Getting To Know Fundraising from Both Sides Now

Today brought two free conferences/interviews/webinars/teleconferences/lengthy web postings. I don't know what to call them, there are so many hybrids. Anyway, the first one began at 9 a.m., too early to be genuine fun, but it was okay. Topic: how to prepare for a visit from a grantor. The idea is that grantees have a difficult time of it, when a grantor decides to come visit, usually in preparation for making a decision. The topic seems narrow, and it is, but the panel of three, including the much-self advertised Pamela Grow, were diligent to the point of being relentless. What I came away with: be on your best behavior, find out in advance what the grantor wants, and followup. The other issues covered, including who to invite to the meeting (only those who have something to say) and how long to keep them (as long as they're interested) seemed routine and the fact that they were repeated was agonizing.

On a completely different topic, in the following hour, Bernard Ross (presented by the Network for Good) offered a completely original melange of common sense, popular psychology and fundraising basics called Using Psychology to Win Over Donors. This was basically a tutorial on how to handle information when it comes to communicating with those who have the money. He started by comparing the funder to an ATM machine and the grantee as the one who's pushing the buttons. Push the right buttons and the cash comes out. I don't have the space to go into all he said. Instead, I will point you at his book "The Influential Fundraiser: Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Achieve Outstanding Results." (about $30 on Amazon)