Putting the Fun in Fund-Raising

Most people hate fundraising. Even if we have a great cause that we love, asking for money can be distressing. Some fundraisers follow rules, offer gimmicks, or invoke guilt to get people to give, but fortunately, there is another way.

How do we make fundraising fun? By doing our inner personal work, we can ask from our core, from the place within that longs for full engagement and the possibility of co-creating a better world. Unscripted. Real. Authentic. Heart connecting.

When we come from a place of knowing why we’re moved to ask, the energy moves. From this place, we can gift them the opportunity to give. When we’re open to their response, and willing to be moved by their response, we can create the quality of connection that is conducive to giving. Even if they say no, we both get to have an unforgettable conversation about something we care about. 

Rich Snowdon from Nonprofit Hearts leads workshops on fundraising. If you want an inspiring approach to fundraising, read his moving piece, A Contrary Way of Asking for Money. Rich’s approach is all about building long-term relationships, not about squeezing money out of people. 

What I find most valuable about Snowdon’s article are the fundraising conversations — what he says to different kinds of donors. I often coach leaders of nonprofits and a couple of times I’ve been inspired to gift them a session with Rich just before they make a big ask. Rich’s website is full of engaging stories – worthwhile to anyone leading a nonprofit or sitting on a board. 

Another exceptional resource is Lynn Twist’s book The Soul of Money. She writes inspirational stories from the trenches. If you’d like to change your relationship with money, give it a long, slow, quiet read.

Written by Martha Lasley

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