20 Questions to Get Better Donor Relationships and Be a Better Leader

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How to be a better leader, AND get better donor relationships?
Recently I was chiding a friend of mine for not asking better questions. THEN I realized that I had been ashamed myself, for not asking better questions, for literally years. I had a friend who was a master question asker. He always did it in a way that helped you understand what your problem was, without shoving it in your face. His questions… asked gently… helped you come to your own conclusions. I was truly grateful to him every time he asked me these questions. He spoiled me for other question askers who asked nothing deeper than “how is your day going today?” or “can I get you a glass of water?” Oh man. Questions are everything.
People crave to be known, to be seen for their striving. It’s a basic human need that doesn’t often get acknowledged. That business leader on your gala committee might be wondering, “Does anyone see how hard I work? Does anyone care?”
Asking good followup questions show that you’re listening and that you truly care. Asking about people’s deeper motivations can allow you to see what their values are. Better questions help you determine if you want to take that next step with them, and offer them the opportunity to be your major donor.
When you ask good questions, they can take your relationship from a handshake to a hug. And incredible questions can take your $50 donor to a $5,000 donor.
What are some good questions you can ask right now, of donors and staff, to be a better leader? READ ON!
These two lists I’m about to share with you are not exhaustive lists, if you have better questions you want to ask people, PLEASE leave them in the comments.
But good questions aren’t just for donors.
We need to ask good questions of our staff as well.
When we take that step of asking good questions of our staff, they will make leaps and bounds in their motivation, in their excitement about coming to work each day, and be even more engaged in the jobs they love to do.
To find out what people’s strengths are, check out Go Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham. Learning your strengths are a really good start to get clear on how to develop better relationships with your team. But if you’re impatient and want to start now, these questions below are a good first step.
If you are hungry for more than just questions, I’d love to help you get better staff rapport and raise more than ever before! Get coached to help your team perform better or learn about the Entrepreneurial Nonprofit.
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