Objection handling tips for charity fundraisers
A face to face fundraiser definitely has their work cut out. With an enthusiastic ‘hello’ their first job is to try to be appealing enough to stop and chat. In the following few precious minutes, there’s much to do. You must give confident and engaging delivery of your charity’s mission, know just the right moment to slip in ‘the ‘ask’ comfortably and importantly handle objections. And there will be many of those.
The private site and door to door charity fundraising game involves many (many) no’s. But despite how mentally taxing this is, it’s important to be able to differentiate a flat no from an objection - because an objection can sometimes be overcome.
So much of professional fundraising is about persistence, attitude and effort, but by arming yourself with the right objection handling techniques, you might just be able to flip that no to the yes.
What is objection handling?
Handling objections is basically dealing with verbal excuses about why a person says they won’t or can’t donate money.
Much as these deflections can be demotivating, it’s worth remembering that objections are better than ignoring or indifference - because at the end of the day, you can’t make a person care!
It’s important to remember that when someone objects, they are still communicating and that means they’re leaving a window of opportunity for a fundraiser to change their mind. Sometimes we can get through these windows and sometimes they’ll add more objections.
Over time, an astute fundraiser will understand more about the objection game - when a no really means no…. and when there’s wiggle room to persuade.
Professional fundraisers will also start to see patterns of the same objections raised by different donors, which is the ideal time to start preparing responses and develop an objection handling script to overcome them.
Being able to deal with objections swiftly and successfully is a key part of experienced and effective fundraising.
Overcoming objections successfully takes time and skills, so be sure to handle questions thoughtfully and brush away any sense of personal rejection. Reorganising the way you think about it will direct your energy to the good causes you’re supporting and ultimately lead to a more positive approach and a better outcome for all.
“Ineffective influencers seek to correct and convince…instead, the very best influencers seek to validate and intrigue”
What’s the wrong way to deal with objection?
Typically, when we hear a ‘no’ we’re conditioned to either argue it or feel dejected and give up.
But in fundraising, to argue is to become defensive.
This creates conflict, which means any ability to influence is completely lost.
When a potential donor brings up a concern, the worst thing you can do is start steamrolling them with a pre-rehearsed script about why they’re wrong.
Rather than challenging, the fundraiser should go out of their way to make sure the donors feels listened to and understood.
Here, you’re instantly making space to find those potential workarounds to objections.
With excellent communication skills and thoughtful techniques you might just be able to turn a negative into a positive.
First things first
Be like the duck
The first golden rule of objection handling skills is to realise that receiving a no is absolutely not personal. Fundraisers must be able to recover and forget it instantly.
The truth is, door to door fundraising folk have literally no idea what’s going on in a strangers life and no idea what they might be in the middle of when they knock on their door!
If a person decides not to donate money, it can be for any number of different reasons - most of which have nothing to do with the approach itself.
Once charity fundraisers can genuinely receive a ‘no’ like water off a ducks back, they’re half way there.
The next part of the objection handling process is for the fundraiser to focus on the donor perspective rather than themselves.
By keeping that open mind, you’re
Reconfirming that a negative response is unlikely to be anything to do with you
Making mental space to carefully select which response is now appropriate
A fundraiser should never ever be pushy or salesy – which is why they must be even more skilled and resilient.
Preparation is key
Some of the best charity fundraising advice is to spend time listing the most common objections received from donors.
The fundraiser should then think about what the potential donor would need to know to overcome those objections.
Understanding the background of ‘why’ which will prepare you to respond accordingly.
The most common objections fundraisers hear
Knowing the list of likely objections is to have foresight that arms you in advance. This knowledge will make the whole process of removing obstacles easier, less stressful and more pleasant!
There are probably several more, but these are some of the most commonly used objections that fundraiser hear most frequently:
I don’t have time at the moment
I’m already donating to other causes
I don’t have the spare money to donate
Why can’t I just do it online?
I don’t care about the charity or cause
I don’t like the way the charity does XYZ
Donation handling i.e. I don’t trust charities and how they’ll spend the money
I can’t make the decision alone and will need to confer with someone else. e.g. spouse (note this can be a potential flag that the person is vulnerable)
Tempting though it is, fundraisers shouldn’t respond with negative words like ‘but’. This is because the potential donor hears disagreeing and will automatically go on defence mode, losing any chance of steering the transaction around.
So how should a fundraiser respond to objections?
It goes without saying that, regardless of experience, the first and foremost thing for any fundraiser is to respond with good nature, pleasant demeanour and never ever pushy or aggressively.
A fundraisers objective isn’t to argue – it’s to make an agreement.
Now we have that clear, here are the industry’s best suggestions for dealing with objections in the best way possible.
The research on objection handling
Sales and marketing data analysts ‘Gong’ studied over 67 thousand sales meetings from five million recorded calls. They were keen to emphasize that the majority of deals died because of hard-hitting common objections.
Using AI, they identified what formula was most successful, specifically looking at how the most successful salespeople handled objections.
Charity Link have taken these recommendations and created a step by step guide influenced by this study but with a few extras from experienced fundraiser trainers. Important to note is that, although as individual steps these can seem easy, it’s really when you put them together that you see the power.
Pause, speak with calm authority
It was noted in the sales call research that those who got the best results paused when they got objections – in fact this pause was longer for an objection than any other parts of the sales call.
The salespeople who got the least success tended to interrupt the customer, speaking faster during the objection handling.
There was a real sense that they were anxious.
In fact while in a typical sales conversation the average talking speed is 173 words per minute, a less effective sales rep would increase to 188 words per minute when faced with an objection.
Staying calm and controlled maintains trust and gives you extra time to think about what you’re going to say next.
Answer objections with a question
The data showed that successful sales people use questions when responding to objections.
This method works really well because it helps move the conversation forward.
Instead of this approach which can come across as insecure, ask questions using the same language and terms as the recipient has used.
This mirroring of what’s been said is a technique is highlighted by former FBI negotiator and CEO of The Black Swan Group Chris Voss in his book ‘Never Split the Difference’.
It’s designed to help clarify exactly what’s been said as well as removing any potential for misunderstanding.
Using tone of voice as a question rather than a statement invites the donor to elaborate further.
E.g. “So if I understand it right, you’re concerned the amount might be too high to meet each month?”
Then using the pause gives the space to really listen to what the donor is saying.
The AURA model - Align, Understand, Reframe, Ask
The next stages are really a journey of discovery which, when done correctly may well work some persuasion magic!
The four basic elements are based on psychological observations from fundraiser trainers as well as research about what turns sales conversations around.
To Align is to place yourself as the potential donors ally
To Understand is to and really dive deep into the why of their barrier to yes
To Reframe is to help the donor see things in a new light
To Ask is to have followed the previous steps correctly and know when the time is right to ask that will result in the yes
Align with your donor
Rather than making the common mistake of trying to defend your point of view, the fundraiser needs to focus on aligning with the person they’re talking to.
Remember, defending requires opposition and opposition hinders persuasion!
This doesn’t mean agreeing with them; it means hearing them and showing willingness to put yourself in their shoes.
After pausing, the face to face fundraiser should repeat back what the donor has just said to show you’ve heard them.
Three phrases that motivational speaker Anthony Robbins recommends using in conversation intended to remove conflict are:
‘I appreciate that… ‘
‘I agree that…’
‘I respect that…’
These types of verbal cues serve to immediately soften any further communication because it lets the recipient know you are empathetic to their position.
E.g. “I appreciate you are a little pushed for time so I’ll do my super quick version just so you know why I’m here today”
This technique is a non-confrontational way to show them you’re listening and that you’ll take action to ensure you’re not adding to their problem.
Understand the objection
Once you’ve established the objection, the next step is to break down the ‘why’ behind what they’ve said. There’s always more to the story than we’re initially presented with.
By taking time to understand properly, the fundraiser can remove any remaining potential of the donor feeling misunderstood.
The premise here is that we all want to be heard and understood but so often feel the opposite.
In fact, recent research has shown that when surveyed, nearly 60% of people said they felt misunderstood.
If a fundraiser is able to convey that they have truly understood their donor well, they’ll earn trust and credibility.
In turn, they’ve earned the potential to sway a decision.
How to show understanding
First and foremost, fundraisers must listen carefully. Observe tone, watch body language and reciprocate positively.
Stay focused on the topic and avoid any ambiguity.
Fundraisers should avoid using words like ‘why’ which can be deemed confrontational, putting the receiver on defence. Instead use phrases like ‘Could you help me understand what’s behind that’ to get to the root cause of the objection in a non-confrontational way.
It may be that their answer helps you get to the core truth about the donor objection which gives opportunity to educate them about your charity and debunk any misunderstandings.
Obviously the fundraiser must be knowledgeable about facts and figures and be able to share these details easily and accurately in a calm and friendly way.
Isolate the objection
Another great fundraiser tip in understanding is to remember that sometimes, what a donor says isn’t necessarily the only thing stopping them from moving forward.
Fundraisers should isolate the objection, so they know exactly what they’re dealing with and there’s no other issue to overcome.
A great tip here is to ask
“If we were able to overcome the issues of XYZ completely, what other obstacles would we need to address?”
If the answer is ‘none’, then you know you’ve just got one hurdle, and if there are more elements, then here is where you’ll get the full truth of the situation.
Remember to validate the donor
If you’ve gotten this far you have so far demonstrated patience, you’ve listened and you’ve aligned yourself with the donor. You’ve understood using careful questions. This all counts toward building that positive relationship and trust.
To validate a person means to simply use confirmation statements that reiterate all of the work you’ve done this far E.g. “That’s a really valid issue Jane. I can see how that might be a struggle to decide what to do next.”
This language shows you’re empathising (aligning), showing understanding and validating what they’re worried about all in one.
Reframe
If you’re on track with all of the above, it’s time to reframe and help the donor see things in a new light.
You have now earned the opportunity to put your point across diplomatically and reasonably.
But be warned! Without having completed the previous steps this one won’t work, so be careful about how you handle it.
Reframing means to take the validated objection and remove the obstacles, essentially putting it in a different way that helps the donor think and feel differently about a problem.
For this, preparation is key!
Having a well thought out response to the most typical issues will really help get you through most objections.
When we apply reframing to the most commonly heard problems, we can look at it like this:
Is the objection a problem that can be reframed as an opportunity?
Is the objection a weakness that can be reframed as a strength?
Is the objection about timing that can be reframed as the perfect time?
So let’s go back to our original list of objections and see how we can ultimately reframe them.
I don’t have time at the moment
Response “I completely appreciate time is precious. I’ll make sure I’m really quick so I can tell you about the amazing work we’re doing and you can understand how important it is and then at least I’ve helped raise awareness”
Already donating to other causes
Response “I know that those charities will appreciate your help so much and we definitely need more people like you! So if I can share what we’re doing and why we’re asking for help you’ll know about us too”
I don’t have the spare money to donate
Response “It’s really tough isn’t it – I totally respect that things are pretty tight right now and I know the feeling! Let me tell you that you can still help with as little as £1 per week if that makes any difference.
Or
“I’d still like to chat with you so I can quickly tell you about our cause in case in the future you are in a position to help and might remember us then. We can totally assume you won’t be giving now, but if I can have a minute of your time you’d make my day”
Why can’t I just do it online?
Response “Yes you can and we are online, but of course you’ve got me here in front of you and I’d love to show you the exact campaign we’re working on today so you know what we’re looking for. I can also answer any questions you might have”
Don’t care about the charity or cause
Response “I’m sorry to hear that. I appreciate we all have our own priorities and of course that’s totally fine. If you had any questions I’d be very happy to answer them for you today”
I don’t like the way the charity does X
Response “I am so sorry to hear that. If you had any particular questions or concerns I’d be more than happy to answer them”
I don’t trust charities and how they’ll spend my money
Response ““I am so sorry to hear that. If you had any particular questions or concerns I’d be more than happy to answer them”
*If a donor then chooses to voice concerns about wanting their money to go to the end user rather than the organisation, there is scope here for the fundraiser to empathise, and go on to explain how the more impactful charities unfortunately have overheads to pay. Like any organisation, in order to grow, they too must invest in campaigns and good staff to reach their ultimate goals.
*When educating it’s vital to always remain neutral and non-confrontational. Leave on a positive with a smile so there is no feeling of conflict or pessimism.
I can’t make the decision alone and need to confer with someone else. e.g. spouse
Response: “I totally understand, it’s an important decision to make and we all need our partners to be on board! Do you think this is something your partner would be interested in?” In doing this, you’re establishing whether it’s worth popping back later (especially relevant to door to door fundraisers).
I don’t think my donation will make a difference
Response: “I can totally appreciate that given how great the need is out there. Let me tell you a small story about the impact a donation has made on this individual”
If a person says they don’t feel their donation would make a difference, they’re really asking you to show them how they can. Having specific stories to back up your pitch will really help them to see they really will be impacting someone’s life.
The ask
Now you’ve addressed their objection fully, it’s a good idea to finish up with something like
‘Is there any part of your concern that’s still unaddressed?’
This gives them a final opportunity to share any further thoughts.
Provided they’re happy, you can now go ahead and ask for that all important support.
This is the final step to seal the deal, with positivity and complete assurance for the donor, who will have absolute certainty that they want to help.
Read more about the psychology of donors and why people give
If you’re inspired to become a professional fundraiser and feel you might be ready to take on the incredible rewards (and challenges!) that come with the job, why not check out the areas we are employing across the UK?
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