Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last, Third Edition

Make Sure They Hear You

First, make sure they want to hear from you. That’s the permission marketing thing back in Chapter 1. Here’s a great example of permission marketing, from the Chico’s catalog I received in the mail: “Thank you for inviting us into your home. Stop by ours soon.”

Now, back to making sure they hear you. Your job is to anticipate and overcome their barriers.

Recognize the Volume of Information They Receive

What can I say? Any statistics I use will be out-of-date by the time you read this page. You know how much information you receive. You know how many messages hit you daily. And your organization is part of that deluge overwhelming recipients.

What’s the answer? There are several. For example: Make sure that whoever receives your communications gave you permission. Make sure your communications adhere to the body of knowledge. Make sure your communications are donor-centered.

Overcome the Inertia of Your Constituents

Inertia is your biggest challenge, says Tom Ahern. Stand in awe of inertia!

People do things quite reluctantly and often have trouble committing. That’s human nature, and it is a very powerful obstacle. You have to overcome people’s tendency to do nothing. Even self-interest alone may not be enough to yank people from their inertia.

Kurt Lewin37 addresses inertia in his concept of force field analysis. To move someone from inertia to action, change must occur. Lewin views change as the result of a struggle between forces that seek to upset the ...