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Fundraising Tuesday: 3 Donor Communication Tips for Nonprofits

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Your nonprofit likely spends a significant amount of time attracting new donors, enlightening them about your mission, and sharing how your nonprofit can make a difference. But after a donor gives, does your nonprofit still keep in touch effectively?

Donor communication is a core part of cultivating long-lasting, valuable relationships with supporters. While it is  important to attract new donors, staying in touch with the donors you have can allow your nonprofit to build a vibrant and passionate supporter community. 

To improve your donor communication practices, let’s dive into three tips nonprofits can put into action immediately:

  1. Personalize your messages.
  2. Create new engagement opportunities.
  3. Demonstrate donors’ impact.

1. Personalize your messages.

Donors are individuals, and your nonprofit should strive to create unique relationships with each one of them. This may not seem like a practical goal on the surface, but with the right communication tools, you can tailor each message as closely as possible to a donor’s unique interests.

Personalization involves including personal details about each donor in your messages. This can include referring to them by their name, using the communication channels they prefer, referring to their past engagement, highlighting upcoming activities that fit their interests, and making donation requests that align with their previous gifts.

Your nonprofit’s CRM should allow you to create donor profiles, where you still house all of this information. Of course, if your CRM is lacking, it may be necessary to switch. For example, many nonprofits switch from Raiser’s Edge to the Salesforce CRM due to the latter’s increased functionality, such as its robust donor management applications.

2. Create new engagement opportunities.

Supporters are unlikely to get invested in your nonprofit if you only ever reach out to them with donation requests. Instead, vary your messages by sharing new engagement opportunities.

By giving supporters more ways to get involved, you can learn more about your supporters and even get opportunities to connect with them face-to-face. The more opportunities you offer, the more you’ll be able to improve donor relationships and create a better communication strategy.

 

A few types of activities to get in touch with your supporters about include:

  • Volunteer opportunities. From helping with fundraisers to working on your initiatives, volunteers are a core part of your nonprofit’s team. Your donors can actually be one of your best sources for finding new volunteers as well. Reach out to donors and share how they can get involved in upcoming volunteer opportunities.


  • Membership program. To get supporters even more involved in your nonprofit, consider creating a membership program. Supporters who join your membership program will pay a recurring fee, and in exchange, they’ll have access to a variety of content. This can include exclusive articles, online courses, and VIP treatment at events. Make sure you have the necessary tools to manage your members and communicate all of the benefits and opportunities associated with the program.


  • Peer-to-peer campaign. Peer-to-peer campaigns call on your supporters to reach out to their friends and family to fundraise on your behalf. These campaigns give supporters an accessible way to help out your nonprofit besides donating. Plus, you can make your peer-to-peer campaign more engaging by combining it with other fundraising opportunities like events or giving days.

You know your donors best, so choose the engagement strategy that will most interest them. Take note of which donors engage in other opportunities. Then, the next time you get in touch with them, try sending a message about a similar activity and reference the last opportunity they participated in.

3. Demonstrate donors’ impact.

Donors want to know that their gifts are making a difference. As part of your communication strategy, be sure to share their impact. There are a few strategies nonprofits can use to let donors know their gifts matter, like:

  • Adding examples. When donors are preparing to give, help them understand what their donation means by sharing examples of how their gift might be used. For example, a nonprofit that plants trees might mention how many saplings a $25 donation will help them replant.
  • Using visuals. Help your supporters visualize their impact by using images. In your messages, add photographs of your volunteers hard at work, your beneficiaries receiving aid, and your staff rallying supporters to action. Nonprofits with access to a graphic designer can even create their own infographics to help supporters visualize the impact donations make in even more detail.
  • Providing campaign updates. After a donor gives to a campaign, they may begin to question if their donation was worth it if they never hear back from the nonprofit. Use your CRM to keep track of which donors gave to which campaigns and initiatives. Then, reach out to them to share specific details about the progress you’ve made thanks to their support.

If your nonprofit is unsure how to best demonstrate your donors’ impact—and help them make more of an impact—rest assured that you’re not alone. There are a variety of resources, conferences, and courses available for nonprofits to improve their communication strategy and learn how to make each donation go further.

 

3 Simple Communication Tips to Help Your Nonprofit Build Healthy Relationships With Donors

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A guest post by Elena Stewart

Nonprofit communication has changed drastically in recent decades. In the 1990’s, most people didn’t expect a personalized experience when dealing with the organizations they supported. Nonprofits would send a letter in the mail, and donors would send back a check — and that was it.

Now, organizations (and businesses) use algorithms, CRM software, and automation tools to personalize everything from our shopping carts to our newsfeeds. As a result, we expect personalization. And you can rest assured that your donors do too!

But donors are after more than a personalized experience; they want to feel that they have the inside scoop and a sense of belonging with the organizations they support. And they want to know they’re making a positive impact. Below are three practical communication tips for connecting with your donors!

Know the Core Functions of Your Strategy  

First, you must know how to create a successful donor communications strategy, which involves identifying your core functions. For example, you’ll need to focus on telling impactful stories about people instead of relying on statistics and numbers. A personal story about someone directly impacted by your organization can be powerful and inspiring.

You should also plan to regularly update your donors about the progress your nonprofit is making in the community and the world. Of course, you should always communicate how their contributions have made an impact.

Furthermore, it’s important to allow your donors to participate in the conversation. When people give their money to a nonprofit, they want to feel like they belong to the community and contribute to the world’s betterment. Take advantage of your donors’ expertise and resources when strategizing, and give them a platform to share ideas and opinions.

Send Email

Once you have your core functions in place, it’s time to make a plan for executing your donor communications strategy. To do so, you’ll need to choose the appropriate channels.

Chances are you already use email because it has long been among the most common platforms for donor communications. But there may be some things you can do to improve results.

For example, make sure each email is personalized by including the donor’s name, contribution amounts, and years with the nonprofit. And consider that email tends to lack the personal touch of a phone call. Think of ways to warm up your messages by recalling bits of your last conversation with the donor or mentioning their specific interests or recent donations.

You should also respond quickly when a donor emails you. When someone sends an email, it shows they are engaged in your nonprofit, and you want to maintain their enthusiasm with a fast and personal response.

And, of course, every email you send should be relevant to your organization’s goals, challenges, and progress. The occasional uplifting story can also go a long way in inspiring action!

Engage on Social Media   

If your nonprofit is not active on social media, now’s the time to engage. Develop your social media strategy around age and other demographics to determine which platforms to focus on for your messaging. Social media is an excellent way to post updates about your nonprofit, interact with donors and other supporters, and promote your cause.

You can even build a community by growing your online presence. Look for free tools that allow you to design custom infographics for explaining the challenges and victories occurring in your community.

Meet In-Person

We live in a digital world, but face-to-face communication is as powerful as ever. Look for opportunities to meet people in person so you can have natural conversations without the possibility of technical issues. The right body language and connecting on a human level can do wonders for moving people to become donors or continue their contributions.

 

There are many other ways to build healthy relationships with your donors through communication. A well-timed text message or handwritten letter, for example, can inspire people to action.

But the ideas above can help you lay a firm foundation for your donor communications strategy. Keep learning how to get your organization’s message across more effectively, and stay true to your mission and values along the way!

 

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about communication consulting services for nonprofit organizations? Visit DennisFischman.com today!

Elena Stewart made the jump from a corporate job she wasn’t entirely happy with, to running her own business that gives her the financial freedom and flexible lifestyle she’s always wanted. As a life coach, she now gets the happiness of helping others get to the places that might seem out of reach.

Fundraising Tuesday: What’s the Message TODAY? 3 Examples

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You’re sending a message to your nonprofit audience in every email, every social media post, every newsletter article you write. But is it a message they want to hear?

If you know your audience, you can tell there are some topics they’ll always be interested in, no matter what season it is or what else is going on in the world. We call those evergreen topics. It’s good to have a well of those you can dip into at any time. Posting them is a service to your audience, and it does well by your nonprofit, too, because it keeps your donors and potential donors interested.

There are also some topics that matter at a particular time and not so much at others. We’ll call them seasonal topics. Ideally, you’d like your message to stand out in your audience’s mind. Well, what’s a better way to make sure they do pay attention than to write about something that’s top of mind for them already, right at that moment?

Mother’s Day Messages

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. It’s a time of celebration for some, and a bittersweet time for others, depending on their relationship to their own mothers and (perhaps) to their children if they’ve raised any. One thing it is for everybody, though, is virtually inescapable: it’s mentioned in all the media.

How did nonprofits tailor their messages to Mother’s Day?

Example 1: It’s in their name

MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization and feminist fund, had an easy connection to the day. Their organization’s name means “mother,” in Spanish.

MADRE made good use of Mother’s Day by 1) sending my wife an email that said:

Dear Rona,
Happy Mother’s Day! Today we celebrate all who care for families and lift communities in joy.Make sure you’re honoring the MADREs in your life.It’s not too late to send someone special a thoughtful Mother’s Day e-card!​In celebration,Yifat Susskind
Executive Director

MADRE pop-up messageand 2) by putting a pop-up on their website that says, “Honor mothers everywhere. For Mother’s Day, you can send an e-card with your gift to support feminist initiatives around the world. Give Today.”

These messages hit the spot. They might not make a difference if MADRE weren’t routinely great at telling stories that move the hearts of their audiences. Within a stream of donor communications, however, the Mother’s Day messages grab readers’ attention and call on them to act.

Example 2: From one mother to another

re Power Mother's Day message

re:Power took a different approach. Formerly Wellstone Action, this organization works to “build a future of inclusive politics where decisions about our communities are made by our communities at all levels.” In other words: run for office, mama!

For Mother’s Day, ED Karundi Williams laid out how being a mother and being and activist go together. In a long, thoughtful email, she shared these reflections:

Becoming a mother required me to establish some boundaries, out of a sense of responsibility to my daughter and her needs. 

At the same time, motherhood clarified my life’s work. It sharpened my focus and reignited my passion for this important work. 

Clearly, re:Power looked at where it was in relation to its audience and saw Mother’s Day as the right time to deepen and personalize that relationship. The message is consistent with what they would say every day of the year, but it’s couched in language that resonates with readers on Mother’s Day.

Example 3: Mothers are stronger than borders

RAICES provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees, especially at the Mexico-Texas border. They do not have “mother” in their name, like MADRE. Their mission is a hard sell to people in the U.S. who are skeptical about allowing more immigrants to enter the country. So, how did they use Mother’s Day to win their audience over?

 

RAICES Mother's Day message

Today, we honor Ms. N, pictured above with her children. We concealed their faces with flowers grown in Afghanistan for anonymity

 

They focused on mothers’ love for their children as a reason why immigrants come to the U.S.

“Mothers provide a deep love — a type of love that borders can’t contain.

This Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate the immigrant mothers and parents who will do whatever it takes to give their children a safer and brighter life.”

RAICES presented the children in the photo as a bunch of flowers, a typical gift for Mother’s Day. Both the photo and the language of the email they sent me put all the emphasis on family, on love, and on hope. The most hardened anti-immigration advocate might be moved–let alone the people on the RAICES mailing list, who already care about the future of immigrants and their children.

Mother’s Day is past now, but what’s the next date that your audience will be thinking about? Is it the date of George Floyd’s death? Memorial Day? Shavuot? The end of the school year? What message can you send them that they will pay attention to, and will it make them feel close to your organization, and give?

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