Nonprofits are preoccupied with money. Getting more of it. They get fundraising training to help them do this. Is it working? That depends on who you ask.
Money is fuel. Nothing more. And yes, you need sufficient to accomplish your goals.
The fundraising training that delivers, oddly enough, isn’t focused on money. The right fundraising training is focused on the relationship well-meaning organizations have with their supporters.
To paraphrase the motivational coach, Napoleon Hill, be focused not on getting more money but on doing a better job building bridges with those who will support you.
So much of what passes as fundraising training is developing skills in successfully executing a transaction. It’s about the money.
Don’t get me wrong. Money is important. Sufficient resources are critical. The key to remember is that money is the result not the goal.
Principle 1 of The Eight Principles™ is Donors are the Drivers®. Donors drive philanthropy with their visions and values. NOT their money. Remember money is only the fuel—not the catalyst.
Principle 2 of The Eight Principles™ is Begin at the Beginning™. You raise the awareness of potential supporters by speaking their language and by appealing to the values and ideals they hold dear.
Fundraising training that works today—and builds a sustainable platform for the future—focuses on relationships. Building them, that is.
Yes there’s some technical skill required in administering a fundraising program. Engaging in fundraising training for those skills without developing bonds with donors won’t compensate however.
At The Eight Principles™ we begin our fundraising training at the beginning. The principles. Our fundraising training takes you from the principles to heights in fundraising you’ll reach no other way.
Some folks think the principles are “obvious”. Let’s say when they’re vocalized they are self-evident. There’s a big gulf between self-evident and firm part of your fundraising culture, however.
What did Voltaire say? “The difficulty with common sense is that it isn’t very common.”
The principles are everywhere self-evident. Truly understood and implemented are a another story. That’s where The Eight Principles™ fundraising training excels.
We have the only comprehensive fundraising training that any organization can use inside their organization delivered by their own staff. We call it Learn & Live™. You learn the right way to fundraise then you live it. It becomes the way your tribe does things.
Think back when you were just starting out in the work force. Your desire was to move up. To be paid more. Nothing wrong with that. Did you ever have a boss that told you that the way to be paid more is do a better job? The rest will take care of itself. I did.
It’s one of those conundrums of life. To hit one goal, you really must direct your energies to another.
That’s Eight Principles™ fundraising training in a nutshell. It’s about getting you goals straight. Whether you’re a small nonprofit with an embryonic fundraising effort, or a large well-established organization, it’s not about where you start, it’s where you end up. Getting to the right place requires knowing where you’re really going. Remember it’s not money.
