Dan Mirgon, CFRE
I hate asking strangers for money!
Now, that might sound funny coming from a fundraising
consultant, but I'm not going to change my mind. I really hate
it. In fact, I'll do almost anything except ask someone to
"make a donation to this worthy cause." There has to be a
better way.
The problem is that most of us can't handle the rejection.
We want to be accepted. It hurts when they say, "I don't want
to give to your ministry."
This is why many organizations rely so heavily on direct
mail marketing as their primary source of raising support.
Direct mail is impersonal, and doesn't make us feel rejected
when 97½ % of the list doesn't send in a check. Instead, we
get really excited about the 2½ % that do give, and almost
miss the point completely.
The point, I believe, is that for those that didn't give,
the ministry didn't make its case very well, and many on your
mailing lists may simply not be the type of people who care
about what you do.
So, how are you going solve your direct marketing problem?
Well, with direct marketing of course.
All joking aside, the most effective way to get large numbers
of people to 'invest' in your ministry, without having to
resort to arm-twisting, is through a steady, consistent
program of direct marketing - usually done through the mail,
whether by snail mail or email. But marketing of what, to
whom, and by what means?
Let's start at the beginning.
