Helping you win loyal friends through your communications
If you work for a nonprofit organization and you’re sending out a thank-you letter that sounds like a tax receipt, stop!
Find your most memorable story. Put it in your thank-you letter.
Why? To find out, read Say “Thank You” with a Story, a guest post by me on Tripp Braden’s blog.
The key point? “People will thank you for your thank-you. They’ll remember your story. And they’ll give to you again.”
Read Say “Thank You” with a Story and rewrite your thank-you letter today!
Should you invite your donors to visit your programs? How open should the doors of your nonprofit be?
We’re not talking about a donor appreciation event here, or another fundraising gala. The question is, should you give the person who has donated to your organization the chance to see the organization at work, and how?
Tina Jepson of Causevox has suggested:
Allow donors to get to know your organization on a more personal, intimate level by offering a behind-the-scenes look at your nonprofit operations with a tour, lunch and learn program, etc.
(This is #13 on her list of 20 thank-you ideas your nonprofit can try. Check out the whole list!)
Ann Green thinks holding a donor open house is a way to “do something special for your donors.” And F. Duke Haddad of the Salvation Army agrees.
In truth, the only way you can receive 100 percent feedback and emotional ties is by having someone visit your organizational facilities to meet the cast of those in your organizational orbit.
I have to agree, too. Donor appreciation events are fine–and they give the donors the chance to meet one another, so they double as networking events. That’s a tangible way to say “thanks” to your donors!
But appreciation events are separate from the daily life of your nonprofit. Attending those events won’t let the people who support your organization see their gifts in action.
And seeing that is what will motivate them to make that next gift.
Before you rush to propose to your organization that you open the doors, however, think about it from the program staff point of view.
Bringing donors in to observe the program could disrupt what you’re supposed to be doing with and for the clients that day.
It could thrust staff into a role they haven’t prepared for and don’t feel good about performing.
It could be a liability issue, if there’s any chance the donors could harm or be harmed. Or it could backfire. Let’s be honest: not every day in the life of your nonprofit is something you’d like donors to carry around with them when they think about their donation dollars at work.
At the very least, it’s going to create extra work. So, if you’re going to invite donors to visit, the way you bring them in is crucial. There needs to be something in it for the staff and the program participants, too!
Here’s one of the best suggestions I’ve heard for how to bring your donors to the programs: Have a volunteer day.
Figure out something that actually needs doing (not a make-work project). Invite donors to pitch in along with staff and clients to get it done. Give them chances to relax and just talk together.
You, the development officer, should circulate, make introductions, and answer questions as they come up. Take a moment somewhere along the way to thank the donors for what they have already given and what they are giving today, by showing up.
If you have a client who wants to tell his or her story, give them a chance. But please, don’t micro-manage the event. The donors are not there to see you. They’ve come to see what a good organization they’re supporting, and feel good about themselves.
Have you already invited your donors to volunteer at your organization? What advice would you share about planning ahead and making the day a happy one?
Tell a story to show the difference the donor made
Previously, I told you how Global Giving made me decide to renew my donation for Nepal earthquake relief, only one week after I first gave. They won me by telling me the impact my donation is already making.
I’m a junkie for that feeling of making a difference! And I’m not alone.
One of the biggest reasons donors renew their support for your organization is that you tell them what difference their donation makes. And one of the biggest reasons they stop supporting you is that you don’t tell them what you did with their gift (and all the good that happened as a result).
But what’s the best way to make the impact of their donation seem real?
Northeastern University told my friend Amy Wyeth the impact her donation made. Or more exactly, Nicole Bourque told her.
Nicole is a Northeastern student who dreams of becoming a Physician Assistant. She called Amy on the phone, thanking her for her donor renewal. She followed up with an email, and told Amy her story.
“I grew up in a small town in southern New Hampshire, where people watch out for one another,” Nicole said. At the university, she was president of a student body that drew attention to the ways our health system serves some people better than others. In her career, Nicole plans to bring primary medical care to communities that don’t have enough healthcare.
Nicole thanked Amy personally for the chance to attend the university.
Without the financial support of donors like you, many of the scholarships I received would not exist. And I would not have been able to pursue my education here.
Amy was impressed. Wouldn’t you be? Here is a real person, feeling the impact of Amy’s donation right now, and thanking her. What better proof could a donor ask for that their gift was making a difference?
It’s always a good time to thank people for their gifts–and it’s always a good time to start working for donor renewal. Tell personal stories that show impact when you:
What’s the best story you know that shows donors how they’re making a difference?