Nonprofit Fundraising

Building Relationships to Support Your Fundraising Efforts

From program staff to donors and beyond, relationships are the foundation of your fundraising.

Author at a chamber of commerce community event. Photo credit: Author

I have said many times that I love the “R” word, meaning that I love the word “relationship”. It’s especially important in nonprofit fundraising.

It is a word that too often is overlooked by fundraisers and professionals in philanthropy.

That really needs to stop.

If you are passionate about your organization’s mission, get into solid relationship with people.

If you want to rock your budget, build relationships with your donors. And program staff. And community members.

If you want to build a source of revenue that that your organization can count on, make sure your donors know that you care about them. Make sure your program staff know how you’re fundraising, and include them while building relationships with donors.

How does one go about this?

Call donors. That’s right. Next time you get an email from a donor asking a question, call them with the response.