Of course no one says that they have a transactional approach to fundraising. How could you admit to such a thing?
But to get beyond transactions means that donors are not numbers to you. It means that after people give you feel more enthusiastic, not less, to talk with them, to plan with them, to dig in with them. It means full emotional investment in the relationship, not looking over your shoulder at the clock. It means taking the notion of “partnership” seriously.
No one will ever say that they believe relationships should be transactional, but it takes guts to fully invest. You can’t fake it.
Great post. It’s been sitting in my inbox, I’ve read it 3-4 times. It takes guts in anything we do to fully invest. Our work, our personal relationships, anything that involves people. It’s hard to put “it” all out there….what will they say? How will they respond? The unknown can be very scary. Thanks for reminding us!