The Ultimate Way to Communicate with Donors

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How should you communicate with donors? Passionately!
But I want you to think about this word from TWO perspectives:
You see, even the most heartfelt fundraising appeal from you is not going to yield results if you send it to someone who doesn’t much care about the problem you describe.
Just because it’s important to you, doesn’t mean it’s important to everyone.
And this is why fundraising is both art and science.
This is why we make such a big deal about the concept of ‘donor-centered’ fundraising. If you haven’t read Penelope’ Burk’s groundbreaking book on the subject, I recommend you do. It totally changed the way I approach fundraising.
Let’s take a look at some of the art first.
Use the information in your database to help you communicate the messages your donors most want to hear.
How do you figure this out?
You need to proactively enact strategies to learn more about what floats your donors’ boats. When your donor indicates to you in any way what may be important to them – listen up. For example:
Pay attention!
Record everything you learn about your donors in your database. And be sure you locate the information in a field from which you can search.
Why?
You want to be able to segment your donors by different criteria.
All of fundraising is a value-for-value exchange.
Donors give money; you give back an intangible ‘feel good.’
The more you tap into your donor’s passion, the bigger the ‘feel good’ – and the bigger the gift.
Okay. That speaks to your donors’ passions. What about yours?
This is where we get to some of the art.
I often say the heart of effective fundraising is passion, passion, passion.
If it’s just a job to you, and not a cause about which you’re particularly passionate, it can be difficult to write a compelling appeal.
Sure, you can include all the elements. A story. A visual. A caption. A clear problem. A realistic solution. The donor becoming the hero. A specific ask for a specific purpose. A ‘P.S.’ that shows compelling urgency.
But the appeal can still fall flat if there’s no passion beneath the prose.
Can’t you tell when people are faking it? When their heart isn’t really in it?
For development staff, this may mean:
For board members, this may mean:
It is my firm belief everyone working in development should make a philanthropic gift to the best of their ability. This doesn’t mean you have to match what board members are giving. It does mean you should walk the talk.
If you feel giving to your nonprofit is out of the question because by virtue of working there you’re already ‘making a sacrifice,’ that’s a big chip on your shoulder that’s going to come across. If this is the case, it’s an issue that must be addressed first. You need to move folks (yourself included) from a place of distrust or hate to a place of love.
Which brings us to the critical importance of developing a culture of philanthropy (translated from the Greek to mean ‘love of humanity’). A culture in which everyone understands the mission doesn’t move forward without philanthropy – what Bob Payton of the Lily School of Philanthropy defined as “voluntary action for the public good.” It’s not about the amount of money. It’s about what’s in your staffs’ hearts.
The art of fundraising is connecting with what’s in your own heart.
Now you’re ready to ask for money to further your mission, vision and values.
Whether you’re writing an appeal letter or asking for a gift in person, speak from your own passion.
Describe the problem – or opportunity – in a manner that makes it crystal clear how important it is for the donor to join you in this mission. Because, if they don’t, something incredibly bad will happen. Or something incredibly good won’t happen.
Do kids want to be sat down for a long speech?
Do they want to settle in to hear an angry, cautionary tirade?
No.
Neither does your donor.
Do kids want you to send them a 20-page letter when they go away to college?
Do kids want you to write them a term paper to explain the birds and the bees?
No.
Neither does your donor.
Here is some wisdom learned from Penelope, together with quotes from donors Burk surveyed (also here.):
LESS IS MORE
“Overall, the longer the letters and the more frequent the requests, the less likely I am to donate.”
SPECIFICS TRUMP GENERALITIES
“I don’t connect with appeals that ask me to “fix poverty” in my community. But if I were asked to provide interim housing for 10 women and their families so that they could leave abusive situations, I could get my head around that and I would feel my giving had more of an impact.”
CONTENT OVER PROCESS
“They send out identical appeals week after week – pages and pages of stuff. It doesn’t inspire me to give; it desensitizes me to their pleas for help.”
BENEFITS TRUMP FEATURES
“I’m more inclined to give when I can see a direct benefit.”
“I don’t need another umbrella, t-shirt or tote bag; I want my donation to go to the cause.”
PERSONAL APPROACH IS APPRECIATED
“There were two instances this year where I made gifts over and above what I had intended and they both involved personal contact from someone in the development office.”
TAP INTO DONOR MOTIVATIONS
“Our 17-year old son, Drew, died by suicide in 2014. Since his death, we donate to some meaningful causes every year in his memory, on his birthday. It is our way of continuing to give a birthday present to our son.”
“I was fortunate that the college I attended was tuition-free. I felt I owed a debt of gratitude for my education.”
“Dad used to let me call in the pledge to PBS when I was a kid. I thought that was a very grown up thing to do. For me, it planted the seed which has grown into a lifetime of philanthropy.”
POSITIVE FEEDBACK INSPIRES FUTURE GIFTS
“I didn’t receive any information at all after making a gift to a not-for-profit last year. I wonder what they did with the money and whether it helped.”
“An update on what they are accomplishing with the gifts that I and other donors have already made is actually more effective than another appeal. The updates themselves make you want to give again.”
Much of what makes the art and science of fundraising effective comes from you, yourself, and each donor, individually.
Always bring yourself, and your passions, to the table.
Always remember you’re speaking to one donor, and their passions, at a time.
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Jason