People talk too much.  Especially fundraisers.

Fundraisers spend way too much time spouting their elevator pitch, talking about their needs, making “asks” from the podium at the gala, regurgitating the major goals of the organization’s strategic plan. Blah blah blah blah blah.

Here’s a little secret: most donors don’t care much about any of that stuff.  What do they care about?  If you really want to know, why not just ask?

No one wants to go on a date with someone who only talks about him/herself. I do this, I did that. I want this, I need that. Blah blah blah blah blah.

Stop having me-me-meetings with potential donors and instead, try asking these three questions:

• The Success Question: “What do you want to achieve?”
• The Frustration Question: “What do you want to avoid?”
• The “Right-Charity” Question: “What helps you decide which charities to support?”

Ask these and other open-ended questions and you’ll find yourself in a conversation that’s (surprise!) about them, and not you. In this way, you’ll learn what’s important to them and what they’re looking for.  You’ll start to figure out if they’re the right fit for you and if so, what kind of time and effort it will take to convert them to a donor.  You may even learn things that will help you in your cultivation of other donors.

So the next time you find yourself in front of a prospective donor, shut up! Unless you’re asking a question.

For more tips on establishing donor trust, visit the resource library on the Bristol Strategy Group website.