Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

TY Thursday: A First-Time Gift is Not a Wedding Ring

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shut up, give me moneySometimes I think nonprofits have an invisible sign above their desks, directed to donors:

“Shut up and give.”

How else do you explain the way we keep on writing donors the way that’s most convenient for us, and not for them?

Or the way we persist in asking them for a new donation before we’ve actually said “thank you” for the old one?

For more shake-your-head proof that we are taking donors for granted–treating them like cash machines and not like human beings–consider this pet peeve from my friend Carol.

A First-Time Gift is Not a Wedding Ring

Carol read last week’s blog and wrote me:

I had an experience of giving generously to an organization and then realizing that my impulse was one of very poor judgment in terms of my financial situation.  Subsequent mail from the organization has basically asked me where I am and to send money in the same amount as soon as possible as the funds are very much needed.  Very poor form! I have been tempted to send a note but have decided that silence is the better option.

From the organization’s point of view, it seems, they’ve been jilted. Carol made them a vow of lifelong devotion, and then she left them at the altar.

But Carol doesn’t see it that way. She made a gift. Did that commit her to making the same gift happily ever after? Certainly not–particularly if she couldn’t really afford it. And she is offended that the organization is holding her to a promise she never made.

I bet you have some Carols on your list of lapsed donors. They, too, have decided “silence is the better option.” You might feel they have abandoned you, but they believe you have a lot of nerve to think they owe you.

How Not to Take Donors for Granted

Fortunately, some of us do understand how to woo our donors. Carol adds:

A different organization with similar goals has been nothing but kind and appreciative. After getting a request following my increased donation amount to another arm of the organization, I noted that I already donate to that program and had just increased the amount.  I received a note to the effect that the mistake had been corrected, with thanks for my being of such support.

This is also a group that initiated a meeting for me with a regional director after I was unable to attend a local event for which I had registered. We had a lovely dinner with pleasant conversation, including an update on several programs–no pressure of any kind, just a learning experience and a getting to know you evening.  One certainly catches more flies with honey and the personal touch.

Taking donors for granted is destroying their good will. Treating your donors right is the best thank-you. What are you doing to make your donors feel they’ve truly been thanked?

Fundraising Tuesday: Who Are You Calling “We,” Nonprofit?

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When it comes to fundraising appeals, we in the nonprofit world are stuck on ourselves.

How can that be, we wonder? We’re not self-centered. We care about our mission. We care about our clients.

We’re not in it for personal gain–or we surely would have chosen another profession! How can it be that we’re constantly writing about ourselves?

Yet take a look at the last appeal letter your agency sent out. Did it contain:

  • Statistics on how many people “we” helped?
  • Explanations of “our” programs?
  • Stories about what “we” did that changed client’s lives?

We, the nonprofit vs. they, the donors

What we’re trying to do with those letters is make a case for the donor’s support. What we’re succeeding at doing–far too often–is making them feel insignificant.

Saying “We need your help” is not convincing when the rest of the letter is about what “we” did without the donor even knowing. Worse, it puts us on opposite sides of the fence: “we” who do, and “you” who admire.

Yes, that organization sounds great, the donor thinks. So what? What’s that got to do with me?

That’s the question your ideal appeal letter must answer.

All of us, together

Think back to the end of 2016. At home, in the mail, you got a ton of letters asking for money. Was there one that made you excited about giving?

If so, I’ll bet it got the little things right. It called you by your name. It referred to your giving history. It packed some punch in the postscript.

But that’s only what it took to get you to read the letter. What made you remember it, and feel excited about it, and want to give?

The letter that makes you feel like you were there in the midst of the action all along.

The letter that says the success stories are your successes.

The appeal letter that makes the donor the hero of the story.

That’s the one that stays in the memory. That’s the letter that donors want to keep, and quote, and show to their friends.

And that’s the letter that your nonprofit organization wants to write.

TY Thursday: A Toast to You, Generous Donor!

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toasting

Raise a glass to…your donor

What do we do at weddings to make the bride and groom feel extra special? We make a toast.

What can you do to make your donors feel extra special? Raise a glass and toast their generosity.

(And you don’t have to wait for a party to do it!)

Salute & Say Thanks

The essence of a toast is not the liquid you drink. It’s the words you say.

A toast lets people know that you believe they’ve done a great thing. You’ve taken the time to be there and the thought to put together your speech. Both your time and your thoughtfulness lift the occasion out of the ordinary…and honor the person you’re saluting.

A toast shows that you know the person you’re honoring. That’s why the best man, the maid of honor, and the parents are logical choices to give toasts at weddings: they know what the bride or groom likes, and they have revealing stories to tell. The more you know about your donor, the better you can be at thanking them.

A toast reaffirms a relationship. When you speak publicly about what the donor has done, in a way that shows you value them as a person, you make them feel closer and more loyal to you in return.

That’s why, even if your organization is alcohol-free and you raise a glass of sweet tea instead, a toast is a unique way of thanking your donors.

Don’t Wait for the Gala!

Between the time you receive the gift and the time you hold an event, it might be months. Like a glass of bubbly that sits out on the counter, your toast might lose some of its savor if you wait that long. It will still be sweet, but a lot of the fizz will go out of it.

You don’t have to wait. Take out your camera and make a one-minute video toasting your donor. Then, post it on your website. Or send it through your social media.

If you think the donor is shy, email it to them. They will probably still share it with their family and the people closest to them.  They may even take it out and play it again from time to time, just for themselves. Like a wedding video.

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