Asking individuals for donations may be one of the more difficult parts of your job. You need to develop the interpersonal communication skills to effectively convey your organization's needs, and convince the potential donor it is a worthwhile cause to support. According to consultants Bernard Ross and Clare Segal, understanding the donor relationship at the psychological level may one of the keys to success.
In their new book, The Influential Fundraiser, Ross and Segal address a number of questions:
-What motivates donors? What factors may cause them to loose interest?
-How do you develop the confidence and positive state of mind that will assure donors?
-How can you use your body language to build rapport?
-How can we determine quickly whether your donor is a visual or auditory person?
In addition, Ross and Segal explain how fundraisers can deal with rejections, emphasizing that timing is important when assessing donors’ decision-making strategies.
Find out more in The Influential Fundraiser: Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Achieve Outstanding Results, published by Jossey Bass.
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