Here's How to Get 70% of your Donors to Say, "YES!"

Tom Iselin
May 30, 2021
4 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

This blog (and video) is a reminder that Face-to-Face fundraising is the most effective method of raising money compared to other channels.

https://youtu.be/sR-yaAweaTk

Here's How to Get 70% of your Donors to Say, "YES!"

How Face-to-Face Meetings Can Boost Your Fundraising Success by 70%

If you want to raise more money—and raise it more easily—there’s one fundraising strategy that consistently outperforms all others: meeting with donors face-to-face. Most nonprofits pour endless hours into grants, galas, auctions, and email appeals. Those methods aren’t useless—far from it—but they’re nowhere near as powerful or efficient as personal, genuine, human connection.

In this article, you’ll learn why face-to-face meetings outperform almost every other fundraising tactic, why donors say “yes” in person far more often, and how to start shifting your time toward the activities that actually raise money.

Why Most Nonprofits Focus on Low-Yield Fundraising

Smaller nonprofits especially fall into a familiar trap:

Spending hundreds or thousands of hours writing grants
Executing big events that produce small margins
Sending out mass appeals with low response rates

These efforts aren’t bad—they’re just not the highest-return use of time.

Most leaders continue doing them because “that’s what nonprofits do.”

But if your goal is to increase revenue, deepen donor engagement, and raise more money faster, you need to rethink where your hours go.

The Principle: Set Up More Face-to-Face Meetings

Here’s the simple truth:

Asking for a gift in person is the #1 most effective way to get a yes.

Studies show that when you sit down with a donor who believes in your mission:

You have a 70% chance of getting a “yes”
If the donor also volunteers or has deep personal connection to the cause, that number jumps to 90%

You cannot get odds like that from email appeals, letters, grant applications, or gala speeches.

Human connection builds trust.Trust builds generosity.

Why Face-to-Face Meetings Are More Efficient Than Grants and Events

Grants can take dozens of hours… and still get rejected.Events can consume thousands of hours… and still underperform.

Meanwhile:

A face-to-face meeting takes one hour
One hour = meaningful connection, deeper understanding, real engagement, and a high chance of a gift

Now think about this:

If your gala took 3,000 hours to pull off…What if you could tighten it to 2,000 hours and redirect the saved 1,000 hours into donor meetings?

That’s enough time for 500 donor meetings at two hours each.

Imagine the results from that.

Face-to-face fundraising isn’t just effective—it’s efficient.

Face-to-Face Meetings Build Trust and Credibility

Donors give to organizations they trust and to people they like.A face-to-face meeting is the fastest way to build both.

When donors meet with you in person, they can:

See your passion
Feel your commitment
Ask real questions
Share their values
Explore opportunities
Engage in a two-way conversation

No email, letter, or video can replicate a live, human experience.

This is where major gifts come from—not from clever subject lines or the perfect grant narrative.

Face-to-Face Meetings Create a Dynamic Asking Environment

Letters, emails, and grants are static asks.They’re one-way messages. The donor reads the pitch and must decide:

Yes or No

There’s no room for:

Clarifying questions
Objection handling
New ideas
Adjusting the ask amount
Exploring alternatives
Understanding motivations
Pivoting based on their reactions

In-person meetings are dynamic.You can read body language, adjust your message, tailor your ask, and explore deeper opportunities as the conversation evolves.

This is where real fundraising happens.

Your Challenge: Shift Your Time Toward the Most Effective Activity

Here’s what to do next:

Calculate your current fundraising time allocation.

How many hours do you spend on:
- Events
- Grants
- Email appeals
- Donor meetings
Increase your face-to-face time dramatically.

Move from 5% of your time to:
- 40%
- 50%
- Or at least triple your current amount
Commit to setting up more lunches, coffees, and meetings.

Even one or two meetings a week can transform your fundraising pipeline.

You will be amazed by the results.

Trust me.

Summary: Why In-Person Donor Meetings Work

Here’s the big picture:

Face-to-face fundraising works because:

It builds trust
It creates genuine connection
It allows dynamic discussion
It increases “yes” rates dramatically
It’s efficient and high-return
It deepens donor loyalty
It leads to bigger, long-term gifts

If you want to raise more money, grow your nonprofit, and increase your impact, shift your time toward donor meetings. It’s the simplest, most powerful change you can make.

About the Author

Tom Iselin is recognized as one of America’s leading authorities on high-performance nonprofits. He has built nine sector-leading nonprofits and two software companies, written six books, sits on multiple boards, and has been rated one of America’s Best Board Retreat and Strategic Planning Facilitators. His work on nonprofit strategy, board leadership, and culture has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and in Newsweek.

Tom is the president of First Things First, a firm specializing in board retreats, strategic planning services, fundraising strategy, and executive coaching for nonprofit CEOs.

Board Retreats & Strategic Planning

If you’re looking for a board retreat facilitator or strategic planning facilitator who has been in the trenches and understands real-world nonprofit challenges, Tom can help your board gain clarity, build alignment, and create an actionable plan that improves performance and impact. His sessions propel organizations to the next level of performance and impact . . . and they're fun!

Board Retreats and Strategic Planning Services: