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Fundraising Tuesday: How Much Communication Is Too Much?

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A guest post by Evan Appleby at ForOurSchool.org

Effective fundraising communication is a skill that requires finesse. While over-communication risks overwhelming your audience, under-communication can mean missed opportunities. Whether you are spearheading a school math-a-thon or championing a non-profit, finding the right balance is essential to your success.

Know Your Audience

Recognize that not everyone is the same, and the right amount of communication can vary depending on the recipient.

Segmentation: Group people based on their preferences. Tailor your message and the frequency of your messaging to what is most effective for each one. For instance, some donors may appreciate weekly updates, while others may only want to be notified about campaign milestones.

Preferred Channels: Some people respond better to email, direct mail, or social media, while others prefer text messages or in-person interactions. Since the type of messaging can vary by medium, if you can determine which medium is right for each group you want to reach, you can adapt the frequency of the messaging to be aligned with the message.

Motivation: Understand why people choose to be involved with your event or organization. Are they passionate about literacy (in the case of a read-a-thon)? Are they driven by community spirit or personal connections? Knowing the message that you want to convey can also help determine the right channel to use.

Diversify Communication Channels

While bombarding potential donors or participants with 10 emails in a week is rarely effective, embracing a mix of communication methods can make frequent outreach more palatable and yield better results.

Email: Ideal for regular updates, campaign progress reports, and impact stories.

Text Messages: Quick, concise reminders or urgent calls to action.

Social Media: Great for announcements, or upcoming events.

Direct Mail: Tangible and personal—great for major donor appeals

Posters: Use these at events, community centers, or local businesses to build awareness

In-Person: Attend events, host meetings, or set-up tables to establish a more personal connection.

Navigate Among Competing Voices

Within a school or in the nonprofit ecosystem, the attention of participants or donors can be fleeting due to the many competing voices.

Other Fundraisers: Collaborate rather than compete. Share insights, coordinate efforts, and avoid duplicating messages.

Internal Stakeholders: Teachers, program managers, and board members communicate with donors too. Align your messages to avoid overwhelming supporters.

External Influences: Consider external events (e.g., national crises, holidays) that may impact your communication schedule.

Measure and Adapt

As you formulate your communication strategy, keep room for changes based on performance and feedback.

Metrics: Track open rates, click-through rates, and response. Adjust based on data.

Feedback: Listen to your audience. If they express feeling overwhelmed, it’s time to pull back.

Testing and Adaptability: Experiment with different communication frequencies and channels. Learn from what works and what doesn’t.

Effective fundraising communication is intentional, empathetic, and adaptable. Remember, sometimes saying less can yield a more significant impact.

Evan Appleby head shoEvan Appleby is the CEO of ForOurSchool.org, a Math-A-Thon and Read-A-Thon platform focused on enhancing math skills, promoting literacy, and fostering community spirit. Through ForOurSchool.org, Evan is committed to not only raising essential funds for schools and organizations but also creating enjoyable learning experiences with real-world impact. When not working on the platform, you can usually find Evan on a basketball court or volunteering at his daughters’ gym classes.

Fundraising Tuesday: The Wake-up Call

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Did you ever read the first line of a fundraising appeal and feel, “Wow, that is a wake-up call”?

That’s what happened to me when I opened the appeal letter from Pine Street Inn, the largest homeless services provider in New England.

Pine Street Inn bench

To most people this is a bench, but to some it is a bed. Share on X

That’s what the first line of Pine Street Inn’s appeal said, and I couldn’t go on for a moment after that. I HAD to stop and think. I looked at that photo. My eyes rested on that orange leaf, a sign that the weather was turning cold. And eventually, in the background, I saw the shadowy figure of the person approaching the bench, to bed down for the night.

It was so powerful. And respectful.

Lots of nonprofits struggle with how to show the urgent needs of their clients without demeaning the clients themselves. It can be done! I’ve written before about how to tell a client’s story with their name and photo–and with their full consent–in a way that makes donors think of them as partners.

But Pine Street Inn managed to make me put myself in the place of that homeless person without even mentioning them individually. With that tag line, and that photo, they won my attention. So, when I opened the letter and the call to action said, “Will you help someone who is homeless?”, I was more inclined to say yes.

The appeal letter could have been even better if it had:

  • Said “we” (meaning the organization) less often and “you” (meaning the donor) even more than it did.
  • Called me by my first name.
  • Spelled my last name right!

But the photo and the thought “To most people this is a bench, but to some it is a bed” have stayed with me long after the end-of-year appeal.

I picture that person walking over, perhaps wiping off the bench, wet from the rain. I picture them laying down a raincoat, or a sheet, or just their body on the hard wooden bench. I imagine them trying to fall asleep in the cold. Then, I see the light of morning as the sun rises and they are still outdoors.

It’s a wake-up call for donors.

 

Fundraising Tuesday: 3 Segmentation Strategies For Donors With Your CRM

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Effective outreach helps your nonprofit raise awareness and funds for its cause. But if you want donors to respond to your messages, you’ll need to make your outreach relevant to each recipient.

That’s where constituent relationship management (CRM) solutions come in! CRMs store donor data, which can reveal shared characteristics among your supporters. By separating donors into categories based on these similarities, you can personalize communications.

In this guide, we’ve created a list of segmentation strategies your nonprofit can use. Explore these strategies to send the right messages to the right people.

  1. Segment donors by communication preferences.

Your donors aren’t all the same, and they don’t all want to give using the same channels. For example, some might respond to phone pledges while others prefer online donations. Use data to see how each segment prefers to communicate and then use a multichannel approach to engage them.

CharityEngine’s guide to nonprofit donations recommends using the following tools:

  • Email: If your audience is a little older, email is a reliable way to engage them. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it can stay in an inbox and remind donors to act.
  • Optimized donation forms: No matter which channel you use, everyone will end up on your donation form. It should make giving easy, offering many payment options and the ability to begin a monthly gift.
  • Mobile campaigns: Younger audiences respond favorably to SMS or text-to-give campaigns. If that’s the makeup of your audience, mobile is the way to go.

Appeal to as many communication preferences as possible by planning message templates. This way, you can adjust your messages for any channel. You’ll reach every donor, whether they prefer a text message or direct mail.

2. Group donors by involvement history.

Imagine you accept a job offer and arrive at the office for your first day of work. You’re probably expecting to go through training or new employee orientation. Wouldn’t you be surprised if you weren’t trained at all and were expected to just start working?

In the same way, your nonprofit’s communication should match a donor’s level of experience with your organization. For example, engage brand-new donors with feel-good stories about your mission. Or, identify your monthly givers and consider a campaign to get them to pledge $5 a month. Knowing how people are giving helps you understand what the next ask should be.

Properly managed donor data reveals donors’ histories of involvement. Your CRM can analyze giving history for you to make these patterns easier to find. Consider the following elements of their involvement:

  • Recency: Throughout a donor’s engagement with your nonprofit, the messages that will be most compelling change. For example, if someone donates regularly, show them how their donation is used. If you have a lapsed donor, your strategies will change.
  • Nature: How did donors come on board? Were they a plus-one at an event, or did they make a gift in a loved one’s memory? Understanding how they’re involved can help you send the right message.
  • Method: Knowing how donors give can help you tailor messages for your audience. For example, send a quick text to donors who usually give through a text-to-give campaign. 

Plus, this information can be used as social proof when stewarding prospective donors. It’s human nature to want to join a crowd! Entice others to commit to your organization by publicizing giving trends or offering donor profiles.

3. Use gift size to segment donors.

While every donation is important, gift sizes can indicate a level of commitment. For example, someone who occasionally makes sizable gifts may be a candidate for a major gift. Or, someone who gives small gifts could make a reliable monthly donor.

Tracking gift size with your CRM reveals donors’ responses to your fundraising efforts. This way, you’ll know what future fundraising asks are appropriate. To do this, segment donors according to the following gift sizes:

  • Annual gifts: It can be easy to dismiss year-end donors until that season rolls around. Build better relationships with them by sending communications as early as September! Issue a challenge and track progress to generate excitement.
  • Mid-level gifts: Mid-level donors are already committed to your cause. But they might be one impact story or case study away from making a more sizable gift. Share the impact of their donations and what more your nonprofit needs.
  • Major gifts: Selecting nonprofit fundraising software involves looking for the right features. You’ll want a CRM that manages major and planned gifts. This way, you can identify major donors and thank them for their generosity. Gratitude helps you cultivate stronger relationships with these donors.

According to Double the Donation, you can also upgrade donors to higher giving levels. Use your CRM to learn how donors’ relationships evolve with your nonprofit. Then, create a plan to guide other donors through this journey.

Use these segmentation strategies to target donors for more relevant fundraising appeals. Also,  they’ll help you properly steward donors! Your CRM can show you how to thank donors personally and specifically. This way, you can send the right messages, gifts, invites, and more to deepen each donor’s commitment.

 

Philip Schmitz – CEO & Founder

Philip Schmitz is the CEO and founder of cloud-services leader BIS Global, creators of the CharityEngine fundraising & communications technology platform. Founded in 1999, Phil has managed the vision and strategy for BIS’s suite of integrated business applications & hosting tools used by more than 400 businesses & non-profits.

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