The thing to know about fundraising is that it’s all about relationships and trust.  Before you can successfully raise funds for a nonprofit organization, you have to develop the relationship with your constituents, and consistently prove that you will deliver on your commitments.
 Consistent communication is key. If you are operating primarily on the internet, that means a regular newsletter that goes to your subscribers on a predictable basis and keeps them primed for your topic.
 Fundamentally, donors are your partner in this enterprise.  Most people who fully believe in your mission don’t have the time or resources to commit the time and effort you are to this effort.  That does not mean they are not as fully committed – it simply means that they will give of their own resource in a different way.
 That, however, is not one way street.  Whether major donors or small ones, all of your donors expect regular communication.  They want to know what is happening with the organization and how their funds are being used.  Above all, they want to know that their investment is being used effectively.
 That doesn’t mean you must be successful at every venture in order to raise funds for your organization.  Some will donate simply because they believe in the cause, no matter how hopeless things seem.  But the honest truth is, success breeds success.  Donors more readily give money to organizations that are already successfully raising money and that are accomplishing real things.
 That’s why it’s important to communicate several things:
•  Every success, whether legislative or otherwise.  If you’ve managed to convince your legislators to support your bill, make sure your members know of it.  If you’ve provided services to 100 people in the last three months, send out an alert.
•  Communicate confidence.  Nothing is a bigger downer than a phone call or letter that begins, “If we don’t raise $100,000 by tomorrow, we’re going out of business.”  That simply tells your donors to send their money somewhere it will be used more effectively.
•  Make it personal.  You’ve committed your life to this effort.  Now is the time to explain why.  Few things are more effective in gaining the trust and understanding of a room full of people than laying on the line your personal, driving reason for getting involved in this work.
 You will find, over time, many of your donors share your driving motivation.  I’ll never forget my first two major donor visits, when I expected to sit down and present a businesslike presentation which laid out concrete reasons to fund the organization.  In the end, ninety percent of the discussion centered not around the specific work of the organization -- instead, on two occasions, I was presented with very personal accounts of why these individuals were giving. That happened because both of these donors had attended a small fundraising party where I spoke about my experiences during the Gulf War and how they drove me to do this work.  I’d given a piece of myself, and they reciprocated.
 In the case of those two visits, we returned to the office with more than $10,000 to support the organization.
 The bottom line – when it comes to person-to-person fundraising for major dollars, you aren’t selling the organization or its mission.  You are selling yourself as a leader.  If people have confidence in you, they will give.  If not, no stack of fancy brochures and balance sheets will convince them otherwise.