Are you starting a fundraiser and wondering how to ask for donations, humbly?
You’re not alone.
It’s a tricky thing when you’re trying to talk about money with a little humility. Don’t worry, we have a few ways to ask for donations with a humble heart.
Here is a list of ways you can ask for donations for your fundraiser, humbly.
How to Ask For Donations Humbly
When you start out fundraising, you may feel overwhelmed that you’re not going to meet your goal or help your organization.
Don’t get too worried yet. There are several ways you can humbly ask for donations and get the money you need to reach your goals.
Here are some ideas:
- Share Your Origin Story
- Show Up for Them First
- Give Lots of Compliments
- Send a (Virtual) Hug
- Have an Attitude of Gratitude
- Address Them By Name (A lot)
- Use Humble Wording
- Do Your Donor Homework
- Ask for Advice
Here we go!
Share Your Origin Story
Everyone loves a good origin story.
When you set out to ask for donations, be sure to share the reason you started in the first place. Your story helps make a connection with your donor.
You can share your story in a few ways:
- Write a blog about your story and include all the people along the way that have impacted and helped. PRO TIP: Include a lot of photos and videos. The more personal, the better.
- Share your story in smaller posts on social media. You can share how it all started, then space out your next post swith each person involved along the way. A great story can last a few weeks on social!
- Talk about your story on podcasts, workshops, or webinars. If you host events or get invited to be on one – tell your fundraiser story (with a humble heart), where it fits in.
If you’re struggling to find out how to say it, here are a few questions you can answer about your own fundraiser journey in your origin story.
Be sure to include the people on your journey, they will be the ones who help you share!
Remember, storytelling is the evergreen content your nonprofit needs.
Show Up for Them First
Your donors are just like any other partner. With partnerships, you show up for them first, before asking anything of them.
What does that mean? Before you ask for donations (with a humble heart), you have to be sure you are supporting, sharing and encouraging your donor’s purpose as well. Here are a few ways you can show your love for your donor:
- Share their links on social media with no strings attached. Just a simple shout out to show your appreciation.
- Feature them in your content. What an honor! If you can include them in a blog or a write up online, you’re showing them love in the search engines.
- Include them in your podcasts, workshops or webinars – just like they would have done for you.
When you lift up others, you’re showing commitment and connection. So share, share, and share again!
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Give Lots of Compliments
We all know that receiving compliments is a very nice thing. So why not give some away to your donors?
When you ask for donations to your fundraiser, be sure to include complimentary conversations in the process. If you’re sending out an email, be sure to write something nice about their brand or their product.
We mentioned including them in your content, this time you can make it all about them. If you can niche down your compliments to be more specific, that’s even better. If a brand you want to donate provides excellent email support, give them a shout out on a review.
Everyone loves a feel-good compliment.
Send a (Virtual) Hug
Hugs are the best. We know it’s a social distancing time, so this recommendation is a virtual hug.
How do you send a virtual hug? You can do this in a few ways!
You can record yourself sending a hug with a personal message to your donor, if you’re on a personal level with them.
You can also send a virtual hug GIF or meme via social media. Those are always fun!
There are even some companies that can craft a virtual hug animated and customized, just for you. It’s a nice way to show some love.
Have an Attitude of Gratitude
Kindness wins. Every time.
If you’re struggling to ask for donations, have you used an attitude of gratitude?
Check your emails, social posts and blogs for empathetic writing. Are you showcasing gratitude in your content? Are you writing with a thankful heart? It should show in your words.
Here are a few words to use to show gratitude, when asking for donations:
- Thanks a bunch, you’re the best!
- Thankful and grateful to have you as a friend.
- You have no idea how much this has helped me.
If you get stuck, here are some more words of thanks and appreciation by Greeting Card Poet.
Address Them By Name (A lot)
Whether you’re emailing, sharing online, or writing to your donor, addressing them by name is super important for connection-building.
It may seem like something you feel you do, but are you doing it enough? There is a science to including someone’s name to your outreach.
In an email, you should use it at least twice, three times if it is lengthy. And, it should not feel unnatural.
You can include anyone’s name in an opening or greeting, but what about social media? Tag them! If you can’t tag them, include their name in the post anyway.
There is definite power in using someone’s name and it can help when you’re ready to ask for those donations.
Use Humble Wording
This may sound like a no-brainer, but when you’re corresponding with donors, be sure to use humble wording.
What does this mean? The words that you choose to use have different feelings attached to them. Here are a few tips on using more humble words when you’re asking for donations:
- Use “you” over “I”
- Ditch the word “donate” and try “give”
- Include “because” so they connect to the why
- Ask for a “little” instead of “a lot”
- Give “thanks” instead of “thank yous”
Making these small changes in your wording can help to connect with your donor. Here are a few other email templates for donations.
Do Your Donor Homework
When you set out to raise money for a fundraiser, you don’t often think about researching your donors.
Take some time to find out a little about your donors.
Where do they hang out online? What kind of content are they sharing? And how can you be a part of their conversations?
You can connect with potential donors through social networks, webinars or events. Before you ask, get to know them a bit! Our only advice is that you don’t want to sound too much like a cheesy salesman.
These connections need to be natural and organic, like when you build a friendship.
Ask for Advice
It’s a great idea to ask for advice, because it really shows humility.
Even if you don’t need advice, you can ask it anyway. Create a social campaign around asking for advice, personal or professional. Watch and analyze the engagement you receive when you put yourself out there.
There is something to be said about transparency. So ask for advice on your next fundraiser and see what kind of responses you get!
Ready Ask For Donations Humbly?
Now that you have a few ways to ask for your donations with a humble heart, you can get out there and start raising money.
We covered tips and techniques to ask your donors for money for your fundraiser, humbly. We hope it helps drive your donations up and creates new connections for future fundraisers.
Here are more ways to ask for donations humbly and passively.
What ways have you had success in asking for donations? Share them with us in the comments! We’d love to hear from you.
Good luck!
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