Before you Listen

One of the great truths in fundraising work, or in any relationship-building endeavor, is that the person who wants to persuade another to make a decision should do less talking and more listening, to allow the potential donor the opportunity to share information that might help the fundraiser guide the donor to YES.

But what should precede listening? How should you go about ensuring that what you hear is what you want to listen to? Here’s a simple checklist to help you set yourself up for success.

Decide what you want to listen for – set your agenda . If you reflect on your fundraising successes you know there are certain topics that must be addressed before the decision to give is made.

Introduce your agenda to your new possible donor. Invite a conversation about why your nonprofit matters, then let your suspected donor tell you. A key component of this is that he also gets to listen, to remind himself of why he cares.

Explain the details. This is especially important when you get into an actual gift conversation, the one about what at your nonprofit they’re most inclined to support, and about how they might make their gift. They don’t understand your funding priorities or the various ways through which they might give. Brief them, then give them time and room to consider their possible choices. That’s something worth listening to.

Ask for permission. When you get to the discussion of how to give you will want to learn important details of upcoming life events, available assets, financial and family concerns. These are very personal topics. You want to acknowledge this and ask if it’s alright to discuss them. This requires close, attentive listening.

Prime the pump. Again, she doesn’t know all the details of giving strategies. Help her by suggesting possible life events and giftable assets. Paint a picture of what’s possible.

Stop talking and listen. Now you have something to listen for. Not just here, but at each stage, at each part of the conversation. Allow the magic silence that tells you the person on the other side of the coffee table is thinking about just the things you hope he’s thinking about. That is what you want, isn’t it?