Invite True Partnership Through Honest Transparency

Getting to know your donors means getting to know their passions. What issues are your donors passionate about solving?

IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TRUE PARTNERSHIP, YOU NEED TO HAVE TRUE TRANSPARENCY.

Identify a problem you can solve together which matches your mission. In our last book, How to Get a Generous Response (Almost) Every Time You Ask, we discussed the concept of how the "hero" is only as great as the "villain" is bad. If the problem you're trying to solve isn't the worst villain your donor has ever heard of, then the solution really isn't going to appear to be that great and your donors aren't going to be motivated to fund it. Many times, individuals want to give to causes after hearing the problem because it's so devastating; so it should be.

I always encourage our clients to not hold back when sharing their ministry stories. Though it can be painful for you to share the reality of the situation at hand, it is more important for you to be transparent about the reality of the problem. Only then will people know the impact of their giving.

Don't hold back when sharing the problem you're trying to solve. It's the most important piece of your ministry to share. Want to read more? Get your own copy of the e-book here.

Russell Cooper, Co-Founder