Effective fundraising depends on human connection

Often, I encounter people who are convinced that if they could just get in front of a donor with their data, the donor would open up her wallet on the spot. Data and evidence have their place in fundraising. My former colleague, Elizabeth Bintliff, and I are fond of saying, "no data without stories, and no stories without data." However, it's rare that you can persuade someone to fund your cause without making a human connection. People are emotional creatures, and are not swayed by facts alone. As Aristotle argued centuries ago, you need logic, reputation, and emotion in order to persuade people. Fundraising is, after all, the art of persuading someone that your cause is worth funding because they believe you will make a positive change.

How do we make this connection? By learning to tell our stories more effectively. When I met Thandeka Tutu (pictured below on the left), I was understandably moved. Her father, Bishop Desmond Tutu, is one of my childhood heroes. But what stayed with me most after meeting her was not her connection to her father, but her willingness to connect with me on a human level. She did not launch into a data-filled explanation of poverty statistics. Instead, she spent time teaching me and some of my colleagues how to pronounce three of the sounds in the Xhosha click language of South Africa (e.g. "this one sounds like a champagne bottle popping"). It's not a lesson I'll soon forget.

When you have a moment with a funder, remember that they are human, too. They don't want to be seen simply as a pocket book. Listen to them. Ask them questions. Don't just share your story. Ask for theirs. Find that common bond between their interests and yours, and you'll find it a lot easier to move the conversation to where you want it go.

If you'd like to hear just a tiny sample of Xhosha, check out Miriam Makeba's The Click Song.