Why don't people care about us? Our work is so great!
Have you said that, bemoaning your small, stuck-in-the-mud donorbase?
Here are some ways to think about your challenge, from the Achieve blog, at 5 Reasons the Public Is Losing Interest in Your Cause:
- You've become too focused on internal stakeholders.
- You're preoccupied with results. (Your fundraising is a big success-fest. Donors respond to need.)
- You've never really had a public engagement strategy. (You just talk about your organization and your programs; not donors and their values and they things they care about.)
- Your donors aren't invested in your cause. (that's always your fault, not theirs)
- You didn't stop the bus to fix the problem.
One additional thought: If you're trying to reach "the public," you will automatically have some of the problems above. Successful fundraising is aimed at specific, well-understood groups that share their values, culture, faith, location, or something else in common. The "public" is dominated by people who will never, ever support you no matter what you say or do.
Know your tribe and focus on them.
