Is our NGO’s mission the same thing that we tell donors when fundraising?

Yes the mission and aims and objectives of your NGO is why you want people to support you. However, for the purposes of fundraising from individuals, you may want to explain or interpret your mission, aims and objectives, so that ordinary people who live in your local community understand in simple terms what you are trying to do and why you need funds. You don’t need to use exactly the same mission statement in your communication to donors as long as what you say means the same thing.

The main thing is to avoid development jargon which we can all fall into easily when talking to colleagues. Many people who support good causes, simply want to know how their donation is helping. They don’t need to know the technical details that you might provide a grant funder as part of a proposal. People like human stories and so one of the best way to engage individual donors is through storytelling by giving the background to a person, family, community and then show the difference you have made so a ‘before and after’ scenario works well.

You want to engage supporters by getting them to really empathise with your cause so if you are supporting children, then you might want to direct your fundraising messaging to parents. Understanding your supporters and who they are, will help you define your messages to them in a way that will engage them because they can relate to what you are trying to do.

Therefore, it is not always the best thing to just repeat your mission statement when trying to reach out in the community. Adapt it to the audience you are trying to reach and always be authentic and trust worthy because if you are trusted and reliable, people are more likely to show support.