Never meet with a donor without a clear purpose.
Have you ever left a conversation with a donor feeling like the visit did not accomplish a single meaningful thing for you, them, or your cause?
I’m not talking about a bad visit where you failed to connect or a visit that resulted in a rejection.
I’m talking about those visits where there was nothing particularly positive or overtly negative about the interaction.
The conversation was pleasant. No hard questions. No rejections. No awkwardness.
But there was also nothing especially memorable about the visit either.
If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting feeling like that, there’s a decent chance the cause of such a lackluster interaction was a failure of planning and intentionality.
A widely held truth in fundraising is that the single most important use of your time is face time with those who give.
I don’t disagree.
However, if we’re not careful, we can end up having meetings simply for the sake of having meetings because that’s what we’re supposed to do in fundraising — we’re supposed to get out there and meet with people.
Good things happen when you leave the office, right?
True. But… if you’re not careful, meetings can easily become a goal unto themselves rather than a tool to help you accomplish your real goal.
Never confuse activity for progress.
Are you ready to stop struggling with lackluster visits?
Try this.
Look ahead on your calendar at the next few givers you’re scheduled to visit. Or, pull up a list of the next 10 people you want to meet with.
For each person, ask yourself this question: “What’s my goal for this visit? Why do I want to meet with them? What am I hoping to accomplish?”
To get you started, here are six valid reasons to meet with any giver:
- Do you want to show your appreciation for their generosity or involvement and build on your relationship by thanking them in person? This is an ACKNOWLEDGE meeting.
- Do you want to ask them to give again or invite them to get more involved in some other way? This is an INVITE meeting.
- Do you want to share an update on the impact of their giving or communicate how their contribution made a difference? This is a REPORT meeting.
- Do you want to paint a vivid picture of your vision and how their support can help make it a reality? This is an INSPIRE meeting.
- Do you want to use the meeting to deepen your relationship with this person? This is a CONNECT meeting.
- Do you want to learn more about their values, and interests and listen actively to uncover how you might better serve their giving goals? This is a DISCOVER meeting.
Acknowledge. Invite. Report. Inspire. Connect. Discover.
Pick one and use it to shape your next visit around one singular purpose.
Let it inform the questions you ask and the information you share.
Remember, every visit is an opportunity to inspire, connect, and make a lasting impact.
Never waste such a precious opportunity by going in without a clearly defined purpose.
