Can you Smell a Faker?

by Brian Saber

Can you Smell a Faker?

Donors can. And who wants to give their money to a faker? So the last thing you should do as a fundraiser is pretend to be what you think your donor wants you to be. They’ll smell it.

Asking is not about the gift. If it were, many asks in and of themselves wouldn’t be worthwhile. Asking is about developing the relationship.

It’s about getting to know the donor better and getting the donor to care more about your organization. It’s about creating an annuity, an individual who is passionate about your organization and will support it for many years to come. That’s the gift that keeps on giving.

So what compels the donor to give? Authenticity. When you’re authentic, when you act like yourself and talk from the heart you are compelling. The donor hears your honesty and passion. It registers.

Authenticity builds a relationship more than anything. Would you be friends with someone you think is inauthentic in your personal life? Would you build a relationship with a faker? No way! So why would you think your donor would?

Five Seconds

We all know the adage that you’ve only got five seconds to make your first impression and then it takes a long time to change that impression. If you don’t come off as authentic right off the bat, your donor will stop listening immediately and put up a host of defenses. And then where are you? Swimming upstream to gain back that confidence. That’ll never work.

So start off authentic and stay the course. Be who you are. Tell your authentic story about why you care. Answer questions honestly and openly, saying, “I don’t know but I’ll find out” and winning points.

Don’t worry about being awkward, about fumfering, about silent pauses. They scream, “I’m authentic!” In fact, I used to worry that after many years asking for gifts I might come off as too slick. Luckily as a Kindred Spirit I can still find the whole process awkward, and I think that’s to my advantage!

Let the authentic you shine!