Why Integrating Fundraising and Awareness-Generating Media is Essential

It’s about relationships

The answer to these questions, in a word, is connection. People don’t give money to strangers or causes they know nothing about. Communicating with potential donors is more about relationship building than it is about persuasion. And, like all relationships, there are phases: the introductory phase, the exploratory phase, and the commitment phase. Organizations that believe they can conduct all three phases — introduce themselves, convey their mission and purpose, and then ask for money — all in the same direct-mail appeal usually are met with resistance. This is why donor-acquisition appeals usually generate low-performing results and why mailing such large quantities is necessary. So, what do you do?