Getting donations for your non-profit organization can be difficult enough without you losing those donations because of easily avoidable mistakes. All non-profits take missteps that cost them some of the support that they could have had. Learn these 5 common mistakes so that you won’t have to be kicking yourself because you lost a donation.

Painting A Bleak Picture

Sometimes in an effort to convince someone that their help is needed, you will paint a bleak picture of the situation. After all, if things are really bad then someone will want to help. This may sound like a sensible enough point but if you paint a bleak picture then the situation may sound hopeless and people don’t want to donate to hopeless causes.

You do want to point out the problem but you want to focus on the solution. People don’t want to hear how terrible things are. They want to feel like they can make things better.

Being Too Pushy

You can call it being enthusiastic, persistent, or whatever you want but pushy is pushy. If you think that being pushy is a good thing then you are wrong. Most people are turned off by someone who is being too pushy and even those who want to donate sometimes reconsider if they feel that you are coming on too strong. Ask people for their help and then let it go. Otherwise, you just come across as a bully.

Not Asking Clearly And Directly

If you want help from someone then tell them exactly what type of help you are looking for. Tell them you are looking for donations and ask if they would like to donate. While you don’t want to be too pushy, you do want to say exactly what it is that you want. People are not mind readers and they probably don’t know as much about your cause or your organization as you do. Ask for exactly what you want.

Not Following Up

Sometimes people say that they will consider donating at another time when they have more money or that they will listen to what you have to say when they are less busy. Many people will use this as a polite way of getting you to stop asking them for a donation while others mean it. If someone says to follow up with them later or if someone is not around for you to ask then follow up on asking later. This is the area where persistence works.

Not Thinking From Their Perspective

You can’t convince someone else to donate to a cause by presenting the facts in a way that would convince you to donate. You need to think about what the person you are talking to cares about and what would inspire them to donate. Take the time to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and tell them what they need to here to feel inspired to donate. Go by how they see things and not how you think they should see things.

Tom Rheinecker blogs on a variety of topics, with a specific focus on where to find accredited institutions offering Masters in Non Profit Mgt Programs.