We often get asked - “Is charity fundraising basically a sales job?”. Here at Charity Link our field sales team invariably need to use some sales skills in order to get the yes from potential donors, but the key difference is with fundraising, you’re not selling a thing – you’re selling a feeling.

Although we talk a lot about donors and what factors makes people decide to give, it’s undeniably about the salesmanship of the fundraiser that influences the yes.

So do you have to have sales experience in order to be a charity fundraiser?

We take a look at the similarities and differences between a typical sales job and a charity fundraiser and examine how you can use selling skills to do well in both

What makes a good sales person?

It’s easy to assume that good sales involves talking a lot, pushing all the benefits of the product or service, offering special deals and generally making sure those targets are hit.

Although this may be true for some sales jobs, it’s important to remember that the best sales people have exceptional listening skills.

Finding out vital information about exactly who your customer is, what they want and delivering useful solutions to problems they might not even realise they had (!), is what the highest performing sales executives think about.

Here are a few general pointers about upping your sales game along with proven techniques for general sales and fundraising that really work.

How to improve sales skills (and fundraising selling!)

Get off to a good start

From the very first instant you want to make a good impression – regardless of what you’re selling and to whom.

To win the time, ears and trust of a complete stranger, you must give them no reason at all to dislike you and help them feel like engaging with you will be a good experience.

Smile, give compliments, have warm, open body language and generally try to be your best self!

This is the platform upon which you can create rapport that’s pleasant and helpful.

Learn more about how to grab and keep a the attention of a passer by

Personalisation

Anyone that does well working in sales knows that the relationship is what wins the yes. People buy from people.

Customising a pitch gives a sales associate the advantage: They’ve truly understood their buyer. And when a salesperson understands their buyer, they can weave in specific, relevant messages, showing their customer they know how to deliver exactly what they want.

Tailoring an exchange starts with asking astute questions that get a feel for motivators and priorities.

Just a simple question about whether a person has heard of a brand or product before can tell a salesperson if they’re the right audience to sell to.

As a charity fundraiser, aiming to learn about what your potential donor cares about helps to know which direction to go in. For example, if you’re fundraising for an animal based charity like PDSA then finding out if the person is a pet owner or animal lover means it’s likely they’ll empathise with someone who can’t afford their vet bills.

Establish donor identity

Another part of finding out more about your customer is to establish (at least some of!) their identities.

We discuss this in depth in our blog ‘why donor identity matters for charities and fundraisers’

Every individual has a number of different identities that make up their whole persona. These are:

Social (gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity)
Religious (Christian, Muslim, Jewish etc)
Employment (the job you do and how that impacts on beliefs about you)
Relational (mother, son, wife, uncle etc.)
Personal (characteristics and traits e.g. funny, kind, gentle)
Group (hobbies and cultural groups we are a part of e.g. horseriders, football, meditation)
Organisational (charities and associations)

If a sales expert can obtain even a couple of these identities, they might gain valuable information

For instance, if someone walks by in a football shirt, you have the perfect opportunity to open a conversation by commenting about a recent score or player. If you get the bite, you can go on to mention that the goalkeeper is one of your charities patrons – or supporters.

Creating comradery in this way shows the donor that social proof, authority figure influence and gives an opportunity to solidify their group identity.

The reason identity is so powerful for fundraising is because when people align their identity with their actions, it reaffirms their sense of self, who they are (and want to be) and place in the world.

Another valuable insight about identity is that you might get a scope of the kind of experience they want to have before they buy.

Expectations weigh heavy in any sales exchange and a those with lots of sales experience know it’s their job to exceed those expectations.

An example might be that if someone walks by with their children in tow, you can assume their relational identity of ‘mother’. This information might mean they’re more compassionate about children who might be suffering and the fundraiser could go in on the angle of how painful it is for a mother to watch their child suffer.

But as well as visual cues, you can ask leading questions to try to gauge other parts of their identity. Clearly you can’t exceed those expectations if you don’t know what they are!

Effective Communication

There are so many ways we can communicate, but in sales first and foremost comes listening!

When you go in without knowing anything about your potential customer, the best tool you have to learn quick is by listening to what they say and using that information to your advantage.

Another great tip for good communication in sales is to remember to keep it simple!

Sometimes we forget that others have never heard what we’re about to tell them and slip into using specific jargon.

Sales and fundraisers should try to imagine they’re explaining the cause to a child – that doesn’t mean patronise, it just means that simple is best.

If the customer (or potential donor in the case of fundraising) understands clearly what the need is, they’re able to make an informed decision.

A great face to face fundraising tip is to have succinct but compelling points ready and use up to three of the most suitable ones based on what you know about your donor.

Also (especially for charity fundraisers) always be positive! Research shows that it’s better to use positive language and objectives than doom and gloom in fundraising.

Use psychology

We have several blogs that home in on how you can use easy psychological tricks to win trust or sway a decision your way.

Psychological tips to use when selling:

Reassure the person you won’t take up too much of their time
Always opt for positivity and openness
Ask questions that are non-confrontational but break down objections and present your cause as essential “We all deserve to drink clean water right?”
Use social proof – talk about how others have been involved and have benefited from opting in
Try to give something for free to say thanks for stopping (even if it’s only a keyring or sticker)
Ask questions and listen to the answers carefully so you know exactly which direction to take your pitch

Establish trust

If someone is going to hand over their hard earned money, there has to be trust! Anyone who’s worked in sales jobs knows that.

To win trust takes consistency, honesty, competence, sincerity, transparency (i.e. not concealing anything), reliability and integrity.

Generating trust helps the person you’re selling to feel comfortable and at ease.

A charity fundraiser might earn trust by showing the impact the charity is having on their beneficiaries is an important tool in winning trust because the potential donor can clearly see both the intention and the outcome.

Demonstrate expertise

Knowing your subject matter is another way to win a persons trust.

When a salesperson can relay interesting facts, stories and draw on their extensive knowledge, it gives the listener the assurance that they’re in good hands.

As a customer if you know you’re being guided through the process by an expert, you’re more likely to trust their advice.

For fundraisers, it’s easy to demonstrate expertise by learning the key overall statistics of your charity as well as sharing knowledge about the work they’re doing and who it’s benefiting.

Tell stories

Stories are a superb tool for any communication and they are foundational to how humans interact.

In sales, going on about a product or a service is not what a buyer wants (unless they ask!) They want to learn about how as a by-product of using or owning your products someone’s life or situation was improved.

When trying to solicit donations, studies show that potential donors love to hear stories about the struggles of an individual and the improvements a charity has made. This empowers the donor to feel like they can genuinely make a difference (rather than a sea of need that they can’t change).

What sales jobs are there?

Sales jobs come in all shapes and sizes – you can literally sell anything from technology, business solutions and personal services to clothes to bigger items like homes and holidays.

But although the techniques and content of the sales pitch obviously varies according to what exactly you’re selling there are a few things that remain consistent regardless.

Problem solving, excellent at communicating, persuasive and positive.

How is fundraising different to sales?

As discussed there’s a lot of cross over between fundraising and sales but there are fundamental differences too.

Direction and flow

For a start fundraising almost always involves reaching outwards to donors. In sales customers will often come looking for a product or service.

While the task of a typical sales person will involve convincing someone that their product or service is better than the others, fundraisers have to work on emphasising why their cause matters and why someone should choose to donate.

Money language

Next there’s the concept of money.

While in sales, parting with money in exchange for a thing is seen as the necessary act to obtain what you want.

In fundraising, money isn’t about paying for someone and getting a ‘thing’ for your trouble, it’s giving money away without an expected personal return on your investment.

Fundraisers must emphasize the difference the money will make to the beneficiary of the charity – not the person giving the money.

Effort and focus

In usual sales, the effort and focus is all on how to give customers value and cater to their needs.

With fundraising the entire focal point is on raising funds and gaining donations for the charity. Face to face fundraisers more specifically look for regular donations.

Emotional investment

Another key difference is the general narrative and emotional triggers.

With charity, an undeniable driver is to want to make change for the better, regardless of donors exact reason for giving.

With sales the desire to make things better isn’t coming from the heart – it’s coming from the head.

Why face to face fundraising is great for someone with sales experience

Although sales can be great for the ego because of reaching targets and goals and the ability to control others decisions, it’s fair to say it can feel a little meaningless too.

Depending on what you’re selling, the fulfilment is short lived and exhaustion can set in with the endless pursuit of numbers.

Charity face to face fundraising is the wholesome alternative for many sales people.

Salesmanship is a skill and can be used to do excessive good as well as just for personal gain. When you’re raising funds for charities you know you’re genuinely making a difference – it’s this that keeps our fundraisers motivated and with pride in themselves for their awesome work.

If you’ve come from a sales background but are looking for something that uses your skillset in a whole new way, perhaps face to face fundraising is for you!

Much like other sales positions, our fundraisers receive a basic salary and then work towards achieving targets that bump up their salary.

This way, Charity Link offers endless opportunity for our fundraisers to earn as much as they’re able but with the security of a contracted job.

Not only that, a professional fundraiser here can expect plenty of additional benefits including

A free healthcare plan worth £900 a year
Retail discounts and thousands of outlets
A pension scheme
Death in service scheme
Flexible holiday scheme

Charity fundraising is no longer seen as a back up job – but a worthwhile and fulfilling career choice with plenty of scope for development and growth.

Although here at Charity Link we look for personality type, we certainly encourage anyone with sales skills to get in touch with us and explore this opportunity further.

Learn more