Several people last week asked me the same question, “How do you convince someone to donate?”
It’s a simple question that seems to have a lot of people stumped.
So… I took the time this week to answer them.
Here’s how I responded:
Category Archives: How to
Where to find donors? … Try here
Three steps to finding donors for your next appeal
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
Today, we tackle the BIG question: Where do you find donors?
So many Catholic apostolates (and aspiring ones) want to have a sustainable funding source.
But donors don’t just appear.
I didn’t just bump into donors each time I ran a campaign. Neither will you.
However! Even though donors don’t appear with the snap of your fingers, here’s what you can do to make the search a lot easier:
Three tips on how to ask for a donation (my best 3 tips)
When you don't know how to ask (here's what to say)
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
Have you ever been unsure how to ask someone for a donation?
In the first two weeks of the year, this has been the number one question people have asked me.
“What do I say?”
Today, I’m sharing with you my three best tips on how to ask for donations. You will likely be surprised by what I recommend. You may even completely disregard my advice!
Oh well… let’s see if you agree or not:
Tired of YouTube? You can watch on Rumble (the conservative version of YouTube) below.
Suggestions on how to fundraise from Fr Alphonsus Rodriguez
Insight from Fr Alphonsus Rodriguez's spiritual classic, The Practice of Christian & Spiritual Perfection
You have likely struggled to answer this question, wondering how the two can possibly coexist. You may have even had people complain to you that you should NOT be fundraising because as a Catholic, you should take a “vow of poverty.”
Okay… but how do you keep the lights on?
Whether you have taken a vow of poverty as a religious or strive to follow this Christian practice, the reality is you may have to fundraise to pay for the necessary costs of your vocation.
Therefore, how do you connect the vow of poverty with fundraising?
Enter Fr Alphonsus Rodriguez, a Jesuit priest from the 16th century and a renowned spiritual writer. He explains – in practical terms – how you and I can balance a vow of poverty and fundraising.
These ideas come from his masterpiece, The Practice of Christian & Religious Perfection.
Check it out:
How to Write an Appeal Letter
... the Catholic way
If you’ve been following me for the past two years, I hope that you’ve enjoyed my weekly articles on how to fundraise in a Catholic context. Yes, I’ve dedicated 100% of my attention to Catholic fundraising. That includes religious orders, lay apostolates, youth ministry, family ministry, pro-life ministries, schools, universities, and the list goes on.
I’ve offered the steps on where to find donations, how to ask for donations, and when to adopt new strategies (such as online fundraising).
Today, let’s dive into the world of appeal letters. You will notice that I take a different approach to the average fundraiser. Rather than focus my attention on asking for a donation, I focus on my relationship with the reader.
Killing the Bible Softly with Your Appeals
4 Recommendations for How to Correctly Use Bible Verses in Fundraising
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
We’ve all read Bible verses in appeal letters and brochures, right? It’s one of the classic tactics of fundraisers to stick scripture into a request to reminds us how it’s our duty as Catholics to give. If you’re running an appeal or campaign, you likely want to do add a few verses into your material.
But what if I told you there is a right way — and a wrong way — to use the Bible in your fundraising?
I’ve got good news for Catholics who want to use Bible verses to inspire people to give: You can quote the Bible without looking cliche’. In fact, I do recommend quoting scripture in your appeals. However, there are rules that you must follow so you don’t sound like the typical fundraiser just pulling at our faith to get to our wallet.
Using the Bible in Your Fundraising
Let’s start by facing the fact that the common practice of using the Bible to get people to donate risks watering down the meaning of these beautiful verses. This is not something you want to happen with your Catholic cause.
Take the often-used classic verse from 2 Corinthians: “God loves a cheerful giver.” This verse gets right to the point that we should give because it’s what God wants us to do; plus when we do it, we should be happy about it! But, using this verse can pull potential donors in the opposite direction. They may get upset and, consequently, choose not to give.
The reason why quoting Bible verses may backfire is because fundraisers often use them as shortcuts with their appeal. By the time we do receive the appeal letter, we rarely know much of what the charity has been doing or how it’s made a difference. To know this, we’d have to hunt for the annual report, but who wants to do that? Instead, the fundraiser hopes that reminding you of your Catholic duty will trigger a donation.
This realization turned a key for me. I noticed that using Bible verses can improve a donation request only if we followed four rules.
1. Don’t Make It the One Thing
Yes, God likes a cheerful giver, but that doesn’t mean the giver should be giving to you. Therefore, don’t assume that the quote immediately connects the person reading your letter with your charity. Provide the reader specific reasons why they would be happy to give to you. You can do this by clearly outlining the results their donation will help achieve.
Read my article on how King David made the first planned gift to fund the construction of the Temple and learn how David anticipated the benefits of raising funds.
On the go? You can download the audio version of this article to your mobile device. Click the link below and start listening now.
2. Make It Unique
Catholic charities often use the same Bible verses when writing their appeal. In contrast, successful fundraisers know they must differentiate themselves from everyone else. Therefore, when they pick a verse, they choose one that relates to their mission and makes them stand out from the crowd. The most important question to ask yourself is this—is this verse quote most applicable to me?
I suggest using resources such as Cruden’s Complete Concordance to the Holy Bible to help you find new Bible quotes.
Note: if someone knows of a Catholic alternative, please let me know in the comments section below.
3. Ask Around
Starving charities wait the last minute to run an appeal. Successful charities are willing to plan ahead and make sure they’re sharing their story correctly. They often solicit feedback by asking your volunteers and donors what Bible verses and parables you should use. It’s a good path to both learning how people see you and fundraising more effectively.
4. Think Enough About Money
You must understand that too much focus on the Bible verse can make us overlook everything else about fundraising, especially for those of us who want to focus solely on the faith aspect of our work. I recommend you ought to think enough about the money aspect of your appeal so that you can continue to do what you love without worrying too much. Always remember that the faith-driven person raises funds to help more people, so don’t shy away from this fact.
Read my book review of Henri Nouwen’s classic, ‘A Spirituality of Fundraising’ for more insight on how to balance money and faith.
Question: What is your favorite Bible verse to use when asking for donations? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
St Ignatius of Loyola’s Secret Formula for Raising Millions
The 5 Rules for How Saint Ignatius Built the Jesuits from the Ground Up
You have to wonder what it takes to start a religious order from the ground up. You’ve got to be equipped with a lot of spiritual, mental, and physical resilience to handle all the ups and downs. It has to be quite similar to the path an entrepreneur takes. The definition of an entrepreneur is someone who “assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” How fitting is that for the description of a founder of any new Catholic cause?
Over a year ago, a friend sent me a copy of a fascinating biography on Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It was entitled, Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits. (you can read a PDF version of this book here) What struck me was that it took a different angle than most books about a saint. There was a chapter in the book named, Saint Ignatius as Fund-Raiser. The author of this chapter, Fr Thomas Clancy, researched the activities that Saint Ignatius took in the last 10 years of his life to build a sustainable foundation for the Society of Jesus.