Admit it. You’ve all done it. You slip into an assembly line process as you prepare for a major gift donor “ask” appointment. We call it Factory Fundraising.
You review the checklist. You prepare your “packet”. You practice your script.
But you know that no two donors are the same. You know that they process information differently. That they have a different “good time of day”. That they connect with people and organizations differently.
You will, however, take the same packet, with the same script, at the same time of day to “ask” for that gift “your” way – the way you rehearsed it many times.
Next time you prepare to ask for a gift, review the previous encounter(s) with that donor. They will have told you what you need to hear from them. Were you listening? It isn’t easy, but it can be mastered. You can ask related questions to get the directed answers. They will tell you their best “how”, if you ask the right questions.
Factory Fundraising works well when producing a direct mail piece. For a Major Gift Donor, think Custom Design.
