Happy Sunday and welcome to this week’s issue of The Fuel Tank. 

In my career in business development and leading sales and marketing teams in the B2B world, I learned something that many people in nonprofit (and for profit) may not truly grasp.

It’s not the answers you give that set you apart, it’s the questions you ask.

Side note: The best questions are asked in person, or if needed, over video calls. That’s because one of the benefits of a deep question is that you get to see the physical response, the nonverbal cues that reveal so much. And then you get to respond with another, even deeper question after you have thoroughly listened to and digested the response. When I’d see one of my team members, after a discussion of what questions would help move the relationship forward, send an email with those questions, well, I’d want to pull my hair out (if only I had any left).

Questions prove to the prospect or donor that:

• You’ve done your homework

• You have a deep understanding of their situation

• You have a deep understanding of your mission

• You are someone worth sharing insights with

Now let’s get you all energized to ask some great questions as we head into a new week!

The Challenge Draining Your Nonprofit’s Engine

Too much nonprofit outreach has turned generic, automated, data driven and impersonal. Donor attrition is rising. New donors are getting harder to secure. Fundraiser turnover is high, further fraying the delicate bond between donors and the organizations they support.

People want to be heard. They want to be noticed. They want to be valued. And they want to be understood.

But, from what I’ve seen, nonprofits have their fundraising and development teams, and others in the organization, stop at high level info gathering, choosing to focus on demographics, donation history, and communication preferences. In many leaders’ minds, this is the information that will drive their approach.

And I’m not saying that data isn’t important. It is. But data doesn’t drive emotion. And emotion is what drives action.

Many organizations are seeing increased donor attrition, the inability to secure recurring donors and struggles to achieve needed funding, partially because they don’t go deep enough to build connections that turn into partnerships.

How it Might Break Down if Not Addressed

Being blindsided is the worst thing that can happen to an organization of any kind. And in the nonprofit world, leaders are being bombarded with data sources, automation tools, reports, surveys, thought leadership and more. And so they think they are doing the right thing when they can break down their donor demographics and psychographics into 12 different pie charts. They’re way ahead of the game!

Until they’re not. And the bonds start to break. And the fundraising and development team starts to panic, stress out and question that same leadership. It’s not so much as a boom as it is a slow, silent trickle of the battery draining from any momentum you might’ve once had.

And you may not even be aware it’s happening until…it’s already happened.

Igniting Some Ideas to Rev it Up

The groundbreaking idea to solve this issue? Conversations.

Live or virtual, quick or long lasting, with donors and prospects of all shapes and sizes.

But most importantly, what’s needed is a mindset shift. Away from simple data collection, and towards real curiosity and inquisitiveness. Be the one that asks the best questions, because in my experience, the best questions set you apart and win the day.

So, what are the best questions? Impact questions.

The ones that go deep, tie into emotions, uncover purpose and motivation.

The ones that explore the “why’ - my favorite question word (there’s a reason little kids ask ‘why’ over and over again).

The ones that start a partnership.

Because in the end, these types of questions get human beings to open up, to share insights, to confide in you what they may not confide in others. And that’s the start of building something special.

Insightful questions build trust. Just as importantly, they build comfort. Both are needed to forge the type of relationships it takes to uncover motivations and spur action.

Break away from the commonplace information gathering that everyone else is doing. Be the organization that everyone is talking about, and talking to.

Energizing Fundraising & Development Pros

There is NOTHING more fulfilling in fundraising and development than having a great conversation. Actually, that probably applies to life in general. Just think about it, if you, as a fundraising professional, could have more frequent and much deeper conversations with your donors and prospects. What would that do for your motivation, excitement and passion for your cause? The folks I’ve spoken with in nonprofits are frustrated by not being able to have enough dialogue with the right people.

But go back to what I said earlier. People want to feel heard. So if you ask the right questions to give them that feeling, think of the positive impact on them, which then reverberates to positive energy for you.

It’s Gonna Be OK - Here’s Proof

Converting Energy Into Action

One of the best exercises you can do is to come up a relevant list of impact questions - for current donors, for prospects, for corporate CSR officers. They should be very specific and should feel very personal to those doing the answering.

And don’t be afraid to ask some current donors what questions they WISH you would ask them. You might be surprised at how valuable that exercise is.

As you develop your list, remember:

It’s only important to them if they tell you it’s important to them - no assumptions.

And if it IS important, you need to gauge the impact - is it important enough for them to act, to act soon, to become invested?

Side note: When speaking with potential corporate partners, you have to uncover the motivations of both the individual contact (e.g. CSR Officer) AND the organization as a whole. A bit trickier, but the same concept.

(We cover questions in detail in my workshop, but if you’d like a list of sample questions for those three groups listed above, just shoot me a message or email and I’d be happy to send it over)

This Week’s White Hot Spotlight

Soi Dog Foundation

Headquarters: Phuket, Thailand

Summary: The Soi Dog Foundation works to improve the welfare of dogs and cats in Asia, particularly in Thailand. They focus on rescue, sterilization, and vaccination efforts to reduce the stray population and prevent disease.

What Makes Them Different: Their extensive sterilization program has significantly reduced the number of stray dogs and cats, and they also run a sanctuary for animals that cannot be rehomed.

Mission: To improve the welfare of dogs and cats in Asia, resulting in better lives for both the animal and human communities.

Storytelling: A New Lease on Life: A heartwarming (and heart wrenching) story from Soi Dog involves a dog named Cola, who lost his legs after being attacked with a sword. Soi Dog provided him with prosthetic limbs and rehabilitated him. Cola now leads a happy life and has even become an ambassador for the foundation, demonstrating the profound impact of their work.

(for anyone who knows or follows me, you know that the plight of abandoned dogs is near and dear to my heart)

That’s a wrap for this issue. The impact of deep questioning seems simple enough, but it’s often overlooked, or done incorrectly. Worse, many times there’s a false sense of security about what nonprofits are learning from their donors and prospects, when in fact they’re collecting data instead of building relationships.

So I leave you with one impact question before you head into your week. What one action are you going to take Monday morning to get in front of one key person and ask meaningful questions?

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Thanks for reading and here’s to moving the gauge from empty to full!

Dan