Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Navigation Bar

  • About
  • Services
  • What Clients Say
  • Contact

TY Thursday: Give the Donor a Voice

October 6, 2016 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

One great way to say “thank you” to your donors is to let them do the talking.

donor speaksIf you’re a Downton Abbey fan like me, you’ll recognize this face. For ten seconds before each episode, philanthropist Darlene Shiley comes on screen and tells us why she donates to keep the program on the air.

This is a fabulous thank-you idea that your nonprofit should steal, and I’ll tell you why:

  1. What’s a greater compliment to your donor than making him or her the voice of your organization?
  2. What’s more convincing to other donors than hearing heartfelt support from someone who already gives?
  3. No one reads the list of donors scrolling by except for fundraising professionals (and donors looking for their own name). But everyone watches a video.

Why Video is Right for Your Nonprofit

PBS provides a great example of using what you have to say thank you. They have Downton Abbey, a studio, cameras, lighting.

Your nonprofit might not have a TV show (unless you’re taking advantage of community access television), but you do have lots of media. Your website, your email, your social media…all of them offer you chances to give your donor a voice.

And sure, if you have someone on staff or on your Board who’s great with a video camera, call them in. But it doesn’t take a professional. If you can hold your smart phone steady, you can take a video. And there are tons of software programs that let you edit your video. A few rough edges may even make it look more authentic.

Thank You, Donor, You’re a Star!

Which donor should you ask to speak for your nonprofit? It doesn’t have to be the richest donor, or the one who gave the most. Jeff Brooks  lists Things no donor said, ever and includes this:

Would you please tell me more about your wonderful wealthy donors who give far more than I ever could?

That’s why you’re not telling us about all your donors. You’re choosing donors who will love the chance to tell us about your cause.

Darlene Shiley gives a lot–but she also speaks with genuine warmth. That’s why not only PBS but San Diego State University, California State University, and other organizations have given her a voice on video (out of all the philanthropists they could have chosen).

Find your Darlene. It may be someone who gives a tiny amount but gives every year. The amount doesn’t matter. What matters is that the person on screen wants to speak up for you–considers it a privilege to be asked. Find that person and put him or her on screen.

Why Stop at One?

You may be blessed with more than one person who can speak for you on video, especially if you let them tell their story. Don’t fret about which one to choose. You can say thank-you to all of them by giving them a voice on your different channels.

Asian Women for Health lets donors and activists tell their story on the News page of their website and on YouTube.

JOIN for Justice runs “Our Stories,” a series of videos, on its homepage and all over its website, and on Youtube, and periodically on its Facebook page.

In my community, the Somerville Homeless Coalition shared its new video, It Takes a Somervillage, by email. The video includes donors as well as public officials and partner organizations. All of them took it as a compliment.

You can feature the voices of many supporters over time. The important thing is to get started. You want to thank your donors all year long, and the time to begin is now.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Happy New Year!

October 3, 2016 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

shofarShanah tovah/ happy new year 5777! It’s Rosh Hashanah on the Jewish calendar.

I wish all readers of this blog a healthy, happy year ahead.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

TY Thursday: Thank…Then, Welcome!

September 29, 2016 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

welcome buddy

What should you do when a donor gives to your nonprofit for the first time? The obvious answer: thank them. But take it another step, and welcome them, too.

The Donor Welcome Kit

Thanking a new donor is essential, if you’re going to make the donor feel like the hero of the story. Welcoming a new donor invites him or her to think of your story together as ongoing.

A welcome kit (also called a packet or package) tells the donor, “You matter to us. You’re not just a cash cow. We’re in this together for the long haul.”

What should go into a welcome kit?

Pamela Grow suggests:

Typically your welcome package would go beyond a mere thank you letter to include items such as photographs, surveys, a benefits brochure, even a small gift such as a bookmark. Send them in an oversized envelope marked with a bold “Welcome!”

You can download a  kit that Pamela likes, from Mercy Corps, for an example.

How do you sound welcoming?

When you’re welcoming a donor, avoid any hint of a business transaction. The welcome kit is not an item they’ve purchased. It’s not a premium, or even a gift to a customer. It’s  a warm smile and a hug, delivered through the mail.

Nancy Schwartz advises, “Imagine you’re welcoming a new member of the family, perhaps your sister’s husband to be. You want to make him feel like a part of the family.”

breadAnother way to think about it: Rebecca H. Davis says you want your new donor to feel  “like you’ve just handed them a loaf of warm, homemade bread and told them you are really glad they showed up on a cold, rainy Sunday morning.” Mmm, yummy!

 

How soon should you send your welcome kit?

Everything moves faster today than it did only a few years ago. You probably have heard that donors should get a thank-you letter within a week of sending their gift. Within two days of the time you receive it is even better…and if you call them on the phone within those two days (according to Tom Ahern), first-time donors who get a personal thank you within 48 hours are 4x more likely to give a second gift.

The same applies to the welcome kit: the sooner, the better.

“Mail the welcome pack out right after you receive the gift,” Nancy Schwartz advises. “Send it first class if you can swing it. Your donor has to receive it within two weeks of making their gift for full impact.”

Welcome by mail and email too

Happily, a lot of donors are giving online these days. Your nonprofit gets their gift almost instantaneously. That makes it easier for you to thank them, and then to welcome then, as soon after they donate as possible.

It also poses a problem. You may not receive the donor’s physical mailing address. At first, all you may have for them is an email address. Does that keep you from sending a welcome kit?

Don’t let it stop you. Here are three steps you can take to welcome online donors:

  1. Create a welcome series of emails. You can gradually share more information that makes your donor feel happy they decided to give.
  2. Interact online. In your welcome series, invite your donor to follow you on social media. Be sure to post content that they will like and share. Take good note of when they do, and which posts of yours grab their attention. That tells you what they really care about–and if you send them more content just like that, they will feel listened to.
  3. Ask for their mailing address. In your welcome series, tell your first-time donor why it will be worthwhile for them to get something from you through the mail. Not “we want to send you this.” Rather, “Because you care about ___, this is something you’ll want to see.”

Thanking your first-time donor is vital, but really, it’s the least you can do. Making them feel like an essential part of the cause you both care about: now, that’s really laying out the welcome mat!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 161
  • 162
  • 163
  • 164
  • 165
  • …
  • 280
  • Next Page »

Yes, I’d like weekly email from Communicate!

Get more advice

Yes! Please send me tips from Communicate! Consulting.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Copyright © 2025 · The 411 Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in