Face To Face Fundraising Techniques

Face to face fundraising is a daunting yet exciting prospect for many new fundraising professionals. Although there are ample opportunities to interact with the common public and make them a part of your charity’s campaign, professionals need to be adept at face to face fundraising techniques to be effective.

Face to face fundraising involves meeting prospective donors at their homes (door-to-door), meeting them on the street (street fundraising) and interacting with a more-or-less defined audience at a particular location such as an office or a mall (venue fundraising). These are time-tested methods of raising funds and charity organisations have often made profitable returns on their investment.

At DDII, we believe that your NGO – whether it is an upcoming one or a well-known organisation – deserves a chance to reach its budgetary goals and make a difference to the world. We also facilitate recruiting fundraisers and professionally equip them with the requisite skills.

If you are an NGO or a social activist looking to build a career in fundraising, apply these face to face fundraising techniques and take a step towards your goals.

• • Break the Ice
    

    Cold-calling is a standard operating procedure for the professional fundraiser. However intrusive as it may sound, it’s the first opportunity to get your foot in the door (literally, in the case of door-to-door fundraising). We are all strangers until we get to know one another. A common, yet effective, face to face fundraising technique involves complimenting the prospect on their choice of shoes/bag/hair etc. We don’t recommend dishonest flattery but offering a genuine compliment with a smile helps. Good face to face fundraising technique begins with introducing yourself and getting to know the prospect better.

• Get a Conversation Going

Among other methods of raising awareness about your non-profit’s cause such as advertising or sending a letter to a prospect, face to face fundraising allows you to speak directly and answer any queries in real-time. After initial introductions, a professional fundraiser carries on a conversation with a prospect. This crucial face to face fundraising technique of holding a meaningful conversation is capable of converting a potential donor into a long-term or regular donor. Asking open-ended questions help fundraisers realise a prospect’s views on a particular cause, after which the conversation could be steered into helping them contribute towards a responsible solution that your NGO is offering.

• Power Your Cause

Fundraisers need to understand that donors are not sitting around with a load of cash, waiting to give it away. In India, rising income and socio-political trends means that all donors are aware of the problems plaguing modern society. One highly effective face to face fundraising technique is to offer viable solutions that will convince a prospect to make a financial contribution. Donors in the real world want to see solutions, not complaints about the world’s problems. Efficient fundraising professionals know that offering solutions through your NGO is a vital face to face fundraising technique that can often seal the deal for a regular contribution.