WUNRN
http://www.gailperry.com/2014/10/7-ways-create-highly-committed-donors/
7 WAYS TO CREATE HIGHLY
COMMITTED DONORS
10/17/2014 -
Wouldn’t
you like ALL your donors to feel “highly committed” to your organization?
What would they
do for you? Well – they will give and give and give again.
Let’s look at
the other side – what happens when your donors are not highly committed?
My crystal ball
tells me that they are unlikely to renew their gifts.
Alas, these
donors are your one-night-stand folks. One gift and – they may be gone!
I’m writing from
Amsterdam today – where I’ve had an amazing week at the International Fundraising Congress with
fundraisers from all over the world.
I was lucky to
hear from some of world’s the smartest fundraisers, talking about the most
successful fundraising strategies in the world.
Today I’m
sharing guru Roger Craver’s talk on Building Donor Loyalty. BTW, he’s one
of our INSIDER gurus who co-writes one of the top blogs in our industry, The
Agitator.net.
Don’t miss his
new book: Retention Fundraising. It’s a must read for
all smart fundraisers who want to raise money the most efficient AND effective
way possible.
7 Ways to Build Highly Committed
Donors
1. Donor perceives you
are effectively carrying out your mission.
OK this just
seems so very basic. But I see many nonprofits who are lazy at telling their
story.
Let donors see
how you are making a huge difference: we saved 5 historic structures, we
helped 5000 people, we staged 12 performances, we launched
25 rescue boats.
You need to
explicitly say to your donor – look what you, Mr. Donor, helped create in our
community.
Look at the
wonderful work that we’ve accomplished together.
If you don’t do
this, then your donor will never really know his money made any difference.
He might think
it went into some black administrative hole!
You owe it to
your donors to tell them what you accomplished.
It’s the least
you can do!
2. Donor knows what to expect in
each interaction with you.
You need to be
consistent every time you communicate with your donor.
That means you
don’t change your message. Don’t ask her for a gift to support the rain forest
and then come back with a newsletter about the Arctic!
Stay on message!
You might be bored with your message because you see it and write it all the
time. But your donors have barely grasped your message.
Be consistent
and don’t confuse your donor.
3. Donor receives timely thank
you’s.
This means that
the SPEED of your thank you matters more to your donor than you realize.
When are you
quick with that “thanks” – what does it say to the donor?
It says you are
paying attention. You appreciate it. You noticed. You are thrilled to have your
donor’s support.
And one more
thing – it also says you are a well-run organization. Your donor will think
that his money will be well-spent, because you are efficient!
4. Donor receives the
opportunity to make her views known.
I bet you have
tons of passionate supporters out there who would just LOVE to tell you WHY
they care so much.
But have you
ever asked?
It’s time for
some phone calls to donors to hear their stories. Or,
- Send
them a survey and ask for their frank personal responses.
- Invite
them to a feedback meeting to hear their thoughts.
- Ask
them to volunteer or get involved in some way.
Bet they would
keep giving and even give more if you asked!
5. Donor knows she is part of an
important cause.
Your donor wants
to be able to identify herself as part of your effort for good.
Dr. Adrian
Sargeant’s original study in 2008 found that when donors
IDENTIFY with you, they have a sense of connectedness and social identity that
includes you and your cause.
I can’t think of
anything you’d want to foster more!
Once they feel
connected, they are in for a long while.
6. Donor feels his or her
involvement is appreciated.
I guess you’ve
heard one of my favorite mottos: Find 7 ways to thank your donors and they’ll
give again.”
If you want
loyal donors, you need to invent ways to send your donors some love.
“How do we love
thee? Let me count the ways!”
This does not
mean you send your donor “stuff.”
Roger said the
best way to lose a valuable donor is to give them stuff, which they don’t want
and don’t appreciate.
7. Donor receives
information on WHO is being helped.
Again, this goes
back to the first point. Tell your donor explicitly who they are helping. Your
donors want information – solid, meaningful information about what you are
doing with their money and who you are helping.
Is it the little
boy down the street? Hungry children in Brazil? Elderly shut-ins in Boston?
Enslaved children in the far east? Artists in your community? Families in need
all over the world?
You can’t just
take the money and run.
Don’t leave it
to a boring newsletter to do this work for you.
Make sure your
newsletter is all about your important work and your case for support (not your
gala or your staff or board!).