How to be an fundraising princess
- Fri, March 07 2008
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
My daughters’ favorite book is a guide to being a princess - it covers dress, etiquette, conduct, etc. The funny thing is, a lot of it is good advice. It covers topics like “how to disguise you’re bored around others” and other tips that all of us could use in our work lives, particularly during long meetings.
So much of the advice on this blog is about good manners. And superlative marketing is often based in princess-level manners.
For example:
1. Be polite. Don’t interrupt or lecture imperiously at your audience. Seek permission to hold forth with your audience. In other words, don’t buy email lists and spam people. Contact them when you have permission, and make it a conversation, not a lecture.
2. Be gracious and generous. Thank those that help you, often and well. Don’t be stingy about sharing information or resources with others.
3. Be loyal. Keep up your relationships with others. Even if they haven’t given you money lately, you can still show people you care by reaching out with a kind update.
Be sure to curtsy next time you see me.
Comments
This is fabulous! Can I use this in all my training materials???
I love it!
Katya,
I love this advice about good manners.
Another great and easy read in this area is “Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct” by P.M. Forni. http://books.google.com/books?id=VAwEDhmp11AC&dq=choosingcivility.jhu.edu&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 .
His book has quick chapters that outline his rules in a way that make you want to be more civil, not feel scolded. At the core of his message is: “A crucial measure of our success in life is the way we treat one another every day of our lives.”
That advice is some of the best I’ve ever heard.
One my favorite rules is to be inclusive. A practical application is that when you’re at a conference talking to a small group of people during a break and another person joins you, you should make sure that the person is included and brought into the conversation. By doing so, you are acknowledging that person and saying that their presence is valuable.
Susan Parker
http://www.ClearThinkingCommunications.com
Being from the South, it sounds like being gracious and charming to me. Either way, I completely agree that if we always mind our manners with our donors, we can’t go wrong.
Great comments.
And yes, anything from this blog is free use if you cite the source!
Katya,
I love that you drew inspiration from your daughter’s book, it made me smile! Accidental rudeness happens all too often. I’ve been long relying on Emily Post’s for my Emaily Post articles, which Network for Good so kindly linked to.
http://www.fundraising123.org/article/emaily-post’s-guide-online-decorum
As always, I enjoy your blog a great deal!
Regards,
Olga
