By Lisa Cirincione, Senior Resource Development Associate for Joining Vision and Action

As a veteran grantwriter at JVA, I have had the opportunity to work on hundreds of grants for clients who are actively doing their part to make the world better. It is inspiring to get to work with people who are passionate about the difference that they are trying to make, but what makes my day is when I am so moved by the client’s reasons for the work that I become a champion for a solution that I didn’t personally care about before.

So how does that happen? Intellectually and intuitively, we all understand that community hunger, substance abuse prevention, affordable housing, etc. are important issues.

However, it is always the personal commitment of the client that makes me stop and think about how I can personally help.

For example, I had the opportunity to work with a client who was making it easier for people with cancer to ask for and get the help that they need, and it all started because the founder realized how exhausting it was to keep updating people about how she was doing because there wasn’t a convenient way to share that information with all of her friends and family at the same time.

Her solution was to create a dynamic website where people can provide updates on how they are doing, ask for what they need and let people communicate directly. Best of all, it’s free and confidential so people can be honest about what is going on.

What this means for you is that when you are talking with prospective donors, don’t be afraid to share with them why you are personally committed to the work.

Of course, there is a place for the hard data about the difference you are making, but that’s only going to matter to a donor if they already “get” the need for your work in the first place. We are by nature empathetic to the needs of others and to deny that means that you are going to leave money on the table if you aren’t comfortable expressing your personal passion for the issue.

So, I hope that this inspires you to open up on a personal level with your prospective and existing donors. If you do, not only will you raise more money, you will remember why you are personally invested in the work, which is what will keep you going on those days when the work is really demanding.