SO many options!

“Confusion and clutter are the failure of design, not the attributes of information.”
Edward R. Tufte

Something to consider as you do your major gift work — the power of one, or at most three. In our passion for not-for-profit work, many times we can actually drive prospective givers away with too many options.

We want to be sure we have shared EVERYTHING about the cause we so highly value and in our sincere attempt to serve, we fire-hose them with information.

And, feeling the pressure of those peaky metrics and the “bottom line” can make us act from a “lack” mindset. It makes us “grab” at people. We try to tell them too much. We give them every possible option because we’re scared we might lose them.

Sadly, your prospective givers may just go where they are not confused…or fire-hosed.

So, from now on, every time you communicate with your major gift prospects, ask yourself, what is the one thing I need to understand with this visit/phone call/email that will help me narrow the options and create the perfect fit for their major giving. For example, discover the answer to one question, “What do I need to clarify about the people who are important to them that they may wish to honor with this gift?” or “What was the most impactful gift they felt they ever made and how does this relate to my cause?”

“Yeah, but what if you have lots of great stuff to say…and lots of stuff to find out?”

If you’re feeling like this, most likely you’re not spending enough time Creating a Joyful Giver.

For those of you who have been at my sessions, we say, in general, 6-9 meaningful visits/touches are required to engage a prospective giver to the point where you are clear on what to say in your Artful Ask.

When we try to short change this — get to the Ask quicker — usually for the wrong reasons (metrics, numbers, boss, board), we can end up spewing options because we really aren’t clear on the dollar amount or project. Sending out a listing of “Named Opportunities for Support” is much less effective than taking the time to determine what 1, 2, or at most 3 opportunities from the list your donor is interested in.

When you do this, your donors will be able to consume your information. You won’t have the knots in the pit of your stomach as you ask. And they’ll love you so much more for making their lives less confusing and for serving them at a higher level.

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© 2012 Marcy Heim and The Artful Asker LLC.

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Marcy Heim is a sought-after coach and trainer to fundraising leadership, staff and key volunteers who are transforming the world by encouraging philanthropy for their missions. She is a trusted authority in the development profession, who helps organizations and educational institutions uplevel their major gift programs through artful, long-term relationship building that dramatically increases fundraising success AND promotes increased staff job satisfaction. Her monthly Artful Action newsletter inspires leadership and staff to embrace the real power and joy of philanthropy. If you are ready to take your development efforts to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at www.marcyheim.com.