Communications

Can Your Organization Pass the Donor-Centered Test?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising , , ,

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We hear the term donor-centered a lot, and it’s pretty self-explanatory.  You want to focus on your donors’ needs and interests and take into account that not all donors are the same.

Is your organization donor-centered? Find out by taking this test.

Fundraising Appeals

  • Are your fundraising appeals focused too much on your organization – rambling on about how great you are?  Your organization may be great, but let your donors figure that out. Your donors are the ones who are great, and they want to hear how they can help you make a difference for the people/community you serve.
  • Are your appeals segmented to the appropriate audience?  Thank past donors or reference your relationship to a potential donor.  Maybe they are event attendees, volunteers, or friends of board members.
  • Are your appeals addressed to a person and not Dear Friend?
  • Are your appeals vague, impersonal, and filled with jargon your donors won’t understand?  Don’t say we are helping disenfranchised members of the community.  A donor-centered appeal would say something like – With your support, we can help low-income families find affordable housing.
  • Do your appeals make people feel good about donating to your organization?

Thank you letters

  • Do your thank you letters come across as transactional and resemble a receipt? Yes, you need to acknowledge that the donation is tax deductible, etc, but most donors are more concerned about how their gift made a difference.
  • Do your thank you letters (or better yet, a handwritten note) shower your donors with love?  Start your letter with You’re fabulous or Thanks to You!
  • Are you telling your donors the impact of their gift?  For example – Thanks to your generous donation of $50, we can provide groceries for a family of four at the Eastside Community Food Bank.
  • Do you recognize each donor?   Is this the first time someone has donated?  If someone donated before, did she increase her gift?  Acknowledge this in your letter/note.

Newsletters

  • Do your newsletters sound self-promotional and drone on about the wonderful things your organization is doing instead of showing your donors how they are helping you make a difference?
  • Is your newsletter written in the second person?  Write to the donor and use the word you more often than we. How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass? BTW, all your donor communication should be written in the second person.  It’s much more personal.
  • Does your newsletter include success stories, engaging photos, and other content your donors want to see?
  • Are you using the right channels?  Perhaps you only send an e-newsletter, but some of your donors prefer print.
  • Are you showing gratitude to your donors in your newsletter?

Always think of your donors

Use these test questions on other donor communication such as annual reports, your website, and social media posts.

How did you do?

Be sure every message you send to your donors focuses on them and makes them feel special.

Read on for more information on how to be donor-centered and wallpaper your office with this donor-centered pledge. Take the Donor-Centered Pledge 

Is Your Organization Sufficiently Donor-Centered?

Strategies to Build Donor Love — How to Create Donor-Centric Communication and Response

Make a Resolution to Keep Your Donors

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

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Happy New Year!   I hope you had a nice holiday.  I had a great two-week vacation in Florida with my family.

I also hope you had a successful year-end fundraising campaign.  Did you get a bunch of new donors and renewals, or did you lose some people?

One of the biggest reasons donors flee is because they believe the organization doesn’t do a good job of staying in touch and keeping them engaged. We can change this!

Charities That Focus on Retention Will Change the World

The Secret Sauce of Donor Retention: Gratitude + Great Communication

This year make a resolution to do everything you can to keep your donors.  Here’s what you can do.

Welcome new donors with open arms

The biggest attrition comes between the first and second donation.  Shower your new donors with love.  Call to thank them for their donation. Send them a welcome packet by mail or email, and include a short survey asking what drew them to your organization.

Welcome Your New Donors With Open Arms

Create a great thank you experience

Spend time creating a great thank you experience for your donors –  from the landing page to the email response to the phone call or handwritten note.   Make it personal and genuine.

Remember, thanking your donors doesn’t end after they make a donation.  Find ways to thank your donors throughout the year.

How to Create a Thank You Plan

Make Gratitude Your Nonprofit Organization’s Focus in 2015 – Here’s How!

More vs. better

You may already send monthly e-newsletters and regular social media updates, but that doesn’t mean much if you’re bragging about how great your organization is and posting pictures of your CEO receiving an award.

Do better. Share content that will interest your donors, such as success stories about the people/community you serve and engaging photos of your programs in action.  Let your donors know how they are helping you make a difference.

Listen to your donors

Find out how your donors want you to communicate with them.  Don’t spend a lot of time on social media if your donors aren’t using it.  You may find some of your donors don’t communicate electronically, which means you’ll need to plan to mail newsletters, postcards, and handwritten notes at least a few times a year.

Also, monitor how your donors are responding to email and social media.  Pay attention to what they’re telling (and not telling) you.

Use a communications calendar

This will make it easier for you to come up with and organize your content.  Take into account what your donors want to hear from you and which channels they prefer.

Besides newsletters, updates, and photos, you can also keep in touch with advocacy alerts and short surveys.

Stay Connected Throughout the Year by Using a Communications Calendar

Make it personal

Building relationships is the key to having long-term donors,  but who wants to have a relationship with someone who’s distant and formal?

Be personal and conversational when you write.  Ditch the jargon and use language your donors will understand.  Write as if you’re having a conversation with a friend.

Know what works

Again, measure how your donors respond to your messages.  Are they responding at all?  Perhaps short weekly updates get a better response than your monthly newsletter.

If you are not getting much of a response from your surveys, either do them differently or find another way to engage.

Don’t stop

Keep communicating regularly with your donors and keep them engaged so they’ll stay with you for a long time.

How do you stay in touch with your donors?

Photo by Carol VanHook

Five Ways to Improve Your Fundraising and Communications in 2015

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, planning , ,

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2014 is winding down and the New Year is just around the corner.  I hope you had a successful year.

The end of the year is a good time to figure out what worked and where you can make improvements for next year.

Here are five ways you can improve your fundraising and communications in 2015.

Tell stories

Don’t bore your donors with a lot of facts and statistics.  Tell a story.  Use stories in your appeal letters, thank you letters, newsletters, annual reports, and on your website.

Take time to create stories and profiles of clients, board members, volunteers, donors, and staff members.  It’s okay to use stories more than once.

A couple of appeals I received used first-person stories, which can be very compelling.  Be sure to use the person’s own words.  In an appeal from a college-age woman who attended a theater’s program for 14-20 year olds, she writes “Donors help advance the theater’s mission…”  I doubt that’s language she would use.

Create a memorable thank you experience

Nonprofit organizations can do a better job of thanking their donors. Some thank you letters look like computer-generated receipts.

Instead of going through the motions, create a memorable thank you experience.  Make your donors feel good about donating to your organization. Give them specific examples of how their gift is helping you make a difference.

Get creative. One organization I support printed Thank You! on the outer envelope of their thank you letter.  You could also handwrite this.

Keep thanking your donors throughout the year.  Make this a priority.

Be donor-centered

So many newsletters, annual reports, and other communications sound like one big bragfest.  You don’t have to tell your donors you’re great.  They wouldn’t have donated if they didn’t find your organization worthwhile.

You need to tell them they’re great.  Again, make them feel good about being a donor.

Always put yourself in your donors’ shoes.  When thinking about what to include in your newsletter, write articles they’ll want to read, such as success stories about the people/community you serve.

Nix the swag and premiums

I receive so many mailing labels from organizations that I can wallpaper a room. Although, they do come in handy when I mail holiday cards.

You may be tempted to send swag or offer a premium if someone upgrades their gift or gives at a certain level.  Think twice about doing that.

Here’s a better idea from a community foundation.  They found an anonymous donor who will match all new donations and any increases in giving from 2013.

You also want donors to give because they care about your organization, not because they want a tote bag.

Pay attention to your data entry

I know data entry is tedious, but you need to do it well.  Donors don’t want to see their names misspelled.

Use the right titles too.  Personally, I don’t like being addressed as Mrs., Miss, or with my husband’s last name, but some donors will feel differently.   Include a title field, along with a space for the name of a second donor to ensure donors are addressed the way they want to be.

Use extra care when soliciting new donors.  I’ve received several appeals with serious data entry errors from organizations I don’t already support.  I was not impressed.

These are just a few improvements you can make in 2015. Can you think of any others?

Stay Connected Throughout the Year by Using a Communications Calendar

Ann Green Communications, marketing, planning

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Donor retention continues to lag. One reason is people feel they only hear from the nonprofits they support when the organizations are asking for money.

You need to communicate with your donors throughout the year.  If you’re feeling stressed about how you’re going to pull this off, then you need a communications calendar (also known as an editorial calendar).

I like the term communications calendar because it emphasizes the importance of communicating with your donors and other supporters all year round.

This is not just a job for your marketing department. All departments need to work together.  Figure out what information you need to share and when to share it.  You want a consistent stream of information – not three emails in one day and nothing for three weeks.

As you put together your communications calendar, think about how you will use different channels and which audience(s) should receive your messages. You may only send direct mail a few times a year, but send an e-newsletter once a month and communicate by social media several times a week. You’ll often use a number of different channels when you send out a fundraising appeal or promote an event.

Start big by looking at the entire year and then break it down by months and weeks.  You’ll keep adding to your communications calendar throughout the year.

Keep all your communication audience-centered and emphasize how you are making a difference for the people you serve and in the community.

Here are some categories you can use in your communications calendar. Some items will be time sensitive and others won’t be.

Events
Does your organization hold any events? Besides your events, are there other events in your community that would be of interest to your supporters? This is a great thing to share on social media.

Legislation
Advocacy alerts are a wonderful way to engage with your supporters. Be on the lookout for any federal or state legislation that’s relevant to your organization. Encourage people to contact their legislators about an issue or a bill. Then report back to them with any updates, and thank them for getting involved.

Time of year
Is there something going on during a particular month that is pertinent to your organization? Perhaps it’s homelessness awareness month or your organization was founded in March 1985.

Thanksgiving, the holidays, and winter can be a difficult time for some people. How can you weave that into your mission?

News stories
You won’t be able to predict news stories in advance. However, if there’s a hot item in the news right now that’s relevant to the work you do, that could be something to share.

Fundraising and recruitment

Be sure to add your fundraising appeals to your communications calendar. You want to highlight these and not inundate your donors with a lot of other information at that time.

If your organization has specific times it needs to recruit volunteers, add that to your calendar, as well.

Thank your donors
Figure out different ways to let your donors know how much you appreciate them. Do this at least once a month.

Ongoing content
If you’re making a difference, you have stories to tell. Share a story at least once a month. Client success stories are best. You could also profile a board member, volunteer, donor, or staff member.  Be sure to highlight what drew them to your organization.

Keep it up
As you hear about other relevant information, add it to your calendar, so you can stay connected with your supporters throughout the year.

Here is more information to help you create a communications/editorial calendar.

Take Charge of Your Communications with LightBox Collaborative’s 2015 Editorial Calendar

Editorial Calendars – Resources for You

Your Donors Are Number One

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

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Do you feel as if nonprofit organizations care about you as a donor?  Sometimes it seems like they don’t.

Some organizations brag too much about themselves.  I recently received an appeal letter from an organization that specializes in cancer research and treatment. In the first two paragraphs, they emphasize how they’re “a leading force in caring for adults and children battling cancer.”  That they’re a world leader in cancer research and ranked number one….

This organization does do amazing work, and if I were choosing a place to receive treatment, then this would matter much more.  But as a donor and someone who was drawn to this cause because I lost three family members to cancer in the past few years, I want I want to hear how I’m helping them make a difference.

Your organization is not number one.  Your donors are number one.

Always be donor-centered

I don’t mean to single out this particular organization because they’re not the only guilty party. Many organizations focus too much on themselves and not on their donors.

You see this often in a donor newsletter.  This is supposed to be a great way to engage with donors.  Yet many newsletters feature articles on the executive director receiving an award or a profile of a board member that focuses on her credentials and not on any personal connections she has to that cause.  Rarely is there anything thanking donors and letting them know they’re number one.

How you can do it

It’s not hard to be donor-centered, but you need to make a conscious effort to do it.

Instead of sending the same old appeal letters and thank you letters, take a good, hard look at the content.

  • Are you focused on your donors?
  • Are you showering them with gratitude?
  • Are you letting them know how THEY are helping you make a difference?
  • Are you letting them know they’re number one?

Your newsletters and updates also need to show your donors how they are helping you make a difference.  Share success stories such as – Thanks to donors like you, Steven doesn’t have to live in a shelter anymore and has a place to call home.

Always write to the donor and refer to them as you.  Make sure all your donor communications use the word you much more than we.  How to Perform the “You” Test for Donor-Centered Communications – Do You Pass?

What do your donors want?

Send your donors a short survey to find out what types of things they want to hear from you. Chances are it’s success stories and other ways they can continue to help you make a difference.

Donors also want to feel good about supporting your organization. Let them know they’re number one.

Ready – Set – Year-End Appeal

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, planning

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Ready or not, it’s September. Where did this summer go?  Fall is a busy time, especially if you’re doing a year-end appeal.

Many nonprofits rely on their year-end appeal for a good portion of their revenue. There’s a lot to do to, so here are some tips to help you get started.

How much money do you need to raise?

You may have already set a goal in your 2014 fundraising plan (at least I hope you did) and perhaps you need to revise that goal.  If you haven’t set a goal, determine how much money you need to raise before you start your campaign.

Make a plan

Put together a plan for your appeal that includes a timeline, task list, and the different channels you will use.  Make it as detailed as possible.

When do you want to send out your appeal? In the beginning of November?  Figure out what you need to get done and how long it will take. You may need to recruit extra volunteers or get your materials to a mail house.

Update and segment your mailing lists

Make sure your postal and email mailing lists are up-to-date.  Check for duplicate addresses and typos.  Your donors do not want to receive three letters at the same time or have their names misspelled.  Also, segment your lists by donor group. Do You Need to Clean Up and Organize Your Mailing Lists?”

Show and tell

Find a good story for your year-end appeal. You’ll want some engaging photos for your letter and donation page, too.  Quotes can also enhance your appeal.  Show and Tell Time

Accomplishments and plans for the future

Your appeal letter should highlight some of the year’s accomplishments and state what you plan to do next year. For example, let’s say you run a tutoring program for high school students. Share your success of reaching your goal of serving X number of students. Next year you would like to expand and serve middle school students, as well.

Focus on the people you serve and show how your donors are helping you make a difference.

Letterhead, envelopes, and stamps – oh my

Don’t wait until the end of October to check your supply of letterhead and envelopes.  Make sure you have enough.  Perhaps you want to create a special outer envelope.

Even though many people donate online, you want to make it easy for donors who prefer to mail a check.  Include a return envelope and a preprinted form with the donor’s contact information and the amount of last year’s gift.

Stamps are more personal, so you might want get a bunch of nice ones to use.

Make donating online a breeze

Be sure your donation page is user-friendly and consistent with your other fundraising materials.  Highlight your year-end appeal on your home page and include a prominent Donate Now button.

While you are at it, check your website for out- of- date information and broken links. Does Your Website Need a Tune Up?

You could set up a special page for your year-end appeal. The Top 10 Most Effective Donation Form Optimizations You Can Make

How does my gift help?

Create a set of giving levels and let your donors know how their gift will help people. Here’s an example.  Project Bread – Gift Information

Spread the wealth

Monthly or recurring giving is great way to get larger contributions.  Some people might balk at donating $100 or more, but if you present it as $10 a month ($120 a year!), it sounds more feasible.

Create an attitude of gratitude

Unfortunately, thanking donors seems to be an afterthought for some organizations.  Don’t be one of them.

Spend as much time on your thank you letter/note as you do on your appeal. You need to thank your donors as soon as you receive their gifts.

Handwritten notes and phone calls are much better than a pre-printed letter. Now is a good time to create or buy some thank you cards, as well as finding board members and volunteers to make thank you calls or write notes.  Create a Thank You Plan

Keep showing the love

I know this is a busy time, but don’t skimp on your donor communication.  Keep engaging your donors and other supporters (who may become donors) by sharing success stories and gratitude.   Go the extra mile and create a thank you video or hold an informal open house.

I’ll be sharing more information throughout the fall.  In the meantime, what are you doing to prepare for your year-end appeal?

Does Your Website Need a Tune Up?

Link Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing, website
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker

When was the last time you took a good, hard look at your website?  As summer winds down, and we start getting ready for year-end fundraising, you want to make sure your website is up-to-date, easy to read and navigate,welcoming, and audience-centered.

How does your website fare?  Use the checklist below to find out.

Home page

Your home page is often the first place a newcomer will visit. Make it an entryway to the rest of your website.

  • Is it free of clutter and easy to navigate and read?
  • Does it include an engaging photo and a small amount of text, such as a tagline or position statement?
  • If you are highlighting something such as an event, is the information up-to-date, and is it the most newsworthy item you can feature?
  • Does it include a Donate Now button that’s prominent without being tacky?
  • Does it include a newsletter sign up box and social media icons?
  • Is the navigation bar easy to use?
  • Does it include a search feature?

Donation page
More people donate online now.  Get your donation page in shape for your year-end appeal.

  • Is it easy to use?
  • Does it include a strong call to action with the same messages as all your other fundraising appeals?
  • Does it show how the donation will be used and what different amounts will fund?
  • Does it include an option for recurring gifts?
  • Does it have an engaging photo?
  • After someone donates, does it take the person to a thank you landing page and generate a thank you email?

The rest of your pages
Now take some time to look at the rest of your web pages.

  • Are they easy to read/scan and navigate?
  • Do all your pages have a consistent look?
  • Is the content well written in a conversational style (no jargon) and free of grammatical errors and typos?
  • Are your pages audience-centered? Remember, some visitors know you well and others don’t. A person visiting your volunteer page may not know much about your organization, so you will need to include a compelling description of what you do.
  • Do your pages contain a clear call to action? For example, your volunteer page should make someone want to volunteer.
  • Does each page have one or two photos related to its subject matter? Going back to your volunteer page, you could include a photo of volunteers interacting with clients.
  • Is all the content up-to-date?
  • Do all your links work?
  • Do all your pages include a Donate Now button, navigation bar, social media icons, a newsletter sign up box, and a search feature, so your visitors don’t have to go back to the home page?
  • Are you using analytics to see how often people visit your pages? If you have pages that aren’t generating a lot of interest, assess why that’s happening. You may need to make the page more enticing or take it down.
  • Do you periodically survey your supporters to get feedback about your website?
  • Is your website mobile and tablet friendly? Use responsive design to make it easy to read on any device.  Is Your Website Optimized for Mobile Devices?
  • Is there other content you should include (or take out)?

After you’ve made any necessary changes, have someone who isn’t as familiar with your organization (maybe a friend or family member) look at your website to see if the content is clear and that it’s easy to navigate.

Remember, your goal is to have a website that’s welcoming and audience-centered for everyone from first-time visitors to long-time supporters.

Read on for more information on creating a great website.

Nonprofit Website 101

If Google were a nonprofit, what would its website look like?

The Top 10 Elements Of An Effective Nonprofit Website

Do Something Special For Your Donors and Hold an Open House

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, planning , ,

 

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Nonprofit organizations need to find ways to thank donors all year round. One special way to show appreciation is to hold an open house at your organization. If you can’t hold one on site, have it at a restaurant or other venue.  You may be able to find someone to donate space.

Invite other supporters, too

You could just have an event for donors, but why not invite your email subscribers and your social media followers, too? This could be a great way to convert these supporters into donors. Also, encourage donors to bring a friend.

Coordinate it with your year-end appeal

Depending on your resources, you may only be able to hold one open house a year.  If you can hold more, that’s great.

A good time to have your open house is before you launch your year-end appeal, so you could hold one sometime between mid-September and early November.

Another option is the spring, if you have an appeal then, or you could make it a thank you event.  Winter is tricky, unless you are fortunate to live in a part of the country where it doesn’t snow.  July and August are also problematic since that’s vacation time.

Whenever you decide to hold your open house, don’t ask for money at this event.

Keep it informal

No three course-dinners and never-ending speeches.  Hold a gathering where your supporters can drop in after work.  Serve something to eat and drink. You may be able to get food and beverages donated or find a sponsor.

Have a brief program.  You could show a video and/or let a client share his or her story.  Your executive director or board chair should thank the attendees and share some accomplishments and plans for the future.  Again, keep it brief. You don’t want your supporters fleeing out the door.

Create some photo displays and have literature available. You could also show a video on a laptop. Offer tours, if that makes sense.

Let your donors and other supporters see the heart and soul of your organization.

Get your board involved

You want a good turnout from your board. Encourage board members to invite friends and other potential prospects.

Make everyone feel welcome

Be sure your staff and board mingle with your supporters and make them feel welcome.  You may need to go over your organization’s talking points and brush up on your elevator pitches, so everyone is prepared to talk about what you do and answer questions.

How To Get Everyone In Your Organization To Be Consistent In Messaging

Don’t let them get away

Anyone who has taken time out of his/her busy schedule to attend your open house needs to be showered with attention.

Collect names and addresses of people who attended and send a thank you note right away. Don’t ask for money (that comes later).

When you do send your next appeal, include a sentence that says  “It was great to see you at our open house.”

Not all your donors will attend your open house, but will appreciate the invitation.  Donors and other supporters who do come are showing you they are interested in your organization.  Keep cultivating them.  This will help ensure they’ll continue to support you.

 

Photo – Tech Cocktail Miami Launch Party https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

Show and Tell Time

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, wiritng

Remember show and tell back when you were in elementary school?  You would bring in something special, such as a shell from a recent vacation, and share it with the class.

Nonprofit organizations have their own version of show and tell when they share accomplishments and stories.  You need these for your year-end appeal and annual report, so why not spend some time collecting them now.

Show your donors how they are helping you are making a difference

Sharing accomplishments is not a bragfest.  Too often I see a list of activities or accomplishments that are focused on the organization. 

Instead of saying we started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in the Riverside community, say Thanks to you, we started a CSA program………  Now every week residents receive a box of fresh fruit and vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, and blueberries.  

Use clear, conversational examples. Don’t throw around terms like market-based solutions or underserved communities.  Use words your donors will understand.

Tell a good story

You want to capture your donor’s attention right away and a good way to do that is to open your fundraising appeal or annual report with an engaging story. Here’s an example. 


Gina is a single mother of four working two part-time jobs. She struggles to put food on the table, but thanks to YOU, she and her family can get fresh fruit and vegetables every week.  “I’m so excited,” said Gina.  I usually can’t afford to buy a lot of fresh vegetables.  My kids actually liked the spinach.”

Always write from the heart.  Keep statistics and facts to a minimum.

Remember to include your donors in your stories.  Focus on how they are helping you make a difference, and keep your organization in the background.

A picture is worth a 1000 words

I know is this a cliché, but it’s so true.  You can strengthen your appeal letter and annual report with engaging photos.

Besides your direct mail letter, use photos in your email appeal, donation page, and on social media.  You can use the same picture(s) throughout your campaign for consistency.

Work with program staff

You need to share information about the people or community you serve, and you’ll have to work with your program staff to find accomplishments and stories, as well as getting access to photos.

Respect your colleagues’ time and your clients’ confidentiality.  You can often find clients who are willing to share their stories, and you can always change their names if needed.

Create a story culture

Gathering accomplishments and stories will be less overwhelming if you can do it throughout the year.  Start your staff meetings with a success story or have your program staff give you regular updates, which you can use in your appeal letters, newsletters, annual report, etc.

When you communicate with donors, show them how they are helping you make a difference and tell a good story.

This post contains a number of links to help you tell your stories.

How Are You Telling Your Stories?

Here are a couple more.

Simple Ways to Raise More Money with Storytelling

Your Nonprofit Story: Blockbuster or Dud?

 Photo by woodleywonderworks https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

 

Do You Need to Clean Up and Organize Your Mailing Lists?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, planning

Wow, summer is flying by. It will be September before you know it. Like many nonprofit organizations, you may be doing a big year-end fundraising appeal. If so, you need to start planning for it now.

A good place to start is by cleaning up and organizing your mailing lists (direct mail and email). I know this is boring, but it’s something you need to take seriously.

Add, edit, and delete
Tackle all those address change requests or bounced email addresses that may have accumulated over the last several months.

Also, check for misspelled or incorrect names and addresses. I’m often addressed as Anne instead of Ann.

You won’t make a good impression if you get your donor’s name wrong or there’s a typo in the address. If a donor ever lets you know his or her name is incorrect, apologize and fix it right away.

Your database is a goldmine
A good database can make a big difference in your fundraising. But the best database in the world won’t matter if you haphazardly enter information and don’t keep it current.

Who does your data entry, and how well do they know your donors? You might need to have your development director, executive director, or any board members who interact with donors look over your donor lists to make sure the information is accurate. Tedious, yes, but important.

Add any personal bits of information about your donors to your database. This could include attending an event or meeting with a board member. You’ll need this when you personalize your letters (see below) and add a short handwritten note to each one.

Invest in a good database, as well as an email service provider to make this easier for you.

5 Signs Your Nonprofit Needs to Stop Using Excel and Get a Database!

 
 
Divide and conquer
Segment your mailing lists by current donors, monthly donors, first-time donors, long-term donors, lapsed donors, other supporters (e.g. people who subscribe to your email list but aren’t donors), event attendees, volunteers, etc.

You want to personalize your letters according to donor group. You’re going to have the most luck with current donors, especially if you’ve been showing gratitude and sharing accomplishments throughout the year.

10 Ways to Segment Your Donors to Improve Fundraising Effectiveness

 
Go multi-channel
You’ll have more success in your fundraising campaign if you can communicate with your donors through more than one channel.

When going through your lists, you may discover you have mailing addresses for some donors, but no email addresses or vice versa. Here you need to write or email your donors to get that information. They may not give it to you, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

You can also email your donors to invite them to follow you on social media and post something on social media inviting folks to sign up for your email list.

Personalization makes a difference
You want to get your donors’ names right and make sure there aren’t any typos in their addresses. Also, if you can personalize your appeal letters, you’ll have a better chance of getting a donation.


Of course, this will take time, which is why you should start thinking about it now and not at the end of October.
 
Photo by Luke McGuff  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode