We all know the decision to make a financial contribution is more rooted in emotion than in hard, cold facts. Yet the message many nonprofits send to their prospective donors are exactly that. Bridging the gap between the business and process of fundraising, and dealing with the emotional appeal of your donors is so important! And research shows, if your listener does not trust you, your message has a snowball’s chance to get through. Here’s an excerpt from my most recent enewsletter titled Fundraising is a risky business.

This is a complex business, not solved with one magic pill or tactic. But there are some simple ways to bring emotion into your interactions, and encourage your prospects and donors to care and above all, act.

Guess what? They involve taking a few risks:

Give up – Let go of the misguided belief you can change the world by changing minds. Your mission is to provide opportunities to make a difference to those who believe in your cause enough to give to you. And while their belief may be partly based on rationale, their motivation is almost always emotional. The key is to focus your efforts on the people who are aligned with your organization’s values and work, and not to spend time trying to persuade people who just aren’t interested. Read the rest here.

Speaking of trust - it appears I wasn’t the only one recently pondering this essential ingredient. See what Katya says about the triangle of trust.