Course summary

Well done on completing this course. Here is a summary of the key ideas from the course. We encourage you to discuss what you have learnt with your team.

“The key to becoming a good strategist is understanding why someone gives and how they would be motivated to give to your organisation.”

What makes a great fundraiser- Jerold Panas:

Listening is not passive. Effective listening requires a great deal of energy, enthusiasm, and empathy to the task.
You know that if you give others what they want, you will get what you want. No other skill is as important as listening.
Your job is to listen so intently that you listen as if you are hard of hearing. Best of all, listening is not inherent. It is a skill you can learn

We need to take time to understand our donors, to understand their motivations for giving and then we can device appropriate strategies to serve them well.
Understanding of donor motivation is the first step to creating a strategy to reach them.

Seven donor categories:

Friends and Family
Foundations
Corporate gifts and sponsorships
Events (which I call Gimmicks)
Legacy Gifts
Major Donors
Just ask

Leaders guide questions:

How will you incorporate the art of listening into your existing interactions with donors? How will listening and understanding influence your fundraising strategies?
Upon completing the donor motivation exercise, what new insights do have about your donors? How does that change the way you engage with them?

Download Course Summary

Listen to your donors_course-summary.pdf