Author: Ann Green

Make Your Newsletter Shine

Ann Green Communications, marketing, writing

In our social media world, is a newsletter still a relevant form of communication?  It can be, if it’s done well, which it often isn’t. 

Marketing consultant Kivi Leroux Miller recently surveyed a number of nonprofit organizations and found a majority of the respondents were either somewhat satisfied or not satisfied with their newsletter.  Some of the responses she received included organizations weren’t getting the response rates they wanted and they were unclear on their goals.
Nonprofit Email Newsletter Happiness
Leroux Miller also asked a more specific question about newsletter goals and found over half of the respondents had rather vague goals  like “Keep people informed about the work of our organization.” and “Remind people we are here and doing good work,” as opposed to 10% who replied “share results and gratitude with current donors.”
I Was Afraid of This: E-Newsletter Goals
How does your newsletter fare?  Do you have strong goals?

As I mentioned above, newsletters still have a role in nonprofit communications.  Here are a few ways to make your newsletter shine.

Make it visual
Your donors are busy and don’t have a lot of time to read your newsletter, and likely won’t read all of it (sad, but true).  That’s why it needs to be visual.

Whether you have a print or electronic newsletter, use pictures.  With an electronic newsletter, you could include a link to a video.  Showcase engaging photos and video of your work in action. Tell a visual story.

Be reader-friendly
Continuing with the visual theme, make your newsletter is easy to read and scan. Use bold headings, short paragraphs, and at least a 12-point font.  Make sure your headings convey enough information to give your readers the gist of your stories.

Consider including just the opening paragraph in your electronic newsletter with a link to your website, so you are not cluttering up the screen with lots of text.

Short and sweet
The problem with many newsletters is they are too long. A monthly newsletter only needs three or four stories. Think quality over quantity.

Engage your readers
Another problem with newsletters is they are boring.  Your donor wants to be thanked and hear how you making a difference for the people you serve.  They are not as interested in hearing that your CEO received 
an award from the Chamber of Commerce.

Lead with a story that shows how you are helping people.  Use the inverted pyramid and put your most important story first. 

You can include profiles of board members and volunteers, but tie it back to how you are making difference.

Write in the second person and draw in your readers by being personal and conversational.

Be professional
No matter the size of your organization, make sure your newsletter looks professional.  Give it a consistent look, such as always having your logo in the same place.  Using an email service provider can help with that. 

Use other channels to promote your newsletter
Include links to your newsletter on social media.  This can be useful in case your donor misses your original email.  Also, include links to your newsletter on your website.

Make it mobile friendly
Many of your donors will read your newsletter on a mobile device, so make sure it fits nicely on the screen.  Here’s some information to help you with that. 
How to Format Your Nonprofit Newsletter
Measure your success
One way to monitor your success is to measure click through rates.  That may not give you all the information you need.  You can also survey your readers at least once a year to get their feedback.

Take into account what you have learned.  If you are struggling with your newsletter, figure out why. 

You will have more success with your newsletter if you produce one that’s easy to read and filled stories about how you are making a difference.  Make it shine!

The Communication Journey

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing, writing

Marketing expert Seth Godin recently blogged Communication is a path, not an event 

In short, it’s not a one-time thing.  While he focuses more on sales, this also applies to all your nonprofit fundraising and marketing.  You don’t just send a fundraising letter or even a thank you letter and not communicate again for awhile.  It’s an ongoing process. 

Here are few ways to ensure a successful communication journey.

Lots of drops will help your garden grow
Godin ends his post by saying “Drip, drip, drip.”  Drip marketing is a strategy where you send a series of messages to prospects.  An example would be sending welcoming messages to prospective donors before making an ask.  The term’s origin is thought to have come from a gardening technique in which small amounts of water are fed to plants over a long period of time. 

This is a helpful analogy to consider when you communicate with your donors and other supporters.  Read on for more information about drip campaigns. How to Create an Email Drip Campaign for Your Nonprofit 

Consistency is key
Be consistent in your fundraising and marketing.  This means your messages and look must be consistent, as well as how often you send out your messages.  If you send out a monthly newsletter, make sure it goes out around the same time each month.  Don’t skip a month. 

Don’t start your journey without a map
Creating a strategy and putting together an editorial calendar can serve as a road map for your communication journey.  Here’s more information, as well as an editorial calendar link. 
Creating Content on the Topics You Want to be Known for  
The LightBox Collaborative 2013 Editorial Calendar
Communication is a two way street
Listen to your audience.  Ask questions on social media, respond to comments, and send out surveys or polls.

Take your supporters’ feedback into account and give them information they want.

Communication takes different paths
Most of us communicate through more than one channel – email, social media, direct mail, phone. Different modes work for different audiences, but often you use a combination of channels.

This is very helpful during fundraising campaigns. A multi-channel approach gives you more than one opportunity to reach your audience, in case they miss your first message.

Be known but don’t be annoying
Communicate often enough so your supporters will remember you, but not too much so that you are bothering them.  Most organizations don’t communicate enough.  Remember to be consistent.  Don’t send three email messages in one day and not communicate again for three weeks.

As a general rule, send email once a week and post on social media once a day.

In your quest not to annoy your supporters, share content where you show gratitude and demonstrate how you are making a difference for the people you serve.  Keep your supporters engaged.

One of the benefits of communicating weekly is that your messages can be short.  Shorter more frequent communication usually works better for getting your message across.

Don’t get derailed
It may seem daunting to keep up this ongoing communication journey, but good relationships, like gardens, need lots of attention.  It’s not as difficult as you might think.  Having an editorial calendar and strategy will help.  And your messages don’t need to be long.  Also, it can be fun to thank donors and share success.   

Make it a worthwhile journey for your supporters.

How Are You Making a Difference?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing, writing

When nonprofit organizations reach out to donors and other supporters to share accomplishments, I often see something like the examples below.  (All names are fictitious).

We started a community garden in the Westside neighborhood.

Youth First just opened a new activity center for our afterschool program.

We received a $50,000 grant from the Jones Foundation.

A Place to Call Home found affordable housing for over 100 families last year.

These are okay on one level, but they are more focused on activities than accomplishments.  They don’t answer the question – How are you making a difference for the people you serve?

Focus on why rather than what
When you are communicating with donors, think about why your accomplishments are important.

Instead of just reporting that you have started a community garden, emphasize how that will make a difference.  Now neighborhood residents have access to fresh fruit and vegetables, which are often not available at nearby stores or are too expensive.

Instead of just noting that your afterschool program has a brand new activity center, demonstrate that you are providing a safe place for young people to interact and learn new skills.

Of course, publically acknowledging your major funders is important, but what will that $50,000 grant be used for?  How will it help people?

What does it mean for the families who you helped find affordable housing?  Show how a family that was living in a shelter or with relatives now has a place they can call home.

Be conversational and personal
Draw in your reader with something personal.  Use stories, quotes, and testimonials, as well as photos and videos.  Go easy on the statistics and avoid using jargon.  

When you tell a story, choose a protagonist – an individual or family- and give them a name. You can change their names to protect their privacy.

This post by Katya Andreson is about mission statements, but can apply to all your communications. How do I make my mission sound more exciting?  She recommends giving your messages a heartbeat, which I think is great advice.  She also says, “Always answer the question, at the end of the day, whose life is better for what we do?” 

Many people donate because they have a personal connection to your cause.  Don’t bore them with a lot of long-winded facts.

They want to see how you are making a difference. 

Work with program staff to find stories
Often development and marketing staff don’t have firsthand knowledge of how your organization is making a difference.  This is why you need to work with program staff to create compelling stories and testimonials.  

Come up with a system that won’t make anyone feel overburdened.  Let’s Work Together – The Importance of a Good Relationship with the Program Department 

Show your donors how they are helping you make a difference
Finally, don’t forget to thank your donors and let them know that they are a key to your success.  After all, you wouldn’t be able to make a difference for the people you serve without their support.

How is your organization making a difference?

Time to Measure Your Progress

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing

We are already three months into 2013.  This is a good time to measure your progress so far.  Take out your fundraising and marketing plans (You do have written plans, don’t you?), and let’s see how you are doing. Here are a few things you should measure.

Fundraising
Are you on target with your fundraising goals?  If not, how far off are you?  You may need to give it a little more time or do something differently. Perhaps the foundations you are approaching aren’t a good match for your organization.

If you have had any events or campaigns recently, assess what worked and what didn’t.  Hopefully, you have already measured results from your year-end appeal, so you can apply what worked to this year’s campaign.

Donor relations
Besides raising revenue, your fundraising plan should include a donor relations component.  Are you thanking your donors and keeping them engaged on a regular basis?  One way to track engagement is to measure the response rates of your email messages.  Another way is to get feedback by sending out a short survey or asking questions on social media.

Volunteer recruitment
If your organization relies on volunteers, are you meeting your recruitment goals?   Keep track of which groups are more likely to volunteer.  Do you tend to get more seniors or students?  Are corporations or faith-based communities a better place to find volunteers?

Marketing/communications
This is closely related to your donor relations.  Are you sending out a newsletter and other updates?  Measure the response rates of your messages and website.

If your messages don’t seem to resonate with your supporters, figure out why.  Maybe you need better email subject lines or more compelling content.  Are your messages filled with gratitude and success stories about how you are making a difference thanks to your donors, or are you sending out something long, boring, and focused on the organization?

Looking at your number of email subscribers and social media followers is just one part of the equation.  Make sure you are keeping them engaged with good content.

Another reason your response rate might be low is that you are sending messages to people who aren’t strong supporters.
You may also want to measure media coverage.  It’s not easy to get media coverage.  You are competing with many other organizations, as well as current news stories.  Make sure you are targeting the right publications (smaller and local is often better) with the right stories.

What else does your organization need to measure?
This post by the Veritus Group offers some more suggestions. 1st Quarter Check Up!  One point they make is that it’s still early in the year.  If something’s not working, you have plenty of time to fix it and still meet your year-end goals.

Here is a great tool to help you with your measurement. Library of Sample Dashboard Indicators
Look it over. You may find some other things you need to measure.

Take some time to measure your progress. Then make a point to do it again at least once between now and the beginning of July.

Navigating the Multi-Channel Communication Stream

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing
We live in a multi-channel communication world. We send and receive messages via direct mail, email, websites, social media, and our phones. Chances are your nonprofit organization is using all these channels to communicate with donors and other supporters. All of these channels can work, and they can work better if you use them together. 


How do you decide which channel works best for you and integrate all channels in your fundraising and marketing campaigns? Here are a few suggestions.

Which channels do your supporters prefer? 

Just because you have people subscribed to your email list or following you on social media, doesn’t mean they are always using those channels.

How do you know which channels your supporters like? You ask them. Conducting surveys a couple of times a year can be very helpful. You might find out your supporters prefer print newsletters or they are glued to their mobile devices. What works best will be different for every organization, and it will often be a combination of channels.

Once is never enough 
If you only mail out a fundraising appeal, your success rate will be much lower than if you also send out appeals through email and social media. According to a study by Convio (now part of Blackbaud), dual channel donors give an average of $123.29 annually, which is 46% more value to a nonprofit than direct mail only donors.

In addition, we are all very busy and have to contend with messages from a variety of sources. We might miss a fundraising appeal when it comes through the mail or email, but have our aha moment when we get a reminder on Facebook. On the other hand, some people never use social media or email and respond better to direct mail.

Quality vs. quantity 
How often you send out messages depends on the channel. Because of the cost, smaller organizations may only send out direct mail pieces a few times a year. Generally organizations send out email once a week and post on social media a couple of times a day.

But make sure you have something good to say. Don’t just put something on Facebook because it’s been a few days since you posted anything. Make your messages clear, concise, conversational, and compelling. The 4 Cs of Writing Good Content  

I recommend using an editorial calendar to help you plan your multi-channel communication strategy. LightBox Collaborative’s 2013 Editorial Calendar

Keep track 

For every campaign, keep track of how many donors come through each channel. Do the same when you recruit volunteers or hold an event. Figure out what works and what doesn’t. You may not have that many people responding through Twitter because your supporters don’t use it, you haven’t built up a following yet, or you have a lot of followers, but aren’t using Twitter effectively.


Stay consistent 
When you are communicating across channels, make sure your messages and look are consistent. If a donor goes to your website after receiving a fundraising letter, your donation page should have the same message, along with your logo. It’s okay to use exactly the same messages. Just alter them for each channel – e.g. your social media posts will be shorter. Everything you send out needs to look like it’s coming from the same organization. 

All paths lead to your website 
Often when you send out a letter, an email, or a social media post, you are directing people back to your website. Use this checklist to ensure that whatever web page you are sending someone to is effective and engaging. A Website Checklist  

These are a few examples of ways to help you navigate the 

multi-channel communication stream. How do you use multi-channel communication?

Time For Some Spring Cleaning

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing, website, writing

Spring is here, yea!  Spring is a time for new beginnings.  It’s a time to clean up what’s old and make room for something new.

Many of you may take on spring cleaning projects in your home.  Here are a few spring cleaning projects you can do that will benefit your nonprofit organization.

Clean up your mailing lists
Did you have an influx of address changes, returned mail, and bounced emails after you sent out your annual appeal?  Now is a good time to clean up and update both your print and email mailing lists.

You should be emailing your supporters regularly, so you need to keep your list up-to-date.  Remember never to add people to your list without their permission.

You may not mail as often, but why wait until right before your next big mailing to clean up your list.   

Update your donor database
Most likely your print mailing list is part of your donor database.  Besides updating that, make any other additions, changes, and deletions you need to make in your database.  For example, if you had a conversation with a donor, include that. Your donor database is an important tool and you need it to be up-to-date and filled with accurate information about your donors.

Spring Cleaning Your Database

Check in with lapsed donors
As you are cleaning up your mailing lists and database, you may come across some lapsed donors.  These folks can be an untapped source of revenue, so don’t let them get away. Find your best prospects and give them a call.  This is something your board can help you with. 

There are many reasons these donors haven’t given recently – they were too busy to donate last fall, they can’t afford to give right now, or they may not be interested in your organization anymore.  If it’s the last one, hopefully it’s not because you aren’t engaging with them regularly.  Whatever the reason, it’s always good to get feedback.

Where to Find the Gold In Your Fundraising 

Update your website
Your website is often one of the first places a newcomer will visit.  Your current supporters may also visit regularly.  It’s very important that you keep it up-to-date, that it looks good, and it’s easy to navigate. 

Use this checklist to help ensure that you have an effective and engaging website. 

A Website Checklist

Come up with fresh content
In the spring we can open the windows and let in some fresh air.  Have you been using the same stories and photos for awhile?  Start coming up with fresh stories, quotes, testimonials, and photos to use in all your materials.  It’s fine to use the same stories and photos in different materials, but it’s also a good idea to come up with some new ones.

Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?
Take advantage of this time to make any updates and changes you need to make. What spring cleaning projects do you have in mind for your organization?

Ramp Up Your Donor Relations

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising

We don’t know the outcome of the sequester, but it could be bad for both nonprofits and donors. If the economy takes a downturn, nonprofits will see more requests for services, while some donors may feel the need to cut back on their giving.   

Will your organization make the cut?
Let’s say there is a donor who currently gives to five nonprofit organizations a year including yours, but is feeling a financial pinch, and is going to cut back to three. 

Will she choose an organization that:
  • Only communicates when they are asking for money. 
  • Sends a lame thank you letter, or no thank you letter.
  • Sends out a newsletter that’s long, boring, and only focuses on the organization.
Or will she choose one that:

  • Thanks their donors by calling them or sending handwritten notes.
  • Communicates often with success stories and updates.
  • Sends a newsletter and updates that are focused on how much they appreciate their donors and how they are making a difference with the donors’ support.

You can’t control your donors’ financial situation, but you can control your relationship with them.  You should always have a strong donor relations program, but you need it more than ever in an uncertain economy.

Donor relations needs to be part of your fundraising plan. It’s usually easier and more cost effective than trying to find new donors, which of course should also be part of your fundraising plan.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about donor relations.

Spend as much time on your thank you letters as you do on your annual appeal letter
A great thank you letter, phone call, handwritten note, or any combination of the three is a good first step to successful donor relations. Thank donors within 48 hours and be personal and creative. Thank Your Donors All Year Round 

Make all your communications donor focused
Let your donors know how their support is helping you make a difference.  Give examples of how you wouldn’t be able to do your great work without their help.

Find ways to keep your donors engaged and make them feel appreciated
Donor relations is an ongoing process.  Keep finding ways to engage your donors and thank them all year round. Find Ways To Engage With Your Donors
Find out how your donors want you to communicate with them
You may be tempted to do the bulk of your communication by email since it’s both easy and cost-effective.  That’s fine if it’s what your donors want.  But what if they would prefer a print newsletter?

Just because you have an email address for a donor or they are following you on social media, doesn’t mean they are always using those platforms.  Ask your donors how they would like you to communicate with them.  Don’t spend a lot of time on channels that they aren’t using.

The February Blog Carnival was all about donor relations and donor retention.  You’ll find lots of great tips that will help you keep your donors. 16 experts tell you how to keep your donors wanting to come back

Let’s Work Together – The Importance of a Good Relationship with the Program Department

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of a good relationship between the development and marketing departments.  Now I’d like to go a step further and explore the importance of a good relationship with the program department. Of course, you want a good relationship between all staff, but I am going to focus on marketing and development’s relationship with program.

Don’t create silos. Always remember that you are all working for the same mission.

Process vs. results
One key to a good relationship is to understand how the different departments work.

The program department focuses on the process – serving the people in need, while development and marketing are more concerned about the results – how you are actually making a difference.  It’s all important.

Sometimes there is a conflict between process and results, but you can’t have programs without fundraising and marketing, and you can’t raise money and awareness without strong programs. The departments need each other. 

Sharing success
The heart of fundraising and marketing messages is how you are making a difference for the people you serve.  The program staff is your connection to get stories, photos, and even videos to share with donors and potential donors.    

It can get tricky. Development and marketing need to be updated with client numbers and accomplishments, so they can share them with donors.  But program is busy serving clients and may not see that as a priority.

Plan ahead
You need to be respectful of the program staff’s time.  Don’t approach someone the day before your newsletter needs to go out and ask for a success story ASAP.

I always recommend nonprofits have an ongoing collection of stories, profiles, and photos to use, so you aren’t scrambling at the last minute.

If you get grant funding, you must work with program staff to determine what outcomes you will measure in the grant. Also, program needs to know when your grant reports are due, so they can give you results.

Again, don’t wait until the last minute.

Come up with a system
You need to come up with a system where the departments can work together without feeling overburdened.  This could mean sharing success stories at staff meetings; regular meetings between the departments to discuss stories, accomplishments, and funding needs; or program providing written monthly updates of client numbers and accomplishments. 

Seeing your programs in action
Development and marketing can sometimes be removed from the program work of your organization, especially if it’s done offsite.  If possible find ways for other staff to meet clients, visit your community center, or volunteer at your food bank.  

The more you know how the programs work, the easier it is to put this in human terms and share it with donors.  I used to work for a mentoring organization and staff were required to take the mentor training and encouraged to attend group activities with the mentors and mentees.  Doing that gave me a deeper understanding of the organization’s mission.

Working together
If you can create an atmosphere where the departments understand each other’s role, realize that program needs to share success stories with development and marketing, and know that those departments need to spend time seeing the programs in action, you will have a better chance of working together to accomplish your mission.

Here’s more on the importance of working together.
Fundraisers and Program Professionals: Can’t Everyone Just Get Along?
How is the relationship in your organization?

Let’s Work Together – The Importance of a Good Relationship Between Marketing and Development

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, marketing

If your organization has separate marketing and development departments, how well do you work together?  Do you even work together, or do you get territorial about responsibilities?


Remember, it’s not a competition between departments. There is a huge amount of overlap between fundraising and marketing. You are all working for the same mission. If you distance yourself from each other, what is popularly known as siloing, you are not doing what’s best for your organization.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Everyone in your organization has a role in marketing
All staff, board members, and volunteers are brand ambassadors for your organization.  You should have a consistent set of messages that you use in all your materials.  If you don’t, here’s some information about creating a message platform.  Make Your Messages Clear and Consistent 

Everyone should have an elevator pitch and be prepared to share your organization’s messages.

Everyone in your organization has a role in fundraising
Fundraising is the lifeblood of all nonprofit organizations.  Creating a culture of philanthropy Building a culture of philanthropy in your organization lets everyone know the importance of fundraising. 


Your role as an ambassador includes fundraising as well.  Depending on the size of the organization, sometimes it can be all hands on deck during annual appeal time as everyone pitches in to get it out.  Staff might be asked to send annual appeal letters to family and friends, as well as invite them to events.

PROBLEM AREAS AND HOW YOU CAN WORK TOGETHER
There may be times when the two departments might clash.  Here it’s important to go beyond what is development’s responsibility and what is marketing’s responsibility, and remember you are all working on behalf of your mission. 

I like this quote from donor communications expert Tom Ahern – “The heads of development and marketing have to accept that they are oxen pulling the same wagon, a wagon labeled ‘increasing community support’.”


You need clear and consistent messages
As I mentioned before, your organization needs consistent messages in all materials, fundraising and others.  Your messages also need to be conversational and easy to understand – no jargon. 

There may be a case when someone in marketing makes edits to your fundraising letter so that it includes your organization’s messaging and that it is easily understood by your donor. It’s important not to take this personally.  It’s not your writing, it’s your organization’s.  Your fundraising letter needs to captivate your donors.

You need control of your communication
A large part of fundraising is building relationships with donors and one way to do that is to share success stories and updates by email, social media, and on your website.

Marketing and development should work together on an editorial calendar that includes fundraising campaigns and events, along with newsletter submissions and other updates.  You can’t have people sending out three different messages one day and then not communicate again for three weeks.

In many organizations one person is in charge of controlling the flow of communication that goes through the channels listed above and often that is someone in marketing.  That doesn’t mean that someone in development can’t send out fundraising messages, but you need coordination so that you are sending out the right amount of messages.  This person also needs to know how use the platforms (especially the email template) so everything you send out has a consistent look.

Development needs understand that most communication goes through marketing.  Marketing needs to understand that one of the main purposes of the newsletter and other updates is to communicate with donors and potential donors.  See how the two departments are so interconnected?

The links below provide more insight to the importance of a good relationship between development and marketing. One key is support from leadership.

How is the relationship in your organization?

When Fundraising is Your Marketing Goal – And Not
4 Steps to Moving Your Marketing and Fundraising Teams to a Productive Partnership
In my next post I’ll write about the importance of a good relationship with the program department.

The Personal Touch

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing

I recently received a mailing from a nonprofit organization highlighting its 2012 accomplishments.  As I read it, I was struck by the impersonal tone and that the organization wasn’t focusing on the people they serve.

I don’t mean to single out this organization, because I know others are guilty of the same thing. This organization does great work and to their credit they did try to engage with their donors, they thanked their donors, and they didn’t ask for another donation. 

That said I would have recommended something more personal. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you communicate with your donors. 

Not all donors are the same
The mailing seemed more appropriate for grant or corporate funders.  This organization specializes in cancer treatment and research. Some of the accomplishments they featured were advances in their research, grants received, and their national and local rankings.

The only donation I ever made to them was when I bought their holiday cards.  I was drawn to the organization and their work because I lost a beloved uncle to cancer last fall.

People donate to nonprofit organizations for a variety of reasons, but many give because they have a personal connection to the cause.  These donors are going to want to hear how you are helping people.

Be conversational
In this mailing, the organization referenced a new community cancer care clinic they opened at a local health center, located in what they referred to as a “medically underserved community.”  That’s a great accomplishment, but the word underserved sounds like jargon to me.  

I think you should be conversational with donors and not use jargon or clinical sounding words.  Imagine yourself talking to a friend and use everyday language. 

How are you making a difference?
The organization shared a list of accomplishments that focused much more on their success than the specific impact they had on the people they serve.

I would have liked a story about a person whose life benefited from this new clinic.  Perhaps they could have highlighted a patient who used to have to travel miles to get care and now it’s available a few blocks from her home.

The organization also emphasized its “compassionate care”.  What does that mean?  Maybe they could have included stories and testimonials demonstrating that.

Use engaging photos
All photos in this mailing were black and white and most of them were pictures of researchers.  I know you can’t always include photos of patients, but maybe feature some who had successful treatments, along with their stories. 

They did include a photo of kids hanging out with some baseball players.  More photos like this would have been better.

Finally, photos are usually more captivating when they are in color.

What are you sending out? 
Take some time to look at the messages and materials you are sending out.  Are they appropriate for each donor group?   Are you focused on thanking your donors and showing how you are making a difference for 
people you serve?

You’ll do a better job of engaging your donors if you can be personal.