Raising money – no matter the cause – is so much more than dollars and cents.
It’s about the change that all of us want to see in the world. It’s about the hearts and desires of donors, fundraisers, charities, and citizens.
In this article we’ll explain how cause-driven fundraising helps to engage many more donors as we look to do good in the world together.
Why cause-driven fundraising works so well
Put simply, cause-driven fundraising is all about making sure that the fundraiser, the charity they represent, and the donor, all have the same values.
All these groups are stakeholders in the collective decision to donate – and they all benefit when they believe and desire the same things about changing things for the better.
A key part of this way of thinking is that you get fundraisers to represent the charities that they’d be inclined to support, even outside of their volunteer or staff capacity.
But we’ve consistently found that cause-driven fundraising isn’t just a nice idea: it delivers impressive results.
Because when you start with the heart, you gain two things immediately.
- Trust
When the person on the other end of the phone line or info table asking for a donation clearly cares about the organisation they’re representing, you’re not worried about ulterior motives or shady practice.
You can tell that they’re simply looking to get like-minded supporters on board, which brings transparency, and more importantly: trust.
- The opportunity for real relationship
Flowing out of that trust is the opportunity for fundraisers to build beautiful little relationships with these new potential supporters.
When you’re interested in someone as a person first, it means there’s no rush towards the ask, there’s no harassment, and there’s no stress at the donor’s end.
There’s the chance for genuine conversation and – even if it only lasts for the one interaction – a real relationship.
To put all that together: there’s no one better to advocate for a charity than someone who backs the cause all the way.
Yes, the single best way to inspire others is to approach them from the heart.
Cause-driven fundraising is an authentic and genuine approach that leads with a person’s desires for good in the world, then the organisation’s mission, and finally the donation ask.
Getting things in the right order is critical!
(And for what it’s worth, it’s why at Cornucopia we always make sure that we’re 100% on for the mission of each of our charity partners before working with them.)
Building strong links where everyone benefits
There’s another way of putting this idea of aligning the values of the donor, the fundraiser, and the organisation.
It’s called the Ben-Don chain.
It’s built through cause-driven fundraising: when the fundraiser connects a new donor to a charity, they’re building a relationship all along the chain, from the donor to the fundraiser to the organisation all the way through to the beneficiary who receives the help they need.
By keeping the chain linked permanently, everyone involved will enjoy the abundant benefits of fundraising.
Because there’s nothing more worthwhile than playing your part in making the world a better place.
Cause-driven fundraising presents us with an opportunity to share our heart for the social good space and support charities in making a real difference in the world – and to benefit from that experience as well.
If you’d like to find out more about how you can play a part in making the world a better place at Cornucopia, check out the ‘Be a Changemaker’ section of our website today.
