Stephen King has raised over 20 million dollars a year for Amnesty International and spent 36 years as a CPA serving nonprofits. So when he says the fastest way to raise more money is to let your numbers tell your story, it’s worth leaning in – which is exactly what our episode of RelishTHIS with him was all about.
Here’s the core idea. The Society of Fundraising Executives found that if you show a donor the tangible result of their gift, you get higher average gifts and more frequent giving. So instead of “please give,” you use your real program costs to build asks people can picture. The Village Learning Center doesn’t say “support our programs.” It says $250 a month supports seven villagers with unforgettable activities, or $125 buys three of them a day of bowling, a movie, or a visit to the petting zoo. That only works when your finance and your marketing teams actually talk to each other – your cost-per-outcome data becomes your messaging. It’s a Connect-phase move that flows straight into Inspire.
Then there’s the recurring-giving mechanic I’ll be stealing. For donors your team can’t personally manage, take their highest gift over the last three years, multiply by 1.5, divide by 12, and ask for that amount monthly. A $1,000 annual donor becomes a $125 dollar-a-month recurring supporter – a higher annual total that feels smaller than their normal contribution and one that more easily survives economic downturns. Give the program a name (Amnesty called theirs Partners of Conscience), pull it from a bank account rather than an expiring credit card, and email a monthly photo of exactly what their gift funded (Save the Children does this REALLY well). That steady stream of support carries you through the August-September lull before the gala and is the gift that keeps on giving year ‘round.
And a gut-check for your whole development budget: measure fundraising like marketing ROI. Total dollars raised divided by fully-loaded costs, ranked by channel. Stephen notes events come in fifth – they’re for cultivating and honoring donors, not for making the money – while over 80 percent of giving comes from individuals throughout the year. Most organizations over-invest in the gala and under-invest in the personal solicitation and sustainer programs that actually pay.
Want to connect your numbers to your mission story and learn more about the Audience Engagment Cycle and Purpose Marketing? Mission Uncomfortable is free at missionuncomfortablebook.com, and your Purpose-Driven Marketing Score can be calculated at relishstudio.com/purpose-driven-marketing-scorecard. And, as always, if you need some help, give us a shout.
