NONPROFITS AND SNOW . . . THE PERFECT MATCH
Snow is such a subjective topic, right? Not only do you have people who disagree on how they feel about snow, even personally some people like snow at the start of the year but get tired of it towards the end. Kids love it while adults dread having to shovel again. While some people just love when it snows every single time. The only thing we do know is that we know is that if you live in the north, you are getting snow every year, and you can't stop it.
In the Upper Midwest we finally got rid of our snow (for the most part). What a relief it was to see things like pavement and grass. Even your kids got excited to see some toys they left there in fall, as a newfound treasure. Weather apps were showing sunshine again for a few days, it was like we were on a tropical island. Then reality hit, and on that same dreaded weather app, we see that it is supposed to snow again. Gosh darn it, we finally got rid of that batch that stayed there for 3 months.
The same can be said of your marketing and fundraising efforts. Some people like what you do, some people don't. Some people love events, while others get tired of them. Everyone loves playing at golf events at the start of the season while others grow weary of them when the fall hits. Some people prefer mail appeal while others can't stand it. Some people prefer if you randomly dropped by their office while others rather have you call first.
We say . . . treat fundraising like snow. People know fundraising is coming, there is no stopping it. The question is, what can YOU do to make it more enjoyable for them? Everyone is different, personalities are different, one size does not fit all. Don't assume everyone likes snow. So get to know your donors and find out which events they prefer over others, which ways they like being asked for money, and what volunteer activities they have the most fun with. Just like you would not assume everyone likes snow all the time . . . you also can't assume that the way YOU want to do fundraising is going to be everyone's cup of tea. Raising money is a reality and can't be stopped. The question is how can you make your donors feel like they having fun sledding instead of feeling the dread of shoveling?
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Midwest Studies Group assists nonprofits to increase their resource development capacity by connecting them stronger to their community by way of feasibility studies, community impact studies, and planned giving studies. We also offer coaching with capital campaigns and EOS. For more information please visit www.midweststudiesgroup.com.