It’s the classic “sky is falling” drama. A report comes out stating that giving was down, in total, over the previous period. And most people jump on board and put the headline as THE reason their revenue is down.

And then we are done. There is nothing more to say. It’s a fact. Revenue is down. It’s happening to everyone, and it is the logical explanation for why it is happening to you. There is nothing you can do about it except tighten those expense budgets a bit to get back to a positive cash flow.

OK, good. What’s next?

Well, what’s next is also a fact. It’s a fact that revenue is not down for everyone:

• It’s not down for those organizations who consistently are talking about the societal problem their organization is addressing and how the donor can be part of bringing the solution through their giving. These are the organizations that are not talking about how great their organization is. No. It’s about the problem.
• It’s not down for those organizations that have a healthy donor pipeline where new donors are added in a number greater than the loss of donors, where there is an effective cultivation of general donors, where there is an effective and thriving mid-level and major gift program.
• It’s not down for those organizations that stay in touch with their donors’ interests and passions and serve them through matching donor offers.
• It’s not down for those organizations who are consistently telling their donors that their giving is making a difference.
• It’s not down for those organizations whose major gift caseloads have qualified donors on them vs. two-thirds of the donors who do not want to relate personally.

Bottomline, it’s not down for those organizations that are managing the donor pipeline right; those who have a balanced investment in the different phases of the pipeline; those who are doing mid-level, major gifts, and planned giving right with qualified donors; those who have a philosophy of fundraising that puts the donor center and serves them, and; those who are continually telling the donor that their gift is making a difference on the planet.

For those organizations that serve themselves, the trend is down. It is.

The bottom line is simply this: donors DO care. And they will give and continue to give IF you treat them right and you have an approach to fundraising that focuses on helping donors address the societal needs they care about.

Do all of that and giving will go up. It will. We know it because we experience it every day.

Richard