What's Your Problem?

I like to surround myself with positive people, people who have a can-do spirit. But I’m going to take a second to be negative:

If you don’t have a problem you’re trying to solve, you can’t raise much money.

Your donors want to feel like they’re making a difference, fighting the good fight, with each dollar they give you. And they really feel that when you present them with an immediate problem that needs to be solved.

It’s a huge, if intangible, benefit that you are offering to your donors: the ability to contribute to a solution to a problem.

It’s no accident that donations to humanitarian agencies surge when there’s a humanitarian crisis. When people see suffering, they want to help alleviate it. Right now, as we’re all seeing the horror of pelicans in the Gulf of Mexico unable to fly because their wings are coated with crude oil, contributions to those environmental and relief agencies who are conducting the clean-up are on the rise.

It’s such a truism that every single one of the nonprofits I work for has said at one time or another, “Bad news for the world is great news for the development department.”

Of course, you can’t just send a letter whining about the problem and expect the checks to start rolling in. People don’t want to give you money simply because there is a problem that needs to be solved.

They want to know that YOU have the solution. And they’re hoping that you can engage them in that solution.

First, they want to know that when they send you money, you are going to use it wisely and thoughtfully. But they also want to feel the satisfaction that comes with acting to right an injustice or alleviate suffering in the world.

In the mail, we often use Petitions to engage donors further. Sponsor-a-child campaigns are also effective at making a donor feel like he or she is doing more than just throwing money at a problem. Many organizations use cause marketing, although you have to be careful that you don’t run into this problem

So take a minute to think about your problem AND your solution before you sit down to write your fundraising copy.