How to be a better fundraiser | Kara Logan Berlin | TEDxSantaClaraUniversity
TLDRThe speaker passionately addresses the vital role of fundraising in driving social change, emphasizing that ideas alone are insufficient without financial support. They advocate for a shift in perspective on money, from a taboo subject to a tool for impact. The talk provides insights into overcoming personal feelings about wealth, the importance of building genuine relationships with donors, and the art of effectively asking for support. The speaker's goal is to demystify fundraising, encouraging more people to embrace it as a means to empower social change.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Fundraising is essential for enacting change and requires capital to get ideas off the ground.
- 💼 The speaker is passionate about their work in fundraising and sees it as an opportunity to support important causes.
- 🤔 Personal feelings about wealth and money can influence one's ability to fundraise effectively and need to be addressed.
- 💰 Understanding and reframing the concept of money as a tool for good can help in asking for donations without guilt.
- 🤝 Building relationships is crucial in fundraising; people give to people, not just ideas.
- 🔍 Doing research and understanding a potential donor's interests and values is key to a successful fundraising pitch.
- 🗣️ Communication during fundraising should be a two-way conversation, with more emphasis on listening than speaking.
- 🚀 Keeping the pitch concise and focused on the impact and opportunity for the donor is more effective than going into excessive detail.
- 🤔 The 'ask' in fundraising should be seen as an opportunity for the donor to contribute to something meaningful.
- 🙏 Being authentic and respectful during the ask is important; avoid being overly rehearsed or insincere.
- 🙅♂️ Following the ask, it's essential to wait for the donor's response without retracting or lowering the initial request.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the speaker's talk on fundraising?
-The speaker focuses on the importance of fundraising for social change, emphasizing that great ideas need capital to get off the ground and that fundraising is essential to support visionaries and community work.
Why does the speaker believe it's crucial to love one's work in fundraising?
-The speaker believes that since we spend the majority of our waking hours working, it's important to love what we do. They find it a privilege to work alongside ambitious leaders and contribute to meaningful work.
What is the speaker's dream regarding the future of fundraising?
-The speaker dreams that fundraising will become an undergraduate course at universities, enabling 'fundraising animals' to find and excel in this job from the start of their careers rather than discovering it later by accident.
According to the speaker, what are the three big things one needs to understand to be good at fundraising?
-The three big things are understanding one's feelings about wealth and money, the importance of building relationships, and how to ask for what one wants effectively.
Why does the speaker suggest that one's relationship with money can affect their fundraising abilities?
-The speaker suggests that everyone has 'baggage' related to money, which can influence their comfort level when asking for funds. Addressing and reconciling this baggage is crucial to being able to ask for money effectively.
What is the speaker's advice on how to approach wealthy individuals when fundraising?
-The speaker advises not to overcomplicate the interaction with wealthy individuals, emphasizing that the main difference is they have more money. It's important to understand their interests and values to build a genuine relationship.
What role does building relationships play in the fundraising process?
-Building relationships is crucial in fundraising because people give to people they trust and feel connected to, not just to ideas. It requires work, understanding the donor's interests, and valuing their needs and wants.
How does the speaker describe the importance of being a good listener during fundraising conversations?
-The speaker emphasizes that being a good listener is more effective than being a good showman. The conversation should be 75% the donor talking and 25% the fundraiser listening, allowing the fundraiser to understand the donor's values and interests.
What is the significance of reframing the ask in fundraising according to the speaker?
-Reframing the ask is significant because it allows the fundraiser to see it as an opportunity for the donor to invest in a cause that will change the world for the better, rather than feeling like they are just paying someone's bills.
What is the speaker's view on making the actual ask in a fundraising conversation?
-The speaker believes in using phrases like 'would you consider' to make the ask, which gives the donor an easy way to respond and allows for a second ask if needed. It's important to be authentic, proud of the ask, and not to retract or reduce the ask once made.
Why does the speaker emphasize the phrase 'don't ask, don't get'?
-The speaker emphasizes 'don't ask, don't get' to stress the importance of making an actual ask in fundraising. Without making a clear request, no one will give money, and without funding, the important work cannot be executed.
Outlines
💼 The Importance of Fundraising for Social Change
The speaker emphasizes the crucial role of fundraising in driving social change. They argue that while great ideas can be conceived freely, executing them requires financial resources. The speaker's passion for their work is evident as they discuss their dedication to providing essential resources to visionaries and leaders. They highlight the importance of understanding one's feelings about wealth and money, building relationships, and mastering the art of asking for support. The speaker also shares their dream of making fundraising a mainstream skill taught in universities, aiming to inspire more people to join this impactful profession.
🤝 Building Relationships: The Key to Successful Fundraising
In this paragraph, the speaker delves into the importance of building relationships in fundraising. They stress that people donate to individuals they trust, not just to ideas. The speaker shares strategies for understanding donors' interests and values, which is essential for effective fundraising. They illustrate this with an example of a detailed conversation with a potential donor, demonstrating how to gather information about their personal and financial situation. The speaker advises against being overly detailed in the initial pitch, focusing instead on creating a meaningful connection and understanding the donor's motivations for philanthropy.
🚀 Reframing the Ask: Simplifying Fundraising Conversations
The speaker discusses the art of making the ask in fundraising, highlighting the need to simplify the conversation and focus on the donor's interests. They use the analogy of NASA's moon landing to illustrate how too much technical detail can overwhelm potential donors. The speaker advises focusing on the need, the organization's unique ability to address it, and how the donor can contribute to the mission. They emphasize the importance of being authentic and respecting the donor's decision-making process, suggesting phrases like 'would you consider' to make the ask feel less imposing and more like a partnership opportunity.
💰 The Art of Funding: Commitment to Both Execution and Funding
In the final paragraph, the speaker reiterates the necessity of being equally committed to both the execution of social work and the funding of it. They acknowledge the challenge of asking for money but emphasize that it is a necessary step in achieving impactful change. The speaker encourages fundraisers to view their role as providing donors with an extraordinary opportunity to use their wealth for good. They conclude by thanking the audience and reinforcing the message that fundraising is an art that deserves as much attention and respect as the work it funds.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Fundraising
💡Capital
💡Social Movements
💡Visionaries
💡Relationship Building
💡Wealth
💡Authenticity
💡Philanthropy
💡Rejection
💡Ask
💡Donor
Highlights
Fundraising is essential for changing the world, not just being a good person.
Great ideas often fail due to lack of capital to get off the ground.
Fundraising is about providing resources to visionaries doing impactful work.
The speaker loves their work in fundraising and finds it a privilege.
Fundraising skills are teachable, and teaching them can amplify the impact of social change.
The speaker dreams of making fundraising a standard undergraduate course.
Fundraising is often seen as a dirty word, but it's crucial for social change.
Understanding one's feelings about wealth and money is key to effective fundraising.
Money is a fact of life and should not be seen as an embarrassing topic.
Fundraising requires reframing the ask as an opportunity, not a burden.
Building relationships is crucial for successful fundraising.
People give to people, not just to ideas.
Fundraising is relational, not transactional.
Understanding donors' values and interests is essential for effective communication.
Conversations with donors should be about mutual interests and values.
The art of fundraising involves being a good listener and letting the donor talk.
Fundraising involves making a clear and concise case for support.
Natural fundraisers love people and can connect with anyone.
Authenticity is crucial in fundraising; be yourself.
The ask is a critical part of fundraising; don't shy away from it.
The phrase 'would you consider' is a powerful way to make an ask.
Don't take back the ask once it's made; let the donor respond.
Fundraising is an art that requires commitment to both funding and executing the work.
Transcripts
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