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“Sales and Major Gift Fundraising are NOTHING alike!”
I say BS.
I’ve encountered several people who believe this, and I don’t understand why they teach it to new development professionals.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to a lack of understanding of what sales TRULY is.
Of course, Major Gift fundraising should not at all be modeled after slimy sales techniques, but sales done well is incredibly rewarding and honorable work.
Some of the similarities between high performers in major gifts and sales:
- They keep a full pipeline and know how to schedule visits or meetings effectively.
- They find out and understand what their prospect’s problem is long before they tell them about their solution.
- If they find out that their solution will effectively solve their problem, they directly ask for an order so that the prospect can take action and start seeing the results they desire.
- They know that the fortune is in the follow-up and act accordingly.
- When they have a satisfied customer, they ask for referrals.
Of course, there are some differences in sales and fundraising, but “nothing alike?”
Do you agree or disagree?
What’s something you’ve learned from sales leaders?
Post written by our good friend Kevin Fitzpatrick owner of One Visit Away, a consulting business helping leaders of nonprofits schedule more and better visits with their benefactors. Kevin’s goal is to help fundraising professionals constantly seek to deepen their relationships with their benefactors. After all, you’re just One Visit Away from growing your mission and your impact.
Related Resources:
- “One Visit Away” podcast
- Webinar: Scheduling Visits is Scary…but it doesn’t have to be that way.
- “You’re in Sales! Get Over It!” or The Difference Between Fundraising and Selling
- 3 big reasons why nobody talks about the single most important fundraising tactic on earth
LIKE THIS BLOG POST? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW AND/OR SHARE IT WITH YOUR PEERS!
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Another similarity is that a good sales person and a good MGO will hear “no” as an opportunity to address an objection or provide more information or as a “not yet” and be patient and respectful — asking “when?” or “under what circumstances?”
Here are a few dis-similarities (from “bad” sales or fundraising practices and “good” ones):
Good fundraising (or sales):
* is NOT arm-twisting!
* is not wearing someone down until they say “yes” to make you stop asking.
* is not manipulating them with various techniques to get them to say yes.
* is not asking because you (the sales person or MGO) have a deadline or a quota to make
* is not disrespectful
* is not about you (the fundraiser or sales person)
Sales and fundraising are about relationships and finding win-win solutions to a major concern of donor/client- and remembering to say thank you afterwards. Seems to be more similarities than differences!
Thanks so much for this comment Nancy. We will share it with Kevin Fitzpatrick (the author of today’s blog post).
Sales can be very ego centric. When developing gifts for a charity, one must put the self behind and come from a place in the heart that enables the fundraiser to engender empathy in the prospective donor to support the cause. It take humility to be a fundraiser.
Thanks so much for this comment Terri. We will share it with Kevin Fitzpatrick (the author of today’s blog post).