Fundraising. Is that word thrilling to hear, or does it give you anxiety? For some people fundraising is their favorite part of being involved with a nonprofit, and for other people, it’s their number one cause of heartburn. I don’t have to tell you, fundraising is a huge part of running a nonprofit, and when it’s going well, you feel on top of the world… When it’s going not so great, you might feel like you’re inching closer and closer to the edge of the cliff and hoping you’re not going to fall off. Fundraising can be a trigger for anxiety because it’s never guaranteed.  The future of your mission is in the hands of your donors, and the image that your nonprofit gives your donors can make – or break your organization. Your relationship with your donors is so important – and here’s the great part – you have power over it! Not ALL the power, but you do have a lot of control – more than you think.  You have control of when you contact them, over the message you give them, and over what they know about your nonprofit. You are the gatekeeper of information about your organization so what you share with them is important.  What you put out on your nonprofit’s social media, in your email newsletters, in your blog posts, in all your channels of communication is crucial in building your relationships with your supporters.  They aren’t coming to work with you every day, they are on the sidelines. They only know what you put out there. Even if you are posting something on social media that is meant for the people you serve, guess what – your donors still see it. They are watching. And do you know what they expect? They expect you to only post things, and email things, and blog about things that all relate directly to your mission.  If you are confusing them with things that don’t make sense about your mission like pointless things about your plate of avocado toast on your nonprofit’s Instagram page, or wishing everyone a happy National Play the Kazoo at Work Day on Facebook, you’re making it hard for them to be inspired to give to your organization.  When your marketing message – and yes, a Facebook post counts as a piece of marketing material – doesn’t talk about services you offer or your nonprofit mission, you’re confusing your donors. As the marketing expert Donald Miller says, “If you confuse, you’ll lose.”  When a donor gives to your organization, they are asking and delegating to you what they wish they could do themselves, but don’t have time to do. Because your donors are busy working at the job that allows them to give you money. They are entrusting you with the responsibility to help the cause that they care about.  You’ve shown your donors that your nonprofit organization has a specific mission and you are striving to make a difference in your community. And that mission is something your donor cares enough about to give you their hard-earned money. They are trusting you to get it done.  They want the problem that your nonprofit is working to solve to go away, or for you to make it better or improve the situation. Your donor believes your nonprofit can make a difference and since they don’t have time and can’t do it by themselves, they entrust the work to you.  Their financial gift enables you to make a difference on their behalf. If you are posting about your avocado toast on your nonprofit’s social media page, what kind of message is that sending to your donors? If you are posting about things that aren’t in line with your mission, or that are distracting and confusing, what are you telling your donors? If you’re posting one day about how you serve the homeless, and the next day your post is wishing everyone a happy National Coffee Day, what kind of message is that sending to your donors? It’s cheery, but what if it’s the only post they saw from you that week? It’s fluff. It has no purpose. It does not relate to your mission at all.  This is some tough love, but I’m telling you because I care about you and your nonprofit’