Donor-Centered Digital Communications: How Do You Tailor the Nonprofit Experience?

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If you’re not actively engaging with folks online in today’s digitally-revolutionized zeitgeist, you’re missing a huge opportunity. One of the best ways to engage with folks online is through content marketing.
In Part 1 of this three-part series we looked at how you can create a value-for-value exchange with online content, inexorably leading folks towards an interest in engaging with you more passionately. Even if currently online fundraising is a small slice of your total contributions, you should be aware that the percentage of philanthropy coming from online strategies is steadily increasing. According to a survey by M+R, online support grew by a median of 23% in 2017. That’s not insignificant. So… you’ll want to get in the game!
Before we get to what constitutes donor-centered content, let’s note the importance of integrating these strategies across multiple channels to create a consistent brand. “Brand,” by the way, does not mean logo and design. It is who you are. Your identity. Your raison d’etre. The promises you make, and the promises on which you must consistently deliver.
Brian Solis, author of The End of Business as Usual, has posted provocatively on the subject, asking: Are You Building a Social Brand or a Social Business? He notes businesses are evolving from traditional CRM to social CRM. It’s no longer about “branding” as it’s traditionally been conceived. It’s about your very essence. Solis notes:
Engaging consumers from a marketing-driven approach may work for the short term, but engagement requires a holistic approach. Consumers see one brand, one company, one experience and not a series of disconnected silos experimenting in social media without a common vision, mission, or process.
Nonprofit fundraising and marketing communications must be connected, because they’re all part of your would-be donor’s total experience. You’re a bit of a Donor Sherpa. The way you lead will impact whether, and how long, donors will follow. Every step of the journey is important.
There are certain types of content that will meet the various needs of all your most likely supporters. That’s where to begin.
As you learn more about needs of individual donors (e.g., they prefer to support senior services over children’s services), you can tailor content even further.
For an overview of generally successful content categories let’s take a look at some online content marketing guidelines – each with a few suggested examples of content people want.
It’s important to adopt an attitude of gratitude. Philanthropy means “love of humankind.” Show your would-be philanthropists some love by giving them little “gifts” of content. It may answer a question, point them towards a valuable resource, give them a little giggle, connect them to a group of like-minded folks, offer a way for them to be a hero, or any number of things they value.
EXAMPLES of helpful content
If you just brag about how great you are, or what you believe, it’s unlikely your would-be supporters will see themselves in the narrative of your vision, mission and values. If you simply talk about your organization’s accomplishments, programs, services and processes, everything will look like a fait accompli. There will be no problems to solve, and no way for your donor to offer solutions. Instead, tell a simple story that defines a concrete problem and suggest a specific solution to which the donor must respond “yes, I’ll help” or “no, I won’t.”
EXAMPLES of story-based fundraising offers:
When your donor makes a gift, they need to know you appreciated it. Psychologist Matthew Lieberman, in “Social, Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect,” writes about how MRI scans reflect our brains are hard-wired to respond to positive recognition from others. So come up with content that demonstrates your gratitude and recognizes your donor’s awesomeness!
EXAMPLES of gratitude and demonstrated impact:
I’ve long been a fan of what I call “random acts of donor kindness.” There’s nothing more donor-centered than thinking about what might delight your supporter; then offering it to them as a nice surprise. When you give people more than they expect, they like you and tend to want to reciprocate.
EXAMPLES of content that goes above and beyond expectations:
Nonprofits operate in a crowded, competitive online marketplace. You don’t just compete with other nonprofits. You compete with Amazon! And people want an Amazon-level experience. Subconscious expectations are high. Folks want you to show them you know them.
This is why it’s critical to use a robust database tool that enables you to integrate all data on a single supporter (now fragmented in multiple departments and records) into a single, in-depth profile. Without this 360-degree view of your constituents it’s very difficult to cover the relevant experiences people expect.
If your donor tells you (or anyone else in your organization) something about their interests and you ignore it, they’re likely to feel disregarded. If they show you how they prefer to communicate, and you’re indifferent, they’ll feel neglected. Consider what you can do to respond to donor preferences.
EXAMPLES of tailored content:
If it’s difficult to interact with you in any way, people will give up. So your goal is to make sure folks don’t leave you in the middle of the road.
EXAMPLES of ways to make engagement easy:
Folks need reassurance investing with you is a good decision. Help them out with their research, and they’ll believe you’ve nothing to hide.
EXAMPLES of things it should be easy to find:
Folks need to be able to trust you’ll follow through on your promises, or they won’t pursue a lasting relationship. There are many ways to set folks up so they know what to expect next, enabling you to show you deliver!
EXAMPLES of promises you make and keep:
Nothing stands alone. Unless, of course, you want to stand alone. In which case you’ll reap what you sow.
Stop thinking of content marketing and fundraising strategies as transactional “one offs.” Connect the dots for folks. Build on their previous connection with you to spur them to the next one. That’s how you’ll create the transformation you need to survive and thrive in our noisy digital world.
Be sure to download the free “Donor-Centered Content Marketing Worksheet and Checklist” to help you tailor the donor experience and take folks on a meaningful journey! If you want some great samples for deploying content across multiple channels, check out: Readers’ Choice: Great Models of Online Fundraising, Provided by You from the Chronicle of Philanthropy and 45 Digital Fundraising Examples in 45 Minutes, an on-demand webinar on Bloomerang.
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