For the new year, did your nonprofit make a resolution? I’m going to suggest you make a new and better one right now!
“Resolution” comes from the word resolve, and that word has different meanings.
What we usually do around January 1 is “decide firmly on a course of action.” All too often, of course, that firm decision disappears before the month of January is out! (Think of all those unused gym memberships, for example.)
Another meaning of resolve is “settle or find a solution to (a problem, dispute, or contentious matter).” U.S. House of Representatives, I’m looking at you! What’s the resolution when twenty or so members want to gum up the works, not govern?
Resolution as clearer vision
There’s another way to think about your New Year’s resolution. It comes from photography. A high-resolution image is one that shows you a lot of detail. It lets you see what you’re looking at more clearly.
This year, it’s time for your nonprofit to get a high-resolution picture of how you are communicating with your donors.
Questions to ask to bring donor communication into focus
What do you know about the people on your email list? Are their names correct? Are their addresses up to date? Do you know what they care about, and are you segmenting your list so they hear about exactly what matters to them?
How often are you in touch with your supporters (and potential supporters)? And how often are you giving them something–an inspiring story, expert information, or something else that’s valuable to them?
Is your communication haphazard, or do you have a plan? Are you using a communications calendar so you never have to create something at the last minute? Are you reusing, repurposing, and recycling your content so more of your supporters see or hear it, on more different channels?
If the answers to any of the questions we’ve just been considering is “No,” or “Not nearly enough,” then it’s time to make a resolution in the first sense. Make a firm decision to make the answer “yes” this year. (And that will also be the resolution of your problem with keeping your loyal donors!)
