My Communities

Fundraiser is all about transaction

I knew that stories matter more than statistics, but I had not appreciated the extent this was so. What makes this difficult is because from experience, most donors that I have worked with seem to put so much emphasis on statistics, such that sometimes it ends up being like a ticking box exercise. There is very little investment from donors in the recipient of funds telling stories. So this TRUTH that stories often matter more than statistics was very welcome.

I think No. 2 was the most surprising to me because I never realized that ordinary people could become a donor.

While it is interesting to learn about the myths, I am not sure I fully agree with all the points.

Eg. statistics are as important as the stories. If it is just stories, does not reflect the organisations work and its works wider impact. But again, it depends on individual values and objectives of the donor

A great fundraiser is an individual superstar- While it is comforting to learn any determined human being can be a great fundraiser, it takes less effort for a determined superstar to raise more funds in less time. We can take an example of social media influences, famous personalities.

Also, in some contexts I believe there is a giver and a receiver. As per my experience, often it is the donor which has an upper hand.

This myth also caught my attention, most of the times we underestimate the support we can get can get from people around us.

I was most surprised about not telling your donor as much as possible. When I think about Tom's reasoning behind this statement, it makes sense, but it the past my mindset was to tell them as much as possible so they understand your platform. The transition to connecting what you talk to people about to their individual interests makes a lot of sense. People are more likely to invest in something they are individually passionate about.

I agree with this Selama! In my experience donors are extremely interested in statistics and data that reflect success because it is so concrete. They often want to know specifics about numbers and how their donation helped to attain those numbers.

Myth 4 surprised me the most because I always thought you need to do as much as you can, to present your organization, helping the donor see how the work you are doing is in line with their interest and making them see why your organization is suitable for their funding. I thought you need to do all to sell the work you do.

I too was more than awed by that myth 2 of fundraising

I was also surprised about Myth No. 2! I liked how the lecturer gave a clear insight regarding the issue

I am new to professional fundraising, to be honest the 7 myths looked to true to me and they have enhanced the little fundraising skills I had. They have even motivated me to complete the course.

Myth number 4 surprised me because in the past when my team has written a grant proposal or met with a funder, the goal was always to get as much information in as possible. Now I realize that it would be more effective to research more about the funder beforehand and structure the application around their interests and goals while also providing space to get to know them on a more personal level to create that connection.

I was most surprised by myth #2 because knowing rich people does give some kind of advantage. I look forward to learning about how to not get caught up in that myth and focus more on reaching out to the general audience.

I was so surprise to learn about myth 4. I have always thought that the more and longer you tell about your organisation and what you do is the way to get funding. Now I know better.

@JuniorObonyo said in Module 1 Discussion: The 7 Myths of Fundraising:

I was most surprised to learn that myth 5 was not true because I have always thought that statistics and facts are the only things that donors look for in proposal. One question I have about myth 4 is how is that telling less of your organization better ? .

While statistics & facts would give credibility to the organization, it would be powerful stories that would draw people to the cause. I have seen how important all of these are to gain traction to the programme & also secure donors.

Greetings!
I was really surprised to learn that myth 4 wasn't true: because, I had always believed that, a way of persuading donors to give to your cause was to tell them as much as possible about your your vision and organisation.
Now I clearly understand that, purely sharing information that aligns with the interests of the potential donor is what really matters.
I would love to ask, how do I access a list of international donors that can give to a major humanitarian cause??

MYTH 4 : I was surprised that "You should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible" I thought providing more information about your organization to the donor is key

I already had some knowledge on some of these myths, but the one that surprised me the most was n. 4!

I was surprised to learn that myth 1 was not true. I now believe that cash is not the only purpose of fundraising.

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I assumed that they wanted to know as much as possible from my organization and project.

I actually thought it was all about the organization receiving but I know better now

It is hard to believe that myth 7 is not ture. The internet has changed every aspect of everything. It has to have changed fundraising in some ways.

I was surprised to know more about myth#4.and knowing that You need to hear and understand the donor's story more than telling your story. Donors and people in general like to talk about themselves.

I was not surprised by any of these seven myths. I just liked how they was explained and how they was presented by Tom Wolf. What is more messing for me in this first module is how to consider this realities when it’s about to respond to a call for project where the donors specified more precisely what is are the criteria’s for selecting the project they want to fund.

Great information, thank you !

In fact this module is very deep in meaning, I have been making a lot of mistakes in fundraising.
I have really learnt much .
Myth 2 is a very shocking to me because I always thought fundraising is by knowing only rich people.

I was also surprised by myth 4. I've always thought that giving a lot information about the organization was a key fact.

Agree. Many NGOs don't even think about thanks because it's expensive but in long term is tha best.

I am cleared now about fundraising. I used to think fundraising is for business people too in order to make money, this is a myth. Fundraising is about soliciting support to help disadvantaged people or to provide a solution to a particular problem existing or plan to exist without a personal gain

Myth number three.... the statement one person gives and another receives - seemed correct to me until further into the study when I realize it is so much more than that...and surprisingly we had already disproved that in our own day to day operations.
Every one of our donors receives a thank you for their gift along with a story about how their gift impacted the life of someone in need. It lets the donor know their gift was appreciated and important and how someone's life was changed...the reason they gave in the first place!

For me, the myth that "You should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible" caught my attention as I earlier assume that giving as much as possible narration about your WHY and WHAT in the pitch deck is essential.

i am surprised by myth 1 and 2 because i initially thought that fundraising is all about mobilizing for resources that will help meet your cause but now when Tom tells us that is all about cash i remain surprised. for myth 2 i though when very many not rich and rich people give generously what they can, when put together can push meet your financial goal but when i hear that fundraising is all about knowing rich people i remain surprised.

I have really learnt a lot from this module.Most of the questions I had about fundraising has been answered.

I have really learnt a lot from this module.Most of the questions I had about fundraising has been answered.

I also thought so until I took this course

I was most surprised to learn that myth 1 was not true because before now I have the notion that fundraising is all about money(receiving only cash from donors) not until now that I have learnt about ''The 7 Myths of Fundraising'' that I know that though money is the most obvious form of support but fundraising could be in form of people donating their time, manufactured goods, food etc. which simply means donation in Kind. One question I have about myth 3 is that, how is it applicable to an NGO because my understanding is that an NGO is a charitable organization which only gives to the society but in this Module, we were taught that one person gives while the other receives in other words, it is a purchase and sale involving exercise. Please I need more light on this.

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I assumed that you wanted to educate and try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible so that the donor has all the information needed to make the decision to donate to your organization. One question I have about myth 6 is how do you build a team so that there is not just one individual “superstar” fundraiser?

I never knew, I thought only donor give but myth number three revealed to me that fundraising is a transaction in which each side gives something to the other, relationship is taking major role here.

i am surprised by myth 1 and 2 because i initially thought that fundraising is all about mobilizing for resources that will help meet your cause but now when Tom tells us that is all about cash i remain surprised. for myth 2 i though when very many not rich and rich people give generously what they can, when put together can push meet your financial goal but when i hear that fundraising is all about knowing rich people i remain surprised.

I found this module 1 is really helpful and I have learned a lot of myths that people are assuming about fundraising. I think the myth number 4 is a tricky and difficult one to practice because most of us will want to talk about ourselves, so it is easy to make a mistake when we don't let the donor or don't know the way to encourage them to talk about them. Instead, we often talk about what we have done or what good parts when donors donate. Therefore, I think myth number 4 is very important for me to keep in mind. While myth number 7 seems easy to take, but hard to inform as well because what I see in front of my eyes is that yes, internet has changed the way people do fundraising, but look more deeply the main core still remain. Thank you so much.

Providing clarity around these 7 myths by Tom's enables one to embark on a fundraising exercise with greater confidence. The shared work-arounds greatly contribute to enlighten a simple process that would assist small organizations and other involved parties in securing support for community oriented projects, often ignored by "institutional" classic donors.

I always thought fundrising was all about knowing rich people , this module has taught me otherwise.
It can be started from family and friends.

Knowing the projects is important, this way you will know that you support and get more involved in the project.

@dahernandez, you have made the right assertion. The importance of the project would always warrant the right attitude towards its execution.

@dahernandez, you have made the right assertion. The importance of the project would always warrant the right attitude towards its execution.

I was most surprised with myth five that when you're making your case to a donor, statistics and facts are the only things that matter. I am gland that the module enlightened me to include stories, mostly related to what the target donor does. I would also like to as why donation of "in kind" items is considered as "fund" raising.

Myth 5 was a great lesson to me too. I think telling less of your organization is good to avoid diverting from the interests of the donor. It also gives you enough time to listen to donors and know how to finetune your fundraising documents and processes to match the donor's interests.

I had a genuine belief that numbers and statistics are more reasonable and logic than telling storey, now I knew that is completely wrong

I once believed that myth 2 was the only way of fundraising but through this course I have been able to learn and know that you don't have to know rich people to be an effective fundraiser.

Fundraising is more than getting cash but can also be inform of donated items and in-kind gifts

I was excited to read myth number 5. I've always known that numbers and statistics were important to show growth, but it also got me thinking "How often are those numbers and statistics updated?". In my mind, that aspect is important. Say, someone has been following and donating to your organization for two years. The first year they think "Those numbers are impressive" but the next year they see the numbers and they are exactly the same as the previous year, it may leave the donor questioning what how their donation is helping.

Myth number three.... the statement one person gives and another receives - seemed correct to me until further into the study when I realize it is so much more than that...and surprisingly we had already disproved that in our own day to day operations.
Every one of our donors receives a thank you for their gift along with a story about how their gift impacted the life of someone in need. It lets the donor know their gift was appreciated and important and how someone's life was changed...the reason they gave in the first place!

Great insights here, i always thought fundraising was a one sided type of giving. I thought it was all about one person giving, and another person recieving but i have learned that every one is actually having something to give. The donor gives money, the organization gives them an opportunity to change lives and make the world a better place to be.

Myth number three.... the statement one person gives and another receives - seemed correct to me until further into the study when I realize it is so much more than that...and surprisingly we had already disproved that in our own day to day operations.
Every one of our donors receives a thank you for their gift along with a story about how their gift impacted the life of someone in need. It lets the donor know their gift was appreciated and important and how someone's life was changed...the reason they gave in the first place!

To be honest i learned a lot about these 7 myths of fundraising as i have never tried to raise funds for an initiative. However, myth number 2 really caught my attention as i learn that not only the wealthier people should be a source of funding to an initiative.

I was surprised about myth #4

Responding to Marlene, I agree it was interesting to think that we don't have to tell a potential fundraiser everything about our organization, and in fact we would do well to listen a lot to a potential fundraiser. It makes sense, because we would do well to develop a working relationship with a fundraiser, and this requires that we are able to communicate with each other and develop a certain level of trust in each other.

Hello,
I was most surprised with the 4th myth as i really thought that talking about your project and giving all the necessary details to cover all basis was a good way to get the donor to buy into your project. After hearing what was said I come to agree that drawing the donor in through allowing him to tell his own story and you make connections with that donor as to how your project or program is linked or beneficial to him/her is quite brilliant.

I also thought the same. This is my first time trying to set up a fundraiser and this fact caught my attention. I have to study my fundraiser model and analyzing into depth these concepts and adapt them to the cultural environment in which I am inserted. It is really interesting and a wonderful challenge!

the thing that most surprised me is that fundraising does not only mean know rich people, but know the right people to ask for

i learnt that what counts the most is finding a match with the donors

That's true, I've always believed in giving a lot of details of what the organization do, but I've come to realize stories from the beneficiaries are more valuable

I was most surprised to learn about myth 3. I understand that donation is to get money only.

I agree with you.

I was surprise to learn that you don't have to know rich people to be a successful fundraiser because fund raising is all about raising cash and other in kind donations. but now it is clear that one can raise fund even from those that are not known to him

The myth number surprised me. I thought what matters most to donors was statistics and facts which I learnt are very important to companies. Moving real life stories courts empathy and inspires donors to assist your cause.

Responding to Marlene, I agree it was interesting to think that we don't have to tell a potential fundraiser everything about our organization, and in fact we would do well to listen a lot to a potential fundraiser. It makes sense, because we would do well to develop a working relationship with a fundraiser, and this requires that we are able to communicate with each other and develop a certain level of trust in each other.

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I think that it's important to to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible. One question I have about myth 4 is, how will the donor give their money to some organization without knowing every single detail about it or it's projects?
Also, when applying for donations or submitting your proposals there many questions to be answered by the organization which will definitely require you to tell about your organization and projects.

One of the myths that surprised me most was myth #4. Granted this is definitely a topic that is new to me, I always thought that your donors should have a detailed understanding of your organization/project. One question that I have grappled with is the influence of donors on what the organization is doing, because if these donors have an input on how their funds should possibly be allocated, does this mean that they would expect to know a lot of information about the organization?

These myths demystify the whole fundraising efforts thereby giving prospective fundraisers an opportunity to target their respective funders as they pursue the course that will make the world better

These myths demystify the whole fundraising efforts thereby giving prospective fundraisers an opportunity to target their respective funders as they pursue the course that will make the world better

These myths are so real such that one must be mindful of them to realize desired results

These myths are so real such that one must be mindful of them to realize desired results

I wasn't familiar with these myths at all, so the whole explanation was really interesting, especially the parts about listening to your donors and thinking about what you and your organization can actually provide them with. I never really though about it this way.

I totally agree! Though it's also quite easy to understand why donors might be interested in talking about themselves and their own interests, the trick is that of linking the info they give you to information about the organization, so that it becomes an exchange, rather than just an explanation of what the organization does and how.

I have really understood fundraising initial I thought is all about getting cash but myth one and all the other myths have really taught me more about fundraising.
Thanks a lot for this course.

I have really understood fundraising initial I thought is all about getting cash but myth one and all the other myths have really taught me more about fundraising.
Thanks a lot for this course.

i was most surprise to learn myth 6 was not true because a great fundraiser is not an individual superstar but, its all about the team work.

I was so much caught off-guard by myths number one and two. These have now changed my perspective on how I consider and practice fundraising activities. Good niche achieved so far!!

Myth 3 is eye-opening. Once one understands and integrates it, his perspective of fundraising changes to partnership.

I learnt so many things from this course, I'm still fairly new to the the whole FR thing.
The course gave me time to reflect on so many things, and I'm so moved by this and I can't wait to put it all together.
The first myth was the one that shook me, I always assumed it was all about money. Definitely should change the name from Fundraising lol.
Although I've heard about in-kind donations.
Great lessons

I was surprised at myth 4 and 5. Always thought that it's all about giving as much information about my organisation as possible, but the course reveals that this has to be looked at in a larger context putting interests of a donor in consideration. About myth 4, thought it's about giving facts/statistics, but stories sell the organisation better.

I was so wrong about fundraising because I believed in all of those myths that Tom was talking, so I get most surprised to learn that myth "You should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible". My question is related to that myth, I would like to know what kind of information exactly I should give to all types of donors I have.

I used to think that fundraising via internet is very different with the usual fundraising. Knowing that fundraising via the internet holds many similarities to in person fundraising and the explanation on the complementarity of different team members in fundraising was awesome. I would say that I was aware of these myths but the explanation heard from the expert made very understandable to me

Before this course I was aware of most of these myths since I've had previous experience in fundraising, however, I was surprised by the clarification in myth 4. In the past i understood that its good to know your donors but they've also always wanted to know as much information about the organisation/campaign as possible. Now I see it is more important to know your donors than and direct the conversation onto them and their values/what they can do rather than just completing a "sales pitch" kind of thing.

Never really thought of fundraising as a bilateral transaction or of the importance of stories. Thought-provoking!

Very well noted @Athanase. I hope you are enjoying the course.

Well noted @Athanase, I hope you are enjoying the course.

Surely it is @Amat13.

@ednasofiah, please for the sake of clarity, the myth suggest you that a conversation with a donor is an opportunity to rather ask and know about them and their thoughts. You should be prepared to lead the conversation to their areas of interest. Look and listen to what they say and to an extent possible follow up on what they say. “A more direct way of connecting with your audience is considering not what you want to say, but what your audience wants to hear”.
I hope this helps.

@vmusiimenta, your response indicates you good understanding of the subject matter.

I believe myth#3 is the most common mistake that organizations have and which, unfortunately, might be one of the main reason it is difficult to retain donors on a longer term.

I was really surprised that Myth 4 was untrue as I had thought. Realising that the donor has to talk significantly has revolutionised my thinking of me being the talker to impress the donor. I will practise being moderate with my explanations and listen more to the fundraiser so that I will know the areas of interest of the donor, and possibly some of his circle members who might be of help to my cause.

I always thought that money was the most important matter to the fundraising campaigns but I am learning hhere that are many more important things to do and help.

I was very surprised to learn that myth 2 wasn't true because we generally don't even try with people with lower financial potential. I really thought until now that I needed to have a network of contacts of rich people to be able to increase my network of donors and I understood with this module that it is not true and that having a network of contacts that promote the organization is much more important.

A question I have about myth 2 is: How do I engage these potential donors since the culture of giving in Brazil still causes a lot of mistrust.

I was totally surprised to know myth 4 because before I believed that I should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible to fund.

I was surprised by myth number five, that its not facts and statistics that matter most, I have always tried so much and concentrated on facts and the statistics and not so much attention to beneficiary stories in my previous attempts to fundraise. Knowing that this was myth was a great insight.

I was supprised to learn that stories are as crucial as statistics and facts when it come to fundraising.

We all seem to be having wrong notion about fundraise, but thanks goodness we are taking this course.