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Fundraising Tuesday: What If We’re Not in the News?

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New cases in MA up to June 6 2020Where I live, the coronavirus pandemic has been going on for three months now. The racism pandemic has been going on for 400 years.

And in the first half of June 2020, it has seemed like nothing else is in the news.

What if your nonprofit doesn’t directly address either Covid-19 or racism? Can you still raise money now?

Yes, you can.

Take the A-B-C approach to fundraising: Acknowledge the crises. Be responsive. Continue to pursue your mission. Share on X

Acknowledge the crises

Covid-19 and the loss of jobs

As the pandemic spread earlier this year and some people lost their jobs (and others, their lives), many nonprofits figured out it was no time to play pretend.

Your nonprofit might be running programs for the most vulnerable (a senior center, a homeless shelter). Or you might NOT be running programs this summer because of stay-at-home policies (many houses of worship and arts centers).

Either way, you have supporters who are suffering from Covid-19 or from job loss, or both. The least you can do is to acknowledge the impact they feel.

How do you acknowledge the pain and still ask for a gift? You can follow the example I have seen in many appeal letters sent out this past month. They say:

We know that right now, you might be in no position to give money. We understand, and you are still a valued friend of this organization. But if you can give right now, your contribution will mean even more.

Racist police violence and a wave of protests

Say her name

Tragically, police killing Black people is nothing new in the U.S. Since the beginning of 2015, it has happened more than 1,250 times. Think of it. That means on average, if a Black person was killed this morning, another one will die at the hands of police by tomorrow night. It’s sickening.

What is new is the organized, sustained uprising against institutionalized racism, day after day, all over the U.S. and the world.

As a citizen, you may be encouraged (I am!). As a fundraiser, you may be wondering: can people think of anything else right now? Can I really ask for money for my nonprofit while the protests are still going on?

Yes!

Donors are giving right now. They give even though it’s an election year and candidates are asking them for money. There are some signs that when issues of any kind are on their mind, they give more, even to causes that aren’t related to the crisis that’s in the news.

You cannot ignore the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many other African Americans at the hands of police, but you can’t mention them and move on. That would seem forced and insincere.

A this time must mean not only Acknowledge. In a separate statement, before you ask, you must Address the issue. Let your supporters know what your organization is doing to change the racial dynamic in your own work.

And that leads us to B.

Be responsive

At this point, I think all nonprofit organizations have taken action to make sure that staff, clients, and everyone who comes into contact with you are safe from Covid-19. Most of you have made a point of communicating your new actions and your new policies.

You didn’t have to be a health-related organization to take steps toward a a safe environment and to publicize them. I’m sure you felt you owed it to your constituency to be transparent.

Have you done the same concerning institutional racism?

How has the current crisis made you look at your own organization differently: the people you serve, the people you hire, the people on your Board of Directors? Have you changed your policies about calling the police? Have you asked people of color what they think of your work…and listened? Have you followed their lead?

Take a deep breath. It’s okay to say you’re just at the beginning of your work on becoming an antiracist organization.

You can say, with the late Maya Angelou, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” (As long as you are prepared for people to ask, “Okay, how?” And they will expect an answer.)

Asking for money in June 2020 is promising to become part of a new, better society. If you’re going to ask, be ready to show you’re keeping your promise.

Continue to pursue your mission

Your donors support your organization because of the work you do. It’s important to them. It won’t suddenly stop being important because of these twin crises.

Donors gave to all kinds of organizations during the Great Recession. They gave shortly after the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in 2001. They gave during the Clinton impeachment and the Trump impeachment.

The coronavirus won’t go away tomorrow, and ending institutional racism will be the work of our lifetimes. Do your work in a better way, but stick with your mission.

Continue to make supporting your organization the best way for donors to bring about the results they want to see in the world.

TY Thursday: You Never Call? Please Start

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donor phone call thanks

Make a donor’s day. Call!

Sometimes the best thank-you letter a donor can get isn’t a letter. It’s a phone call.

Ideally, you’d do both. When the donation arrives, call and say, “You’ll be getting an official thank-you letter in a couple of days–but I wanted to call and thank you personally.”

Or, after you know the letter should have arrived, follow it up with a call. “I wanted to thank you again and tell you how much I appreciate your gift.”

What Calling to Say Thanks Does for Your Nonprofit

First off, you will feel great about talking to a donor.

Sure, there may be an awkward moment at the start of the call. The donor isn’t used to getting called out of the blue to be told “thank you.” (Sad,  but all too true!) She or he may be wary, thinking you’re about to ask for yet another gift.

When the donor realizes that you took the time to call just because they did a good thing and you want to acknowledge it, they are delighted. They may end up thanking you!

Second, you may learn more about the donor.

If you get a live person on the call and not a voicemail, they may be in the middle of something, or just not talkative. You respect their time, thank them, and move on. But if they seem open to conversation, then do what Tina Cincotti advises:

Say — “I don’t want to take up much of your time but would you be willing to share with me what inspired you to first give to ___________ (org name)?”

You can also ask things like:

  • Why does this cause matter to you?
  • What interests you most about our organization?
  • What expectations do you have of the organizations you support?
  • How often do you want to hear from us?
  • Would you like to be involved with us in other ways beyond being a donor?

(And don’t forget to make a note of what you hear, in your donor database!)

Third, even if you leave a voicemail, you build trust.

Your donor’s relationship with you follows a predictable path: first they get to know you, then they decide they like you, and finally they come to trust you. Leaving a personal message is a step along that path.

What all this adds up to is: your nonprofit makes more money!

According to Tom Ahern, first-time donors who get a personal thank you within 48 hours are 4x more likely to give a second gift. And you want that second gift, since donor retention rates skyrocket from 22.9% to 60.8%.

So, let’s see.

Don't call. That first-time donor never gives again. Call. They give and keep on giving. Share on X
Seems like a simple choice, doesn’t it?

That’s why Gail Perry says using the phone to thank donors is “highly profitable fundraising.” And Steven Shattuck of Bloomerang says you should call every new donor: no excuses!

How to Make a Thank-You Call

Who should call your donors? The best people to make those thank-you calls are Board members and volunteers. Like the donor, they have given time or money, or both, because they care about the organization and its mission. They reinforce the donor’s decision to give, because they are other people “just like you” who give.

Should your callers follow a script? They should have a script (and look at the Gail Perry and Tina Cincotti links above for examples. But they should feel free to adapt it so it sounds like their own voice. That’s particularly important when leaving voicemail. If the donor thinks it’s a sales call, she or he will hang up before hearing your gratitude. A conversational tone of voice can keep them listening.

How long should you stay on the phone? That depends entirely on the donor. If the reaction you hear is, “Oh, that’s so nice! Thank you, goodbye,” don’t try to extend the conversation. If the donor is willing to have a conversation with you, so much the better. If you reach voicemail, say what you mean to say, slowly, with feeling, and that is that.

Thank-You Calls to Mobile Phones

call on mobile phone

I’m a baby boomer. Most donors are my age or older, and we’re used to getting phone calls on our land lines (or what we used to call just “the phone”).

Increasingly, though, Generations X and Y are starting to give…and increasingly, the mobile phone is the only phone they have. On mobile phones, it’s a nuisance to see that you’ve missed a call, go to voicemail, and play it back. So, leaving voicemail on mobile is not effective: few people are picking it up.

The etiquette among younger donors is that if you call them and they recognize the caller, it’s up to them to call back. (If they don’t, then it’s your problem!) So how do you use the phone to thank a donor who’s mobile?

Text them. At least, that’s what a mobile phone expert told our friends at Blue Avocado. Actually, he advised matching the channel of the thank-you to the channel of the gift.

If someone makes a donation as a result of a text, text them right away with a thank you. A day or two later, send another thank you by email so they get two thanks. If they donated as a result of an email, send them a thank-you email right away, and then follow it up with a snail mail thank you.
What’s your experience thanking donors? What works best for you?

TY Thursday: Call and Thank Your Donors

by Leave a Comment

donor phone call thanks

Make a donor’s day. Call!

Sometimes the best thank-you letter a donor can get isn’t a letter. It’s a phone call.

Ideally, you’d do both. When the donation arrives, call and say, “You’ll be getting an official thank-you letter in a couple of days–but I wanted to call and thank you personally.”

Or, after you know the letter should have arrived, follow it up with a call. “I wanted to thank you again and tell you how much I appreciate your gift.”

What Calling to Say Thanks Does for Your Nonprofit

First off, you will feel great about talking to a donor.

Sure, there may be an awkward moment at the start of the call. The donor isn’t used to getting called out of the blue to be told “thank you.” (Sad,  but all too true!) She or he may be wary, thinking you’re about to ask for yet another gift.

When the donor realizes that you took the time to call just because they did a good thing and you want to acknowledge it, they are delighted. They may end up thanking you!

Second, you may learn more about the donor.

If you get a live person on the call and not a voicemail, they may be in the middle of something, or just not talkative. You respect their time, thank them, and move on. But if they seem open to conversation, then do what Tina Cincotti advises:

Say — “I don’t want to take up much of your time but would you be willing to share with me what inspired you to first give to ___________ (org name)?”

You can also ask things like:

  • Why does this cause matter to you?
  • What interests you most about our organization?
  • What expectations do you have of the organizations you support?
  • How often do you want to hear from us?
  • Would you like to be involved with us in other ways beyond being a donor?

(And don’t forget to make a note of what you hear, in your donor database!)

Third, even if you leave a voicemail, you build trust.

Your donor’s relationship with you follows a predictable path: first they get to know you, then they decide they like you, and finally they come to trust you. Leaving a personal message is a step along that path.

What all this adds up to is: your nonprofit makes more money!

According to Tom Ahern, first-time donors who get a personal thank you within 48 hours are 4x more likely to give a second gift. And you want that second gift, since donor retention rates skyrocket from 22.9% to 60.8%.

So, let’s see.

Don't call. That first-time donor never gives again. Call. They give and keep on giving. Share on X
Seems like a simple choice, doesn’t it?

That’s why Gail Perry says using the phone to thank donors is “highly profitable fundraising.” And Steven Shattuck of Bloomerang says you should call every new donor: no excuses!

How to Make a Thank-You Call

Who should call your donors? The best people to make those thank-you calls are Board members and volunteers. Like the donor, they have given time or money, or both, because they care about the organization and its mission. They reinforce the donor’s decision to give, because they are other people “just like you” who give.

Should your callers follow a script? They should have a script (and look at the Gail Perry and Tina Cincotti links above for examples. But they should feel free to adapt it so it sounds like their own voice. That’s particularly important when leaving voicemail. If the donor thinks it’s a sales call, she or he will hang up before hearing your gratitude. A conversational tone of voice can keep them listening.

How long should you stay on the phone? That depends entirely on the donor. If the reaction you hear is, “Oh, that’s so nice! Thank you, goodbye,” don’t try to extend the conversation. If the donor is willing to have a conversation with you, so much the better. If you reach voicemail, say what you mean to say, slowly, with feeling, and that is that.

Thank-You Calls to Mobile Phones

call on mobile phone

I’m a baby boomer. Most donors are my age or older, and we’re used to getting phone calls on our land lines (or what we used to call just “the phone”).

Increasingly, though, Generations X and Y are starting to give…and increasingly, the mobile phone is the only phone they have. On mobile phones, it’s a nuisance to see that you’ve missed a call, go to voicemail, and play it back. So, leaving voicemail on mobile is not effective: few people are picking it up.

The etiquette among younger donors is that if you call them and they recognize the caller, it’s up to them to call back. (If they don’t, then it’s your problem!) So how do you use the phone to thank a donor who’s mobile?

Text them. At least, that’s what a mobile phone expert told our friends at Blue Avocado. Actually, he advised matching the channel of the thank-you to the channel of the gift.

If someone makes a donation as a result of a text, text them right away with a thank you. A day or two later, send another thank you by email so they get two thanks. If they donated as a result of an email, send them a thank-you email right away, and then follow it up with a snail mail thank you.
What’s your experience thanking donors? What works best for you?

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