Are you missing the moment?
Very frequently when we work with clients, we encounter a fear that a narrow window of opportunity is passing to raise money for a specific cause due to factors that are beyond their control, such as a leader’s retirement or passing, a major anniversary, or external events like political scandals or natural disasters.
If this sounds familiar, we recommend you answer the following three questions to figure out if it’s the right time to act:
1. Would your donors appreciate the opportunity to give?
It’s always good practice to center donor interests in your giving efforts, and this question really gets to how you can provide a service to your donors due to an unforeseen event. The classic example here is the retirement or loss of a beloved member of your organization, and having a special giving effort to memorialize them can help donors process their emotions or express their appreciation for the person. However, your organization’s 50th anniversary is very likely less important to donors than it is to you.
2. Is your organization uniquely positioned to respond to an external event?
Say a supply chain issue emerges that makes food scarce or more expensive, and you work at a direct service organization with a mission to reduce hunger. Then yes, this would be a very clear opportunity for an effort to grow philanthropic support for your organization. But if your organization merely does something with food and it isn’t the primary focus—for example, feeds students on a residential campus—then no, this would not be a time for strong case-making.
3. Does this circumstance introduce an existential threat to your organization or its work?
To use a current example, if your organization advances diversity and equity work and the direction of politics threatens that work, then this is the moment to redouble your giving efforts. Your donors—wherever they fall on the political spectrum—have given to you because they believe in your work and they don’t want to see it undone. However, you also need to communicate a clear plan for how your organization will respond to today’s threats. Sounding emergency sirens may suffice in the near term but it won’t sustain deeper philanthropic engagement.
If you answer yes to any of the above questions, then you should seriously consider a fundraising effort in response to whatever event is unfolding. If you answer no to all of them, then don’t worry and save your energy for another day.
And remember, the classic development communications tools—a strong case for support, a communications toolkit, and a well-thought-out communications plan—will always help you create a moment conducive to fundraising, with or without any external pressure.
