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EXCLUSIVE: How to Follow Your Vocation (and go on Holiday)

Jennifer Fulwiler interviews Brice Sokolowski from CatholicFundraiser.net. In this Part 1 of the interview, Jennifer and Brice talk about the Catholic Church, Mass, living abroad, the challenges of following God, and how to pursue your vocation.

Thank you for watching this video. I hope that you keep up with the week videos I post on the channel, subscribe, and share your learnings with those that need to hear it. Your comments are my focus, so please take a second and say ‘Hey’ ;-).

You can watch part 1 of the interview here: How Catholics Can Successfully Fundraise


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How to fit fundraising into your Catholic faith

My fundraising started to kick into high gear when I better understood how it connects with my faith. The word “faith” gets thrown around a lot and unfortunately, it loses its meaning.  I took a close look to understand what faith means and what it does not mean.

The common phrase about faith when you fundraise is, “You just have to have faith, and it’ll all work out.” In everyday terms, we often hear, “I’m living on faith.”

What do these phrases mean? When someone says them, I also hear, “Just sit back and do not worry. What is supposed to happen, will happen.”

My conclusion is that people associate faith with not having to do much. This is entirely false. Just read what the Catechism says about the subject. With regards to fundraising, having faith means, if God wills it, people will donate. So you don’t have to spend lots of time fundraising because faith will take care of everything. Faith will magically make happen what you want. This approach has you believing more in magic than in faith.

How faith works in fundraising

I do not want to dive too deep into a theological lecture about faith, but I do have a few comments which I think will help you find a more Catholic approach with fundraising. Let’s first start with a Catholic definition of what faith actually is because it doesn’t mean to wait for things to magically appear out of nowhere.

Saint Paul defines faith in Hebrews 11:1 as

“the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is the belief in things we yet cannot see. In the context of fundraising, you can say that faith is believing that donors and donations exist even though you cannot see them. It’s not that they will magically appear. They are just not in front of you at this very moment.

Therefore, faith doesn’t mean that donors will show up one day. Faith means that they are out there. This is a small but important distinction.

[Tweet “Faith doesn’t mean that donors will magically show up one day.”]

So when someone says you just need faith that you’ll receive donations, don’t think that donors will come with open checkbooks to your door. Faith means what you are looking for is out there. That’s it. It doesn’t mean donors and gifts will come to you. To have donations come to you, that’s where the work kicks in.

Have faith in God, not money

To have faith work in fundraising, you have to be crystal clear on what precisely you believe but cannot see. I am not talking just about money and donors. Money is bi-product of what you want. I am talking about having a clear understanding of what God is calling you to do.

If he wants you to take care of the homeless, does that mean God wants you to build a shelter? To take care of the sick, does that mean God wants you to build a hospital? To be a missionary, does that mean God wants you to build a network of people around the world?

Faith means getting clear on what you want. That’s step one.

Be clear on your mission.

Then, when you move forward, you have faith that God will surround you with the people that will support you. Those people start appearing in your life, and you stop them to say, “Hey, I want to talk to you.” With your eyes fixed on your vocation, you start recognizing the people along your path. It’s not that people appear out of nowhere. Nor is it that people appear after you ask. They show up because God wants you to succeed. You just have to keep your eyes open. This is how fundraising works. Fundraising happens when you are already doing what God wants you to do.

[Tweet “Faith means getting clear on what you want. That’s step one.”]

Again, let me be clear. Fundraising is a tool to help. It’s not the tool that makes it happen. You don’t need money to start realizing your vocation, cause, or mission. You have to already be moving forward. As you move forward in faith, fundraising can help you to keep going.

[Tweet “You don’t need money to start realizing your vocation, cause, or mission.”]

Again, a small distinction that has a tremendous impact. Fundraising is used to expand your reach, but it is never the catalyst or what keeps you afloat.

Grab a copy of my book, Alms: Your Definitive Guide to Catholic Fundraising, for even more ideas on how to move you forward.

How hope comes into play

Faith is also tied to hope. To go back to Saint Paul, he says that faith is the realization of what is hoped. Well, what do you hope for? Let’s open one of my favorite books, the catechism. I love being Catholic because everything is so clearly explained in the catechism. (If you don’t have one, I recommend purchasing one today.)

The Catechism states:

“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Hope for me is that burning fire that keeps me going to pursue what I yet cannot see. Hope doesn’t come from me. It’s from God. When you are looking for those donors that you have not found yet, hope helps you keep looking. Fundraising deals with constant rejection. Sometimes you will get weeks, even months, of people saying no to your requests. Hope, however, keeps you going. It’s important to recognize that hope kicks in when we are striving for the right purpose.

If you desire to find people who believe in your work, who see what’s possible, and passionate about your cause, then hope helps you make the journey.

“With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” – Ephesians 6:18

Hope helps build your confidence that you will reach your goal. You can pair the word hope with perseverance. Each step of the way, hope is guiding you with how to inspire people. Hope doesn’t mean going from one lukewarm campaign after another, thinking the next one does better. I see this a lot. It’s a skewed version of hope. If you’re dragging your feet from one campaign to another, it means you evaluate your approach. I say this because the Holy Spirit is giving you the wisdom, knowledge, and guidance on how to improve.

“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.” – Luke 8:15

Putting your faith in fundraising

My goal is not to show you how we can place faith in money. I want to move fundraising a bit closer to the truths of our faith. The challenge with fundraising is that it lives in its own bubble, separate from the virtues. This is the problem. You have to look at fundraising with the right perspective if you want to get better at it.

For more on this topic, check out my article on how to rethink fundraising altogether with respect to your Catholic faith.

When we talk about faith in the context of fundraising, it doesn’t help to say, “have faith that donations will come.” That’s not going to get you moving forward. If anything it’s going to drain your desire to move forward with your mission. Money is not a necessity of life. We should not be sitting around waiting for it to appear. What is necessary is for you to find what your faith is actually telling you to do. This means finding your vocation, otherwise known as the answer to, “What does God want me to do?”

When you fundraise, you can be too focused on the idea that money is what will move you forward. When this happens, you become blind to what God wants you to do and who he places in your life. Sometimes he places donors where we least expect it. Sometimes he gives us guidance when we aren’t looking. We are so fixated with receiving money that we aren’t aware of what’s happening around us. We don’t see the people God is placing in our lives.

Always remember that every donation you receive comes from the hands of someone. Therefore, keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Get to know people. Build your community. Most

[Tweet “Always remember that every donation you receive comes from the hands of someone.”]

Therefore, flip your thinking on faith when it comes to fundraising. Start with getting clear with where God wants you to go. Then start walking in that direction. Don’t wait for the money to come. Just move forward. You don’t need money to start. Move forward and have faith that God will provide. As you move forward, watch who God places in your life.

Exercise

My goal is that you look at faith through a different lens when you fundraise. This adjustment moves you closer to understand what God wants you to do and how fundraising can help. Here is my recommendation for how to do just that.

Pray – Take time to have clarity of your mission. Where does God want you to do? Read part three of the catechism, “Life in Christ,” and review all the footnotes. The footnotes are a great resource of wisdom to move forward with your mission. Journal your thoughts on how you see your life in Christ.

Pray – Answer the question: “What is it that I truly hope for?” Then, ask yourself how you will persevere in your mission and fundraising. Detail what your prayer life needs to be to support you. Find mentors who will give you confidence. Build a community of people around you. It’s important to have your hope be on your mission, not on finding donations.

Pray – Write your plan of action. What acts of charity will you complete for the people you meet? You don’t have to wait for someone to give you money to be charitable to them. Be the first in showing generosity. Charity helps you realize your faith and hope.

Ask – Take action with every person you meet. Whether it’s asking them to donate, volunteer, keep in touch, pray, or attend an event, take action to build the relationship. Keep a list of the people you meet. Grow this list and keep in touch with everyone. Remember, the most important relationship you will have is the one with Jesus. Keep him close to you.

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Question: What could you do to have fundraising better fit within your Catholic faith?

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Gather a community before you gather donors

Everything you do with fundraising begins with your community. Your community consists of every person you bring into your mission. This includes donor, non-donor, volunteer, inquirer, lapsed donor, and even the people who you meet each day. By focusing your attention on building your community, you take them on the journey which is realizing your mission. This community will then be inspired to support you financially.

It’s important to build a community because if you don’t surround yourself with people who are passionate about your work and cause, then you will have difficulty fundraising.

If all you do is surround yourself with major donors, you won’t be as successful because you need more than just people with deep pockets. Your mission is not dependent on the money you raise. Your mission is dependent on God and how he wants you to carry out your vocation. Because you cannot carry forward our vocation alone, you must recognize the different talents that people have who come into your life. Then, you determine what led you together and how you help one another.

Start building your community today

Get started with your community by gathering the people around you. It is your responsibility to invite people into your community, what activities they do, and when to approach them for a donation request. As I mentioned, your community’s purpose is not to surround you with financial donations every month. That may be one aspect of your community, but it happens when the other activities are in place.

There are several ways you can build your community. You can connect members with other members.

  • You connect members with other members.
  • You get people to share their thoughts and views in discussions. This can be a live event or online.
  • You share knowledge and wisdom so that everyone becomes better informed about your work.
  • You educate your community about what is happening.

The atmosphere you build inspires them little by little as they discover more about your work. With time, more people get involved and eventually take action. This action can, of course, be through a financial gift. Each community member takes one step at a time to become more involved in your work.

For more ideas on this topic, read this article which outlines 5 activities you can get people to do.

Build a two-way dialogue

Also, your community must have its own voice and identity. I am a fan of having a constructive dialogue with your community because it’s fantastic way of learning what inspires people. If you know what inspires them, you’ll know how to better ask for donations.

While you are the leader who organizes how and when people meet, I recommend taking a step back and allowing others to express their opinions. This is not to say that they dictate which direction you take. You definitely set the boundaries.

One of the best ways to learn what people think is by conducting surveys. I talk incessantly about surveys, and there is a reason for this. Surveys work incredibly well in fundraising. I’ve been using them for years, and I’m still finding new ways for improving my fundraising with them.

Knowing how to engage with your community will help you fundraise better.

Along with listening and connecting with your community, the people around you must grow in knowledge about your mission, the purpose, and the results. You do this by updating them on a consistent basis about what’s happening.

Never assume that because you said something once it’s clear to everyone. Just because you have a page on your website titled ‘Our Mission’ doesn’t mean people know what you do. You have to continually tell people who you are, what you do, why you do it, where you are going, and how you will get there.

For more on this topic of surveys read this article which outlines how to use them step by step.

 

The Benedictine rule for building community – Listen

I remember attending a lecture at a Benedictine abbey just outside of London, England. The abbot was discussing a specific rule which allows the youngest monk the chance to speak openly with his fellow monks, particularly the abbot.

Saint Benedict added this rule because he understood that sometimes God speaks to us through the youngest or least expected person. Take for example David, Ruth, Moses, Abraham, Rahab, John, and Mother Mary. Look at all the Marian apparitions, as Mother Mary is always more comfortable speaking with children.

It’s usually the person we least expect who has something profound to share. You never know who in your community has something valuable to say, therefore always have an open ear.

[Tweet “It’s usually the person we least expect who has something profound to share.”]

Feedback from your community also allows you to recognize what you are doing right. When people are complimenting you on your style, especially when it comes to fundraising, you know you are on the right track. It’s that simple. Your community helps you take a step back, reflect on your work, and keep moving forward. Even when you receive criticism, this negative feedback can confirm whether you are or not on the right track.

Therefore, let people share with you what they think.

Perfect the art of listening by reading this article.

Encourage your community to take action

Another important activity in your community is that they must frequently be asked to take steps forward. It’s not enough to have a group of people around you and hope they will eventually act. This is especially true when it comes to donating.

You have to ask people to take steps forward. Otherwise, you will be waiting a long time before people do.

Whether you are looking for one donor or one thousand, you start with asking your community to take steps forward. Ask each member to regularly take one small way after another. Yes, this all takes time, but this is part of growing your mission, especially with fundraising.

By asking your community to take steps along their journey with you, you connect your mission with theirs. They become co-owners in your work. Then when you do ask for a donation, they more often than not will say yes.

Learn more about how to take action by reading this article on what a Catholic fundraiser should do every week.

An exercise on how to start building your community

Here is a simple Catholic approach to building your community and moving your fundraising forward.

Pray – Take a moment to recognize all the different people in your community. This includes volunteers, donors, colleagues, contacts. Take time to reflect on how you have connected with each person . Read chapter four of Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He provides wonderful instructions of how to communicate with people and thank them for their generosity.

Pray – Review how often you connect with your community and share information and knowledge. Write ideas on how you can share more with them about what is happening so they can learn how things are going.

Pray – Review how often you invite your community to have a voice in what is happening. Regularly take feedback through surveys. Thank people for their opinions and decide on the ones you see most valuable. Let people know that you use their feedback. This makes sure your community knows that you are listening and taking action.

Ask – Each month ask your community to get involved. Diversify your requests so that people don’t get the impression that all you want is their money. For those who are new, ask them to attend an event. For those who have been in your community for some time but you’ve never met personally, ask them to volunteer with you.

For those people who have been very active but not donating, ask them for a financial gift. And for those who have been giving for some time, ask them to increase their contribution or sign up for regular giving.

Over time, when you ask every community member to take one step forward, your momentum will pick up, and as a result, your mission will move significantly forward.

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Question: What is one action you can take today to build your community?

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How to perfect your ‘Thank You’ in fundraising

The “thank you” is the undisputed champion of all fundraising conversations. This is because your gratitude is the hallmark of acknowledging how God blesses you through the people you meet. Therefore thanking people must be foundational in your day to day work as a fundraiser. I would even rank your ‘thank you’ as more important than your gift request.

Let’s take a closer look at how to thank people because more than likely you are only thanking people after they donate. This is the standard approach to showing gratitude. Yes, this is good, and I want you to do this every time, but I want you to do more.

If you want better results in your fundraising, you have to learn to use these two words more often.

Thank the person, not the donation

I recommend that you get more personal when expressing gratitude because thanking someone goes beyond the donation. There is so much at play in a donation than the moment the person gives you money.

I often stop for a minute to comprehend how this person reached the decision to give. How did they come into my life? How did they get inspired? What conversations did we have? What led them to think that I was worth a financial gift? How did they reach the decision to be generous with their money?

When you pause and reflect on every step that had to occur, you recognize that many actions had to happen before the act of giving you financial support. This helps you thank the person more sincerely, and it helps you recognize the other steps that you should be thanking a person.

You have to thank a person each step they take with your mission. So don’t wait until you receive a donation to say ‘thank you.’ Thank the person for connecting with you, attending an event, calling you, asking a question, volunteering, and the countless other actions they do. Don’t wait until someone gives to thank them.

Take a step back – donations happen much earlier than you think

Let’s dive further in this idea of thanking people much earlier than when they give. A sequence of actions and decisions took place for a person to make that decision. I encourage you to find out what those steps are because once you know them, you can identify prospects much easier.

When I can’t understand how someone came to the decision to give, I contact them and ask, “You have humbled me by your generosity. Thank you so much. If I may, what inspired you?”

You might think this is intruding someone’s privacy, but it’s not. The idea that a donor’s privacy cannot be breached is a myth. Yes, people don’t want you to be cold called. They don’t want to be bothered with endless requests. Also, if all you do is contact them when you want money, they will likely get upset.

However, there’s a significant difference between my approach and what most Catholic organizations do: constantly ask for money.

When I learn why people donate, they tell me their story and how they came to the decision. I see how the different moments led to the donation, and I can become even more grateful.

The benefits of getting good at ‘thank you’

When you become a pro at saying thank you, you are inspired to do ten times more with their donations. This is why the generic thank you note only handicaps your ability to move your Catholic cause exponentially forward.

People’s generosity fuels our passion to do more for Christ, and we can even more by getting better at showing gratitude. If someone finds your cause worthy of their hard earned money, recognize that there is more at play than a financial transaction.

Dig deeper when it comes to thanking them. I recommend you make every effort to tell them how humbled you are by their attention and generosity. When you consistently do this, every day of the year, your fundraising will increase exponentially.

Thanking people more often will have a tremendous impact on your fundraising.

[Tweet “Thanking people more often will have a tremendous impact on your fundraising.”]

The four ‘thank you’ messages you must master

Let’s look at the four moments when you should thank people.

The first is thanking someone after they make a donation. As discussed, this is the most fundamental thank you. Find your authentic way of saying, ” I thank you for your generosity.” Don’t copy someone else’s version. Put it in your own words.  You have to come from a place of authenticity.

If you are looking for inspiration, look no further than the writings of Saint Paul. He is a master when it comes to thanking people for their generosity.

[Tweet “Saint Paul is the master when it comes to thanking people.”]

The second way you can thank people is after meeting them. Whether it is the first encounter or a “catch-up” after an event, make sure you say thank you. It’s also good to mention one or two comments they said that stuck with you.

The third way you can thank someone is after they do something for you. This is apart from a donation. What comes to my mind are volunteers. Volunteers are a bedrock of support for your work, and they should be thanked after they help you.

The fourth way is when you become a pro. This thank you happens at the specific moments which you know are fundamental moments in your relationship with a person, especially if they are not yet a donor. You can do this with a handwritten card, a phone call, and personal email. People don’t expect these messages, but when they receive them, they are extremely grateful.

Always remember: Catholics want to give, but they want to give to Catholic organizations who they know will do more than just take their money.

Putting your ‘Thank You’ into practice

Exercise on how to get better at saying thank you.

Pray – Reflect on the current way you thank people. Do you think you can do more? Is it sufficient? Read Saint Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians to see how he personal thanks people.

Pray – Reflect on the different actions people do for you which you could thank them? Apart from donations, what else do they do?

Pray – What are four different ways you can thank people?

Ask – Map out a plan for thanking people more often throughout the year

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Question: How can make your next thank you more authentic?

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What to say (and not say) when asking for donations

There is an art to asking for a donation. I am not talking just about intuition and creativity. To become a great artist, you have to spend years learning and perfecting your craft, and it doesn’t come easy. You have to fail countless times until you get it right. You are constantly looking for what techniques, styles, compositions compliment one another.

Most importantly, you must search for your authentic style.

The same applies to the ask in fundraising. If you don’t take the time to learn the craft, you won’t get the results that you want. You will struggle to raise funds, and you won’t find your authentic voice.

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Stop screaming ‘Please Donate’ because people are not listening

You have a message that you want others to hear. You are inspired to bring Jesus into the world, and you want people to be as inspired as you. Sometimes you ponder about the possibilities in front of you. You see all the people’s lives you will help. You see it right in front of you. Now the question is how to get them to donate.

However, reality sets in when you look at what’s around you. No one is listening to you.

Why? We live in a noisy world where everyone has a message and wants to be heard. Everyone is also asking for donations. You and a million other people want to do something great, and you all want people’s financial support. So how do you get people’s attention and money?

The most common approach seems to shout louder than everyone else. If you still don’t have their attention, shout even louder. On top of that, you likely won’t get many opportunities, so you scream the one message you want people to do: Please donate!

Stop screaming, “Please donate!” because people are not listening

As you cry for help, among the cacophony of every else’s pleas for money, you have to realize that the people live noisy, busy, and distracting lives. They are trying to find ways to keep sanity, so the last thing they want is a charity constantly asking them to donate. When they hear you do this, they shut you off. They throw your appeal letter in the trash. They tune you out during your parish appeal. They walk away without even considering what you have to say.

So, let’s face the cold hard fact. Breaking through the noise and getting donations are practically impossible. That’s why most fundraising campaigns fail. There’s just too much noise, and too many people don’t want to listen. They are looking for peace and quiet. Not more demands of their money.

You can hope that people will eventually donate, but this is a passive approach that won’t get you very far, especially if you have ambitious plans. You have to take a different approach and rise above the noise. I know because God doesn’t want you to stress. He wants you to be smart and do what he’s calling you to do.

If everyone is on the same interstate that’s jammed with bumper to bumper traffic, you’ve got to get off onto a side road to get to your destination. Let’s do just that.

I discuss more on how to not scare people in this article, How to keep an authentic voice in Catholic fundraising.

I also talk about the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of fundraising in the Catholic Church which will help navigate the landscape.

How to get people to hear your request for money

In order to fundraise effectively in today’s Catholic landscape, you have to face an important. First, you have to understand that the strategy of hope fundraising doesn’t work. “Let’s pray people will donate,” or “Let’s hope this campaign works.” These approaches usually imply that you just wait and see what happens. Don’t get me wrong. I do believe in hope and prayer, but I think most people view hope and prayer in a secular way, not a Catholic way. Prayer and hope require action, not sitting around.

[Tweet “Prayer and hope require action, not sitting around.”]

Instead, I recommend you have an active approach to getting people’s attention that is much more aligned with our Catholic faith. If you want people to hear you, you simply have to speak in a gentle and consistent voice. When you combine these two factors together, consistently present and gently speaking, you have your best chance of being heard. Therefore, you want to find your consistent and tempered voice.

Who do you know that does this? God.

There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord—but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the Lord was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound.

When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, Why are you here, Elijah?

– 1 Kings 19: 11-13

You won’t hear God screaming from rooftops. You won’t see him disrupting your day to day to get your attention. You won’t see him pushing himself in front of a crowd to be seen. You see and hear him only after you pause and recognize that he’s been with you the entire time.

You have to follow the same approach. You want to place yourself in the same situation when people finally pause and take notice of who’s around them.

From my experience, the best way to get someone to donate is to always be there with your calm voice until the moment presents itself. It’s the moment when the person is ready to take action. You can’t force someone to see you, listen to you, and then donate. You have to offer them the best possibility to do so.

[Tweet “Plan what you will say throughout the year to MAXIMIZE donations”]

It sounds so simple, but many Catholic organizations don’t take this action. They drum one monotonous voice twice a year, and it turns most people away.

Get into the habit of clearly articulating your voice with people on a consistent basis.

I go into more detail about how to ask for donations in this article, How to Ask for Gifts in a Catholic context.

Be patient. Donations will come

Breaking through the noise and being heard is harder than ever, but with a consistent approach to presenting your calm voice, you will be heard and rise above the static. It’s a paradox that works every time. You just have to be patient.

You don’t need to shout. You just have to keep tapping away. You have to know what you want to say and keep saying it. Week by week, month by month, and people will hear you. It’s only a matter of time that they trust what you say, and when that happens, and you are off to the races.

That’s why patience is so important. It’s also a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so pray to receive it. God gave you a voice. Use it wisely, spread the message of your mission, and patiently watch more people listen to you. Plant seeds, then add water and let God do the growing, but he can’t grow if you don’t plant.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” – 1 Corinthians 3:6

A Catholic approach to getting heard

Today’s approach to Catholic fundraising requires a return to a traditional approach to being heard. This means following God’s approach to a calm and moderated voice when asking for people’s support. I recommend following these four steps which will help you find a more authentic voice when it comes to asking for money.

Pray – Take time to collect several examples of messages you’ve shared with people over the past six months. Reflect on how you got people’s attention by asking yourself, “was my voice clear, consistent, and tempered?”

Pray – Read chapters five and six of the Book of Sirach. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you have sincerity in speech and honesty in discourse. Write down your reflections on how you can have a consistent, present, and tempered voice.

Pray – Spend time quietly mapping out a 52-week plan for communicating your messages to Catholics. Make sure to balance your voice, so you aren’t just asking for donations. Focus on sharing information that helps people take action in your work. Also, consider the different mediums (the web, social media, email, letters, events) you will use to communicate your message.

Ask – Execute your 52-week communications plan. Be patient with getting your voice heard over the noise. Have faith that in time more and more people will turn to you.

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Question: How can you make your voice heard when fundraising?

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How to Find More and More and More Donors (and then even more)

Most of us start with the idea that to raise funds we have to find donors all the time. Therefore, the hunt begins, and the fundraising strategy focuses on finding people and getting them to donate. Sounds like a logical approach to reach your target, but in fact, it’s not at all.

If you are fundraising like this, you’re running up a steep mountain, and in no time, you’ll run out of breath.

Fact: to find donors is difficult, and asking people for money is nauseating.

Well, it is for me, especially when the idioms we use when fundraising are: ‘it is better to give than receive’ and ‘God likes a joyful giver.’

How awful to say these lines every day in hope that people will send us gifts?

My response to this kind of fundraising is if it’s so great to give, why then are charities always asking? Why are they not giving more to Catholics, prospects, and their donors? Sure,  I do not argue that they are doing wonderful work through their mission, but to those they ask for donations, charities lean heavily on the receiving end. In my view, that puts them at risk of capsizing the boat.

I think this constant asking for money puts you, the fundraiser, in an awkward situation. I applaud you for using the funds to help others, but is that enough to inspire Catholics to donate to them? I don’t think so, and I have a better approach. My view is that it’s better for everyone to give, especially charities.

To find donors, shock Catholics by giving more to them (even before you ask)

My approach to fundraising is heavily influenced by the concept, ‘it is better to give than to receive.’ This is challenging for us fundraisers because our job is to collect donations. But just because something is a paradox doesn’t mean it’s not true. If anything, the truth is hidden within what looks complex. You just have to keep looking.

This concept of giving to your Catholics (especially your current donors) has everything to do with fundraising because more donations don’t always come from finding new people. In fact, the majority of donations will come from the people whom you already know.

You just have to look more closely.

Just because you meet someone, explain what you do, and they don’t give, doesn’t mean they will never be a donor. In fact, you have more chances of them becoming a donor than repeatedly asking new people.

Donors are people who recognize the importance of what you do. They have similar values to you. They have a similar vision. They see your plan for doing good as a way forward. Therefore, the way to find donors is to take a step back and first find people who share your passion, share this with them as often as possible, and don’t drop the relationship just because you didn’t score a donation.

Donations happen when you take the time to build relationships with Catholics.

Check out my article on the Generosity Factor for more ways of shocking Catholics with your new approach to fundraising.

The #1 factor why you aren’t getting more donors

This is the where most Catholic charities fail. They find a group of Catholics who have a general interest in their work and immediately ask. If the response is “no thank you”, the charity forgets about them and goes looking for another group (or parish) to ask.

This becomes a never-ending cycle of finding and asking.

I think this is wrong because you associate your relationship with someone on whether or not they immediately give. I’m going to assume that, as a fellow Catholic, you see the fault here. We as Catholics don’t base our relationships on what we can get out of others.

That’s utilitarianism.

Utilitarianism is a civilization of production and of use, a civilization of “things” and not of “persons”, a civilization in which persons are used in the same way as things are used. – Pope John Paul II, Letter to Families, 1994

We as Catholics are to base our relationships on the dignity of the other person. We focus on willing the good of the other.

Check out my article on the fantastic book: Why Catholics Don’t Give … and What to Do About it.

Why long-term relationships equals more donors

Your number one priority to increase your number of donors is retention. Retention is keeping a donor year after year. Most Catholic organizations don’t look at retention, and that’s why each year they are frantically looking for donors to reach their end of year target.

They have no idea how many of last year donors gave this year. They don’t know why they stopped giving. They don’t know why they continue to give.

In fact, they don’t know much at all about their donors. These are serious problems that must be resolved quickly.

You have to switch to a different approach to your donors. With the technology that we have today, there’s no reason you cannot contact each one individually and get to know them.

Email costs nothing.

Phone calls cost very little.

All you have to do is manage your list of donors. That’s it.

Will it require some time and effort on your side? Absolutely. But the return on receiving long-term sustainable funds is exponential. I know no better way to increase your funds than this way. As you keep more of your current donors, you spend more time to find donors that help you grow rather than just replace donors that leave.

So the question is: do you know the percentage of last year’s donors who are giving this year? If you don’t, or if it takes you a while to find it, I recommend you start accessing this information more quickly.

Take a minute to read my article on how to inspire Catholics to give more financially.

Example: I’m not lying. Check the numbers for yourself!

To show you how important retention is, let’s do the math. For every one donor that stops donating, you have to find two just to increase your number of donors. So if you have 100 donors, and 50 stop giving, you have to find another 100 to increase your donors to 150.

This means you spend 50% of your time getting back to your original number of 100 donors, and the other 50% of your time growing your number of donors to 150.

That’s pretty inefficient.

It is a lot more work to find new donors than it is to keep the ones you have. Therefore, we can assume you are spending about 75% of your time looking for 50 donors to replace the ones you lost, and 25% of your time actually looking for ones to increase your fundraising level. This is why I said in the beginning that if you are just looking for new donors, you are climbing up a mountain and this strategy is exhausting. Instead, focus on who God has already given you.

Consider this Catholic approach to relating with your donors

My recommendation is to focus your time on your current donors. Build relationships with them. Learn who they are. Thank them often. Listen to them. Find ways to get them more involved than just financially.

When you make every effort to keep your donors, you don’t have to find two new donors to grow. Therefore, you can spend more time to find donors.

You just have to find one after another. That’s much easier to do.

The Catholic way of developing relationships with donors and increasing your donor base requires more prayer, more attention to the person, and more willingness to depart from the formalities of conventional fundraising.

Pray – Take a piece of paper, separate it into 12 columns, one for each month, and reflect on how you can express your gratitude to your donors each month. How can you say thank you without attaching a donation request to your message?

Pray – Whether it’s offering Mass for your donors, saying a rosary, or praying for them at adoration, find your ways to bless them. Also, tell them that you are doing it. Share with your donors the different activities you do for them. Have them get involved.

Pray – I also recommend that you intercede for your donors. The best way to do this is by asking them for feedback and doing small tasks for them. Ask, “how can I better serve you and thank you for your generosity?” Then, take action.

Ask – Ask your donors to stay donors. Keep track of your retention. Follow-up with each donor. Track when their year anniversary of donating is coming up and reach out to them in advance. Let them know how thankful you will be if they continued giving. Then start looking for more donors, as you will have more energy and time to do so.

 

Question: How long does it take you to find your retention rate?