Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

TY Thursday: Show Donors What You Share

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share interestsWhen you think about creative ways of thanking your donors, take a lesson from my wife. Rona runs a real estate company, not a nonprofit–but she understands how to make friends for her organization. She stresses what they share in common.

A lot of Rona’s home buyers care about housing for all. That means Rona supports groups like the Somerville Homeless Coalition. She truly cares, but her gift lets her clients know she cares, as they do.

A large number of Rona’s clients are cyclists. That means Rona posts news about bike trails and biking to work on her company’s Facebook page. It’s not strictly about real estate? That doesn’t matter. It shows clients that she understands them and appreciates the things they appreciate.

Your nonprofit can do this too. And you should.

What Your Donors Love, Besides You

There’s a saying, “People give to people.” That can mean they give to help people (not organizations). True. It can mean they give because a person they know asks them to give. Also true.

But the most important thing it means is that your donors have to know, like, and trust you if they are ever going to become to your loyal supporters.

They have to think, “That organization includes a lot of people like me.”

So, your job is to find out what counts as “people like me”–and show that they are right. Your organization does include people who care about more than just one thing. You and the donors share a lot in common.

Get to Know and Love Your Donors

How do you actually find out what your donors care about? A few good ways:

  1. Asking them. You can do this whenever you have a conversation with a donor and make a note of it in your files. Or, you can make a more organized effort, using surveys and focus groups. Do it gradually if you have to, but keep on asking.
  2. Social listening. Set up Google alerts for the internet, and set up lists and use tools on social media, to find out what your donors talk about a lot, and what they love and hate.
  3. Analytics. You can use the built-in tools on Facebook or Twitter to learn a lot about your audience in general, and that will give you some clues about your prospects and current donors, too.

You Know What Your Donors Share,  so Show You Care

With the results of your conversations, surveys, focus groups, searches, social listening, and analytics in hand, you probably know a lot about your donors! And now you can do what Rona does.

Example: Are you a healthcare organization with a lot of supporters who care about the environment?

  • Put an ad in the program of the local environmental group’s event.
  • Find ways of working together to make the community a healthier place to live.
  • Let your donors know you did, because it matters to you too.

And in your newsletter, email, blog, and/or social media, you can not only publicize your donations to and collaborations with environmental groups. You can regularly include articles about environment and health.

Showing your donors what you share in common is another way of thanking them for their gift…and making it more likely that they will give again.

Nonprofits, Are You Brute Force Fundraising?

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Woman grimacing at phoneMy wife, Rona Fischman, runs her own real estate company, and so marketers constantly try to chat her up. Recently, one went too far–and nonprofits can learn from his example.

“Hello, is this Rona?” The man on the other end of the line was selling a service that would help house hunters find Rona’s company. “Let me schedule a product demonstration  for you with one of our experts.”

Rona was interested, but she was also busy. “Just send me information. I’ll look it over and get back to you.”

A few days later: “Hello, Rona!” This time, it’s a woman’s voice on the phone. “I’m calling for the product demonstration you scheduled.”

“But I didn’t agree to schedule anything!”

You Can’t Force Anyone to Like You

The telemarketer had heard Rona say “Send me information.” But he  made the appointment anyway, without her consent.

Rona felt violated. Any interest she’d had in the product turned to loathing. And would you blame her?

Clearly, the marketer had no interest in what she wanted. All he cared about was what he wanted: scheduling that appointment. He probably “scored” (got paid) whenever he put a notch on his calendar.

That’s terrible, you say. But is your nonprofit organization doing the same thing to your donors?

  • Do you appeal to everyone with your same smooth line, no matter what they care about?
  • Do you ignore it when they tell you “No phone calls” or “No email” and keep on making your advances?
  • Do you reach out and touch them only when you want something from them? Is it “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” until the next fundraising appeal?
  • Do you hire and fire and pay your fundraising staff based on the dollars they bring in today? Do you forget to consider the lifetime value of the donors your people satisfy?

Then you are brute force fundraising. And you are violating the donor’s trust.

Building a Relationship that Lasts

Good marketing–and that includes nonprofit fundraising–is a relationship between consenting adults. You want your donors to get to know, like, and trust your organization.

That takes time. And it takes care. It takes leaders who understand that they are building for the long run.

At the very least, it takes respect for the donor’s wishes. So, if a donor says, “I never give over the phone. Send me something in the mail,” do not send them a pledge card filled out with the amount YOU think they should give!

Your donors are adults. They can say no, or they can decide to say yes. Do the things that will make them want to say yes. Don’t force it.

TY Thursday: The Nonprofit Thank-a-Thon

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gratitudeIt’s vital for your nonprofit to thank donors, and one of the very best ways to do it is to pick up the phone and call them. If you’re lucky, though, you have so many donors that the Executive Director and Development Director both put together would consider thanking donors a full-time job! What’s the solution? Hold a thank-a-thon.

What’s a Thank-a-thon?

A thank-a-thon is like a phone-a-thon. Only instead of dialing for dollars, you have a room full of people calling people who have already given…just to say thanks.

Abigail Harmon gives us the portrait of the classic thank-a-thon.

Armed with a list of donors – big and small alike – and a script, each board member makes calls to thank donors for their support over the past year…Historically, a phone bank was required so that everyone could sit in a room and make the calls…but it is often more feasible to have board members bring their cell phones and chargers (just in case) to a house where they can sit around and make the calls.

You will need a staff member to hand out the lists and scripts and answer questions that might arise. And you will want to provide some food and drink. Your callers will be friendlier if they are fed!

4 Reasons a Thank-a-thon is Worth It

Why would you spend the time and energy of your board members and volunteers for an activity that’s not going to raise any more money right away?

  1. To raise more money next year. If a donor gives you money in 2016 and you send a perfunctory thank-you letter, the chances you’ll see another gift in 2017 are less than 30%. You can double that with a hearty thank-you in a real human voice.
  2. To make your Board members proud. Do you have a Board member who says, “I’ll do anything for this organization–except ask for money”? Turn their fear of asking into their joy at saying thank-you to a person who cares about the same organization they do!
  3. To give non-Board members a way to get more involved. There is no rule that says only directors of the organization can call and say thanks. A call from a fellow donor may be equally meaningful…both to the caller and donor on the other end.
  4. To make it fun. Yes, you can farm out the calls for people to do on their own time, in the privacy of their own homes. But there’s a certain infectious energy that spreads around the room during a thank-a-thon. Try it and see!

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