“A donation’s intent is driven by a personal emotional connection and a sense of urgency. Trust is the table stakes,” Rosenbaum said. “And the good news is, communicating that sense of impact and communicating that you're delivering on the mission of the gift of that giver happens to also build trust, so that you are using data to inform an emotionally impactful story.”
When that mission is poorly conveyed, it creates missed opportunities and lost ground; for instance, Rosenbaum said he was recently told by a fundraiser that a benefit of donating was that it would decrease the cost of fundraising.
Perhaps for that reason, Classy Collaborative was filled with useful statistics on fundraising and other topics, all of which spoke to a broader goal of reaching desired audiences in the most effective ways possible.
2. The Power of Bringing Disparate Parties Together
Deesha Dyer, the main keynote speaker during Classy Collaborative’s first day, didn’t have a traditional education, but nonetheless found opportunities in the nonprofit sector that ultimately led her to becoming White House social secretary during the Obama administration.
Dyer, who was working on her community college degree when she was chosen for the White House job, said that it was her experience as a unifier in the nonprofit sector that got her in the door. She emphasized that nonprofits need to embrace a foundational rethinking, something highlighted by recent geopolitical events, including the death of George Floyd.
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“Bring some new people in. Look at how the world has been shaken up. Right? Look at where we are right now,” she said. “We need you. We need your brilliance. We need your confidence. We need your ideas. They may not seem like they're status quo ideas, but bring them to the table. Bring up, speak up and say what you have to say.”
One powerful way that nonprofits excel at bringing together people and resources is through stronger donor engagement, including the advanced use of peer-to-peer fundraising strategies that draw new types of people, including donors and volunteers, into the fold.
