From the Yale Global Alumni Leadership Exchange
Volunteers can be a key to fundraising success. They are not just unpaid help. They set the tone and expectations of a fundraising campaign in ways that professionals cannot. However, though unpaid, volunteers are not costless. They require a commitment from the top of the organization. They require significant organizational time, effort and resources in order to be effective.
Volunteer fundraisers help with access and signaling. They know people you do not. They have access to people you may not. People who do not trust you, may trust them and be persuaded by them. A volunteer’s involvement in a fundraising campaign signals something about the value of your organization, and talking about their involvement will have ripple effects in the community.
Most fundraising volunteers also donate their own money to the campaign (not just their time and talent). Their donations signal to their peers (as well as the more affluent) what is an appropriate gift – in a more immediate and recognizable way than anything that a professional fundraiser can say. Even though a small percentage of donors generate most of the donations, the level of giving of the rest of the donors –including the visible volunteers – can set expectations for the more substantial givers.
“People give to people, not causes.” So says one consultant, when stressing the power of a personal solicitation by a volunteer fundraiser – especially in the context of maximizing leadership gifts, in capital campaigns. Some recommend that a volunteer seek gifts at his or her own level of giving. (Matching asker and prospect is key.) Some suggest that the best solicitation is from a personal friend. For many of the largest gifts, a wealthy volunteer fundraiser can make an effective “ask” of a friend that a professional simply cannot.
Volunteers are often people who have benefited from the organization. Their involvement is itself a testimonial. What they say as part of a donation request is likely to be more compelling and emotionally resonant (even if less polished) than a professional’s pitch.
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