7 Ways to be a Better Volunteer Fundraiser

Volunteering for an organization you believe in can be fun and rewarding. Occasionally, you may find yourself in a situation as a volunteer where it’s appropriate to ask a potential donor for a gift, which is no easy task. Here are seven tips for the budding volunteer fundraiser:

1) Ask another volunteer fundraiser from the organization to solicit money from you — We tend to feel uncomfortable when we ask people for money. That discomfort can make us less effective fundraisers. Having someone ask you for money before you ask others can break down this psychological barrier — you’re only subjecting people to something that you have willingly subjected yourself to already.

2) Request training — If the organization doesn’t have a formal training program for fundraisers, ask if it can arrange a sit-down for you with one of its experienced fundraisers. Also, ask to join this experienced fundraiser on a few of his/her visits to potential donors. Watching a successful fundraiser at this work is wonderful training.

3) Take advantage of ‘What have you been up to?‘ — When we bump into an acquaintance, he/she often asks what we’ve been doing with ourselves lately. That’s a wonderful opportunity to say that you’ve been volunteering with the nonprofit. If this person seems interested, suggest a time to meet. At the meeting, you might test the waters to see if he/she is interested in supporting the program with a donation.

4) Team up with another volunteer — Two fundraisers working together typically are more successful than one working alone. When a request for a donation comes from more than one person, potential donors tend to feel as though their community is asking them for money. Most people have a desire to feel connected with their communities.

5) Tailor your pitch — Discuss the organizations’s recent achievements with potential donors. As you do this, search for clues about the particular projects that interest this person. Did she ask questions about the town park beautification project? Did he perk up when you mentioned the future business leaders club your nonprofit sponsors for at-risk kids? Voice your own positive feelings about this particular project to build common ground. If the potential donor has given money to the organization in the past, thank him and say that his gift helped make this project possible. Now transition from what the organization has already accomplished to what it hopes to accomplish in the near future. Focus on projects similar to those that seemed to be of interest to this potential donor.

6) Mention a specific level of support that could be given — Potential donors often aren’t sure how much to give. Because people tend to respond to financial uncertainty with either caution or inaction, not being sure how much to give increases the odds that they will give either a very modest amount or nothing at all. The nonprofit should be able to provide guidance about the size of the donations that you could suggest. If you’re meeting with a potential donor who has given before, consider asking for a significantly larger amount than he has provided in the past. Explain that this larger gift will help fund the projects you discussed. Even if you don’t get the full amount you request, you’ll often get more than the donor previously gave.

7) Ask local business owners and professional service providers for donations — These people have a strong interest in aligning their names with doing good in the community. It makes them appear honest and well-meaning to potential customers.”

What approach do you take when it comes to fundraising for an organization you volunteer for but don’t work for directly? Let us know in the comments below!