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Fundraising Tuesday: What Should You Know about a Donor?

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wrong birthday

There are some things you need to know!

“Happy birthday,” I say to you.

“Thanks,” you say, “but it’s not my birthday. That was months ago.”

“Oh,” I reply. “Well, most people I know are celebrating their birthdays this month, so I’ll wish you happy birthday now.”

How would you feel about that? Would you be happy that I wished you well–no matter when? Or…would you be annoyed that I didn’t know when you were born (and apparently, I didn’t care)?

There are some things that friends have to know about their friends. And your nonprofit has to know some of them about your donors.

When’s the “Holiday Season”?

When you get to December, do you wish your donors a happy holiday season? The thing is, for some of them, the holiday season was months ago.

In 2018:

  • The Jewish holiday season begins this coming Sunday night, September 9, with the eve of Rosh Hashanah. It continues throughout September.
  • Muslims already celebrated Eid ul-Adha August 21-25. It is one of their two most important holidays.
  • Wiccans and other pagans look forward to the Autumnal Equinox, or Mabon, on September 22.

And those are just the religious holidays! National Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15. There’s a case to be made that September is the “holiday season”–at least, for some of your donors.

You really need to know which ones. Otherwise, you’re wishing donors a happy birthday on the wrong day.

What’s Your “Dog vs. Cat” Question?

Now, it may be that the people on your donor list don’t celebrate any holidays (only vacation days). But there is something that matters to them, something that distinguishes them from one another, some factor that makes them feel welcome or unwelcome. And you need to know what that is.

cat and dogFor the ASPCA, I’ve heard, asking donors one simple question makes all the difference: “Are you a dog person or a cat person?”

Once the organization finds that out, cat people get mail and email with photos of cats, stories about cats, appeals to help cats.

Dog people get…well, you can figure that out!

So, for your organization, what is your “cat vs. dog question”? Is it about the holidays people celebrate? Is it the town they live in? Is it the issue they care about, or the population they want you to serve? Whatever it is, find it out, and then, make sure they hear from you about what matters to them.

 

 

 

TY Thursday: Nonprofits’ Thanksgiving is Every Day

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thanksgivingAs I write this in January, New Year’s is just past, and Martin Luther King Day is coming soon. If you’re a nonprofit, however, every day is Thanksgiving…or should be.

Yes, I know it’s only been weeks since your last appeal.  You sent a thank-you letter to each donor back then.  (In fact, maybe you sent the ideal thank-you letter.)  But have you been ignoring them since then?

You neglect donors at your peril.  Donors notice when and how often you’re in touch.  If they say, “That organization only writes me when they want money!”, how likely are they to respond the next time?

Have you heard the rule that you should thank a donor seven times before asking him or her for money again?  Maybe you wondered how in the world you’re supposed to do that.  How many ways can you say thank you?

Here are 20 creative ideas for showing your gratitude, courtesy of our friends at Lifehack.

  1. Make a gift bag. It doesn’t have to be expensive–just personal.
  2. Give a toast. You don’t need a special event–you could do this over lunch. Make a video and send it to the donor.  Picture the smile when they see it!
  3. Write a poem. Say why they deserve your thanks.
  4. Send them custom gift labels.
  5. Give a gift card. (Get the gift card donated, too.)
  6. Send a hand-written letter.
  7. Use social media to give thanks in public.
  8. Make your own digital greeting card.
  9. Make a Youtube video.
  10. Bake cookies.
  11. Make surprise gifts for guests at your events.
  12. Put together a flower basket.
  13. Take a picture. Again, it doesn’t have to be professional, just unique.  The camera on your phone can capture priceless moments!
  14. Pay it forward.  Show them you care about what they care about too.
  15. Do something special for them.
  16. Help them when they’re the ones who need help.
  17. Be there for them.
  18. Listen to them.
  19. Say it another language…especially if they speak it.
  20. Show them some #donorlove, without being asked.

You can’t do all twenty for all your donors. Fine.  But which ones can you do?

Make a plan to say thank you to as many of your donors as you can, each month.  When annual appeal time comes around again, they’ll think of you as a friend.

Which Season’s Greetings?

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Sending holiday greetings to your supporters and community is a great way to let them know you’re thinking of them. But not everyone celebrates the same holidays.

chanukahYes, in the U.S. most people  celebrated Thanksgiving Thursday, November 24. But you may have some Canadians on your mailing list, and their Thanksgiving was was on the second Monday of October. Did you know?

In December, the Jewish holiday of Chanukah begins the night of Saturday, December 24 and continues through January 1. But for Jews, “the holidays” means the Rosh Hashanah–Yom Kippur–Sukkot–Simchat Torah set of holidays, and those all happened in  October this year!

Pagans celebrate Yule beginning December 21. Christians celebrate Christmas beginning with Christmas Eve on December 24 and continuing through the next day. And New Year’s Day is January 1, but for the many religions and cultures that use other calendars, it may be just another day.

They may be hurt if you wish them A happy holiday, but not theirs. Click To Tweet

How do you greet them all?

Ideally, you keep a record of which holiday each person on your list celebrates. Then, you send personalized email to each one.

If you haven’t kept those records, now would be a good time to start! In the meantime, feel free to cut and paste the body of this message into your email and social media. Add, “To all our friends who celebrate these holidays, we send our warmest greetings.”

Who’s looking forward to Groundhog’s Day?

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