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TY Thursday: Don’t Ask for Money! Unless…

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before fundraising letter

Before you write that appeal letter…

Are you working on your end-of-year fundraising appeal already? Good for you! Lots of nonprofits start thinking about their appeal letter in November…or even December. You are already ahead of the field.

Now, stop.

Yes, I said stop! There’s something more important for you to work on right now than your fundraising letter–something that will actually help you raise more money than your appeal letter.

Now is the time to thank your donors.

Why Thanking Donors is Your First Priority

Donors who aren’t thanked don’t give again. It’s as simple as that.

The sad fact is that MOST of your first-time donors won’t give again. Across the U.S., fewer than 20% of donors who gave to a nonprofit organization in 2014 renewed their support in 2015. That means four out of five donors gave once, then walked away.

Why? The biggest reason donors say they don’t renew their gift is lack of communication. They didn’t hear from you that you appreciated their gift, or how you used it, or whether or not they made a difference.

A good thank-you letter begins the process that makes your first-time donor into a loyal friend (and makes your longtime donor a fervent advocate for your work).  So, if you didn’t send a thank-you letter last year–or if your letter read like a tax receipt and not a personal note–then drop everything and thank your donors today.

Beyond the Thank-You Letter

“But wait,” you say. “We already thanked the donors. We sent out a letter in January.”

Again, good for you! Especially if your told a story that immediately made the donor feel happy that they gave. And doubly so if you sent one thank-you letter to the first-time donor  and a different letter to your donor who decided to renew. You made them feel they were not just an ATM: they’re people you know.

But that was January. This is October.october

If you haven’t been personally in touch with your first-time donor all 2016, they may have forgotten the nice impression you made. They may have forgotten they ever gave to you. They may even have forgotten who you are.

And your long-time donor may be thinking less of you, too. You’re their cousin who they haven’t heard from for ages, who suddenly shows up at the door asking for money. They may still love you, but they may feel a bit used. You need to build that relationship again.

3 Ways to Thank Your Donor, NOW

Before you ask for money again, here are three ways you can thank your donors personally.

  1. Pick up the phone. Even a voicemail from someone at your organization–a Board member, especially–will reignite the donor’s warm feelings. If you can have a live conversation, that will give you a chance to find out more about why they gave, and what would persuade them to give again.
  2. Shout out on social media. Post a message on your donor’s Facebook page, for instance, letting them (and their friends!) know how important their gift has been.
  3. Send them a video. Do you own a smartphone? Then you have a video camera in your pocket. Donors will be surprised when they see your face and hear your voice!

Ideally, you would thank your donors throughout the year (and here are twenty ways to do that in 2017). But it’s not too late to show your gratitude and make your donors proud this year.

Before you send out another fundraising letter, stop and thank your donors, as warmly and as personally as you can. More of them will give. More of them will increase their donations. And more of them will think and speak well of your organization, this year and in the future.

 

TY Thursday: Who Gets Your Special Thanks?

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Love triangle

Which should you love best?

If you’re going to go out of your way to thank a donor fabulously, creatively, as many times and as many ways as you can, which donor should it be?

Do you single out the person who gives you the most money, or the person who gives most loyally over the years?

Let me tell you two stories to help you decide.

The Sudden Passion

The receptionist at the anti-poverty agency where I worked brought me the day’s mail. I opened a handful of reply envelopes from our most recent fundraising appeal. Then I gasped. A woman who had never given us a penny before had sent in a check for $1,000!

For our little nonprofit, $1,000 was a fortune. It was ten times the amount of the average donor’s gift. And it was the first time that Jean had donated. We had great hopes for the future.

As far as I know, we did all the right things to let Jean feel the #donorlove. We

  • Sent her a thank-you letter with a personal note from the Executive Director, the same day we received her donation
  • Followed it up with a voicemail
  • Listed her in our newsletter and annual report
  • Invited her to special events

Yet we never heard from Jean again. I still don’t know why. Perhaps she meant to give to an organization in town with a similar name, and she was too embarrassed to tell us she’d made a mistake? Or perhaps we’d touched her heart just that one time, and the morning after, she realized she loved some other organization better?

I’m not sorry we had our brief moment of passion with Jean. But I’m glad we didn’t run away with her and forget about the donors waiting at home.

The Love of a Lifetime

John was a client of our agency. He couldn’t give much at a time–certainly not $1,000! But he had volunteered or served on the Board for twenty-five years.

Whenever we sent an appeal letter, he gave what he could. And when we had our twenty-fifth anniversary gala, John went around town (walking with a cane) and solicited gifts from local businesses. Back at his subsidized elderly housing, he went door to door and asked his neighbors to donate.

Over a lifetime, John raised $1,000 many times over.

Because John was shy, we couldn’t applaud him in public the way we would have liked. We sent him thank-yous and listed his donations, but we never toasted him or sent him gifts.

At Board meetings, however, we thanked him and held him up as an example. And our agency went above and beyond to make sure he  (and later, his daughter) would keep his housing and benefits, even when he was hospitalized for months at a time. That was another way of saying thanks.

Do You Have to Choose?

Ideally, of course, you’d thank every donor fervently and frequently. Aim to do that! If you have to choose, however, pick your most loyal donors at every level.

Don’t just thank your major donors. If your newsletters are full of pictures of people who pay for whole buildings or programs, then your average donor will think, “This organization doesn’t need people like me.”

Show the love to the people who, over time, show the most love to you.

TY Thursday: Give the Donor a Voice

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One great way to say “thank you” to your donors is to let them do the talking.

donor speaksIf you’re a Downton Abbey fan like me, you’ll recognize this face. For ten seconds before each episode, philanthropist Darlene Shiley comes on screen and tells us why she donates to keep the program on the air.

This is a fabulous thank-you idea that your nonprofit should steal, and I’ll tell you why:

  1. What’s a greater compliment to your donor than making him or her the voice of your organization?
  2. What’s more convincing to other donors than hearing heartfelt support from someone who already gives?
  3. No one reads the list of donors scrolling by except for fundraising professionals (and donors looking for their own name). But everyone watches a video.

Why Video is Right for Your Nonprofit

PBS provides a great example of using what you have to say thank you. They have Downton Abbey, a studio, cameras, lighting.

Your nonprofit might not have a TV show (unless you’re taking advantage of community access television), but you do have lots of media. Your website, your email, your social media…all of them offer you chances to give your donor a voice.

And sure, if you have someone on staff or on your Board who’s great with a video camera, call them in. But it doesn’t take a professional. If you can hold your smart phone steady, you can take a video. And there are tons of software programs that let you edit your video. A few rough edges may even make it look more authentic.

Thank You, Donor, You’re a Star!

Which donor should you ask to speak for your nonprofit? It doesn’t have to be the richest donor, or the one who gave the most. Jeff Brooks  lists Things no donor said, ever and includes this:

Would you please tell me more about your wonderful wealthy donors who give far more than I ever could?

That’s why you’re not telling us about all your donors. You’re choosing donors who will love the chance to tell us about your cause.

Darlene Shiley gives a lot–but she also speaks with genuine warmth. That’s why not only PBS but San Diego State University, California State University, and other organizations have given her a voice on video (out of all the philanthropists they could have chosen).

Find your Darlene. It may be someone who gives a tiny amount but gives every year. The amount doesn’t matter. What matters is that the person on screen wants to speak up for you–considers it a privilege to be asked. Find that person and put him or her on screen.

Why Stop at One?

You may be blessed with more than one person who can speak for you on video, especially if you let them tell their story. Don’t fret about which one to choose. You can say thank-you to all of them by giving them a voice on your different channels.

Asian Women for Health lets donors and activists tell their story on the News page of their website and on YouTube.

JOIN for Justice runs “Our Stories,” a series of videos, on its homepage and all over its website, and on Youtube, and periodically on its Facebook page.

In my community, the Somerville Homeless Coalition shared its new video, It Takes a Somervillage, by email. The video includes donors as well as public officials and partner organizations. All of them took it as a compliment.

You can feature the voices of many supporters over time. The important thing is to get started. You want to thank your donors all year long, and the time to begin is now.

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