Looking for Donors in All the Wrong Places?

What if I told you that you already have all of the donors you need? Sound far fetched? It isn’t.

There are three places you should always be looking for donors. And it isn’t even outside your own contacts.

1. Your Current Donors

The people most likely to give to your ministry are the people who are already giving. They believe in your ministry so much, they gave you a gift two months ago. If they gave once, it stands to reason that they might give again a second time to your ministry, which obviously connects with their interests and passions.

Or, it might be a good time to pick up the phone, let them know how much their giving makes a difference and invite them to consider a monthly pledge.

2. Your Past Donors

Specifically, take a look at donors who gave last year who didn’t give this year. Get back in touch.

Connect with them in a personal way. And create a plan to lead them to a gift. What kind of plan? The kind of plan you make when you’ve found the girl you want to marry. First, you go on some dates. Also known as, get to know the donor and let them get reacquainted with you as a person and as a ministry. Talk about marriage and what that looks like. Also known as, begin sharing the problem your ministry is solving and how you are addressing that problem. Finally, pop the big question — ask them to marry you! Also known as, invite them to partner with you financially to see significant impact in a life or community.

3 Your Current Contact List

Who do you send mailings to? Who do you send emails to? Do some digging and find out who on those lists has never given a gift to your ministry.

THE PEOPLE MOST LIKELY TO GIVE TO YOUR MINISTRY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY GIVING.

Most likely you’ve been communicating with some them for a long time. So, it wouldn’t be out of line to send them a personal letter or email asking them to consider giving a gift to your ministry for a specific, urgent reason. You may even consider segmenting your email list to send more targeted communications in the future.

If you'd like to learn more about gaining financial partners, check out our e-book.

Russell Cooper, Co-Founder