Last year I visited Nicaragua, consulting for La Isla Foundation. I'm helping them create a plan to increase individual giving, particularly through their communications. They are a small, relatively new organization that so far has been more focused on their programs helping the La Isla community in Nicaragua than fundraising for those programs.
Their President asked me for help with the message they wanted to send to donors and potential donors. He said they didn't want to use "The members of this community need a future," because it could seem too demanding. He told me they didn't want to say "The members of this community deserve a future," because it possibly sounded too entitled.
I told him the message needs to be "Give the members of this community a future."
"That's it!" He exclaimed.
His instincts were guiding him away from the wrong phrasing; La Isla Foundation just needed a reminder to keep the messaging donor-centered. I told him, "It can't be about your organization, or really, much about your clients. It has to be about the donor and the difference they can make by giving."
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