The 2 most underrated words in fundraising.
Two words can make all the difference in your fundraising effectiveness.
Do you know what they are?
“so that”
Why are these two words so important when we’re inviting people to give?
Take a look at this example:
“Will you make a gift of $300 to provide one month of care to a foster family?”
If you’re an insider in the foster care world, you intuitively understand what caring for a foster family entails and why they might need it.
You probably have at least a cursory understanding of trauma, as well as how often kids in care have been impacted by it. You probably understand at least some of the unique challenges that come with being a foster parent. You know how important a solid community for foster parents to lean on can be to prevent them from feeling isolated and alone. And you get how easy it is to end up overwhelmed and on the verge of burnout.
If you work for a cause in the child welfare space, you live in this world every day, so “Will you make a gift of $300 to provide one month of care to a foster family?” makes perfect sense to you.
But what about the people who give to your cause?
Do they understand the many unique challenges that come with being a foster parent, or do they need a little more explanation?
Some people in your audience probably get it. They’ve walked this road or supported others who have.
But what about those who haven’t? How do you help them understand?
Two words can make all the difference.
Take a look at our original example with the addition of a “so that” statement:
“Will you make a gift of $300 to provide one month of care to a foster familyso that they can experience the encouragement and support of a community and have the tools and resources they need to provide the best environment possible for a child in their care?”
Which one is more compelling?
The first example’s not bad.
It’s clear that a gift of $300 provides a month of care for a foster family. But why is caring for foster families important, what’s involved, and what does that mean for the kids in care?
The point of giving $300 isn’t really about the foster family.
Giving $300 to support a foster family is about equipping, supporting, and encouraging that family so that they can make a lasting difference in the life of a child.
That’s the gift you’re inviting people to make!
The easiest way to put this into practice is our old faithful fundraising friend, the XYZ formula:
Will you make a gift of X to do Y so that Z happens?
X = The dollar amount of the gift
Y = The action that results from the gift
Z = The outcome or difference the gift makes in the lives of the people you serve
Here’s another example.
“Will you give $25,000 to help launch our TBRI program?”
Again, it’s clear what a gift of $25,000 does (assuming you know what TBRI is).
But what if you don’t? Why does TBRI matter? What difference does it make?
How about this?
“Will you give $25,000 to help launch our TBRI programso that the children we work with can begin to understand that the trauma they’ve experienced doesn’t have to define them?
Much better.
Even if I don’t fully understand what TBRI is, I can wrap my mind around helping someone understand that the trauma they’ve experienced doesn’t define them.
Here’s one last example.
“Will you give $100 to provide a month of after-school tutoring for one child?
Not bad. It’s good to know $100 can provide a month of after-school tutoring, but once again, what difference does tutoring make?
Is this any better?
“Will you give $100 to provide a month of after-school tutoring for one childso that they can have an ongoing relationship with a tutor who can equip them with the tools they need to succeed in school and help make sure they stay on track academically?”
It’s a bit wordy, and we could probably improve the flow, but at least now we have a better understanding of the difference after-school tutoring can make in the life of a child.
I think you get it. Now go do it.
Next week, I’ll share one more simple application of these two magical words.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you with an example from your own fundraising that you can make better with the addition of a simple “so that” statement.
P.S. I’m looking for someone awesome to join my team at CAFO so that we can help even more awesome child-serving organizations grow so that even more kids experience the love and safety of a family. If you know anyone who might be interested, will you share this job description with them: Coordinator of Development & Discipleship