Getting Donors to Meet with You

Asking a donor to meet with you is easy. Getting them to say yes is the hard part. If your donors turn you down over and over agian, you might want to get creative. Instead of giving them a way out, give yourself a way in. Want an example? I thought you might.

One of my donors is a voracious reader. I know that because each time we talk we’re swapping reading lists and gushing over our Kindles. And perhaps it was because she had her nose in too many books that she kept declining my meeting requests. So what did I do? I mailed her a book. And then a couple of weeks later, I asked her if we could get together for a two person book club. Fabulous idea, she said. And there it was. My yes to an in-person meeting.

So did we chat about the impact of her gift during our coffee date? Or opportunities for another gift? Not at all. But we sure did at our next meeting. And that one wasn’t nearly as hard to get!