The Fundraising Talent Podcast
Business:Non-Profit
Some of us don’t understand our donor’s decisions because we’re not listening. Today, Wanda and I wrestled with the question of whether fundraising professionals are taking the time to hear to their donors “money” stories. Wanda shared that by listening closely to the role that money has had in the lives of our donors, we are given an opportunity to resolve some of the other power dynamics that often surface in these relationships. What makes these conversations so important is that they afford the fundraiser insight into the nuances that inform their donor’s decisions and perspective that gift histories and wealth screening information cannot. While such data might enlighten us in some ways, we will never learn more than by sitting down, perhaps over coffee or lunch, and inviting them to share in this way.
Wanda and I also talked about why some fundraisers don’t afford themselves this type of opportunity in their work. I would venture to say these individuals often miss out on experiencing fundraising as exploratory work. I suspect that those fundraisers who feel they did not sign up to be curious chameleons struggle to identify with the person across the table and feel safer maintaining a transactional relationship. Rather than being invested in a genuine and meaningful relationship that can be counted on for many years to come, they would prefer to narrowly focus on the the gift at hand.
As always, we are very grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring The Fundraising Talent Podcast. And, if you’d like to learn more about hosting Responsive’s roadshow in your community, please reach out and let’s talk.
About our guest
Wanda Scott, CAP®, CFRE, Founder and Principal Consultant of Wanda Scott & Associates, is a fundraising and development professional with over 19 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector. Wanda has successfully led development and advancement teams in nonprofit and university settings and as a chartered advisor in philanthropy (CAP®) she has advised individuals on transformative philanthropic giving. Her passion for supporting professionals in fundraising is the catalyst for starting her business and joining national and local efforts to strengthen the fundraising field.
How can sector leaders improve the donor experience?
Are fundraisers becoming more discerning about where they can thrive?
Are nonprofit leaders designing resilience into their organizations?
What effect will the FTX Bankman-Fried fiasco have on fundraising?
Are fundraisers creating better roles for their donors to play?
Why are nonprofits afraid of their own obsolescence?
How does unseen diversity impact a fundraiser’s journey?
What if the gift economy informed more of our fundraising practices?
Should fundraisers let their board members off the hook?
Conversation w/ the editors of Collecting Courage: Part Two
Conversation w/ the editors of Collecting Courage: Part One
Are nonprofits underestimating the value they afford their corporate sponsors?
Can fundraising learn how to have higher expectations of relationships?
Are donors deliberately hoarding money in donor-advised funds?
How can fundraisers improve their outcomes by embracing the obvious?
Will the next generation of non-profiteers go about fundraising differently?
How can fundraisers ensure their organizations more than transactions?
Do our board recruitment strategies align with our DEI aspirations?
What if more nonprofits accurately reflected the communities they serve?
Does fundraising have a bad case of shiny new toy syndrome?
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