You may think “Our organization is different; that won’t work here.”, and you may be right — in part. During my 28 year career as a fundraising professional I’ve heard it time after time, from nonprofit after nonprofit.
After several years I began to question such an oft-repeated and bold claim. When I recognized the pattern I came to a simple conclusion. Invariably, the person who announced to me that “Our supporters are different.” or “We do things differently here” was doing little more than making an excuse (in fairness, often unconsciously) to avoid making choices that might make that person, or the organization, uncomfortable. It was a shield of denial, put up to avoid doing the things that would make a difference.
Yes, your organization is different, distinctive, even unique. Your mission, vision, methods, personalities, etc. will, and should, always be special.
But what is NEVER different is your constituents, your supporters, your donors, and what will motivate them to provide their support.
What’s ALWAYS the same is what will move your constituents to provide financial support, and that’s aligned to three key issues the fundraiser must help each potential donor make, regardless of how “different” your nonprofit is.
Why someone might want to support your nonprofit
For what that person might make a gift
How the gift will be made
The skillsets, best practices, and performance standards that support successful donor relationships are well established, because they work.
Don’t use “We’re different” as an excuse to avoid doing those things that are proven, time after time, in nonprofit after nonprofit, to work. There’s simply no excuse for that.