isn't mystical or complicated. It merely requires us to be DARING in our approach.?

Directly connect.

Ask for support.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat?

Inspire with authenticity.

Never lie.

Give thanks.?

Directly connect. The truth is that social media rarely creates meaningful engagement. Direct requests to family and friends move the needle. Social media is nice for sharing awareness, but people scroll and like, yet rarely stop and activate. Of the 37 donations I’ve received this season, only one donated because he saw the fundraiser online--and that’s because I mistyped his email address!?

Ask for support. You simply must directly ask for the donation, “Will you please consider donating to this cause?” This ensures that your friends and family know that you are asking for help. Find the words that fit for you, and make the ask.?

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Continue to send your support request weekly. Keep friends and family updated on your progress to fundraising and mileage goals, and continue to remind them why this matters to you. People are busy. Try not to take offense if they haven’t responded and don’t take it as a sign that your request for support is offensive to them. You are not pestering them if you are sharing something you care about. You are including them.?

Inspire with authenticity. People learn best and are moved most by stories. Nonprofits win when they blend stories and outcomes that demonstrate success. Inspire your friends and family by sharing what GallantFew does and why the mission means so much to you. There are some incredible examples out there across the RRR community to look to. On my fundraising page, I share the following…

This photo was taken in 2006. It was the last time I stood in a Ranger formation. I held my daughter--my family--as I said goodbye to my Ranger Buddies--my family as well. I left the Rangers to be Elli & Jaden's dad and Kelly's husband. I thought it was a binary choice: My Family or My Ranger family, so when I chose the Youngs, I placed a huge chasm between myself and the community I loved. The consequences were significant.

For many years, I isolated myself from my community of brothers, who knew and understood me uniquely. I isolated myself from the support and care they were always ready to give me because I felt ashamed that I had left them. I isolated myself from the care I needed to get well. I made a mistake based on the false premise that I was no longer worthy of their brotherhood. Today, thanks to the Gallant Few, no Ranger ever has to face the negative consequences of this false premise.

Never lie. Tell the truth. Speak from the heart and share why you’re asking for a donation to a cause you care about. There is never a reason to lie in fundraising or sales. Full stop.?

All you need to do is tell the truth about why you support Run Ranger Run and why you’re asking for help. No more. No less. If people have questions you cannot answer, send a note to GallantFew, and we’ll get them to you ([email protected] or [email protected]). A great way to build trust when fundraising is simply answering, “I’m not sure, but let me get that answer for you,” instead of making something up that may or may not be true. Finally…

Give thanks. Thank everybody for doing whatever they can. Thank people for donations, whether large or small. Thank people for likes and shares. Thank people for encouraging you. Thank people by including them (my team went from 9 to 15 people in 10 days because friends and family who received my emails asked if they could help. Uh, yes! Join us! And thank you!) Thank all of the people on your email list! Gratitude is free and goes a long way, so hand it out accordingly.?

Give all of this a try, and you may just discover something I learned years ago: people appreciate the chance to support something their loved ones care about, and you may just have a blast while doing it!?

Best of luck being DARING out there, team.?

RLTW!?

Brandon

Join us on Tuesday, September 24, at 7:00 pm EST for more best practices and Q&A by registering here.