Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

3 Simple Communication Tips to Help Your Nonprofit Build Healthy Relationships With Donors

by Leave a Comment

A guest post by Elena Stewart

Nonprofit communication has changed drastically in recent decades. In the 1990’s, most people didn’t expect a personalized experience when dealing with the organizations they supported. Nonprofits would send a letter in the mail, and donors would send back a check — and that was it.

Now, organizations (and businesses) use algorithms, CRM software, and automation tools to personalize everything from our shopping carts to our newsfeeds. As a result, we expect personalization. And you can rest assured that your donors do too!

But donors are after more than a personalized experience; they want to feel that they have the inside scoop and a sense of belonging with the organizations they support. And they want to know they’re making a positive impact. Below are three practical communication tips for connecting with your donors!

Know the Core Functions of Your Strategy  

First, you must know how to create a successful donor communications strategy, which involves identifying your core functions. For example, you’ll need to focus on telling impactful stories about people instead of relying on statistics and numbers. A personal story about someone directly impacted by your organization can be powerful and inspiring.

You should also plan to regularly update your donors about the progress your nonprofit is making in the community and the world. Of course, you should always communicate how their contributions have made an impact.

Furthermore, it’s important to allow your donors to participate in the conversation. When people give their money to a nonprofit, they want to feel like they belong to the community and contribute to the world’s betterment. Take advantage of your donors’ expertise and resources when strategizing, and give them a platform to share ideas and opinions.

Send Email

Once you have your core functions in place, it’s time to make a plan for executing your donor communications strategy. To do so, you’ll need to choose the appropriate channels.

Chances are you already use email because it has long been among the most common platforms for donor communications. But there may be some things you can do to improve results.

For example, make sure each email is personalized by including the donor’s name, contribution amounts, and years with the nonprofit. And consider that email tends to lack the personal touch of a phone call. Think of ways to warm up your messages by recalling bits of your last conversation with the donor or mentioning their specific interests or recent donations.

You should also respond quickly when a donor emails you. When someone sends an email, it shows they are engaged in your nonprofit, and you want to maintain their enthusiasm with a fast and personal response.

And, of course, every email you send should be relevant to your organization’s goals, challenges, and progress. The occasional uplifting story can also go a long way in inspiring action!

Engage on Social Media   

If your nonprofit is not active on social media, now’s the time to engage. Develop your social media strategy around age and other demographics to determine which platforms to focus on for your messaging. Social media is an excellent way to post updates about your nonprofit, interact with donors and other supporters, and promote your cause.

You can even build a community by growing your online presence. Look for free tools that allow you to design custom infographics for explaining the challenges and victories occurring in your community.

Meet In-Person

We live in a digital world, but face-to-face communication is as powerful as ever. Look for opportunities to meet people in person so you can have natural conversations without the possibility of technical issues. The right body language and connecting on a human level can do wonders for moving people to become donors or continue their contributions.

 

There are many other ways to build healthy relationships with your donors through communication. A well-timed text message or handwritten letter, for example, can inspire people to action.

But the ideas above can help you lay a firm foundation for your donor communications strategy. Keep learning how to get your organization’s message across more effectively, and stay true to your mission and values along the way!

 

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about communication consulting services for nonprofit organizations? Visit DennisFischman.com today!

Elena Stewart made the jump from a corporate job she wasn’t entirely happy with, to running her own business that gives her the financial freedom and flexible lifestyle she’s always wanted. As a life coach, she now gets the happiness of helping others get to the places that might seem out of reach.

Fundraising Tuesday: 10 tips for writing an email that raises money

by Leave a Comment

When you ask donors to be generous, when should you make that ask by email?

One good time is when you’ve already sent them the ideal appeal letter by mail. When they’re thinking about making a donation but they’ve been putting off their gift until later, then email can remind, follow up, and jog them into action.

Another time email works is when your organization doesn’t have a street address, but you do have an email address.

Let’s be clear: that’s not the best situation for you. Most donors are still more likely to respond to direct mail than to email. When they give, a letter also increases the amount they are likely to give. Even if they end up taking out their credit card and giving online, chances are great that it was getting a letter in the mail that motivated them to donate. So, you will want to ask them for their mailing address (and permission to use it) as soon as you can.

But if email is what you have, and it’s time to reach out for donations, how do you ask in a way that makes donors most likely to respond?

10 tips for writing an email that raises money

  1. Email appeals aren’t like fundraising letters. Getting a letter in the mail still has a certain cachet, especially if the envelope is special. Getting an email, on the other hand? It feels like just more clutter in the inbox. You have to make sure yours stands out.
  2. Send it “From” a real person. A name the donor will recognize, like a celebrity or someone famous in your community, is great,  but the name of your ED, Board Chair, Development Director, or someone the donation will benefit also works. Not just from “Any Old Organization”!
  3. Get the donor’s name right in the “To:” line. If that doesn’t happen, the donor will hit the Delete button–and nothing else you wrote will matter.
  4. Write a “Subject:” line that makes them have to read more. According to Hubspot, “33% of email recipients are choosing whether to open your email just based on the subject line alone.  Here are some examples of  great subject lines. Spend as much time as you need to write one that readers can’t resist.
  5. Use an image. People who don’t read your email will let their eyes rest on a photo or graphic–so make sure yours says, “Here’s what you’re giving for.”
  6. Tell a story. Don’t try to argue people into believing their donation is needed. Talk about a real person who needs help.
  7. Ask. You may think it’s obvious why you’re writing to the person receiving your email today, but they may not know, or pay attention. You have to say, “Please give today.”
  8. Ask again. Once toward the beginning of your email (because that may be as far as they read). Once at the end, and possibly once in the middle, too.
  9. Just ask. The appeal letter is not the time to be looking for volunteers, or requesting people to phone their legislators. It must have a single call to action, and that action is to donate.
  10. Make it easy to give. Link to the Donate page on your website, and make sure that once they arrive there, the donor will be sure it’s the same organization, asking for the same thing. Do include your mailing address for the people who still want to send you a check, but they will be the minority.

One bonus tip: Keep it short.

When you’re sending an appeal letter by mail, two sides of a page are enough to convey a powerful message to donors who already know, like, and trust you. For new prospects, four sides may work better. They convey credibility, as much as they share information.

With email, it doesn’t work that way. Shorter is better.

I have seen recommendations that say you should limit your email to three short paragraphs of two or three sentences each. I don’t agree with that (unless the email is a follow-up to postal mail, or one in a series of emails), but it gives you a sense of how much an average email recipient can be expected to read.

My recommendation? Write a first draft of your email, using the ten tips listed above. Let it sit. Then…

Go back and edit out anything that’s there just because your Executive Director likes it, or your Board likes it.

Cut anything that’s there because one program will get jealous if another one is mentioned and they are not.

Get rid of anything that matters to people inside the organization, but not to donors.

You should be communicating with donors all year round: informing them, thanking them, showing them the impact of their previous donation. In this, your fundraising email, you should be doing only one thing, and that’s asking donors to give. That’s how you keep it short!

Fundraising Tuesday: Will Your Nonprofit be Golden in December?

by 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!

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.