Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Fundraising Tuesday: A New Resolution

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For the new year, did your nonprofit make a resolution? I’m going to suggest you make a new and better one right now!

“Resolution” comes from the word resolve,  and that word has different meanings.

What we usually do around January 1 is “decide firmly on a course of action.” All too often, of course, that firm decision disappears before the month of January is out! (Think of all those unused gym memberships, for example.)

Another meaning of resolve is “settle or find a solution to (a problem, dispute, or contentious matter).” U.S. House of Representatives, I’m looking at you! What’s the resolution when twenty or so members want to gum up the works, not govern?

Resolution as clearer vision

High and low resolution

There’s another way to think about your New Year’s resolution. It comes from photography. A high-resolution image is one that shows you a lot of detail. It lets you see what you’re looking at more clearly.

This year, it’s time for your nonprofit to get a high-resolution picture of how you are communicating with your donors.

Questions to ask to bring donor communication into focus

What do you know about the people on your email list? Are their names correct?  Are their addresses up to date? Do you know what they care about, and are you segmenting your list so they hear about exactly what matters to them?

How often are you in touch with your supporters (and potential supporters)? And how often are you giving them something–an inspiring story, expert information, or something else that’s valuable to them?

Is your communication haphazard, or do you have a plan? Are you using a communications calendar so you never have to create something at the last minute? Are you reusing, repurposing, and recycling your content so more of your supporters see or hear it, on more different channels?

If the answers to any of the questions we’ve just been considering is “No,” or “Not nearly enough,” then it’s time to make a resolution in the first sense. Make a firm decision to make the answer “yes” this year. (And that will also be the resolution of your problem with keeping your loyal donors!)

 

 

 

 

Surprise! Your Favorite Blog Posts from 2022

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This blog is for you. The reason I keep thinking of new topics (and new twists on old topics) is so that you, at your nonprofit, can communicate better, make more friends, and raise more money.

So it matters to me what you like, and what you read.

Here are the your favorite posts from 2022, and some of them surprise me!

1. When You’re Planning Meetings, Include Other Religions: I was sincerely surprised that this was your most viewed post in 2022. Also, gratified. Thank you to every nonprofit that made an effort to understand what Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, Samhain, Nowruz, and other religious holidays and practices are all about, and to schedule so that all your staff can feel included. (And if you were one of those staff people using the post to say to your employer, “See? See?”, I’m not as thrilled but still happy to be helpful to you.)

2. Remember the Postscript. Donors Do! We all work so hard to craft the ideal fundraising appeal. Then, that work goes to waste if the potential donor doesn’t read the letter! One of the best ways to catch their eye is with a postscript that speaks to the heartfelt reasons they give.

3. Top Ten Steps to Fundraising During a Leadership Change. I’m so glad you enjoyed this guest post by Robin Cabral of Development Consulting Solutions. Between the pandemic and the big cohort of nonprofit Executive Directors reaching retirement age, a lot of organizations needed to know what to say to their donors to ensure continued support. Robin’s post gives you a step-by-step plan for communications and fundraising while in transition.

4. Appeal Letters, Easy to Read. As I get older, my eyes increasingly appreciate the things that make appeal letters easier to read at any age: large font, plenty of white space, short paragraphs, and plenty of pictures, bold and italic font, and bulleted lists.

5. What Do You Call a Donor? Say anything you like about me, as long as you get my name right! Nothing is more personal to your donors than their names–and nothing says “I don’t know who you are and I don’t care” faster than calling them a name they don’t use. This blog post examines the pros and cons of  first names, last names, full names, with or without titles. (This post dates back a few years, and today I would add that getting people’s pronouns right is also key.)

And for a bonus, a little humor: A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Communications Pro Walk into a Bar… Because we take our missions seriously, but we don’t always have to BE serious!

Happy 2023 to all readers of the Communicate! blog, and if you could use expert assistance with your communications and fundraising in the new year, write me: [email protected].

Fundraising Tuesday: You Asked. Now What?

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By the time you read this, I hope you have sent out your ideal end-of-year fundraising letter. Maybe you did it by mail. Maybe you sent it by email. Either way, it’s tempting to sit back and let it do its work.

Don’t give in to temptation! There’s more to do if you want to stay atop your donors’ mind…and donation list!

Your appeal is one of many, many appeals your donors are receiving this time of year. (Just look at your own mail or inbox and you will agree.) To make yours stand out, it cannot be one and done. Here are some ideas to bring your appeal to the top of your donors’ list.

What to do after you ask

  1. Follow up a letter with email.
    • In the From: line, send the message in the name of a real person.
    • Make sure you choose a Subject: line that will make the donor perk up and open the message.
    • Talk about what the donor wants, not what your nonprofit wants.
    • Include a link to your Donate page–twice or three times!
  2. Follow up a written message with a phone call.
    • Prepare a good script.
    • Train your volunteers.
    • Invite your Board to get involved. Following up an ask will be easier for many of them than making the ask themselves!
  3. Follow up a personal message by talking to all your donors on social media.  Now is the time to make the donor the hero of the story.

“Here is a person who’s struggling, and you can help them get over the hump and have a happy ending.” There is no better message to post in December!

December is different. As Double the Donation points out, “30% of annual giving happens in December, with about 10% of all annual donations coming in the last three days of the year.”

The rest of the year, telling success stories helps donors feel happy and proud that they gave to your organization. But in December, you want to make the donor feel that the ending of the story is all in their hands. When you call, or email, and especially when you post, bring them to the brink, and then ask. And always make it easy to give by including the link to your donation page!

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