“I’m struggling to get my assigned donors to agree to visit with me.”
Without question, this is one of the most uttered complaints of gift officers.
When prompted to share their outreach message, it is common to hear the following:
- “I tell them I’d like to thank them personally for their support.”
- “I tell them I’d like to put a face and person with a donor name.”
- “I tell them I’m new to the institution and would like to meet them.”
- “I tell them I’d like to hear their story about why our institution matters to them.”
- “I tell them my job is to visit with generous donors, like them, and learn more about them.”
When I hear outreach messages like this, I often ask the gift officer, “Do you think these messages are compelling to the prospective donor? Do you think they would encourage you to visit with someone you didn’t know?”
To better encourage donors to meet for a first visit, it is far better to provide them with a specific, compelling reason for the meeting. Tell them what you need/want from them. And, tell them what the visit will not be focused on.
For example:
“Our president/CEO has asked each of us who work with donors to conduct some informal interviews with our most generous folks – like you. The purpose of these interviews is simply to better understand our best donors so that we can invite gifts from non-donors in ways that, hopefully, will encourage them to be supportive. It’s like market research. I can promise you this visit is not about me asking you for another gift. In fact, the interview only takes about 20 minutes or so, and I just have a few questions that will guide our discussion. It’s easier to do these in person because I want to get your reaction to a few of our print pieces as well. Would you be willing to help me with this project by scheduling a date and time convenient for you?”
The purpose of the outreach before a Donor Discovery visit is to get your foot in the door. To give yourself a chance to begin building a deeper relationship with this donor if that is warranted.
Far too many gift officers are thinking about the questions they should ask once they get the Donor Discovery visit scheduled. And, while those questions are clearly important, gift officers often forget to address the most important Donor Discovery visit question of all:
“How can I frame the purpose of this visit in my outreach message to make it more likely this person will want to meet a stranger?”
