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Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

TY Thursday: Here’s 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.

 

 

You should plan to thank your donors throughout the year. But how? Every Thursday, I’ll share a different idea. Follow TY Thursday!

 

TY Thursday: We Have So Much in Common!

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same interests

‘It’s nice you two can share the same interests.’

When 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 have 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 have 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.

Once You Know Your Donors, 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 have in common is another way of thanking them for their gift…and making it more likely that they will give again.

You should plan to thank your donors throughout the year. But how? Every Thursday, I’ll share a different idea.

Fundraising Tuesday: Tell One Story to Get Many Donations

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storytellingDid you ever read a fundraising letter that sounded like this?

“Tom had a problem. He came to us, and we solved it. Jane had a different problem, and she came to us and we solved it. Enrique and Miranda had a whole host of problems, and came to us, and….”

I have read many appeal letters that took this approach–and not one of the stories stuck with me.

The problem isn’t just that they are all talking about the nonprofit, instead of making the donor the hero of the story. The problem is that they are not telling one story and telling it well.

The Power of a Single Story

There are lots of reasons your fundraising appeal letter should focus on one story, not two, not three, not many.

One story touches the heart and rests in the memory. Many stories distract.

One story can develop at full length in your fundraising letter. Many stories crowd each other. You tend to turn them into mere timelines…instead of dramas.

One story has the chance to be universal. When you tell many stories, you emphasize that each is specific. You reduce the chance that your readers will relate to any of them. It’s paradoxical, but it’s true.

What to Do with the Other Stories Instead

Why are nonprofits tempted to throw a grab bag of stories into one appeal letter? I think I understand the temptation. But you can resist it if you know what to do instead.

  • “We only send out one appeal letter per year, so we want to use everything we’ve got.” A worthy thought! But plan on sending out more appeal letters, instead. Two or three letters, each with a great story, will raise more money than one letter full of plot summaries.
  • “We were so proud of ourselves for actually collecting the stories. Now you’re saying not to use them?” Far be it from me to say that! Use them in separate letters–or in newsletters, social media posts, and lots of other communications that don’t include an “ask.” Then the appeal letter will reach people who already know and care about what you do (and want to be a part of it).
  • “We have four different programs. We have to say something about each.” No, you don’t–not in the same letter! Ideally, you know your audience, segment your list, and send each donor the story that he or she will care about the most. If you can’t do that, then tell stories about them one at a time, over a period of time. Take turns. Each program will benefit when the organization raises more money!

Are you writing a Spring appeal letter? What’s the one story you’re going to include that your donors will remember?

 

Every Tuesday this season, I’m offering a tip on how to write better fundraising appeals. Find the rest of the series under Fundraising Tuesday.

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