fundraising

What is a Call-to-Action? A Quick Guide for Nonprofits

Ann Green Communications, donation page, donor engagement, fundraising, website , , , ,

A well-worded call-to-action (CTA) can encourage your nonprofit supporters to engage with your cause in a myriad of ways. Learn more about CTAs in this guide!

By Ira Horowitz

Your nonprofit exists because you’re seeking to enact positive change in your community, whether that means tutoring at-risk high school students, cleaning local beaches, or providing meals to unhoused people. 

However, you can’t do it alone—you need your supporters to help you make that positive change happen. This means you have to not only inspire your supporters by informing them about your cause and opportunities to get involved, but also explicitly ask them to take action. 

That’s where calls-to-action (CTAs) come in. By incorporating well-worded and carefully-designed CTAs into your marketing materials, you can encourage your supporters to take the necessary steps to put their passion for your cause into action, whether you want them to donate, volunteer, attend an event, or simply learn more about your organization. 

Let’s take a deep dive into the specifics of CTAs to help you get started! 

Calls-to-Action (CTAs): An Overview

A call-to-action (CTA) is a short statement or phrase that compels someone to take a specific action. Here are some examples of everyday situations in which we’re compelled to take action thanks to a CTA: 

  • In social media posts: “Follow us,” “Click the link in our bio,” “Comment below” 
  • In TV commercials: “Visit our store,” “See it in theaters this Friday,” “Talk to your doctor today about…” 
  • On mobile apps: “Download now,” “Try for free,” “Upgrade to premium” 
  • On billboards: “Call now for a free quote,” “Book your vacation now,” “Take the next exit to…” 
  • On websites: “Sign into your account,” “Find a store,” “Learn more about us” 
  • In emails: “Register for our upcoming event,” “Shop this exclusive sale,” “Learn more”  

Recognizing the everyday places where you’re called to action can help you determine how you can better leverage CTAs for your nonprofit. For example, as you get better at identifying CTAs, you might find you could do a better job of writing CTAs in your Google Ads copy, on your donation form, or in your spoken presentations. 

4 Forms CTAs Can Take Online

Depending on the medium they’re presented in, CTAs can take different forms. While you may include CTAs on physical marketing materials (such as posters or direct mailings) or tap into channels like TV or radio, your online assets (such as your website) will likely be where you focus on driving action and engagement among your community of supporters. 

Here are some of the most popular types of online CTAs to keep in mind: 

  • Buttons: A button CTA is a clickable button with CTA text on your website, such as “Donate now” or “Login to your account.” 
  • Text: Sometimes a CTA can easily be woven into website page copy, linking to a resource for taking action or simply inspiring action. Here’s an example: To learn more about our mission, visit our “About Us” page.” In this case, you could add a link to the words “visit our ‘About Us’ page.” 
  • Pop-up CTAs: Although website pop-ups are controversial, they can be effective when used sparingly. For example, you might use a pop-up on your website that has a CTA to encourage visitors who have been on the site for a certain amount of time to subscribe to your email newsletter. 
  • Image CTAs: Similar to button CTAs, image CTAs are images that have CTA text and a link to whatever action page you’re trying to get your website visitors to check out. 

It’s up to you to determine which type of CTA will work best in your online marketing materials. Start by deciding which action you want your supporters to take and how you want to communicate that action. 

For example, you might want to encourage website visitors to donate through your online donation page. To do so, you could include a button CTA on your website’s homepage that says “Give Now” and links to the donation page. On the donation page, you could feature an eye-catching image of your beneficiaries and a paragraph explaining why donations help make your work possible. Then, you could end the paragraph with one last inspiring call-to-action sentence that says, “Donate today to help us change more lives for the better.” 

While you don’t want to overwhelm your supporters with too many CTAs, having multiple touchpoints like this on the journey to a completed action can encourage potential supporters to follow through and make a move!

How to Create Effective CTAs

No matter the type of CTA you end up using, there are some universal best practices for making your CTAs as effective as possible: 

Use strategic wording.

Choose the words for your CTAs with care so you can catch your supporters’ attention. Start with an action verb like join, sign up, discover, explore, donate, give, register, or shop. You should also choose words that instill a sense of urgency in your audience such as now, today, limited time, or exclusive. 

Example: “Donate today to save more sea turtles” is a much more effective CTA than a generic “Donate.” 

Make it brief.

When creating a CTA, get to the point by using only a few words. This will help you clearly communicate what you need your supporters to do. Plus, keeping your CTAs short ensures that you leave no room for misunderstanding. 

Example: “Register today for our bikeathon on July 11” will likely encourage more event registrations than “We are hosting a bikeathon soon and hope to see you there as a participant or volunteer. Please visit our registration page to get started.”   

Make careful placement decisions.

Where you put your CTAs on your website matters. After all, you need to ensure that they stand out from your other content and resources so they’re easy to see and click on. 

Example: You decide to put your “Donate Now to End Cancer” button in your static menu at the top of your web pages instead of at the bottom so it’s always visible no matter where your visitors go on your website.  

Pay attention to the visual design.

According to Cornershop Creative, color and specific styling are essential to creating a great CTA. Your designs should be eye-catching and consistent with the branding and style of your website. 

Example: You create an image CTA to encourage more people to sign up to foster shelter animals. You use your organization’s brand colors—red, white, and purple—and include an image of a shelter animal that is currently part of your foster program. 

Test and optimize.

As you begin adding CTAs to your website and other marketing materials, it may be helpful to test out different versions. Try asking a small group of your team members to identify what wording, visual look, and placements they think will be most effective for encouraging people to act. You can formalize this process using A/B testing.

Additionally, on your website, pay attention to how well your CTAs help boost conversions on your most important action pages, like your donation page or event registration page. You can monitor conversions with Google Analytics and use the insights you gather to improve your CTAs.

3 Examples of Eye-Catching CTAs

Still need some inspiration for creating a great nonprofit CTA? Check out these three examples of CTAs your organization can emulate. 

1. American Cancer Society 

The CTAs on the American Cancer Society website are brief and clear, encouraging visitors to act quickly. 

The American Cancer Society homepage features a few CTAs without overwhelming its website visitors. Here are a couple of standout CTA moves that inspired us: 

  • The “Donate” button in the top right corner is bright red and features the image of a heart, which helps it stand out and emphasizes the difference a donation can make to those whose lives have been affected by cancer. 
  • The “Learn About Screening” CTA in the center of the screen is paired with an image of real people and language that encourages authenticity and getting a screening to stay healthy.

2. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The CTAs on the ASPCA website have bright colors, emotionally-evocative images, and prominent placement to help encourage action. 

ASPCA does an excellent job of making its CTA buttons stand out with bright orange coloring and bold white text. The text and pictures that accompany the buttons on its rotating banner image also pull at your heartstrings and encourage you to give. 

In particular, the phrase “63¢ a Day Can Help Her Survive” not only implores website visitors to contribute a donation but also highlights how easy it is to make a difference to an animal in need. 

3. Save the Children 

The CTA on the Save the Children homepage is brief and encourages urgent action. 

The Save the Children website reserves the color red for its most important website elements—its logo and CTA buttons, helping them stand out against a white and gray background. Here are a few other reasons we love their CTAs: 

  • The phrase “For many kids living in poverty, summer isn’t fair” is effective in evoking emotion in website visitors.
  • This main button CTA is paired with an image of a child, emphasizing the human aspect of the organization’s mission.
  • Save the Children uses the word “now” to instill urgency in its website visitors, encouraging them to give right away.

CTAs are small additions that can make a big difference for your nonprofit. Use these examples and tips to start creating (or fine-tuning) your organization’s CTAs and pulling in more support for your mission. 

And, if you need the help of an expert, invest in a web design partner that can help you with everything from designing your website to crafting CTAs and beyond! 

With 15 years of experience, Ira Horowitz is an expert in nonprofit online communications and online fundraising. His work has resulted in increased funds and resounding supporter engagement for hundreds of organizations.

Ira oversees Cornershop Creative’s project management team and works with clients to provide them with the best possible final product. He also manages all of their strategic engagements and helps guide nonprofits to determine their long-term strategy goals for online communications.

Don’t Wait Too Long to Start Planning Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, database, direct mail, donor-centered, fundraising, planning, stories, thank you letters, writing , , , , , , ,

It’s hard to think about fall when it’s been so hot in many parts of the United States and Europe, but September will be here before you know it.

Even though it might be sweltering outside, now is a good time to start planning your year-end fundraising campaign, hopefully in an air-conditioned space. If you’re behind in your revenue goals, you may want to launch it earlier than you have in the past. 

I’ve put together a checklist to help you get started. You can also use this for fundraising campaigns at other times of the year.

How much money do you need to raise?

You may have already set a goal for your year-end campaign in your 2023 fundraising plan (at least I hope you did) and maybe that has changed. 

You must determine how much money you need to raise before you start your campaign and raising as much as we can is not a goal.

Do you have a campaign plan?

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

When do you want to launch your appeal? Plan on everything taking longer than you think it will, so earlier is better. Keep in mind you’ll be competing with many other organizations who are doing appeals. 

I strongly encourage you to mail an appeal letter. Direct mail appeals are more successful. You can also send an email appeal and follow up with email, as well. 

Maybe you want to send your appeal letters the first week in November. Maybe it’s better to send them in October. Whenever it is, make your goal to have the letters done at least a week before that. Work backwards to figure out how you can get to your proposed send date.

Also, how are you mailing your appeal? Do you use a mail house or get staff and volunteers together to stuff envelopes? Either way, plan ahead, so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.

Do you have a good story and photo to share?

If you’ve been using the same boring, generic appeal letter template for the last few years, it’s time for a refresh. It’s a good idea to revise your templates at least once a year. Our world has changed a lot in the last three years and you need to take that into account.

A good way to start is to create an engaging story for your appeal. Even though the public health emergency is over, COVID is still a part of our lives. Are your clients/community feeling the aftereffects of the pandemic? Are they facing economic challenges? Focus on them, not your organization. Each year is different and this is why you need new stories.  

You’ll want some good photos for your letter and donation page, too. Quotes from clients will also enhance your appeal.

How can your donors help you make a difference?

Your appeal letter should focus on a need and let your donors know how they can help you make a difference. You might want to start by creating a brief and an outline.

You may be seeing more people at your food pantry because of rising food costs and cuts in benefits. Maybe your clients are struggling to find affordable housing.

You can also highlight some of the accomplishments you’ve made recently and state what you would like to do in the coming year, although these are usually more appropriate for a newsletter or impact report. 

One way to frame this is to describe a situation such as this. You run a tutoring program in your community and work with students who are falling behind in school. You can describe how thanks to your generous donors, your one-to-one tutoring program has helped students get better grades and are now less likely to be held back a year. You want to keep that going and serve more students.

Remember to focus on your clients/community and don’t brag about your organization.

Are your mailing lists in good shape?

Make sure your mailing lists are up-to-date. Check for duplicate addresses and typos. Your donors don’t want to receive three letters at the same time or have their names misspelled. Take a little time to do some data hygiene. Give your email list some attention, too.

Also, now is a good time to segment your mailing lists – current donors, monthly donors, lapsed donors, event attendees, etc. This is so important. Your current donors are your best source of donations. You should have more success if you can personalize your appeal letters. Acknowledge if someone has donated in the past or is a monthly donor. Donors like it when you recognize them for who they are.

Do you have enough letterhead, envelopes, and stamps?

Don’t wait until September or October to check your supply of letterhead and envelopes. Make sure you have enough. 

Speaking of envelopes, something besides the standard white business envelope can improve your response rate. Think about using an oversized, colored, or embellished envelope. If that’s not possible, don’t use a window envelope because it resembles a bill. A general rule is you don’t want any of your direct mail pieces to look like a bill or junk mail.

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

Stamps are more personal, so you might want to find some nice ones to use. 

Is it easy to donate online?

Be sure your donation page is user-friendly and consistent with your other fundraising materials. Using a branded donation page and not a third-party site is best. Highlight your year-end appeal on your homepage and include a prominent Donate Now button.

One way to ensure a good experience is to have someone on your staff or, even better, someone outside of your organization make a donation on your website. If they want to tear their hair out, you have some work to do.

Do you offer a monthly or recurring giving option?

I’m a huge fan of monthly giving. It’s a win-win for your organization. You can raise more money, boost your retention rate, receive a steady stream of revenue, and allow your donors to spread out their gifts.

If you don’t have a monthly giving program or have a small one, don’t wait any longer to start one or grow the one you have. Be sure to highlight it as a giving option.

Do you want to find a major funder who will give a matching gift?

One way to raise additional revenue is to find a major funder to match a portion or all of what you raise in your year-end appeal. If you want to go down this route, now would be a good time to reach out to these potential funders.

How will you thank your donors?

Spend as much time on your thank you letter/note as you do on your appeal letter and write them at the same time. And if it’s been a while since you’ve freshened up your thank you templates, you know what you need to do. It’s so important to thank your donors, and thank them well, as soon as you receive their gifts, so have a thank you letter/note ready to go.

Handwritten notes and phone calls are much better than a preprinted letter. Create or buy some thank you cards and start recruiting board members and volunteers to make thank you calls or write notes. 

You’ll want to put together a welcome plan for your new donors and that also needs to be ready to roll after the donations come in.

How will you keep up with your donor communication?

Even though you’ll be busy with your appeal, you want to ramp up your donor communication this fall. Keep engaging your donors and other supporters (who may become donors) by sharing updates and gratitude. Pour on the appreciation! 

Send at least one warm-up letter or email. You could create a thank you video or a video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at your organization. Maybe you could hold an open house or offer tours. Just don’t disappear until appeal time.

Yes, we’re still in a period of economic uncertainty. Some donors may not give as much or at all, but others will give more. They won’t give anything if you don’t ask.

There’s still plenty of time to go to the beach and get ice cream, but right now find that air-conditioned space and start planning your year-end campaign.

Best of luck!

Photo by CreditDebitPro

Rise Above Mediocrity With the 5 C’s of Good Nonprofit Communication

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, fundraising, thank you letters, writing , , , , ,

Unfortunately, a lot of nonprofit communication is not that great. Something that can help is the 5 C’s. Keep these in mind when you’re writing a fundraising appeal, thank you letter, update, or any type of donor communication.  

Is it Clear?

What is your intention? What message are you sending to your donors? Are you asking for a donation, thanking them, or sharing an update? 

Whatever it is, make sure your message is clear. If you have a call to action, that needs to be clear, as well. You also want to stick to one call to action. Don’t distract your donors with too many choices. If you ask them to make a donation, volunteer, and contact their legislators in the same message, you run the risk of them not doing any of those.

You want your message to produce results. Plain and simple, your fundraising appeal should entice someone to donate. Your thank you letter should thank your donors (no bragging or explaining what your organization does) and make them feel good about donating.

Use language your donors will understand (no jargon). Keep out terms like food insecurity and underserved communities. Just because something is clear to you, doesn’t mean it will be clear to others. 

Is it Concise?

Can you say more with less? Eliminate any unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, and filler. Make your point right away. Concise writing doesn’t mean you need to be terse or all your print communication has to be one page. Sometimes it will need to be longer, but the same rules apply. 

Nonprofit organizations like to pack a lot of information into their monthly/quarterly newsletters and impact reports, but many donors won’t read something if it looks like it will be too long. 

Shorter, more frequent communication is better. This applies to the example I gave above about not putting more than one call to action in a message. You’ll have better results if you send separate messages for each call to action.

Also, most people skim, so use short paragraphs and lots of white space, especially for electronic communication.

Make all your words count.

Is it Conversational?

Write as if you’re having a conversation with a friend and be personable. Use the second person – where you refer to your donors as you and your organization as we. Remember to use you much more than we. 

Avoid using jargon, cliches, multi-syllable words, and the passive voice. Is that the way you talk to your friends? I hope not.

You may think you’re impressing your donors by using jargon and big words, but most likely you’re confusing them or even worse, alienating them. Connect with your donors by using language they’ll understand.

Is it Compelling?

Is whatever you’re writing going to capture someone’s attention right away and keep them interested? The average human attention span is eight seconds, so the odds are stacked against you. If you can’t stand out, your donors are going to move on to something else.

Start with a good opening sentence. Leading with a question is often good. Stories are also great. 

Put a human face on your stories and keep statistics to a minimum. Start a fundraising appeal with an engaging story that leads to a call to action.

Are you establishing a connection?

Donors are drawn to your organization because they feel a connection to your cause. You also need to establish a connection with them. You can start by segmenting your donors by different types, such as new donors, current donors, and monthly donors. 

Get to know your donors better and give them content you know they’ll be interested in. Hint – it’s not bragging about your organization. They want to know how they’re helping you make a difference for your clients/community. They also want to feel appreciated. Focus on building and sustaining relationships.

Rise above mediocrity and keep these 5 C’s in mind to help ensure good communication with your donors.

How to Build Your Recurring Giving Program: 4 Tips

Ann Green donation page, donor engagement, fundraising, monthly donors, website , , , ,

Recurring donors can provide valuable sustainable revenue for your nonprofit. Tap into the vast potential of a recurring giving program with these four tips.

I’m a big fan of recurring giving. It’s a great way to both boost revenue and your retention rate. In this guest post, Philip Schmitz of CharityEngine lets you know how you can build your recurring giving program.

By Philip Schmitz 

Acquiring recurring donors for your nonprofit can revolutionize your fundraising progress, helping you efficiently and effectively achieve your goals. You’ll need to invest time and resources to attract new support for your mission, but chances are you already have untapped potential in your existing connections.

To help you secure a reliable source of funding with recurring gifts, we’ll walk through these four essential tips:

  1. Add a recurring giving option to your donation page.
  2. Market your recurring gifts program.
  3. Leverage your CRM to boost recurring giving.
  4. Report the impact of recurring donations.

From regular volunteers to small-level repeat donors, your organization already has people dedicated to driving your nonprofit’s impact. Give them the opportunity to invest in your cause for the long run by establishing a recurring giving program.

1. Add a recurring giving option to your donation page.

Your nonprofit’s donation page is the primary location for prospective donors to give in support of your mission. Therefore, it’s essential to design your online giving page with everything that supporters may need to maximize their contributions.

As you optimize your donation page for recurring gifts, consider the donor experience. Make it easy and convenient for them to participate. Your donation form should have a checkbox option that allows donors to turn their donations into monthly gifts. Additional ways to further optimize your donation page include:

  • Specifying the impact of each recurring gift amount. Inspire your supporters to take action by giving examples of how each recurring giving amount will contribute to your organization’s on-the-ground impact. This allows them to see how they can make a tangible difference in your cause. For example, an animal welfare nonprofit could write that $20 will provide a shelter dog’s meals for one month, while $50 will cover its medical treatments.
  • Allowing donors to manage their accounts. Offer your donors the flexibility to change their account profiles, recurring gift amounts, payment methods, and any other relevant information online. Your supporters will feel much more comfortable getting involved in your recurring giving program if they have the freedom to adjust their enrollment whenever they’d like.
  • Accepting multiple secure payment options. Facilitate recurring payments by having multiple payment options featured clearly on your nonprofit’s donation page. Donors should be able to pay for recurring gifts with their debit or credit cards, by direct deposit, or using mobile payment services like PayPal.
  • Ensuring your giving page is mobile-friendly. These days, much of the world’s online interactions occur on mobile devices. Whether they’re on the go or relaxing at home, make sure your potential donors can access a high-quality version of your donation page on their tablets or smartphones as well.

According to 360MatchPro’s fundraising statistics, recurring donors contribute 42% more per year than one-time donors. Make the most of this valuable opportunity by setting up your online giving page to promote recurring giving.

2. Market your recurring giving program.

The success of your nonprofit’s recurring giving program depends on how well you spread the word. It’s crucial to not only make your supporters aware of this option, but also motivate them to become recurring donors. Send email updates to your existing donors with information on how to enroll in recurring giving, along with how these gifts will benefit your nonprofit.

To notify as many potential donors as possible, disperse your communications across multiple channels. Appeal to younger donors by creating memorable and engaging social media posts that promote your program. And, as you approach the end of the year, CharityEngine’s year-end giving guide recommends checking back in with your recurring donors and encouraging new enrollment during this popular giving time.

Go further with your marketing by creating a page on your website specifically for your recurring giving program. This will ensure that your supporters have a single, authoritative resource on all there is to know about the program, including the steps for opting in and who to contact with any additional questions.

Tie together all of your web pages and communications with consistent branding and visuals such as your organization’s colors, logo, and photos related to your mission. This way, prospective donors can feel confident that enrolling in the program will directly benefit your nonprofit.

3. Leverage your CRM to boost recurring giving.

Aside from having a CRM with billing software to automatically process recurring donations, use its capabilities for data-driven outreach. The more you understand your supporters, the better you can appeal to them to participate in your recurring giving program.

Segment your donors based on the information in their profiles and tailor your communications to those who may be most interested in becoming recurring donors. Look for repeat donors who tend to give relatively small amounts. They’d likely be receptive to automated monthly payments to support your cause. Some common ways to segment your donors include:

  • Giving history
  • Relevant interests
  • Past involvement with your nonprofit
  • Communication preferences

With these donor segments, you’ll be able to boost the effectiveness of your communications by sending messages that are more relevant to your individual supporters. They’ll feel more valued if you acknowledge their preferences and interests when reaching out about your recurring giving program. 

Furthermore, you can use the recurring gift data you collect in your organization’s CRM to personalize messages to your existing recurring donors as well. For instance, if they tend to give $15 a month, your next email to them could suggest that they increase their monthly gift to $20 a month to power your upcoming initiatives.

4. Report the impact of recurring donations.

The key to maintaining long-lasting support for your nonprofit is regularly updating and thanking your supporters. Even though their gifts are automated, your recurring donors still need to be recognized for their contributions each time they give. 

Be sure to have automatic follow-up emails in place to confirm and express gratitude for every recurring donation you receive. Remember to personalize each message with the donor’s name to show them that your organization values them as an individual. For additional ways to appreciate your recurring donors, consider the following ideas:

  • Mail handwritten thank-you cards at least once a year.
  • Host exclusive monthly donor appreciation events.
  • Spotlight longtime recurring donors as part of your nonprofit social media strategy.
  • Send small gifts of branded merchandise.

By communicating the impact of their contributions and the goals you’ve been able to achieve with their help, you’ll ensure that supporters stay enthusiastic about supporting your mission. Incorporate key data points into a powerful impact story to help them emotionally connect with the positive change they’re contributing toward.

Take advantage of your CRM’s capabilities to guide your communications about recurring giving and more. Your current donor profiles are incredibly useful for identifying ways to encourage further engagement from your supporters. Prioritize your donors’ interests to maximize your fundraising results. With a data-driven approach, you’ll be able to build an optimized recurring giving program that opens up a source of sustainable revenue for your nonprofit.

Philip Schmitz is the CEO and founder of cloud-services leader BIS Global, creators of the CharityEngine fundraising & communications technology platform. Founded in 1999, Phil has managed the vision and strategy for BIS’s suite of integrated business applications & hosting tools used by more than 400 businesses & non-profits.

Time for a Mid-Year Check In

Ann Green Communications, fundraising, planning , ,

It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through 2023, isn’t it? The midpoint of the year is always a good time to see if you’re meeting your fundraising and communications goals. For this post, I’m assuming your fiscal year is the same as the calendar year. If you’re on a different fiscal cycle, you can make the appropriate time adjustments.

In this continuous time of uncertainty, your fundraising may be down. Yes, we’re seeing inflation and a possible recession, but that doesn’t mean you should stop fundraising. Never stop fundraising! Donors will give if they can.

You may need to make some changes to your fundraising plan and other goals. And, if you never made a fundraising plan for this year, stop right there and put one together now and use it for the remainder of the year. Don’t fly blind.

Take a look at what’s working and what’s not. It will be different for every organization. If you’re doing okay, keep it up. If you’re falling short, figure out where you need to make changes.

If you’re relying too much on grants and events and those are not bringing in the revenue you need, focus more on individual giving. Many nonprofits raise the most money from individual giving. Here are a few other suggestions to help you stay on track this year.

Start or enhance your monthly giving program

Monthly giving is doable for all sizes of nonprofit organizations, even small ones. It’s a great way to raise more money, as well as your donor retention rate. Retention rates for monthly donors are much better than other retention rates. You’ll have a steady stream of income and it may be more feasible for your donors, especially if they’re feeling pinched financially.

If you don’t have a monthly giving program, start one now. To get more monthly donors, send a special targeted letter to current donors inviting them to become monthly donors. This is a good opportunity to upgrade smaller dollar donors, or any donors for that matter.

Also, do something special for your current monthly donors. Send them a thank you postcard or email. They’ve made a commitment to you, now make a commitment to them.

I’ve always been a big fan of monthly giving, even more so over the last few years. They are one of your most committed donor groups. 

Look into higher levels of giving

Another advantage of monthly giving is that these donors are more likely to become mid-level and major donors. Starting a major gift program will take time, but it’s doable even for small organizations. Look into starting one soon. Organizations with strong major gift programs tend to do better financially.

Ramp up your donor engagement

My last post was all about how you can engage with your donors this summer. The summer is usually a slower time for fundraising, but it’s a good time to show some donor appreciation and plan for fall.

Some donors will pull back on their giving, but that doesn’t mean ghosting them. Keep engaging with them to help ensure they’ll give again, if they can.

Make improvements to your donor communication

Look at metrics such as website visits and email open rates. I know these don’t always tell the whole story, but if you’re not seeing a lot of engagement, figure out why.

Often, it’s because your content isn’t great or it’s too long. Maybe it’s layout and design. You could also be targeting the wrong audience. Summer is a good time to make some changes.

It’s not too late, yet

If you’re falling short of your goals, you still have time to do better, but you have to make an effort.

Be sure to keep evaluating your progress for the rest of the year. Even if you’re doing okay now, circumstances can change. You may want to monitor your progress more frequently (once a month instead of once a quarter) so you can try to stay on track. You don’t want to get caught off guard. 

Keep monitoring your progress to help ensure a successful year.

4 Storytelling Tips for Your Online Donation Page

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, fundraising, stories, website, writing , , , , ,

Storytelling is a powerful way to strengthen people’s connection with your cause and inspire support. Use these storytelling tips for your online donation page.

By Murad Bushnaq

People have been telling stories for at least 30,000 years. Whether we’re sharing them out loud, in writing, or with pictures, stories unite us through empathy and understanding. 

Because of this, storytelling is an essential skill for nonprofits to master. By telling stories that help people connect with your cause, you’ll generate more support to push your organization closer to achieving its mission.

While you won’t be recording stories on cave walls as people did thousands of years ago, thanks to modern technology, you have many excellent tools at your disposal for sharing stories related to your cause, such as your nonprofit’s website. Your donation page, in particular, is an essential place for inspiring donors to support your organization.

We’ve rounded up four tips for leveraging your content management system (CMS) to help you make the most of your donation page’s storytelling potential:

  1. Incorporate engaging visuals.
  2. Share real people’s stories.
  3. Use emotionally compelling language.
  4. Craft strategic CTAs.

As you begin to enhance your donation page and other parts of your website with strong storytelling, think about which stories will resonate most with your audience members. Keeping your audience in mind ensures that your stories will leave a lasting impression, inspiring ongoing support.

1. Incorporate engaging visuals.

In some ways, a picture can be worth a thousand words. While effective writing is vital to sharing your organization’s stories, images can enhance your message by conveying what words cannot. Visual storytelling has the power to stir up emotions upon just the briefest of glimpses, elevating the information spelled out on the page.

As you begin selecting your nonprofit’s visuals and planning how you’ll incorporate them into your donation page, keep these tips in mind:

  • Photos of your beneficiaries can cultivate empathy. Tap into your supporters’ empathetic side by featuring pictures of your nonprofit’s beneficiaries on your donation page. This allows prospective donors to see who their donations are helping and how they’re actively making a difference in people’s lives. Of course, you’ll want to get permission from your beneficiaries first.
  • Ensure that your images match your nonprofit’s branding. Unify your donation page by ensuring that the visual branding is consistent with the rest of your website.
  • Use your CMS to optimize your images. The right nonprofit CMS can ensure that your images are up-to-par for a professional and conversion-driving donation page. Use your CMS to convert your images to web-friendly versions and resize them appropriately. Additionally, you can zoom and crop your images to get your desired focus.
  • Consider adding other multimedia elements. Consider adding a short video or audio clip to your donation page to further encourage donors to give. Incorporate these elements thoughtfully—they should compel supporters to complete the giving process, rather than distract from it.
  • Tie relevant images to your suggested donation amounts. By adding relevant images to the suggested donation amounts on your page, you can make it easier for prospective donors to visualize the specific impact their gifts will have, whether that’s providing meals to shelter animals with a donation of $10 or covering their medical treatment with a donation of $50.

Pet Rescue’s online donation page includes images with each of its programs so supporters can see the impact their donations will have.

To maximize your results, take a look at other stellar donation page examples, like Pet Rescue, for inspiration and guidance. Morweb’s list of the best nonprofit websites walks through a number of additional websites that effectively convey the organization’s purpose and provide an excellent user experience.

2. Share real people’s stories.

In addition to including pictures of your nonprofit’s beneficiaries on your donation page, share their written stories so your supporters can associate a name and a face with your cause. This ensures that your mission stands out from the crowd and compels donors to take action.

Some impactful ways to share people’s stories on your donation page include:

  • Presenting a story about a specific individual at the top of your donation page. When a potential donor navigates to your donation page, your goal is to have them complete the giving process. Grab their attention at the top of your page by sharing a specific beneficiary’s story. Keep the written copy concise, describing the individual’s background and clearly explain how the donor can help make a difference.
  • Using your CMS to create a section of “testimonials” for supporters to scroll through. Gather quotes from your beneficiaries to use as short testimonials on your page. This allows you to communicate multiple stories at once without slowing donors down in their giving journey.
  • Adding a gallery of beneficiary pictures that lead to specific stories. For those of your supporters interested in exploring more about your impact, use your CMS to create a gallery of pictures that act as buttons to access specific beneficiary stories. A striking visual and a call to action (CTA) like “Read Joseph’s recovery story” or “Learn more about Whisker’s adoption journey” can capture donors’ interest and motivate them to read.

No matter how you decide to share your beneficiaries’ stories, remember that they are real people. Use plain language and aim to capture their real voices, perspectives, and journeys. This ensures that your stories feel more authentic to donors, which adds legitimacy to your nonprofit’s cause. Once again, be sure to ask permission to include your beneficiaries’ stories, and you always have the option of changing peoples’ names to protect their privacy.

3. Use emotionally compelling language.

Every word in a story counts, contributing to its overall message and emotional impact. Therefore, it’s essential to be thoughtful with your words when writing a story to share on your donation page.

Use these best practices to tap into your readers’ emotions:

  • Be descriptive. Remember when your high school English teacher taught you the “show, don’t tell” rule? It still applies here. For instance, if you’re an animal shelter, go beyond sharing that you recently took in a homeless dog and found it a home. Describe the conditions you found the dog in, then elaborate on how the dog looks and behaves after you saved it. Descriptions and details make your story much more emotionally captivating.
  • Include the donor in the story. According to GoodUnited, the more personal your messaging is, the more impact you’ll have on each reader. Use pronouns like “you,” “your,” “we,” and “our” so donors can feel a part of your story’s narrative. This will make them more invested in your nonprofit’s cause. For example, you might write a sentence like, “Because of donors like you, we were able to provide 500 meals to families in need.”
  • Illustrate how your organization can provide solutions to problems. A story needs both a conflict and a resolution. Once you’ve presented donors with the problem you’re focused on solving, indicate how, with their support, you’re going to solve it. This can go a long way toward convincing donors that your organization is the one they should support because you’ll be able to make an actual difference.

You don’t need to be a trained writer to construct an emotionally engaging story for your donation page. Simply focus on providing details and emphasizing the solutions to the problem you’re aiming to address. This way, you can effectively build an emotional connection between readers and your cause.

4. Craft strategic CTAs.

A call to action (CTA) is a statement that encourages someone to complete an action. On your nonprofit’s donation page, you should feature CTAs encouraging your donors to take action after learning about your cause or a specific beneficiary’s experience with your organization. Those CTAs can lead donors to:

After someone donates online they should be taken to a thank you landing page. Besides saying thank you, you can include other CTAs that provide additional engagement opportunities for your donors, so be open to incorporating them into your storytelling.

  • Subscribe to your email newsletter.
  • Register for an upcoming event.
  • Sign up for a volunteer opportunity.
  • Advocate for your cause online.
  • Share your donation page on social media.

When crafting a CTA, keep it clear and simple, but remember to make it specific to your cause. For instance, “Give now to help stomp out cancer” will be more effective than just “Give now.”

Additionally, you can use your CMS to make your CTAs into buttons that link to other resources, like your donation form or volunteer page. Including these within a story can break up the text and ensure that when a supporter feels inspired to act, they can do so right away.

The Gist

By leveraging powerful storytelling, your nonprofit can level up its donation page and inspire more supporters to give. As you’re tapping into the human element of your stories and using your CMS to enhance them with visuals and CTAs, remember to track metrics such as the average time visitors spend on the page to evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.

As you delve deeper into optimizing your donation page, take a look at donation page templates if you need a little added guidance. Stories, when crafted well, can motivate supporters to act and stay invested in your nonprofit for the long term. By continually fine-tuning your storytelling efforts, you’ll improve your results over time and boost the revenue you need to further your purpose!

Murad Bushnaq is the Founder and CEO of Morweb. Since its inception in 2014, Murad has acted as Creative Director and Chief Technologist to help nonprofits spread their vision online through engaging design, intuitive software, and strategic communication.

Give Your Donors The Best Experience Possible

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, donor-centered, fundraising, thank you letters, website , , , , ,

It’s time to put yourself in your donor’s shoes. What kind of experience are you giving them when they interact with your organization? Is it good, bad, or somewhere in between?  Let’s look at some of the different aspects of fundraising and donor communication to see what kind of experience you’re giving your donors.

The Fundraising Appeal Experience

Your donor receives an appeal from you. At least one appeal per campaign should come by mail because your donor will be more likely to see it and take action. Donors can get a lot of fundraising appeals from many different organizations, especially on GivingTuesday and at year-end. What are you doing to make yours stand out?

Does your appeal address your donor by name and take into account any past giving? Is it easy to read and scan and include a story and a clear, prominent ask that lets know the donor know how she can help make a difference for your clients/community?

Or is it a generic, longwinded mess in a tiny font? Are you using jargon and other language your donor won’t understand? Are you focusing too much on your organization so your reader feels like an afterthought?  

You only have seconds to capture your donor’s attention and get her to make a donation. If this is not a good experience for her, well, I think you know what will or won’t happen.

The Giving Experience

Congratulations, someone has decided to make a donation. Since most people give online, I’ll focus on that first.

They’re on your website ready to give. How’s that going to go? Do you have a branded donation page (worth the investment) that’s easy to use and navigate? That means keeping it simple without too many fields to fill out and not making people set up an account. It also needs to be accessible on a mobile device. If your donation page is a pain to deal with, you run the risk of someone giving up and not donating. 

Speaking of websites, your entire site needs to provide a good experience for your donors, as well.

While many donors give online now, not everyone is comfortable doing that. Be sure your direct mail appeal includes a reply envelope so someone can send you a check. Your mailing address should be included in your email appeal and on your website. 

Other donors may want to give by phone. Is it easy to reach you by phone? Several years ago I was doing work with an organization that was holding an event. Someone wanted to register by phone and the staff person tried to get her to register on their website. Um, she wouldn’t have called you if she wanted to do that.

Meet your donors where they are to give them the best giving experience. 

The thank you experience

Okay, your donor has made a gift, but her journey isn’t over. In fact, it’s just beginning.

If someone donates online, what happens next? Is she directed to a thank you landing page that showers her with appreciation or does it look like a transactional receipt? It’s not that hard to make an engaging landing page, maybe one that says Thank you Kim! and includes a thank you photo or video and other ways to get involved.

The same goes for the automatically generated thank you email. Make sure your donor experiences some gratitude here. There’s no reason why you can’t craft an engaging, personal thank you message.

All donors whether they give online or by other means get a thank you by mail or phone. Donors may miss your email, but something by mail or phone will stand out. If you can do a handwritten thank you card or make a thank you call, all the better.  

At the very least, send a thank you letter, maybe with a short personal note. The recommendation is to get thank you letters out within 48 hours. If that’s going to result in a mediocre letter (which many of them are), then it’s okay to take a week to produce a stellar letter. A stellar letter would be one that’s personal and takes into account whether a donor has given before. It’s also all about thanking the donor – not bragging, explaining what your organization does, and asking for another gift.

Don’t wait too long, though. What are telling your donors if it takes you months to send out a thank you letter? They deserve a better experience.

To give your donors the best thank you experience, make a plan to show gratitude once a month. Use this opportunity to send a handwritten note. It’s always a welcome surprise if you do this.

The donor engagement experience

Showing gratitude is just one way to engage with your donors. They also want to hear how their gift is making a difference.

You may send newsletters and other updates, but what kind of experience are you providing? Are you sharing stories and other content you know your donors will be interested in? Or is your newsletter just one big, boring bragfest? Even if you’re sharing stories, are you making them engaging? 

Are you getting to know your donors? You could send them a short survey and ask what drew them to your organization. Do you send welcome packages to new donors? Do you do something special for long-term donors? Do you invite donors to engage with you in other ways, such as volunteering?

Keep in touch with your donors at least once a month. A communications calendar will help you with this. Remember the ask, thank, report, repeat formula. If all you do is send generic appeals, you’re not giving your donors a good experience.

Think of your donors at every level of their journey to give them the best experience possible.

How to Make Your Messages Stand Out in a World of Information Overload

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor-centered, email, fundraising, gratitude, planning, writing , , , , , , ,

Our world is chock full of information, too much at times. When I was growing up, we just had a few TV channels to choose from. Now there are countless streaming options. We also have email, the internet, and social media, just to name a few. It’s a lot

How does your nonprofit organization compete with all this? You need to communicate regularly with your donors and you need to do it well. But in the land of information overload, it’s possible they’ll miss your messages. 

Here are a few ways you can make your messages stand out. 

What’s your intention?

What’s the purpose of your message? What do you want your reader to do? Are you asking for a donation? Maybe you’re thanking your donor or sharing an update.

Think from your reader’s perspective. What would she be interested in or what would make him take action?

Don’t muddle your messages with too much information. Keep it simple and stick to one call to action or type of message. 

Choose the right channels

Most likely you’ll use more than one channel to communicate. Pay attention to the channels your donors are using and focus your efforts there.

Email may be your primary mode of communication and there’s a reason for that. It’s fast, easy, relatively inexpensive, and almost everyone has an email address. You can quickly get a message out to a lot of people. Also, unlike social media, it’s something you can control. You don’t have to rely on a social media algorithm to hope your message ends up in your donor’s feed.

The downside is people get a huge amount of email from a variety of different sources. Plus, the average open rate is around 20%. I don’t know what’s going on in the conservative world, but some liberal political organizations send an enormous amount of email, which I pretty much ignore. And, social media is often just a lot of a lot.  

It’s easy for your electronic messages to get lost in the shuffle. Your donors may just tune things out, even if you have something engaging to share. 

While you’ll likely use electronic communication pretty regularly, don’t discount direct mail. Your donors are more likely to see these messages. We get far less postal mail than electronic communication. Also, someone can put a piece of mail aside and look at it later. Don’t count on that happening with any type of electronic communication. You can also communicate by phone. This is a great way to thank your donors.

Going multichannel is usually your best bet. This is very common for fundraising campaigns and inviting people to events, as well as including a link to your email newsletter on your social media platforms. This way if people miss your initial message on one platform, they may see it on a different one. You’ll also want to send regular reminders for fundraising appeals and event invitations.

Get noticed right away

Your donors have a lot going on and you need to capture their attention right away.

Your fundraising letters and anything else you send by mail needs to look appealing enough to open. You could put a tagline on the envelope. That doesn’t mean something like It’s Our Annual Appeal. Try something like – How you can help families put food on the table. I just received a mailing with an outer envelope that said THANK YOU! Your Monthly Pledge Statement Enclosed And the latest story showing your gift’s impact. The part about the monthly pledge statement isn’t so interesting, but the rest of it is spot on.

Your envelope should look personal and not resemble a bill or junk mail. A few ways to make your mail stand out are to use something other than the usual white business envelope, hand address your envelope, and use stamps.

Once your donor opens your fundraising appeal, lead with a story followed by a clear, prominent ask. When they open your thank you letter, they should be greeted with gratitude.

A good subject line is the key to getting someone to open your email message. Keep in mind that your donor’s inbox is bursting with messages. Don’t use something boring like April e-newsletter or Donation Received. Entice them with Find out how you helped families put food on the table or You just did something amazing today!  

Keep them engaged once they open your message.

Keep it short

In many cases, a shorter message is best. You want a good balance between saying too much and saying too little. All your words should count, so be careful about adding too much filler. That often includes bragging about your organization and explaining what you do.

Keep in mind the average human attention span is a mere eight seconds.

Your goal is to get your donors to read your messages. If it looks long and boring, they probably won’t bother.

Make it easy to read and scan

Besides sending a short message, use short paragraphs and lots of white space, too. Your messages need to be easy to read and scan in an instant. Most people aren’t going to read something word for word. Be sure they can quickly get the gist of what you want to say. Don’t use microscopic font either – use 12 point or higher.

Be personal and conversational

Write directly to your reader using clear, conversational language – no jargon. Don’t confuse your donors with generic messages.

Don’t cast a wide net

It’s important that you send your messages to the right audience and your audience isn’t everyone.

You’ll have more luck with a fundraising appeal when you send it to past donors or people who have a connection to your cause. The same is true for event invitations or recruiting volunteers.

You may want to reach out to as many people as possible, but that won’t guarantee you’ll get more donations or event attendees. Segmenting and engaging with the right audience will bring you better results.

Be a welcome visitor

If you communicate regularly and do it well, your donors should recognize you as a reputable source and are more likely to read your messages. If all you do is send them generic fundraising appeals, then it’s time for a change.

When you send email, make sure people know it’s coming from your organization. In the from field, put DoGood Nonprofit or Sheila (Kramer), DoGood Nonprofit. If you just put a person’s name, people may not know who it’s from and ignore your message, unless that person is well known to your readers.

Only send email to people who have opted into your list. Otherwise, you’re spamming them. Some people will choose not to receive email from you and that’s okay. The ones who do are interested in hearing from you. Give people the option to unsubscribe, too. Measuring your email metrics will help you communicate more effectively. 

When you send email, it’s important to strike a balance between being known and being annoying. Unlike the political organizations I mentioned above, many nonprofits don’t communicate enough. Be sure to reach out anywhere between once a week and once a month.

Even though people only get a few pieces of mail a day, most of it’s junk mail. You never want any of your letters, newsletters, or postcards to be perceived as junk mail (see above).

By putting in a little time and effort, you can help ensure that your messages stand out, even in a world of information overload.

5 Public Speaking Tips That Can Help Nonprofit Professionals

Ann Green Communications, donor-centered, events, fundraising, stories , , , ,

Building public speaking skills can help you make a strong case to nonprofit donors and other audiences. Use these public speaking tips for better engagement. 

By Patti Schutte

Fundraising is all about engaging with supporters and telling your organization’s story. When you build confidence as a public speaker, you can become a more effective fundraiser and nonprofit communicator. 

Public speaking skills can support nonprofit professionals as they give fundraising presentations, host one-on-one meetings with donors and supporters, speak at board meetings and conferences, and deliver other types of presentations. 

In this post, we’ll highlight five public speaking tips to grow your presentation skills and engage audiences effectively: 

  1. Tailor your presentation to your audience. 
  2. Plan your presentation conclusion first. 
  3. Use stories to create an emotional connection.
  4. Practice your pitch.
  5. Learn to pivot. 

With public speaking training, you can make a more compelling case to donors and be comfortable speaking to any audience. You’ll also be able to tell your nonprofit’s story effectively and recruit more support for your cause. 

1. Tailor your presentation to your audience. 

Whether you’re speaking to a major donor, your nonprofit’s board, or other nonprofit professionals at a conference, tailor your message to your audience. Use examples and anecdotes that resonate with your audience and appeal to their interests and motivations. 

For example, let’s say you’re speaking to your board to encourage them to get involved with fundraising. The benefits of engaging your board in fundraising are clear for your organization—they bring a high level of expertise in engaging major donors and can advocate for your organization’s cause from a leadership position. 

However, as a fundraising professional, it’s your job to help your board members understand and embrace their role in fundraising. Using an audience-oriented public speaking approach, you can complete activities with your board such as:

  • Setting fundraising goals as a group to give board members a stake in your success.
  • Speaking with board members one-on-one to assign individual tasks.
  • Educating your board members on your organization’s overall goals, successes, and areas for growth.
  • Walking board members through basic fundraising training, which is especially helpful for members who don’t have a strong fundraising background.

No matter what audience you’re speaking to, take some time beforehand to put yourself in their shoes to understand their perspective, motivations, and personal goals. 

Lastly, make your presentation accessible to your audience. If anyone in your audience has hearing or visual impairments, offer accommodations such as presentation captions or audio descriptions so they can engage with your presentation. This ensures you’re meeting your audience’s needs and creating inclusive presentations that everyone can engage with. 

2. Plan your presentation conclusion first. 

When preparing for fundraising presentations, it’s helpful to work backward from the end. Your ending is what will stick in audience members’ minds as they go about the rest of their day, so a memorable conclusion is crucial. 

Be Brilliant Presentation Group recommends concluding your presentation with a “Do-Remember-Feel” ending. To accomplish this type of conclusion, you can: 

  • End with a rousing call to action. Give audience members clear instructions for something they can do right away. For example, if you’re speaking to a group of current donors, highlight a few giving options audience members can take advantage of right away, such as writing a check, making a cash contribution, or submitting an online donation. 
  • Reemphasize your main talking points. Repeat your main points so audience members remember exactly what your core message is. 
  • Wrap up with a story or inspiring quote. Wrap up the story you started telling at the beginning of your presentation, or share an inspirational quote from your organization’s founder or someone who has benefited from your nonprofit’s services. This will give your audience members a lasting feeling that resonates with them. 

This type of presentation conclusion is especially effective when delivering presentations to donors. You can remind them why your organization is worthy of support, leave them with a lasting, powerful feeling, and give them the tools they need to get involved right away. 

3. Use stories to create an emotional connection.

Stories are approximately 22 times more memorable than straightforward facts. Whether you’re communicating the value of workplace giving to donors or explaining the importance of your nonprofit’s afterschool programs, use a story to bring the information to life. 

According to Getting Attention’s guide to nonprofit storytelling, stories can help donors understand a new problem and make your organization’s mission much more tangible. 

Stories are most effective when they follow a clear structure. For example, let’s say you’re speaking at a fundraising auction to raise money for your nonprofit’s after-school SAT tutoring program. Here’s how you might structure your story:

  • Introduce the main character and the issues they face. For this story, your main character might be a local student who had been struggling to prepare for the SAT. 
  • Describe your main character’s attempts to fix the issue on their own. For instance, perhaps the student looked into taking an SAT prep class but couldn’t afford the fees.
  • Explain how, thanks to your donors, your organization supported the main character. Describe how the student was referred to your organization and how your tutoring program helped them improve their SAT score. 
  • Resolve the story and call listeners to action. Explain how the student was accepted into a good college with the help of their excellent SAT score. Bring audience members into the story by describing how they can make a difference and support other students in similar situations. 

Ensure your story includes direct quotes from your main character to create an emotional connection with the audience. Donors want to know their gifts are helping real people, and you can make that clear through compelling storytelling. 

4. Practice your pitch.

Once you’ve developed your fundraising presentation, dedicated practice will help you refine your pitch and get comfortable with speaking to your audience. Practice is especially critical when you’re speaking at a larger event, such as a gala or conference. 

Your preparation process will be different based on whether you’re speaking in person, virtually, or in a hybrid setting. Let’s look at an auction event as an example. Here are a few ways you can prepare for different types of auctions: 

  • In-person: Practice your introductory presentation in the event space, if possible. Test out the equipment, such as the microphone, lighting, and any visual presentation elements. If you’re hosting a live auction, ensure the stage and the audience are properly lit so you can see attendees’ paddles. 
  • Virtual: Practice recording yourself giving the auction introduction. Test out your virtual presentation tools, such as your slideshow or livestreaming platform tools. In addition, ensure your virtual auction tools, such as your mobile bidding system, item catalog, and payment processing tools are ready to go. 
  • Hybrid: When preparing for a hybrid event, you’ll need to test elements of both your in-person presentation and the livestreaming presentation. Your presentation should feature moments where you reference and engage with both your in-person and virtual audiences. 

Practicing multiple times can help you get comfortable with the presentation format so your speech is natural and relaxed. Plus, practicing beforehand can help you identify any technical issues or continuity errors and address them before presentation day. 

5. Learn to pivot. 

As a fundraiser, you know that not every meeting or presentation you hold with donors will be successful. Learning to pivot when prospective donors turn you down can help you turn more rejections into ongoing conversations. 

When you face rejection after a fundraising presentation or one-on-one meeting, it’s important to understand why the prospect said no:

  • If the prospect said “not right now,” it may be a timing issue, or they could still be figuring out where they want to direct their charitable giving for the year. Ask the prospect whether they’re open to hearing about future giving opportunities or when they would be available to discuss future projects. 
  • If the prospect said “maybe,” you can ask what kind of additional information might help them make their final decision. 
  • If the prospect says “yes” but stalls after your meeting, follow up within a couple of weeks to ask if they’d like any additional information or have further questions. 

Of course, if the prospect responds with a hard no, respect their choice and don’t push the issue further. Your organization’s mission and values won’t resonate with every prospect, which is just a fact that fundraisers must accept. However, if you see an opportunity to keep the door open, your public speaking skills will allow you to stay flexible and pivot the conversation in a productive direction. 

Dedicating yourself to ongoing fundraising professional development and public speaking advancement is a great way to become a better representative of your nonprofit’s mission. When you can communicate your organization’s goals and values to a variety of audiences and in multiple formats, you can effectively grow awareness and support for your mission. 

Patti Schutte is the CEO, Founder, and Principal Coach of Be Brilliant Presentation Group. Be Brilliant Presentation Group’s coaching system results in speakers moving from fear and avoidance to confidence and purpose. 

If fear of presenting runs through the veins of the majority, then Patti is the minority. She’ll be the one to grab the mic and quickly have the room engaged, laughing, and learning. Not skills you’d expect from someone who has a degree in mathematics. Her unique combination of being analytically minded, extroverted, charismatic, and skilled in presenting and training has guided her career journey. Her diverse presentation experiences include classroom and corporate training, growing and motivating an independent sales force, developing a team of national presenters, speaking at conferences, and transforming the presentation skill of professionals. She believes everyone deserves the advantage of brilliant presentation and speaking skills. 

If you are tired of giving subpar presentations, frustrated by the opportunity loss you’ve experienced, want to streamline your presentation process, and are motivated to learn and improve, Be Brilliant Presentation Group is ready to work with you! Patti’s four-step process efficiently gets you from the brainstorming phase to completed, well-practiced slides that you’re proud of and a feeling of preparedness for your presentation. Patti has had many people say they accomplish more in 30 minutes with her than they did in two full days without her.

The Importance of Ask, Thank, Report

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, donor retention, donor-centered, fundraising, newsletter, thank you letters , , , , , ,

You’re probably familiar with the Ask, Thank, Report formula in fundraising. If not, you should be. Organizations that follow that tend to be more successful. 

It’s also referred to as Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat, because it’s something you need to keep doing. And what’s most important is to thank and report before you ask for another donation. 

Of course, formulas are good in theory, but you can’t just go through the motions. Done well, the ask, thank, report, repeat formula can help you raise more money, build relationships, and boost your retention rate.

Asking for donations is not all or nothing

Many nonprofit organizations spend a lot of time asking and not so much on thanking and reporting.

At certain times of the year, such as GivingTuesday and year-end, nonprofits bombard donors with a bunch of generic appeals. Other organizations are skittish about asking for money. They might bury the ask in the appeal or think donors don’t want to give during a pandemic or recession (absolutely not true).

A good fundraising appeal starts with a story, followed by a clear, prominent ask. You’ll want to repeat your ask at least once more in the appeal.

Your fundraising appeal shouldn’t be focused too much on your organization – rambling on about how great you are. Your organization may be great, but let your donors figure that out. Your donors are the ones who are great, and they want to hear how they can help you make a difference for your clients/community.

Segment your appeal to the appropriate audience. Thank past donors or reference your relationship to a potential donor. Maybe they’re event attendees, volunteers, or friends of board members.

Address your appeal to a person and not Dear Friend.

Don’t use jargon or other language your donors won’t understand. Instead of saying we’re helping at-risk youth, say something like – With your support, our tutoring program can help more students graduate from high school on time. 

Your appeal should make people feel good about donating to your organization.

You can and should also thank and update/report back to your donors in your appeal.

Thanking your donors means thanking your donors

Your thank you letters/emails/handwritten notes need to be all about thanking your donors. Sounds obvious, right, but many thank you letters don’t do a great job of saying thank you.

First, your thank you letter (or better yet, a handwritten note) needs to open with something like You’re amazing! or Thanks to You! and not On behalf of X organization.

It shouldn’t come across as transactional and resemble a receipt. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Yes, you need to acknowledge the donation is tax-deductible, etc, but most donors are more concerned about how their gift made a difference.

You also don’t need to explain what your organization does or ask for another gift. Remember, this is the thanking phase.

Let your donors know the impact of their gift. For example – Thanks to your generous donation of $50, a family can get a box of groceries at the Northside Community Food Pantry. This is crucial since we’re seeing more people come in due to rising food prices.

Address your thank you letter to a person and not Dear Friend.

Recognize each donor. Is this the first time someone has donated? If someone donated before, did she increase her gift? Acknowledge this in your letter/note.

Keep your donors updated

The most common way to report back or update donors is a newsletter. These can be print, electronic, or a combination of both. You should definitely thank your donors in your newsletters and other updates. You can also ask for a donation. Many organizations put a donation envelope in their print newsletter and it’s a good way to raise additional revenue. It’s less successful in an e-newsletter. If you include too many calls to action in an email message, sometimes donors don’t respond to any of them. Also, if you do include an ask in your newsletter, make sure some of your other updates don’t include a donation request.

Your newsletter shouldn’t sound self-promotional and focus on all the wonderful things your organization is doing.  Donors want to see the impact of their gift, not hear you brag. Share at least one story. Client stories are best. Use phrases like Because of you and Thanks to donors like you. In addition, include engaging photos and other content your donors would like to see.

Another way to update your donors is with an impact report. I like that term better than annual report. You can also do one of these more than once a year. Shorter, more frequent updates are better than one of those long, boring traditional annual reports. Be sure to focus on how your donors helped you make a difference and don’t ask for a donation in your impact report. 

Something else you can do is to send a Donor Care Letter. It’s a way to share updates without putting together an actual newsletter. You can and should also send frequent updates by email and social media.

Repeat this throughout the year

Be sure to follow the ask, thank, report formula throughout the year. Most likely, you’ll need to do more thanking and reporting than you’re doing right now. Try to stay in touch with your donors at least once a month.  A communications calendar can help you with this.

Remember, the ask, thank, report formula should help you raise more money, build relationships, and boost your retention rate. The Better Fundraising Co. refers to this as the Virtuous Circle.