Fundraising Mistakes

What fundraising mistakes do people often make? Well, there are a number of things you could be doing wrong including asking for too much, settling for too little, and propagating the concept that the donor is obligated to give you money. Please read on as we expound on these mistakes and a couple of others as well so as to ensure you stay clear of them and get more out of your fundraising.

Fundraising Mistakes

1) Forgetting to specifically state the purpose of the fundraising.

Every donor would like to know exactly how any money he/she donates is going to help with whatever cause you are aiding. They need to know that in intricate detail and not just a generic answer that leaves them asking “how?”

Always make sure you specifically state what or who your fundraiser is for. The more transparency, the more people are inclined to donate.

2) Being too focused on money.

While that’s the entire point of the different fundraisers, if your donors only keep getting money-seeking invites from you, then they’ll think that they’re nothing more than just cash to you. To bolster rapports and ensure that that is not the case, reel them into the inner workings of your project. Let them have roles to play within it beyond just giving money.

Keep them engaged with several aspects of the organization while offering progress updates, success stories, and thank you notes. Doing so makes them feel a part of the organization and not like they are only desired for their generous paychecks.

3) Not asking for enough money or asking for a lot of it.

It’s quite a common one this mistake with many people afraid of asking for enough money with the fear of coming off as overbearing. More often than not, when you do so, you’ll probably come back not too long after for seconds which will not paint a good picture in the eyes of the donor as it tends to hint at dishonest behavior.

On the flip side, don’t set the financial bar too high or all you’ll get are polite declines and regrets of “I wish I could help”. Therefore, find the right balance somewhere in the midpoint and substantiate exactly how much you need. It might be prudent to break this figure down so that the donor understands just how you arrived at the sum.

4) Making a proposal for a group.

Group pitches are something you should avoid like the plague. It’s best you schedule sit-downs with potential prospects on a one-on-one basis where you have his/her full attention. If your donor brings friends along for the meeting, focus more on educating them rather than asking for money. Let them figure that out on their own but if they don’t, get in touch on a private level.

5) Taking it too easy.

Fundraisers are a serious affair as you are asking someone to give up their hard-earned money with basically no returns. Most people forget that and they take the matter too casually when instead it should be thought of like a business proposition accompanied by the right tone, wear, setting, and all the necessary prerequisites. If you do not do this, you cannot reap the benefits of fundraising.

So what fundraising mistakes do people often make? These include being too casual in your approach, not knowing an appropriate and explainable sum of money to ask for, making group proposals, forgetting to get donors more involved beyond money and being too scanty with the details. Are you making any of these mistakes? If you are, you now know what needs to be done.