My Communities

The myth that surprised the most is myth number 4, I thought the donor should know as much information as you can offer for them to decide weather they are ready to give you money or not. But now I get it and it makes a lot of sense

Before enrolling for this course I thought that statistics and numbers were the only important things needed to convince a donor but after this course I've been able to learn that it is a false myth. I was also able to learn that donors most of the time are more interested in stories than numbers

The best part of this module was that it provided a very concise and comprehensive understanding of fundraising and how to actually go about the process. Using stories is definitely a much more efficient way of emphasizing a fundraising campaign and at the same time, it is also one of the most important steps towards understanding how people have standpoints about major theme areas and then capitalizing on it through the fundraising principles - making it an equal opportunity transaction where both parties benefit rather than it being a one sided exchange. This is important and must be appreciated.

indeed it is not about knowing rich people. initially, in life your trust and the way to relate with people matters. keep the friendship open and transparent with full trust, you will get support from different angles.

I have now learnt for long I believed in the myth that in fundraising, one person gives and another receives

totally agree with you

i had the same thought as well that one seeking funds speak more to justify the reason for the funding

I really enjoyed to learn about the myths and the clarification to demystify them.Especially myth 6,you need teamwork to succeed in fundraising.?

Great Sir.Me too thought so but the myths have widened my scope of understanding. I really appreciate this cause Dr Tom Wolf and entire philanthropy University.My brother let's keep fire burning.

In deed networks are created from known to unknown, everyone in your social space is valuable

I have always lived to believe that you should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible so that they can know you better but I have learnt that its about knowing more of the donor's interests.

In fundraising both parties give and take each other- and actual application on the ground of this approach would be a win-win for all.

yes, even small donations from a lot of people could do what we want. for that, this approach is very apt.

My kind of belief is far from the myths. Knowing rich people is not necessary when it comes to fund raising. As a matter of fact strangers could be of help in most cases.

1 was the most surprising.

What if you have exhausted all of your family and friends?

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I have always believed that Honesty is the best policy. After reading the logic shared by Tom, Am I disappointed? No I'm not. I still believe that Honesty is the Bestest policy. I think this Myth talks about being a good listener and answering to the point.
One question I have about myth 4: NO i don't I need to teach myself to be a good listener and answering to the point. By talking too much I can discourage a Giving Heart, Anyways no one or no organization is perfect.

Good question. There are Coworkers and Acquaintances. I guess that's a good Bank of contacts

Before this module I thought it was essential to tell donors all about your organisation and project to earn their trust but this module has given me a new insight to it.

Didn't know that myth 3 matters as much in fundraising but now I see it's importance

I wasn't really shocked to discover these myths, but the one that surprised me was number 4, that it's not necessary to talk about your project or organisation in detail, but rather find out more about the donor and find common ground or interest to anchor your funding request.

Fundraising is not just about raising Funds. Thank you so much for broadening my thinking on Fundraising. I'll keep this in my mind and share with my team We move forward.

I have to Unlearn this habit that me the great fundraiser is an individual superstar. It's Team Work all the way. Thank you for the learning

The 5th myth got me more surprised. I always thought it was a fact

The podcast by Tom on the 7 myths was very helpful. Myth number 4. "You should always try to tell the donor as much about your org or project as possible." Caught my attention. Moving forward I'll try balancing providing info on our org and listening to the potential donors.

I was also surprised by myth number two . I have always believed that donors are rich people. The way number 2 was explained has change my thoughts when sourcing for donations

this courses very usufull

Myth 4 surprise me as i believe to get the donor confidence its really important if donor is asking for some extra information about our organization we should provide them for better transparency

The course is designed beautifully and i have learnt a lot from the course

I was most surprised to learn that Myth 4 (You should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible) was not true because I have always believed that details are very important for anyone to understand what you're about, and for this reason, one should be ready to tell it all. One question I have about Myth 4 is, how much information is too much information.

I agree with this statement. And I'm motivated to start seeking support in this manner.

I was shocked to know that myth number two is not true ' Raising money is all about knowing rich people' and came to realize raising money begins with the inner circle as it broads. For example i may know few friends who are connected to rich people etc.

The podcast was really useful to recognize some scenearios that we don't approach due to the preception of non being capable enough or with the wrong expectations

I was most surprised by the myth - In fundraising, one person gives and another receives.
I always saw it as transactional but there is more to it than that. I am giving them my time, expertise, and the opportunity to share their gifts with others. They are receiving the gift of giving and making other's lives better, a connection to a bigger picture, and the ability to dig deeper into their compassion for others.

My myth was that facts and statistics is important but telling the stories are more powerful than facts and statistics
It is not so important to share everything with donor about the organization or project, but be a good listener leading the conversation and responding to donor as per their interests.

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I have always been told to tell donors as much about our organization so they are well informed about the work we do. One question I have about myth 4 is how much is too much?

The fourth myth caught me off guard because I always thought that the more data & stats provided, the better the impression generated. If I'm understanding this correctly, we should blend in some real life stories & events in addition to the stats & figures to enrich the presentation & make it more attractive. Plus we should also pay heed to what the donors have to say as well while we present to make it more interactive.

I was surprised that we shouldn't provide every detail about our organization or the processes going on to our donor. It makes me realize that sometimes not every donor needs as much information and we should be more preceptive of the actual needs of our donor so to our time and theirs

Myth #7 The internet has completely changed. how has it changed? does it mean we shall not be able to get access to the donors because of the internet? more clarification on the myth #7

I was a bit surprised to learn that myth 3 was not true because I thought fundraising was about getting people to give something to you. Though it makes sense that you also try to give something to your donors for them to feel appreaciated.

most of the myths i believed are those listed in the seven. now i know the truth about fundraising

I always thought fundraising was really about money, you know, like "funds" haha! Thoroughly enjoying this course already.

I was very surprised to learn that fundraising is a mutually beneficial transaction: You have to offer something of value to donors in exchange for their support. One question I have about Myth 3 is: ____We are in need and solicit actions from people in a position to help us, apart from soliciting their compassion for their contribution to our cause, I don't know what we can offer them. Do you have any concrete examples of what we can bring to donors? _______ .

What surprise me is myth number 5, because I always this that a clear statistic and some other documents is really important for the fund raising.

Myth #2 fundraising is all about getting cash. i dint know that inkind is also avirtue in terms of fundraising let me keep learning. iam very impressed i used to hear inkind inkind but without knowing where it is applicable but now i have gat to know.

I have learnt some things I never even thought about. Like one person gives and another receives. It is more than that. I have also learnt you can't do this alone, you have to cultivate a team around you regardless of the size. This course is truly a proper on how to fundraise

Fundraising is required one not focusing on receiving only

A good knowledge about fundraising is needed, it has to be done the right way and know the form of fundraising you need

I was the most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I thought we should present our organization and share about projects or what we do as much as we can, so that more people know about us.

I used to think that I should divulge so much information about my projects to donors.

Hi, I also thought the same about giving all the information about the organization. However I'm glad that I have learnt a new thing!

What surprised me most is that in fundraising both donor and the beneficiary receives something. All along it has been that donors gives and organizations receives.

Tom's podcast showed the importance of the stories for donors. Figures and statistics still matter, but it's better to underline the results to be achieved and inspiring stories

From all of the myths discussed, I find the explanation behind number four the most compelling, which made me reflect on how people would rather want to talk about themselves instead of listening. It is a matter of picking up what interests them and leveraging that insight to achieve fundraising goals.

True, I also thought statistics matter more.

The first myth surprised me, emmediately after reading the first statement, "it's all about getting cash" I thought like why only cash, and when I continued even to other myths, I was still asking myself why these myths aren't true.
But to be sincerely the clarifications given in all the seven myths are very helpful, thank you

I was most surprised that The Internet has completely changed how we do fundraising,Why and how is it corelated?

I was most amazed to learn about myth no 4 because I always assumed you have to tell the donor as much as possible about the organization.

The most surprising was that typo don't need to know rich people

The 7th Myth was insightful, as people in my field would always say internet has changed the fundraising world. I understand it has actually added more opportunity of fundraising

true it was a myth broken

Funderising is all about knowing rich thats what i thought but having understood the fact that its not all about knowing rich people i will utilize my cicles to get a potential donor out of it thanks for training us.

I was fascinated by the Myth 4. I have always thought that in fundraising we should tell as much as possible about the organisation. Now I understand that we should listen to the donor and learn what the donor is interested in and looks for.

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 and 5 were not true because I have always thought that one should tell more about the organisation and that facts and statistics mattered more than successful stories. Thank you for enlightening me.

I’m so surprised and glad to know about the 7 myths of fundraising. But it developed my skills and helped me learn how to do my fundraising. I thought that fundraising was only about receiving cash, but the course completely changed my thinking that fundraising is about more than getting cash” and in-kind gifts can be of equal value if I can use them. Hopefully, this learning effectively help me to fundraising for my leading organization.

I have always believed that fundraising was all about myth 2 - knowing rich people. This module blow my mind and the exercise opened up a whole new possibility to me that i have never really thought of. Imagine reaching out all the potential donors I listed in the exercise! Imagine that half of these accept to link me up with their own circles of family, friends, coworkers, etc for my campaign! A lot will be accomplished.

I had always thought that fundraising is about statistics and facts, but I have come to learn that what engages donors is the stories that we tell, how are we transforming lives as an organization.

It's #4 for me. I was always under assumption that donors view their donation as an investment. Flipping the tables and letting them talk about their goals and vision makes adapting to particular circumstances much easier.

@MissionaryAkoroMawina-esso said in Module 1 Discussion: The 7 Myths of Fundraising:

hi,
i really appreciate all the insghtfull ideas shared in this module, in fact i learned a lot because i was having so much difficulties about how to raise funds for start up organization ,But now i know how to start. The myth that surprise me is te number four; as a beginner, i thought i should let the donor know more about my organization rather

Hello,
Likewise. I was really surprised to know about this myth as well. I have always thought as a founder, it is important for me to tell the donor as much as I can about my organisation. I had thought this would help them understand my vision better and understand the reason for my cause but I now understand that stories have a more impactful outcome than that.

I had always thought Fundraising is knowing people who are rich, and you should tell all your truth.

I was really amazed too when I saw here that statistics and facts do not really matter in capturing people's attention like stories does, I used to believe statistics and facts matters more, but I fully understand something new now.

I used to think that fundraising is only about collecting cash.

Myth 4 was a great shock to me. I thought one way of capturing the donors attention is by giving them as much detail about my organization as possible.

Now I know, I should do more listening than talking to capture the attention of the donor and align to it..

Its nice to see that people are affected by touching stories more than just numbers

Due to nature of my community, it was kind of hard for me to get convinced on myth 1 until I joined this course.

Number 1 was new for me because we often have charity events to raise money, but we don't refer to volunteer work and product donations as fundraising.

I had always believe the myth 2 which is that fund raising is about knowing rich people, and Myth 3,
But I am happy to learn that this myths weren't true.

4. You should always try to tell a donor as much about your organization or project as possible was the myth that surprised me the most, because I thought that telling everything about the organization was a good strategy, but for the most part it is not, but rather you have to pay more attention to potential donors according to their interests.

#4 surprised me the most - I thought/expected it would be a good thing to give as much info to your donor about your org / project as possible so they can make an informed decision about donations

I plan to organize fundraising events for my own program for unrestricted funds

#6: Finding out that it takes a team in order to achieve success in fundraising was refreshing to learn. Having that team and support is vital to accomplishing an organizations goals. While you, the fundraiser might lead the efforts, it's important to remember and use a resource, your team around you.

no: 3
i was keep thinking what kind of intangible things we are providing for the contributors in return, giving example of Local NGOs

I was most surprised to learn that myth 4 was not true because I always thought that the donors wanted to know everything about the project and the cause. One question I have about myth 4 is do you have any story about how you got the easiest donation? .

It was good to hear that although there might be new ways of fundraising these days due to the use of digital fundraising, the core principles still apply.

I was most surprised to learn that myth 7 was not true because I thought that the interent had made a lot of changes to how fundraising works. Maybe it even has made it better to engage with more people.

I was most surprised to learn that #4 was a myth because I always thought that donors wanted to know everything about an organization; that it would seem more legitimate or something to them.

I was aware of each of the myths, through experience, but appreciated number four because it feels simplest to spout everything possible about our programming and hope that something sticks with a funder/donor. This was a nice reminder that learning about them and their interests first is more effective.

I noticed that true stories could be a good story to compel the donors to join the purpose, as well as have clear information about the project and its impacts

I have always believed that in myth no. 3, one person gives and the other person receives. Now I know that both parties gain something at the end of the transaction

I was most surprised to learn that myth that was not true because i thought fund raising is all about raising money but during this lesson i learnt that you can also raise fund for materials things

I was shocked to learn how impactful stories are instead of data when engaging in fundraising efforts, but it does make a lot of sense since people tend to feel more connected to compelling stories as opposed to data and numbers.

Absolutely, let's delve into a discussion about the seven myths of fundraising. These myths can significantly impact how organizations approach fundraising, and debunking them is crucial for developing effective strategies.

The Seven Myths:

The Golden Donor Myth: This myth suggests that there's one perfect donor out there who will solve all your financial issues. In reality, diversifying funding sources is essential. Have you encountered situations where organizations overly relied on a single donor?

The Perfect Proposal Myth: Believing that a well-crafted proposal is sufficient for securing funding. Have you found this to be true, or do you think there's more to successful fundraising than just a good proposal?

The Universal Message Myth: Assuming one message will resonate with everyone. How do you tailor your messages to different audiences without falling into this myth?

The Generational Myth: This myth implies that each generation requires a completely different approach to fundraising. Do you think it's challenging to appeal to different age groups, or are there common principles that can be applied?

The Expertise Myth: Believing that only fundraising experts can successfully fundraise. How important do you think expertise is in fundraising, and how much can passion and dedication compensate for lack of expertise?

The Campaign Myth: Thinking that fundraising is all about campaigns and projects. How do ongoing relationships with donors fit into your organization's fundraising strategy?

The Size Myth: Assuming that fundraising is only for large organizations. How do smaller organizations navigate fundraising challenges, and what unique strategies do they employ?

One myth stuck with me: I thought people used to go to rich people only to get money, but I now have a different perspective. On the other hand, if a known donor gets sick, visiting him in the hospital could be the donor's expectation. I have learned it.

This one surprised me too. I used to think providing more information made my point more convincing, I was not very aware of the need of making it dialogical to make it more engaging to the donor.

Fund raising isn't about money alone.

Awesome 👍

I was astonished about number 2 that says raising money is all about rich people. Now i understand that everybody can play a role.

It was amazing experience learning from a professional.

It has been a difficult one for me to accept it that anyone can facilitate funding. I only give it to professionals who has the keys to unlocking the best of it

I was surprised at first about the myth of telling the donor tons about the project and organization. However on reading this module further, it makes sense that the idea of lecturing a donor would be counter productive to our goal or even just general human nature. Also understanding that the internet may have provided different availability to fundraising, but it did not change the entirety of how we approach it was interesting to hear about.

I agree. This myth of one person gives and the other receives got me thinking about creating a list of how to set up benefits for the donor. It will be important to create a win/win for the donors and ways to think through how to make the relationship mutually beneficial.