Listening

The Heart of Donor Relations

There’s an art and a science to strategic meetings. Here is a great video called Having Strategic Conversations from Karen Osborne, on how to plan a strategic meeting:

When I was first starting out in major gift meetings, I remember being soooooo nervous. I wrote myself scripts which either resulted in my being tongue-tied or I talked for the entire allotted time. I felt wooden, the donors seemed confused as to why I was there, and bottom line: I wasn’t having impact.

But I learned a few things, the first being this science-based fact: people forget 90% of what you say, but they remember 90% of what they say. So, if you get the donor to say it, the likelihood is very good that they will remember. 

But, how do you help the donor to say the thing that will move their donation forward? How do you get them to disclose why they’re deeply passionate about the cause? Or how they want to make a philanthropic impact?

Learning about this approach completely changed the way I held meetings. Suddenly my meetings were more productive, more meaningful for the donor, and gave us more opportunities to genuinely connect. 

Now I love working with clients to help them structure meetings that are fun and productive.

by Emily Bocking, Associate, KEA Canada