I'm ready to listen. Seven questions you should ask.

I’m ready to listen.

What should I ask?

Often a donor meeting is solely focused on your organization: the people you serve, the good you do, what you need to do more.

And yes, a donor does want to know about the good their support made possible,

but:

Remember each meeting is as much about the donor as it is about your organization. And to serve a donor well, you need to ask:

1. Of all the worthy organizations they could have supported, why did they choose yours.

2. What is it about your mission that draws their heart?

3. How did they get connected to your organization?

4. How do they like to hear about the impact their support is having: email, newsletter, phone call, or visit? And how often? And from whom?

5. What can we do better? (Target this question to their areas of expertise and/or their interests.)

Here are two additional questions that will help you gage a donor’s motivation.

1. I’ve noticed that you see a need and you make sure it’s taken care of. You do it yourself, or you make sure the folks, who can do it, have the needed resources. You make a difference in the world. What made you so caring and so effective?

2. You have such a giving heart. What led you to be so kind and so generous?

Now you’re on your way to knowing your partner well. You are beginning to understand why they chose your organization, how they want to hear about their impact, and who they are as a person.

You are deepening the relationship, and that makes for good partners.