We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Privacy Overview
Login
Your Role
Challenges You Face
results
Learn
Resources
Company
Stories are more important than metrics
I was once at a fundraising event supporting an organization that houses pregnant homeless women.
I saw one of the most incredibly generous examples of giving that night.
A “regular” couple (meaning they weren’t super wealthy) donated their house to this organization.
They were going to do some mission work for a couple of years in another country and they figured it was more important for this organization to have that property than for them to have the proceeds from selling it.
WOW!
I’ve always wanted to inspire this level of generosity in my work.
Here’s the thing I’ve come to realize though:
No one decides to do something outrageously generous because…
❌overhead spend was 2% better year over year.
❌one organization was slightly more optimized than another organization.
❌the case for support had graphs that UNDENIABLY proved the worthiness of huge gifts.
People make radical, life-changing gifts because they encounter the story of a life changed.
They see suffering alleviated in a profound way.
They see hope restored in the life of one person.
And they want to bring more of that about in the world.
Do metrics help?
Sure.
But they are not what causes someone to give sacrificially.
Focus more on stories and letting your donors become a part of alleviating someone’s suffering or restoring hope and joy into someone’s life.
Kevin Fitzpatrick is the 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.
- 10 Follow-Up Questions You’ll Need to Deepen Your Conversation with Major Donors (and One to Avoid)
- The Next-Gen Major Gifts Fundraising Metrics Your Nonprofit Should Be Measuring
LIKE THIS BLOG POST? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW AND/OR SHARE IT WITH YOUR PEERS!
Subscribe
Login
0 Comments
Oldest
Get the book!
Feeling like your job is getting harder because donor expectations have changed and competition for the charitable dollar is growing?
Finding that the old orthodoxies and conventions espoused by so-called experts in online echo-chambers and at conferences don’t work anymore?
Want to help more people make impact by facilitating their acts of philanthropy but feel like too many obstacles keep getting in your way?
Then this book is for you.
Engagement Fundraising was developed from the perspective of a donor who discovered firsthand that the impersonal, spray-and-pray approaches of his beloved charity were not only offensive but also wasteful and ineffective. So he took action. And now, you can too.
Get smarter with the SmartIdeas blog
Subscribe to our blog today and get actionable fundraising ideas delivered straight to your inbox!