Is this silent killer destroying your fundraising?
Did I get your attention with that title?
What’s the silent killer?
ASSUMPTIONS
What kind of assumptions are you making?
How about these?
- “They don’t want to give to us anymore.”
- “They’ve already given all they can.”
- “They only give in December.”
- “Their business is in a slump, so they won’t give.”
- “They’ll probably say no.”
- “They’ve never given before. They won’t start now.”
- “They’re too young/old to be interested in supporting our cause.”
- “They’re not wealthy enough.”
- “They already support too many other causes.”
- “They’re too busy to get more involved.”
- “They only want to give to projects. They would never support core operations.”
- “That was a one-time gift. They won’t give again.”
Barf. 🤢 🤮
Why is it so bad to make these assumptions?
Because when you do … when you say no on someone’s behalf without actually asking them … you are robbing them of an opportunity to be generous.
You are stealing from them by not asking.
What can you do?
1) Start by noticingevery time an assumption like this shows up in your thinking.
Ask yourself, “Did I just make an assumption about this person?”
Then ask yourself, “Is this assumption based on an actual conversation I had with them where they told me, ‘{INSERT YOUR NEFARIOUS BUT UNPROVEN, UNVERIFIED ASSUMPTION HERE}’ or am I jumping to a conclusion?”
You’re probably jumping to a conclusion based on some gut feeling, faulty belief, or even a fear of rejection.
Sometimes it’s easier to believe a lie like this than it is to face the possibility of rejection.
I get it. Rejection sucks.
However, if you’re not careful, your thought processes and behaviors can become so totally focused on avoiding rejectionthat you stop proactively putting yourself into situations where people MIGHTsay yes.
Not good.
So, what’s next after noticing?
2) After you notice yourself making an assumption, you have to bring it into the light of day.
You have to nameit:
- “That assumption is not true.”
- “They never told me that.”
There’s power in naming.
Notice it and name it.
3) And then last, after you’ve noticed and named the lie or assumption, replace it with curiosity.
- “They haven’t given in a while. I wonder if there’s anything going on in their lives?”
- “They usually only give in December. I wonder if that is because they ONLY GIVE in December or because we ONLY ASK in December?”
- “It looks like their business might be in a slump. I wonder how that might be impacting the way they prioritize their giving? I wonder where our cause falls on their priority list?”
- “They have only given to projects so far. I wonder if they’d ever consider supporting the core operations that make the projects possible?”
This simple shift in thinking can have huge implications.
But it’s not easy. It takes practice.
- Noticethe assumption.
- Namethe assumption.
- Replacethe assumption with curiosity.
Stop making assumptions about givers.
Your job is to ask.
Their job is to respond.
Don’t try to do the job of a giver.
Your job is hard enough.
-Michael
Associate Director, Major Gifts for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
- Palo Alto, CA • $130,000 – $160,000/yr
- NYC, NY • $125,000/yr
Head of Fundraising for Pratham USA
- Remote • $200,000 – $250,000/yr
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