Five Fundraising Secrets No One Will Ever Tell You

Fundraising is hard.

Anyone who has ever tried asking someone for money knows this fundraising secret. There’s a lot that goes into helping an organization be successful and while sometimes it can be great, that’s not always the case.

Fundraisers know these things … even if they are afraid to admit them out loud.

1. If we could, we would never ask you for money again

No one really likes asking for money. It’s tough and you get told “no” a lot.

If we could never ask for money again and still fulfill the organizational mission, we’d never ask again. (Promise!)

For most nonprofits though, it just doesn’t work like that. The need seldom decreases, making it more important all the time to solicit donations and funding to fulfill goals.

If someone asks for money to help their cause, please be gentle if you can’t give at this time. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

2. We have to hype ourselves up to make phone calls to donors

Cue the walkup song.

Smile.

Pick up the phone and start calling donors.

There’s some serious self-hype that goes into every fundraising phone call. From playing a favorite song to a little bit of a “you can do this” pep talk, getting ready to have financial conversations starts with a hype session.

Think of how cheerful these calls are when you get them. Even if the person on the other end isn’t feeling it, they need to sound like it.

3. We cry a lot

Whether it is the mission, an overwhelming case of the feels, or just sheer frustration, nonprofit work and fundraising comes with its fair share of tears. And that’s ok.

Fundraising is a grind and many times money is so closely linked to the greater good that it’s hard not to get emotionally attached to the work. That’s part of the reason many of us actually work with and for nonprofits.

Fundraising tears come from two places:

• Happy tears because of donor generosity and support (there’s nothing like the feeling of meeting a goal to support the mission).
• Overwhelming tears because of the mental toll this work can take on you (sometimes a good cry can be the thing that helps you reset and get back to work).

4. Most of our workers are volunteers

Remember that many of the people working for a nonprofit or fundraising team are actually unpaid volunteers. They are working for something they believe in, and for no other gain.

The challenges that come with a mostly volunteer team are abundant. So please give these fundraisers a little grace and opportunity to make mistakes, learn, and try again. (That can be an important lesson for nonprofit teams as well as potential donors.)

The reward of this volunteer job is a “yes.” The moment a donor commits to helping the fundraising team, that volunteer gets a boost that will propel them to the next ask.

5. Without the right platform, fundraising is too hard

One of the things that can make fundraising a lot easier is access to the right online platform and tools. Almost every donor will ask about a place to get more information or the ability to make a donation online. The right platform, such as GiveWP, can make fundraising a lot less hard.

All fundraisers need software that solves a lot of the issues that can make fundraising easier. You need tools that facilitate safe, secure online giving and includes powerful donor management tools to help you keep track of everything.

Look for donation software that includes:

• Customizable donation forms
• Ability to collect recurring donations
• Connection with more than 18 payment gateways
• Text to give options
• Tax deductible receipts
• Credit card fee recovery options for donors
• Works right with your WordPress website
• Integrates with popular tools for email and more

When it comes down to it, one of the most powerful secret weapons you have for fundraising can be a tool to make it easier.

Fundraising Secrets No More

You aren’t alone in fundraising. We are all a little shy about asking for money, need a little hype some days, cry, are or work with a volunteer team, and need tools to bring everything together.

Now that these fundraising secrets are no longer a mystery, own it and do what you can to make asking for money and donor management easier. The right platform or tool is a good place to start. It might even help get you more hyped before making phone calls and contribute to more happy tears.