Sticky can be good

20 Mar Sticky can be good

Are you a fundraiser? Are you spending time trying to figure out how to convert goosebumps into dollars for the cause you believe in?

I attended a fundraising lunch a couple of months ago that did a fairly hardcore ask at the end of the lunch. I gave them money. I was sort of put on the spot in the moment and the ask came when I had tears in my eyes. So, of course, I donated some cash to the incredible work they were doing.

And today. I do not remember the name of their cause. They converted my goosebumps into cash instead of evangelism and cash. When fundraising, figure out a way to make it sticky.

“Stories are the transactional medium of relationship in our culture.” I said that once. It was a futile attempt to make my economics degree mean something in my training world. Every human on the planet tells stories to their friends, business associates etc. Stories are how things are sticky for us.

When fundraising – help people with repeatable ideas.  When we repeat things we become part of the belief system of these things.  Of course, we want to ask people to donate.  What we don’t want to do is make them feel forced to donate.

I give a ton of money to causes who have never asked me for money.  What they DID do is tell me the stories that made me believe in what they believed in.

Start telling repeatable stories about what really matters to you.  Ask people who believe in what you do to help with the cause.  You will notice yoru fundraising increases not ONE by ONE… it will be like a Fabrege commercial… they will tell two friends.. and so on and so on.