Most nonprofit organizations are constantly looking for new ways to inspire donors. Engaging donors with a compelling vision to change the world is an essential part of strategic fundraising. Unfortunately, many nonprofits don’t emphasize their organization’s vision in the same way—even though having a compelling vision statement is just as necessary to the success of your overall organization as it is to the success of a campaign.
Nonprofits tend to put a strategic emphasis on creating a compelling vision for their capital campaigns because such fundraising endeavors require them to identify the needs and threats. To succeed, they have to give their donors simply stated, tangible outcomes that will be achieved within a defined time frame.
Two Keys to Making Your Vision “Stick”
When the leadership and board embrace and champion everyone’s participation in the vision, it becomes the foundation of everything you do. Everyone is all in. Every department—development, advancement, programs, services, operations, and administration—has a part to play and is focused on achieving the vision.
Step 1: Internal Alignment
Squabbles over when the messaging goes out, who owns it, who’s sending to the email list, who’s supposed to be on the Facebook page, or who’s tweeting will all come to an end when there’s internal alignment within your organization. Efforts will become unified because the messaging is now all about the vision. Sure, different sub-messages will still be used. But if everyone is focused on the vision, then goals will naturally become aligned.
Step 2: External Alignment
Donors will start to hear about the vision apart from your fundraising appeals. They’ll tune in and know exactly what’s being talked about. They’ll almost be stewarded throughout the process because you’ll now be on a unified path as an organization. Having a bold vision helps eliminate the risk and fear of donors receiving mixed messages from your nonprofit.
Are You Ready to Motivate Donors with a Compelling Vision?
Do you want a comprehensive vision that will excite donors and rally your organization around a common cause? Discover the fundamental importance of a compelling and coherent vision by downloading “I Have a Dream—The Importance of Vision”. You’ll learn how vision can help your organization impact more lives and help even more people.
Have you observed how the lack of a comprehensive and compelling vision has led to competing or misaligned messaging?