Stop Making Decisions for Your Donors

How well do you know each of your donors? Truly, authentically know them?

The greatest role of a gift officer is to understand people. To gain deep insight into values, preferences, philanthropic intent and more, and to allow that insight to guide our path toward generosity.

This level of understanding can only be achieved through intentional conversation. And without it, we make assumptions about our prospects rather that diving deeply into the prospect’s greatest interest, their goals and their desired impact.

Time and again, I see gift officers following practices that undercut this process.

We “pitch” – leading with wanting to share about our institution and initiative – rather than asking and listening.

We research rather than outreach, relying too heavily on what can be found versus what can be discovered in conversation.

We assume rather than explore.

Each of these instincts – common ones – holds us back. And it takes courage to overcome them.

Yes, sharing our case and conducting prospect research has its place. These are tools we should wield wisely. But the most impactful tools we have include being willing to make the outreach and the use of thoughtful, conversation-provoking questions.

What inspires you to give?

How did you become passionate about this issue?

What would you like your impact to be?

What was it like to start your own business??

Does this vision align with what you’d like to see?

Consider limiting your research before contacting a prospect to 15 minutes max (with a goal to get to no more than five minutes). Any more than that is likely a delay, because we find cold outreach intimidating. Or, you think you must know everything there is to know about who you are outreaching to. If this is truly an authentic relationship in the making, you will learn, with them, what they care most about.

But most importantly, consider how you might approach outreach and donor meetings with courage. What would that change for you? Would you make more introductory calls and send more introductory emails? Would you engage in a more authentic conversation with prospects rather than sticking to talking points? Would you learn to love qualification work as much as other stages in the partnership and embrace what it takes to get to this important conversation?

How would it change your work if you stopped making decisions for prospects, and instead embraced the messy, but rewarding and effective, work of engaging?