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I really thought so too, naturally one would think selling its organization to the donor is what will get them interested to be involved and want to support. I really appreciate the wealth of Knowledge I've acquired here, Thanks
myth number for helped me a lot i was thinking of the opposite
Exactly what I thought prior to taking this class, I always thought I needed to sell my organization works perfectly to the donor to convince them.
It all makes perfect sense now.
I thought so too, but then listening to Tom I realized he was actually right, you need to give the donor ample opportunity to express himself so as to know his thoughts and opinions about your proposal and also what he/she is actually interested in.
@DesarrolloyLibertad, this is so true.
@Kaycee91, this is a clear indication that you understood the myths.
I am glad you have realized it finally @Kaycee91.
You are most welcome @I43_David
Quiet from the beginning i was believing that statistic and facts are the most important thighs that does make a difference and also will impress the donors, i was wrong, stories when expressed with soul are far more effective than the numbers
Actually Myth one, I always thought fundraising is only about cash. but now i have got a deeper understanding
None of the myths surprised me as this is mostly review and I have been fundraising for years.
I was surprised to lean that fund raising is all about knowing rich people, but my question is are all rich people philanthropist?
really, my question here is this. are all rich people philanthropist?
@DevaPrasad, you are not alone in how you felt the first time you came into contact with the myths, but in the end something good came out of it.
@melvinmattia251, NO!! rich people are not all philanthropist. However, there are some rich people who are philanthropist.
sure. that is always the case. not everybody has the spirit of giving. the few richest people in the world can feed the whole world but it is not happening due greed
@melvinmattia251, well said dear.
Donating to certain causes or projects can also provide visbility, credibility or be beneficial to the brand of the donor organisation. I belive that approaching fundraising as partnership building is very helpful in this sense.
I was surprised by myth 5, mainly because I always thought facts and statistics were the most important parts when presenting a project to potential donors.
@Camilla_P, you are right in your assertion.
@gabzambrano98, I am glad you are familiar with the knowledge of myth 5 as of now.
Very informative and well explained. I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I thought providing in-depth details about your organization/project was a priority. But it makes sense why it would not be entirely appropriate.
I truly believed that you tell the donor as much as possible about the organization and its mission and vision. It makes total sense to listen to the donor and see what their vision and mission is and tie it back to your organization's.
I agreed on donors number. But still should start with small number
I had always thought numbers are important to donors but this course has given me an insight on the importance of story telling.
@DPK, I am glad you have come to terms with the knowledge of the myths.
@awesome71, that is an effective way of reaching to the heart of the fundraiser.
@nacojohn, there is so much power in storytelling than it is in statistics and figures during fundraising.
Coming from a Sales background I usually try to bring in facts and numbers. People are usually more reserved. So I was surprised to rather engage in a conversation and let them talk most of the time... and tell them stories of how we made an impact.
@MajaM, that is exactly how things work in the "For-Profit" industry; you actually have to present all those facts in order to make a sale.
However, things are different in the "Not-For-Profit" world during fundraising; you would have to do much listening in order to align your presentation in the direction of the donor for impact.
I always thought that telling a donor as much about your organization or project as possible is a good idea. I am glad to learn that it isn't.
@Kepz, I am glad you have accepted the knowledge of the myths as you stated.
Happy to have completed this course. I will now proceed to take Tom's Master Fundraising Strategies course.
I only thought that fundraising is all about raising cash.
I thought that telling a funder everything about the project would glean more interest so it was interesting to learn that actually we should let the funder lead and bring the conversation to the project or organisation when opportune moments happen naturally.
I was surprised with the myth that you need to tell donors as much about your product as you can.
it actually surprised me too. i always thought you needed to sell your project or organization. It was very interesting to know I have been wrong all this time
@Kepz, that is a laudable decision. We wish you all the best in your endeavor.
@lekishonalex, now you know better that fundraising is not all about raising funds. There is much to it than meets the eye, hence the importance of this course.
@rozmjuguna, you are not alone in that state: a lot more people felt as you did when they took-up the course. However, it is best you concentrate on the acquired knowledge moving forward.
I agree with #2, my understanding was in line with the myth, i get clarification.
i am really surprised to learn about the myths as i used to always consider to be true. i am really delighted to know that fundraising is not all about money and rich people. i am relieved after studying about all the myths about funraising.
I'm delightfully surprised to discover that donors appreciate stories over statistics and facts. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, people need to feel an emotional response to the cause they're being asked to support.
@khushi_28, I am glad you appreciate the knowledge of the myths. Yes indeed! fundraising is not all about money and rich people. It involves any other thing either than money that can benefit one's cause.
@Klamb21, your conclusion captures the exact knowledge which the myth seeks to address.
I have always been at-the-ready with my Elevator Speech about my nonprofit. However, just like beginning sales tactics, listening to your potential donor and finding ways your nonprofit can connect with their interests is a tried and true way to ensure both the donor is happy with the relationship and is extra "sticky" for future donations or a continued partnership.
I'm delightfully surprised to discover that donors appreciate stories over statistics and facts. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, people need to feel an emotional response to the cause they're being asked to support.
I was not surprised by the myths but it is useful to have them all clarified in such a straightforward manner.
Myth #5 surprised by most because my original mindset was that is is best to use facts to show objective impact. But it makes sense now, because people donate to causes when it makes them feel good. Stories are vehicles for transmitting those good feelings better than facts.
learning the ropes , i had to grasp all the myths .
Well said @amckinnon.
I thought that giving as many updates as I can is the way to go, but myth 4 taught me the other way.
This is a great discovery for me especially with regard to myth 3: During a fundraiser, one person gives and another receives. I understand better that the most precious goods are intangible.
@HannaHHI, yes! storytelling is the surest way to go when fundraising.
@Yedoh, thanks for joining the discussion.
Till date I was of the opinion that money is the most effective donation that one can receive to make an impact, but after going through this course I realised that in kind donations not only in the form of cash but in the form of time, food, space and goods can equally create difference.
Question for myth 1 - For an organisation to sustain, in terms of paying salary to the employees or volunteers, how does it work for not-for-organisation?
Very much felt the same, especially having a robust M&E system. But I think just as effective communication employs "non-verbal" ques, likewise Effective Fundraising will require "Non-Statistical" elements especially success stories and prospects for scale-up.
When it comes to fundraising I have come to learn that inkind donations are also a way of fundraising that I have learned through this module
haaalloooooo guyss
I also used to think fundraising was for people who know rich people. I'm glad this course clarified it
I didnt know so much before but i'm now better enlightened as regards fundraising
Discussion on Myth No 4 is so enlightening
My key takeaways are from Myth No 1 and 4
i was surprised to find out myth number one is not true because i've always believed fundraising to be about raising funds. However am aware of in-kind donations
I'm familiar with these myths, but his explanations enlightened me.
nice and great
I was most surprised to learn that myth 3 was not true because my whole life, I thought that donor is volunteer who grant money without any personal demand... But if we get something, we give back as well... It's a mutual relationship...👍
I found interesting myth #3 "In fundraising, one person gives and another receives." Once the myth was debunked I can now see how it is a give-give relationship. And if tied to myth #1 on cash, it makes total sense. The cycle is about generating value to all those involved. One question I have is on myth #5: if an organization is just beginning its work and does not have many stories to tell what would you recommend to complement also scarce statistics and facts.
I was most surprised that myth 2 was not true because I always thought tan rich people were the key to raise money.
The 7 myths of fundraising was an eye opener to how and where funding can actually can be achieved. I was surprised that it was not stories of your achievement and successes mattered more than statistics.
knowing that fundraising was not all about getting cash but also includes IN-KIND GIFTS
@Mhizola, I am glad you do now. This shows how revealing the fundraising course is.
@Aciji, I am glad you know better now as you stated above.
@GracoParedes, that is an interesting and thought provoking question you have in the latter part of your submission. In such an instance, you could tell the potential donor how your cause will impact the lives of the beneficiary positively: you envisage the outcome of your cause if successfully implemented, and with all you have put in place to make it work, you narrate how the beneficiary will benefit.
@alihamza5579, I am glad you have come to terms with the knowledge of the myth.
@AnaLau, well now you know better that anyone can donate to a cause once the fellow is convinced to do so. And not necessarily the rich being the only ones to donate to a cause.
@goldenayacorp, though your assertion is true, it isn't entirely so. Your network must not only be limited to the working class, but all who can support your cause.
I was most surprised to learn that listening to donors is more important than 'bombing' them with tons of stories about our organisation. This helps create confidence.
Also the part about we need to be careful about accepting in-kind donation we don't need is important. We don't want to end up using lot of space for things that we don't need in the first place.
I also love the list of work need to be done with team effort. Fundraising is exhausting and sometimes there is not enough credit to the labor behind it.
I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I thought that donors would want to put their donations into organizations that they know very well. This definitely helps to restructure the way we have been writing proposals that seek funding.
I had also believed that online fundraising was very different than the traditional method. In certain ways it is, however, the basic principles appear to be the same, which kind of surprised me. You don't physically meet the donor but you do interact with them, so in that sense, it is the same.
To the great extent, I have always believed that you should always explain about your organization and your project when you have a conversation with a donor than what i have learnt today. Myth number 4 got me startled.
Apart from that Myth number 5 that truths and statistics are what matters also stood out for me, I have always believed in putting out the graphs and mentioning figures than narrating the stories to the donor.
Absolutely! We're working on expanding our network to find more people from who would like to support our cause.
Definetely number 4 suprised me the most.
This is the most enlightening one for me till now, cause it's not easy for me to know what should I tell, and what is not necessary
Learned a lot with this module and all your comments
Well said @rethzky.
You just nailed it @roncryer.
@LovemoreBanda, well you know better no; storytelling for fundraising is the surest way to go.
All the best in your endeavor @goldenayacorp.
Can you please share a little of what surprises you about the myth number 4 with us @edaputgul.
@proyectosimama, I am happy you acknowledged learning a lot from the myths. I hope you carry the knowledge along with you wherever you go.
I would have assumed that the donors would like to know as much as possible about the project or the oganization that they are going to fund, before they make that decision. @Yoofiquansah
Help me to have an more critical view of fundraising.
These are all myths I unknowingly held. Thanks God, they are now dispelled.
I had always believed that statistics were most important in fundraising campaigns. Tom makes is clear that stories have a better impact. In addition, I thought fundraising on Internet is totally different.
Based on myth 4 I was reminded that active listening is important in prospect donor engagement
I was surprise to know that You shouldn't always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible, i had thought its a platform to market yourself as much as possible
I was convinced that the myth n. 5. was true. I used to give statistics and pitches, but I will try now to change perspective/strategy and see how it works.
Initially I was convinced of the bellow myths:
Myth No 2: changing mindset with regards to reaching out to everyone despite their level of income. Also the iimportance of personal stories with regards to beneficiaries. This makes the cause more relatable,
I was surprised to learn that myth 2 was not true because my expectation was, that people would donate if they are able to and have enough money, but I was wrong. Each person can make a difference.