4 Leadership Marketing tips that can strengthen your donor presentations.

Whether you are a biotech startup with very little funding or a long-standing biomedical institution with formal development teams, the fundraising materials that you leave behind after in-person presentations are critical to meeting your goals. Pitch materials can range from basic 2-sided Leave Behinds to in-depth Case Statements. Regardless of the package they come in, there are 4 basic Leadership Marketing tips that can help make your fundraising communications more effective:

1. Communicate Your Mission Powerfully
Giving powerful face-to-face presentations to major potential donors is key to meeting your biomedical nonprofit’s fundraising goals. The way that you communicate your mission in your marketing materials must be equally powerful to ensure follow-through—especially when you are raising money for multi-million dollar capital campaigns or endowments. The greater the ask, the more important it is to clarify your institution’s purpose, immediate goals and past achievements. Donors are more likely to give when they can see the human impact of your success and believe that your biomedical nonprofit can do what it says it can.

2. Focus on Key Messages that will Resonate Visually
You’ve just met with a major donor. As you say goodbye, you hand him or her a Leave Behind or Case Statement. After spending an hour listening to your presentation, will he or she immediately sit down to read those materials? More likely, they will begin by skimming the information. Be sure there is a hook that grabs their attention from the start. Use key phrases that reinforce your donors’ motivations for giving, and give real-world examples of how your work improves the lives of the people it touches. Remember to strike a balance between showing scientific expertise and using language that will resonate with non-scientists.

3. Put Yourself in Their Shoes
Be sure your content is both fact-filled and engaging. Anticipate objections and answer them with carefully considered responses that reiterate your institution’s scientific expertise. When possible, include press clippings, quotes, transcripts, or personal stories that support your message, demonstrate success, and inspire confidence in your institution. Sharing success stories can make repeat donors feel that their past gifts made a difference and encourage new donors to support future efforts.

4. Tell Donors How They Can Help
This is your opportunity to be specific about your institution’s needs. Major donors choose to give because they feel they are changing the world for the better. Make the connection between where their money will go (to build a larger facility, for instance) and how that investment will affect your work (enabling you to expand your research, in this case). Finally, tie that back to the impact it will make on people’s lives, now and in the future. In other words, make sure potential donors know that you view your supporters as heroes.

Do you have questions about designing presentation materials like Leave Behinds, and Case Statements? Please feel free to contact me with questions by calling 866-960-9220 or emailing karan@cushmancreative.com.