donor engagement

Sharing Donor Stories on Your Nonprofit Website: 4 Tips

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, donor-centered, stories, website, writing , , , , , ,

Donor stories and testimonials help show appreciation for supporters and encourage others to get involved. Use these tips to write better donor stories. 

By Anne Stefanyk 

Donors want to know that their contributions matter to your nonprofit. According to Double the Donation’s donor retention guide, not receiving a proper thank-you is one of the top reasons donors stop giving. One way to effectively thank supporters while encouraging others to get involved is to incorporate donor stories and testimonials into your website. 

Often, nonprofits share donor stories to promote participation in planned and legacy giving programs. However, you can incorporate donor stories on other fundraising pages too, like peer-to-peer fundraising information pages or your ways to support page. You can even create a dedicated donor stories page to highlight a variety of supporters.

With that being said, here are a few tips to create better online donor stories: 

  1. Include rich details
  2. Show impact
  3. Ensure stories are engaging
  4. Include a call to action

Throughout this post, we’ll highlight examples of effective donor stories from the best nonprofit websites, including some best practices used and ways to emulate each example in your content strategy.  

1. Include rich details

Your donor stories should paint a detailed picture of who donors are, how they became involved with your cause, and what motivates them to continue participating. Use the following strategies to infuse your donor stories with informative detail: 

  • Incorporate facts about your donors’ lives. Help website visitors understand your donors on a personal level by including information about their interests and backgrounds in addition to their giving motivations. For instance, you could mention their hobbies, job histories, or family information. This helps potential donors find more in common with your current supporters, generating a stronger sense of community. 
  • Make the stories relatable. Choose a wide array of diverse stories that resonate with different audience segments. For example, The Michael J. Fox Foundation website includes donor stories that cover all types of giving, including supporters who participated in peer-to-peer fundraising, donated through their estates, gave in tribute to their loved ones, and more. 
  • Use donor-focused language. Make sure the text on your donor stories page uses supporter-focused language. For example, the CARE donor stories page includes a “Supporters Like You” title to inspire a sense of belonging to a community. 

When you provide plenty of details and relatable information about your current donors, you’ll make it easier for prospects to envision themselves becoming part of your donor community. For example, if a wealthy prospect feels connected to a donor testimonial because of a shared interest in your volunteer program, they might feel inspired to leave your organization a bequest in their will. 

2. Show impact

Another common reason donors stop supporting nonprofits is because they didn’t receive any information about how their gift was used. Ensure your donor stories include information about the impact of your donors’ gifts to show supporters that your nonprofit uses donations effectively. 

The Santa Clara University “Why We Give”page offers a few helpful examples of ways to show impact. For example, a story about a recent grad details the positive impact of receiving an endowed scholarship. The story includes direct quotes from the grad about how the support allowed her to become the first member of her family to graduate from college. 

Showcase your donors’ impact on your website by including:

  • Direct quotes or audio clips from beneficiaries
  • Statistics, charts, graphs, or maps that demonstrate the extent of your donors’ impact
  • Before and after comparisons via images or videos that visually demonstrate the power of donations

Impact updates give current donors a greater sense of fulfillment from their involvement. Meanwhile, prospective supporters will be able to see how your organization has put past donations to good use, reassuring them that you’ll also make the most of their gift. 

3. Ensure stories are engaging

By making your donor stories interesting and fun to read, you’ll encourage more website visitors to engage with them. This can increase the chances that they’ll connect with your mission and be inspired to give. 

Write interactive and intriguing stories by taking these steps: 

  • Include multimedia elements. Photos, videos, audio clips, infographics, and other multimedia content help break up text blocks and add more visual intrigue to your donor stories. Check out the University of Georgia’s donor recognition stories for some examples. These gratitude stories feature photos, videos of donor interviews, information about donors’ impact, and more. 
  • Naturally incorporate stories throughout your web design. Your donor stories don’t have to be limited to a page of links to testimonials. You can incorporate shorter snippets or features on pages like your online donation page or ways to give page. For example, look at how the Girls Who Code Ways to Support page features a short donor story and image seamlessly incorporated into the page’s layout. 

An example of a donor story on the Girls Who Code website, with a short text description and image

  • Keep your stories fresh and up to date with a regular posting schedule. Maintaining content freshness shows potential supporters that your organization is successful at continually bringing new donors on board. Freshness is also one of many factors that can help your content rank higher on search engines. Create a schedule for your content team to follow that provides deadlines for writing new donor stories, gathering images and other visuals, publishing the stories, and promoting them on social media and other marketing channels. Assign clear task owners to each step of the process to promote accountability. 

Kanopi’s WordPress for Nonprofits guide recommends writing for the web as you develop your content to make your testimonials more readable and accessible to all. Avoid jargon, use simple language, and incorporate more “you” pronouns rather than “I or “our.” Keeping the focus on the reader helps promote donor-centricity, making supporters and constituents the heroes of your stories.  

4. Include a call to action

Your donor stories should end on an inspiring, uplifting note that encourages readers to take action immediately. 

For example, the American Heart Association offers an effective example of useful calls to action (CTAs) for healthcare websites. Their donor stories end with CTAs that help visitors open a charitable giving account or reach out to a local representative with any questions. 

American Heart Association CTAs for opening a charitable giving account or contacting a representative

Welcome new donors with clear CTAs that allow website visitors to take the next step that aligns with their interests and needs. For example, your CTAs could say:

  • Support our scholarship fund today to help other students in need.
  • Leave a positive legacy with a planned gift.
  • Contact a local representative for more information about the impact of your gift.
  • Find the giving opportunity that works for you.

Your CTAs should be specific and welcoming, and they should lead to a user-friendly form or information page where supporters can take the next steps toward becoming donors or getting more involved in your cause. 

After optimizing your donor stories, promote them across multiple channels, including social media, email, and your printed newsletter. This will help reach a wider potential donor audience and ensure as many current donors as possible see your gratitude efforts. 

As Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, Anne Stefanyk helps create clarity around project needs, and turns client conversations into actionable outcomes. She enjoys helping clients identify their problems, and then empowering the Kanopi team to execute great solutions.

Anne is an advocate for open source and co-organizes the Bay Area Drupal Camp. When she’s not contributing to the community or running her thoughtful web agency, she enjoys yoga, meditation, treehouses, dharma, cycling, paddle boarding, kayaking, and hanging with her nephew.

How Your Nonprofit Can Ensure Success in 2024

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, gratitude, monthly donors, planning , , , , , , ,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a nice holiday. My vacation went by way too quickly.

I also hope 2023 was a successful year for your nonprofit organization. If it wasn’t, you can work to make 2024 a better year. As with personal New Year’s resolutions, you want your goals to be realistic and attainable. If you’re a small organization, you may not have much luck pulling off a huge gala.

Here are a few ways to help you ensure a more successful year.

Have a plan in place

You must have fundraising and communications/marketing plans. If you haven’t put together these plans yet, do that now! 

You know from past experience that you may need to make changes to your plans. In 2020, organizations that were able to make changes to a plan already in place were most successful.

Take a look back at 2023 to see what worked and what didn’t in your fundraising and communications/marketing. Incorporate what you’ve learned into your 2024 plans. 

Be sure your fundraising plan includes a diverse stream of revenue. Individual giving has proven to be successful. A lot of small donations can add up! Start or grow your monthly giving program (more on that below). Also, look into major and legacy giving. 

You can apply for grants and hold events, but those sometimes require more effort than it’s worth. Invest in strategies that make sense for your organization.

Revisit your fundraising and communications/marketing plans regularly and make changes as needed. Do this at least every two to three months.

Make sure that donor relations and donor retention are part of your fundraising plan. Those are key to your success.

Pay attention to your donor retention

Many donors have stepped up over the past few years to support nonprofit organizations. You don’t want to lose these valuable donors.

Donor retention should be a priority. You’ll have more success if you work to keep the donors you already have instead of focusing on getting new ones.

First, if you don’t already know it, figure out your retention rate. Do this after every fundraising campaign.

If it’s low, it’s something you can fix, usually with better communication. Donor retention is a huge problem for nonprofits. Your goal should be to have donors who support you for a long time.

It’s easier and less expensive to keep your current donors than to find new ones so once again, make donor retention a priority.

That said, you may have some new donors who saw a need and felt a connection to your cause. Don’t let these donors slip away either.

Go all in on monthly giving 

Speaking of retention, the retention rate for monthly donors is 90%. These donors are dedicated to your nonprofit. 

I’m a huge fan of monthly giving. It’s always made sense, but it’s been especially crucial over the last few years. Organizations that have monthly giving programs receive a steady stream of revenue throughout the year. Donors who opt for monthly giving find it’s easier on their finances. Even gifts of $5.00 or $10.00 a month can make a difference for your organization. Dedicated monthly donors have also stepped up and have given additional donations.

Work on starting or growing your monthly giving program so you can have a bunch of highly committed donors. A good way to start is to invite your current donors to become monthly donors.

Monthly donors are also potential major and legacy donors. Remember the importance of individual giving.

Do a better job of communicating with your donors 

There are many ways to do a better job of communicating with your donors. First, make this the year you say goodbye to boring, generic communication. Stop using jargon, such as at-risk and underserved. Tell more stories and go easy on the statistics. It makes a difference if you can put things in human terms, so you can do a better job of connecting with your donors.

Better communication also means more frequent communication. Donors want to  feel appreciated and know how they are helping you make a difference. Be sure to implement the ask, thank, report, repeat formula. 

You want to segment and personalize your communication, too. Address your donors by name (not Dear Friend) and recognize their past giving or if they’re a monthly donor.

Better, more frequent communication will help you raise more money. Having a communications calendar will help you with this. 

Work on building relationships

You may think the most important component of fundraising is raising money. While that’s important, so is building relationships with your donors. 

It’s hard to raise money year after year if you don’t build a good relationship with your donors. Every single interaction with your donors needs to focus on building relationships. That includes fundraising appeals. It’s possible to raise money and build relationships at the same time. 

Stop thinking of the donations you receive as a transaction and instead think of them as the start or continuation of a relationship. 

Good relationships with your donors will help you with retention.

Create an attitude of gratitude

A big part of building relationships is showing gratitude to your donors. Many nonprofits do a poor job of this. 

You need to start by sending a heartfelt thank you immediately after you receive a donation and then find ways to thank your donors throughout the year. Put together a thank you plan to help you with this.

Start the New Year off by making fundraising and communications/marketing plans, if you haven’t already done so. Prioritize donor retention, monthly giving, showing gratitude, and building relationships with your donors. This will help bring you more success in 2024.

Photo by Marco Verch

The Importance of Creating a Nonprofit Communications Calendar

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, gratitude, planning , , ,

I always like to emphasize the importance of keeping in touch with your donors throughout the year. I hope that’s a priority for you, too.

Your donors want to hear from you and don’t just want to be blasted with fundraising appeals. The good news is that better donor communication (thank yous and updates) can help you raise more money. This is especially important if you’re falling behind in your revenue goals. Remember the ask thank report formula.

Ideally, you should communicate with your donors at least once or twice a month throughout the year. I know that might sound impossible, but it will be a whole lot easier if you put together 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.

Some of you may already have a communications calendar, which is great. Now is a good time to update yours for 2024. For the rest of you, here are some suggestions to help you get started. Even though it will take a little time to put together, it will be worth it in the end because you’ll be able to do a better job of communicating with your donors.

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 you need to share it. You want a consistent stream of information – not three email messages 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 (and I hope you do use direct mail), but send an e-newsletter once a month and communicate by social media several times a week. You’ll often use several different channels when you send 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.

Your communications calendar is a fluid document and these past few years are a good example of how our world is constantly changing. It’s important to keep things current.

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

Updates

Your donors want to hear how they’re helping you make a difference. Your print and e-newsletters should be included in your communications calendar. If you don’t do a newsletter, make a plan to share updates another way – maybe by postcard, email, and/or social media. Sometimes short updates are more effective.

Current events/News stories

At the beginning of 2020, most of us couldn’t predict the year we were about to have. There’s still so much going on, almost too much. Who knows what next year will bring.

Many donors will expect you to address current situations. Keep them apprised of how all this is affecting your clients/community. Sometimes staying silent isn’t the best option.

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’s pertinent to your organization? Perhaps it’s homelessness or mental health awareness month.

Thanksgiving, the holidays, and winter can be a difficult time for some people. How can you weave that into an engaging story to share with your supporters? This may be another hard winter for many people.

Keep in mind your organization’s anniversary doesn’t mean much to your donors unless you can tie that in with how they’re helping you make a difference. You could, however, reach out to your donors on the anniversary of their giving.

Fundraising and recruitment

Be sure to add your fundraising campaigns to your communications calendar. You’ll want to have a separate fundraising calendar, too. Of course, your campaigns are important, but you also want to show gratitude and send updates during this time without inundating your donors with too many messages. Planning ahead will help you strike this balance.

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

Thank your donors

Make this a priority! Find different ways to let your donors know how much you appreciate them. You can combine a thank you with an update. Do this at least once a month. Create a separate set of thank yous for your monthly donors, too.

Events

Perhaps your organization holds events, either in-person, hybrid, or virtual. Besides your events, are there other events in your community that would be of interest to your supporters? If so, you could share that on social media.

Ongoing content

If you’re making a difference, you have stories to tell. Share a story at least once a month. Client stories (either in the first or third person) are best. Your stories need to be relevant to the ever-evolving current situations, so you may need to create some new ones.

You could also profile a board member, volunteer, donor, or staff member. Be sure to highlight what drew them to your organization.

Put together a story bank to help you with this.

Don’t stop communicating with your donors

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

Here’s more information to help you create a communications/editorial calendar. A couple of these links also include templates.

Nonprofit Editorial Calendars

Get your nonprofit organized with an editorial calendar

How to create and use a nonprofit editorial calendar

3 Tips for Marketing Your Organization on a Limited Budget

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, email, marketing, newsletter, social media, website , , , , , ,

Marketing your organization on a budget is easy when you know the right strategies and tools to use. Explore these top tips to step up your marketing strategy. 

By Melissa Mendez

Picture this: your organization is about to host another fundraising event. You’ve assembled a fundraising team, booked a venue, and put together the perfect program agenda. Once it comes time to get the word out about your event, you quickly realize you don’t have that much money left in your budget to create promotional materials and decide to deprioritize marketing. However, this results in low attendance numbers, causing you to miss the mark on your fundraising goal. 

If this sounds like a situation your organization has been in before, you need to update your approach to marketing. Even if you’re strapped for cash, there are a variety of ways to get the word out about your events, campaigns, and current initiatives without spending a single dollar! 

In this article, we’ll go over three money-saving tips that you can use to market your organization and get the support you need: 

  • Keep your website content fresh
  • Generate quality social media content
  • Create compelling email newsletters 

Whether you’re a dance studio hoping to promote your donation form for your year-end campaign or a nonprofit that wants to market its monthly giving program, the right marketing strategies and tools can help. Let’s dig into the essentials.

Keep your website content fresh

Your website is a rich information hub that acts as the focal point of your digital presence, but are you harnessing its full potential? By updating your website regularly and using it to spotlight your upcoming events, campaigns, projects, and more, you can successfully expand your reach and bring in new audiences for your organization. 

Leverage these cost-effective strategies to shape your website into a powerful marketing tool: 

  • Create event and campaign landing pages: Dedicated landing pages can help you dive deep into the details of your upcoming events and spotlight why it’s worth your audience’s time to register, donate, or take another relevant action. Cover all the logistical details, including the date and time of your event or campaign, its purpose, and how to get involved. Be sure to embed your registration or donation form directly into your landing page to help drive conversions and streamline your users’ actions. 
  • Share testimonials: Testimonials can provide great social proof that drives prospective audience members to support your organization. Create a testimonials page that features varied quotes from community members explaining why they support your organization or are eager to receive your services. For example, a dance studio might collect testimonials from students, parents, and alumni to show the value in signing up for classes. Similarly, nonprofits can feature testimonials from beneficiaries, explaining how your organization has made a difference in their lives. 
  • Generate blog content: Consistent blog content can keep community members tapped into your organization and eager to sign up for your upcoming events. Write content regularly, such as posting every other week to communicate important updates about your organization. To help offload the burden of creating content, you can also ask your beneficiaries, volunteers, donors, or loyal customers to create content reflecting on their experiences. 

As you refresh your website and create new content, make sure to widely promote these links to your audience. For example, if you recently created an event landing page to spotlight your upcoming peer-to-peer fundraising event, you could summarize the purpose of this event in your email newsletter and include a link to your landing page for people to learn more and register. 

Keep in mind that taking a multichannel approach, such as sharing links on social media or through QR codes in your direct mail, can help you direct multiple audiences to your website and keep your organization at top of mind. 

You might also leverage a dedicated communication app so you can more easily reach your target audience and ensure you have their support for your upcoming project. There are many cost-effective marketing platforms available that have built-in communication tools, so do your research to find the best solution for your organization. While investing in a marketing solution might seem like a big expense upfront, you’ll be able to derive a high ROI from it year over year, ensuring your organization can make back its investment and more. 

Generate quality social media content

With audiences spending more time on social media than ever before, regularly posting social media content is an easy money-saving strategy to ensure your content gets in front of your target audience. However, spamming content about your upcoming event or campaign can have the opposite effect, turning prospective audiences away from your organization and decreasing your engagement levels. 

Instead, construct a quality and intentional social media strategy that is tailored to your audience and supports your marketing goals. Use these tips to get started: 

  • Share a variety of visuals: Posting the same type of content over and over can quickly bore your audience. Generate a variety of visuals, such as photos from your latest event or infographics that highlight your organization’s impact, to grab your followers’ attention. You could also tap into the power of video, which can help you convey important information in an easily digestible format. Double the Donation’s guide to fundraising videos recommends keeping your video short and sweet and ending in a firm call to action so audiences know how to get involved. 
  • Use catchy hashtags to expand your reach: Hashtags can open up your community to new audiences and boost brand visibility. For example, if you’re a dance studio hosting a dance-a-thon, you might use the hashtag #DancingForACause or #DancingForDollars to create interest. You can also feature your dance studio name or city in your hashtag to draw local audiences to your event, such as #YourCityDanceAThon or #YourStudioNameDanceAThon. When participants post about your event, encourage them to pair it with your dedicated hashtag. 
  • Consider hosting social media contests: A social media contest is a great way to rally your whole community around your organization while growing your reach. You might ask supporters or customers to post videos about why they support your organization, and then award the audience member with the greatest number of likes or comments with a prize. Pair a hashtag with your contest and ask audiences to tag your account in their post so people in their personal networks can learn more about your organization. 

As you share content on social media, track metrics, like impressions and likes, to assess your performance. You may have to make adjustments to your content to better appeal to your audiences and drive greater engagement levels. 

Create compelling email newsletters

Your email newsletter is the perfect place to remind people of your upcoming activities and include links to your website and social media accounts. To strengthen your email newsletters and maximize their value, use these best practices: 

  • Include an eye-catching subject line: Your audience receives anywhere from tens to hundreds of emails a day. To stand out from the crowd you’ll need to create a brief, yet compelling subject line that piques your subscribers’ interests. For example, a subject line like “Don’t Miss Out On Our Annual Halloween Fundraiser!” or “Register Tonight for the Event Of the Season!” summarizes the central purpose of the newsletter while drawing the reader in so they feel motivated to open your email. 
  • Break up your content with visuals: Make your email newsletters even more engaging by adding a variety of visuals, like photos, videos, and graphics. Ensure these elements are reasonably sized to create a positive user experience and avoid using too many visuals so your audience isn’t overwhelmed. 
  • Use clear calls to action: Firm calls to action direct your audience to their next step so they can easily complete it. Create call-to-action buttons that stand out from the rest of your newsletter content and ensure they are hyperlinked to the relevant resource, like your donation page or event registration form. You’ll also want to use succinct, clear language that creates a sense of immediacy. For instance, a call to action like “Donate by midnight to get your gifts matched!” gets to the point quickly while using time-bound language to spur action. 

DanceStudio-Pro’s guide to dance studio marketing also recommends using email to show appreciation to your audience. Once your supporters complete a target action like donating or registering for an event, automate a thank-you email conveying your gratitude for their continued support. This practice will help you develop strong relationships with your audience that will benefit your organization for years. 

Wrapping Up

Marketing your organization doesn’t have to cost your team an arm and a leg when you have the right tools and strategies! Assess your existing toolkit and make adjustments to your marketing plan as needed to optimize your promotional strategies. Keep in mind that adding an all-in-one marketing platform to your tech stack can streamline your approach and help you save money in the long run. 

Melissa Mendez is the Operations Manager at Studio Pro, where she leads the Support, Customer Success, and Professional Services teams. Since 2019, Melissa has helped thousands of dance, cheer, gymnastics, and performing arts studio owners streamline enrollment, recital and showcase planning, ticketing, and accounting automation. She and her team deliver personalized onboarding, expert training, and ongoing support to make running a studio smoother and more sustainable.

A lifelong dancer who started at age three, Melissa built a successful mobile dance company that expanded to four locations across multiple states. Now based in San Antonio, Texas, she brings firsthand studio experience and operational expertise to every interaction—empowering studio owners to grow their businesses, strengthen their communities, and focus on what they love most: their students.

Welcome Your New Donors With Open Arms

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, planning , , , , ,

Year-end fundraising is underway. I hope your campaign is going well so far. Perhaps you also participated in Giving Tuesday. The latter often brings in new donors and that’s never something you want to take for granted. 

These donors saw a need and found a connection to your cause. Or maybe they were drawn into whatever Giving Tuesday promotion you initiated, but I like to think they wanted to help you make a difference. 

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely these donors will stick with you. The retention rate for first-time donors is around 20%. We can and have to do better.

This is why it’s so important to get a second donation, also known as a golden donation. Once you get that golden donation, you’re more likely to have long-time donors who will stick with you. One way to ensure this is to make your new donors feel welcome.

Start with a special thank you

According to fundraising expert, Dr. Adrian Sargeant, “The thank you is the single most important piece of communication that your donors get. They have a higher recall of it than the appeal that generated the gift.”

Keep that in mind, especially for your new donors.

If someone donates online, it’s hard to tailor the thank you email specifically to new donors. But you can do that with a phone call, handwritten note, or thank you letter.

Try to call your new donors or send a handwritten note. This will make a great impression on them. Get together a group of board members, other volunteers, and staff to help you. If that’s not possible, create a thank you letter specifically for your new donors.

*Make sure these are actually new donors. A good CRM/database will help you avoid any missteps.*

Create a welcome plan

A week or two after the initial thank you, send a welcome package. You can do this by mail, email, or a combination of both. Try to send at least one welcome message by mail. Mail is always more personal and your donors will be more likely to see it.

Welcome your new donors. Thank them again and show them other ways they can connect with you. Invite them to subscribe to your newsletter, join you on social media, and volunteer.

Your welcome package should include a warm introductory message and a few facts about your organization, but don’t brag too much. Keep it donor-centered and be personable. You could also direct people to your website for more information about your organization.

Be careful about how much information you send. Donors want to feel welcome, not overwhelmed.

I don’t recommend sending unsolicited swag. Personally, I don’t like it, but some donors might. You could offer your new donors a gift and they can let you know if they want to receive it, but it’s not necessary. What donors really want from you is to know how they’re helping you make a difference.

Create a series of messages, also known as a drip campaign. Set a timeline. The first sequence of messages can be sent about once a week. After that, you should continue to communicate regularly (at least once a month) and follow the ask, thank, update formula. In a few months, you could invite your new donors to give monthly. Monthly donors are committed donors.

Welcome emails have high open rates. Impress your new donors right away, so they’ll be more likely to donate again.

Who are your new donors?

They could be event attendees, volunteers, or newsletter subscribers. If you know, refer to that in your thank you note, letter, or phone call. If not, send a short survey with your welcome package and ask, “How did you hear about us?” or “What drew you to our organization?” 

Another question to ask is whether your donors prefer print or electronic communication. Short surveys are also a good way to connect throughout the year. The more you know about your donors the easier it will be to communicate with them.

Make your current donors feel special, too

While I’ve been focusing on new donors in this post, retention rates for current donors aren’t anything to celebrate. The overall donor retention rate is around 45%, so we have some work to do.

Remember the golden donation, but don’t stop there. You want a third (would that be platinum?) and a fourth, etc. donation.  

If you’re not acknowledging a donor’s past support, you’re making a huge mistake. Imagine how you would feel if you gave to an organization for over five years and they never thank you for your long-time support.  

These valuable, long-time donors could leave at any time, so ignore them at your own peril. Make sure they also get a special thank you from you.

Keep it up throughout the year

It’s so important to communicate with your donors regularly. Plan on special mailings or emails specifically targeted to new donors. Remember to try to send something by mail if you can. 

Think of other ways to do something special for your new donors too, such as an open house or a tour of your facility, either in person or virtual.

Of course, don’t ignore your other donors. You could do something special when you get that all-important second gift. Keep reaching out – at least once or twice a month. 

Show appreciation and share updates. A huge factor in donor retention is a good donor relations plan that you’ll carry out regularly as long as your donors support you, which hopefully will be for many years.

Do Your Giving Tuesday Messages Look Like Spam?

Ann Green donor engagement, donor relations, donor retention, email, fundraising, planning , , , , ,

What’s the difference between messages you get for Cyber Monday, Black Friday, political candidates, and Giving Tuesday? Unfortunately, it seems like not a whole lot, and many of them look like spam.

According to the Giving Tuesday website, “Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity.” In theory, that sounds nice, but in reality, it’s a day when nonprofit organizations unleash an onslaught of transactional fundraising appeals by email and social media.

Starting in 2012, Giving Tuesday has taken place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year it will be on November 28.

I’m not going to tell you whether or not you should participate in Giving Tuesday. Perhaps you’ve participated in the past and it’s been successful (one way to measure if it was successful is if those donors give again), or maybe it wasn’t. Perhaps you’re planning to participate for the first time. Maybe you’re on the fence. 

Whether you participate or not, Giving Tuesday is part of the nonprofit landscape and if you’re doing a year-end appeal, you’ll need to factor it into your campaign. If you do participate, you want to make it a better experience for your donors instead of the usual barrage of generic, transactional appeals. And, you don’t want your messages to resemble spam.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as Giving Tuesday approaches.

Just because it’s Giving Tuesday isn’t a compelling reason to give

I see so many email messages that say donate because it’s Giving Tuesday. Many donors don’t care if it’s Giving Tuesday or if it’s your “annual appeal.” That’s often not why they donate. They give because they care about your cause and want to help make a difference. 

Let them know that with their help, Kara doesn’t have to go to bed hungry or Daniel can boost his reading skills.

People and communities are still struggling. You need to acknowledge this in your appeals.

It’s not just about the money

A successful Giving Tuesday campaign is about more than just raising a lot of money. You also want to build relationships and make your donors feel good about supporting your organization. This is where it often falls short.

I’m not a huge fan of Giving Tuesday or any giving days, for that matter, because they focus too much on getting donations. Many of these donors are first-time donors who don’t give again. The end result is you’ve just spent a lot of time and effort on getting one-time gifts. That’s not what you want. You need donors who will support you for many years.

Make it personal and segment your donors

Don’t just blast a bunch of generic, transactional appeals that resemble Cyber Monday ads or those relentless requests for political donations. I receive so many political emails, which are just “noise” that I end up ignoring. You don’t want that. You want to attract your donors’ attention in a good way. A more relationship-oriented subject line can help.

You also don’t want to send all your donors the same appeal. If someone donated last year on GivingTuesday, this is the perfect opportunity to thank them for that gift and ask them to donate again this year. If they donated two weeks ago, maybe they shouldn’t get an appeal right now.

Segment your donors. Acknowledge past donors and make a connection with potential donors. 

Focus on building relationships with your donors instead of just begging for donations.

Also, if you’re sending an appeal to your monthly donors, recognize them as monthly donors and ask them to give an additional gift (many of them will). They get their own thank you, too. Monthly donors are one of your most loyal types of donors. Be sure to make them feel special.

If you’re one of the few organizations that sends more personalized appeals, then kudos to you because that’s what everyone needs to do.

Use Giving Tuesday as a way to follow up with your donors

If you don’t want to launch a full Giving Tuesday campaign (understandable), it can be a great opportunity to follow up with people who haven’t donated to your year-end appeal. You should be sending regular reminders, anyway.

Send email and social media messages before and on Giving Tuesday encouraging people to donate. You can use the Giving Tuesday logos, etc. if you’d like. Obviously, you’ll want to keep following up with anyone who didn’t donate on Giving Tuesday.

Remember, your donors will be barraged with email and social media messages on Giving Tuesday. Make yours stand out and be prepared to keep following up.

Put gratitude front and center

Your donors should be feeling the love right after they make their donation.

Make sure you have an engaging thank you landing page and thank you email for your online donors. You could even create ones especially for Giving Tuesday. Then you need to follow that with a phone call, handwritten note, or thank you letter.

Send welcome packages to new donors or welcome back messages to current donors. 

Go the extra mile and do a good job of thanking these donors – both right after they’ve made their donation and throughout the year.

We’re going to skip Giving Tuesday 

Maybe you’ll decide you’re going to skip Giving Tuesday altogether. If that’s the case, you may want to hold off on sending email on Giving Tuesday, as well as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Remember, other organizations will be participating and any messages you send will be competing with the onslaught of Giving Tuesday appeals. 

Before and after Giving Tuesday, use this opportunity to stand out by keeping your fundraising campaign focused on gratitude and relationship building. Year-end is a good time to ramp up your donor communication (examples include thank you messages, holiday greetings, and updates) so people don’t think you’re only asking them for money.

Give back to your donors

I think you’ll find your Giving Tuesday campaign, or any fundraising campaign, will be more successful if you focus on more than just the giving part. And a big part of a successful campaign is getting repeat donations. This means giving back to your donors, as well.

Always focus on relationships, not the transaction, and make sure your messages don’t look like spam.

Show Some Appreciation to Your Donors During the Gratitude Season

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, gratitude, planning, thank you letters , , , , ,

Year-end fundraising coincides with the gratitude season, which includes Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the December holidays. This is appropriate since thanking your donors is part of the fundraising equation, even though many nonprofits don’t seem to realize this.

Now is a great opportunity to show some gratitude to your donors. You could hold a thankathon, especially if you haven’t launched your appeal yet. Traditionally, thankathons are done by phone, but you can use other channels, too.

You may be laser-focused on your year-end campaign and think you’re too busy to spend much time thanking your donors, but that’s precisely why you need to get on the thank you train. Showing some appreciation to your donors right now can help you raise more money for your year-end appeal.

You’re never too busy to thank your donors. Besides, don’t they deserve some special attention?

Showing gratitude doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should, but you need to spend just as much time thanking your donors and building relationships as you do on fundraising.

Here are a few ways to incorporate gratitude into your year-end fundraising campaign.

Say thank you in your appeal

Does your appeal thank donors for their past or potential gifts? It should. Remember, you need to be showing gratitude while you’re trying to raise money.

This is especially important around GivingTuesday and I’ll write more about that in my next post.

Wish your donors a Happy Thanksgiving

One way to show gratitude right now is to send your donors a special Thanksgiving message. A lot of nonprofits already do this. If you’re not one of them, make this the year you start. If you can send a card or postcard, that’s great, but an email message is also fine. If you use email, be sure to address the donor by name to make it more personal and send it the day before when they’ll be more likely to see it.

In a recent post about running a multichannel campaign, I suggested skipping the reminder during Thanksgiving week and pour on the gratitude instead. 

We’re still living in a time of uncertainty and your donors will appreciate a heartfelt message from you. Let them know how grateful you are to have them as part of your donor family. 

Don’t stop with Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn’t the only time to show some appreciation. The holidays and New Year’s are coming up soon (sooner than you think) and that’s a good opportunity, especially for those of you outside the U.S., to express gratitude. But you don’t need a holiday or other special occasion. Just thank your donors and do it often. 

Whatever you decide, DO NOT include a donation envelope or any other type of ask with your thank you message. This is known as a thask and it’s guaranteed to deflate your donor’s good feelings in an instant.

Be ready to thank your donors as soon as you receive a donation

Every single donor, no matter how much they’ve given or whether they donated online, gets a thank you card/letter mailed to them or receives a phone call.

Planning ahead will help you thank your donors as soon as possible. I’m sure you’re spending a lot of time and effort getting your fundraising appeal out. Perhaps you’ve recruited other staff or volunteers to help you.

You need to do the same thing when you thank your donors. Get your board, other staff, and volunteers to help make phone calls, write thank you notes, or include a handwritten note on a thank you letter. This is another opportunity for a thankathon.

Make thanking your donors a priority

Your donors deserve more than just the same boring, generic thank you letter. The initial thank you right after you receive a donation is important. So is the next one and the one after that and the one after that….

Thanking your donors is not something you just do after you receive a donation. You want to thank your donors at least once a month. Here are some ways you can show gratitude throughout the year.

  • Send a handwritten note.
  • Create a thank you video and share it on your website, by email, and on social media. Better yet, personalize it.
  • Send welcome packages to your new donors.
  • Invite your donors to connect with you via email and social media. Keep them updated on your success and challenges. Making all your communications donor-centered will help convey an attitude of gratitude.
  • Thank your donors in your newsletters and other updates. Emphasize that you wouldn’t be able to do the work you do without their support.
  • Hold an open house or offer tours. You can also create a virtual tour or other engaging video content to let your donors see your nonprofit up close and personal.
  • Thank your donors just because they’re great.
  • Keep thinking of other ways to thank your donors.

Create a thank you plan to help you with this.

Always choose kindness 

The world could use some more kindness right now. There’s so much going on and the divisiveness doesn’t help. As long as you’re sincere, I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too nice.

In the spirit of kindness, show some gratitude to your donors and make them feel special.

Why You Need to Segment Your Donors

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, database, donor engagement, donor retention, fundraising, thank you letters , , , , ,

I’ve been emphasizing the importance of personalizing your communication lately. One way to do that is to segment your donors.

Your donors are not the same. Some donors have given for at least five years (these donors should get a lot of attention). Some are monthly donors. Yet, nonprofit organizations fail to recognize that and send everyone the same messages. 

I often receive generic, one-size-fits-all communication from organizations that don’t acknowledge I’m a longtime donor or recognize that I’m a monthly donor. How do you think that makes me feel?

Another benefit of segmenting your donors is it can help you raise more money. If you’ve been struggling to meet your revenue goals, that may be why.

Unfortunately, if you’re not segmenting your donors into different groups, you’re missing opportunities here –  both to connect with your donors and to raise additional revenue. 

Isn’t it time for you to start segmenting your donors? If you’re already segmenting your donors, kudos to you!

You may be worried about how much time this will take. Plus, you don’t think your current CRM/database can handle it and it will cost too much to get a better one. 

In reality, it may cost you more not to segment. A good CRM/database is worth the investment. Segmenting your donors will help you with retention, which costs less than trying to find new donors. 

Your appeals and thank you letters will stand out if you can personalize them and not send everyone the same generic letter. You don’t need to create a 100 different types of letters, though. Four or five should be sufficient. 

Here are a few different types of donor groups to help get you started. Remember, investing in a good CRM/database will help you with this.

Current single gift donors

An appeal letter to current single gift donors (Monthly donors get their own appeal. More on that below.) must acknowledge their past support. You can segment donors by gift amount and use this opportunity to ask for an upgrade. Many organizations don’t do this, but it’s a good way to increase your revenue.

Your donors will be more receptive to upgrading their gifts if you’ve been doing a good job of thanking them and staying in touch throughout the year.

If these donors give again, they should get a handwritten note, phone call, or letter letting them know how much you appreciate their continued support. If they’ve upgraded their gift, be sure to acknowledge that, too. 

Potential/new single gift donors

If you’re sending an appeal to someone who’s never donated to your nonprofit before, what is your connection to them? Are they volunteers, event attendees, or people on a list you purchased?

The more you can establish a connection, the better chance you have of getting a donation.

The retention rate for first-time donors is terrible. One of the reasons is poor communication. You can help boost your retention rate by making your new donors feel special.

New donors should get a handwritten note, phone call, or letter welcoming them as donors. Invite them to connect with you in other ways such as signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, and volunteering.

Then a week or so later, send them a welcome package by mail or email. Personalization is essential for new donors.

One of the biggest hurdles nonprofits face is ensuring first-time donors give a second time. If they keep giving after that, they’re showing their commitment to your organization. That’s why the second gift is called a golden donation. Don’t blow it by ignoring this.

New monthly donors

Brand new donors who opt for monthly or other recurring donations get the same special thank you treatment mentioned above. Welcome them to your family of monthly donors. 

Current monthly donors

Your current monthly donors must get their own appeal that recognizes them as monthly donors. In this appeal, you can either ask them to upgrade their gift or give an additional gift. 

When your donors give an additional gift or upgrade their monthly gift, they, of course, get an amazing thank you.

Current donors who become monthly donors

Your current donors who decide to become monthly donors are also showing their commitment to you. They get a handwritten note, phone call, or letter thanking them for their continued support and for joining your family of monthly donors. From now on they should get specialized appeals and other communication targeted to monthly donors. 

Segment as much as you can

While I’ve suggested a few ways you can segment, there are many more options. You can segment by gift amount and number of years someone has been a donor. You can segment volunteers, event attendees, and non-donors. You can also use segmentation in other types of communication, such as creating a special newsletter for monthly donors (or at the very least including a cover letter for monthly donors with your newsletter) and sending handwritten notes to people on their donor anniversary.

Segmenting your donors makes a difference

We continue to face an uncertain economy. It’s possible some donors may cut back on their giving. Don’t let them choose between organizations that communicate throughout the year with engaging personalized appeals, thank yous, and updates or organizations that just send generic, one-size-fits-all communication. People always appreciate a personal connection.

Spending some extra time segmenting your donors and personalizing your communication will be worth it if you can raise additional revenue and boost your retention rate.

Do a Stellar Job of Thanking Your Donors

Ann Green direct mail, donor engagement, donor relations, donor-centered, gratitude, planning, thank you letters, writing , , , ,

Year-end fundraising season is underway. You may have started working on your appeal, which is great. But don’t stop there. It’s just as important, if not more important, to plan how you’ll thank your donors. 

I highly recommend creating a thank you plan, which will help you show gratitude before, during, and after a campaign. 

Your donors deserve a stellar thank you. The problem is most thank yous don’t come anywhere close to being stellar. Many organizations treat thanking their donors as an afterthought and it shows. You can’t do that. It will hurt your chances of getting future donations.

There are many ways to thank your donors after an appeal – by mail, phone, email, on your website, or a combination of those. The more you can do, the better.

Thanking your donors is something you need to do well. Don’t shortchange your donors with a half-hearted, generic thank you.

Do a stellar job of thanking your donors. Make it a priority. Here are a few ways to do this. 

Start planning now

Don’t wait until the day after your appeal goes out. Give yourself plenty of time to plan. Write your thank you letter at the same time you write your appeal. 

Figure out what you’ll be able to do. I highly recommend a handwritten note or phone call. Can you do that for all your donors? If not, maybe you’ll break it down by new donors, long-time donors, or donors who have given a certain amount.

It’s important to thank your donors as soon as possible. I understand that handwritten notes and phone calls take more time, especially during the busy year-end season. If that’s the case, you can and should do those at other times of the year instead.  At the very least, your donors should get a letter, even if they’ve donated online. Thank you emails tend to resemble receipts, but we can change that. Whatever you decide, remember to get started on the content now. 

In the past, the standard was to send thank you letters within 48 hours. If that’s too hard, don’t wait much longer than a week. Make sure you’re ready to go when the donations come in. 

Make your donor’s day with a handwritten thank you note

I love it when a nonprofit sends a handwritten thank you note. This is a rare occurrence, so if you do it, your thank you note will stand out in your donor’s mailbox.

Handwritten notes are great in many ways, but one advantage is you don’t have to write that much. In fact, you can do one in just a few minutes.

You could make thank you cards with an engaging photo or buy some nice thank you cards. Get together a team of board members, staff, and volunteers right after your appeal goes out to help you with this.

Think about how much your donors will appreciate this nice gesture. Here’s a sample note.

Dear Cara,

Thank you so much for upgrading your gift to $75. We’re still seeing more people coming into the Eastside Community Food Pantry. It’s difficult for many families in the community to afford groceries. Your generous gift will help a lot. We’re so happy you’ve been a donor these past five years.

Phone calls are another personal way to show appreciation

Calling first-time donors is known to improve retention rates. But you could also call long-time donors to make them feel special.

Again, you want to get a team together to help. This is a great thing for your board to do. Here’s a sample phone script.

Hi David, this is Tracy Clark and I’m a board member at the Eastside Community Food Pantry. Thank you so much for your generous donation of $50 and welcome to our donor family. Your gift will help feed more local families right now. Many of them are struggling since grocery prices are so expensive.

Write that stellar thank you letter

If it’s impossible to send handwritten notes or make phone calls, you can still impress your donors with a stellar thank you letter. As I mentioned before, many thank you letters aren’t stellar at all and are mediocre at best. You’ll have an advantage if you take some time to create a great, donor-centered letter.

The purpose of a thank you letter is to thank your donors. Keep that in mind at all times.  

Don’t start your letter with On behalf of X organization…. If you’re sending it on your letterhead, it should be obvious it’s coming from your organization. Instead, start your letter with – Thank you, You’re amazing, or You did something great today!

You also don’t need to explain what your organization does. This often comes across as bragging by saying something like – As you know, X organization has been doing great work in the community for 20 years…. Someone who’s donated to your organization should already be familiar with what you do. 

And, don’t ask for another gift in your thank you letter. You did that in your appeal letter. You can ask again another time. Always keep gratitude front and center.

Write separate thank you letters for different types of donors. Welcome new donors and welcome back your current donors. Monthly donors should also get special recognition.

Your thank you letter needs to make your donors feel good about giving to your organization. Let them know how their gift is helping you make a difference. Include a brief story or example, such as the sample handwritten note or phone script I included above.

As with all writing, make your letter personal and conversational. Write to the donor using you much more than we and leave out jargon and any other language your donors won’t understand. Also, you must address your donors by name – not Dear Friend. Personalization is crucial when thanking your donors.

I’ve been emphasizing the importance of envelopes lately. Don’t use a boring, white #10 envelope. Make your letter stand out by using a colored or textured envelope. You could include a teaser that says Thank You and use a nice stamp (You can buy thank you stamps). Hand address the envelopes if you can and include a handwritten note inside that will help make it more personal. You could also include an engaging photo in the letter.

Yes, you do need to include the tax-deductible information, but do that at the end, after you impress your donors with your letter, or include it on a separate page. It’s easiest to include this with your thank you letter or email. Then you don’t have to send it again unless your donor requests it.

Create a more personal online thank you

The thank you plan I reference above gives you advice on how to create better thank you landing pages and email acknowledgments. These often come across as transactional. You need to think of the donations you receive as the start or continuation of a relationship, not a transaction.

Remember, even though your online donors will get an electronic acknowledgment, they should still get thanked by mail or phone. I like to think of the landing page, email, and what comes in the mail or by phone as the thank you journey. Don’t forget this is an ongoing journey.

We may be looking at another tough fundraising season. One thing that can help is to do a stellar job of thanking your donors, both now and throughout the year.

Image by Graham Irwin

Lights, Camera, Action! 5 Tips to Engage Donors with Video

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor retention, stories, video , , , ,

The right video has the power to spark an emotional connection between your nonprofit and its donors. Learn how to engage donors through video in this guide. 

By Doug Scott

Imagine a donor is searching online for charitable causes to support. With a desire to make a difference, they scroll through various nonprofit websites, reading about their missions and impact. Suddenly, something catches their eye. It’s a compelling and emotionally charged video showcasing your nonprofit’s work. Impressed by the video, they immediately sign up for your mailing list and follow you on social media.

Video has the unparalleled ability to grab people’s attention. By combining visuals, music, and storytelling techniques into one unique package, nonprofits can resonate with donors in a way that’s difficult to achieve through other mediums.

In this guide, we’ll explore five ways you can use video to engage, inspire, and leave a lasting impact on the hearts and minds of donors.

1. Film for each stage of the donor journey

The donor journey refers to the process by which individuals progress from being unaware of your nonprofit to becoming engaged and committed donors. When you know which stage of the donor journey an individual is at, you can more effectively appeal to their interests and solicit their support.

For each stage of the donor journey, you can create engaging videos:

  • Awareness stage: At this stage, donors are learning about your organization for the first time. Create compelling “Who We Are” videos that introduce them to your mission, values, and impact. 
  • Consideration stage: Here, donors are evaluating whether or not they have a connection to your cause. Produce educational videos that explain how your programs address specific issues and share success stories of those you’ve helped, emphasizing positive outcomes. 
  • Decision stage: As donors prepare to give, they need assurance that their support will make a real impact. Create testimonial videos featuring past donors that reinforce their decision to give. Have them share their experiences and the impact they have witnessed. 
  • Retention Stage: After donating, donors want to stay engaged and see the impact of their gift. Update them through video, demonstrating the progress you have made and thank donors for their contributions. Highlight upcoming projects and events to encourage ongoing involvement.

Track engagement at each of these stages to gain insight into the content that resonates with donors and adjust your communication strategies accordingly. 

2. Create a compelling story

Whether you’re creating content for donors in the awareness or retention stage, it’s important to use storytelling techniques to create an emotional connection with donors and transport them to the heart of your mission. To tell a compelling video story, follow these steps:

  1. Set the scene. Decide where your video will take place, whether that’s behind the scenes of your facility, through the communities you serve, or in front of a plain backdrop. 
  2. Showcase character development. Introduce relatable characters, such as beneficiaries, volunteers, staff members, or other donors. Share their personal challenges, aspirations, and journeys. Through their experiences, viewers can emotionally connect to the cause and the impact your organization makes.
  3. Highlight conflict and resolution. Present the challenge that your beneficiaries face. Then, showcase how your organization’s efforts and your donors’ support lead to resolution and positive change. 

Let’s explore how these elements can be translated into a campaign video. Opening with a close-up of volunteer Sarah’s passionate smile, the scene expands to show her engaging with beneficiaries at a community center. As Sarah narrates the food insecurity challenges faced by her community, she shares the transformative story of a young girl who receives free, nutritious meals due in part to the donations of generous viewers.

3. Keep it short and sweet. 

Attention spans are declining, so keep your videos short and sweet. According to Tectonic Video, the ideal length of a nonprofit video is around two to three minutes, meaning you have a small window of opportunity to grab people’s attention and get them invested in your cause. 

Write a script in advance to outline key points and ensure that the video stays focused. Make sure to read the script out loud and time it before filming to verify it’s the right length. Then, after filming, use editing tools to remove any redundant or repetitive information.

If you have more information to share, create a series of videos related to the same topic and stagger their release over a longer period of time. This will help you maintain a steady stream of engagement.

4. Include a call to action

Add a call to action to the final scene of your video to provide clear and immediate next steps for donors feeling inspired by the content. Encourage them to take specific actions, such as visiting your website to explore involvement opportunities, following you on social media for updates, or sharing the video to spread awareness. 

This can be accomplished through narration, on-screen text, and buttons. For instance, the narrator could say, “Join us in our mission to provide clean drinking water to communities in need.” Then, on-screen text could appear that says, “Visit our website to contribute to the construction and maintenance of water infrastructure,” pointing viewers to a large donation button. 

5. Share it widely 

Once you have created a compelling video, publish it on Vimeo or YouTube. Then, Double the Donation recommends sharing the content across several channels, which may include:

  • Direct mail: Include a QR code or a short URL in your direct mail materials that recipients can scan or type to access the video online. Use a compelling image from the video on the mailer to pique interest. 
  • Email: Embed the video directly in targeted email campaigns or your email newsletter for easy viewing. Craft a captivating subject line that hints at the video’s content. Then, use a short, attention-grabbing preview image that encourages recipients to click and watch. 
  • Social media: Customize the video for each platform’s specifications. For instance, videos must be vertical for Instagram Stories and square for Facebook. Write engaging captions that highlight the purpose of the video and use relevant hashtags to increase visibility. 
  • Website: Embed the video prominently on your website’s homepage and relevant landing pages, such as your donation page. For optimal performance, compress videos to reduce load time and use responsive video players that adapt to different screen sizes.

With multiple touchpoints, you can reach people on their preferred platforms and grab the attention of as many donors as possible. In turn, you’ll see higher engagement rates.

Now that you know how to engage donors with video, it’s time to create content! If you want to ensure the highest level of quality and engagement, partner with a nonprofit video production company. Their teams of experts will work alongside your nonprofit to get to know your mission, target audience, and goals, before translating these insights into a compelling video concept. Together, you can harness the power of video to leave a lasting impact on donors, one frame at a time.

Doug Scott is the Founder & CEO of Tectonic Video. He has more than 20 years of nonprofit communications experience as a filmmaker, communications director, chief marketing officer, and leader of two creative agencies for nonprofits. Doug is a global citizen having traveled to more than 50 countries. He earned his B.A. in Strategic Communications from DePaul University, and he’s a frequent guest lecturer at Stanford University on topics related to nonprofit storytelling and storytelling ethics.