Pop quiz: Do you know the #1 reason why people don’t give to your organization?
The #1 reason why people don’t give is because you haven’t asked them to.
Here at CauseMatch, we often speak to fundraisers who have a serious reluctance to ask for money, especially during Tishrei. After all, they say, donors are bombarded by organizations asking for money.
“Asking now is a nuisance.”
”People are focused on other things.”
“This year with all of the chaos, our donors are busier than ever; they can’t be bothered.”
When you allow yourself to think like that, you not only limit your potential, you do your donors a disservice. You deny them the opportunity to do a mitzvah, a chesed, an act of generosity during the most important time of a year.
If you approach fundraising as an expression of a donor’s values, your donors will appreciate the chance to donate. They will say to themselves, “Yes, I was looking for an opportunity to do a mitzvah and head into Rosh Hashanah feeling good about myself… and this solicitation is a perfect way to generate that pride.”
This year, however, is different. This year, every single organization and donor is dealing with the effects of COVID-19. This year, you have new challenges. You’ve had to change the way you raise money and provide services.
It’s more important than ever before to approach your upcoming campaign wisely, with empathy, and with messaging that clearly conveys the impact of a donor’s gift.
Why now? Why during Tishrei?
Rosh Hashanah is a prime place on the calendar to ask for money.
1) People are hungry to do mitzvot. They are actively looking to fill the world with acts of kindness.
In just a couple of weeks, we will daven “u’teshuva, u’tefilla, u’tzedakah ma’averin et roa hagezerah,” that “repentance, prayer, and charity will tear up the evil decree.”
This period within the Jewish calendar is specially focused on becoming the best versions of ourselves. That best version of a person includes donating.
Your fundraising is a service to donors. When they donate and help a person in need, they perform an act of kindness, an act that they actively WANT to perform. Do not deny them this opportunity.
2) If you don’t ask them to give now, someone else will. This is a busy time in the field with a lot of noise to cut through. It’s not only important to ask but to ask often and to ask smartly.
Your donors are busy with short attention spans. If you don’t get in front of them, another organization will send out a mailer and beat you to it.
This is your opportunity to stand out from the other fundraisers out there. Give your donors a problem to solve, something they will feel GREAT about accomplishing through their gift. Then, when they are faced with important choices regarding where to send their tzedakah, they will think of your organization first.
3) A New Year means a head start.
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot are indeed a gift from the Heavens for so many spiritual reasons.
From a fundraising point of you, these chagim allow you to get a head start on the incredible rush that begins on Giving Tuesday and ends on January 1. Donors are getting ready to line up all their charitable contributions, and you get to begin the race before the starting gun goes off.
The CauseMatch Way
If there’s anything we have learned from fundraising over the past five months of corona chaos, it is this: Make it easy for your donors to give, and they will respond in kind.
When you launch a campaign with CauseMatch, you can work with a dedicated fundraising coach who will guide you in mining your data. You will execute a smart, inspiring fundraiser on a safe, reliable platform that has a fully customized dashboard. You can take advantage of the data-backed approach to crafting creative materials (campaign page copy, emails, social media posts, etc.) that will make donors feel like heroes. And, the CauseMatch support team is there to help troubleshoot every step of the way.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, schedule a call with a fundraising specialist today and learn about the opportunities that CauseMatch can help you seize.
When the mad rush of December rolls around, you’ll be happy you did.
