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Fundraising Tuesday: Are You Giving Gifts to Donors?

December 19, 2023 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

It’s the season of giving, and nonprofits are giving gifts to me.

TechnoServe, The Global Fund for Women, UNCF, and RESIST all sent me return address labels.

Sage not only sent me mailing labels but also cards and envelopes to mail with them.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the New Israel Fund sent maps. The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism sent a  list of Jewish holidays  that can double as a bookmark.

Doctors Without Borders sent a combination flashlight, pen, and screwdriver,.

And I got reports and newsletters from the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, the Greater Boston Food Bank, Dignity Matters, and the Somerville Mathematics Fund.

Thanks, you guys! I appreciate the gifts. But…was it really worth it to you?

Pros and Cons of Giving Gifts to Donors

Why do some nonprofits send gifts in the mail to people they hope will send a donation back? There are some good reasons to do it.

  • Getting your mail opened. You can write the ideal appeal letter, and it can all go to waste if the donor never reads it. An envelope that says “Gift enclosed” will pique some donors’ curiosity–especially if it’s a nice thick envelope, promising something inside.
  • Creating good will. Nonprofits hope that the warm glow of receiving a gift will put the recipient in the mood to be generous.
  • Making your nonprofit visible all year long. Every time I slide that bookmark into a book, or turn on that flashlight, or stick one of those labels onto a piece of mail, I will be reminded of the organization.
But there are also some excellent reasons why most nonprofits do not send gifts to donors. Share on X
  1. The cost. Even if you get a good deal on printing, adding a bookmark, a map, or stickers raises the cost of the mailing. That means more donations you have to receive before the appeal merely breaks even.
  2. The relationship. Your nonprofit works so hard to win the trust of your supporters, to make them feel personally noticed, wanted,  important. And then you say, “Here’s an item. How much is it worth to you?” You run the risk of cheapening the relationship and losing their loyalty. (Sending newsletters and impact reports strengthens the relationship!)
  3. The return. Some nonprofits have calculated that the costs of sending gifts to donors are justified by the resulting increase in donations  For most nonprofits, however, the returns are small and few–mostly from older people who feel an obligation to send a few bucks. Is it really worth it?
  4. The alternatives. There are other ways to get people to open your mail, read your letter, and respond.

What could you do instead?

Envelope all graphicInstead of sending a thick envelope that says “Gift Inside,” you could send an envelope with an urgent message about a person in need. It could be an unusual size. It could use color, or a photo. All those are more compelling than a gift, and cheaper, too!

You could find out more about your donors and segment your list. The message on the envelope and in the appeal letter could speak to what that person cares about most.

You could build up to your end-of-year appeal with donor communications all year round. Your communications calendar could include success stories that show the impact of the donor’s gift and make the donor feel like a hero.

You could get them involved in ways that don’t cost them money but strengthen their sense that you are their organization. Volunteering, showing up at rallies, doing policy advocacy…all these activities tie them more closely to your organization and make donating seem like a natural next step.

You could follow up your direct mail appeal with email, phone calls, and text messages. And you could make sure to thank your donors, over and over, in many different ways…because gratitude itself is a gift.

 

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Fundraising Tuesday: Write the Donor a Love Letter

February 8, 2022 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Listen, my friends: I’ve been trying to tell you how to write the ideal appeal letter in many different ways.

I’ve mentioned that your Board is not your audience, it’s your donors…and that you need to make your donor feel like the hero of the story, and get to know them, remember them, and thank them.

Forget what I said. Someone I just met said it better.

Why Donors Give

I was speaking to a conference of people with disabilities in the northeast U.S. I was explaining that bragging about your organization and its accomplishments may make donors say, “That’s nice, but why should I care?”

I told them donors give not because you do good work but because giving makes them feel good about themselves. “Because of you,” the nonprofit should say to the donor, “a wonderful thing is happening.”

One participant at the conference turned his wheelchair to face me and raised his hand. “Now I get it,” he said.”What you’re saying is You want to write the donor a love letter. Share on X

Why a Good Appeal Letter is like a Love Letter

love letter

Brown paper card-sized envelope sealed with a valentine sticker

No heartsick suitor ever won his lady’s love by boasting. “I’m so great. I’ve done so well in so many ways. I deserve your love, so love me.” Sorry, Romeo, that’s not going to touch the heart.

What you have to say in your letter is what makes the other person–in this case, the donor–so love-able. Their values. The cause they support. The difference they make with each donation.

Persuade your donor that it’s their action that changes the world for the endangered people, species, or ecosystem they care about. Your organization is the vehicle by which they express what’s best about themselves–but only the vehicle.

Don’t focus on getting them to love you. Show the donor you love them.

Are you puzzled about how to write a love letter to your donor? Email me at [email protected]. I’ll be your Cyrano and show you the way to your donor’s heart.

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Fundraising Tuesday: Will Your Nonprofit be Golden in December?

October 5, 2021 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

December is a crucial month for your nonprofit. 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.”

What happens in December could make or break your nonprofit's budget. But what you do right now, starting today, can make your December golden. Share on X

Here are the ten steps you need to take SOON to ensure a successful end-of-year fundraising campaign this December.

  1. Thank your loyal donors. Ideally, you would have been doing this all year long! But if the last time your donors heard you express your gratitude was a week after they gave, last December, the single most important thing you can do is to send a letter or email thanking them again, and showing the impact they made by giving.
  2. Go over your donor data. Remove any duplicates from your list. Check for any addresses that have changed, or anyone on your list who has died. Make sure that you are calling them by the name they prefer.
  3. Get to know your donors better. Spend a little time doing online research about a sample of your list. Call some of them. Do a survey. Find out what they care about at your organization and outside of your organization. That way, you’ll know what moves them!
  4. Segment your list. You’ll want to talk with renewal donors differently from prospects, and to people who care about (for example) your youth theater program because they care about theater differently from the one who primarily car about youth. Make sure you can find those different segments in your database or CRM.
  5. Collect stories. Once you know what your donors care about, find one person or family who faces great challenges in exactly that part of life. Tell their story, vividly, leaving off at the point where the donor can make the difference. (And give the donor the chance to be a hero of the story!)
  6. Collect photos. They’re one of the first things that donors look at when they get your letter in the mail. A photo on the envelope may tip the donor into actually opening it, and a photo inside may decide them to read it instead of throwing it into the recycling bin.
  7. Use your newsletters and social media to put donors in a giving mood. love lettersYour social media posts in October and November should should sound like to the donor. Success stories belong here. When you send the appeal letter, it should call the donor to immediate action.
  8. Write the ideal appeal letter. Direct mail still works the best at stimulating donations. If you have email addresses and no postal addresses for some of your donors, then send the ideal email appeal–but work on getting their U.S. mailing addresses for next year!
  9. Follow up your appeal. A letter in the mail will have even more impact if you use phone calls or email (or text messages, if you have permission) to remind donors how much they matter.
  10. Get ready to send the ideal thank-you letter within 48 hours of receiving the donation. That’s how you start this December to make next December golden!

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