Getting visits is hard. Please don't give up!
Getting visits is hard. I know.
But please don’t give up too soon!
Here’s what usually happens.
You send an email. No response.
You try one more time. Still silence.
Then the voice in your head kicks in:
“I don’t want to be pushy.”
“I don’t want to bother them.”
“Maybe they’re just not interested.”
And just like that, you stop trying.
Don’t be the fundraiser who gives up after two attempts.
Please don’t assume the donor doesn’t care, or that they don’t want to meet or continue giving.
Sometimes those are true but remember …
On average, it takes 7️⃣ to 🔟 touches to get someone’s attention.
Think about the gap that leaves if you only make two attempts and then move on.
Think of the missed opportunities. The impact left on the table. All the good that never happened.
All because you were afraid of coming across as pushy and gave up too soon.
I once had a donor who didn’t respond to anything I sent for 18 months, all the while continuing to make meaningful gifts.
After a year and a half of radio silence, one day, I got a response to an email I’d sent saying they’d like to meet.
At our visit, he actually THANKED ME for my persistence.
Turns out, he LOVED our mission, but over the last year and a half, he’d been in the process of selling his business and had zero spare time.
Now that the sale was complete, he was ready to make a significant gift from the proceeds.
If I had given up after two or three attempts? That opportunity would have vanished.
Are you struggling to reach someone? Here’s my only advice:
TRY. AGAIN.
📧 Send another email
📞 Make another phone call
🗣️ Leave a voicemail
📱 Try another text
✉️ Put a note in the mail
📣 Share a relevant update
🔗 Connect on LinkedIn
📄 Forward an article they’d love
I get it. You’re worried about being pushy. But here’s what you need to understand:
Persistence isn’t pushy. Persistence is professional.
I met with someone last summer whose family supports 80+ nonprofits annually.
Imagine how many people are vying for their attention. Imagine how many daily emails they get from the nonprofits they give to. They could hire a full-time employee just to manage all of the incoming communication they receive from the nonprofits they support.
When they don’t respond to an email, their silence isn’t disinterest.
It’s the combined reality of all the many normal demands of everyday life alongside the massive scope of their generosity.
With all of that as context, can I ask you a question?
What does your follow-up process look like?How many attempts do you typically make?
If you’re stopping at two or three, you’re not being polite.
You’re hurting your cause.
So today … before you do anything else, I invite you to pick one or two people you want to connect with and commit to making at least seven attempts
✅ Map it out. Be creative.
✅ Vary your methods, your words, and the time between attempts.
✅ Keep it thoughtful, authentic, and focused on them.
✅ Be twice as brief as you think you should.
Often the difference between funding your mission and missing an opportunity is your willingness (or not) to professionally persist.
And remember …
Persistence is NOT pushy. Persistence is NOT desperate. Persistence is NOT disrespectful.
Persistence is professional.
Write it down. Say it out loud. Add it to a Canva design, print it off, and put it in a frame on your desk. Tattoo it on your forehead … or maybe your arm.
Don’t let the fear of being pushy hold you back. Your cause is too important to give up after two attempts.
-Michael
