Posted 9/18/21
I have delivered a significant number of presentations as a salesperson in the business world, mostly promotional with the goal of satisfying specific needs of potential customers. I have also performed presentations in fundraising to attract donors, which requires an approach that differs from business. Fundraising through public speaking is equivalent to an Annual Fund strategy of trying to secure donations from a number of people at once, like an Annual Appeal letter, whereas major gifts try to connect with larger donors individually over time (although a major gift donor could emerge from the audience of a general fundraising presentation).
Here are some of the approaches I utilized to fundraise though public speaking.
Working in my first fundraising position with the United Way, and making presentations to corporate employees, was both a great training ground and a unique challenge. Because it involved “one-shot” within a 5 to 20 minute time slot, the presentation needed to be highly impactful and influential right out of the blocks.
The first strategy I use, which would be useful in presentations to any organization or group, is storytelling. Unlike business, where the perceived satisfaction of a need is crucial, fundraising often requires an emotional connection in order to garner donations. Some fundraisers attempt this connection with “sob-stories” which can be effective, yet I feel can also be depressing. The approach that seemed to work for me was a positive description of the work done by the organization, the successes and beneficial impact on those in need, especially members of the local community. It is often a natural attraction for humans to feel connected to something successful as well as being part of a group that is making a difference. I made sure that I communicated the positive stories regarding the great work. This was one of the approaches I implemented (which also works in speaking to community groups and others as well).
The second strategy that I use is defining the group to whom I will be presenting. As the speaker, this is key as a group of accountants would tend to respond better to numbers or successful statistics in my messaging (for example; how many people were helped, what percentage of a group is benefitting). Church groups, on the other hand, might be more emotional and empathetic regarding the good feeling expressed by recipients of assistance. This would require a more emotional type of approach. The list goes on, engineers might appreciate numbers, business groups like the Rotary might identify with the impact on the local community, and so on. To be safe, the best presentation would include a mix of all types of messages, based on different personalities so that you can connect with a more diverse crowd, but I found it more beneficial to attempt a connection if I had an idea of the types of individuals and how many specialties were in the audience. In my experience, it works very well and has been well-received.
Finally, I included an emphasis on the basic human need of belonging to something special. In other words, developmental psychologist talk about the importance of inclusion and identification within groups for the healthy growth and development of young people, and this continues into adulthood. People in general usually feel better about donating to an organization if they know others are also participating. There is a comfort in this understanding. Now, this can be exploited and unfortunately has been by certain organizations in the past, but I was genuine and transparent in knowing that the United Way and other organizations did do good work and that there were a significant number of donors participating. Every organization to which I worked (large and small), had a strong commitment to the mission and a significant donor base, making it easier for me to present that enhanced benefit to those in need.
These strategies worked for me and I hope you find them helpful in your own efforts to fundraise through public speaking.