In fundraising, the donor is the hero; you are the sidekick

Here's an important reminder from Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog: Who is your hero? It should be your supporter. Main point:

If you want to inspire people to action, make them a part of your story, playing a heroic role in the change you seek to effect. We all want to be part of that collective narrative.

This is hard to do, because we know and see and understand the heroism of our insiders, those who work tirelessly under tough conditions, usually not making what they could make elsewhere. They inspire us, so we try to make them inspire the donors.

But in the donors' worlds, these heroes are the sidekicks. They make the work of the donors possible, not vice-versa.

When you embrace this orientation, fundraising gets a lot easier and more successful.