donor relations

Resolutions Revisited

Ann Green donor relations, fundraising, marketing
We are already halfway through the year (hard to believe isn’t it?). Remember back at the beginning of the year when you made resolutions (or plans) for your nonprofit organization?Resolutions Nonprofits Need to Make

You may have long since given up on your personal resolutions, but you need to keep going with your nonprofit resolutions.

Let’s check in and see how you are doing.

Stick with your plan
How are you doing with your fundraising and marketing plans?  Please tell me you did create written plans for 2013.

Are you meeting your goals so far?  If you are not where you want to be right now, figure what’s not working and make any adjustments you need. 

Maybe you are coming up short in your fundraising goals because you are reaching out to the wrong potential donors or not engaging your current donors enough.

You should be monitoring your progress at least once a quarter, so schedule a time to do this again before October.

Be realistic
I’ve been writing a lot about dealing with limited resources and setting priorities so you can work successfully within your means. Take a good hard look at what you want to accomplish.

Perhaps your spring fundraising event isn’t worth the effort you put into it.

Make room for growth
Are you looking into new opportunities for your organization?  Don’t cast a wide net.  Analyze your audience and reach out to those who will be receptive to your cause.

Summer is also great time for your staff to learn new skills.  Look into professional development opportunities.

Do your best
Make a point to do your best whether it’s writing a thank you note or sharing accomplishments.  Be sure everything you do is high quality.  Give your donors what they want, such as photos and stories showing how you are making a difference.

Be nice
Keep being nice to the people who support you.  If you haven’t sent out a special thank you message to your donors this summer,Time To Thank Your Donors make a point to do that soon.  Be donor-centered and always show appreciation.  Create an attitude of gratitude.

Don’t give up right away
Again, if something isn’t working, figure out why.  If people aren’t responding to your messages, maybe your messages aren’t clear, you are reaching out to the wrong audience, or you need to send your message through a different channel.   Make the adjustments you need.    

Sometimes you do need to give up what you are doing and do something else that will give you better results.

Relax
Remember you don’t have to work 24/7.  Take care of yourself, especially if you are feeling really stressed.  Hopefully, you have a vacation planned this summer.

Most nonprofits are very busy in the fall, so fit in some relaxation time over the summer.

Keep up your resolutions this summer and throughout the fall. 

How are you doing with your resolutions?

Photo by Roberto Ventre via Flickr

Make An Investment To Keep Your Donors Happy

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing

In my last post, I wrote about figuring out the best ways for you to reach out to your donors.  I suggested sending out short surveys with questions such as do your donors prefer print or electronic communication and which types of communication are they most likely to read.


What happens if what your donors want is difficult for you to do because of limited resources?  Let’s say a majority of your donors tell you they prefer print newsletters.

Many organizations send electronic newsletters because it’s easier and less expensive, but if your donors want print, you are doing a huge disservice to the people who support you.

Don’t panic.  I have some suggestions on how you can produce a print newsletter with limited resources.  If you run into other conflicts such as donors wanting more photos and stories, you can apply some of these as well.

Prioritize
If you have limited resources (budget, time, staff), you need to prioritize.  Being donor-centered and keeping your donors happy is a priority. 

Make an investment
Nonprofit organizations often skimp on their fundraising and marketing budgets, and want to pour all their resources into programming.  There’s been a lot of buzz about overhead costs lately. The Overhead Myth 

My take on this is your entire budget is program related. If your donors want a print newsletter, then this is a legitimate expense.  You need to spend money to make money.  It might sound simplistic, but if you keep your donors happy, they will continue to donate money to keep your programs running.

Can you allocate more of your budget towards printing, mailing, staff, equipment etc?  If not, find additional funding sources that will cover general operating expenses. 

DIY
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a fancy newsletter, but it should look professional.  You could print it yourself.  Invest in a high-quality color printer and newsletter software.  Also, look into bulk mailing options.

Don’t leave anyone out
Ideally a print newsletter should be no longer than four pages and go out at least once a quarter.  If you are really strapped, you could send one twice a year.  But if your donors want print or don’t use email or social media, they need to hear from you more often than that.  

If they aren’t getting updates from you, and the only communication they receive are fundraising appeals, that’s not good. You need to reach out to these donors by mail.  

The fact is some donors prefer print newsletters. This Fundchat transcript explores that further and offers other insights on newsletters. Do Traditional Newsletters Still Work For Nonprofits?

Other options
You could figure out which donors want a print newsletter and which want an electronic one.  Some organizations do this. This may also be hard to pull off if you have limited resources. Be careful not to short change one group. Give everyone equal quality.

You may decide you just can’t do a print newsletter.  If that’s the case, consider sending out postcards or other short pieces updating your donors on your success.

Keep your donors happy
Again your priority should be to keep your donors happy.  If you don’t reach out to these donors by mail, you are ignoring and alienating them.

On the other hand, if your donors say they want you to save trees and not communicate by mail, don’t spend the extra resources.

Do the best you can, but also do what’s best for your donors.

What’s The Best Way To Reach Out To Your Donors?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations
Making connections with your donors is one of the most important things a nonprofit organization needs to do.  What’s the best way to go about it? It’s going to be different for each organization and you’ll need to figure out what works best for you. Your decision will be based primarily on what your donors want, but also on what your organization is capable of doing.

What other organizations are doing may not work for you. In my last post, I asked if annual reports still make sense, and they do for some organizations, but not for others.

We live in multichannel world
Today we have many ways to communicate – everything from brochures to Pinterest.  Print materials aren’t necessarily prehistoric, but you can often go electronic, with the exception of annual appeal letters, thank you letters, and event invitations, which should still be done in print.

It seems as if every day you hear about some new type of social media.  Just because it’s brand new doesn’t mean you need to run out and embrace it, nor does it mean you should reject it as the latest passing fad.  Figure out what’s best.

What do your donors want? 
You want to use the same types of communication (newsletters, annual reports, etc.) and channels (email, print, etc) your donors like. You can track response rates with measurement, but that’s only part of the picture.  The best way to find out is to ask. 

Send a short survey about your communication materials or a series of very short surveys (one or two questions) throughout the year focusing on one type of communication or channel, such as annual reports, newsletters, website, or social media. 

Short surveys are also great way to stay engaged throughout the year.  The easiest way to do a survey is through email, on your website, or social media, but if your donors aren’t connected electronically, you’ll need to reach out by mail or phone.  Just knowing that should give you an idea of the best ways to communicate.

Chances are most people use a variety of channels, but have their favorites.

Question time
If you are not sure what to ask your donors, here are few suggestions.  Ask if they prefer print, electronic, or have no preference.   Find out if they even read your newsletter or annual report.  Get their feedback on how you can improve your communication. 

Be careful about asking too many questions at once, because you may not get as much of a response.

Don’t assume older donors like print and younger donors want something mobile friendly.  Ask.

You may find that what your donors want is difficult for you to do because of limited resources.  Maybe they want a print newsletter or more photos. This becomes tricky, because you need to do what’s best for your donors without overextending your budget and staff too much. 

In my next post, I’ll write about how to handle this conflict.

How do you reach out to your donors?
Photo by BenSpark via Flickr

Do Annual Reports Still Make Sense?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising
The answer is, it depends.  They are often not done very well, but they can be useful.  An annual report is a good way to show accomplishments to funders and potential funders.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether it makes sense for your organization to produce an annual report.
What do your donors want?
Your annual report is for your donors and it should reflect what they want –  not what your board wants.  Just because you have always done an annual report, doesn’t mean you should.
Send a short survey to your individual donors and get their opinion.  Do they even read your annual report?  Grant and corporate funders will probably be more interested in the nitty gritty, while individual donors will want something short and visual.
It gets old quickly
An annual report can end up being a static document.  One huge problem is that for some organizations,it’s the only time they share accomplishments with their donors. Dear Fundraisers: The Annual Report Is Yesterday’s News 
Ideally, you should be sharing accomplishments regularly – at least once a month.
If you wait until the beginning of the next calendar year to start on your annual report, and then spend a lot of time gathering all the materials, writing, and editing it, your 2013 annual report ends up going out sometime in the middle of 2014. 
It’s putting me to sleep
The traditional annual report was often a 10-20 page document filled with long-winded text. It listed activities rather than accomplishments and focused on the organization and not how the organization was making a difference for the people they served. Fortunately, this seems to be changing,
In short, annual reports tend to be boring.  It’s not just length.  I’ve seen four-page reports that weren’t very engaging either.
It takes a lot of resources
Annual reports can take a lot of time to put together and then you have to factor in printing and mailing, if you choose to go that route.  It may not make sense for a small organization.
We want to produce an annual report.

Okay, you’ve thought it over and decided that an annual report does make sense for your organization.  Here are a few suggestions to help you create a good one.
Who are your donors?
Remember that annual reports are for your donors and different donors have different needs.  You may want to produce different types of annual reports for your grant funders and individual donors, or only produce one for your grant funders.  One size doesn’t fit all.
Start working on it this summer
You want your 2013 annual report done by the beginning of next year.  A lot of it can be done ahead of time. 
Take time this summer to collect stories, testimonials, quotes, accomplishments, and photos.  You could even do a video.  RETHINKING THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR VIDEO 
Everything you include should emphasize how your donors are helping you make a difference for the people you serve. 
Create a plan
Think carefully about what you want to produce for different donor groups.  I’m not trying to create extra work for you by suggesting you make more than one type of annual report.  Once you have the stories, accomplishments, photos, etc, it should be pretty straightforward.   
Do what’s best for your donors.
This link gives you more suggestions about creating annual reports.
Are Annual Reports History?
I’ll write another post in the fall exploring this a little more and help you make your annual report engaging.
  

Time To Thank Your Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
Do you remember the commercial from years back where the Dunkin Donuts baker would rise each morning and declare?  “Time to make the donuts.”  Time to make the Donuts  Well, it’s time for you to thank your donors.
Of course, it’s always time to thank your donors, and you should be showing gratitude on a regular basis, not just after you have received a gift.  But take it up a notch and do something really special this month.
You may be thinking, why now?  It’s not Thanksgiving, the holidays, or Valentine’s Day.  Precisely.  Your donors probably won’t be expecting anything and should be pleasantly surprised. Send something early in the summer before your donors start to go on vacation.
Keep in mind that if your donors don’t feel appreciated, they may not donate again.
Here are a few things to help get you started and some different ways to thank your donors.
Create a good photo
The first thing you should do is find or take some great photos.  Maybe one where you get people together to hold a thank you sign.  Here are a few examples.  The first one is actually a video, but you can do the same thing with a photo.

Create a “Thank You” video 
HOW DO I THANK THEE, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS…
You could also show your work in action.  Whatever you decide, be sure it’s engaging.  
Make a list of accomplishments
Choose a few accomplishments you have achieved so far this year and share those with your donors.  Remember to focus on how your donor is helping you make a difference for the people you serve.
Send a thank you card
Take that great photo and use it to create a note card or postcard.  It’s a good idea to invest in one of these, so you can have them on hand to send to volunteers and board members, as well as donors.  If cost is an issue, you could get a print shop to do it pro bono or find a corporate sponsor.  You could also just buy some thank you cards, but something that references your organization would be better.
Thank you cards are small, so you only need a few sentences.  Get a group together to write them – staff, board members, volunteers, even clients (if feasible).  Here’s a great suggestion of throwing a card shower. MANY, MANY, MANY THANKS 
Think about investing in note cards or a postcard.  Handwritten notes make a difference.
Email works, too
In addition to thank you notes, you can send out an email thank you.  You may also choose email if mailing cards is too hard to pull off.
Just because you are sending email,doesn’t mean you should skimp on quality.  Use an engaging photo and share some of those accomplishments.  Write a really heartfelt message and make it look nice.
Create a video
It’s so much easier to make videos now.  Think about creating a special thank you video.  The example I included above features different people connected with the organization saying thank you. This link includes a few more examples.  Our Favorite Nonprofit Thank You Videos 

Your video doesn’t need to be long, either.  A minute or less is perfect. 
You can use this video in an email message, in social media, and on your website.
These are just a few suggestions of ways to thank your donors right now.  Keep thanking them all year round, too.  Thank Your Donors All Year Round 

How are you thanking your donors?

Conquering Your Communication Challenges – Creating Engaging Content

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, marketing, writing

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been writing about how to conquer some of your communication challenges.  Another challenge many nonprofit organizations face is coming up with engaging content on a regular basis.

Do you find yourself saying any of the following?

We’re having trouble getting organized
Your biggest ally here is an editorial calendar.  How to Create an Editorial Calendar You can do one for the year, but also break it down into smaller components. This doesn’t need to take a lot of time, and it’s a huge time-saver overall. Each month figure out what you will include in your newsletter. Every week decide how you are going to connect with your supporters. Spend 15-20 minutes a day looking for content you can share on social media. 

Your editorial calendar will include time-sensitive content, such as events or that April is national volunteer month, as well as evergreen content – stories you can use at any time.  

We don’t know what to write about
Your content should focus on how you are making a difference for the people/community you serve.  You have good stories to tell.  Work with your program staff to create a story bank to use for your annual appeal, website, newsletter, etc.  You can also include profiles of clients, donors, board members, volunteers, and staff.   

Don’t forget to thank your donors in your newsletter and other updates.  Avoid stories that are more focused on your organization, such as obtaining new computers for your staff, unless you can tie that back to your mission.

Here is more information on creating stories.

How Story Trumps Description
Do You Have Good Stories To Tell?
Use measurement and analytics to see what types of content hit home with your supporters.  Most likely it will be success stories that emphasize how they are helping you make a difference.

We don’t a lot of time to do this
I covered time constraints in my last post, and this is a challenge for many organizations. 

Nonprofits do need to communicate often with their supporters.  Try to reach out once a week.  If that’s impossible, aim for every other week.  It’s not as daunting as you may think. Planning and strategy always helps.

Some consistency is good for your newsletter.  Use a template that you can fill in each month. Maybe you will always include a success story or a profile. Also, keep in mind that your newsletter only needs a few articles.

Your supporters are busy and will appreciate short messages. In addition to your monthly newsletter, you can reach out with a brief update, advocacy alert, or one-question survey.  Another way to connect is to share the outcome of your advocacy alert or the results from your survey.

Use the same content in different channels.  For example include links to your newsletter, as well as updates, advocacy alerts, and surveys on Facebook and Twitter.

Another good way to engage is to post a photo of your program in action on social media.  A great photo can tell a story in an instant. 
Don’t Just Post Photos. Post Stories!
I hope this helps you conquer the some of the challenges of creating engaging content.  How do you handle this challenge?

The Communication Journey

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

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

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

Here are few ways to ensure a successful communication journey.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make it a worthwhile journey for your supporters.

How Are You Making a Difference?

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

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

We started a community garden in the Westside neighborhood.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They want to see how you are making a difference. 

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

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

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

How is your organization making a difference?

Time to Measure Your Progress

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ramp Up Your Donor Relations

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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