How to Frame Your Mission So People Care
You believe in your mission. You’ve written it, refined it, maybe even painted it on the wall in your home office. But if you’re like many leaders in the nonprofit sector, you might have struggled to translate your efforts into crafting a compelling, powerful ask to a potential donor or supporter There is no worse feeling than pouring your efforts into explaining your mission and showing the many ways you provide value to the people you serve, only to be met with blank stares or dismissal from a potential donor.
Contrary to what many founders, development officers, and executive directors are led to believe, your organization’s mission is likely not the reason that you aren’t generating the buy-in that you desire. There are over 1.8 million not-for-profit organizations in the United States, and nearly all of them serve a purpose that excites and inspires someone. In practice, the most common reason that donors choose not to donate to a cause after reaching the “ask” phase is that they have not connected the dots between the organization’s mission and their own role in furthering that cause.
The Most Common Mistake
The most common mistake that we see in fundraising and development has to do with how the organization frames the role of the donor in advancing the mission. While things like your organization’s scope and history are important aspects of your mission that serve to build credibility and demonstrate your commitment, they fall short in showing the donor how their contribution will help advance your cause. Donors don’t give because of your organization’s structure or history. They give because they want to solve a problem, feel purpose, or make a difference.
Less Effective: “We’ve been serving the community since 1998, and we now run five programs across three counties, and your continued generosity can help us expand into other underserved counties in the future.”
More Effective: “Your gift at this level will help us prepare and deliver 1,500 meals to families and neighbors in our area.”
Using language that places the donor at the center of impact makes them more tangibly see the impact that their gift will have, helping move them through the pipeline from interested to invested.
Framing The Urgency
Another aspect that many new and small nonprofits struggle with is effectively framing how urgent the problem they are trying to solve is. When you tell someone about your mission, you need to frame it in a way that immediately keys them in on how dire the situation is, and how valuable your intervention is or could be (with their help, of course). This is especially important for organizations that are just getting started or have limited results to point to in terms of program effectiveness. If you are fundraising for a pilot program or trying to raise your first $10,000, this is likely something you should implement into your strategies.
Less Effective: “We provide after-school programming for underserved youth in Houston, including tutoring, mentoring, and meals.”
More Effective: “Every afternoon in Houston, hundreds of kids go home to empty houses and empty fridges. Your support gives them a safe place to learn, eat, and make friends after school.”
Don’t Make Them Work For It
Donor retention and satisfaction is just as - or perhaps even more - important as acquiring new sources of funding. One thing that you must do as a nonprofit leader or a fundraiser is to constantly bring the donor into the fold effortlessly. If a donor has to make a concerted effort over time to feel as though they are part of the mission of the organization they are giving to, they won’t be a donor for long. In addition to personalized thank you notes and receipts for each donation, you should absolutely be sending out updates in the form of a newsletter, conducting occasional check-in calls, sending short and simple birthday/holiday notes, and other things that aim to make the donor feel valued and effortlessly involved in your organization.
Less Effective: Jordan gives $500/year to a local nonprofit organization. Every year he is invited to their big annual fundraising event, but other than that he has to call them every time he wants to get information on what events are happening.
More Effective: Jordan receives a hand-written thank you note from the executive director of the organization each year for his recurring donation, but also receives monthly email updates about programs and events, a birthday and Christmas card each year, and even got a t-shirt with the organization’s logo last year.
Conclusion
These are just a few of many ways that your organization can more effectively frame and communicate your mission to raise more money. You can have a fantastic purpose and the most universally supported mission in the world, but if you cannot frame it in a way that drives people to get behind you and donate, the organization is bound to fail.
The good news? Messaging is a skill, and like any skill, it can be learned, practiced, and refined. When you start speaking to your donors’ motivations and emotions, rather than just your organization’s programs, you begin to build real connection. And connection is what leads to support, sustainability, and growth.
If your message isn’t raising money, it’s time to reframe it.
If you’re not sure where to start — that’s where we come in.
Need Help Refining Your Messaging?
We help small nonprofits clarify their story, strengthen fundraising, and grow donor support. If you're feeling stuck or unsure how to speak to your audience, get in touch with us and setup a free 15-minute consultation call!
