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Who’s Gazing into the Mirror—you or them?

We all enjoy looking into the mirror. And why not? Our favorite subject is ourselves. Such is even the case for nonprofit organizations. We really want to see that we’re meeting our own expectations and fulfilling our dreams. There’s only one problem with this focus. When we’re focusing upon ourselves, we are blind to what our friends think of us.

Many, many nonprofit organizations that do really valuable—and worthy—work are caught in this mirror-gazing trap. They measure their effectiveness by their own perceptions and evaluations of their good deeds. By gazing into the mirror these organizations see only their own reflection, their own assessment of who they are and how they’re doing.

The end-game of this self-focus is the lackluster fundraising revenue gains and the in-the-tank donor renewal rates of so many nonprofit organizations.

Why not reverse the mirror and let our donors see themselves instead? Let our donors—our investors—see the values and outcomes they want to see in themselves. You—and those who invest in you—will be better for it.

Principle 1 of The Eight Principles of Sustainable Fundraising® is Donors are the Drivers™. Don’t ever forget it.

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