The Right Message Carries the Day
Today, I want to share a story with you. Technically, it isn’t a story about me — it isn’t about a client who followed my advice or a nonprofit that raised money with one of my videos. Actually, it doesn’t really have anything to do with me at all. But at the same time, I think that it’s a great illustration of one of the main things I’m always trying to argue: Passionate donors can take you places you’ve never even imagined.
Everything that I advocate for — doing your research to figure out where your ideal supporters are, finding the right language to communicate with them, building trust and a relationship through regular, authentic communication — is all in the service of that goal.
And this story proves just how big and unexpected the wins can be when you have enthusiastic supporters on your side.
The story of Magen
Magen is a nonprofit that fights on behalf of survivors (especially children) of sexual abuse. They focus on raising awareness, providing resources and support, and advocating for survivors facing social or legal challenges. They’ve had such a strong impact that they may seem like a bigger, more established organization instead of what they are: a fairly small-scale initiative with a staff stretched thin to accommodate a huge need.
In 2022, they had already been trying to scale up for some time, but this was a gradual process, and they were still so busy that the founder couldn’t even take the time to fundraise. Shana knew the organization needed the resources, but she simply didn’t have the capacity to take on one more thing. Other people encouraged her to let volunteers handle it: Let them run a crowdfunding campaign and take some of the weight off her shoulders. She agreed, but she was admittedly skeptical that there would be enough volunteer enthusiasm to pull off anything of significance.
She hadn’t counted on what it meant to have supporters who really had her organization’s back. The volunteers had said they would take care of everything, and they did. They marketed, they spread the word, and their passion and sincerity built up so much momentum that the campaign raised 100,000 NIS, and – more significantly in my opinion – brought over a thousand donors together before it even officially launched.
Magen had the support of people who really cared. And because they cared, they stepped up and made a huge difference. With these kinds of people in their corner, Magen received a windfall beyond anything they thought possible, with less effort on their part than they had ever remotely considered an option.
My takeaways
Most organizations treat fundraising as something to do in big bursts once or twice a year: Pull out all the stops, drum up some interest or sympathy, fill up the coffers a little, and then go back to all the million other things they have on their plate.
I believe that the donors you’ll draw in with these sporadic efforts are the kind who will toss you a few dollars once or twice before moving on to the next cause to catch their interest. In other words, they aren’t the kinds of supporters who are really invested in your success.
On the other hand, when you cultivate relationships with people who really think that what you do matters, they give more. They do more. And your work gets a boost you could never have even imagined. Just look at Magen. I believe that with the approach I espouse, you can bring your donor relationships much closer to the same kind of energy and enthusiasm that made their volunteer-led crowdfunding campaign possible.
As persistent as I am about this, I know it’s easier said than done.. It takes effort to find the right audience and keep them interested, and a lot of nonprofits are hesitant to put in that effort when things seem to be working well enough the way they are.
On the other hand, maybe they just haven’t realized how much better it could be.
If you’re looking for a worthy cause to give to right now, Magen is definitely worth your attention. And if you’re trying to figure out how to take your organization to the next level, it’s worth thinking about how you might benefit from a little enthusiasm.
