Over the years, I have established and achieved funding for hundreds of non-profits using these three fundraising strategies. They have proven to work over and over again. Your non-profit will be able to understand fundraising better with my help.

Here are my top 3 fundraising strategies that I use every day:

1: “A big vision = big gifts / versus a small vision = small gifts.”

If you want to raise major gifts, you must have a hard-hitting vision and you must be able to articulate it very clearly to donors every time.

Donors would like to know that they are making a difference. They want to be part of a story bigger than themselves. They also want to change the world (or at least their small corner). Sure, some donors will give to help you maintain the status quo, or increase your impact by a few percent, but if you wish to consistently find and engage new major donors and get them to say ‘yes,’ you will need to be strategic and start with the end in mind.

The right plans motivate people by setting ambitious goals. Bad plans are so ambitious that they discourage people and make them do less. This is because they know that the goals you set are not grounded in reality.

Remember not to make your goals so big that they are impossible to achieve. People at your organization should feel slightly nervous about meeting your goals – but not too nervous. It’s difficult to thread a needle. However, you want your plans to be so big that people worry about getting everything done, but not so big that they burn out.

2: “It is only unusual if you make it unusual.”

There are so many things about fundraising that can seem unnatural. Calling someone you don’t know 10 times to introduce yourself before they finally pick up the phone! can feel awkward; but it is necessary if you want to grow a major gift pipeline. Likewise, sitting across the table from someone you’ve only met twice to ask them for $50,000 may feel unnatural but one-to-one asks are the lifeblood of major donor solicitation.

Fundraising is about making these types of things seem normal. Make it seem normal and natural so that you would call someone 8 times, ask them for a million dollars, or send them a stuffed animal in the mail to introduce your zoo to them. Your ease with these actions will translate into your donors who will also feel at ease.

3: “It’s strategy and action that triumph”

There’s a saying in poker that “aggression wins.” This means that a smart player can put themselves in a better spot by taking action (usually this means raising the bet) rather than waiting to see what happens. The same applies in fundraising, although “aggression” means that “action wins.”

When one of my client wonders whether or not now is the right time to call a particular donor, my answer is always “make the call.” When someone asks if they should make a solicitation now or wait until next quarter, I say, “make the solicitation.” 9 times out of 10, you’ll get better results across the board by simply taking action… now!

I would be happy to assist you in raising your fundraising efforts. I promise it will be worth your time.  Here they are:

1: Cast a Bigger Vision,

2: Make More Asks,

3: Use the Phone Every Day,

4: Upgrade Your Donors Every Year, and

5: Shift Resources When Possible.

 Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in increasing your fundraising efforts. I promise it will be worth your time.